14-letter words containing a, b, c, o
- java black rot — a disease of stored sweet potatoes, characterized by dry rot of and black protuberances on the tubers, caused by a fungus, Diplodia tubericola.
- john constable — John, 1776–1837, English painter.
- know backwards — to understand completely
- labradorescent — (of minerals) displaying a brilliant play of colours, as that shown by some forms of labradorite
- lactoglobulins — Plural form of lactoglobulin.
- lake maracaibo — a lake in NW Venezuela, linked with the Gulf of Venezuela by a dredged channel: centre of the Venezuelan and South American oil industry. Area: about 13 000 sq km (500 sq miles)
- landing beacon — a radio transmitter that emits a landing beam
- lead carbonate — a white crystalline compound, PbCO 3 , toxic when inhaled, insoluble in water and alcohol: used as an exterior paint pigment.
- leukocytoblast — the precursor cell to a mature leukocyte
- linen cupboard — airing cupboard
- load balancing — (operating system, parallel) Techniques which aim to spread tasks among the processors in a parallel processor to avoid some processors being idle while others have tasks queueing for execution. Load balancing may be performed either by heavily loaded processors (with many tasks in their queues) sending tasks to other processors; by idle processors requesting work from others; by some centralised task distribution mechanism; or some combination of these. Some systems allow tasks to be moved after they have started executing ("task migration") others do not. It is important that the overhead of executing the load balancing algorithm does not contribute significantly to the overall processing or communications load. Distributed scheduling algorithms may be static, dynamic or preemptive. Static algorithms allocate processes to processors at run time while taking no account of current network load. Dynamic algorithms are more flexible, though more computationally expensive, and give some consideration to the network load before allocating the new process to a processor. Preemptive algorithms are more expensive and flexible still, and may migrate running processes from one host to another if deemed beneficial. Research to date indicates that dynamic algorithms yield significant performance benefits, but that further (though lesser) gains may be had through the addition of process migration facilities.
- local variable — (programming) A variable with lexical scope, i.e. one which only exists in some particular part of the source code, typically within a block or a function or procedure body. This contrasts with a global variable, which is defined throughout the whole program. Code is easier to understand and modify when the scope of variables is as small as possible because it is easier to see how the variable is set and used. Code containing global variables is harder to modify because its behaviour may depend on and affect other sections of code that refer to that variable.
- localizability — The condition of being localizable.
- logic variable — (programming) A variable in a logic programming language which is initially undefined ("unbound") but may get bound to a value or another logic variable during unification of the containing clause with the current goal. The value to which it is bound may contain other variables which may themselves be bound or unbound. For example, when unifying the clause sad(X) :- computer(X, ibmpc). with the goal sad(billgates). the variable X will become bound to the atom "billgates" yielding the new subgoal "computer(billgates, ibmpc)".
- macrobiologist — One who studies macrobiology.
- macroglobulins — Plural form of macroglobulin.
- mandibulectomy — (surgery) excision of the mandible.
- marble orchard — cemetery.
- metabolic heat — animal heat.
- metabolic rate — the rate at which living organisms expend energy or convert energy into food
- mexican bamboo — a hardy plant, Polygonum cuspidatum, of the buckwheat family, native to Japan, having small, greenish-white flowers and tending to escape from cultivation.
- microbarograph — a barograph for recording minute fluctuations of atmospheric pressure.
- microfibrillar — Of or pertaining to microfibrils.
- mobile canteen — a truck or lorry with kitchen facilities that can be used on site, such as on a film set, construction site, as a soup kitchen, etc
- mobile command — the Canadian army and other land forces
- molecular beam — a stream of molecules freed from a substance, usually a salt, by evaporation and then passed through a narrow slit for focusing, for investigating the properties of nuclei, atoms, and molecules.
- monocarboxylic — containing one carboxyl group.
- municipal bond — a bond issued by a state, county, city, or town, or by a state authority or agency to finance projects.
- nabuchodonosor — Nebuchadnezzar (def 1).
- news broadcast — TV, radio: current affairs item
- nitrobacterium — Any of the several genera of bacteria in soil that take part in the nitrogen cycle, oxidizing ammonium and organic nitrogen compounds to the more soluble nitrite and nitrate.
- noctambulation — Sleepwalking.
- non-accessible — easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use.
- non-actionable — furnishing ground for a lawsuit.
- non-applicable — applying or capable of being applied; relevant; suitable; appropriate: an applicable rule; a solution that is applicable to the problem.
- non-beneficial — conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful: the beneficial effect of sunshine.
- non-cancelable — not subject to cancellation: a noncancellable insurance policy.
- non-changeable — liable to change or to be changed; variable.
- non-cognizable — capable of being perceived or known.
- non-compatible — capable of existing or living together in harmony: the most compatible married couple I know.
- non-consumable — able or meant to be consumed, as by eating, drinking, or using: consumable goods.
- non-contraband — anything prohibited by law from being imported or exported.
- non-cultivable — capable of being cultivated.
- non-indictable — liable to being indicted, as a person.
- non-recoupable — to get back the equivalent of: to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
- nonaccountable — not accountable
- noncancellable — not subject to cancellation: a noncancellable insurance policy.
- noncelebration — the failure to enjoy or take part in a celebration
- noncompensable — eligible for or subject to compensation, especially for a bodily injury.
- noncondensable — lacking the ability to be condensed