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14-letter words containing b, i, r

  • berberidaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Berberidaceae, a mainly N temperate family of flowering plants (mostly shrubs), including barberry and barrenwort
  • berkner island — an island in Antarctica, in the S Weddell Sea, between the Ronne Ice Shelf and the Filchner Ice Shelf.
  • bernicle goose — barnacle goose
  • beta geminorum — Pollux
  • beta reduction — [lambda-calculus] The application of a lambda abstraction to an argument expression. A copy of the body of the lambda abstraction is made and occurrences of the bound variable being replaced by the argument. E.g. (\ x . x+1) 4 --> 4+1 Beta reduction is the only kind of reduction in the pure lambda-calculus. The opposite of beta reduction is beta abstraction. These are the two kinds of beta conversion. See also name capture.
  • beta-endorphin — a potent endorphin released by the anterior pituitary gland in response to pain, trauma, exercise, or other forms of stress.
  • beveridge plan — the plan for comprehensive social insurance, proposed by Sir William Beveridge in Great Britain in 1941.
  • bewilderedness — the state of being bewildered
  • bezier surface — (graphics)   A surface defined by mathematical formulae, used in computer graphics. A surface P(u, v), where u and v vary orthogonally from 0 to 1 from one edge of the surface to the other, is defined by a set of (n+1)*(m+1) "control points" (X(i, j), Y(i, j), Z(i, j)) for i = 0 to n, j = 0 to m.
  • bib and tucker — an outfit of clothes (esp in the phrase best bib and tucker)
  • biceps brachii — See under biceps.
  • biceps femoris — See under biceps.
  • bicycle-racing — the act or sport of riding or traveling by bicycle, motorcycle, etc.
  • bidding prayer — the formal petitionary prayer, said especially in the Anglican Church immediately before the sermon.
  • big blue river — a river in SE Nebraska, flowing E and SE to the Kansas (Kaw) River. 300 miles (483 km) long.
  • big brotherism — paternalistic authoritarianism that seeks to supply the needs and regulate the conduct of people.
  • big government — a form of government characterized by high taxation and public spending and centralization of political power
  • big red switch — (jargon)   (BRS) IBM jargon for the power switch on a computer, especially the "Emergency Pull" switch on an IBM mainframe or the power switch on an IBM PC where it really is large and red. "This [email protected]%$% bitty box is hung again; time to hit the Big Red Switch." It is alleged that the emergency pull switch on an IBM 360/91 actually fired a non-conducting bolt into the main power feed; the BRSes on more recent mainframes physically drop a block into place so that they can't be pushed back in. People get fired for pulling them, especially inappropriately (see also molly-guard). Compare power cycle, three-finger salute, 120 reset; see also scram switch.
  • bildungsromane — a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.
  • bill of rights — A Bill of Rights is a written list of citizens' rights which is usually part of the constitution of a country.
  • billiard table — the rectangular table used for playing billiards
  • binary counter — (electronics, hardware)   A digital circuit which has a clock input and a number of count outputs which give the number of clock cycles. The output may change either on rising or falling clock edges. The circuit may also have a reset input which sets all outputs to zero when asserted. The counter may be either a synchronous counter or a ripple counter.
  • binary fission — asexual reproduction in unicellular organisms by division into two daughter cells
  • binary package — (software)   An archive file that contains all files and directories that must be installed in order to make a working installation of the program(s) included in the package, and the maintainer scripts necessary for the installation. A binary package is usually specific to a certain platform, in contrast to a source package.
  • binding energy — the energy that must be supplied to a stable nucleus before it can undergo fission. It is equal to the mass defect
  • binding rafter — a timber for supporting rafters between their extremities, as a purlin.
  • binding strake — a very strong, heavy strake of planking, especially one next to a sheer strake.
  • binge drinking — Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol within a short period of time.
  • bioaeronautics — the use of aircraft in the discovery, development, and protection of natural and biological resources
  • bioarchaeology — the branch of archaeology that deals with the remains of living things
  • biocybernetics — the branch of cybernetics that deals with the control and communication systems of living organisms
  • biodegradation — to decay and become absorbed by the environment: toys that will biodegrade when they're discarded.
  • bioelectricity — electricity generated by a living organism
  • bioelectronics — a branch of electronics that deals with electronic devices, implants, etc. used in medicine and biological research
  • bioengineering — People sometimes use bioengineering to talk about genetic engineering.
  • bioinformatics — the branch of information science concerned with large databases of biochemical or pharmaceutical information
  • biometeorology — the study of the effect of weather conditions on living organisms
  • biometric risk — Biometric risk covers all risks related to human life conditions, such as death, birth, disability, age, and number of children.
  • bioprospecting — searching for plant or animal species for use as a source of commercially exploitable products, such as medicinal drugs
  • bioregionalism — the conviction that environmental and social policies should be determined by the bioregion rather than economics or politics
  • bioregionalist — someone who believes in bioregionalism
  • bioremediation — the use of plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soils and water
  • bipartisanship — representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions: Government leaders hope to achieve a bipartisan foreign policy.
  • bipolarisation — the act of bipolarising
  • bipolarization — the action of rendering something bipolar
  • bircher muesli — a type of muesli containing softened oats, dried fruit, and apple
  • bird sanctuary — an area of land in which birds are protected and encouraged to breed
  • birdcage clock — lantern clock.
  • birds and bees — any warm-blooded vertebrate of the class Aves, having a body covered with feathers, forelimbs modified into wings, scaly legs, a beak, and no teeth, and bearing young in a hard-shelled egg.
  • birthday party — a party to celebrate someone's birthday
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