13-letter words containing a, s, h, b
- batch-process — to perform batch processing on (files)
- bathurst burr — an Australian plant, Xanthium spinosum, having numerous hooked burrs that became entangled in sheep's wool
- beacon school — a notably successful school whose methods and practices are brought to the attention of the education service as a whole in order that they may be adopted by other schools
- bear's-breech — a widely cultivated S European acanthus plant, Acanthus mollis, having whitish purple-veined flowers
- beehive state — Utah (used as a nickname).
- behavioristic — the theory or doctrine that human or animal psychology can be accurately studied only through the examination and analysis of objectively observable and quantifiable behavioral events, in contrast with subjective mental states.
- bell purchase — a tackle consisting of two standing single blocks, two running single blocks, a fall, and a runner, so arranged that it gives a mechanical advantage of six, neglecting friction.
- benjamin-bush — Also called spice-wood. a yellow-flowered, North American shrub, Lindera benzoin, of the laurel family, whose bark and leaves have a spicy odor.
- berchtesgaden — a town in Germany, in SE Bavaria: site of the fortified mountain retreat of Adolf Hitler. Pop: 7667 (2003 est)
- betamethasone — a synthetic analogue of a glucocorticoid, C 22 H 29 FO 5 , used in various forms in the treatment of inflammation, allergies, and tumors, and for replacement therapy in adrenal insufficiency.
- bibliophagist — a person who devours books
- binary search — (algorithm) A search algorithm which repeatedly divides an ordered search space in half according to how the required (key) value compares with the middle element. The following pseudo-C routine performs a binary search return the index of the element of vector "thing[first..last]" equal to "target": if (target < thing[first] || target > thing[last]) return NOT_FOUND; while (first < last) { mid = (first+last)/2; /* truncate to integer */ if (target == thing[mid]) return mid; if (target < thing[mid]) last = mid-1; else first = mid+1; } if (target == thing[last]) return last; return NOT_FOUND; (2003-01-14)
- biphasic pill — a drug with two dosage levels over the period taken, as an oral contraceptive.
- birth parents — a child's biological parents, regardless of whether they subsequently bring up the child
- birthday bash — a birthday party
- birthday suit — If you are in your birthday suit, you are not wearing any clothes.
- black english — the group of related dialects of American English spoken variously by many black people in the U.S.
- blacksmithing — the work of a blacksmith.
- blanchisseuse — a washer-woman
- blandishments — Blandishments are pleasant things that someone says to another person in order to persuade them to do something.
- blanket chest — a chest, with or without drawers, having a rectangular space under a lifting lid or top, used for storing blankets, bedding, or clothing.
- blanket sheet — a newspaper of larger than average size, common in the mid 19th century.
- blasphemously — uttering, containing, or exhibiting blasphemy; irreverent; profane.
- blepharoplast — a cylindrical cytoplasmic body in protozoa
- blepharospasm — spasm of the muscle of the eyelids, causing the eyes to shut tightly, either as a response to painful stimuli or occurring as a form of dystonia
- boardinghouse — a private house in which accommodation and meals are provided for paying guests
- body snatcher — (formerly) a person who robbed graves and sold the corpses for dissection
- bois de vache — dried buffalo dung, used as fuel by Canadian and U.S. fur trappers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- bottle-washer — a menial or factotum
- bounced flash — a flash bounced off a reflective surface, as a ceiling or wall, to illuminate a subject indirectly.
- boutros-ghali — ˈBoutros (ˈbutroʊs ) ; bo̅oˈtrōs) 1922- ; Egypt. diplomat: secretary-general of the United Nations (1992-96)
- brachiosaurus — a dinosaur of the genus Brachiosaurus, up to 30 metres long: the largest land animal ever known
- brachypterous — having very short or incompletely developed wings
- breakthroughs — a military movement or advance all the way through and beyond an enemy's front-line defense.
- breeches part — a male role played by an actress.
- bridal shower — a party, held for a woman before her wedding, to which her friends bring gifts
- brinksmanship — the technique or practice of maneuvering a dangerous situation to the limits of tolerance or safety in order to secure the greatest advantage, especially by creating diplomatic crises.
- british asian — A British Asian person is someone of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi origin who has grown up in Britain.
- british india — the 17 provinces of India formerly governed by the British under the British sovereign: ceased to exist in 1947 when the independent states of India and Pakistan were created
- broca-aphasia — a type of aphasia caused by a lesion in Broca's area of the brain, characterized by misarticulated speech and lack of grammatical morphemes.
- buenas noches — good night
- buffalo chips — the dried dung of buffalo used as fuel, especially by early settlers on the western plains.
- bundle sheath — a layer of cells in plant leaves and stems that surrounds a vascular bundle.
- burgess shale — a bed of Cambrian sedimentary rock in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia containing many unique invertebrate fossils
- burnham scale — the salary scale for teachers in English state schools, which is revised periodically
- burt standish — Burt L. pseudonym of Gilbert Patten.
- butcher's saw — a type of hacksaw used especially by butchers for cutting through meat and bones.
- calabash tree — a tropical American evergreen tree, Crescentia cujete, that produces large round gourds: family Bignoniaceae
- carbohydrates — foods which contain carbohydrate
- catcher's box — box1 (def 16d).