17-letter words containing d, e, t, a
- altitude training — training performed at high altitude to prepare an athlete's body to cope with a reduced supply of oxygen
- amateur dramatics — theatrical performances by amateur players
- ambrette-seed oil — a yellow oil expressed from ambrette seeds, used as a fixative in the manufacture of perfume.
- american dialects — regional or social varieties of spoken American English identified by differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation: principal dialect areas are now generally distinguished as Northern, Midland, and Southern
- american dog tick — a common tick, Dermacentor variabilis, that is the vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the eastern U.S. and also carries tularemia.
- american redstart — any of several small, Old World thrushes, usually with reddish-brown tails, especially Phoenicurus phoenicurus (European redstart)
- aminoglutethimide — a hormone antagonist, C 13 H 16 N 2 O 2 , used in the treatment of Cushing's syndrome and breast cancer.
- amoebic dysentery — inflammation of the intestines caused by the parasitic amoeba Endamoeba histolytica
- anabolic steroids — a synthetic derivative of testosterone, sometimes used by athletes to help increase weight and strength.
- andes (mountains) — mountain system extending the length of W South America: highest peak, Aconcagua
- aneroid barometer — a device for measuring atmospheric pressure without the use of fluids. It consists of a partially evacuated metal chamber, the thin corrugated lid of which is displaced by variations in the external air pressure. This displacement is magnified by levers and made to operate a pointer
- anionic detergent — any of a class of synthetic compounds whose anions are alkali salts, as soap, or whose ions are ammonium salts.
- anthraquinone dye — any of the class of dyes derived from anthraquinone, used for dyeing textiles, especially cotton, rayon, and silk.
- anthropomorphized — Simple past tense and past participle of anthropomorphize.
- antidazzle mirror — a rear-view mirror for road vehicles that only partially reflects headlights behind
- antifederal party — the party that, before 1789, opposed the adoption of the proposed Constitution and after that favored its strict construction.
- appointed actuary — An appointed actuary is an actuary appointed by a life insurance company, whose main role is to carry out a regular valuation of the reserves held to pay future policy benefits.
- around the corner — If you say that something is around the corner, you mean that it will happen very soon. In British English, you can also say that something is round the corner.
- articulated joint — Anatomy. a flexible joint.
- articulated lorry — a lorry made in two separate sections, a tractor and a trailer, connected by a pivoted bar
- artificial kidney — a mechanical apparatus for performing haemodialysis
- artistic director — a person in charge of the artistic direction of a theatre company
- ascend the throne — to become king or queen
- ascertained goods — specific goods
- ashton-under-lyne — a town in NW England, in Tameside unitary authority, Greater Manchester. Pop: 43 236 (2001)
- assateague island — a narrow island in SE Maryland and E Virginia on Chincoteague Bay: annual wild pony roundup. 33 miles (53 km) long.
- assembly district — one of a fixed number of districts into which a state is divided, each district electing one member to the lower house of the state legislature.
- assessment method — a way of assessing something or someone
- asset-backed fund — a fund in which the money is invested in property, shares, etc, rather than being deposited with a bank or building society
- assistant driller — An assistant driller is someone whose job is to help a driller, and work at the drilling controls on the rig floor.
- associated states — Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, which had the status of associated statehood
- at a disadvantage — If you are at a disadvantage, you have a problem or difficulty that many other people do not have, which makes it harder for you to be successful.
- at one's disposal — If you have something at your disposal, you are able to use it whenever you want, and for whatever purpose you want. If you say that you are at someone's disposal, you mean that you are willing to help them in any way you can.
- at someone's hand — from
- attendance centre — (in Britain) a place at which young offenders are required to attend regularly instead of going to prison
- attendance record — the record of how often a person has attended an institution such as a school
- audio description — a facility provided for visually impaired people in which a film, television programme, or play is described through audio technology
- augmented reality — an artificial environment created through the combination of real-world and computer-generated data
- aurea mediocritas — the golden mean.
- automated testing — (testing) Software testing assisted with software tools that require no operator input, analysis, or evaluation.
- automatic vending — selling goods by vending machines
- average deviation — a measure of dispersion, computed by taking the arithmetic mean of the absolute values of the deviations of the functional values from some central value, usually the mean or median.
- aviation medicine — the branch of medicine concerned with the effects on man of flight in the earth's atmosphere
- axis of ordinates — y-axis (def 1).
- axis-of-ordinates — y-axis (def 1).
- babe in the woods — a baby or child.
- baby doll nightie — a short, frilly nightdress
- background report — a report on someone or something that sheds light on their background, esp a report on the background of a person convicted of a crime before they are sentenced by a judge
- bacteriorhodopsin — a purple protein containing retinal and found in the plasma membrane of certain bacteria (genus Halobacterium): it directly supplies electrochemical energy from sunlight
- baden-wurttemberg — a state of SW Germany. Capital: Stuttgart. Pop: 53 938 (2003 est). Area: 35 742 sq km (13 800 sq miles)