16-letter words containing c, o, u, r, b
- composite number — a positive integer that can be factorized into two or more other positive integers
- congeliturbation — the churning, heaving, and thrusting of soil material due to the action of frost.
- constructability — Alternative form of constructibility.
- constructibility — The condition of being constructible.
- consumer durable — Consumer durables are goods which are expected to last a long time, and are bought infrequently.
- counterbalancing — Present participle of counterbalance.
- cracked up to be — alleged or believed to be
- cuban royal palm — a feather palm, Roystonea regia, of tropical America, having a trunk that is swollen in the middle, drooping leaves from 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 meters) long, and small, round fruit.
- curbstone broker — a broker in the early American stockmarket who did business in the street
- cut and blow-dry — a hairdressing procedure in which the customer's hair is cut and blow-dried
- deboursification — (jargon) Removal of irrelevant newsgroups from the Newsgroups header of a followup. The term applies particularly to the removal of frivolous groups added by one of the Kooks. See also: sneck.
- deoxyribonucleic — (genetics) Of or pertaining to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or its derivatives.
- direction number — the component of a vector along a given line; any number proportional to the direction cosines of a given line.
- discussion board — a website or section of a website that is used for public discussion of a specific topic and on which users can submit or read messages: You should post your questions on a parenting message board and get support from other parents.
- double centering — a method of extending a survey line by taking the average of two foresights, one with the telescope direct and one with it inverted, made each time by transiting the telescope after a backsight.
- double precision — using twice the normal amount of storage, as two words rather than one, to represent a number.
- drugstore cowboy — a young man who loafs around drugstores or on street corners.
- fibonacci number — a number in the Fibonacci sequence, each of which is the sum of the previous two
- fish or cut bait — any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales.
- forbush decrease — the sudden decrease in the intensity of cosmic rays after an increase in solar activity.
- globular cluster — a comparatively older, spherically symmetrical, compact group of up to a million old stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that are located in the galactic halo and move in giant and highly eccentric orbits around the galactic center.
- ground substance — Also called matrix. the homogeneous substance in which the fibers and cells of connective tissue are embedded.
- growth substance — any substance, produced naturally by a plant or manufactured commercially, that, in very low concentrations, affects plant growth; a plant hormone
- humboldt current — a cold Pacific Ocean current flowing N along the coasts of Chile and Peru.
- incommensurables — Plural form of incommensurable.
- incorruptibility — not corruptible: incorruptible integrity.
- insurance broker — person who sells insurance policies
- jude the obscure — a novel (1895) by Thomas Hardy.
- labrador current — a cold ocean current flowing southwards off the coast of Labrador and meeting the warm Gulf Stream, causing dense fogs off the coast of Newfoundland
- mossbauer effect — the phenomenon in which an atom in a crystal undergoes no recoil when emitting a gamma ray, giving all the emitted energy to the gamma ray, resulting in a sharply defined wavelength.
- mountain climber — someone who climbs or walks up mountains
- nitrous bacteria — bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrites in the soil
- non-bureaucratic — of, relating to, or characteristic of a bureaucrat or a bureaucracy; arbitrary and routine.
- non-contribution — the act of contributing.
- non-contributive — to give (money, time, knowledge, assistance, etc.) to a common supply, fund, etc., as for charitable purposes.
- non-reproducible — to make a copy, representation, duplicate, or close imitation of: to reproduce a picture.
- numbered account — a bank account whose owner is identified by a number for the purpose of preserving anonymity.
- obstructionistic — a person who deliberately delays or prevents progress.
- obtuse bisectrix — See under bisectrix (def 1).
- october surprise — a major event, occurring shortly before a presidential election, which influences the result
- onboard computer — onboard a vehicle, ship, plane, train or spacecraft
- oversubscription — to subscribe for more of than is available, expected, or required: The charity drive was oversubscribed by several thousand dollars.
- paratuberculosis — Johne's disease.
- pre-subscription — a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
- pro bono publico — for the public good or welfare.
- public ownership — ownership by the state; nationalization
- public relations — (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
- public transport — fare-paying travel
- rambunctiousness — difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
- reaction turbine — a turbine driven by the reactive force of a fluid passing through the rotor blades.