15-letter words containing m, i, a, s
- autodidacticism — any self-directed learning or self-education
- automatic focus — a system in a camera which automatically adjusts the lens so that the object being photographed is in focus, often one using infrared light to estimate the distance of the object from the camera
- azobisformamide — (chemistry) azodicarbonamide.
- bacchanalianism — the practice of bacchanalian behaviour; drunken revelry
- bahasa malaysia — the dialect of Malay used as the official language of Malaysia.
- ballet mistress — a woman who teaches and rehearses the dancers in a ballet company
- bangtail muster — a roundup of cattle to be counted, each one having the hairs on its tail docked as it is counted
- baptism of fire — If someone who has just begun a new job has a baptism of fire, they immediately have to cope with very many severe difficulties and obstacles.
- barium stearate — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, Ba(C 18 H 35 O 2) 2 , used chiefly as a waterproofing agent and as a lubricant.
- barium sulphate — a white insoluble fine dense powder, used as a pigment, as a filler for paper, rubber, etc, and in barium meals. Formula: BaSO4
- barry mountains — a mountain range in SE Australia, in E Victoria: part of the Australian Alps
- basic statement — protocol (def 6).
- basidiomycetous — belonging or pertaining to the basidiomycetes.
- basse-normandie — a region of NW France, on the English Channel: consists of the Cherbourg peninsula in the west rising to the Normandy hills in the east; mainly agricultural
- bathing costume — A bathing costume is a piece of clothing that is worn for swimming, especially by women and girls.
- bear comparison — to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably
- beside the mark — not striking the point aimed at
- binomial series — an infinite series obtained by expanding a binomial raised to a power that is not a positive integer.
- bituminous coal — a soft black coal, rich in volatile hydrocarbons, that burns with a smoky yellow flame. Fixed carbon content: 46–86 per cent; calorific value: 1.93 × 107 – 3.63 × 107 J/kg
- black mountains — a mountain range running from N Monmouthshire and SE Powys (Wales) to SW Herefordshire (England). Highest peak: Waun Fach, 811 m (2660 ft)
- blindman's buff — a game in which a blindfolded player has to catch and identify another player
- body mass index — A person's body mass index is a measurement that represents the relationship between their weight and their height.
- bohemian forest — a mountain range between the SW Czech Republic and SE Germany. Highest peak: Arber, 1457 m (4780 ft)
- boston marriage — (especially in 19th-century New England) an intimate friendship between two women often maintaining a household together.
- british america — British North America.
- brother-in-arms — a fellow soldier or comrade in a shared struggle
- buckinghamshire — a county in SE central England, containing the Vale of Aylesbury and parts of the Chiltern Hills: the geographic and ceremonial county includes Milton Keynes, which became an independent unitary authority in 1997. Administrative centre: Aylesbury. Pop (excluding Milton Keynes): 478 000 (2003 est). Area (excluding Milton Keynes): 1568 sq km (605 sq miles)
- bulimia nervosa — a disorder characterized by compulsive overeating followed by vomiting: sometimes associated with anxiety about gaining weight
- bureau of mines — a division of the Department of the Interior, created in 1910, that studies the nation's mineral resources and inspects mines.
- cactus geranium — a plant, Pelargonium echinatum, of the geranium family, native to southern Africa, having prickly stipules and white or reddish flowers.
- cadmium sulfate — a water-soluble compound, CdSO 4 , of colorless crystals, used as an antiseptic.
- cadmium sulfide — a toxic pigment, CdS, varying from lemon yellow (cadmium yellow) to yellowish orange (cadmium orange) and used in paints, photocells, semiconductors, etc.
- cairngorm-stone — smoky quartz.
- calcium sulfate — Calcium sulfate is a white crystalline salt, used as a tablet diluent.
- calcium sulfide — a yellow to light-gray, slightly water-soluble powder, CaS, having the odor of rotten eggs when moist: used chiefly in the preparation of luminous paint, hydrogen sulfide, and as a depilatory in cosmetics.
- capitulationism — advocacy or approval of capitulation.
- carcinosarcomas — Plural form of carcinosarcoma.
- cardiac massage — a rhythmic compressing of the heart, using the hands to force blood through the blood vessels: an emergency medical procedure for treating heart failure
- cardinal system — a system of coding navigational aids by shape, color, and number, according to their positions relative to navigational hazards.
- carmarthenshire — a county of S Wales, formerly part of Dyfed (1974–96): on Carmarthen Bay, with the Cambrian Mountains in the N: generally agricultural (esp dairying). Administrative centre: Carmarthen. Pop: 176 000 (2003 est). Area: 2398 sq km (926 sq miles)
- casement-window — a window sash opening on hinges that are generally attached to the upright side of its frame.
- castanospermine — a substance obtained from the Australian chestnut or black bean tree
- castrametations — Plural form of castrametation.
- cataclysmically — of, relating to, or resulting from a cataclysm.
- chamois leather — soft cleaning cloth
- charismatically — In a charismatic way.
- charles simonyi — (person) Microsoft programmer, most famously responsible for Hungarian Notation. Simonyi was born in Budapest in 1948, and for more than a decade was senior programmer at Microsoft in Redmond.
- charm offensive — If you say that someone has launched a charm offensive, you disapprove of the fact that they are being very friendly to their opponents or people who are causing problems for them.
- chatham islands — a group of islands in the S Pacific Ocean, forming a county of South Island, New Zealand: consists of the main islands of Chatham, Pitt, and several rocky islets. Chief settlement: Waitangi. Pop: 609 (2006 est). Area: 963 sq km (372 sq miles)
- chemopsychiatry — the study and application of chemical substances in psychiatry