18-letter words containing a, r, o, u, s
- hyposulfurous acid — an acid, H 2 S 2 O 4 , next in a series below sulfurous acid, known only in solution or in the form of its salts.
- ifs, ands, or buts — a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.
- in terrorem clause — a clause in a will stating that a beneficiary who contests the will shall lose his or her legacy.
- incommensurability — not commensurable; having no common basis, measure, or standard of comparison.
- industrial diamond — a small often synthetic diamond, valueless as a gemstone, used in cutting tools, abrasives, etc
- inner automorphism — an automorphism that maps an element x into an element of the form axa −1 where a −1 is the inverse of a.
- inquisitor-general — the head of the Spanish court of Inquisition
- instruction manual — how-to, usage guide
- instrument station — station (def 14a).
- intercartilaginous — (anatomy) Within cartilage.
- interinstitutional — Between institutions.
- involuntary muscle — muscle: contracts involuntarily
- iron (ii) sulphate — an iron salt with a saline taste, usually obtained as greenish crystals of the heptahydrate, which are converted to the white monohydrate above 100°C: used in inks, tanning, water purification, and in the treatment of anaemia. Formula: FeSO4
- iverson's language — APL, which went unnamed for many years.
- jerusalem syndrome — a delusive condition affecting some visitors to Jerusalem in which the sufferer identifies with a major figure from his or her religious background
- johannes gutenberg — Johannes [yoh-hahn-uh s] /yoʊˈhɑn əs/ (Show IPA), (Johann Gensfleisch) c1400–68, German printer: credited with invention of printing from movable type.
- king's regulations — (in Britain and the Commonwealth when the sovereign is male) the code of conduct for members of the armed forces that deals with discipline, aspects of military law, etc
- komsomolsk-on-amur — city in SE Russia, on the Amur River: pop. 309,000
- krause's corpuscle — any of numerous encapsulated nerve endings occurring in the skin and mucous membranes, functioning as sensory cold receptors.
- last in, first out — The expression last in, first out is used to say that the last person who started work in an organization should be the first person to leave it, if fewer people are needed.
- last-in, first-out — an inventory plan based on the assumption that materials constituting manufacturing costs should be carried on the books at the market price of the last lot received. Abbreviation: LIFO. Compare first-in, first-out.
- lay down your arms — If soldiers lay down their arms, they stop fighting and give up their weapons.
- lenticular process — a method for producing images with a three-dimensional effect by photographing on lenticulated film.
- like a house afire — a building in which people live; residence for human beings.
- liqueur chocolates — chocolates containing liqueur
- literae humaniores — (at Oxford University) the faculty concerned with Greek and Latin literature, ancient history, and philosophy; classics
- logarithmus dualis — (mathematics) (ld) Latin for logarithm base two. More commonly written as "log" with a subscript "2". Roughly the number of bits required to represent an integer.
- lonely hearts club — a club for people who are trying to find a lover or a friend
- louisiana purchase — a treaty signed with France in 1803 by which the U.S. purchased for $15,000,000 the land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
- lubber grasshopper — plains grasshopper.
- magistrate's court — a court having limited jurisdiction over minor civil and criminal matters, as matters of contract not exceeding a particular amount of money.
- magistrates' court — law: handles minor crimes
- magnesium peroxide — a white, tasteless, water-insoluble powder, MgO 2 , used as an antiseptic and as an oxidizing and bleaching agent.
- manufactured goods — products made by machine
- marsilius of padua — c1280–1343? Italian scholar and political theorist.
- mato grosso do sul — a state of W central Brazil: formed in 1979 from part of Mato Grosso state. Capital: Campo Grande. Pop: 2 140 624 (2002). Area: 350 548 sq km (135 318 sq miles)
- microencapsulation — the process of enclosing chemical substances in microcapsules.
- microwave spectrum — a spectrum of electromagnetic radiations whose wavelengths fall in the microwave range.
- misunderestimation — (nonstandard) An inaccurate underestimation, or an act of misunderestimating.
- molecular genetics — a subdivision of genetics concerned with the structure and function of genes at the molecular level.
- molecular spectrum — the spectrum of light emitted or absorbed by a species of molecule.
- mortgage insurance — policy to compensate for property loan payments
- mucopolysaccharide — (formerly) glycosaminoglycan.
- muscular dystrophy — a hereditary disease characterized by gradual wasting of the muscles with replacement by scar tissue and fat, sometimes also affecting the heart.
- music to your ears — If something that you hear is music to your ears, it makes you feel very happy.
- national guardsman — guardsman (def 2).
- national insurance — In Britain, national insurance is the state system of paying money to people who are ill, unemployed, or retired. It is financed by money that the government collects from people who work, or from their employers.
- natural philosophy — natural science.
- nebular hypothesis — the theory that the solar system evolved from a mass of nebular matter: prominent in the 19th century following its precise formulation by Laplace.
- neovascularization — the development of new blood vessels, especially in tissues where circulation has been impaired by trauma or disease.