17-letter words containing a, l, s
- ambulance service — the public organization that operates ambulances in a country
- american dialects — regional or social varieties of spoken American English identified by differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation: principal dialect areas are now generally distinguished as Northern, Midland, and Southern
- american flagfish — flagfish (def 1).
- american-flagfish — flagfish (def 1).
- ammonium selenate — a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble solid, (NH 4) 2 SeO 4 , used as a mothproofing agent.
- ammonium sulphate — a white soluble crystalline solid used mainly as a fertilizer and in water purification. Formula: (NH4)2SO4
- anabolic steroids — a synthetic derivative of testosterone, sometimes used by athletes to help increase weight and strength.
- anachronistically — In an anachronistic manner; in the manner of an anachronism.
- anaesthesiologist — anesthesiology.
- analytical cubism — the early phase of cubism, chiefly characterized by a pronounced use of geometric shapes and by a tendency toward a monochromatic use of color.
- ancienne noblesse — the ancient nobility, especially of the ancien régime.
- andreanof islands — a group of islands in the central Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Area: 3710 sq km (1432 sq miles)
- anesthesiologists — Plural form of anesthesiologist.
- anglo-catholicism — the tradition or form of worship in the Anglican Church that emphasizes Catholicity, the apostolic succession, and the continuity of all churches within the communion with pre-Reformation Christianity as well as the importance of liturgy and ritual.
- anglo-saxon point — ATA point
- angry fruit salad — (abuse) A bad visual-interface design that uses too many colours. (This term derives, of course, from the bizarre day-glo colours found in canned fruit salad). Too often one sees similar effects from interface designers using colour window systems such as X; there is a tendency to create displays that are flashy and attention-getting but uncomfortable for long-term use.
- angular leaf spot — a disease of plants, characterized by angular, watery spots on the leaves and fruit, caused by any of several bacteria, as Pseudomonas lachrymans.
- anomalistic month — the interval between two successive passages of the moon through perigee; 27.55455 days
- anthracosilicosis — a form of pneumoconiosis occurring in miners, caused by the inhalation of coal and siliceous particles.
- anti-assimilation — Sociology. the merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups, not involving biological amalgamation.
- anti-isolationism — the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.
- anti-metaphysical — pertaining to or of the nature of metaphysics.
- anti-monopolistic — a person who has a monopoly.
- anticipatory loss — grief that is felt in anticipation of someone's death
- antiestablishment — opposed to or working against the existing power structure or mores, as of society or government: Antiestablishment candidates promised to disband the army, Congress, and the cabinet if elected.
- antimaterialistic — Opposing materialism.
- antinationalistic — Opposing nationalism.
- antiprostaglandin — A prostaglandin inhibitor.
- api gravity scale — the American Petroleum Institute gravity scale: a universally accepted scale of the relative density of fluids that is used in fuel technology and is measured in degrees API. One degree API is equal to (141.5/d)–131.5, where d = relative density at 288.7K
- apostolic fathers — the Fathers of the early Church who immediately followed the Apostles
- april fool's joke — (humour, event) (AFJ) Elaborate April Fool's hoaxes are a long-established tradition on Usenet and Internet; see kremvax for an example. In fact, April Fool's Day is the *only* seasonal holiday marked by customary observances on the hacker networks.
- architect's table — a table having a surface consisting of a drawing board adjustable to various heights and angles.
- aristolochiaceous — belonging to the Aristolochiaceae, the birthwort family of plants.
- arlington heights — village in NE Ill.: suburb of Chicago: pop. 76,000
- arsenic disulfide — an orange-red, water-insoluble, poisonous powder, As 4 S 4 , As 2 S 2 , or AsS, used chiefly in the manufacture of fireworks.
- artificial person — a human being, whether an adult or child: The table seats four persons.
- arunachal pradesh — a state in NE India, formed in 1986 from the former Union Territory. Capital: Itanagar. Pop: 1 091 117 (2001). Area: 83 743 sq km (32 648 sq miles)
- as the crow flies — If you say that a place is a particular distance away as the crow flies, you mean that it is that distance away measured in a straight line.
- as who should say — as if one should say
- ashby-de-la-zouch — a town in central England, in Leicestershire: Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned (1569) in the castle. Pop: 11 409 (2001)
- ashton-under-lyne — a town in NW England, in Tameside unitary authority, Greater Manchester. Pop: 43 236 (2001)
- assateague island — a narrow island in SE Maryland and E Virginia on Chincoteague Bay: annual wild pony roundup. 33 miles (53 km) long.
- assemblies of god — the largest American Pentecostal denomination, formed in 1914 by the merger of various Pentecostal churches and marked by faith healing and speaking in tongues.
- assembly district — one of a fixed number of districts into which a state is divided, each district electing one member to the lower house of the state legislature.
- assembly language — a low-level programming language that allows a programmer complete control of the machine code to be generated
- assessable income — the portion of one's income that is subject to tax
- assistant driller — An assistant driller is someone whose job is to help a driller, and work at the drilling controls on the rig floor.
- assyro-babylonian — of or relating to Assyria and Babylonia.
- astral projection — the departure of the astral body from the physical body, in order to travel to the astral plane
- astronomical unit — a unit of distance used in astronomy equal to the mean distance between the earth and the sun. 1 astronomical unit is equivalent to 1.495 × 1011 metres or about 9.3 × 107 miles