13-letter words containing a, e, c, u
- balanced fund — a mutual fund made up of both stocks and bonds
- balsam spruce — either of two North American coniferous trees of the genus Picea, P. pungens (the blue spruce) or P. engelmanni
- bancassurance — the selling of insurance products by a bank to its customers
- band spectrum — a spectrum consisting of a number of bands of closely spaced lines that are associated with emission or absorption of radiation by molecules
- barcoo salute — a movement of the hand to brush flies away from the face
- barrel cactus — any of several large, cylindrical, ribbed, spiny cacti of the genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus.
- basic plumage — the plumage assumed by an adult bird at its complete, usually annual, molt.
- basket clause — an all-inclusive or comprehensive clause in a contract
- 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.
- battlecruiser — A large warship of a type built in the early 20th century, carrying similar armament to a battleship but faster and more lightly armored.
- beacon status — a ranking awarded by the government to an organization, rendering it eligible for extra funding, and aimed at encouraging organizations to share good practice with each other
- bearer cheque — a cheque payable to the person who has it
- 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.
- bengal quince — bael.
- beta function — a function of two variables, usually expressed as an improper integral and equal to the quotient of the product of the values of the gamma function at each variable divided by the value of the gamma function at the sum of the variables.
- bidenticulate — having two small teeth or toothlike processes.
- bignoniaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Bignoniaceae, a chiefly tropical family of trees, shrubs, and lianas, including jacaranda, bignonia, and catalpa
- bimolecularly — in a bimolecular fashion
- bioaccumulate — (of substances, esp toxins) to build up within the tissues of organisms
- birectangular — having two right angles.
- biscuit bread — biscuits or a biscuit: I like biscuit bread more than corn bread for supper.
- black quarter — blackleg (def 1).
- black studies — a program of studies in black history and culture offered by a school or college, often including Afro-American history and black literature.
- black vulture — the Eurasian vulture, Aegypius monachus, of the family Accipitridae
- blame culture — the tendency to look for one person or organization that can be held responsible for a bad state of affairs, an accident, etc
- blanchisseuse — a washer-woman
- blast furnace — A blast furnace is a large structure in which iron ore is heated under pressure so that it melts and the pure iron metal separates out and can be collected.
- blue copperas — a salt, copper sulfate, CuSO 4 ⋅5H 2 O, occurring naturally as large transparent, deep-blue triclinic crystals, appearing in its anhydrous state as a white powder: used chiefly as a mordant, insecticide, fungicide, and in engraving.
- boraginaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Boraginaceae, a family of temperate and tropical typically hairy-leaved flowering plants that includes forget-me-not, lungwort, borage, comfrey, and heliotrope
- bounce around — to spring back from a surface in a lively manner: The ball bounced off the wall.
- bounced flash — a flash bounced off a reflective surface, as a ceiling or wall, to illuminate a subject indirectly.
- bouncy castle — A bouncy castle is a large object filled with air, often in the shape of a castle, which children play on at a fairground or other outdoor event.
- brachypterous — having very short or incompletely developed wings
- brassicaceous — belonging to the plant family Brassicaceae, an alternative name for the plant family Cruciferae.
- brussels lace — a fine lace with a raised or appliqué design
- buccaneerings — the characteristic actions of a buccaneer
- buck sergeant — a newly promoted sergeant
- bucket ladder — a series of buckets that move in a continuous chain, used to dredge riverbeds, etc, or to excavate land
- buckeye state — Ohio (used as a nickname).
- buenas noches — good night
- bulkhead deck — the uppermost continuous deck in the hull of a vessel, forming watertight compartments with the main transverse bulkheads.
- bullace grape — the thick-skinned musk-scented purple grape produced by this plant: used to make wine
- buoyant force — the law that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force (buoyant force) equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
- bureaucratese — wordy, jargon-filled, overcomplicated language considered typical of bureaucrats
- bureaucratism — an official of a bureaucracy.
- bureaucratist — a believer in bureaucracy
- bureaucratize — to administer by or transform into a bureaucracy
- burnham scale — the salary scale for teachers in English state schools, which is revised periodically
- business card — A person's business card or their card is a small card which they give to other people, and which has their name and details of their job and company printed on it.
- business case — a briefcase or attaché case.