15-letter words containing a, c, e, s
- bronchial tubes — the bronchi or their smaller divisions
- brush discharge — a slightly luminous electrical discharge between points of high charge density when the charge density is insufficient to cause a spark or around sharp points on a highly charged conductor because of ionization of air molecules in their vicinity
- brussels carpet — a worsted carpet with a heavy pile formed by uncut loops of wool on a linen warp
- buckinghamshire — a county in SE central England, containing the Vale of Aylesbury and parts of the Chiltern Hills: the geographic and ceremonial county includes Milton Keynes, which became an independent unitary authority in 1997. Administrative centre: Aylesbury. Pop (excluding Milton Keynes): 478 000 (2003 est). Area (excluding Milton Keynes): 1568 sq km (605 sq miles)
- bullock's heart — the large, edible fruit of a tropical American tree, Annona reticulata.
- bullock's-heart — the large, edible fruit of a tropical American tree, Annona reticulata.
- business casual — a style of casual clothing worn by businesspeople at work instead of more formal attire
- cabinet scraper — a scraper used in preparing a wood surface for sanding.
- cactus geranium — a plant, Pelargonium echinatum, of the geranium family, native to southern Africa, having prickly stipules and white or reddish flowers.
- cadmium sulfate — a water-soluble compound, CdSO 4 , of colorless crystals, used as an antiseptic.
- cadmium sulfide — a toxic pigment, CdS, varying from lemon yellow (cadmium yellow) to yellowish orange (cadmium orange) and used in paints, photocells, semiconductors, etc.
- caernarvonshire — (until 1974) a county of NW Wales, now part of Gwynedd
- cafeteria-style — set up to allow a variety of choices.
- cairngorm-stone — smoky quartz.
- caisson disease — decompression sickness
- calabash nutmeg — a tropical African shrub, Monodora myristica, whose oily aromatic seeds can be used as nutmegs: family Annonaceae
- calcareous clay — soil with high limestone content
- calcareous tufa — tufa
- calcium sulfate — Calcium sulfate is a white crystalline salt, used as a tablet diluent.
- calcium sulfide — a yellow to light-gray, slightly water-soluble powder, CaS, having the odor of rotten eggs when moist: used chiefly in the preparation of luminous paint, hydrogen sulfide, and as a depilatory in cosmetics.
- calculated risk — a chance of failure, the probability of which is estimated before some action is undertaken.
- california rose — a cultivated variety of a bindweed, Calystegia hederacea, having showy, double, rose-colored flowers.
- calliper splint — a splint consisting of two metal rods with straps attached, for supporting or exerting tension on the leg
- camelback truss — a roof truss having upper and lower chords curving upward from a common point at each side.
- camp counsellor — an adult supervisor assigned to a group of campers at a summer camp
- canada moonseed — a vine, Menispermum canadense, of eastern North America, having variable leaves and black, grapelike fruit.
- canadian forces — the official name for the military forces of Canada
- canadian shield — (in Canada) the wide area of Precambrian rock extending west from the Labrador coast to the basin of the Mackenzie and north from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay and the Arctic: rich in minerals
- canisterization — the process of putting (something) into a canister or canisters
- cape chelyuskin — a cape in N central Russia, in N Siberia at the end of the Taimyr Peninsula: the northernmost point of Asia
- cape finisterre — a headland in NW Spain: the westernmost point of the Spanish mainland
- cape gooseberry — a tropical American solanaceous plant, Physalis peruviana, naturalized in southern Africa, having yellow flowers and edible yellow berries
- capital expense — A capital expense is the cost of acquiring or making improvements to fixed assets.
- capital letters — a letter of the alphabet that usually differs from its corresponding lowercase letter in form and height, as A, B, Q, and R as distinguished from a, b, q, and r : used as the initial letter of a proper name, the first word of a sentence, etc.
- caprifoliaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Caprifoliaceae, a family of N temperate shrubs, small trees, and climbers including honeysuckle, elder, and guelder-rose
- car transporter — a vehicle for carrying automobiles
- cardiac massage — a rhythmic compressing of the heart, using the hands to force blood through the blood vessels: an emergency medical procedure for treating heart failure
- cardinal spider — a large house spider, Tegenaria parietina
- cardinal system — a system of coding navigational aids by shape, color, and number, according to their positions relative to navigational hazards.
- cardinal vowels — a set of theoretical vowel sounds, based on the shape of the mouth needed to articulate them, that can be used to classify the vowel sounds of any speaker in any language
- careers adviser — a person trained in giving vocational advice, esp in secondary, further, or higher education
- careers officer — a person trained in giving vocational advice, esp to school leavers
- carmarthenshire — a county of S Wales, formerly part of Dyfed (1974–96): on Carmarthen Bay, with the Cambrian Mountains in the N: generally agricultural (esp dairying). Administrative centre: Carmarthen. Pop: 176 000 (2003 est). Area: 2398 sq km (926 sq miles)
- carnivorousness — flesh-eating: A dog is a carnivorous animal.
- carpentersville — a city in NE Illinois, near Chicago.
- carpometacarpus — a bone in the wing of a bird that consists of the metacarpal bones and some of the carpal bones fused together
- carrier scanner — (security) (Or "wardialer") A program which uses a modem to dial a series of phone numbers (say, from 770-0000 to 770-9999), and keeps a log of what phone numbers answer with a modem carrier. The results of such a search were generally used by people looking to engage in random mischief in random machines. Since the 1980s, wardialers have generally fallen into disuse, partly because of easily available "caller ID" technology, partly because fax machines are now in wide use and would often be logged as a carrier by a wardialer, and partly because there are so many new and more interesting venues for computerised mischief these days.
- carry one's bat — (of an opening batsman) to reach the end of an innings without being dismissed
- cartesian diver — a glass vessel partially filled with water and covered with an airtight membrane, containing a hollow object that is open at the bottom and contains just enough air to allow it to float. Pressing on the membrane compresses the air in the vessel and forces water into the object, causing it to sink; releasing the membrane causes it to rise.
- cartesian doubt — willful suspension of all interpretations of experience that are not absolutely certain: used as a method of deriving, by elimination of such uncertainties, axioms upon which to base theories.