15-letter words containing p, o, i, r
- overspeculation — the contemplation or consideration of some subject: to engage in speculation on humanity's ultimate destiny.
- ovoviviparously — in an ovoviviparous manner
- pacific madrone — any of several evergreen trees belonging to the genus Arbutus, of the heath family, especially A. menziesii (Pacific madrone) of western North America, having red, flaky bark and bearing edible reddish berries.
- paedophile ring — a group of people who take part in illegal sexual activity involving children
- painter's colic — Pathology. lead poisoning causing intense intestinal pain.
- pair production — Physics. the simultaneous creation of a particle and its antiparticle by a nucleus or particle in an excited state, as when a photon is absorbed.
- pairs champions — competitors in or winners of a pairs championship
- palaeoanthropic — relating to palaeoanthropology
- palindromically — a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam, I'm Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop.
- panoramic sight — an artillery sight that can be rotated horizontally in a full circle.
- pantopragmatics — universal intervention in the affairs of others
- panzer division — an armored division of the German army, especially in World War II, consisting chiefly of tanks and organized for making rapid attacks.
- paradise flower — a prickly vine, Solanum wendlandii, of the nightshade family, native to Costa Rica, having branched clusters of showy lilac-blue flowers.
- paraheliotropic — (of leaves) turning away from light; sun-avoiding
- paralation lisp — Embeds the paralation model in Common LISP. Available from MIT Press, (800)356-0343.
- parallel cousin — a cousin who is the child either of one's mother's sister or of one's father's brother.
- parallel motion — a mechanism arranged so as to impart rectilinear motion to a rod connected to a lever that moves through an arc.
- parallelopipeda — plural of parallelopipedon
- parametrization — a parametric representation; the act of representing as or defining parameters
- parking offence — the act of leaving your car somewhere illegally
- parkinson's law — the statement, expressed facetiously as if a law of physics, that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.
- paroemiographer — a person who writes or collects proverbs
- parthenogenesis — development of an egg without fertilization.
- parthenogenetic — development of an egg without fertilization.
- parti québécois — (in Canada) a political party in Quebec, formed in 1968 and originally advocating the separation of Quebec from the rest of the country
- partial product — the result obtained when a number is multiplied by one digit of a multiplier
- participational — involving participation
- partition ratio — A partition ratio is a measurement of the relative degree to which a solute which is going to be separated is distributed between a solvent and sorption medium.
- party political — Party political matters relate to political parties.
- passifloraceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Passifloraceae, a tropical and subtropical family of climbing plants including the passionflowers: the flowers have five petals and threadlike parts forming a dense mass (corona) around the central disc
- passport office — an office which issues passports
- pastoralization — to make pastoral or rural.
- patagonian hare — a burrowing, gray, long-eared and long-legged cavy of the genus Dolichotis, native to South America.
- patchwork quilt — cover sewn from patches of cloth
- paternity order — a court order which declares a child's paternity
- patio furniture — furniture in an area adjoining a house, esp one that is paved and used for outdoor activities
- patria potestas — the power vested in the paterfamilias or head of the Roman family with respect to his wife, natural or adopted children, and agnatic descendants: title to family property is vested exclusively in the paterfamilias. Property acquired by a family member becomes family property, and no family member can enter into a transaction in his or her own right.
- pattern bombing — aerial bombing in which bombs are dropped on a target in a predetermined pattern.
- pavel petrovich — Paul I (def 2).
- peak production — the maximum production
- pectoral girdle — (in vertebrates) a bony or cartilaginous arch supporting the forelimbs.
- peculiar people — a small sect of faith healers founded in London in 1838, having no ministers or external organization
- pelargonic acid — a colorless, oily, water-immiscible liquid, C 9 H 1 8 O 2 , occurring as an ester in a volatile oil in species of pelargonium: used chiefly in organic synthesis and in the manufacture of lacquers and plastics.
- pellicle mirror — a fixed mirror in a single-lens reflex camera that reflects some of the light entering the lens to the ground-glass view screen while permitting most of the light to pass through to the film.
- penetration aid — a device or tactic, as the use of chaff or decoys or the maintaining of a low flight level, that helps an aircraft or missile to enter hostile air space.
- pentaerythritol — a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C 5 H 1 2 O 4 , used chiefly in the manufacture of alkyd resins, varnishes, plasticizers, and explosives.
- pepin the short — ("Pepin the Short") died a.d. 768, king of the Franks 751–768 (father of Charlemagne).
- perchloric acid — a colorless, syrupy hygroscopic liquid, HClO 4 , an acid of chlorine containing one more oxygen atom than chloric acid: used chiefly as a reagent in analytical chemistry.
- percussion lock — a gunlock on a firearm that fires by striking a percussion cap.
- percussion tool — a power driven tool which operates by striking rapid blows: the power may be electricity or compressed air