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14-letter words containing n, a, b, i

  • benzodiazepine — any of a group of chemical compounds that are used as minor tranquillizers, such as diazepam (Valium) and chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
  • berkner island — an island in Antarctica, in the S Weddell Sea, between the Ronne Ice Shelf and the Filchner Ice Shelf.
  • beta geminorum — Pollux
  • beta reduction — [lambda-calculus] The application of a lambda abstraction to an argument expression. A copy of the body of the lambda abstraction is made and occurrences of the bound variable being replaced by the argument. E.g. (\ x . x+1) 4 --> 4+1 Beta reduction is the only kind of reduction in the pure lambda-calculus. The opposite of beta reduction is beta abstraction. These are the two kinds of beta conversion. See also name capture.
  • beta-endorphin — a potent endorphin released by the anterior pituitary gland in response to pain, trauma, exercise, or other forms of stress.
  • beta-oxidation — a process by which fatty acids are degraded, involving oxidation of the beta carbons and removal of successive two-carbon fragments from the fatty acid.
  • beveridge plan — the plan for comprehensive social insurance, proposed by Sir William Beveridge in Great Britain in 1941.
  • bib and tucker — an outfit of clothes (esp in the phrase best bib and tucker)
  • biblical latin — the form of Latin used in versions of the Bible, esp the form used in the Vulgate
  • bibliomaniacal — relating to a bibliomaniac
  • bicycle-racing — the act or sport of riding or traveling by bicycle, motorcycle, etc.
  • bidding prayer — the formal petitionary prayer, said especially in the Anglican Church immediately before the sermon.
  • bildungsromane — a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.
  • bill of lading — (in foreign trade) a document containing full particulars of goods shipped or for shipment
  • billy no-mates — a person with no friends
  • binary counter — (electronics, hardware)   A digital circuit which has a clock input and a number of count outputs which give the number of clock cycles. The output may change either on rising or falling clock edges. The circuit may also have a reset input which sets all outputs to zero when asserted. The counter may be either a synchronous counter or a ripple counter.
  • binary fission — asexual reproduction in unicellular organisms by division into two daughter cells
  • binary package — (software)   An archive file that contains all files and directories that must be installed in order to make a working installation of the program(s) included in the package, and the maintainer scripts necessary for the installation. A binary package is usually specific to a certain platform, in contrast to a source package.
  • binding handle — (networking)   An identifier representing the connection between a client and server. An association between client/server end-points and protocols.
  • binding rafter — a timber for supporting rafters between their extremities, as a purlin.
  • binding strake — a very strong, heavy strake of planking, especially one next to a sheer strake.
  • bioaeronautics — the use of aircraft in the discovery, development, and protection of natural and biological resources
  • biocontainment — the confinement, as by sealed-off chambers, of materials that are harmful or potentially harmful to life.
  • biodegradation — to decay and become absorbed by the environment: toys that will biodegrade when they're discarded.
  • bioequivalence — the equality of strength, bioavailability, and dosage of various drug products
  • bioinformatics — the branch of information science concerned with large databases of biochemical or pharmaceutical information
  • bioregionalism — the conviction that environmental and social policies should be determined by the bioregion rather than economics or politics
  • bioregionalist — someone who believes in bioregionalism
  • bioremediation — the use of plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soils and water
  • bipartisanship — representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions: Government leaders hope to achieve a bipartisan foreign policy.
  • bipolarisation — the act of bipolarising
  • bipolarization — the action of rendering something bipolar
  • bird sanctuary — an area of land in which birds are protected and encouraged to breed
  • birds and bees — any warm-blooded vertebrate of the class Aves, having a body covered with feathers, forelimbs modified into wings, scaly legs, a beak, and no teeth, and bearing young in a hard-shelled egg.
  • birthing chair — a chair constructed to allow a woman in labour to give birth in a sitting position
  • bisphosphonate — any drug of a class that inhibits the resorption of bone; used in treating certain bone disorders, esp osteoporosis
  • black as night — totally dark
  • black bindweed — a twining polygonaceous European plant, Polygonum convolvulus, with heart-shaped leaves and triangular black seed pods
  • black diamonds — carbonado1 .
  • black selenium — an allotropic form of selenium occurring as a black, amorphous, water-insoluble, light-sensitive powder: used chiefly in photoelectric cells.
  • blade-shearing — the shearing of sheep using hand shears
  • blanket finish — a finish so close that a blanket would cover all the contestants involved
  • blanket stitch — a strong reinforcing stitch for the edges of blankets and other thick material
  • blanket-stitch — a basic sewing stitch in which widely spaced, interlocking loops, or purls, are formed, used for cutwork, as a decorative finish for edges, etc.
  • blantyre-limbe — a city in S Malawi: largest city in the country; formed in 1956 from the adjoining towns of Blantyre and Limbe. Pop: 647 000 (2005 est)
  • blaxploitation — a genre of films featuring Black stereotypes
  • bleeding heart — If you describe someone as a bleeding heart, you are criticizing them for being sympathetic towards people who are poor and suffering, without doing anything practical to help.
  • blended family — a social unit consisting of two previously married parents and the children of their former marriages
  • blind as a bat — having extremely poor eyesight
  • blind staggers — the staggers
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