15-letter words containing i, n, c, u, s, e
- semitranslucent — imperfectly or almost translucent.
- senior lecturer — a university teacher who does not hold a professorship.
- service uniform — a uniform for routine duties and service, as distinguished from work, dress, or full-dress uniforms.
- sesquicarbonate — a salt intermediate in composition between a carbonate and a bicarbonate or consisting of the two combined.
- sesquicentenary — a hundred and fiftieth anniversary
- silicone rubber — any of the synthetic rubbers made from silicone elastomers.
- single currency — a currency that is common to different countries
- single-cut file — a file with teeth in one direction only: used for filing soft material
- situs picketing — common situs picketing.
- sleeve coupling — a cylinder joining the ends of two lengths of shafting or pipe.
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- sound recordist — recordist.
- sounding rocket — a rocket equipped with instruments for making meteorological observations in the upper atmosphere.
- south china sea — a part of the W Pacific, bounded by SE China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines.
- southern gothic — a literary genre depicting life in the southern US and featuring grotesque themes and imagery
- special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
- spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
- spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
- 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.
- state education — education provided by the state; education which is not private
- steering column — the shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear assembly of an automotive vehicle.
- storm insurance — insurance cover against damage caused by windstorms
- student council — a representative body composed chiefly of students chosen by their classmates to organize social and extracurricular activities and to participate in the government of a school or college.
- studio audience — spectators on a TV set
- sub-machine gun — a lightweight automatic or semiautomatic gun, fired from the shoulder or hip.
- subclavian vein — either of a pair of veins, one on each side of the body, that return blood from the arms to the heart.
- subcommissioner — a member of a subcommission
- subduction zone — an act or instance of subducting; subtraction or withdrawal.
- subintellection — an implication that is more or less understood
- subintelligence — below average intelligence
- subject heading — a title or heading of a category, esp in a bibliography or index
- subject-raising — a rule that moves the subject of a complement clause into the clause in which it is embedded, as in the derivation of He is likely to be late from It is likely that he will be late
- subtrochanteric — Anatomy. either of two knobs at the top of the femur, the greater on the outside and the lesser on the inside, serving for the attachment of muscles between the thigh and pelvis.
- succinylcholine — a drug, C14H30N2O4, used primarily as a muscle relaxant, produced by the esterization of succinic acid with choline
- suck it and see — to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works
- suicide bombing — a terrorist bomb attack in which the perpetrator knows that he or she will be killed in the explosion
- suicide machine — a device designed to permit a terminally ill person to commit suicide, as by the automatic injection of a lethal drug.
- sunrise service — (sometimes initial capital letters) an outdoor religious service held at dawn on Easter morning.
- super-efficient — performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient assistant.
- superconfidence — great or extreme confidence, overconfidence
- superconvenient — highly convenient
- superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- superintendence — a district or place under a superintendent.
- superintendency — a district or place under a superintendent.
- supreme council — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
- surface density — quantity, as of electric charge, per unit surface area.
- surface tension — the elasticlike force existing in the surface of a body, especially a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface, caused by asymmetries in the intermolecular forces between surface molecules.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.