15-letter words containing m, o, s, t
- astrophotometry — the measurement of the intensity of light of celestial objects.
- as…as they come — the most characteristic example of a class or type
- atlantic salmon — a valuable food and game fish, Salmo salar, mainly of northern coastal Atlantic waters or, when spawning, in freshwater streams tributary to the ocean.
- atlas mountains — a mountain system of N Africa, between the Mediterranean and the Sahara. Highest peak: Mount Toubkal, 4165 m (13 664 ft)
- atmospherically — pertaining to, existing in, or consisting of the atmosphere: atmospheric vapors.
- autocannibalism — The eating of part of one's own body.
- 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
- autotransformer — a transformer in which part of the winding is common to both primary and secondary circuits
- 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.
- barry mountains — a mountain range in SE Australia, in E Victoria: part of the Australian Alps
- basidiomycetous — belonging or pertaining to the basidiomycetes.
- bathing costume — A bathing costume is a piece of clothing that is worn for swimming, especially by women and girls.
- bathroom scales — scales typically kept in a bathroom for people to weigh themselves
- be of two minds — to be undecided or irresolute
- beat one's gums — to talk much and idly
- beat one's meat — to masturbate
- before the mast — as an apprentice seaman
- bide one's time — to wait patiently for an opportunity
- billings method — a natural method of birth control that involves examining the colour and viscosity of the cervical mucus to discover when ovulation is occurring
- biogeochemistry — the science of biological, chemical, and geological aspects of the environment
- 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)
- blossom-end rot — a disease of tomato and pepper caused by a deficiency of calcium, characterized by decay at the blossom end of the fruit.
- bohemian forest — a mountain range between the SW Czech Republic and SE Germany. Highest peak: Arber, 1457 m (4780 ft)
- boom-bust cycle — A boom-bust cycle is a series of events in which a rapid increase in business activity in the economy is followed by a rapid decrease in business activity, and this process is repeated again and again.
- boston marriage — (especially in 19th-century New England) an intimate friendship between two women often maintaining a household together.
- boston massacre — an outbreak (1770) in Boston against British troops, in which a few citizens were killed
- box the compass — to name the compass points in order
- brachystomatous — having a short proboscis, as certain insects.
- british telecom — the popular name for British Telecommunications Group plc, the dominant fixed line telecommunications and broadband internet provider in the United Kingdom
- broadcast storm — (networking) A broadcast on a network that causes multiple hosts to respond by broadcasting themselves, causing the storm to grow exponentially in severity. See network meltdown.
- brother-in-arms — a fellow soldier or comrade in a shared struggle
- bum someone out — to upset, distress, annoy, depress, bore, etc. someone
- butcher's-broom — a liliaceous evergreen shrub, Ruscus aculeatus, that has stiff prickle-tipped flattened green stems, which resemble and function as true leaves. The plant was formerly used for making brooms
- button mushroom — Button mushrooms are small mushrooms used in cooking.
- cairngorm-stone — smoky quartz.
- capitulationism — advocacy or approval of capitulation.
- carpometacarpus — a bone in the wing of a bird that consists of the metacarpal bones and some of the carpal bones fused together
- casement-window — a window sash opening on hinges that are generally attached to the upright side of its frame.
- cassette memory — a removable magnetic tape cartridge that stores data and programs.
- castanospermine — a substance obtained from the Australian chestnut or black bean tree
- casters-up mode — [IBM, probably from slang belly up] Yet another synonym for "broken" or "down". Usually connotes a major failure. A system (hardware or software) which is "down" may be already being restarted before the failure is noticed, whereas one which is "casters up" is usually a good excuse to take the rest of the day off (as long as you're not responsible for fixing it).
- castrametations — Plural form of castrametation.
- centrosymmetric — having symmetry with a central point
- chamois leather — soft cleaning cloth
- chemoautotrophs — Plural form of chemoautotroph.
- chemopsychiatry — the study and application of chemical substances in psychiatry
- chemosterilants — Plural form of chemosterilant.
- chemotaxonomist — a specialist in the field of chemotaxonomy