12-letter words containing a, r, s, p
- athwartships — from one side to the other of a vessel at right angles to the keel
- atmospherics — Atmospherics are elements in something such as a piece of music or a book which create a certain atmosphere.
- atmospherium — an optical system used to simulate images of atmospheric phenomena, as cloud formations, storms, and day and night, on the inside of a dome.
- attorneyship — The office or profession of an attorney.
- australopith — (archaeology, anthropology, paleonotology) Of or pertaining to the extinct hominid primates, of the genus Australopithecus, from the Pleistocene period.
- autoexposure — A device that sets the exposure automatically on a camera or other piece of equipment.
- automorphism — the practice of seeing others as having the same characteristics as oneself
- b-s particle — a neutral meson with a mass 10,507 times that of the electron and a mean lifetime of approximately 1.6 X 10 -12 seconds.
- bachelorship — the state of being a bachelor; bachelorhood
- back-slapper — the practice of making a loud and effusive display of friendliness, cordiality, etc., as by slapping persons on the back.
- backpressure — a resistant pressure exerted by liquid or gas against the forward motion or flow of an exhaust or pipe system: Careful control of backpressure ensures an even supply of oil from the well.
- bald cypress — a tree, Taxodium distichum, of swampy areas of the southern U.S., having featherlike needles and cone-shaped projections growing up from the roots, yielding a hardwood used in construction, shipbuilding, etc.
- bankruptcies — Plural form of bankruptcy.
- baptisteries — Plural form of baptistery.
- barophoresis — the diffusion of suspended particles at a rate dependent on external forces
- base pairing — the hydrogen bonding that occurs between complementary nitrogenous bases in the two polynucleotide chains of a DNA molecule
- base-pairing — the process of binding separate DNA sequences by base pairs.
- basidiocarps — Plural form of basidiocarp.
- basidiospore — one of the spores, usually four in number, produced in a basidium
- bathyspheres — Plural form of bathysphere.
- beamsplitter — Alternative spelling of beam splitter.
- bean sprouts — the sprouts of newly germinated mung beans, eaten as a vegetable, esp in Chinese dishes
- beauty strip — a narrow forest corridor left uncut alongside a road or body of water.
- bernese alps — a mountain range in SW Switzerland, the N central part of the Alps. Highest peak: Finsteraarhorn, 4274 m (14 022 ft)
- bernina alps — a mountain group in SE Switzerland, extending from the Rhateian Alps on the Italian border. Highest peak, Piz Bernina, 13,304 feet (4055 meters).
- bernina pass — a pass in the Alps between SE Switzerland and N Italy, east of Piz Bernina. Height: 2323 m (7622 ft)
- black papers — unofficial papers criticizing government policy
- black spruce — a coniferous tree, Picea mariana, of the northern regions of North America, growing mostly in cold bogs and having dark green needles
- blastosphere — blastula
- blister pack — a type of packet in which small items are displayed and sold, consisting of a transparent dome of plastic or similar material mounted on a firm backing such as cardboard
- body repairs — repairs to the bodywork of cars
- boot-scraper — a contraption consisting of an upright metal shape formerly placed outside some houses to enable people to scrape the mud from their boots before going in
- brass plaque — a brass plate screwed to a wall or other structure and engraved with a name or other information, esp to commemorate an important event
- breastplough — a plough driven by the worker's breast, often used to pare turf
- brenner pass — a pass over the E Alps, between Austria and Italy. Highest point: 1372 m (4501 ft)
- bright spark — If you say that some bright spark had a particular idea or did something, you mean that their idea or action was clever, or that it seemed clever but was silly in some way.
- brinkmanship — Brinkmanship is a method of behaviour, especially in politics, in which you deliberately get into dangerous situations which could result in disaster but which could also bring success.
- bronchospasm — an abnormal contraction of the bronchi resulting in restriction of the airway
- buck's party — a party for men only, esp one held for a man before he is married
- bypass ratio — the ratio of the amount of air that bypasses the combustion chambers of an aircraft gas turbine to that passing through them
- camelopardus — a faint extensive constellation in the N hemisphere close to Ursa Major and Cassiopeia
- cameraperson — a camera operator
- camp springs — a city in central Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
- candy stripe — a pattern of bright stripes of one color against a plain background, used chiefly in fabrics.
- canine corps — a military or law enforcement body which uses dogs for the detection of explosives or drugs or for security, tracking, etc
- caparisoning — Present participle of caparison.
- cape sparrow — a sparrow, Passer melanurus, very common in southern Africa: family Ploceidae
- caper spurge — a spurge, Euphorbia lathyris, producing latex that is considered a possible source of crude oil and gasoline.
- capitularies — Plural form of capitulary.
- capriciously — subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.