19-letter words containing a, o, e
- riemannian geometry — Also called elliptic geometry. the branch of non-Euclidean geometry that replaces the parallel postulate of Euclidean geometry with the postulate that in a plane every pair of distinct lines intersects. Compare hyperbolic geometry.
- right circular cone — a cone whose surface is generated by lines joining a fixed point to the points of a circle, the fixed point lying on a perpendicular through the center of the circle.
- ring-a-ring-a-roses — a children's game in which the players sing a song, at the end of which they all fall down
- rio grande do norte — a state in E Brazil. 20,464 sq. mi. (53,000 sq. km). Capital: Natal.
- rock-paper-scissors — a method of selecting, for example, which of two people perform a task: each person simultaneously makes one of three hand gestures representing a rock, a sheet of paper, and a pair of scissors respectively. Each gesture defeats one and is defeated by one of the other two: rock defeats scissors but is defeated by paper; paper defeats rock but is defeated by scissors. The person whose gesture defeats the other is selected
- romanian tenderloin — a cut of beef consisting of the diaphragm muscle.
- room-temperature iq — (abuse) (IBM) 80 or below. Used in describing the expected intelligence range of the luser. "Well, but how's this interface going to play with the room-temperature IQ crowd?" This is a much more insulting phrase in countries that use Celsius thermometers. See drool-proof paper.
- roosevelt corollary — a corollary (1904) to the Monroe Doctrine, asserting that the U.S. might intervene in the affairs of an American republic threatened with seizure or intervention by a European country.
- royal correspondent — a journalist who reports on matters relating to royalty
- saber-toothed tiger — any of several extinct members of the cat family Felidae from the Oligocene to Pleistocene Epochs, having greatly elongated, saberlike upper canine teeth.
- sabre-toothed tiger — any of various extinct Tertiary felines of the genus Smilodon and related genera, with long curved upper canine teeth
- saccharofarinaceous — pertaining to or consisting of sugar and meal.
- sackcloth and ashes — a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
- sacramento sturgeon — white sturgeon.
- sacrifice operative — a euphemistic term for a suicide bomber
- saddle-billed stork — a large stork, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, of West Africa, having a white and black body and a long, red and black bill.
- saint simon zelotes — one of the 12 apostles, who had probably belonged to the Zealot party before becoming a Christian (Luke 6:15). Owing to a misinterpretation of two similar Aramaic words he is also, but mistakenly, called the Canaanite (Matthew 10:4). Feast day: Oct 28 or May 10
- salvage archaeology — the collection of archaeological data and materials from a site in danger of imminent destruction, as from new construction or flooding.
- samoa standard time — a standard time used in the zone which includes American Samoa, corresponding to the mean solar time of the 165th meridian west of Greenwich, England: it is eleven hours behind Greenwich time
- san bernardino pass — a pass over the Lepontine Alps in SE Switzerland. Highest point: 2062 m (6766 ft)
- san fernando valley — valley in SW Calif., partly in NW Los Angeles: c. 260 sq mi (673 sq km)
- san francisco peaks — a mountain mass in N Arizona: highest point in the state, Humphrey's Peak, 12,611 feet (3845 meters).
- sandwich generation — the generation of people still raising their children while having to care for their aging parents.
- sanitary protection — Sanitary protection is sanitary towels or tampons.
- santa rosa de copan — a town in W Honduras: site of extensive Mayan ruins.
- santiago del estero — a city in N Argentina.
- sao jose dos campos — a city in SE Brazil, NE of São Paulo.
- sao paulo de luanda — Luanda.
- satellite telephone — a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting artificial satellites rather than terrestrial cell sites
- saturation coverage — news coverage (of an event, etc) that is very thorough in order not to miss any details
- save someone's neck — to help someone else escape from such a situation
- sb's spiritual home — your spiritual home is the place where you feel that you belong, usually because your ideas or attitudes are the same as those of the people who live there
- scale down (or up) — to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion
- scare the pants off — to scare extremely
- scattersite housing — public housing, especially for low-income families, built throughout an urban area rather than being concentrated in a single neighborhood.
- school of the squad — an institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age: The children are at school.
- scientific notation — a method for expressing a given quantity as a number having significant digits necessary for a specified degree of accuracy, multiplied by 10 to the appropriate power, as 1385.62 written as 1.386 × 10 3 .
- screen actors guild — a labor union for motion-picture performers, founded in 1933. Abbreviation: SAG.
- sea floor spreading — a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out.
- sea of tranquillity — Astronomy. Mare Tranquillitatis.
- sea-floor spreading — a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out.
- seasonal adjustment — an adjustment that removes the seasonal component of statistics
- seat belt tensioner — A seat belt tensioner is a device in a vehicle that pulls a seat belt tight if there is a sudden movement or stop.
- secondary dentition — the permanent dentition
- secondary education — education at high-school level
- secondary infection — an infection resulting from another infection
- secondary intention — See under intention (def 5b).
- secondary picketing — the picketing by strikers of a place of work that supplies goods to or distributes goods from their employer
- secondary processes — the conscious mental activity and logical thinking controlled by the ego and influenced by environmental demands.
- secondary qualities — one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.