15-letter words containing e, s, t, a, n
- speckle pattern — the visual appearance of a star as viewed through a large telescope, with irregularities caused by the distorting effect of local turbulence in the earth's atmosphere.
- speech training — training designed to improve spoken skills, such as voice projection
- speed indicator — an instrument for counting the number of revolutions of a gasoline engine.
- spermatogenesis — the origin and development of spermatozoa.
- spheroidization — the conversion of grains into spheroids
- spill the beans — the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
- spiral notebook — a notebook held together by a coil of wire passed through small holes punched at the back edge of the covers and individual pages
- spontaneousness — coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
- sport one's oak — to shut this door as a sign one does not want visitors
- sporting chance — an even or fair opportunity for a favorable outcome in an enterprise, as winning in a game of chance or in any kind of contest: They gave the less experienced players a sporting chance by handicapping the experts.
- spotted cowbane — a North American water hemlock, Cicuta maculata, of the parsley family, having a purple-mottled stem, white flowers, and deadly poisonous, tuberlike roots.
- spring mattress — a mattress containing an arrangement of spiral springs
- stable equation — a differential equation each solution of which tends to zero as the independent variable increases to infinity. Compare transient (def 6).
- stacking swivel — a metal swivel attached to the stock of a military rifle for use in hooking three rifles together to form a stack.
- stage direction — an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements.
- stain resistant — (of a fabric, carpet, surface, etc) designed or having added chemicals in order to be resistant to being stained or marked
- stainless steel — alloy steel containing 12 percent or more chromium, so as to be resistant to rust and attack from various chemicals.
- stand in awe of — to respect and fear
- stand to reason — a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc.: the reason for declaring war.
- stand-up comedy — telling jokes to an audience
- standard bearer — military: person who carries a flag
- standard candle — a unit of luminous intensity; the candela: not in scientific usage because of possible confusion with a former unit (international candle)
- standard clause — a clause which is inserted as standard into certain types of contracts or agreements
- standard-bearer — an officer or soldier of an army or military unit who bears a standard.
- standing charge — fixed energy costs
- standing orders — Military. (formerly) a general order always in force in a command and establishing uniform procedures for it; standard operating procedure.
- stannic sulfide — a yellowish or brownish, water-insoluble powder, SnS 2 , usually used suspended in lacquer or varnish for gilding and bronzing metals, wood, paper, etc.; mosaic gold.
- star connection — a connection used in a polyphase electrical device or system of devices in which the windings each have one end connected to a common junction, the star point, and the other end to a separate terminal
- star-nosed mole — a North American mole, Condylura cristata, having a starlike ring of fleshy processes around the end of the snout.
- start something — to cause a disturbance or trouble
- starting handle — a crank used to start the motor of an automobile.
- starvation diet — insufficient food to stay alive
- state education — education provided by the state; education which is not private
- station officer — a person who is in charge of a fire station
- stationary wave — standing wave.
- status quo ante — the state of affairs existing prior to a given event
- steam generator — steam-producing power plant
- steam reforming — a process in which methane from natural gas is heated, with steam, usually with a catalyst, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used in organic synthesis and as a fuel
- steamed pudding — a traditional pudding containing fat, sugar, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, which is steamed
- steel engraving — a method of incising letters, designs, etc., on steel.
- step on the gas — accelerate, drive faster
- step-and-repeat — noting or pertaining to a process by which successive photo-offset plates are produced automatically or semiautomatically with great precision: used especially in making plates for multicolor printing.
- stephen hawking — Stephen William, born 1942, English mathematician and theoretical physicist.
- storm insurance — insurance cover against damage caused by windstorms
- straining piece — (in a queen-post roof) a horizontal beam uniting the tops of the two queen posts, and resisting the thrust of the roof.
- stranger danger — the potential or perceived risk posed by unknown people to children and about which it may be advisable to warn them
- strawberry roan — a horse with a reddish coat that is liberally flecked with white hairs.
- streamline flow — the flow of a fluid past an object such that the velocity at any fixed point in the fluid is constant or varies in a regular manner.
- street accident — a traffic accident
- stretch a point — a sharp or tapering end, as of a dagger.