12-letter words containing a, b, e, c
- back-slapper — the practice of making a loud and effusive display of friendliness, cordiality, etc., as by slapping persons on the back.
- back-stabbed — to attempt to discredit (a person) by underhanded means, as innuendo, accusation, or the like.
- back-stopped — a wall, wire screen, or the like, serving to prevent a ball from going too far beyond the normal playing area.
- backbenchers — Plural form of backbencher.
- backboneless — lacking backbone; cowardly
- backbreakers — Plural form of backbreaker.
- backbreaking — demanding great effort; exhausting
- backgrounded — Simple past tense and past participle of background.
- backgrounder — A backgrounder is a short article in a newspaper or magazine that provides background information about a particular subject.
- backhandedly — In a backhanded manner.
- backpedaling — to retard the forward motion by pressing backward on the pedal, especially of a bicycle with coaster brakes.
- backpedalled — (AU, NZ, British) Simple past tense and past participle of backpedal.
- backpressure — a resistant pressure exerted by liquid or gas against the forward motion or flow of an exhaust or pipe system: Careful control of backpressure ensures an even supply of oil from the well.
- backsplashes — Plural form of backsplash.
- backstitches — Plural form of backstitch.
- backswimmers — Plural form of backswimmer.
- backtrackers — Plural form of backtracker.
- backwardness — toward the back or rear.
- backwoodsmen — Plural form of backwoodsman.
- bacon-slicer — a machine for cutting bacon into slices
- bacteria bed — a layer of sand or gravel used to expose sewage effluent, in its final stages, to air and the action of microorganisms
- bactericidal — any substance capable of killing bacteria.
- bactericides — Plural form of bactericide.
- bacteriocide — Alternative form of bactericide.
- bacteriology — Bacteriology is the science and the study of bacteria.
- bacteriostat — any substance that arrests the growth or reproduction of bacteria but does not kill them
- bag snatcher — a thief whose main tactic is to grab women's handbags and run off with them
- baklava code — (humour, programming) Code with too many layers. Also known as Lasagne Code.
- balance beam — a long, narrow, horizontal wooden beam raised about 4 feet (1.2 m) above the floor, on which women gymnasts perform balancing routines consisting of jumps, tumbles, turns, running steps, etc.
- balance pipe — a pipe between two points used to equalize pressure
- bald cypress — a tree, Taxodium distichum, of swampy areas of the southern U.S., having featherlike needles and cone-shaped projections growing up from the roots, yielding a hardwood used in construction, shipbuilding, etc.
- balinese cat — a breed of cat with medium-length silky hair, a plumed tail, blue eyes, large ears, and a dark mask, tail, and paws
- ball-carrier — the offensive player having the ball and attempting to gain ground.
- ballet blanc — a ballet in which the ballerinas' skirts are white.
- balletically — in a balletic fashion; gracefully
- balsamaceous — any of various fragrant exudations from certain trees, especially trees of the genus Commiphora, as balm-of-Gilead. Compare balm (def 1).
- baluchithere — a hornless rhinoceros of the extinct genus Baluchitherium that inhabited central Asia during the Oligocene and early Miocene epochs: the largest land mammal known.
- banach space — a vector space on which a norm is defined that is complete.
- banbury cake — a cake consisting of a pastry base filled with currants, raisins, candied peel, and sugar, with a crisscross pattern on the top
- bandersnatch — a fictional creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, and appearing also in The Hunting of the Snark and Through the Looking-Glass
- bank balance — Your bank balance is the amount of money that you have in your bank account at a particular time.
- bank charges — penalties charged by a bank to a customer, for example when the customer's account is overdrawn or if a cheque is not honoured
- bankruptcies — Plural form of bankruptcy.
- banner cloud — a plume-shaped cloud extending downwind from an isolated mountain peak. Also called cloud banner. Compare cap cloud (def 1).
- barbecue pit — a trench in which wood or charcoal is burned for barbecuing
- barbecue set — a set of tools used for barbecuing
- barber chair — a chair used by barbers, adjustable in height and having an adjustable headrest, back, and footrest.
- barcalounger — a type of reclinable armchair with an extendable footrest
- barcoo river — a river in E central Australia, in SW Queensland: joins with the Thomson River to form Cooper Creek
- bare-knuckle — without boxing gloves