15-letter words containing a, c, r, s, i
- security threat — a threat to the security of a country
- seleucia pieria — an ancient port in Syria, on the River Orontes: the port of Antioch, of military importance during the wars between the Ptolemies and Seleucids; largely destroyed by earthquake in 526; site of present-day Samandaǧ (Turkey)
- self-caricature — a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things: His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.
- self-lacerating — to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.
- self-laceration — the result of lacerating; a rough, jagged tear.
- self-proclaimed — to announce or declare in an official or formal manner: to proclaim war.
- semantic memory — the recollection of facts and concepts
- semi-articulate — uttered clearly in distinct syllables.
- semiabstraction — a work of art whose subject matter is semi-abstract
- semicrystalline — partly or imperfectly crystalline.
- semicylindrical — of, relating to, or having the shape of a semicylinder
- semidocumentary — a film or television programme that is fictional but includes many factual events or details
- semilogarithmic — (of graphing) having one scale logarithmic and the other arithmetic or of uniform gradation.
- semimanufacture — a product which forms an intermediate stage in the manufacture of another, often more complex product
- semitranslucent — imperfectly or almost translucent.
- service station — Also called gas station. a place equipped for servicing automobiles, as by selling gasoline and oil, making repairs, etc.
- servo-mechanism — A servo-mechanism is a system or device that provides increased power to operate a control.
- sesquicarbonate — a salt intermediate in composition between a carbonate and a bicarbonate or consisting of the two combined.
- sesquicentenary — a hundred and fiftieth anniversary
- seven-year itch — scabies.
- sharing economy — a system in which people rent, borrow, or share commodities, services, and resources owned by individuals, usually with the aid of online technology, in an effort to save money, cut costs, and reduce waste.
- ship's articles — a type of contract by which sailors agree to the conditions, payment, etc, for the ship in which they are going to work
- shock probation — the release on probation of a criminal after brief imprisonment
- shock resistant — not affected by impact
- shock-resistant — strong or resilient enough to sustain minor impacts without damage to the internal mechanism: a shock-resistant watch.
- shopping arcade — a place where a number of shops are connected together under one roof
- shrimp cocktail — prawns and lettuce in Mary Rose sauce
- side impact bar — A side impact bar is a long beam in a car door that is designed to protect passengers during a crash.
- silicon carbide — a very hard, insoluble, crystalline compound, SiC, used as an abrasive and as an electrical resistor in objects exposed to high temperatures.
- silviculturally — with reference to silviculture
- simple fraction — a ratio of two integers.
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- sinclair, clive — Clive Sinclair
- singing teacher — a teacher who gives instruction in how to sing
- sled cultivator — go-devil (def 5).
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- social bookmark — the practice of saving bookmarked Web pages to a public website as a way to share the links with other Internet users: Social bookmarking is a tool that allows you to add tags and comments to your bookmarks.
- social contract — the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.
- social democrat — a person who advocates a gradual transition to socialism or a modified form of socialism by and under democratic political processes.
- social drinking — the practice of drinking alcohol occasionally and usually only in social situations
- social heritage — the entire inherited pattern of cultural activity present in a society.
- social register — a directory or list of people prominent in the fashionable society of a given area
- social security — (usually initial capital letters) a program of old-age, unemployment, health, disability, and survivors insurance maintained by the U.S. federal government through compulsory payments by specific employer and employee groups.
- social services — organized welfare efforts carried on under professional auspices by trained personnel.
- social-drinking — a person who drinks alcoholic beverages usually in the company of others and is in control of his or her drinking.
- socialist party — a U.S. political party advocating socialism, formed about 1900 chiefly by former members of the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Labor Party.
- socioculturally — from a sociocultural point of view
- sociohistorical — involving social and historical elements
- socratic method — the use of questions, as employed by Socrates, to develop a latent idea, as in the mind of a pupil, or to elicit admissions, as from an opponent, tending to establish a proposition.
- sodium chlorate — a colorless, water-soluble solid, NaClO 3 , cool and salty to the taste, used chiefly in the manufacture of explosives and matches, as a textile mordant, and as an oxidizing and bleaching agent.