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16-letter words containing m, a, s, r, n

  • backus-naur form — (language, grammar)   (BNF, originally "Backus Normal Form") A formal metasyntax used to express context-free grammars. Backus Normal Form was renamed Backus-Naur Form at the suggestion of Donald Knuth. BNF is one of the most commonly used metasyntactic notations for specifying the syntax of programming languages, command sets, and the like. It is widely used for language descriptions but seldom documented anywhere (how do you document a metasyntax?), so that it must usually be learned by osmosis (but see RFC 2234). Consider this BNF for a US postal address: ::= ::= | "." ::= [] | ::= [] ::= "," This translates into English as: "A postal-address consists of a name-part, followed by a street-address part, followed by a zip-code part. A personal-part consists of either a first name or an initial followed by a dot. A name-part consists of either: a personal-part followed by a last name followed by an optional "jr-part" (Jr., Sr., or dynastic number) and end-of-line, or a personal part followed by a name part (this rule illustrates the use of recursion in BNFs, covering the case of people who use multiple first and middle names and/or initials). A street address consists of an optional apartment specifier, followed by a street number, followed by a street name. A zip-part consists of a town-name, followed by a comma, followed by a state code, followed by a ZIP-code followed by an end-of-line." Note that many things (such as the format of a personal-part, apartment specifier, or ZIP-code) are left unspecified. These lexical details are presumed to be obvious from context or specified somewhere nearby. There are many variants and extensions of BNF, possibly containing some or all of the regexp wild cards such as "*" or "+". EBNF is a common one. In fact the example above isn't the pure form invented for the ALGOL 60 report. "[]" was introduced a few years later in IBM's PL/I definition but is now universally recognised. ABNF is another extension.
  • balsamic vinegar — Balsamic vinegar is a type of vinegar which tastes sweet and is made from grape juice.
  • bargain basement — If you refer to something as a bargain basement thing, you mean that it is cheap and not very good quality.
  • bargain-basement — very low-priced.
  • baron tweedsmuir — the title of Scottish novelist John Buchan
  • basilar membrane — a membrane inside the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound
  • bastard mahogany — an Australian tree, Eucalyptus botryoides, of the myrtle family, having lance-shaped leaves and furrowed bark.
  • batesian mimicry — mimicry in which a harmless species is protected from predators by means of its resemblance to a harmful or inedible species
  • bismarck herring — marinaded herring, served cold
  • blind man's rule — a carpenter's rule having large numbers to permit its reading in dim light.
  • blind salamander — any of several North American salamanders, especially of the genera Typhlotriton, Typhlomolge, and Haideotriton, that inhabit underground streams or deep wells and have undeveloped eyes and scant pigmentation.
  • bornholm disease — an epidemic virus infection characterized by pain round the base of the chest
  • boston cream pie — a cake of two layers with icing and a creamy filling
  • brass instrument — a musical wind instrument of brass or other metal with a cup-shaped mouthpiece, as the trombone, tuba, French horn, trumpet, or cornet.
  • bronchial asthma — asthma.
  • business manager — a person who ensures the running of a business by managing the work of relevant staff
  • cabinet minister — a minister who is a member of the cabinet
  • calcium arsenate — a toxic, white powder, Ca3(AsO4)2, used as an insecticide in the form of a spray or dust
  • canine distemper — distemper1 (def 1a).
  • cardinal numbers — Also called cardinal numeral. any of the numbers that express amount, as one, two, three, etc. (distinguished from ordinal number).
  • carnot's theorem — the principle that no engine operating between two given temperatures can be more efficient than a Carnot engine operating between the same temperatures.
  • chance one's arm — to attempt to do something although the chance of success may be slight
  • chorioamnionitis — Inflammation of the fetal membranes (amnion and chorion) due to a bacterial infection, most often associated with prolonged labour.
  • christmas dinner — the main meal on Christmas day, eaten any time in the afternoon or evening
  • christmas island — an island in the Indian Ocean, south of Java: administered by Singapore (1900–58), now by Australia; phosphate mining. Pop: 1496 (2013 est). Area: 135 sq km (52 sq miles)
  • circumstantially — of pertaining to, or derived from circumstances: a circumstantial result.
  • circumstantiated — Simple past tense and past participle of circumstantiate.
  • circumstantiates — Third-person singular simple present indicative form of circumstantiate.
  • clackmannanshire — a council area and historical county of central Scotland; became part of the Central region in 1975 but reinstated as an independent unitary authority in 1996; mainly agricultural. Administrative centre: Alloa. Pop: 47 680 (2003 est). Area: 142 sq km (55 sq miles)
  • closing argument — In a court case, a lawyer's closing argument is their final speech, in which they give a summary of their case.
  • coadministration — Joint administration.
  • collaborationism — The act of collaborating, especially with an enemy.
  • commensurability — The quality of being commensurable or commensurate.
  • commensurateness — The state or quality of being commensurate.
  • communitarianism — A theory or system of social organization based on small self-governing communities.
  • compartmentalise — to divide into categories or compartments.
  • compression wave — a shock wave that compresses the medium through which it is transmitted.
  • condensed matter — crystalline and amorphous solids and liquids, including liquid crystals, glasses, polymers, and gels
  • confederationism — The advocacy of confederation as a means of government.
  • configurationism — Gestalt psychology
  • constant lambert — Constant [kon-stuh nt] /ˈkɒn stənt/ (Show IPA), 1905–51, English composer and conductor.
  • consumer durable — Consumer durables are goods which are expected to last a long time, and are bought infrequently.
  • contemporariness — existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time: Newton's discovery of the calculus was contemporary with that of Leibniz.
  • contractarianism — any of various theories that justify moral principles and political choices because they depend on a social contract involving certain ideal conditions, as lack of ignorance or uncertainty.
  • control commands — keyed instructions conveyed to a computer by using the control key in conjunction with the standard keys
  • controversialism — The attitude or tendency to engage in controversy.
  • coromandel coast — the SE coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal, extending from Point Calimere to the mouth of the Krishna River
  • counterarguments — Plural form of counterargument.
  • counterstatement — a statement made to deny or refute another statement.
  • couvade syndrome — a psychosomatic condition in which the spouse or partner of a pregnant woman experiences symptoms of childbirth or pregnancy
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