12-letter words containing s, p, h, r
- phosphureted — combined with phosphorus, especially in its lowest valence state.
- photo spread — a picture spread. See under spread (def 33).
- photorealism — a style of painting flourishing in the 1970s, especially in the U.S., England, and France, and depicting commonplace scenes or ordinary people, with a meticulously detailed realism, flat images, and barely discernible brushwork that suggests and often is based on or incorporates an actual photograph.
- phototropism — phototropic tendency or growth.
- phragmoplast — the cytoplasmic structure that forms at the equator of the spindle after the chromosomes have divided during the anaphase of plant mitosis, and that initiates cell division.
- phrasal verb — a combination of verb and one or more adverbial or prepositional particles, as catch on, take off, bring up, or put up with, functioning as a single semantic unit and often having an idiomatic meaning that could not be predicted from the meanings of the individual parts.
- phrase-maker — a person who is skilled in coining well-turned phrases; phraseologist.
- phrasemaking — the making up or coining of memorable phrases or slogans
- phrasemonger — phrasemaker (def 2).
- phraseograph — a phrase for which there is a phraseogram.
- phrenologist — a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.
- phrontistery — a place or establishment for thinking, studying, or learning
- phylacteries — Judaism. either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deut. 6, 13–21 of Deut. 11, and 1–16 of Ex. 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish men.
- physiography — the science of physical geography.
- physogastric — pertaining to the swollen, membranous abdomen of certain insects, especially termite and ant queens.
- picture sash — a large window sash, as for a picture window.
- picture show — motion picture.
- plasma torch — an electrical device for converting a gas into a plasma, used for melting metal
- plasmasphere — a region of cool plasma surrounding the earth, extending 8000–25,000 miles (13,000–40,000 km) into space, and bounded by the plasmapause.
- pleomorphism — existence of an organism in two or more distinct forms during the life cycle; polymorphism.
- pleomorphous — characterized by pleomorphism
- plough horse — a horse used for pulling a plough
- polar lights — the aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere or the aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere.
- pollen brush — the mass of stiff hairs on the legs or abdomen of an insect, for collecting pollen.
- polygraphist — an instrument for receiving and recording simultaneously tracings of variations in certain body activities.
- polyhedrosis — an often fatal disease of certain insect larvae or decapod crustaceans, caused by viruses containing DNA.
- polyhistoric — relating to a polyhistor
- polymorphism — the state or condition of being polymorphous.
- polymorphous — having, assuming, or passing through many or various forms, stages, or the like.
- pommel horse — a padded, somewhat cylindrical floor-supported apparatus, similar to a vaulting horse but having two graspable pommels on top, used by men for hand-supported balancing, rotating, and swinging maneuvers.
- porphyropsin — a purple pigment occurring in the retina of the eye of certain freshwater fishes
- port chester — a city in SE New York, on Long Island Sound.
- post-harvest — Also, harvesting. the gathering of crops.
- postbrachial — belonging to the arm, foreleg, wing, pectoral fin, or other forelimb of a vertebrate.
- poster child — a child appearing on a poster for a charitable organization.
- postworkshop — occurring after a workshop
- powder chest — a small wooden box containing a charge of powder, old nails, scrap iron, etc., formerly secured over the side of a ship and exploded on the attempt of an enemy to board.
- power shovel — any self-propelled shovel for excavating earth, ore, or coal with a dipper that is powered by a diesel engine or electric motor. Compare shovel (def 2).
- power shower — a shower (device for washing yourself) that incorporates a device that increases water pressure to create a more powerful spray
- praiseworthy — deserving of praise; laudable: a praiseworthy motive.
- prankishness — the quality or condition of being prankish
- prayer shawl — a tallith.
- pre-purchase — to acquire by the payment of money or its equivalent; buy.
- pre-shipping — a vessel, especially a large oceangoing one propelled by sails or engines.
- preachership — the office of a preacher
- predischarge — of or pertaining to the period prior to discharge, esp prior to discharge from hospital or from employment
- preestablish — to establish beforehand.
- prehensorial — relating to a part that grasps
- prehistorian — an authority on or specialist in prehistory
- prenticeship — an apprenticeship