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16-letter words containing u, n, p, r

  • planetary nebula — an expanding shell of thin ionized gas that is ejected from and surrounds a hot, dying star of about the same mass as the sun; the gas absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the central star and reemits it as visible light by the process of fluorescence.
  • 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.
  • pleasure-seeking — always looking for pleasure
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • pourriture noble — noble rot.
  • 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.
  • pressure flaking — a method of manufacturing a flint tool by pressing flakes from a stone core with a pointed implement, usually of wood tipped with antler or copper.
  • pressure welding — the welding together of two objects by holding them together under pressure.
  • 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.
  • preunderstanding — to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend: to understand Spanish; I didn't understand your question.
  • 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.
  • principal clause — the main clause.
  • 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.
  • private language — a language that is not merely secret or accidentally limited to one user, but that cannot in principle be communicated to another
  • pro bono publico — for the public good or welfare.
  • process industry — business of treating raw materials
  • production costs — the costs used in manufacturing a product
  • 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
  • proteus syndrome — a condition caused by malfunction in cell growth, in which bone and flesh tissue overgrow in localized areas of the body
  • 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-isidorian — of or relating to the collection of documents of the 9th century a.d. that consist chiefly of the Decretals, attributed to Isidore, archbishop of Seville, a.d. 600–36, and that were rejected as spurious in the 15th century.
  • pseudoparenchyma — (in certain fungi and red algae) a compact mass of tissue, made up of interwoven hyphae or filaments, that superficially resembles plant tissue.
  • public ownership — ownership by the state; nationalization
  • 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
  • puddling-furnace — the act of a person or thing that puddles.
  • pull the strings — be in control
  • 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.
  • purchasing agent — a person who buys materials, supplies, equipment, etc., for a company.
  • purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
  • purple gallinule — a purple, blue, green, and white gallinule, Porphyrula martinica, inhabiting warmer areas of the New World, having a bright red, yellow, and blue bill, and lemon-yellow legs and feet.
  • purple sandpiper — a sandpiper, Calidris maritima, of arctic regions of the New and Old World, having in winter a slate-gray back with purplish reflections.
  • put a foot wrong — to make a mistake
  • put one's oar in — to interfere or interrupt
  • put pen to paper — If you put pen to paper, you write something.
  • pyroconductivity — conductivity brought about by the application of heat, especially in solids that are not conductors at normal temperatures.
  • quantum computer — a computer that makes use of the quantum states of electrons or other particles to store and process information as quantum bits.
  • reconceptualized — to form into a concept; make a concept of.
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