15-letter words containing p, r, i, e
- blasting powder — a form of gunpowder made with sodium nitrate instead of saltpeter, used chiefly for blasting rock, ore, etc.
- boustrophedonic — of or relating to lines written in opposite directions
- brachial plexus — a network of nerves in the armpits and neck, innervating the shoulders, arms, and hands.
- brachiocephalic — of, relating to, or supplying the arm and head
- braille display — (hardware) (Or "refreshable braille display", "refreshable display") An electromechanical device that renders braille with tiny, independently controlled pins used to represent the state of dots in braille cells. Each pin, in its "on" state, raises above the top of its hole in the screen; in its "off" state, it drops below the top of its hole. Older systems used tiny solenoids to control the state of the pins; modern systems are piezoelectric. Typical dimensions of a braille display are 1 line of 40 cells, each cell of two-by-eight dots.
- braille printer — (printer) (Or "(Braille) embosser") A printer, necessarily an impact printer, that renders text as Braille. Blind users call other printers ink printers.
- brazilian plume — a tropical American plant, Justicia carnea, of the acanthus family, having hairy, prominently veined leaves and a short, dense cluster of purple or pink flowers, grown in greenhouses or outdoors in warm regions.
- break-in period — a period during which certain restrictions or moderation in operating should be followed, as the avoidance of high speed, rapid acceleration, or severe braking for a new automobile.
- breakeven point — a point at which the total revenue and total cost are equal
- breaking plough — a plough with a long shallow mouldboard for turning virgin land or sod land
- breathing space — A breathing space is a short period of time between two activities in which you can recover from the first activity and prepare for the second one.
- broken pediment — a pediment, as over a doorway or window, having its raking cornice interrupted at the crown or apex.
- bromoil process — a process for making an offset reproduction by first making a photographic print on paper with a silver bromide emulsion, wetting it, and then using it as a lithographic plate, the lighter parts of the emulsion tending to repel the oil base of the ink and the darker parts tending to hold it.
- brompheniramine — a substance, C 16 H 19 BrN 2 , used as an antihistamine in the management of various allergies, as hay fever.
- bronzing powder — the powder used in bronzing, consisting of alloys of bronze or brass
- building permit — a permit for construction work
- buryat republic — a constituent republic of SE central Russia, on Lake Baikal: mountainous, with forests covering over half the total area. Capital: Ulan-Ude. Pop: 981 000 (2002). Area: 351 300 sq km (135 608 sq miles)
- business person — Business people are people who work in business.
- cabinet picture — a small easel painting, usually under 3 feet (0.9 meters) in width and formerly exhibited in a cabinet or special room.
- cabinet scraper — a scraper used in preparing a wood surface for sanding.
- calf diphtheria — a disease of the throat in young calves caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, resulting in breathing difficulty and a painful cough
- calliper splint — a splint consisting of two metal rods with straps attached, for supporting or exerting tension on the leg
- campaign worker — a person who carries out duties for a political candidate or party, esp before an election
- camphorated oil — a liniment consisting of camphor and peanut oil, used as a counterirritant
- cape finisterre — a headland in NW Spain: the westernmost point of the Spanish mainland
- capital gearing — the ratio of a company's debt capital to its equity capital
- capital letters — a letter of the alphabet that usually differs from its corresponding lowercase letter in form and height, as A, B, Q, and R as distinguished from a, b, q, and r : used as the initial letter of a proper name, the first word of a sentence, etc.
- caprifoliaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Caprifoliaceae, a family of N temperate shrubs, small trees, and climbers including honeysuckle, elder, and guelder-rose
- cardinal spider — a large house spider, Tegenaria parietina
- caribbean plate — a major tectonic division of the earth's crust, encompassing the Central American portion of North America, the Caribbean Sea, and the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, as well as the Leeward and Windward Islands; bordered north and south by the North and South American Plates and west by the Cocos Plate.
- carpentersville — a city in NE Illinois, near Chicago.
- cartesian plane — Usually, Cartesian coordinates. a member of a system of coordinates for locating a point on a plane (Cartesian plane) by its distance from each of two intersecting lines, or in space by its distance from each of three planes intersecting at a point.
- cartesian space — ordinary two- or three-dimensional space.
- cartridge paper — an uncoated type of drawing or printing paper, usually made from bleached sulphate wood pulp with an addition of esparto grass
- cast aspersions — If you cast aspersions on someone or something, you suggest that they are not very good in some way.
- castanospermine — a substance obtained from the Australian chestnut or black bean tree
- cell disruption — Cell disruption is when a biological material becomes smaller to release proteins and enzymes.
- centipede grass — a slow-growing grass, Eremochloa ophiuroides, introduced into the U.S. from China and used for lawns in warm areas.
- cephalothoracic — the anterior part of the body in certain arachnids and crustaceans, consisting of the coalesced head and thorax.
- cervical plexus — a network of nerves branching from the spinal nerves of the neck region and innervating the neck, chest, diaphragm, and part of the face.
- ceteris paribus — other things being equal
- chairpersonship — a person who presides over a meeting, committee, board, etc.
- chandler period — the period of the oscillation (Chandler wobble) of the earth's axis, varying between 416 and 433 days.
- character piece — a short, simple piece, usually for piano, of a type developed chiefly during the 19th century, often of a descriptive or seemingly improvisatory character.
- chemolithotroph — Chemoautotroph.
- chemoprevention — the prevention of disease, esp cancer, by means of chemical agents
- chemopsychiatry — the study and application of chemical substances in psychiatry
- chief inspector — an officer of high rank in British police forces
- chile saltpeter — sodium nitrate, esp. as found naturally in Chile and Peru
- chile saltpetre — a naturally occurring form of sodium nitrate: a soluble white or colourless mineral occurring in arid regions, esp in Chile and Peru