15-letter words containing p, o, s, e, r
- schopenhauerism — the philosophy of Schopenhauer, who taught that only the cessation of desire can solve the problems arising from the universal impulse of the will to live.
- scolopendriform — resembling scolopendra
- scorpion spider — whipscorpion.
- scrape together — to deprive of or free from an outer layer, adhering matter, etc., or to smooth by drawing or rubbing something, especially a sharp or rough instrument, over the surface: to scrape a table to remove paint and varnish.
- screw propeller — a rotary propelling device, as for a ship or airplane, consisting of a number of blades that radiate from a central hub and are so inclined to the plane of rotation as to tend to drive a helical path through the substance in which they rotate.
- seafood platter — a plate of assorted seafood, served in a restaurant
- seaside sparrow — a species of sparrow, Ammospiza maritima, existing in two subspecies, one (Cape Sable seaside sparrow) having dark olive-drab plumage with a lighter breast and underbelly, and the other (dusky seaside sparrow) having bold black and white markings on the breast and underbelly: the dusky seaside sparrow is almost extinct.
- second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
- secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
- security police — a police force responsible for maintaining order at a specific locale or under specific circumstances, as at an airport or factory.
- seidlitz powder — a laxative consisting of two powders, tartaric acid and a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate)
- self perception — the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
- self-absorption — preoccupation with oneself or one's own affairs.
- self-censorship — the act or practice of censoring.
- self-expression — the expression or assertion of one's own personality, as in conversation, behavior, poetry, or painting.
- self-oppression — the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.
- self-perception — the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
- self-persuasion — the act of persuading or seeking to persuade.
- self-proclaimed — to announce or declare in an official or formal manner: to proclaim war.
- self-production — produced by oneself or itself.
- self-propulsion — propulsion by a vehicle's own engine, motor, or the like.
- self-protection — protection of oneself or itself.
- self-supporting — the supporting or maintaining of oneself or itself without reliance on outside aid.
- seller's option — (on the New York Stock Exchange) a special transaction that gives the seller the right to make late delivery of a security within a specified period, ranging from 5 to not more than 60 business days for stocks.
- semipornography — partial pornography; material that is almost pornographic
- separate school — (in Canada) a school for a large religious minority financed by its rates and administered by its own school board but under the authority of the provincial department of education
- sepoy rebellion — the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58
- septentrionally — northwards; in the direction of the north
- serendipitously — come upon or found by accident; fortuitous: serendipitous scientific discoveries.
- share ownership — the owning of shares in a company
- shopping arcade — a place where a number of shops are connected together under one roof
- shopping center — a group of stores within a single architectural plan, supplying most of the basic shopping needs, especially in suburban areas.
- shopping centre — A shopping centre is a specially built area containing a lot of different shops.
- shoulder weapon — a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.
- sidereal period — the period of revolution of a body about another with respect to one or more distant stars
- simple fraction — a ratio of two integers.
- simple majority — less than half of the total votes cast but more than the minimum required to win, as when there are more than two candidates or choices.
- singapore sling — a cocktail of gin, cherry brandy, sugar, and water.
- sinorespiratory — of, relating to, or affecting the paranasal sinuses and the respiratory tract.
- slide projector — device for showing slides
- sneezing powder — a powder used to make people sneeze as a practical joke
- sodium peroxide — a yellowish-white, hygroscopic, water-soluble powder, Na 2 O 2 , used chiefly as a bleaching agent and as an oxidizing agent.
- sole proprietor — only owner
- somatic therapy — any of a group of treatments presumed to act on biological factors leading to mental illness.
- southern paiute — See under Paiute (def 2).
- spanish trefoil — alfalfa.
- spare no effort — do all you can
- spark generator — an alternating-current power source with a condenser discharging across a spark gap.
- spectator sport — any sport that can be watched by spectators, as football or basketball, usually for a fee.
- spectrochemical — of, relating to, or utilizing the techniques of spectrochemistry.