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19-letter words containing s, u, r, n

  • printing discussion — [XEROX PARC] A protracted, low-level, time-consuming, generally pointless discussion of something only peripherally interesting to all.
  • priority scheduling — (operating system)   Processes scheduling in which the scheduler selects tasks to run based on their priority as opposed to, say, a simple round-robin. Priorities may be static or dynamic. Static priorities are assigned at the time of creation, while dynamic priorities are based on the processes' behaviour while in the system. For example, the scheduler may favour I/O-intensive tasks so that expensive requests can be issued as early as possible. A danger of priority scheduling is starvation, in which processes with lower priorities are not given the opportunity to run. In order to avoid starvation, in preemptive scheduling, the priority of a process is gradually reduced while it is running. Eventually, the priority of the running process will no longer be the highest, and the next process will start running. This method is called aging.
  • private prosecution — a prosecution started by a private individual rather than by the police
  • privatization issue — an issue of shares available for purchase by members of the public when a publicly owned organization is transferred to the private sector
  • provably unsolvable — The set or property of problems for which no algorithm at all exists. E.g. the Halting Problem. See also provably difficult.
  • pseudo-conservative — disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
  • pseudo-experimental — pertaining to, derived from, or founded on experiment: an experimental science.
  • pseudo-intransitive — denoting an occurrence of a normally transitive verb in which a direct object is not explicitly stated or forms the subject of the sentence, as in Margaret is cooking or these apples cook well
  • pseudo-professional — following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
  • pseudorandom number — (programming)   One of a sequence of numbers generated by some algorithm so as to have an even distribution over some range of values and minimal correlation between successive values. Pseudorandom numbers are used in simulation and encryption. They are pseudorandom not random because the sequence eventually repeats exactly and is entirely determined by the initial conditions. One of the simplest algorithms is x[i+1] = (a * x[i] + c) mod m but this repeats after at most m numbers and successive numbers are closely related. Better algorithms generally use more previous numbers to calculate the next number.
  • public-interest law — a branch of law that often utilizes class-action suits to protect the interest of a large group or of the public at large, as in matters relating to racial discrimination, air pollution, etc.
  • pugwash conferences — international peace conferences of scientists held regularly to discuss world problems: Nobel peace prize 1995 awarded to Joseph Rotblat (1908–2005) , one of the founders of the conferences, secretary-general (1957–73), and president (1988–97)
  • pull in one's horns — one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain ungulate mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.
  • purse-string suture — a suture for a circular opening, stitched around the edge, that closes it when pulled.
  • put a figure on sth — When you put a figure on an amount, you say exactly how much it is.
  • put one's finger on — any of the terminal members of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
  • put the skids under — a plank, bar, log, or the like, especially one of a pair, on which something heavy may be slid or rolled along.
  • quantum electronics — the application of quantum mechanics and quantum optics to the study and design of electronic devices
  • queen street farmer — a businessman who runs a farm, often for a tax loss
  • queen's regulations — (in Britain and certain other Commonwealth countries when the sovereign is female) the code of conduct for members of the armed forces
  • quick-change artist — a person adept at changing from one thing to another, as an entertainer who changes costumes quickly during a performance.
  • rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
  • rebus sic stantibus — (of the duration of the binding force treaty) for as long as the relevant facts and circumstances remain basically the same.
  • redbrick university — any new or little-known university, especially one built since World War II to educate students in industrial regions, emphasizing technical subjects rather than the classics, and often partially supported by government funds.
  • registration number — number on vehicle licence plate
  • regular icosahedron — an icosahedron in which each of the faces is an equilateral triangle
  • reindustrialization — the revitalization of an industry or industrial society through government aid and tax incentives, modernization of factories and machinery, etc.
  • relational calculus — (database)   An operational methodolgy, founded on predicate calculus, dealing with descripitive expressions that are equivalent to the operations of relational algebra. Codd's reduction algorithm can convert from relational calculus to relational algebra. Two forms of the relational calculus exist: the tuple calculus and the domain calculus.
  • religious education — religion as school subject
  • reserved occupation — in time of war, an occupation from which one will not be called up for military service
  • residence insurance — Residence insurance is insurance coverage against damage to a building in which you live.
  • resplendent quetzal — See under quetzal (def 1).
  • restricted currency — a non-convertible currency
  • rhetorical question — a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply, as “What is so rare as a day in June?”.
  • ruffini's corpuscle — an end organ of certain sensory neurons that branches out parallel to the skin and responds to steady pressure.
  • saccharofarinaceous — pertaining to or consisting of sugar and meal.
  • sacramento sturgeon — white sturgeon.
  • saddharma-pundarika — a Mahayana sutra, forming with its references to Amida and the Bodhisattvas the basis for the doctrine that there is something of Buddha in everyone, so that salvation is universally available: a central text of Mahayana Buddhism.
  • saint luke's summer — a period of unusually warm weather in the autumn
  • san juan capistrano — a city in SW California: site of old Spanish mission; known for annual return of swallows, said to occur on March 19.
  • san juan de la cruz — San Juan de la [sahn hwahn de lah] /sɑn ʰwɑn dɛ lɑ/ (Show IPA), John of the Cross, Saint.
  • saturation coverage — news coverage (of an event, etc) that is very thorough in order not to miss any details
  • scale down (or up) — to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion
  • scattersite housing — public housing, especially for low-income families, built throughout an urban area rather than being concentrated in a single neighborhood.
  • screen actors guild — a labor union for motion-picture performers, founded in 1933. Abbreviation: SAG.
  • sea of tranquillity — Astronomy. Mare Tranquillitatis.
  • secondary education — education at high-school level
  • secondary qualities — one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.
  • secondary structure — the arrangement of a polypeptide into a regular alpha helix, beta structure, or random coil configuration by the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds along the length of the chain.
  • self-congratulating — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
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