15-letter words containing a, l, u
- vicar capitular — a cleric chosen by a cathedral chapter to manage a bishopric during a vacancy.
- victor emmanuel — 1869–1947, king of Italy 1900–46.
- vincent de paul — Saint, 1576–1660, French Roman Catholic priest noted for his work to aid the poor.
- virtual machine — Also called system virtual machine. a self-contained operating environment that behaves as if it is a separate computer, with no access to the host operating system: When an application runs in a virtual machine, there is little chance that it will damage files or applications in the host system.
- virtual reality — a realistic and immersive simulation of a three-dimensional environment, created using interactive software and hardware, and experienced or controlled by movement of the body. Abbreviation: VR.
- virtual storage — a system whereby addressable memory is extended beyond main storage through the use of secondary storage managed by system software in such a way that programs can treat all of the designated storage as addressable main storage.
- visual literacy — the ability to apprehend or interpret pictures or other visual images.
- vitreous silica — silica glass
- völkerwanderung — the migration of peoples, esp of Germanic and Slavic peoples into S and W Europe from 2nd to 11th centuries
- volunteer state — Tennessee (used as a nickname).
- voyeuristically — of, relating to, or characteristic of a voyeur or of voyeurism.
- vulgar fraction — common fraction.
- vulnerabilities — capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon: a vulnerable part of the body.
- walking wounded — casualties, as of a military conflict, who are wounded but ambulatory.
- wallace nutting — Wallace, 1861–1941, U.S. antiquary, author, and illustrator.
- wallpaper music — music that is pleasant but not interesting, so people do not pay much attention to it
- walnut husk fly — any of several fruit flies, as Rhagoletis completa, the larvae of which feed on and discolor walnut husks.
- walpurgis night — (especially in medieval German folklore) the evening preceding the feast day of St. Walpurgis, when witches congregated, especially on the Brocken.
- walrus mustache — a thick, shaggy mustache hanging down loosely at both ends.
- washing-up bowl — plastic bowl used for washing dishes
- water pollution — the pollution of the sea and rivers
- wattle and daub — Also, wattle and dab. a building technique employing wattles plastered with clay and mud.
- wee small hours — the hours just after midnight
- weimar republic — the German republic (1919–33), founded at Weimar.
- well-accustomed — customary; usual; habitual: in their accustomed manner.
- well-acquainted — having personal knowledge as a result of study, experience, etc.; informed (usually followed by with): to be acquainted with law.
- well-cultivated — prepared and used for raising crops; tilled: cultivated land.
- well-formulated — to express in precise form; state definitely or systematically: He finds it extremely difficult to formulate his new theory.
- welsbach burner — a type of gaslight in which a mantle containing thorium and cerium compounds becomes incandescent when heated by a gas flame
- whatshumacallit — Alternative form of whatchamacallit.
- wheelchair user — a person who is unable to walk through injury, illness, etc and relies on a wheelchair to move around
- wheelchairbound — Confined to a wheelchair.
- whiplash injury — the lash of a whip.
- winter purslane — a plant, Montia perfoliata, native to western North America, of the purslane family, having edible, egg-shaped leaves and clusters of small, white flowers.
- wreathed column — a column having a twisted or spiral form.
- wrongful arrest — the act of arresting someone without proper reason
- yorke peninsula — a peninsula in S Australia between Spencer Gulf and the Gulf of St. Vincent. 160 miles (257 km) long and 20–35 miles (32–56 km) wide.
- yucatán channel — a channel between W Cuba and the Yucatán peninsula
- zygophyllaceous — belonging to the Zygophyllaceae, the caltrop family of plants.