15-letter words containing a, y, n
- royal poinciana — a tree, Delonix regia, of the legume family, native to Madagascar, having showy clusters of brilliant scarlet flowers and long, flat, woody pods.
- rubaiyat stanza — a quatrain patterned after those in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, of iambic pentameter and rhyming aaba.
- rudyard kipling — (Joseph) Rudyard [ruhd-yerd] /ˈrʌd yərd/ (Show IPA), 1865–1936, English author: Nobel Prize 1907.
- salary increase — an increase in the salary or pay given to an employee
- salisbury plain — a plateau in S England, N of Salisbury: the site of Stonehenge.
- salivary glands — any of several glands, as the submaxillary glands, that secrete saliva.
- san jacinto day — a legal holiday observed in Texas on April 21.
- sanitary cordon — cordon sanitaire.
- sanitary napkin — a pad of absorbent material, as cotton, worn by women during menstruation to absorb the uterine flow.
- sarcenchymatous — relating to the connective tissue of some sponges
- say one's beads — to pray with a rosary
- say one's piece — If you say your piece, you say everything you want to say about a particular matter without being interrupted, although people may be wanting to express opposing views.
- say someone nay — to refuse or forbid
- sayan mountains — a mountain range in S central Russia, in S Siberia. Highest peak: Munku-Sardyk, 3437 m (11 457 ft)
- scarlet lychnis — a plant, Lychnis chalcedonica, of the pink family, having scarlet or sometimes white flowers, the arrangement and shape of the petals resembling a Maltese cross.
- secondary cause — a cause which is not the primary or ultimate cause
- secondary color — a color, as orange, green, or violet, produced by mixing two primary colors.
- secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
- secondary metal — metal derived wholly or in part from scrap.
- secondary xylem — xylem derived from the cambium during secondary growth.
- self-analytical — the application of psychoanalytic techniques and theories to an analysis of one's own personality and behavior, especially without the aid of a psychiatrist or other trained person.
- self-satisfying — effecting satisfaction to oneself.
- semantic memory — the recollection of facts and concepts
- semi-analytical — pertaining to or proceeding by analysis (opposed to synthetic).
- semicrystalline — partly or imperfectly crystalline.
- semicylindrical — of, relating to, or having the shape of a semicylinder
- semidocumentary — a film or television programme that is fictional but includes many factual events or details
- semipornography — partial pornography; material that is almost pornographic
- septentrionally — northwards; in the direction of the north
- serial monogamy — a form of monogamy characterized by several successive, short-term marriages over the course of a lifetime.
- sesquicentenary — a hundred and fiftieth anniversary
- seven-year itch — scabies.
- sharing economy — a system in which people rent, borrow, or share commodities, services, and resources owned by individuals, usually with the aid of online technology, in an effort to save money, cut costs, and reduce waste.
- shillyshallying — hesitation; vacillation
- shove-halfpenny — a shuffleboard game played with coins or brass disks that are pushed by the hand and thumb down a board toward a scoring pit.
- sibling rivalry — the feeling of competitiveness that often exists between brothers and sisters
- siege mentality — a state of mind whereby one believes that one is being constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated.
- significatively — serving to signify.
- silent majority — the U.S. citizens who supported President Nixon's policies but who were not politically vocal, outspoken, or active: considered by him to constitute a majority.
- single-handedly — in a single-handed manner; single-handed.
- sinorespiratory — of, relating to, or affecting the paranasal sinuses and the respiratory tract.
- sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
- slumpflationary — of or relating to slumpflation
- small cranberry — See under cranberry (def 1).
- smoky mountains — Great Smoky Mountains
- snowy mountains — a mountain range in SE Australia, part of the Australian Alps: famous hydroelectric scheme
- so much/so many — You use so much and so many when you are saying that there is a definite limit to something but you are not saying what this limit is.
- social dynamics — the study of social processes, especially social change.
- society islands — a group of islands in the S Pacific: administratively part of French Polynesia; consists of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880. Pop: 214 445 (2002). Area: 1595 sq km (616 sq miles)
- spanish bayonet — any of certain plants belonging to the genus Yucca, of the agave family, having narrow, spine-tipped leaves and a cluster of white flowers.