16-letter words containing u, r, s, o
- phosphorous acid — a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble acid of phosphorus, H 3 PO 3 , from which phosphites are derived.
- phosphoryl group — the trivalent group ≡P≡O.
- phytosuccivorous — feeding on sap, as certain sucking insects.
- picture postcard — postcard (def 1).
- 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
- 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.
- 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).
- pre-subscription — a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
- 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.
- primary consumer — (in the food chain) an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore.
- print journalism — journalism as practiced in newspapers and magazines.
- process industry — business of treating raw materials
- production costs — the costs used in manufacturing a product
- prometheus bound — a tragedy (c457 b.c.) by Aeschylus.
- promiscuous mode — (networking) Where a node on a network accepts all packets, regardless of their destination address.
- prosecution case — the case brought against someone by a legal authority
- prosthetic group — the nonprotein acid constituent of a conjugate protein, as the heme group of hemoglobin.
- proteus syndrome — a condition caused by malfunction in cell growth, in which bone and flesh tissue overgrow in localized areas of the body
- 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.
- 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-religious — of, relating to, or concerned with religion: a religious holiday.
- 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.
- pseudoparenchyma — (in certain fungi and red algae) a compact mass of tissue, made up of interwoven hyphae or filaments, that superficially resembles plant tissue.
- pseudoperipteral — having a freestanding colonnade at each end, with engaged columns at the sides.
- 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
- 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.
- purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
- pusher propeller — a propeller located on the trailing edge of an aircraft wing.
- 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 to the sword — to kill with a sword or swords
- quarter sessions — an English court of general criminal jurisdiction for crimes less than homicide, held quarterly.
- quasi-commercial — of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.
- quasi-compulsory — required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.
- 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.
- radioimmunoassay — a test procedure that integrates immunologic and radiolabeling techniques to measure minute quantities of a substance, as a protein, hormone, or drug, in a given sample of body fluid or tissue.
- 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.
- reasonable doubt — law: grounds for believing sb is innocent
- recording studio — place where music is recorded
- rectus abdominis — a long flat muscle that extends along the whole length of both sides of the abdomen. It flexes the vertebral column, particularly the lumbar portion; it also tenses the anterior abdominal wall and assists in compressing the abdominal contents
- recursion theory — (theory) The study of problems that, in principle, cannot be solved by either computers or humans.