16-letter words containing r, e, t, o, u
- osmotic pressure — the force that a dissolved substance exerts on a semipermeable membrane, through which it cannot penetrate, when separated by it from pure solvent.
- out of character — the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
- out on one's ear — dismissed unceremoniously
- outboard profile — an exterior side elevation of a vessel, showing all deck structures, rigging, fittings, etc.
- outside director — a director of a company who is not employed by that company but is often employed by a holding or associated company
- outsmart oneself — to have one's efforts at cunning or cleverness result in one's own disadvantage
- over the counter — If a medicine can be bought over the counter, you do not need a prescription to buy it.
- over-communicate — to impart knowledge of; make known: to communicate information; to communicate one's happiness.
- over-consumption — the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- over-cultivation — the act or art of cultivating.
- over-nourishment — something that nourishes; food, nutriment, or sustenance.
- over-speculation — the contemplation or consideration of some subject: to engage in speculation on humanity's ultimate destiny.
- over-the-counter — unlisted on or not part of an organized securities exchange: over-the-counter stocks; the over-the-counter market. Abbreviation: OTC.
- overaccumulation — Accumulation of too much.
- overcautiousness — the quality or state of being too cautious, wary, or careful
- overenthusiastic — full of or characterized by enthusiasm; ardent: He seems very enthusiastic about his role in the play.
- oversubscription — to subscribe for more of than is available, expected, or required: The charity drive was oversubscribed by several thousand dollars.
- overurbanization — the act or fact of urbanizing, or taking on the characteristics of a city: Urbanization has led to more air pollution and increasing childhood asthma.
- oxidation number — the state of an element or ion in a compound with regard to the electrons gained or lost by the element or ion in the reaction that formed the compound, expressed as a positive or negative number indicating the ionic charge of the element or ion.
- pacific sturgeon — a dark gray sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, inhabiting marine and fresh waters along the northwestern coast of North America, valued as a food and sport fish.
- pairs tournament — an event in a sport such as tennis or darts open to pairs of competitors
- palmtop computer — a computer that has a small screen and compressed keyboard and is small enough to be held in the hand, often used as a personal organizer
- paratuberculosis — Johne's disease.
- paterson's curse — a purple-flowered noxious plant, Echium plantagineum, a close relative of viper's bugloss, naturalized in Australia and NZ where its harmfulness to livestock has prompted attempts to limit its spread
- perforated ulcer — an ulcer that bursts through the stomach wall and leaks food and gastric juices into the abdominal cavity
- period furniture — furniture that was made during a particular period in time
- perpetual motion — the motion of a theoretical mechanism that, without any losses due to friction or other forms of dissipation of energy, would continue to operate indefinitely at the same rate without any external energy being applied to it.
- personal tuition — private tuition
- personality cult — deliberately cultivated adulation of a person, esp a political leader
- phosphor fatigue — screen saver
- picture moulding — the edge around a framed picture
- picture postcard — postcard (def 1).
- pneumatic trough — a trough filled with liquid, especially water, for collecting gases in bell jars or the like by displacement.
- poitou-charentes — a region of W central France, on the Bay of Biscay: mainly low-lying
- port authorities — the body with overall responsibility for a port
- portmanteau word — a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.
- portuguese india — a former Portuguese overseas territory on the W coast of India, consisting of the districts of Gôa, Daman, and Diu: annexed by India December 1961. Capital: Gôa.
- portuguese timor — former (1914-75) Portuguese territory in the Malay Archipelago
- postremogeniture — a system of inheritance under which the estate of a deceased person goes to his youngest son. Also called ultimogeniture. Compare primogeniture (def 2).
- potato tuberworm — the larva of the potato moth.
- pourriture noble — noble rot.
- powerfully built — (of a person, esp a man) big and physically strong, with large muscles
- praetorian guard — the bodyguard of a military commander, especially the imperial guard stationed in Rome.
- pre-subscription — a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
- prerevolutionary — of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.
- presumptuousness — full of, characterized by, or showing presumption or readiness to presume in conduct or thought, as by saying or doing something without right or permission.
- process industry — business of treating raw materials
- project guardian — (project, security) A project which grew out of the ARPA support for Multics and the sale of Multics systems to the US Air Force. The USAF wanted a system that could be used to handle more than one security classification of data at a time. They contracted with Honeywell and MITRE Corporation to figure out how to do this. Project Guardian led to the creation of the Access Isolation Mechanism, the forerunner of the B2 labeling and star property support in Multics. The DoD Orange Book was influenced by the experience in building secure systems gained in Project Guardian.
- prometheus bound — a tragedy (c457 b.c.) by Aeschylus.
- prosecution case — the case brought against someone by a legal authority