15-letter words containing a, b, u
- rubbing alcohol — a poisonous solution of about 70 percent isopropyl or denatured ethyl alcohol, usually containing a perfume oil, used chiefly in massaging.
- ruby grapefruit — a grapefruit with red flesh
- runabout ticket — a rail ticket that allows unlimited travel within a specified area for a limited period of time (for example one day, a weekend, three days, etc)
- rusty blackbird — a North American blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, the male of which has plumage that is uniformly bluish-black in the spring and rusty-edged in the fall.
- salisbury plain — a plateau in S England, N of Salisbury: the site of Stonehenge.
- salisbury steak — ground beef, sometimes mixed with other foods, shaped like a hamburger patty and broiled or fried, often garnished or served with a sauce.
- samuel fb morse — Jedidiah [jed-i-dahy-uh] /ˌdʒɛd ɪˈdaɪ ə/ (Show IPA), 1761–1826, U.S. geographer and Congregational clergyman (father of Samuel F. B. Morse).
- san luis obispo — a city in W California.
- sauvignon blanc — a white grape grown primarily in France and California.
- saviour sibling — a child conceived through IVF and screened for compatibility with a terminally or seriously ill sibling in order to provide organ or cell donations as a form of treatment
- sb's cup of tea — If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they are not the kind of person or thing that you like.
- sb's trump card — Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone.
- scribaciousness — the quality or state of being scribacious
- sebaceous gland — any of the cutaneous glands that secrete oily matter for lubricating hair and skin.
- serous membrane — any of various thin membranes, as the peritoneum, that line certain cavities of the body and exude a serous fluid.
- sesquicarbonate — a salt intermediate in composition between a carbonate and a bicarbonate or consisting of the two combined.
- siberian squill — a bulbous, Eurasian plant, Scilla siberica, of the lily family, having nodding, deep blue flowers.
- sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
- smallmouth bass — a North American freshwater game fish, Micropterus dolomieu, yellowish-green above and lighter below, having the lower jaw extending to the eye.
- sodium benzoate — a white crystalline soluble compound used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in preserving food (E211), as an antiseptic, and in making dyes and pharmaceuticals. Formula: (C6H5COO)Na
- sound as a bell — in perfect condition
- special subject — an area of knowledge in which someone specializes
- spinach-rhubarb — an Ethiopian plant, Rumex abyssinicus, of the buckwheat family, having leaves that are sometimes used as spinach and leafstalks sometimes used as rhubarb.
- stable equation — a differential equation each solution of which tends to zero as the independent variable increases to infinity. Compare transient (def 6).
- strawberry bush — an E North American shrub or small tree, Euonymus americanus, having pendulous capsules that split when ripe to reveal scarlet seeds: family Celastraceae
- streptobacillus — any of various bacilli that form in chains.
- sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- sub-machine gun — a lightweight automatic or semiautomatic gun, fired from the shoulder or hip.
- subalimentation — hypoalimentation.
- subcivilization — a division of a civilization
- subclavian vein — either of a pair of veins, one on each side of the body, that return blood from the arms to the heart.
- subconjunctival — the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids.
- subcontraoctave — the octave below the contraoctave, which is three octaves below the middle C octave on a standard keyboard
- subject catalog — a catalog having entries listed by subject only.
- subject heading — a title or heading of a category, esp in a bibliography or index
- subject-raising — a rule that moves the subject of a complement clause into the clause in which it is embedded, as in the derivation of He is likely to be late from It is likely that he will be late
- sublapsarianism — infralapsarianism.
- subminimum wage — See example at subminimum (def 1).
- suboptimization — a situation which is less than optimal
- suborganization — an organization within a larger organization
- subperiosteally — the normal investment of bone, consisting of a dense, fibrous outer layer, to which muscles attach, and a more delicate, inner layer capable of forming bone.
- subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
- subsidiary cell — Immunology. any of various cells of the immune system that work with T or B cells to initiate a specific immune response.
- subsidiary coin — a coin, especially one made of silver, having a value less than that of the monetary unit.
- substance abuse — long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction.
- substantiatable — to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiate a charge.
- substantiveness — a noun.
- substitutionary — a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.
- substratosphere — the upper troposphere.
- subtrochanteric — Anatomy. either of two knobs at the top of the femur, the greater on the outside and the lesser on the inside, serving for the attachment of muscles between the thigh and pelvis.