16-letter words containing m, r, s
- british columbia — a province of W Canada, on the Pacific coast: largely mountainous with extensive forests, rich mineral resources, and important fisheries. Capital: Victoria. Pop: 4 400 057 (2011 est). Area: 930 532 sq km (359 279 sq miles)
- bronchial asthma — asthma.
- brood parasitism — a type of parasitism in which a bird (brood parasite), as a cowbird or European cuckoo, lays and abandons its eggs in the nest of another species
- broomstick skirt — a full, gathered or pleated skirt that has characteristic tiny creases obtained by wetting the skirt and winding it around a broomstick to dry.
- brown house moth — a species of micro moth, Hofmannophila pseudospretella, which, although it usually inhabits birds' nests, sometimes enters houses where its larvae can be very destructive of stored fabrics and foodstuffs
- budgie smugglers — men's close-fitting swimming trunks
- bury st. edmunds — a city in W Suffolk, in E England: medieval shrine.
- business manager — a person who ensures the running of a business by managing the work of relevant staff
- butterfly scheme — A parallel version of Scheme for the BBN Butterfly computer.
- 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).
- careers mistress — a female teacher who gives pupils advice and information about careers
- 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.
- category mistake — a sentence that says of something in one category what can only intelligibly be said of something in another, as when speaking of the mind located in space
- celestial empire — Chinese Empire
- chance one's arm — to attempt to do something although the chance of success may be slight
- chemolithotrophs — Plural form of chemolithotroph.
- chemoprophylaxis — the prevention of disease using chemical drugs
- chicken mushroom — an edible yellow-to-orange bracket fungus, Laetiporus sulphureus, common on tree trunks, in which it causes wood decay.
- chinese primrose — any plant of the genus Primula, as P. vulgaris (English primrose) of Europe, having yellow flowers, or P. sinensis (Chinese primrose) of China, having flowers in a variety of colors. Compare primrose family.
- cholesterolaemia — the presence of abnormally high levels of cholesterol in the blood
- chorioamnionitis — Inflammation of the fetal membranes (amnion and chorion) due to a bacterial infection, most often associated with prolonged labour.
- choriomeningitis — (medicine) A form of cerebral meningitis associated with inflammation of the choroid plexus.
- christmas beetle — any of various greenish-gold Australian scarab beetles of the genus Anoplognathus, which are common in summer
- christmas cactus — a Brazilian cactus, Schlumbergera (formerly Zygocactus) truncatus, widely cultivated as an ornamental for its showy red flowers
- christmas dinner — the main meal on Christmas day, eaten any time in the afternoon or evening
- christmas factor — a protein implicated in the process of blood clotting, the lack of which causes Christmas disease
- christmas hamper — a collection of seasonal delicacies, often housed in a wicker hamper, which people or organizations give as Christmas presents
- 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)
- christmas lights — strings of lights put up in the Christmas period to decorate houses
- chromatographies — Plural form of chromatography.
- churidar pyjamas — long tight-fitting trousers, worn by Indian men and women
- chymotrypsinogen — the inactive precursor of chymotrypsin
- chytridiomycosis — An infectious disease of amphibians caused by the chytrid fungus.
- circular measure — the measurement of an angle in radians
- circumscriptible — Capable of being circumscribed or limited by bounds.
- circumscriptions — Plural form of circumscription.
- circumsporozoite — (biology, of a protein) Located on the surface of a sporozoite (and involved in host cell recognition and invasion); abbreviated as CS.
- 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)
- clitoridectomies — Plural form of clitoridectomy.
- 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.
- cogito, ergo sum — I think, therefore I am; the basis of Descartes' philosophy
- collaborationism — The act of collaborating, especially with an enemy.
- collector's item — A collector's item is an object which is highly valued by collectors because it is rare or beautiful.