17-letter words that end in s
- natural-resources — a naturally occurring source of wealth, as land or water.
- navigation lights — lights on an aircraft
- neck of the woods — the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
- negative eugenics — the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics)
- neurofibromatosis — a dominantly inherited genetic disorder characterized by flat brown patches on the skin, neurofibromas of the skin and internal organs, and in some cases skeletal deformity.
- neurotransmitters — Plural form of neurotransmitter.
- nitrogen narcosis — a semistupor, lightheadedness, or euphoria experienced by deep-sea divers when nitrogen from air enters the blood at higher than atmospheric pressure.
- non compos mentis — not of sound mind; mentally incapable of managing one's affairs.
- nonproductiveness — The quality of being nonproductive.
- northern sporades — a group of Greek islands in the Aegean, lying northeast of Euboea
- not mince matters — to speak frankly
- objectionableness — The quality of being objectionable.
- old contemptibles — the British expeditionary force to France in 1914
- olympic mountains — a mountain range in NW Washington: part of the Coast Range. Highest peak: Mount Olympus, 2427 m (7965 ft)
- on speaking terms — the act, utterance, or discourse of a person who speaks.
- one for the books — a handwritten or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers.
- one of these days — at some future time
- opening arguments — the statements or arguments provided by lawyers at the beginning of a trial
- order of business — a task assigned or to be dealt with: Our first order of business is to reduce expenses.
- organ-pipe cactus — a treelike or columnar cactus, Lemaireocereus marginatus, of Mexico, having a central, erect spine surrounded by spreading spines in clusters of five to eight, and funnel-shaped, brownish-purple flowers.
- organic psychosis — a severe mental illness produced by damage to the brain, as a result of poisoning, alcoholism, disease, etc
- organophosphorous — Misspelling of organophosphorus.
- origin of species — (On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life) a treatise (1859) by Charles Darwin setting forth his theory of evolution.
- otolaryngologists — Plural form of otolaryngologist.
- out at the elbows — the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
- over-presumptuous — 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.
- overconscientious — Excessively conscientious.
- overnight success — sth or sb suddenly popular
- pair of compasses — compass (def 7)
- paralysis agitans — Parkinson's disease
- parcplace systems — (company) A company spun-off from Xerox PARC that developed the original version of VisualWorks.
- 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
- particle kinetics — Particle kinetics is the study of the movement of particles and the forces that cause this movement.
- pashmina politics — the adoption of political policies immediately after they have gone out of fashion
- pate de foie gras — See under foie gras.
- patriarchal cross — a Latin cross having a shorter crosspiece above the customary one.
- performance bonus — a monetary bonus paid to staff who have performed well in their job
- performance drugs — the drugs that are taken illegally by athletes to enhance their sporting performance
- permanent address — a fixed address
- perspicaciousness — having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning: to exhibit perspicacious judgment.
- perth and kinross — a council area of N central Scotland, corresponding mainly to the historical counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire: part of Tayside Region from 1975 until 1996: chiefly mountainous, with agriculture, tourism, and forestry. Administrative centre: Perth. Pop: 135 990 (2003 est). Area: 5321 sq km (2019 sq miles)
- philosopher kings — the Platonic ideal of a ruler, philosophically trained and enlightened.
- phototherapeutics — the branch of therapeutics that deals with the curative use of light rays.
- piccadilly circus — a traffic circle and open square in W London, England: theater and amusement center.
- piece of business — business (def 10).
- pincushion cactus — any of various low-growing, spiny cacti of the genus Mammillaria.
- plug and feathers — an apparatus for splitting stone, consisting of two tapered bars (feathers) inserted into a hole drilled into the stone, between which a narrow wedge (plug) is hammered to spread them.
- plumbing fixtures — things such as pipes, sinks, toilets that are fixed in position in a building
- polar coordinates — Usually, polar coordinates. one of two coordinates used to locate a point in a plane by the length of its radius vector and the angle this vector makes with the polar axis (polar angle)
- polioencephalitis — a disease characterized by inflammation of the gray matter of the brain.