12-letter words containing a, n, u, b
- blastulation — the process of blastula formation
- blue jasmine — a southern U.S. shrubby vine, Clematis crispa, of the buttercup family, having solitary, bell-shaped, blue or bluish-purple to pink flowers and bearing fruit with silky appendages.
- bluefin tuna — the largest tuna (Thunnus thynnus): it has bright red flesh and is important as a game and food fish
- bluesnarfing — the practice of using one Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to steal contact details, ring tones, images, etc from another
- boar-hunting — the practice of hunting wild boars
- boarding out — the local-authority practice of placing a client in a foster family or voluntary establishment and paying for it
- boatbuilding — Boatbuilding is the craft or industry of making boats.
- boudin blanc — a boiled sausage made with light-colored meat, as veal or chicken, and without blood
- bougainville — an island in the W Pacific, in Papua New Guinea: the largest of the Solomon Islands: unilaterally declared independence in 1990; occupied by government troops in 1992, and granted autonomy in 2001. Chief town: Kieta. Area: 10 049 sq km (3880 sq miles)
- boulangerite — a bluish lead-gray mineral, lead antimony sulfide, Pb 5 Sb 4 S 11 , a minor ore of lead.
- bounce flash — a flash lamp designed to produce a bounced flash.
- bound charge — any electric charge that is bound to an atom or molecule (opposed to free charge).
- bradmanesque — (of a batsman or innings) reminiscent of Sir Don Bradman in terms of dominance over the opposing bowlers
- brain tumour — a tumour that is situated in the brain
- brains trust — a group of knowledgeable people who discuss topics in public or on radio or television
- brassfounder — a person who makes things from brass
- braunschweig — Brunswick
- break ground — to do something that has not been done before
- bring around — If you bring someone around when they are unconscious, you make them become conscious again.
- brontosaurus — any very large herbivorous quadrupedal dinosaur of the genus Apatosaurus, common in North America during Jurassic times, having a long neck and long tail: suborder Sauropoda (sauropods)
- bubble dance — a solo dance by a nude or nearly nude woman, as in a burlesque show, using one or more balloons for covering.
- buccaneering — If you describe someone as buccaneering, you mean that they enjoy being involved in risky or even dishonest activities, especially in order to make money.
- buccaneerish — of or relating to a buccaneer
- buccolingual — of or relating to the cheek and tongue.
- bud mutation — a variation produced by a genetic alteration in the bud such that the seeds produced by the resulting growth perpetuate the change in succeeding generations.
- buenaventura — a major port in W Colombia, on the Pacific coast. Pop: 250 000 (2005 est)
- buenos aires — the capital of Argentina, a major port and industrial city on the Río de la Plata estuary: became capital in 1880; university (1821). Pop: 13 349 000 (2005 est)
- buffalo gnat — any of various small North American blood-sucking dipterous insects of the genus Simulium and related genera: family Simuliidae
- bull-baiting — the setting of dogs on a chained or confined bull, formerly a popular pastime in England
- bullamakanka — an imaginary very remote and backward place
- bullet train — a passenger train that travels at very high speed
- bumping race — (esp at Oxford and Cambridge) a race in which rowing eights start an equal distance one behind the other and each tries to bump the boat in front
- bunco artist — a confidence trickster or con artist
- bunny rabbit — rabbit
- buoyancy aid — a type of usually foam-filled lifejacket designed for use in sports such as canoeing
- burial mound — a barrow
- burkina faso — an inland republic in W Africa: dominated by Mossi kingdoms (10th–19th centuries); French protectorate established in 1896; became an independent republic in 1960; consists mainly of a flat savanna plateau. Official language: French; Mossi and other African languages also widely spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with a large Muslim minority. Currency: franc. Capital: Ouagadougou. Pop: 17 812 961 (2013 est). Area: 273 200 sq km (105 900 sq miles)
- burning ghat — a platform at the top of a riverside ghat where Hindus cremate their dead.
- burnt almond — a sweet consisting of an almond enclosed in burnt sugar
- burnt orange — of a dark orange colour, sometimes due to calcination of orange pigment
- burnt sienna — a reddish-brown dye or pigment obtained by roasting raw sienna in a furnace
- bushwhacking — to make one's way through woods by cutting at undergrowth, branches, etc.
- button quail — any small quail-like terrestrial bird of the genus Turnix, such as T. sylvatica (striped button quail), occurring in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World: family Turnicidae, order Gruiformes (cranes, rails, etc)
- byelorussian — Byelorussian means belonging or relating to Byelorussia or to its people or culture.
- canterburies — Plural form of canterbury.
- carbon brush — a small block of carbon used to convey current between the stationary and moving parts of an electric generator, motor, etc
- carbon value — an empirical measurement of the tendency of a lubricant to form carbon when in use
- carbonaceous — of, resembling, or containing carbon
- carnal abuse — Law. any lascivious contact with the sexual organs of a child by an adult, especially without sexual intercourse.
- celebutantes — Plural form of celebutante.