13-letter words containing c, r, a, t
- berchtesgaden — a town in Germany, in SE Bavaria: site of the fortified mountain retreat of Adolf Hitler. Pop: 7667 (2003 est)
- best practice — Best practice is the way of running a business or providing a service that is recognized as correct or most effective.
- beta carotene — a yellowish form of carotene: a dietary deficiency of this is associated with a greater risk of certain cancers
- beta particle — a high-speed electron or positron emitted by a nucleus during radioactive decay or nuclear fission
- beta receptor — a receptor, found on the surface of some cells of the sympathetic nervous system, that is stimulated by certain adrenergic substances: such stimulation results in certain physiological responses, such as acceleration of the action of the heart and dilatation of the arteries supplying heart and skeletal muscles
- beta-carotene — the most abundant of various isomers of carotene, C 40 H 56 , that can be converted by the body to vitamin A.
- beta-receptor — a site on a cell, as of the heart, that, upon interaction with epinephrine or norepinephrine, controls heartbeat and heart contractability, vasodilation, smooth muscle inhibition, and other physiological processes.
- bibliothecary — a librarian
- biculturalism — the characteristics, or policy, of a two-cultured society
- bidirectional — (of a printhead) capable of printing from left to right and from right to left
- bioelectrical — relating to electrical current generated by biological activity
- biotic factor — a living thing, as an animal or plant, that influences or affects an ecosystem: How do humans affect other biotic factors? Weather is not a biotic factor because it is not alive.
- bird-watching — Bird-watching is the activity of watching and studying wild birds in their natural surroundings.
- birectangular — having two right angles.
- birthday cake — a special cake eaten at a birthday party
- birthday card — a greeting card sent on someone's birthday
- biscuit bread — biscuits or a biscuit: I like biscuit bread more than corn bread for supper.
- black country — a district in the English Midlands, around Birmingham: so called from the soot and grime produced by the many local industries.
- black currant — the small, round, blackish, edible fruit of a widely cultivated shrub, Ribes nigrum, of the saxifrage family.
- black margate — a grayish grunt, Anisotremus surinamensis, of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil.
- black mustard — a Eurasian plant, Brassica (or Sinapsis) nigra, with clusters of yellow flowers and pungent seeds from which the condiment mustard is made: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- black panther — (in the US) a member of a militant Black political party (1965–82) founded to end the political dominance of White people
- black quarter — blackleg (def 1).
- black tracker — an Aboriginal tracker working for the police
- black treacle — molasses
- black vulture — the Eurasian vulture, Aegypius monachus, of the family Accipitridae
- black-hearted — evil, malicious, or wicked
- blame culture — the tendency to look for one person or organization that can be held responsible for a bad state of affairs, an accident, etc
- blast furnace — A blast furnace is a large structure in which iron ore is heated under pressure so that it melts and the pure iron metal separates out and can be collected.
- body snatcher — (formerly) a person who robbed graves and sold the corpses for dissection
- bomber jacket — A bomber jacket is a short jacket which is gathered into a band at the waist or hips.
- booster cable — either of a pair of electric cables having clamps at each end and used for starting the engine of a vehicle whose battery is dead.
- bootlace worm — a nemertean worm, Lineus longissimus, that inhabits shingly shores and attains lengths of over 6 m (20 ft)
- brace and bit — a hand tool for boring holes, consisting of a cranked handle into which a drilling bit is inserted
- brachydactyly — abnormal shortness of the fingers and toes.
- brachypterous — having very short or incompletely developed wings
- brachytherapy — a form of radiotherapy in which sealed sources of radioactive material are inserted temporarily into body cavities or directly into tumours
- bracket clock — a small clock designed to be placed on a bracket or shelf.
- bracket creep — an advance into a higher income tax bracket resulting from an increase in nominal income: the higher taxes, when combined with the effects of inflation, may produce a decline in real income
- break the ice — to relieve shyness or reserve, esp between strangers
- breast cancer — cancer affecting the breasts
- breast pocket — The breast pocket of a man's coat or jacket is a pocket, usually on the inside, next to his chest.
- breeches part — a male role played by an actress.
- brilliant cut — a cut for gems
- brilliant-cut — a cut intended to enhance the brilliance of a gem with the least possible sacrifice of weight, characterized by a form resembling two pyramids set base to base, truncated so as to give a broad table and a very small culet, and having from 18 to 104 facets, 58 being typical.
- broad hatchet — a hatchet with a broad cutting edge.
- buck sergeant — a newly promoted sergeant
- bucket ladder — a series of buckets that move in a continuous chain, used to dredge riverbeds, etc, or to excavate land
- buoyant force — the law that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force (buoyant force) equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
- bureaucratese — wordy, jargon-filled, overcomplicated language considered typical of bureaucrats