12-letter words containing a, b, r, s, i
- bacteriostat — any substance that arrests the growth or reproduction of bacteria but does not kill them
- báinín skirt — a skirt made of this material
- bairnsfather — Bruce. 1888–1959, British cartoonist, born in India: best known for his cartoons of the war in the trenches during World War I
- baker island — an island in the central Pacific near the equator, belonging to the U.S. 1 sq. mi. (2.6 sq. km).
- ballet skirt — a full skirt, often made with several layers of fabric, typical of those worn by ballet dancers
- bandjarmasin — Banjarmasin
- bandjermasin — a seaport on the S coast of Borneo, in Indonesia.
- bankruptcies — Plural form of bankruptcy.
- banksia rose — a climbing rose, Rosa banksiae, native to China, having long, serrated leaves and white or yellow flowers.
- baptisteries — Plural form of baptistery.
- bar sinister — the condition, implication, or stigma of being of illegitimate birth
- baraesthesia — the ability to sense pressure
- barbarianism — a person in a savage, primitive state; uncivilized person.
- barbarossa i — (Aruj) died 1518, Barbary pirate, born in Greece.
- barbiturates — any of a group of barbituric acid derivatives, used in medicine as sedatives and hypnotics.
- bargain sale — an event at which goods are sold at low prices, usually to clear old stocks
- barn raising — (in rural areas) a party, usually providing food, drink, etc., for the purpose of assisting a neighbor to put up a new barn.
- barnstorming — A barnstorming performance is full of energy and very exciting to watch.
- barodynamics — the branch of mechanics concerned with heavy structures
- barophoresis — the diffusion of suspended particles at a rate dependent on external forces
- barquisimeto — a city in NW Venezuela. Pop: 1 009 000 (2005 est)
- barristerial — pertaining to a barrister
- bartlesville — a city in NE Oklahoma.
- base pairing — the hydrogen bonding that occurs between complementary nitrogenous bases in the two polynucleotide chains of a DNA molecule
- base-pairing — the process of binding separate DNA sequences by base pairs.
- bashkirtseff — Marie, original name Marya Konstantinovna Bashkirtseva. 1858–84, Russian painter and diarist who wrote in French, noted esp for her Journal (1887)
- basic salary — base pay.
- basidiocarps — Plural form of basidiocarp.
- basidiospore — one of the spores, usually four in number, produced in a basidium
- basket chair — a chair made of wickerwork; a wicker chair
- 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.
- 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.
- beamsplitter — Alternative spelling of beam splitter.
- bear witness — to give written or oral testimony
- bearskin rug — the pelt of a bear, used as a rug
- beaumarchais — Pierre Augustin Caron de (pjɛr oɡystɛ̃ karɔ̃ də). 1732–99, French dramatist, noted for his comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784)
- beauty strip — a narrow forest corridor left uncut alongside a road or body of water.
- beggar-ticks — any of various plants, such as the bur marigold and tick trefoil, having fruits or seeds that cling to clothing, fur, etc
- behaviourism — Behaviourism is the belief held by some psychologists that the only valid method of studying the psychology of people or animals is to observe how they behave.
- below stairs — People sometimes use below stairs to refer to the servants in a rich household and the things that are connected with them.
- bernina alps — a mountain group in SE Switzerland, extending from the Rhateian Alps on the Italian border. Highest peak, Piz Bernina, 13,304 feet (4055 meters).
- bernina pass — a pass in the Alps between SE Switzerland and N Italy, east of Piz Bernina. Height: 2323 m (7622 ft)
- beta orionis — Rigel
- beta version — beta testing
- beth midrash — a place where Jews gather to study the Talmud and other religious writings; a small synagogue.
- bib overalls — overall (def 3a).
- bicameralism — having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body.