17-letter words containing d, s, m, e
- magellanic clouds — either of two irregular galactic clusters in the southern heavens that are the nearest independent star system to the Milky Way.
- maintained school — a school financially supported by the state
- maison de moliere — Comédie Française.
- majority decision — a decision supported by more than half the people involved
- make inroads into — to start to use up the supply of something
- make the dust fly — earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
- man's best friend — a dog, especially as a pet.
- manganese dioxide — a blackish, crystalline or powdery substance, MnO2, that is a strong oxidizing agent, used in making batteries, matches, etc.
- marais des cygnes — a river in E central Kansas and W Missouri, flowing SE to the Osage River. 150 miles (241 km) long.
- mare fecunditatis — (Sea of Fertility) a dark plain in the fourth quadrant and extending into the first quadrant of the face of the moon: about 160,000 sq. mi. (415,000 sq. km).
- marquesas islands — a group of volcanic islands in the S Pacific, in French Polynesia. Pop: 8712 (2002). Area: 1287 sq km (497 sq miles)
- martha's vineyard — an island off SE Massachusetts: summer resort. About 100 sq. mi. (259 sq. km).
- mascarene islands — a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar, including Mauritius, Reunion, and Rodrigues.
- mass merchandiser — a retailer or retail store that seeks to sell large quantities of goods quickly through such means as discounting, customer self-service, or unadorned display and packaging, as in a warehouse.
- mean piston speed — The mean piston speed is the distance traveled by a piston in a specified amount of time.
- mean-spiritedness — the quality of being mean-spirited
- meat and potatoes — If you refer to the meat and potatoes of something, you mean its most basic, simple, and essential parts.
- meat-and-potatoes — fundamental; down-to-earth; basic: What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?
- media access unit — (networking) (MAU or Multistation Access Unit, MSAU) In a Token Ring network, a device to attach multiple network stations in a star topology, internally wired to connect the stations into a logical ring. The MAU contains relays to short out nonoperating stations. Multiple MAUs can be connected into a larger ring through their Ring In/Ring Out connectors.
- medical insurance — a type of insurance intended to cover possible future medical expenses
- mediterranean sea — a sea surrounded by Africa, Europe, and Asia. 2400 miles (3865 km) long; 1,145,000 sq. mi. (2,965,550 sq. km); greatest known depth 14,436 feet (4400 meters).
- medium close shot — a shot taken fairly close to the subject, but not as close as a close-up
- memoised function — memo function
- mend one's fences — a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
- ménière's disease — a disease of the labyrinth of the ear, characterized by deafness, ringing in the ears, dizziness, and nausea.
- mental disability — a general or specific intellectual handicap, resulting directly or indirectly from injury to the brain or from abnormal neurological development
- mercuric sulphide — a compound of mercury, usually existing as a black solid (metacinnabarite) or a red solid (cinnabar or vermilion), which is used as a pigment. Formula: HgS
- metatungstic acid — an oxyacid acid of tungsten. Formula: H2W4O13
- mexican stand-off — A Mexican stand-off is a situation in which neither of the people or groups in a conflict or dispute can win and neither wants to give in first.
- microdensitometer — a densitometer for measuring the density of minute areas of photographic negatives.
- microdermabrasion — A cosmetic treatment in which the face is sprayed with exfoliant crystals to remove dead epidermal cells.
- microencapsulated — Encapsulated using microencapsulation.
- middle-age spread — an increase in bulk, especially in the waist and buttocks, associated with the onset of middle age and the body's decreasing ability to metabolize calories efficiently.
- midsagittal plane — a plane passing through the nasion when the skull is oriented in the Frankfurt horizontal.
- midsummer madness — a temporary lapse into foolishness, senseless behavior, folly, etc., especially during the summer: His plan to become a beachcomber is midsummer madness.
- midterm elections — elections held halfway through the term of office of a president during which governors, etc, but not a president, are elected
- mies van der rohe — Ludwig [luhd-wig] /ˈlʌd wɪg/ (Show IPA), 1886–1969, U.S. architect, born in Germany.
- minas de riotinto — a town in SW Spain: copper mines.
- minister resident — a diplomatic agent serving in a minor country and ranking next below an ambassador.
- misidentification — to identify incorrectly.
- mississippi delta — an area between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers in the northwest of the state of Mississippi; it is very flat and fertile
- mistaken identity — when sb is identified as sb else
- misunderstandable — Capable of being misunderstood.
- misunderstandings — Plural form of misunderstanding.
- mode of transport — means of travel
- modest mussorgski — Modest Petrovich [moh-dest pi-troh-vich;; Russian muh-dyest pyi-traw-vyich] /moʊˈdɛst pɪˈtroʊ vɪtʃ;; Russian mʌˈdyɛst pyɪˈtrɔ vyɪtʃ/ (Show IPA), Moussorgsky, Modest Petrovich.
- mom and pop store — a small retail business, typically family-operated
- monkeygland sauce — a piquant sauce, made from tomatoes, ketchup, fruit chutney, garlic, spices, etc
- monoamine oxidase — a copper-containing enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of monoamines. Abbreviation: MAO.
- montessori method — a system for teaching young children, in which the fundamental aim is self-motivated education by the children themselves, as they are encouraged to move freely through individualized instruction and physical exercises, accompanied by special emphasis on the training of the senses and the early development of reading and writing skills.