15-letter words containing a, u, r, p
- beam-power tube — a vacuum tube in which the stream of electrons flowing to the plate is focused by the action of a set of auxiliary, charged elements, giving an increase in output power.
- biblia pauperum — any of the picture books illustrating Biblical events and usually containing a short text, used chiefly in the Middle Ages for purposes of religious instruction.
- brachial plexus — a network of nerves in the armpits and neck, innervating the shoulders, arms, and hands.
- brake parachute — a parachute attached to the rear of a vehicle and opened to assist braking
- branchial pouch — one of a series of rudimentary outcroppings of the inner pharyngeal wall, corresponding to the branchial grooves on the surface.
- brazilian plume — a tropical American plant, Justicia carnea, of the acanthus family, having hairy, prominently veined leaves and a short, dense cluster of purple or pink flowers, grown in greenhouses or outdoors in warm regions.
- break-out group — a group of people who detach themselves from a larger group or meeting in order to hold separate discussions
- breaking plough — a plough with a long shallow mouldboard for turning virgin land or sod land
- brushback pitch — a fast ball deliberately thrown at or too near a batter's head
- brussels carpet — a worsted carpet with a heavy pile formed by uncut loops of wool on a linen warp
- buryat republic — a constituent republic of SE central Russia, on Lake Baikal: mountainous, with forests covering over half the total area. Capital: Ulan-Ude. Pop: 981 000 (2002). Area: 351 300 sq km (135 608 sq miles)
- butler's pantry — a pantry in a large house where crockery, glassware, cutlery, etc is kept
- butter spreader — a small knife with a wide, flat blade, as for spreading butter on bread or rolls.
- cabinet picture — a small easel painting, usually under 3 feet (0.9 meters) in width and formerly exhibited in a cabinet or special room.
- cache la poudre — a river in N Colorado, flowing N and E to the South Platte River. 126 miles (203 km) long.
- camp counsellor — an adult supervisor assigned to a group of campers at a summer camp
- capital surplus — any surplus of a business firm not derived from direct earnings or profits
- caprifoliaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Caprifoliaceae, a family of N temperate shrubs, small trees, and climbers including honeysuckle, elder, and guelder-rose
- cardiopulmonary — of, relating to, or affecting the heart and lungs
- carpometacarpus — a bone in the wing of a bird that consists of the metacarpal bones and some of the carpal bones fused together
- casters-up mode — [IBM, probably from slang belly up] Yet another synonym for "broken" or "down". Usually connotes a major failure. A system (hardware or software) which is "down" may be already being restarted before the failure is noticed, whereas one which is "casters up" is usually a good excuse to take the rest of the day off (as long as you're not responsible for fixing it).
- cervical plexus — a network of nerves branching from the spinal nerves of the neck region and innervating the neck, chest, diaphragm, and part of the face.
- ceteris paribus — other things being equal
- chartophylacium — (in a medieval church) a place for the keeping of records and documents.
- chemoautotrophs — Plural form of chemoautotroph.
- chemoautotrophy — the process of deriving energy through oxidizing inorganic chemical compounds, as opposed to photosynthesis
- chorale prelude — a composition for organ using a chorale as a cantus firmus or as the basis for variations
- chromium-plated — having been plated with chromium
- claustrophobics — Plural form of claustrophobic.
- clouded leopard — a feline, Neofelis nebulosa, of SE Asia and Indonesia with a yellowish-brown coat marked with darker spots and blotches
- clumber spaniel — a type of thickset spaniel having a broad heavy head
- colourpoint cat — a cat with increased pigmentation of cooler points of the body, such as ears, feet, tail, nose, and scrotum (in males)
- come up for air — rise to water's surface
- communist party — (in non-Communist countries) a political party advocating Communism
- computer dating — the use of computers by dating agencies to match their clients
- computer-phobia — a person who distrusts or is intimidated by computers.
- computerisation — (chiefly, British) alternative spelling of computerization.
- computerization — to control, perform, process, or store (a system, operation, or information) by means of or in an electronic computer or computers.
- contadora group — a group of four Latin American nations, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela, formed in January, 1983, to help solve the problems of the region.
- contemporaneous — If two events or situations are contemporaneous, they happen or exist during the same period of time.
- copper sulphate — a copper salt found naturally as chalcanthite and made by the action of sulphuric acid on copper oxide. It usually exists as blue crystals of the pentahydrate that form a white anhydrous powder when heated: used as a mordant, in electroplating, and in plant sprays. Formula: CuSO4
- corpus callosum — the band of white fibres that connects the cerebral hemispheres in mammals
- corpus striatum — a striped mass of white and grey matter situated in front of the thalamus in each cerebral hemisphere
- countercampaign — a campaign responding to another campaign
- counterexamples — Plural form of counterexample.
- counterproposal — a proposal offered as an alternative to a previous proposal
- counterpurchase — barter, especially of products or materials between international companies or importers and exporters.
- coup de theatre — a dramatic turn of events, esp in a play
- couples therapy — a counseling procedure that attempts to improve the adaptation and adjustment of two people who form a conjugal unit.
- court of appeal — A Court of Appeal is a court which deals with appeals against legal judgments.