15-letter words containing a, l, i, n
- alpha geminorum — Castor
- alpha radiation — alpha particles emitted from a radioactive isotope
- 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)
- alta california — a former Spanish colony of New Spain, in the modern-day states of California, Nevada, and N Arizona: ceded by Mexico to the United States 1848.
- altai mountains — a mountain system of central Asia, in W Mongolia, W China, and S Russia. Highest peak: Belukha, 4506 m (14 783 ft)
- 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.
- aluminium oxide — a white or colourless insoluble powder occurring naturally as corundum and used in the production of aluminium and its compounds, abrasives, glass, and ceramics. Formula: Al2O3
- aluminosilicate — a silicate in which some of the silicon in the tetrahedral unit SiO4 has been replaced by aluminium
- aluminum borate — a white, granular, water-insoluble powder, 2Al 2 O 3 ⋅B 2 O 3 ⋅3H 2 O, used chiefly in the manufacture of crown glass.
- aluminum bronze — any of several alloys containing a high percentage of copper with from 5 to 11 percent aluminum and varying amounts of iron, nickel, manganese, and other elements.
- amalgam filling — a dental filling made of amalgam
- amalgam gilding — a process of gilding metalwork in which the metal base is coated with an amalgam of gold and mercury, the latter subsequently being driven off by heat.
- amaranth family — the plant family Amaranthaceae, typified by herbaceous, often weedy plants having alternate or opposite leaves and small, chaffy flowers without petals in brightly colored dense clusters, including the cockscomb, pigweed, and amaranth.
- ambulance train — a train designed to carry sick or injured people
- american blight — any plant louse of the family Aphididae, characterized by a waxy secretion that appears like a jumbled mass of fine, curly, white cottony or woolly threads, as Eriosoma lanigerum (woolly apple aphid or American blight) and Prociphilus tessellatus (woolly alder aphid)
- american league — one of the two major professional U.S. baseball leagues, established in 1900. Abbreviation: A.L.
- american legion — an association of former member of the US armed forces
- american linden — any tree of the genus Tilia, as T. americana (American linden) or T. europaea (European linden) having fragrant yellowish-white flowers and heart-shaped leaves, grown as an ornamental or shade tree. Compare linden family.
- americanologist — a foreign expert or specialist in American cultural or political matters: a leading Americanologist in the Kremlin.
- amicable number — either of a pair of positive integers in which each member is equal to the sum of the submultiples of the other, as 220 and 284.
- aminoglycosides — Plural form of aminoglycoside.
- ammunition belt — a belt for carrying ammunition
- ammunition clip — a device for storing rounds of ammunition and feeding them into a weapon
- amyl propionate — a colorless liquid, C 8 H 16 O 2 , having an applelike odor, used chiefly as a scent in the manufacture of flavorings and perfume.
- anacoluthically — in an anacoluthic manner
- anaesthesiology — the science of administering anesthetics.
- anaesthetically — by means of an anaesthetic
- anamorphic lens — a component in the optical system of a film projector for converting standard 35mm film images into wide-screen format
- ancylostomiasis — infestation of the human intestine with blood-sucking hookworms, causing progressive anaemia
- andaman islands — a group of islands in the E Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Area: 6408 sq km (2474 sq miles). Pop: 314 804 (2001)
- andes lightning — an electrical discharge of the corona type, occurring over mountains when the atmosphere is electrically disturbed.
- andrada e silva — José Bonifacio de [zhaw-ze baw-nee-fah-syoo di] /ʒɔˈzɛ ˌbɔ niˈfɑ syʊ dɪ/ (Show IPA), 1763–1838, Brazilian statesman and scientist: architect of Brazilian independence.
- andrographolide — (organic compound) A bitter labdane diterpenoid that is the main bioactive component of the medicinal plant Andrographis paniculata, effective against certain cancers.
- aneroid capsule — a box or chamber of thin metal, partially exhausted of air, used in the aneroid barometer and pressure altimeter.
- angiomyolipomas — Plural form of angiomyolipoma.
- anglican church — any Church of the Anglican Communion or the Anglican Communion itself
- animal behavior — behavior (def 2).
- animal charcoal — carbon obtained from the carbonization of organic tissue of animals.
- anisotropically — Physics. of unequal physical properties along different axes. Compare isotropic (def 1).
- ankylostomiasis — ancylostomiasis
- annapolis royal — a town in SE Canada in W Nova Scotia on an arm of the Bay of Fundy: the first settlement in Canada (1605). Pop: 550 (2001)
- annihilationism — the teaching or principle that trespassers and evildoers are completely destroyed rather than made to suffer in hell after death
- annihilationist — A person who believes that eternal punishment is the annihilation of both the body and the soul.
- annular eclipse — an eclipse of the sun in which the moon does not cover the entire disc of the sun, so that a ring of sunlight surrounds the shadow of the moon
- annus mirabilis — a year of wonders, catastrophes, or other notable events