12-letter words containing a, b, s, e, i
- beta testing — (programming) Evaluation of a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software (or possibly hardware) by making it available to selected users ("beta testers") before it goes on general distribution. Beta testign aims to discover bugs that only occur in certain environments or under certain patterns of use, while reducing the volume of feedback to a manageable level. The testers benefit by having earlier access to new products, features and fixes. Beta testing may be preceded by "alpha testing", performed in-house by a handful of users (e.g. other developers or friends), who can be expected to give rapid, high quality feedback on design and usability. Once the product is considered to be usable for its intended purpose it then moves on to "beta testing" by a larger, but typically still limited, number of ordinary users, who may include external customers. Some companies such as Google or Degree Jungle stretch the definition, claiming their products are "in beta" for many months by millions of users. The term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the industry. "Alpha test" was the unit test, module test or component test phase; "Beta Test" was initial system test. These themselves came from earlier A- and B-tests for hardware. The A-test was a feasibility and manufacturability evaluation done before any commitment to design and development. The B-test was a demonstration that the engineering model functioned as specified. The C-test (corresponding to today's beta) was the B-test performed on early samples of the production design.
- beta version — beta testing
- beth midrash — a place where Jews gather to study the Talmud and other religious writings; a small synagogue.
- beth shammai — the school of Jewish legal thought and hermeneutics founded in Jerusalem in the 1st century b.c. by the Jewish teacher Shammai and characterized by an austere or rigid interpretation of Jewish law and tradition.
- bib overalls — overall (def 3a).
- bicameralism — having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body.
- bidialectism — proficient in or using two dialects of the same language.
- bien pensant — a right-thinking person
- bilateralism — the practice of being bilateral
- bill of sale — a deed transferring personal property, either outright or as security for a loan or debt
- billingsgate — the largest fish market in London, on the N bank of the River Thames; moved to new site at Canary Wharf in 1982 and the former building converted into offices
- biomagnetics — the study of magnetic fields as a form of therapy
- biomagnetism — animal magnetism.
- biomechanics — the study of the mechanics of the movement of living organisms
- biosatellite — an artificial satellite for carrying living organisms
- biscay green — a yellowish green.
- biscayne bay — an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, on the SE coast of Florida, separating the cities of Miami and Miami Beach.
- biscuit ware — unglazed earthenware
- bismarck sea — an arm of the Pacific Ocean north of New Britain and north-east of New Guinea
- biting stage — the second part of the oral phase of psychosexual development, approximately 8 to18 months of age, during which a child has the urge to bite or chew objects.
- bitter aloes — a bitter purgative drug made from the leaves of several species of aloe
- bitter lakes — two lakes, the Great Bitter Lake and Little Bitter Lake in NE Egypt: part of the Suez Canal
- blandishment — the act of blandishing; cajolery
- blastocoelic — of or relating to the blastocoel
- blatherskite — a talkative silly person
- blister pack — a type of packet in which small items are displayed and sold, consisting of a transparent dome of plastic or similar material mounted on a firm backing such as cardboard
- bloodstained — Someone or something that is bloodstained is covered with blood.
- blue catfish — a large freshwater catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, that is a popular food fish in the states of the Mississippi River valley.
- blue jasmine — a southern U.S. shrubby vine, Clematis crispa, of the buttercup family, having solitary, bell-shaped, blue or bluish-purple to pink flowers and bearing fruit with silky appendages.
- blues guitar — blues guitar music
- bluesnarfing — the practice of using one Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to steal contact details, ring tones, images, etc from another
- body repairs — repairs to the bodywork of cars
- borosilicate — a salt of boric and silicic acids
- bradykinesia — abnormal slowness of physical movement, esp as an effect of Parkinson's disease
- brain teaser — A brain teaser is a question, problem, or puzzle that is difficult to answer or solve, but is not serious or important.
- brain-teaser — a puzzle or problem whose solution requires great ingenuity.
- brainstormer — a person who brainstorms
- brake assist — a part of a vehicle's braking system that automatically boosts braking pressure in an emergency situation
- braunschweig — Brunswick
- breast drill — a geared drill that can be braced against the chest for additional leverage.
- bridal suite — a room or set of rooms in a hotel for newly married couples
- brisbane box — a broad-leaved evergreen tree, Tristania conferta, native to Australia, having a deciduous outer bark.
- brittle star — any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea, having the body composed of a central, rounded disk from which radiate long, slender, fragile arms.
- brittle-star — any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea, occurring on the sea bottom and having five long slender arms radiating from a small central disc
- buccaneerish — of or relating to a buccaneer
- buenos aires — the capital of Argentina, a major port and industrial city on the Río de la Plata estuary: became capital in 1880; university (1821). Pop: 13 349 000 (2005 est)
- burnt sienna — a reddish-brown dye or pigment obtained by roasting raw sienna in a furnace
- bushy-tailed — bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, fresh, alert, eager, and lively
- by-a-whisker — whiskers, a beard.
- byelorussian — Byelorussian means belonging or relating to Byelorussia or to its people or culture.