16-letter words containing r, o, t, a, u
- pay-as-you-throw — denoting a system for waste collection in which households are charged according to the amount of refuse they leave
- perforated ulcer — an ulcer that bursts through the stomach wall and leaks food and gastric juices into the abdominal cavity
- 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
- photoautotrophic — any organism that derives its energy for food synthesis from light and is capable of using carbon dioxide as its principal source of carbon.
- photograph album — bound book for photos
- 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.
- potato tuberworm — the larva of the potato moth.
- praetorian guard — the bodyguard of a military commander, especially the imperial guard stationed in Rome.
- prerevolutionary — of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.
- print journalism — journalism as practiced in newspapers and magazines.
- 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.
- propylthiouracil — a white crystalline compound, C 7 H 1 0 N 2 OS, that interferes with the synthesis of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland: used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.
- prosecution case — the case brought against someone by a legal authority
- proto-algonquian — the unattested parent language from which the Algonquian languages are descended.
- proxima centauri — the nearest star to the sun at a distance of 4.3 light-years, part of the Alpha Centauri triple-star system located in the constellation Centaurus.
- pseudo-patriotic — of, like, suitable for, or characteristic of a patriot.
- pseudo-realistic — interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical: a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.
- pseudo-spiritual — of, relating to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
- pseudohistorical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- pseudoperipteral — having a freestanding colonnade at each end, with engaged columns at the sides.
- public relations — (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
- public transport — fare-paying travel
- pulmonary artery — an artery conveying venous blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs.
- punctuation mark — any of a group of conventional marks or characters used in punctuation, as the period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or dash.
- pure watercolour — water-soluble pigment, applied in transparent washes and without the admixture of white pigment in the lighter tones
- put a foot wrong — to make a mistake
- put one's oar in — to interfere or interrupt
- put out to grass — If you say that someone is being put out to grass, you mean they are no longer being employed because they are considered to be too old or no longer useful.
- put pen to paper — If you put pen to paper, you write something.
- quantum computer — a computer that makes use of the quantum states of electrons or other particles to store and process information as quantum bits.
- quarter sessions — an English court of general criminal jurisdiction for crimes less than homicide, held quarterly.
- quasi-democratic — pertaining to or of the nature of democracy or a democracy.
- quasi-historical — of, pertaining to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events: historical records; historical research.
- quasi-stationary — a person or thing that is stationary.
- radium emanation — (formerly) radon.
- radius of action — the maximum distance that a ship, aircraft, or land vehicle can travel from its base and return without refuelling
- rambunctiousness — difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
- rating community — an online community based around a website that allows members to rate each other's photographs, qualifications, etc, as well as those of applicants, and which only those approved by existing members are allowed to join
- rattle around in — to live or work in (a house, office, etc.) that is too big for one's needs
- reaction turbine — a turbine driven by the reactive force of a fluid passing through the rotor blades.
- rearguard action — an action fought by a rearguard
- reasonable doubt — law: grounds for believing sb is innocent