15-letter words containing h, o, m, s
- cholecystostomy — a medical cut or opening into the gall bladder to enable a drainage tube to be put in place
- choledochostomy — formation of a temporary opening through the abdominal wall into the common bile duct, usually to remove stones.
- cholesterolemia — the presence of an abnormal amount of cholesterol in the blood.
- chondrosarcomas — Plural form of chondrosarcoma.
- chopped almonds — almonds cut into small pieces
- christmas carol — a joyful hymn or religious song, celebrating the birth of Christ
- chromatic scale — a twelve-note scale including all the semitones of the octave
- chromosome band — any of the transverse bands that appear on a chromosome after staining. The banding pattern is unique to each type of chromosome, allowing characterization
- collenchymatous — Relating to collenchyma.
- common shelduck — a large, brightly coloured gooselike duck of the Old World, Tadorna tadorna
- communist china — China, People's Republic of.
- community chest — a fund raised by voluntary contribution for local welfare activities
- comparison-shop — to compare prices and quality of competing merchandise.
- compotationship — the state of being a compotator or drinking companion
- comprehensively — Something that is done comprehensively is done thoroughly.
- comprehensivize — to make (an educational system) comprehensive
- comptrollership — controller (def 1).
- computer ethics — (philosophy) Ethics is the field of study that is concerned with questions of value, that is, judgments about what human behaviour is "good" or "bad". Ethical judgments are no different in the area of computing from those in any other area. Computers raise problems of privacy, ownership, theft, and power, to name but a few. Computer ethics can be grounded in one of four basic world-views: Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, or Existentialism. Idealists believe that reality is basically ideas and that ethics therefore involves conforming to ideals. Realists believe that reality is basically nature and that ethics therefore involves acting according to what is natural. Pragmatists believe that reality is not fixed but is in process and that ethics therefore is practical (that is, concerned with what will produce socially-desired results). Existentialists believe reality is self-defined and that ethics therefore is individual (that is, concerned only with one's own conscience). Idealism and Realism can be considered ABSOLUTIST worldviews because they are based on something fixed (that is, ideas or nature, respectively). Pragmatism and Existentialism can be considered RELATIVIST worldviews because they are based or something relational (that is, society or the individual, respectively). Thus ethical judgments will vary, depending on the judge's world-view. Some examples: First consider theft. Suppose a university's computer is used for sending an e-mail message to a friend or for conducting a full-blown private business (billing, payroll, inventory, etc.). The absolutist would say that both activities are unethical (while recognising a difference in the amount of wrong being done). A relativist might say that the latter activities were wrong because they tied up too much memory and slowed down the machine, but the e-mail message wasn't wrong because it had no significant effect on operations. Next consider privacy. An instructor uses her account to acquire the cumulative grade point average of a student who is in a class which she instructs. She obtained the password for this restricted information from someone in the Records Office who erroneously thought that she was the student's advisor. The absolutist would probably say that the instructor acted wrongly, since the only person who is entitled to this information is the student and his or her advisor. The relativist would probably ask why the instructor wanted the information. If she replied that she wanted it to be sure that her grading of the student was consistent with the student's overall academic performance record, the relativist might agree that such use was acceptable. Finally, consider power. At a particular university, if a professor wants a computer account, all she or he need do is request one but a student must obtain faculty sponsorship in order to receive an account. An absolutist (because of a proclivity for hierarchical thinking) might not have a problem with this divergence in procedure. A relativist, on the other hand, might question what makes the two situations essentially different (e.g. are faculty assumed to have more need for computers than students? Are students more likely to cause problems than faculty? Is this a hold-over from the days of "in loco parentis"?).
- consumer choice — the range of competing products and services from which a consumer can choose
- craftswomanship — The body of skills, techniques, and expertise of (a) feminine craft(s).
- crash programme — a short intensive programme to learn a skill, language, etc
- cytophotometers — Plural form of cytophotometer.
- dartmouth basic — (language) The original BASIC language, designed by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College in 1963. Dartmouth BASIC first ran on a GE 235 [date?] and on an IBM 704 on 1964-05-01. It was designed for quick and easy programming by students and beginners using Dartmouth's experimental time-sharing system. Unlike most later BASIC dialects, Dartmouth BASIC was compiled.
- delsarte method — a theory or system devised by François Delsarte for improving musical and dramatic expression through the mastery of various bodily attitudes and gestures.
- dendrochemistry — (chemistry) the science, related to dendrochronology, that uses the analysis of trace minerals in tree rings to study air pollution in past times.
- dermatoglyphics — the lines forming a skin pattern, esp on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
- dermatographism — a condition in which touching or lightly scratching the skin causes raised, reddish marks.
- dermatophytosis — a fungal infection of the skin, esp the feet
- diaheliotropism — the tendency among plants to respond to the light of the sun by orienting their leaves perpendicular to the sun's rays, such that the upper surface of the leaves receives maximum light
- diaphototropism — growth of a plant or plant part in a direction transverse to that of the light
- dichotomisation — Alternative spelling of dichotomization.
- dichotomous key — a key used to identify a plant or animal in which each stage presents descriptions of two distinguishing characters, with a direction to another stage in the key, until the species is identified
- dichotomousness — the quality of being dichotomous
- doubting thomas — a person who refuses to believe without proof; skeptic. John 20:24–29.
- dysmorphophobia — an obsessive fear that one's body, or any part of it, is repulsive or may become so
- dysmorphophobic — relating to or affected with dysmorphophobia
- echinodermatous — belonging or pertaining to the echinoderms.
- echocardiograms — Plural form of echocardiogram.
- edriophthalmous — (of certain crustaceans) having stalkless eyes
- electrothermics — the study of electricity and heat, or of electrically generated heat
- enantiomorphism — (chemistry) The relationship exhibited by a pair of enantiomorphs.
- enantiomorphous — Of or pertaining to enantiomorphs or enantiomorphism; enantiomorphic.
- erythema solare — inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun
- ethnocentricism — Ethnocentrism.
- ethnomusicology — The study of the music of different cultures, especially non-Western ones.
- fifth columnist — A fifth columnist is someone who secretly supports and helps the enemies of the country or organization they are in.
- fifth dimension — a theoretical dimension beyond or in addition to a fourth dimension.
- fluorochemicals — Plural form of fluorochemical.
- former prophets — a subdivision of the books constituting the second main part of the Hebrew Bible, Joshua, Judges, I-II Samuel, and I-II Kings
- forthcomingness — coming, forth, or about to come forth; about to appear; approaching in time: the forthcoming concert.