12-letter words containing a, b, i
- base station — a fixed transmitter that forms part of an otherwise mobile radio network
- base-pairing — the process of binding separate DNA sequences by base pairs.
- bashi-bazouk — a member of the notoriously brutal 19th-cent. Turkish irregulars
- bashibazouks — Plural form of bashibazouk.
- bashkirtseff — Marie, original name Marya Konstantinovna Bashkirtseva. 1858–84, Russian painter and diarist who wrote in French, noted esp for her Journal (1887)
- basic jovial — (language) A subset of JOVIAL written ca. 1965.
- basic salary — base pay.
- basic weight — basis weight.
- basidiocarps — Plural form of basidiocarp.
- basidiospore — one of the spores, usually four in number, produced in a basidium
- basification — the process of making something alkaline
- basilic vein — a large vein situated on the inner side of the arm
- basing point — a geographical location from which freight charges are computed by the seller regardless of the point from which the goods are shipped.
- basis weight — the weight in pounds of a ream of paper of a basic size, usually 25 × 38 inches (63 × 96 cm) for book stock, 17 × 22 inches (43 × 55 cm) for writing stock, and 20 × 26 inches (50 × 66 cm) for cover stock.
- basket chair — a chair made of wickerwork; a wicker chair
- basketmaking — The construction of baskets, especially by traditional means.
- basmati rice — a variety of long-grain rice with slender aromatic grains, used for savoury dishes
- basque shirt — a knitted pullover shirt having a crew neck, long or short sleeves, and a pattern of horizontal stripes.
- basse-taille — of or relating to an enameling technique in which transparent enamels are fused over a background carved in low relief, or to a piece, as of jewelry, so enameled.
- bastard file — a file of the commercial grade of coarseness between coarse and second-cut.
- bastard wing — a tuft of feathers attached to the first digit of a bird, distinct from the wing feathers attached to the other digits and the ulna
- bastardizing — Present participle of bastardize.
- bastille day — (in France) an annual holiday on July 14, commemorating the fall of the Bastille
- bastinadoing — Present participle of bastinado.
- bat printing — ornamenting of ceramics by means of an adhesive substance, as linseed oil, transferred onto the ceramic surface from a sheet of glue or gelatin, dusted with color, and fired.
- bathetically — in a bathetic fashion
- bathing suit — A bathing suit is a piece of clothing which people wear when they go swimming.
- bathing wrap — a loose robe to wear after bathing, often made of towelling
- bathmophobia — The fear of stairs and slopes.
- bathochromic — denoting or relating to a shift to a longer wavelength in the absorption spectrum of a compound
- bathophilous — (of an organism) living in very deep water
- bathygraphic — of or relating to the depths of the ocean
- bathypelagic — of, relating to, or inhabiting the lower depths of the ocean between approximately 1000 and 4000 metres
- battery acid — acid used in batteries, esp car batteries
- battery fire — the firing of a battery of weapons
- batting cage — a screen with three sides and a top, in which batters practice: it keeps missed and fouled pitches within its enclosure
- battlefields — Plural form of battlefield.
- battological — tending to repeat words unnecessarily
- be damned if — If someone says 'I'm damned if I'm going to do it' or 'I'll be damned if I'll do it', they are emphasizing that they do not intend to do something and think it is unreasonable for anyone to expect them to do it.
- beachcombing — The action of a beachcomber.
- beacon light — a light signal for shipping
- beaconsfield — a town in SE England, in Buckinghamshire. Pop: 12 292 (2001)
- bead molding — bead (def 12).
- beamsplitter — Alternative spelling of beam splitter.
- bear in mind — to remember
- bear witness — to give written or oral testimony
- bear-baiting — (formerly) an entertainment in which dogs attacked and enraged a chained bear
- bearing down — to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
- bearing pile — a foundation pile that supports weight vertically
- bearing rail — a transverse rail carrying a drawer or drawers.