12-letter words containing i, r
- basidiospore — one of the spores, usually four in number, produced in a basidium
- basket chair — a chair made of wickerwork; a wicker chair
- basmati rice — a variety of long-grain rice with slender aromatic grains, used for savoury dishes
- basque shirt — a knitted pullover shirt having a crew neck, long or short sleeves, and a pattern of horizontal stripes.
- bastard file — a file of the commercial grade of coarseness between coarse and second-cut.
- bastard wing — a tuft of feathers attached to the first digit of a bird, distinct from the wing feathers attached to the other digits and the ulna
- bastardizing — Present participle of bastardize.
- bat printing — ornamenting of ceramics by means of an adhesive substance, as linseed oil, transferred onto the ceramic surface from a sheet of glue or gelatin, dusted with color, and fired.
- bathing wrap — a loose robe to wear after bathing, often made of towelling
- bathochromic — denoting or relating to a shift to a longer wavelength in the absorption spectrum of a compound
- bathygraphic — of or relating to the depths of the ocean
- battery acid — acid used in batteries, esp car batteries
- battery fire — the firing of a battery of weapons
- be in embryo — Something that is in embryo is at a very early stage of its development.
- beamsplitter — Alternative spelling of beam splitter.
- bear in mind — to remember
- bear witness — to give written or oral testimony
- bear-baiting — (formerly) an entertainment in which dogs attacked and enraged a chained bear
- bearing down — to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
- bearing pile — a foundation pile that supports weight vertically
- bearing rail — a transverse rail carrying a drawer or drawers.
- bearing rein — a rein from the bit to the saddle, designed to keep the horse's head in the desired position
- bearing wall — any of the walls supporting a floor or the roof of a building.
- bearskin rug — the pelt of a bear, used as a rug
- beat the air — to strike violently or forcefully and repeatedly.
- beaumarchais — Pierre Augustin Caron de (pjɛr oɡystɛ̃ karɔ̃ də). 1732–99, French dramatist, noted for his comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784)
- beautifuller — (obsolete) Comparative form of beautiful.
- beauty strip — a narrow forest corridor left uncut alongside a road or body of water.
- bedfordshire — a county of S central England, administered since 2009 by the unitary authorities of Bedford and Central Bedfordshire: mainly low-lying, with the Chiltern Hills in the south: the geographical county includes Luton, which became a separate unitary authority in 1997. Area (excluding Luton): 1192 sq km (460 sq miles)
- beefheartian — of or recalling the music of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, an avant-garde rock/blues band (1966–1982); incorporating strange rhythms, free jazz elements, bizarre lyrics, and growling vocals
- beer drinker — a person who drinks beer
- beetle drive — a social occasion at which a progressive series of games of beetle is played
- beggar-ticks — any of various plants, such as the bur marigold and tick trefoil, having fruits or seeds that cling to clothing, fur, etc
- begrudgingly — If you do something begrudgingly, you do it unwillingly.
- behaviorally — manner of behaving or acting.
- behaviourism — Behaviourism is the belief held by some psychologists that the only valid method of studying the psychology of people or animals is to observe how they behave.
- beleaguering — to surround with military forces.
- belgian hare — a large red breed of domestic rabbit
- bella figura — a good impression; fine appearance
- belligerence — the act or quality of being belligerent or warlike; aggressiveness
- belligerency — the state of being at war
- belligerents — warlike; given to waging war.
- below stairs — People sometimes use below stairs to refer to the servants in a rich household and the things that are connected with them.
- ben franklin — Aretha [uh-ree-thuh] /əˈri θə/ (Show IPA), born 1942, U.S. singer.
- 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.
- bendix drive — A Bendix drive is a drive consisting of a pinion wheel (= a gear with a small number of teeth) carried on a shaft. The shaft rotates, causing the pinion to move.
- bengal tiger — a large tiger found in S. Asia
- benzene ring — the hexagonal ring of bonded carbon atoms in the benzene molecule or its derivatives
- benzonitrile — a clear, colorless, viscous, poisonous liquid, C 7 H 5 N, used chiefly as an intermediate in organic synthesis.
- berlichingen — Götz von (ɡœts fɔn), called the Iron Hand. 1480–1562, German warrior knight, who robbed merchants and kidnapped nobles for ransom