17-letter words containing a, s, v
- small-leaved lime — Tilia cordata: a tiliaceous deciduous tree of the N temperate genus Tilia, having heart-shaped leaves and small fragrant yellowish flowers: cultivated for timber and as shade trees
- sodium-vapor lamp — an electric lamp in which sodium vapor is activated by current passing between two electrodes, producing a yellow, glareless light: used on streets and highways.
- soil conservation — any of various methods to achieve the maximum utilization of the land and preserve its resources through such controls as crop rotation, prevention of soil erosion, etc.
- spanish civil war — the civil war in Spain 1936–39.
- special privilege — exclusive advantage
- spiral bevel gear — a bevel gear having curved teeth tending to converge on the axis of rotation.
- squash vine borer — the larva of a clearwing moth, Melittia satyriniformis, that bores into the stems of squash and related plants.
- st. vitus's dance — St. Vitus's dance.
- state the obvious — point out sth already evident
- stellar evolution — the sequence of changes that occurs in a star as it ages
- stratford-on-avon — a town in SW Warwickshire, in central England, on the Avon River: birthplace and burial place of Shakespeare.
- structural survey — an examination of a property carried out by surveyor which should reveal any problems with the building
- subclavian artery — either of a pair of arteries, one on each side of the body, that carry the main supply of blood to the arms.
- subclavian groove — either of two grooves in the first rib, one for the main artery (subclavian artery) and the other for the main vein (subclavian vein) of the arm
- substantive right — a right, as life, liberty, or property, recognized for its own sake and as part of the natural legal order of society.
- subtractive color — cyan, yellow, or magenta, as used in the subtractive process of color photography.
- sunday observance — the fact of keeping Sunday as a special day when people go to church
- supermassive star — Astronomy. a star with a mass more than fifty times the mass of the sun.
- supernova remnant — an expanding shell of gas, with accompanying strong radio and x-ray emissions, produced by a supernova.
- supervisory board — a board of management of which nonmanagerial workers are members, having supervisory powers over some aspects of management decision-making
- survival instinct — the instinct in humans and animals to do things in a dangerous situation that will prevent them from dying
- sybase sql server — Adaptive Server Enterprise
- synovial membrane — anatomy: connective tissue
- the beehive state — Utah
- the driver's seat — the position of control or dominance
- the pennsylvanian — the Pennsylvanian period or rock system, equivalent to the Upper Carboniferous of Europe
- the twelve tables — the earliest code of Roman civil, criminal, and religious law, promulgated in 451–450 bc
- the varsity match — a sporting fixture between Oxford and Cambridge university rugby teams
- the-invisible-man — a novel (1897) by H.G. Wells.
- to best advantage — If something is shown to good advantage or to best advantage, it is shown in a way that reveals its best features.
- traffic diversion — a special route arranged for traffic to follow when the normal route cannot be used
- transferable vote — a vote that is transferred to a second candidate indicated by the voter if the first is eliminated from the ballot
- transverse engine — an engine which is fitted side-to-side across the axis of a vehicle
- twelve patriarchs — any of the sons of Jacob ((the twelve patriarchs),) from whom the tribes of Israel were descended.
- ultraconservative — extremely conservative, especially in politics.
- unconventionalist — not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
- uncooperativeness — working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit.
- unimaginativeness — the quality of being unimaginative
- universal algebra — (logic) The model theory of first-order equational logic.
- universal grammar — a grammar that attempts to establish the properties and constraints common to all possible human languages.
- vacant possession — ownership of an unoccupied house or property, any previous owner or tenant having departed
- vacuum aspiration — menstrual extraction.
- vaginal discharge — emission from the female genitalia
- valence electrons — an electron of an atom, located in the outermost shell (valence shell) of the atom, that can be transferred to or shared with another atom.
- valetudinarianism — the state, condition, or habits of a valetudinarian.
- valsalva maneuver — a forced expiratory effort against a closed glottis that decreases intrathoracic pressure, hampering venous return to the heart, and that can be used to inflate the Eustachian tubes and adjust pressure in the middle ear.
- van diemen's land — former name of Tasmania.
- vanity publishing — the practice of the author of a book paying all or most of the costs of its publication
- varix lymphaticus — a similar condition affecting an artery or lymphatic vessel
- vascular cylinder — stele (sense 3)