16-letter words containing a, n, i, v, e
- semiconservative — disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
- semiquantitative — partially quantitative.
- service contract — law: between employer and employee
- service entrance — an entrance for the use of servants, delivery people, or the like.
- severance motion — an application made to a judge or court for the division into separate parts of a joint estate, contract, etc
- sexual deviation — a type of mental disorder characterized by a preference for or obsession with unusual sexual practices, as pedophilia, sadomasochism, or exhibitionism.
- shopping village — a shopping centre that designed to look like a village
- sicilian vespers — a general massacre of the French in Sicily by the local population, begun at the sound of the vesper bell on Easter Monday, 1282.
- silver-lace vine — a hardy, twining, woody plant, Polygonum auberti, of the buckwheat family, native to western China and Tibet, having greenish-white, fragrant flowers in drooping clusters.
- slave-making ant — an ant of a species that raids the colonies of other ant species, carrying off larvae and pupae to be reared as slaves.
- slugging average — a measure of the effectiveness of a batter in making base hits, obtained by dividing the total bases reached by hitting by the number of official times at bat and carrying out the result to three decimal places. A batter making 275 total bases in 500 times at bat has a slugging average of .550.
- social evolution — the gradual development of society and social forms, institutions, etc., usually through a series of peaceful stages. Compare revolution (def 2).
- south vietnamese — of or relating to the former South Vietnam (now part of Vietnam) or its inhabitants
- sparking voltage — the minimum voltage required to produce a spark across a given spark gap.
- splanchnic nerve — Anatomy. any of several nerves to the viscera and blood vessels of the chest and pelvic areas.
- state university — a university maintained by the government of a state.
- state's evidence — evidence given by an accomplice in a crime who becomes a voluntary witness against the other defendants: The defendants' case was lost when one of them turned state's evidence.
- substantive rank — a permanent rank in the armed services obtained by length of service, selection, etc
- surveyor's chain — a series of objects connected one after the other, usually in the form of a series of metal rings passing through one another, used either for various purposes requiring a flexible tie with high tensile strength, as for hauling, supporting, or confining, or in various ornamental and decorative forms.
- swedish vallhund — a small sturdy dog of a Swedish breed with a long body and pricked pointed ears
- tarragon vinegar — a white vinegar flavoured with the herb tarragon, used in cooking, esp in salad dressings
- texas revolution — a revolutionary movement, 1832–36, in which U.S. settlers asserted their independence from Mexico and established the republic of Texas.
- the moving party — a person who applies to a court or judge with the aim of obtaining a ruling in their favour
- the noes have it — there is a majority of votes in the negative
- the vienna union — an international conference of socialists who came together in Vienna in 1921 in an attempt to reconstruct a united International by offering an alternative to the right-wing remnant of the Second International and to the Comintern: merged into the Labour and Socialist International in 1923
- thermionic valve — vacuum tube.
- tinnevelly senna — any plant, shrub, or tree belonging to the genus Cassia, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves and large clusters of flowers.
- to overabound in — to have or contain too large a quantity or number of something
- to pay dividends — If something pays dividends, it brings advantages at a later date.
- torvill and dean — two British ice dancers, Jayne Torvill, born 1957, and Christopher Dean, born 1958. They won the world championships in 1981–84, the European championships in 1981–82, 1984, and 1994, and the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games
- travel insurance — insurance which covers losses that may be incurred while travelling, such as medical expenses, flight cancellations, lost luggage, etc
- travelling clock — a small clock taken by someone who is travelling
- trigeminal nerve — of or relating to the trigeminal nerve.
- twelvepenny nail — a nail that is 3 1/4 inches (8.25 cm) long.
- unattractiveness — the condition of not appealing to the senses or mind through beauty, form, character, etc
- unconventionally — not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
- unconversational — of, relating to, or characteristic of conversation: a conversational tone of voice.
- underpitch vault — a construction having a central vault intersected by vaults of lower pitch.
- ungava peninsula — a peninsula in NW Ungava region, in N Quebec, in E Canada.
- unimproved value — the valuation of land for rating purposes, disregarding the value of buildings or other development
- universalization — to make universal.
- unrepresentative — a person or thing that represents another or others.
- valles marineris — a canyon on Mars, 3100 miles (5000 km) in length, named after the Mariner spacecraft.
- vancouver island — an island of SW Canada, off the SW coast of British Columbia: separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound, and from the US mainland by Juan de Fuca Strait; the largest island off the W coast of North America. Chief town: Victoria. Pop: 706 243 (2001). Area: 32 137 sq km (12 408 sq miles)
- vapor channeling — Vapor channeling exists when vapor flow is distributed in an unequal way in a distillation vessel or stage.
- variable annuity — an annuity in which the premiums are invested chiefly in common stocks or other securities, the annuitant receiving payments based on the yield of the investments instead of in fixed amounts.
- vasoconstrictive — causing vasoconstriction.
- velcro fastening — a fastening made of Velcro
- venereal disease — sexually transmitted disease. Abbreviation: VD.
- ventriculography — radiography of the ventricles of the heart after injection of a contrast medium