17-letter words containing y, n
- nursing auxiliary — someone who performs duties such as washing and dressing patients, making beds, etc, in an establishment such as a hospital
- nyquist frequency — (DSP) The highest frequency that can be represented in a digital signal of a specified sampling frequency. It is equal to one-half of the sampling rate. See Nyquist Theorem.
- occipital condyle — a protrusion on the occipital bone of the skull that forms a joint with the first cervical vertebra, enabling the head to move relative to the neck.
- oceanographically — In terms of oceanography.
- odour of sanctity — sanctimoniousness
- off duty, on duty — If someone such as a policeman or a nurse is off duty, they are not working. If someone is on duty, they are working.
- off one's trolley — trolley car.
- off-year election — (in the US) an election held in a year when a presidential election does not take place
- olympic mountains — a mountain range in NW Washington: part of the Coast Range. Highest peak: Mount Olympus, 2427 m (7965 ft)
- olympic peninsula — a large peninsula of W Washington
- on (or off) duty — at (or temporarily relieved from) one's work, duty, etc.
- on the heavy side — tending to be too heavy
- on-the-job injury — On-the-job injury is bodily harm that is caused while you are doing your job.
- once over lightly — a hasty or superficial treatment, look, examination, etc.; once-over: The maid gave the room the once-over-lightly.
- once-over-lightly — a hasty or superficial treatment, look, examination, etc.; once-over: The maid gave the room the once-over-lightly.
- one of these days — at some future time
- one-parent family — A one-parent family is a family that consists of one parent and his or her children living together.
- online dictionary — a dictionary that is available on the Internet or World Wide Web and accessed through a Web browser using a computer or a mobile device, primarily by typing a query term into a search box on the site. Online dictionaries like Dictionary.com offer immediate, direct access through large databases to a word's spelling and meanings, plus a host of ancillary information, including its variant spellings, pronunciation, inflected forms, origin, and derived forms, as well as supplementary notes on matters of interest or concern about how the word is used: Some people think online dictionaries will make print dictionaries obsolete.
- onomatopoetically — the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
- opportunistically — adhering to a policy of opportunism; practicing opportunism.
- optical astronomy — the branch of observational astronomy using telescopes to observe or photograph celestial objects in visible light.
- organic chemistry — the branch of chemistry, originally limited to substances found only in living organisms, dealing with the compounds of carbon.
- organic psychosis — a severe mental illness produced by damage to the brain, as a result of poisoning, alcoholism, disease, etc
- otolaryngological — Pertaining to otolaryngology.
- otolaryngologists — Plural form of otolaryngologist.
- oyer and terminer — (in some U.S. states) any of various higher criminal courts.
- packaging company — a company that packages goods on behalf of the producer
- palaeoethnobotany — the study of fossil seeds and grains to further archaeological knowledge, esp of the domestication of cereals
- paleoanthropology — the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.
- parachute payment — a payment made to alleviate hardship resulting from a sudden loss of income
- paralysis agitans — Parkinson's disease
- parathyroid gland — any of several small oval glands usually lying near or embedded in the thyroid gland.
- parents anonymous — (in Britain) an association of local voluntary self-help groups offering help through an anonymous telephone service to parents who fear they will injure their children, or who have other problems in managing their children
- parliamentary law — the body of rules, usages, and precedents that governs proceedings of legislative and deliberative assemblies.
- pastoral symphony — the Symphony No. 6 in F major (1807–08) by Ludwig van Beethoven.
- paternalistically — the system, principle, or practice of managing or governing individuals, businesses, nations, etc., in the manner of a father dealing benevolently and often intrusively with his children: The employees objected to the paternalism of the old president.
- pay someone's way — to pay someone's share of the expenses
- pay-cable channel — a television channel that has to be paid for
- paymaster general — a government minister responsible for making payments by government departments
- penalty shoot-out — In football, a penalty shoot-out is a way of deciding the result of a game that has ended in a draw. Players from each team try to score a goal in turn until one player fails to score and their team loses the game.
- pentylenetetrazol — a white, crystalline, bitter-tasting, water-soluble powder, C 6 H 1 0 N 4 , used as a respiratory and circulatory stimulant, especially in the treatment of barbiturate poisoning, and to induce a convulsive state in the treatment of certain mental diseases.
- perchloroethylene — tetrachloroethylene.
- peridot of ceylon — a honey-colored tourmaline, used as a gem: not a true peridot.
- persistent memory — non-volatile storage
- personal property — an estate or property consisting of movable articles both corporeal, as furniture or jewelry, or incorporeal, as stocks or bonds (distinguished from real property).
- personality clash — friction between two people who have different personalities or points of view
- phantom pregnancy — the occurrence of signs of pregnancy, such as enlarged abdomen and absence of menstruation, when no embryo is present, due to hormonal imbalance
- phenethyl alcohol — a colorless, viscous, slightly water-soluble liquid, C 8 H 1 0 O, having a faint roselike odor: used chiefly in perfumery.
- phenyl isocyanate — a liquid reagent, C 7 H 5 NO, having an unpleasant, irritating odor: used chiefly for identifying alcohols and amines.
- phenylacetic acid — a white crystalline, aromatic acid, C 8 H 8 O 2 , used in the manufacture of penicillin and in perfumes.