15-letter words containing p, r, e, t
- part of fortune — the celestial longitude of the moon plus the celestial longitude of the ascendant minus the celestial longitude of the sun: said to connote an area of life through which one achieves emotional satisfaction.
- 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 denture — an artificial replacement of one or several of the teeth (partial denture) or all of the teeth (full denture) of either or both jaws; dental prosthesis.
- partial eclipse — astronomy
- participatively — to take or have a part or share, as with others; partake; share (usually followed by in): to participate in profits; to participate in a play.
- partners---desk — a desk constructed so that two people may work at it face-to-face, as one having a kneehole and drawers on two fronts.
- pass-the-parcel — a children's game in which a parcel with lots of wrappings is passed round while music plays; each time the music stops the person holding the parcel takes a layer of wrapping off
- passenger train — railway train that carries people
- passport holder — a person who has a passport
- passport office — an office which issues passports
- past participle — a participle with past, perfect, or passive meaning, as fallen, sung, defeated; perfect participle: used in English and other languages in forming the present perfect, pluperfect, and passive and as an adjective.
- pastel-coloured — pale-coloured; in a shade such as pink or pale blue
- pastoral letter — pastoral (defs 11, 12).
- pastoral prayer — the main prayer in a church service.
- patagonian hare — a burrowing, gray, long-eared and long-legged cavy of the genus Dolichotis, native to South America.
- patellar reflex — knee jerk.
- patent engineer — a person who draws up applications for patents
- paternity leave — a leave of absence from a job for a father to care for a new baby.
- 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.
- paurometabolous — designating or of a group of insect orders, as orthopterans or hemipterans, in which metamorphosis to the adult state from the juvenile state is gradual and without any sudden, radical change of body form
- pavel petrovich — Paul I (def 2).
- pavement artist — sidewalk artist.
- peacock feather — a (distinctive and brightly coloured) feather from the peacock
- peak production — the maximum production
- pearly nautilus — nautilus (def 1).
- pectoral girdle — (in vertebrates) a bony or cartilaginous arch supporting the forelimbs.
- pectoral muscle — muscle of the chest
- pedestrian mall — A pedestrian mall is the same as a pedestrian precinct.
- peltier element — an electronic device consisting of metal strips between which alternate strips of n-type and p-type semiconductors are connected. Passage of a current causes heat to be absorbed from one set of metallic strips and emitted from the other by the Peltier effect
- pematangsiantar — a city on NE Sumatra, in Indonesia.
- penal servitude — imprisonment together with hard labor.
- 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.
- penetrativeness — the quality or condition of being penetrative
- penshurst place — a 14th-century mansion near Tunbridge Wells in Kent: birthplace of Sir Philip Sidney; gardens laid out from 1560
- 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).
- pepper-and-salt — composed of a fine mixture of black with white: pepper-and-salt hair.
- peppercorn rent — A peppercorn rent is an extremely low rent.
- perchloroethane — hexachloroethane.
- percussion tool — a power driven tool which operates by striking rapid blows: the power may be electricity or compressed air
- perfect binding — a technique for binding books by a machine that cuts off the backs of the sections and glues the leaves to a cloth or paper backing.
- perfect cadence — a cadence in which the tonic chord has its root in both bass and soprano.
- perfectionistic — a person who adheres to or believes in perfectionism.
- perfector press — a flatbed press for printing both sides of a sheet in one operation.
- perforating gun — A perforating gun is a device used to make holes in oil and gas wells in preparation for production.