18-letter words containing p, t, e, r, i
- pseudotuberculosis — an acute, sometimes fatal disease of rodents, birds, and other animals, including humans, caused by the bacterium Yersinia (Pasteurella) pseudotuberculosis, and characterized by the formation of nodules resembling those that result from tuberculosis.
- psychotherapeutics — psychotherapy.
- public expenditure — spending by central government, local authorities, and public corporations
- puerto rico trench — a depression in the ocean floor, N of Puerto Rico: includes deepest part of Atlantic Ocean, 28,374 feet (8648 meters).
- pulmonic airstream — a current of lung air set in motion by the respiratory muscles in the production of speech.
- purple loosestrife — an Old World plant, Lythrum salicaria, of the loosestrife family, widely naturalized in North America, growing in wet places and having spikes of reddish-purple flowers.
- puss in the corner — a parlor game for children in which one player in the middle of a room tries to occupy any of the positions along the walls that become vacant as other players dash across to exchange places at a signal.
- put one's shirt on — to bet all one has on (a horse, etc)
- pyramus and thisbe — (in Greek legend) two lovers of Babylon: Pyramus, wrongly supposing Thisbe to be dead, killed himself and she, encountering him in his death throes, did the same
- qattara depression — a desert basin in the Libyan Desert, in NW Egypt: lowest point is 435 feet (133 meters) below sea level. 6950 sq. mi. (18,000 sq. km).
- quartz-iodine lamp — a type of tungsten-halogen lamp containing small amounts of iodine and having a quartz envelope, operating at high temperature and producing an intense light for use in car headlamps, etc
- rabbit-proof fence — a fence through which rabbits are unable to pass
- radiation exposure — exposure to radiant energy or to the particles emitted in the transfer of radiant energy, esp the particles and gamma rays emitted in nuclear decay; exposure to radioactive substances
- radiation pressure — the pressure exerted on a surface by electromagnetic radiation or by sound waves.
- rape crisis centre — a place that provides support to people who have been victims of rape or other kinds of sexual abuse
- rapid eye movement — rapidly shifting, continuous movements of the eyes beneath closed lids during the stage of sleep characterized by dreaming.
- rational operation — any of the mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- reactive component — the component in an alternating-current circuit that does not contribute power because it is 90° out of phase with the voltage or current.
- real-time computer — a computer that can process data or information almost immediately
- recess appointment — a person appointed to an office by the President of the United States without approval from the Senate because the Senate is in recess
- reciprocating pump — A reciprocating pump is a pump which uses a backward and forward movement to move a fluid.
- recovery operation — the process of locating and retrieving bodies, esp following an explosion or natural disaster
- reentering polygon — a polygon having one or more reentering angles.
- registered company — a company which has officially registered its business
- registration plate — a plate mounted on the front and back of a motor vehicle bearing the registration number
- reinforced plastic — plastic with fibrous matter, such as carbon fibre, embedded in it to confer additional strength
- replacement engine — an engine used to replace or substitute an older or broken engine (in a vehicle, etc)
- report an accident — If you report an accident, you inform an insurer or the police or other authorities that an accident has occurred.
- representativeness — a person or thing that represents another or others.
- reprocessing plant — a plant where materials are treated in order to make them reusable
- reproduction proof — repro proof.
- resistance plasmid — any of a group of bacterial plasmids carrying genetic information that provide resistance to antibiotic drugs: some resistance plasmids are able to transfer themselves, and hence resistance, during conjugation
- respiratory arrest — cessation of breathing
- respiratory system — the system by which oxygen is taken into the body and an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place; in mammals the system includes the nasal passages, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.
- resurrection plant — a desert plant, Selaginella lepidophylla, occurring from Texas to South America, having stems that curl inward when dry.
- retail price index — The retail price index is a list of the prices of typical goods which shows how much the cost of living changes from one month to the next.
- retirement pension — income: no longer at work
- ribbon development — housing or commercial buildings built along a stretch of road.
- saint bernard pass — either of two passes over the Alps: the Great St Bernard Pass 2472 m (8110 ft) high, east of Mont Blanc between Italy and Switzerland, or the Little St Bernard Pass 2157 m (7077 ft) high, south of Mont Blanc between Italy and France
- saint peter's fish — another name for tilapia, taken from a Bible story about Saint Peter catching a fish with a coin in its mouth
- scissors-and-paste — designating or of a piece of writing that has been assembled from a variety of sources rather than by original research, often in a hasty or uninspired way
- scripting language — a language that is used to write scripts, or executable sections of code that automate tasks.
- seasonal promotion — Seasonal promotions are items marketed to customers at the appropriate time of year, such as coats in the winter and bathing suits in the summer.
- self-deprecatingly — in a self-deprecating manner
- self-disparagement — the act of disparaging.
- self-preoccupation — the state of being preoccupied.
- self-tapping screw — a screw designed to tap its corresponding female thread as it is driven.
- semiprecious stone — See at semiprecious.
- separation anxiety — the normal fear and apprehension expressed by infants when removed from their mothers or approached by strangers.
- september holidays — a period of time in September when people do not have to go to school, college or work