15-letter words containing a, e
- airborne attack — an attack involving airborne troops
- airmail edition — an edition of a newspaper that is printed on very thin paper so it is easier and cheaper to distribute
- airmail sticker — a sticker that is put on airmail letters to make sure they are not sent by surface mail
- airs and graces — If you refer to someone's airs and graces, you mean that they behave in a way that shows that they think they are more important than other people.
- aix-en-provence — a city and spa in SE France: the medieval capital of Provence. Pop: 145 721 (2006)
- aix-la-chapelle — Aachen
- akinetic mutism — a state of apparent alertness with normal eye movements but no speech or other voluntary motion, usually due to a stroke.
- alaska purchase — purchase of the territory of Alaska by the U.S. from Russia in 1867 for $7,200,000. Compare Seward's Folly.
- albany congress — a meeting of delegates from seven American colonies, held in 1754 at Albany, New York, at which Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan (Albany Plan of Union) for unifying the colonies.
- albemarle sound — an inlet of the Atlantic in NE North Carolina. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
- albert memorial — monument to Prince Albert of England in Kensington Gardens, London: 175 ft (53 m) high
- alberta clipper — (in Canada) an area of low pressure that forms in winter near the Rocky Mountains
- albertus magnus — Saint. original name Albert, Count von Böllstadt. ?1193–1280, German scholastic philosopher; teacher of Thomas Aquinas and commentator on Aristotle. Feast day: Nov 15
- alcohol content — the amount of alcohol that is present in an alcoholic drink
- alder buckthorn — a Eurasian rhamnaceous shrub, Frangula alnus, with small greenish flowers and black berry-like fruits
- alexandrine rat — roof rat.
- alexandroupolis — a port in NE Greece, in W Thrace. Pop: 52 720 (2001 est)
- alfred e. smith — Adam, 1723–90, Scottish economist.
- algaroth powder — antimony oxychloride.
- algebra of sets — a nonempty collection of sets having the property that the union of two sets of the collection is a set of the collection and the complement of each set of the collection is a set in the collection.
- algerian stripe — a fabric woven with alternate stripes of coarse cotton and silk, usually cream-colored.
- alignment chart — nomogram.
- all mockered up — dressed up
- all of a sudden — If something happens all of a sudden, it happens quickly and unexpectedly.
- all-or-none law — the principle that under given conditions the response of a nerve or muscle fiber to a stimulus at any strength above the threshold is the same: the muscle or nerve responds completely or not at all.
- all-wheel drive — a system used in motor vehicles in which all four (or more) wheels are permanently connected to the source of power, in such a way that each wheel is able to rotate at a different speed
- all-you-can-eat — An all-you-can-eat buffet or restaurant is a buffet or restaurant at which you pay a fixed price, no matter how much or how little you eat.
- allegoricalness — the quality of being allegorical
- allelochemicals — Plural form of allelochemical.
- allemande sauce — a velouté thickened and enriched with egg yolk.
- allende gossens — Salvador, 1908–73, Chilean political leader: president 1970–73.
- alligator shear — heavy shears for cutting metal slabs.
- allorecognition — The ability of an individual organism to distinguish its own tissues from those of another.
- allotetraploidy — the condition of being an allotetraploid
- allyl mercaptan — a colorless liquid, C 3 H 6 S, having a strong, garlicky odor, used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
- almirante brown — a city in E Argentina, near Buenos Aires.
- alopecia areata — loss of hair in circumscribed patches.
- alpes-maritimes — a department of the SE corner of France in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region. Capital: Nice. Pop: 1 045 973 (2003 est). Area: 4298 sq km (1676 sq miles)
- alpha and omega — the first and last, a phrase used in Revelation 1:8 to signify God's eternity
- alpha geminorum — Castor
- alpha privative — (in Greek grammar) the letter alpha (or an- before vowels) used as a negative or privative prefix. It appears in English words derived from Greek, as in atheist, anaesthetic
- alpha-cellulose — a refined, insoluble form of cellulose derived from cotton or wood pulp, and used in manufacturing
- alphabetisation — The act or process of arranging in alphabetical order.
- alphabetization — Alternative form of alphabetisation.
- alpine accentor — a small bird of the sparrow family, Prunella collaris, found especially in mountain regions of S Europe and Asia
- alpine combined — a competition for Alpine skiers in a combination of downhill and slalom races, the winner having the highest total score.
- alsace-lorraine — an area of NE France, comprising the modern regions of Alsace and Lorraine: under German rule 1871–1919 and 1940–44. Area: 14 522 sq km (5607 sq miles)
- altar of repose — a pedestal or niche upon which the sacraments are preserved from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday.
- alte pinakothek — a museum in Munich housing a collection of paintings dating from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century
- alternativeness — The state of being alternative or representing alternatives.