15-letter words containing i, s, n, a, d
- society islands — a group of islands in the S Pacific: administratively part of French Polynesia; consists of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880. Pop: 214 445 (2002). Area: 1595 sq km (616 sq miles)
- sodium arsenite — a white or grayish-white, water-soluble, poisonous powder, NaAsO 2 , used chiefly in arsenical soaps for hides, as an insecticide, and as a weed-killer.
- sodium benzoate — a white crystalline soluble compound used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in preserving food (E211), as an antiseptic, and in making dyes and pharmaceuticals. Formula: (C6H5COO)Na
- solar radiation — energy radiated from the sun in the form of electromagnetic waves, including visible and ultraviolet light and infrared radiation.
- solomon islands — (used with a plural verb) an archipelago in the W Pacific Ocean, E of New Guinea; important World War II battles; politically divided between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
- somerset island — an island in the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut, Canada, NW of Baffin Island. 9594 sq. mi. (24,848 sq. km).
- sound deadening — a process or material that reduces the resonance or volume of sound
- sound-and-light — combining sound effects or music with unusual lighting displays: to promote a product with a spectacular sound-and-light presentation.
- spanish needles — (used with a singular or plural verb) a composite plant, Bidens bipinnata, having achenes with downwardly barbed awns.
- spawning ground — a place where fish deposit their eggs for fertilization
- special edition — newspaper, magazine: extra issue
- special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
- speed indicator — an instrument for counting the number of revolutions of a gasoline engine.
- spheroidization — the conversion of grains into spheroids
- spit and polish — great care in maintaining smart appearance and crisp efficiency: The commander was concerned more with spit and polish than with the company's morale.
- spratly islands — a widely-scattered group of uninhabited islets and reefs in the S South China Sea, the subject of territorial claims wholly or in part by six neighbouring nations
- spread sampling — the selection of a corpus for statistical analysis by selecting a number of short passages at random throughout the work and considering their aggregation
- sprinkler dance — a celebratory dance in which participants extend one arm and shake it to imitate the action of a rotating water sprinkler
- stage direction — an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements.
- stamping ground — a habitual or favorite haunt.
- stand in awe of — to respect and fear
- standard lining — a system for aligning type so that all fonts of the same point size have a common baseline.
- standardization — to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, quality, strength, or the like: to standardize manufactured parts.
- 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.
- 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
- steamed pudding — a traditional pudding containing fat, sugar, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, which is steamed
- street accident — a traffic accident
- studio audience — spectators on a TV set
- subject heading — a title or heading of a category, esp in a bibliography or index
- subsidiary coin — a coin, especially one made of silver, having a value less than that of the monetary unit.
- suck it and see — to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works
- suicide machine — a device designed to permit a terminally ill person to commit suicide, as by the automatic injection of a lethal drug.
- sulfanilic acid — a grayish-white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, the para form of C 6 H 7 NO 3 S, used chiefly as an intermediate in the manufacture of dyes.
- superindividual — greater than the individual
- superordination — Logic. the relation between a universal proposition and a particular proposition of the same quality containing the same terms in the same order.
- surface density — quantity, as of electric charge, per unit surface area.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- surgical needle — a needle for suturing.
- sustained yield — the continuing supply of a natural resource, as timber, through scheduled harvests to insure replacement by regrowth or reproduction.
- synecdochically — a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.
- tasmanian devil — a small, predacious marsupial, Sarcophilus harrisii, of Tasmania, having a black coat with white patches: its dwindling population is now confined to isolated areas.
- terminator seed — a seed that produces sterile plants, used in some genetically modified crops so that a new supply of seeds has to be bought every year
- the first-named — something that is specified or named first
- thorndike's law — the principle that all learnt behaviour is regulated by rewards and punishments, proposed by Edward Lee Thorndike (1874–1949), US psychologist
- thousand island — of or relating to the Thousand Islands or their inhabitants
- thursday island — an island in Torres Strait between NE Australia and New Guinea; part of Queensland: pearl fishing. 1½ sq. mi. (4 sq. km).