18-letter words containing a, i, e, u
- at the last minute — almost too late
- at your fingertips — If you say that something is at your fingertips, you approve of the fact that you can reach it easily or that it is easily available to you.
- athletic supporter — jockstrap
- attendance figures — the number of people present at events such as football matches or concerts
- attribution theory — the theory that tries to explain how people link actions and emotions to particular causes, both internal and external
- audio conferencing — the practice of conducting meetings by the use of audio telecommunications
- auditory phonetics — the branch of phonetics concerned with the perception of speech sounds by humans
- augmented interval — an interval that is a half step greater than the corresponding major or perfect interval
- australian doubles — an unusual formation in doubles in which the server's partner is positioned on the same side of the court as the server.
- australian terrier — a small wire-haired breed of terrier similar to the cairn
- australopithecines — Plural form of australopithecine.
- authorized capital — the total amount of value of the shares that a company is allowed to distribute
- authorized version — the revised English translation of the Bible published in England in 1611 with the authorization of King James I
- autogenic training — a technique for reducing stress through mental exercises to produce physical relaxation
- autoimmune disease — a disease resulting from a disordered immune reaction in which antibodies are produced against one's own tissues, as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis.
- autokinetic effect — apparent motion of a single point of light or a small object when presented on a dark field and observed continuously.
- automatic exposure — the automatic adjustment of the lens aperture and shutter speed of a camera by a control mechanism
- auxiliary equation — characteristic equation (def 1b).
- auxiliary language — a language, as Esperanto, Swahili, or English, used for intercommunication by speakers of various other languages.
- auxiliary-equation — Mathematics. the characteristic polynomial of a given matrix, equated to zero. Also called auxiliary equation. an equation with one variable and equated to zero, which is derived from a given linear differential equation and in which the coefficient and power of the variable in each term correspond to the coefficient and order of a derivative in the original equation.
- available quantity — The available quantity of a product is the amount of that product available, or currently available in the store.
- aviation insurance — Aviation insurance is insurance cover for aircraft, and for damage, injury, or loss of life or cargo while traveling on aircraft.
- avoirdupois weight — a British and American system of weights based on a pound of 16 ounces
- axis of revolution — an axis in a plane, about which an area is revolved to form a solid of revolution.
- background reading — reading of related works in order to get contextual information on a topic that you are intending to study or write about
- balanced computing — (jargon) Matching computer tools to job activities so that the computer system structure parallels the organisation structure and work functions. Both personal computers and employees operate in a decentralised environment with monitoring of achievement of management objectives from centralised corporate systems.
- ballistic pendulum — a device consisting of a large mass hung from a horizontal bar by two rods, used to measure the velocity of an object, as a bullet, by retaining the object upon impact, its velocity being a function of the displacement of the mass.
- bargaining counter — A bargaining counter is the same as a bargaining chip.
- barium thiosulfate — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, poisonous solid, BaS 2 O 3 ⋅H 2 O, used chiefly in the manufacture of explosives, matches, paints, and varnishes.
- beaujolais nouveau — the first Beaujolais wine of the season, usually available for sale within two months after the grapes are harvested.
- beautiful hook-tip — a similar but unrelated species, Laspeyria flexula
- beauty competition — a competition in which the participants, usually women, are judged on their attractiveness, with a prize, and often a title, awarded to the winner
- behaviour patterns — the characteristic ways in which a person or animal acts
- bellingshausen sea — an area of the S Pacific Ocean off the coast of Antarctica
- bernoulli equation — Hydrodynamics. Bernoulli's theorem (def 2).
- bhumibol adulyadej — (Phumiphon Aduldet; Bhumibol Adulyadej) born 1927, king of Thailand since 1946.
- bill of quantities — a document drawn up by a quantity surveyor providing details of the prices, dimensions, etc, of the materials required to build a large structure, such as a factory
- bioinstrumentation — the use of instruments, as sensors, to detect and measure certain body functions, as of persons in spaceflight, and transmit the data to a point where it is evaluated
- blissful ignorance — unawareness or inexperience of something unpleasant
- blue-plate special — an inexpensive restaurant meal served at a fixed price on a large plate, originally blue
- board of education — a group or agency with responsibility for education
- boole's inequality — the theorem that the probability of several events occurring is less than or equal to the sum of the probabilities of each event occurring.
- breach of security — an act that violates a country, area, or building's security measures
- bread and circuses — something offered as a means of distracting attention from a problem or grievance
- break your silence — If someone breaks their silence about something, they talk about something that they have not talked about before or for a long time.
- bring-and-buy sale — A bring-and-buy sale is an informal sale to raise money for a charity or other organization. People who come to the sale bring things to be sold and buy things that other people have brought.
- broadcasting house — any of a number of buildings in the UK from which the BBC broadcasts or has broadcast
- building materials — materials such as bricks, cement, timber, etc
- business education — education for general knowledge of business practices.
- butler's sideboard — a sideboard, often with a fall front, having on its top a china cabinet with glazed doors.