15-letter words containing a, i, s
- addressing mode — 1. (processor, programming) One of a set of methods for specifying the operand(s) for a machine code instruction. Different processors vary greatly in the number of addressing modes they provide. The more complex modes described below can usually be replaced with a short sequence of instructions using only simpler modes. The most common modes are "register" - the operand is stored in a specified register; "absolute" - the operand is stored at a specified memory address; and "immediate" - the operand is contained within the instruction. Most processors also have indirect addressing modes, e.g. "register indirect", "memory indirect" where the specified register or memory location does not contain the operand but contains its address, known as the "effective address". For an absolute addressing mode, the effective address is contained within the instruction. Indirect addressing modes often have options for pre- or post- increment or decrement, meaning that the register or memory location containing the effective address is incremented or decremented by some amount (either fixed or also specified in the instruction), either before or after the instruction is executed. These are very useful for stacks and for accessing blocks of data. Other variations form the effective address by adding together one or more registers and one or more constants which may themselves be direct or indirect. Such complex addressing modes are designed to support access to multidimensional arrays and arrays of data structures. The addressing mode may be "implicit" - the location of the operand is obvious from the particular instruction. This would be the case for an instruction that modified a particular control register in the CPU or, in a stack based processor where operands are always on the top of the stack. 2. In IBM System 370/XA the addressing mode bit controls the size of the effective address generated. When this bit is zero, the CPU is in the 24-bit addressing mode, and 24 bit instruction and operand effective addresses are generated. When this bit is one, the CPU is in the 31-bit addressing mode, and 31-bit instruction and operand effective addresses are generated.
- adenocarcinomas — Plural form of adenocarcinoma.
- adenohypophysis — the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland
- adenoidectomies — Plural form of adenoidectomy.
- adhesive factor — the ratio of the force that can be exerted on driving wheels with full traction to the weight on the driving wheels, usually expressed as a percentage.
- adlai stevenson — Adlai Ewing [ad-ley yoo-ing] /ˈæd leɪ ˈyu ɪŋ/ (Show IPA), 1835–1914, vice president of the U.S. 1893–97.
- administrations — Plural form of administration.
- admiralty house — the official residence of the Governor General of Australia, in Sydney
- adoption papers — documentation relating to the adoption of a particular child
- adrenalectomies — Plural form of adrenalectomy.
- adrenaline rush — a feeling of excitement, stimulation and enhanced physical ability produced when the body secretes large amounts of adrenaline in response to a sudden perceived or induced stress situation
- advertising man — adman (def 1).
- aegyptopithecus — a genus of extinct anthropoid ape of the Oligocene Period known from remains found in Egypt.
- aerodynamicists — Plural form of aerodynamicist.
- aerotitis media — temporary deafness and pain arising from traumatic inflammation of the middle ear, caused by a rapid change in barometric pressure, as a rise in ambient cabin pressure in an aircraft descending from high altitude for landing.
- afars and issas — French Territory of the, a former name of Djibouti (def 1).
- affirmativeness — The property of being affirmative.
- after a fashion — If you say that something was done after a fashion, you mean that it was done, but not very well.
- age of aquarius — an astrological era believed to bring increased spirituality and harmony on earth.
- agranulocytosis — a serious and sometimes fatal illness characterized by a marked reduction of leucocytes, usually caused by hypersensitivity to certain drugs
- agribusinessman — a person who engages in agribusiness
- agriculturalist — An agriculturalist is someone who is an expert on agriculture and who advises farmers.
- agro-industrial — the large-scale production, processing, and packaging of food using modern equipment and methods.
- ah, wilderness! — a comedy (1933) by Eugene O'Neill.
- air force cross — a U.S. Air Force decoration awarded for extraordinary heroism in action
- air-superiority — designating a fighter aircraft built for long patrol capability at high altitudes and supersonic speeds, with air-to-air combat as its principal mission.
- 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.
- akimiski island — an island in SW James Bay, in the SE Northwest Territories, in S central Canada. About 898 sq. mi. (2326 sq. km).
- akinetic mutism — a state of apparent alertness with normal eye movements but no speech or other voluntary motion, usually due to a stroke.
- al iskandariyah — Alexandria , Egypt
- al-iskandariyah — Arabic name of Alexandria.
- aldabra islands — a group of four large and forty smaller islands in the Indian Ocean, part of the Republic of Seychelles. 59 sq. mi. (154 sq. km).
- alexandroupolis — a port in NE Greece, in W Thrace. Pop: 52 720 (2001 est)
- alfred e. smith — Adam, 1723–90, Scottish economist.
- algerian stripe — a fabric woven with alternate stripes of coarse cotton and silk, usually cream-colored.
- all saints' day — a Christian festival celebrated on Nov 1 to honour all the saints
- all-risk policy — An all-risk policy is an insurance policy that covers all loss or damage however it is caused, apart from any stated exceptions.
- allegoricalness — the quality of being allegorical
- allelochemicals — Plural form of allelochemical.
- alligator shear — heavy shears for cutting metal slabs.
- 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)
- alphabetisation — The act or process of arranging in alphabetical order.
- 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)
- altai mountains — a mountain system of central Asia, in W Mongolia, W China, and S Russia. Highest peak: Belukha, 4506 m (14 783 ft)
- alternativeness — The state of being alternative or representing alternatives.
- aluminosilicate — a silicate in which some of the silicon in the tetrahedral unit SiO4 has been replaced by aluminium
- amaryllidaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Amaryllidaceae, a family of widely cultivated flowering plants having bulbs and including the amaryllis, snowdrop, narcissus, and daffodil
- ambassadorships — Plural form of ambassadorship.
- ambisyllabicity — (poetry) The property of a consonant being analysed as acting simultaneously as the coda of one syllable and the onset of the following syllable.