13-letter words containing a, c, h, r
- atomic theory — any theory in which matter is regarded as consisting of atoms, esp that proposed by John Dalton postulating that elements are composed of atoms that can combine in definite proportions to form compounds
- audiographics — audiographic teleconferencing
- autapomorphic — (biology) Describing any characteristic that has evolved in only a single species (or other taxon).
- authenticator — a person or thing that authenticates.
- autocatharsis — a therapeutic process designed to free unconscious disturbances by having the patient write about his or her experiences, impressions, etc.
- autographical — Relating to, or used in, the process of autography.
- autorickshaws — Plural form of autorickshaw.
- azurmalachite — a blue-green ornamental stone consisting of a mixture of azurite and malachite.
- baal merodach — Marduk.
- baby snatcher — a person who steals a baby from its pram
- bachelor flat — a flat lived in, or intended for a bachelor
- bachelor girl — a young unmarried woman, esp one who is self-supporting
- bachelor seal — a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated
- bachelorettes — Plural form of bachelorette.
- back straight — a straight part of a circuit, esp of an athletics track or a racecourse, furthest from the finishing point
- backscratcher — an implement with a long handle, used for scratching one's back
- bacteriophage — a virus that is parasitic in a bacterium and multiplies within its host, which is destroyed when the new viruses are released
- bacteriophagy — the action of a bacteriophage
- balch springs — a town in NE Texas.
- barber's itch — any of various fungal infections of the bearded portion of the neck and face
- barrier beach — a sand ridge that rises slightly above the surface of the sea and runs roughly parallel to the shore, from which it is separated by a lagoon.
- batch-process — to perform batch processing on (files)
- bathtub curve — Common term for the curve (resembling an end-to-end section of one of those claw-footed antique bathtubs) that describes the expected failure rate of electronics with time: initially high, dropping to near 0 for most of the system's lifetime, then rising again as it "tires out". See also burn-in period, infant mortality.
- batrachotoxin — a steroidal alkaloid, C31H42N2O6, found in the skin of certain Neotropical frogs (genus Phyllobates) and used on poison arrows: one of the most powerful natural neurotoxins known
- beanbag chair — a chair like a large beanbag covered with vinyl, fabric, etc. and filled with foam pellets, as of polystyrene, that shift about to fit one's body
- bear's-breech — a widely cultivated S European acanthus plant, Acanthus mollis, having whitish purple-veined flowers
- bearer cheque — a cheque payable to the person who has it
- behavioristic — the theory or doctrine that human or animal psychology can be accurately studied only through the examination and analysis of objectively observable and quantifiable behavioral events, in contrast with subjective mental states.
- bell purchase — a tackle consisting of two standing single blocks, two running single blocks, a fall, and a runner, so arranged that it gives a mechanical advantage of six, neglecting friction.
- bench warrant — a warrant issued by a judge or court directing that an offender be apprehended
- berbice chair — large armchair with long arms that can be folded inwards to act as leg rests
- berchtesgaden — a town in Germany, in SE Bavaria: site of the fortified mountain retreat of Adolf Hitler. Pop: 7667 (2003 est)
- bibliographic — a complete or selective list of works compiled upon some common principle, as authorship, subject, place of publication, or printer.
- bibliothecary — a librarian
- binary search — (algorithm) A search algorithm which repeatedly divides an ordered search space in half according to how the required (key) value compares with the middle element. The following pseudo-C routine performs a binary search return the index of the element of vector "thing[first..last]" equal to "target": if (target < thing[first] || target > thing[last]) return NOT_FOUND; while (first < last) { mid = (first+last)/2; /* truncate to integer */ if (target == thing[mid]) return mid; if (target < thing[mid]) last = mid-1; else first = mid+1; } if (target == thing[last]) return last; return NOT_FOUND; (2003-01-14)
- bird-watching — Bird-watching is the activity of watching and studying wild birds in their natural surroundings.
- birthday cake — a special cake eaten at a birthday party
- birthday card — a greeting card sent on someone's birthday
- black hickory — a species of smooth-barked hickory, Carya tomentosa, with fragrant foliage that turns bright yellow in autumn
- black panther — (in the US) a member of a militant Black political party (1965–82) founded to end the political dominance of White people
- black-hearted — evil, malicious, or wicked
- body snatcher — (formerly) a person who robbed graves and sold the corpses for dissection
- brachiosaurus — a dinosaur of the genus Brachiosaurus, up to 30 metres long: the largest land animal ever known
- brachycranial — brachycephalic
- brachydactyly — abnormal shortness of the fingers and toes.
- brachypterous — having very short or incompletely developed wings
- brachytherapy — a form of radiotherapy in which sealed sources of radioactive material are inserted temporarily into body cavities or directly into tumours
- branch office — the local branch of a bank, shop, or other business
- branch rickey — (Wesley) Branch, 1881–1965, U.S. baseball executive.
- break the ice — to relieve shyness or reserve, esp between strangers