12-letter words containing e, c, n
- ballet blanc — a ballet in which the ballerinas' skirts are white.
- banach space — a vector space on which a norm is defined that is complete.
- banbury cake — a cake consisting of a pastry base filled with currants, raisins, candied peel, and sugar, with a crisscross pattern on the top
- bandersnatch — a fictional creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, and appearing also in The Hunting of the Snark and Through the Looking-Glass
- bank balance — Your bank balance is the amount of money that you have in your bank account at a particular time.
- bank charges — penalties charged by a bank to a customer, for example when the customer's account is overdrawn or if a cheque is not honoured
- bankruptcies — Plural form of bankruptcy.
- banner cloud — a plume-shaped cloud extending downwind from an isolated mountain peak. Also called cloud banner. Compare cap cloud (def 1).
- barcalounger — a type of reclinable armchair with an extendable footrest
- bare-knuckle — without boxing gloves
- basilic vein — a large vein situated on the inner side of the arm
- baton charge — A baton charge is an attacking forward movement made by a large group of policemen carrying batons.
- batting cage — a screen with three sides and a top, in which batters practice: it keeps missed and fouled pitches within its enclosure
- be expecting — to be pregnant
- be no picnic — If you say that an experience, task, or activity is no picnic, you mean that it is quite difficult or unpleasant.
- be no slouch — If you say that someone is no slouch at a particular activity, you mean that they are skilful at it or are willing to work hard at it.
- beachcombing — The action of a beachcomber.
- beacon light — a light signal for shipping
- beaconsfield — a town in SE England, in Buckinghamshire. Pop: 12 292 (2001)
- beam balance — a piece of apparatus used for artistic gymnastics
- bean counter — You can describe people such as accountants and business managers as bean counters if you disapprove of them because you think they are only interested in money.
- beaten track — well-trodden path or route
- bechuanaland — former British territory (1884-1966) in S Africa: now the country of Botswana
- becomingness — The state or quality of becoming.
- bed-blocking — the use of hospital beds by elderly patients who cannot leave hospital because they have no place in a residential care home
- beech marten — stone marten.
- behenic acid — a crystalline, saturated fatty acid, C 22 H 44 O 2 , obtained from plant sources, used chiefly in the manufacture of cosmetics, waxes, and plasticizers.
- beijing duck — a roasted duck prized for its crisp skin, prepared by forcing air between skin and meat, brushing with sugar water, and hanging up to dry before final cooking.
- bell captain — a person in charge of a group of bellhops
- belligerence — the act or quality of being belligerent or warlike; aggressiveness
- belligerency — the state of being at war
- belly dancer — A belly dancer is a woman who performs a Middle Eastern dance in which she moves her hips and abdomen about.
- belly-aching — Informal. a pain in the abdomen or bowels.
- bench jockey — a player on the bench who taunts opposing players, the officials, etc.
- bench-warmer — a substitute who rarely gets to play in a game.
- benchmarking — In business, benchmarking is a process in which a company compares its products and methods with those of the most successful companies in its field, in order to try to improve its own performance.
- benedict iii — died a.d. 858, pope 855–58.
- benedict vii — died a.d. 983, pope 974–83.
- benedict xii — (Jacques Fournier) died 1342, French ecclesiastic: pope 1334–42.
- benedict xiv — (Prospero Lambertini) 1675–1758, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1740–58; scholar and patron of the arts.
- benedict xvi — original name Joseph Alois Ratzinger. born 1927 in Germany, pope (2005–2013): the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415: on retirement he was accorded the title pope emeritus
- benefactress — a female benefactor
- beneficially — conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful: the beneficial effect of sunshine.
- beneficiated — to treat (ore) to make more suitable for smelting.
- benefit club — a club whose members enjoy certain benefits, such as reduced prices for travel or sporting events
- benzoic acid — a white crystalline solid occurring in many natural resins, used in the manufacture of benzoates, plasticizers, and dyes and as a food preservative (E210). Formula: C6H5COOH
- berlichingen — Götz von (ɡœts fɔn), called the Iron Hand. 1480–1562, German warrior knight, who robbed merchants and kidnapped nobles for ransom
- beseechingly — to implore urgently: They besought him to go at once.
- betacarotene — the most important form of the plant pigment carotene, which occurs in milk, vegetables, and other foods and, when eaten by man and animals, is converted in the body to vitamin A
- between-deck — 'tween deck.