17-letter words containing a, l, s, i
- self-aggrandizing — increase of one's own power, wealth, etc., usually aggressively.
- self-annihilation — self-destruction; suicide.
- self-appreciation — gratitude; thankful recognition: They showed their appreciation by giving him a gold watch.
- self-belay device — (in climbing) a device used to pay out a safety rope as required
- self-commendation — the act of commending; recommendation; praise: commendation for a job well done.
- self-condemnation — the act of condemning.
- self-confirmation — the act of confirming.
- self-consecration — the act of setting oneself to a task or vocation without ordination by others or by a religious body.
- self-conservation — the act of conserving; prevention of injury, decay, waste, or loss; preservation: conservation of wildlife; conservation of human rights.
- self-depreciating — self-deprecating.
- self-dissociation — an act or instance of dissociating.
- self-emancipation — the act of emancipating.
- self-entertaining — affording entertainment; amusing; diverting: We spent an entertaining evening at the theater.
- self-flagellation — the act or process of flagellating.
- self-impregnating — to make pregnant; get with child or young.
- self-incompatible — not capable of self-pollination.
- self-perpetuating — continuing oneself in office, rank, etc., beyond the normal limit.
- self-presentation — an act of presenting.
- self-preservation — preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.
- self-purification — a natural process of purifying, as the ability of a body of water to rid itself of pollutants.
- self-renunciation — renunciation of one's own will, interests, etc.
- self-satisfaction — a usually smug satisfaction with oneself, one's achievements, etc.
- self-significance — importance; consequence: the significance of the new treaty.
- selkirk mountains — a mountain range in SW Canada, in SE British Columbia. Highest peak: Mount Sir Sandford, 3533 m (11 590 ft)
- semi-biographical — of or relating to a person's life: He's gathering biographical data for his book on Milton.
- semi-experimental — pertaining to, derived from, or founded on experiment: an experimental science.
- semi-permeability — permeable only to certain small molecules: a semipermeable membrane.
- semi-professional — actively engaged in some field or sport for pay but on a part-time basis: semiprofessional baseball players.
- semimicroanalysis — any analytical method in which the weight of the sample is between 10 and 100 milligrams.
- seminal principle — a potential, latent within an imperfect object, for attaining full development.
- sensory paralysis — impairment or loss of sensation in a part or area of the body
- sentimental value — personal, emotional significance
- separating funnel — a large funnel having a tap in its output tube, used to separate immiscible liquids
- septicemic plague — an especially dangerous form of plague in which the infecting organisms invade the bloodstream. Compare plague (def 2).
- sequential access — of or relating to a storage medium, as magnetic tape, in which records must be accessed by reading or writing from the beginning of the file.
- sequential-access — of or relating to a storage medium, as magnetic tape, in which records must be accessed by reading or writing from the beginning of the file.
- seven deadly sins — Christianity: worst vices
- sexual dimorphism — the condition in which the males and females in a species are morphologically different, as with many birds.
- sexual generation — the gametophyte generation in the alternation of generations in plants that produces a zygote from male and female gametes.
- shipping articles — articles of agreement.
- shirt-tail cousin — a distant cousin
- shit on a shingle — creamed chipped beef or ground beef in a sauce, served on toast.
- shoestring tackle — a tackle made around the ankles of the ball carrier.
- shopping bag lady — bag lady (def 1).
- shopping-bag lady — bag lady (def 1).
- shuttle diplomacy — diplomatic negotiations carried out by a mediator who travels back and forth between the negotiating parties.
- sickle cell trait — the usually asymptomatic hereditary condition that occurs when a person inherits from only one parent the abnormal hemoglobin gene characteristic of sickle cell anemia.
- side-valve engine — a type of internal-combustion engine in which the inlet and exhaust valves are in the cylinder block at the side of the pistons
- sidesaddle flower — a pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea.
- sidewall sampling — Sidewall sampling is the process of taking a sample from the wall of the borehole.