16-letter words containing d, i, s, l
- collagen disease — any of a group of diseases, as systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis, involving inflammation or degeneration of connective tissue and accompanied by deposition of fibrinous material.
- colorado springs — a city and resort in central Colorado. Pop: 370 448 (2003 est)
- conditional sale — a sale in which the title of a property remains with the seller until some condition is met, as the payment of the full purchase price.
- confidentialness — The state or quality of being confidential.
- consenting adult — a male person over the age of sixteen, who may legally engage in homosexual behaviour in private
- constant folding — (compiler) A compiler optimisation technique where constant subexpressions are evaluated at compile time. This is usually only applied to built-in numerical and boolean operators whereas partial evaluation is more general in that expressions involving user-defined functions may also be evaluated at compile time.
- conventionalised — to make conventional.
- cook-chill foods — foods which are chilled rapidly and reheated as required
- critical density — the density of matter that would be required to halt the expansion of the universe
- cross-validation — a process by which a method that works for one sample of a population is checked for validity by applying the method to another sample from the same population.
- curlew sandpiper — a common Eurasian sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea, having a brick-red breeding plumage and a greyish winter plumage
- curmudgeonliness — The state or condition of being curmudgeonly.
- cyclophosphamide — an alkylating agent used in the treatment of leukaemia and lymphomas
- dakin's solution — a dilute solution containing sodium hypochlorite and boric acid, used as an antiseptic in the treatment of wounds
- de broglie waves — the set of waves that represent the behaviour of an elementary particle, or some atoms and molecules, under certain conditions. The de Broglie wavelength, λ, is given by λ = h/mv, where h is the Planck constant, m the mass, and v the velocity of the particle
- de-stalinization — the elimination of the influence of Stalin
- dead-smooth file — the smoothest grade of file commonly used
- decentralisation — Alternative spelling of decentralization.
- decision problem — (theory) A problem with a yes/no answer. Determining whether some potential solution to a question is actually a solution or not. E.g. "Is 43669" a prime number?". This is in contrast to a "search problem" which must find a solution from scratch, e.g. "What is the millionth prime number?". See decidability.
- declassification — to remove the classification from (information, a document, etc.) that restricts access in terms of secrecy, confidentiality, etc. Compare classification (def 5).
- deconstructively — In a deconstructive manner.
- deindustrialised — Simple past tense and past participle of deindustrialise.
- deindustrialized — Simple past tense and past participle of deindustrialize.
- delaying tactics — techniques used to delay sth
- deliberativeness — The state or quality of being deliberative.
- delirium tremens — a severe psychotic condition occurring in some persons with chronic alcoholism, characterized by delirium, tremor, anxiety, and vivid hallucinations
- delta conversion — delta reduction
- demilitarisation — The removal of a military force, usually at the end of hostilities or as part of a treaty.
- demineralisation — Alternative spelling of demineralization.
- demoiselle crane — a gray crane, Anthropoides virgo, of northern Africa, Europe, and Asia, having long, white plumes behind each eye.
- demolition squad — a group of demolishers
- demutualizations — Plural form of demutualization.
- dental hygienist — a dentist's assistant skilled in dental hygiene
- dental insurance — Dental insurance is insurance that pays for treatment by a dentist.
- depart this life — to die
- departmentalizes — Third-person singular simple present indicative form of departmentalize.
- departure signal — a piece of equipment beside a railway which indicates to train drivers whether they should depart or not
- dephlogisticated — Simple past tense and past participle of dephlogisticate.
- depolymerisation — (chemistry) alternative spelling of depolymerization.
- depression glass — cheap glassware mass-produced during the Depression of the 1930s, usually molded in patterns in pale colors, and collectible since the early 1970s
- descending colon — the last portion of the colon, beginning at the upper left abdomen in the region of the spleen and continuing downward along the left posterior wall to the sigmoid flexure.
- designer stubble — (on a man) facial hair that is carefully trimmed to give what is thought to be an attractive rugged slightly unshaven look
- destabilizations — Plural form of destabilization.
- destroying angel — a white slender very poisonous basidiomycetous toadstool, Amanita virosa, having a pronounced volva, frilled, shaggy stalk, and sickly smell
- destructibleness — The quality of being destructible.
- determinableness — Capability of being determined; determinability.
- developmentalism — An economic theory which states that the best way for Third World countries to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and to impose high tariffs on imported goods.
- developmentalist — an expert in or advocate of developmental psychology.
- devil's advocate — If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.
- devil's triangle — Bermuda Triangle.