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18-letter words containing y, e, n, t

  • neutrino astronomy — the branch of astronomy dealing with the detection and measurement of neutrinos emitted by the sun and other celestial objects.
  • new storage system — (storage)   (NSS) A major Multics implementation project during the 1970s. The initial Multics file system design had evolved from the one-huge-disk world of CTSS. When multiple disk units were used they were just assigned increasing ranges of disk addresses, so a segment could have pages scattered over all disks on the system. This provided good I/O parallelism but made crash recovery expensive. NSS redesigned the lower levels of the file system, introducing the concepts of logical volume and physical volume and a mapping from a Multics directory branch to a VTOC entry for each file. The new system had much better recovery performance in exchange for a small space and performance cost.
  • ninety-ninety rule — (humour)   "The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time". An aphorism attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, and popularised by Jon Bentley's September 1985 "Bumper-Sticker Computer Science" column in "Communications of the ACM". It was there called the "Rule of Credibility", a name which seems not to have stuck.
  • nobiliary particle — a preposition forming part of a title of nobility or surname, as French de or German von.
  • non-responsibility — the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
  • nonvolatile memory — computer memory that can retain stored information even when not powered, for example read-only memory
  • normally aspirated — A normally aspirated or naturally aspirated engine breathes air at atmospheric pressure.
  • northeast by north — a point on the compass 11°15′ north of northeast. Abbreviation: NEbN.
  • northern territory — an administrative division of N central Australia, on the Timor and Arafura Seas: the Arunta Desert lies in the east, the Macdonnell Ranges in the south, and Arnhem Land in the north (containing Australia's largest Aboriginal reservation); the Ashmore and Cartier Islands constitute a separate Australian External Territory. Capital: Darwin. Pop: 233 300 (2012 est). Area: 1 347 525 sq km (520 280 sq miles)
  • northwest by north — a point on the compass, 11°15′ north of northwest. Abbreviation: NWbN.
  • not a pretty sight — If you say that someone or something is not a pretty sight, you mean that it is not pleasant to look at.
  • not take kindly to — not welcome
  • now you're talking — at last you're saying something agreeable
  • nuclear capability — If a country has nuclear capability, it is able to produce nuclear power and usually nuclear weapons.
  • numerical identity — the relation that holds between two relata when they are the selfsame entity, that is, when the terms designating them have the same reference
  • numerical taxonomy — classification of organisms by a comparison of large numbers of observable characteristics that are given equal value instead of being weighted according to possible evolutionary significance.
  • nursery facilities — places where young children are looked after
  • octachlorobiphenyl — (organic compound) Either of twelve isomers of the polychlorinated biphenyl containing eight chlorine atoms.
  • on a sticky wicket — in an awkward situation
  • one way or another — somehow, by some means
  • open heart surgery — surgery performed on the exposed heart while a heart-lung machine pumps and oxygenates the blood and diverts it from the heart.
  • open-heart surgery — surgery performed on the exposed heart while a heart-lung machine pumps and oxygenates the blood and diverts it from the heart.
  • oriental cat's-eye — a chatoyant variety of chrysoberyl, used as a gem.
  • owen stanley range — a mountain range in SE New Guinea. Highest peak: Mount Victoria, 4073 m (13 363 ft)
  • palaeoanthropology — the branch of anthropology concerned with primitive man
  • pay one's respects — a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded by in): to differ in some respect.
  • payment by results — a system of wage payment whereby all or part of the wage varies systematically according to the level of work performance of an employee
  • payment in advance — If a business asks for payment in advance, the payment must be received in full before the goods or services are delivered.
  • pellitory of spain — a small Mediterranean plant, Anacyclus pyrethrum, the root of which contains an oil formerly used to relieve toothache: family Asteraceae (composites)
  • pennsylvania dutch — the descendants of 17th- and 18th-century settlers in Pennsylvania from southwest Germany and Switzerland.
  • periodic inventory — Periodic inventory is a method of valuing inventory, usually at the end of accounting periods, by physically counting all merchandise held in stock at that time.
  • perlocutionary act — the action of affecting someone by uttering certain words
  • persistent cruelty — conduct causing fear of danger to the life or health of a spouse (used in matrimonial proceedings before magistrates)
  • phanerocrystalline — (of a rock) having the principal constituents in the form of crystals visible to the naked eye.
  • phase-shift keying — (communications)   (PSK) A digital modulation scheme that conveys data by changing the phase of a carrier wave. The data can either determine the absolute phase relative to the unmodulated carrier or reference signal ("coherent phase-shift keying", CPSK) or the change in phase ("differential phase-shift keying", DPSK). The number of different phases used determines the amount of data that can be transmitted in each cycle. Each cycle can be considered to constitute one "symbol", e.g. with two possible phases, each cycle carries one bit. The more phases that are used, the less tollerant to noise the transmissions becomes. Alternatives to PSK are amplitude-shift keying (ASK) and frequency-shift keying (FSK).
  • phenylacetaldehyde — a colorless, oily, water-insoluble liquid, C 3 H 1 4 O, having a hyacinthlike odor: used chiefly in perfumery.
  • phosphatidylserine — any of a class of phospholipids occurring in biological membranes and fats
  • phthalic anhydride — a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 8 H 4 O 3 , used chiefly in the manufacture of dyes, alkyd resins, and plasticizers.
  • physical education — systematic instruction in sports, exercises, and hygiene given as part of a school or college program.
  • physical inventory — To carry out a physical inventory is to count all the stock on hand.
  • phytohemagglutinin — a lectin, obtained from the red kidney bean, that binds to the membranes of T cells and stimulates metabolic activity, cell division, etc.
  • piperonyl butoxide — a light-brown liquid, C 1 9 H 3 0 O 5 , used chiefly as a synergist in certain insecticides.
  • plane trigonometry — the branch of trigonometry dealing with plane triangles.
  • play cat and mouse — Also called cat and rat. a children's game in which players in a circle keep a player from moving into or out of the circle and permit a second player to move into or out of the circle to escape the pursuing first player.
  • pneumatic conveyor — a tube through which powdered or granular material, such as cement, grain, etc is transported by a flow of air
  • point set topology — topology (def 2).
  • politically-minded — (of a person or group of people) interested in the way power is achieved and used in a country or society (through government, policy-making, etc)
  • polynesian tattler — a sandpiper, H. incanus, native to the Pacific coastal regions
  • polystyrene cement — a purpose-made adhesive for fixing rigid polystyrene
  • population density — ratio: inhabitants to area
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