17-letter words containing p, o, t, c, h
- paleobiochemistry — the study of biochemical processes that occurred in fossil life forms.
- parathyroidectomy — the excision of a parathyroid gland.
- pashmina politics — the adoption of political policies immediately after they have gone out of fashion
- pathological liar — a person who tells lies frequently, with no rational motive for doing so.
- patriarchal cross — a Latin cross having a shorter crosspiece above the customary one.
- pebbleweave cloth — an irregularly textured material made from twisted yarn
- pentachlorophenol — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 6 Cl 5 OH, used chiefly in fungicides, disinfectants, and wood preservatives.
- perchloroethylene — tetrachloroethylene.
- personality clash — friction between two people who have different personalities or points of view
- petrarchan sonnet — a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.
- phantom pregnancy — the occurrence of signs of pregnancy, such as enlarged abdomen and absence of menstruation, when no embryo is present, due to hormonal imbalance
- phenethyl alcohol — a colorless, viscous, slightly water-soluble liquid, C 8 H 1 0 O, having a faint roselike odor: used chiefly in perfumery.
- phenyl isocyanate — a liquid reagent, C 7 H 5 NO, having an unpleasant, irritating odor: used chiefly for identifying alcohols and amines.
- philanthropically — of, pertaining to, engaged in, or characterized by philanthropy; benevolent: a philanthropic foundation.
- phonetic alphabet — an alphabet containing a separate character for each distinguishable speech sound.
- photo-composition — any method of composition using photography, as composition by means of a photocomposer.
- photoconductivity — the increase in the electrical conductivity of a substance, often nonmetallic, caused by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation.
- photodissociation — the dissociation or breakdown of a chemical compound by radiant energy.
- photoluminescence — luminescence induced by the absorption of infrared radiation, visible light, or ultraviolet radiation.
- photoreactivation — a process that repairs DNA damaged by ultraviolet light using an enzyme that requires visible light.
- phototherapeutics — the branch of therapeutics that deals with the curative use of light rays.
- photovoltaic cell — a photocell in which an electromotive force is generated by a photovoltaic effect.
- pick the eyes out — to select the best parts or pieces (of)
- pincushion cactus — any of various low-growing, spiny cacti of the genus Mammillaria.
- pitching rotation — the regular, scheduled succession of starting pitchers designated by a manager: a four-man pitching rotation in September.
- platinic chloride — chloroplatinic acid.
- pocket battleship — a small heavily armed and armored warship serving as a battleship because of limitations imposed by treaty.
- point of purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.
- point-of-purchase — designating or in use at a retail outlet where an item can be purchased; point-of-sale: point-of-purchase displays to entice the buyer.
- police helicopter — a helicopter used in police operations, for example in traffic control, or for observation
- polioencephalitis — a disease characterized by inflammation of the gray matter of the brain.
- polystyrene chips — small pieces of polystyrene used for insulating or packing
- pre-technological — of or relating to technology; relating to science and industry.
- priority check-in — Priority check-in at a hotel is an arrangement which allows a guest to check in without waiting in a line.
- prothoracic gland — either of a pair of endocrine glands in the anterior thorax of some insects, functioning to promote the series of molts from hatching to adulthood.
- pseudo-historical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- pseudo-humanistic — a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.
- psychodiagnostics — the study and evaluation of character or personality in terms of behavioral and anatomical traits, as gesture, posture and physiognomy.
- psychoeducational — designating or of psychological methods, as intelligence tests, used in evaluating learning ability
- psycholinguistics — the study of the relationship between language and the cognitive or behavioral characteristics of those who use it.
- psychometric test — a test designed to test a person's mental state, personality and thought processes
- psychotherapeutic — psychotherapy.
- put the screws on — a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, especially by means of a screwdriver.
- pythagorean scale — the major scale as derived acoustically by Pythagoras from the perfect fifth.
- respiratory chain — a series of mitochondrial proteins that transport electrons of hydrogen, released in the Krebs cycle, from acetyl coenzyme A to inhaled oxygen to form H 2 O: the energy released in the process is conserved as ATP.
- reticulate python — a python, Python reticulatus, of southeastern Asia and the East Indies, sometimes growing to a length of 32 feet (10 meters): usually considered to be the largest snake in the world.
- roll with a punch — to move in the same direction as a punch thrown at one so as to lessen its force
- saint christopher — Saint, died a.d. c250, Christian martyr.
- scheme repository — A collection of free Scheme programs.
- schmidt telescope — a wide-angle reflecting telescope used primarily for astronomical photography, in which spherical aberration and coma are reduced to a minimum by means of a spherical mirror with a corrector plate near its focus.