12-letter words starting with o

occurs check — (programming) A feature of some implementations of unification which causes unification of a logic variable V and a structure S to fail if S contains V. Binding a variable to a structure containing that variable results in a cyclic structure which may subsequently cause unification to loop forever. Some implementations use extra pointer comparisons to avoid this. Most implementations of Prolog do not perform the occurs check for reasons of efficiency. Without occurs check the complexity of unification is O(min(size(term1), size(term2))) with occurs check it's O(max(size(term1), size(term2))) In theorem proving unification without the occurs check can lead to unsound inference. For example, in Prolog it is quite valid to write X = f(X). which will succeed, binding X to a cyclic structure. Clearly however, if f is taken to stand for a function rather than a constructor, then the above equality is only valid if f is the identity function. Weijland calls unification without occur check, "complete unification". The reference below describes a complete unification algorithm in terms of Colmerauer's consistency algorithm.
oceanography — the branch of physical geography dealing with the ocean.
oceanologist — the practical application of oceanography.
ochlocracies — Plural form of ochlocracy.
ochlophobiac — a person who suffers from ochlophobia
ochroleucous — having an off-white colour or a white colour tinted with yellow
oconee-bells — a plant, Shortia galacifolia, of the southeastern U.S., having glossy, rounded leaves and white or pink bell-shaped flowers with fringed petals.
octadecanoic — Of or pertaining to octadecanoic acid or its derivatives.
octagenarian — One who is between the ages of 80 and 89, inclusive.
octahedrally — in an octahedral manner
octapeptides — Plural form of octapeptide.
octastichous — relating to a particular coiled distribution of leaves on the stem that is characterized by having eight leaves per coil on the stem
octastrophic — having or containing eight verses or strophes
octogenarian — of the age of 80 years.
octopetalous — containing or consisting of eight petals
octosepalous — having or consisting of eight sepals
octosyllabic — consisting of or pertaining to eight syllables.
octosyllable — a word or line of verse of eight syllables.
octyl phenol — a white to pink, water-insoluble, flaky substance having the formula C 1 4 H 2 2 O, used chiefly in the manufacture of commercial surface-active agents.
oda nobunaga — 1534–82, Japanese general and feudal leader, who unified much of Japan under his control: assassinated
odd-man rush — an attacking move when the defence is outnumbered by the opposing team
odd-sounding — sounding or seeming strange or unusual
odontoblasts — Plural form of odontoblast.
odontography — a treatise regarding the teeth
odontologist — the science dealing with the study of the teeth and their surrounding tissues and with the prevention and cure of their diseases.
odontomatous — relating to an odontoma
odontophobia — an unnatural dread or terror of teeth
odontophoran — a member of the family Odontophora
oesophagitis — Alternative spelling of esophagitis.
of all the x — You use all in expressions like of all the cheek or of all the luck to emphasize how angry or surprised you are at what someone else has done or said.
of even date — of the same or today's date
of few words — taciturn, who rarely speaks
of necessity — something necessary or indispensable: food, shelter, and other necessities of life.
of o's birth — The country, town, or village of your birth is the place where you were born.
of one's own — If you say that someone has a particular thing of their own, you mean that that thing belongs or relates to them, rather than to other people.
of substance — wealthy
of two minds — If you are of two minds, you are uncertain about what to do, especially when you have to choose between two courses of action.
off broadway — experimental or avant-garde drama produced in New York City, in small theaters, halls, churches, etc.
off the beam — any of various relatively long pieces of metal, wood, stone, etc., manufactured or shaped especially for use as rigid members or parts of structures or machines.
off the cuff — with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.
off the grid — not using any of the services, such as bank accounts, public utilites, etc, that allow a person's activities to be monitored by the authorities
off the hook — a curved or angular piece of metal or other hard substance for catching, pulling, holding, or suspending something.
off the pace — behind the leader; out of first place
off the rack — (of clothing) not made to specific or individual requirements; ready-made: off-the-rack men's suits.
off the wall — of or relating to a wall: wall space.
off the wind — away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
off-broadway — experimental or avant-garde drama produced in New York City, in small theaters, halls, churches, etc.
off-islander — a temporary or seasonal resident of an island; island visitor or tourist.
off-the-cuff — with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.
off-the-face — (of a woman's hat) made without a brim.

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