16-letter words containing u, m, p, i, r
- instrument panel — Also called instrument board. a panel on which are mounted an array of dials, lights, and gauges that monitor the performance of a machine or device, as an airplane.
- lines per minute — (unit) (lpm) A unit used to measure line printer throughput.
- mallowpuff māori — a Māori who is considered to behave like a white person
- malpractice suit — a lawsuit brought against a professional accused of illegal or unethical practices or neglect of duty
- mari el republic — a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga basin. Capital: Yoshkar-Ola. Pop: 728 000 (2002). Area: 23 200 sq km (8955 sq miles)
- marsupialization — (surgery) The surgical technique of cutting a slit into a cyst and suturing its edges to form a continuous surface from the exterior to the interior of the cyst, allowing it to drain freely.
- menstrual period — the bleeding from the womb that occurs approximately monthly in nonpregnant women of reproductive age
- microencapsulate — (transitive) To embed by means of microencapsulation.
- micromanipulator — A device, used for micromanipulation, consisting of microscopic needles and instruments viewed through a microscope.
- miniature poodle — a breed of poodle, bred to be much smaller than standard poodles
- mispronunciation — (uncountable) The act of mispronouncing.
- moulding process — the process of shaping or compacting a material into a frame or mould
- multiple factors — polygene.
- multiprogramming — multitasking
- myelosuppression — (medicine) A reduction of bone marrow activity that leads to a lower concentration of platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells.
- neptunium series — a radioactive series that starts with plutonium-241 and ends with bismuth-209. Neptunium-237 is the longest-lived member of the series. The series does not occur in nature
- neuroepithelioma — Neurocytoma.
- operating manual — a leaflet of instructions on how to use something (such as an electrical appliance, etc)
- optical computer — an experimental computer that uses photons rather than electrical impulses to process data a thousand times faster than with conventional integrated circuits.
- 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.
- over-consumption — the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- paint-by-numbers — formulaic; showing no original thought or creativity
- painted trillium — a North American trillium, Trillium undulatum, having white flowers streaked with pink or purple.
- pairs tournament — an event in a sport such as tennis or darts open to pairs of competitors
- palmer peninsula — former name of Antarctic Peninsula.
- palomar mountain — mountain in SW Calif., near San Diego: site of an astronomical observatory: 6,140 ft (1,871 m)
- papillary muscle — one of the small bundles of muscles attached to the ventricle walls and to the chordae tendineae that tighten these tendons during ventricular contraction.
- permaculturalist — a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
- 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.
- picture moulding — the edge around a framed picture
- pietermaritzburg — a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Capital: Pietermaritzburg.
- platinum-iridium — (standard) A standard, against which all others of the same category are measured. Usage: silly. The notion is that one of whatever it is has actually been cast in platinum-iridium alloy and placed in the vault beside the Standard Kilogram at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris, as the bar defining the standard metre once was. "This garbage collection algorithm has been tested against the platinum-iridium cons cell in Paris." Compare golden.
- pneumatic trough — a trough filled with liquid, especially water, for collecting gases in bell jars or the like by displacement.
- 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).
- presumptive heir — heir presumptive.
- primary consumer — (in the food chain) an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore.
- primary industry — an industry, as agriculture, forestry, or fishing, that deals in obtaining natural materials.
- primary producer — any green plant or any of various microorganisms that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter.
- primitive church — the early Christian church, especially in reference to its earliest form and organization.
- print journalism — journalism as practiced in newspapers and magazines.
- private judgment — personal opinion formed independently of the expressed position of an institution, as in matters of religion or politics.
- promiscuous mode — (networking) Where a node on a network accepts all packets, regardless of their destination address.
- 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.
- pullorum disease — a highly contagious, frequently fatal disease of young poultry caused by the bacterium Salmonella gallinarum (pullorum), transmitted by the infected hen during egg production, and characterized by weakness, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
- punctuation mark — any of a group of conventional marks or characters used in punctuation, as the period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or dash.
- quasi-compulsory — required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.
- redemption value — the price at which the issuing company may choose to repurchase a security before its maturity date
- rooting compound — a substance, usually a powder, containing auxins in which plant cuttings are dipped in order to promote root growth
- run-time support — run-time system