15-letter words containing n, o, s, c
- social-drinking — a person who drinks alcoholic beverages usually in the company of others and is in control of his or her drinking.
- society islands — a group of islands in the S Pacific: administratively part of French Polynesia; consists of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880. Pop: 214 445 (2002). Area: 1595 sq km (616 sq miles)
- sociocentricity — socially oriented.
- soft-focus lens — a lens designed to produce an image that is uniformly very slightly out of focus: typically used for portrait work
- solenoid switch — A solenoid switch is an electrical switch that is often used where a high current circuit, such as a starter motor circuit, is brought into operation by a low current switch.
- solid injection — injection of fuel into an internal-combustion engine without an air blast.
- sonnet sequence — a group of sonnets composed by one poet and having a unifying theme or subject.
- sound recordist — recordist.
- sounding rocket — a rocket equipped with instruments for making meteorological observations in the upper atmosphere.
- source document — a document that has been or will be transcribed to a word processor or to the memory bank of a computer
- source language — the language in which a text appears that is to be translated into another language. Compare target language (def 1).
- south caucasian — a family of languages including Georgian, Mingrelian, and others that are spoken on the south slopes of the Caucasus and adjacent areas.
- south china sea — a part of the W Pacific, bounded by SE China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines.
- southern gothic — a literary genre depicting life in the southern US and featuring grotesque themes and imagery
- spanish customs — irregular practices among a group of workers to gain increased financial allowances, reduced working hours, etc
- spanish morocco — French Maroc. Spanish Marruecos. a kingdom in NW Africa: formed from a sultanate that was divided into two protectorates (French Morocco and Spanish Morocco) and an international zone. 172,104 sq. mi. (445,749 sq. km). Capital: Rabat. Compare Tangier Zone.
- sparcstation 10 — (computer) A SPARCStation with a 4-way associative data cache and a five-way associative instruction cache. The 10/31, 10/41 and 10/51 also have a secondary cache not present on earlier SPARCStations.
- sparcstation 20 — (computer) A SPARCStation based on the HyperSPARC processor. The 20 is compatible with the earlier SPARCstation 10. It has a clock rate of 100MHz and delivers a SPECfp92 of 127.6. The SPARCstation 20 Model 71 and 712MP uses the 75MHz SuperSPARC processors that give a 35% and 14% boost to SPECint92 and SPECfp92 respectively compared to the 61/612MP.
- special edition — newspaper, magazine: extra issue
- special session — a session, as of a legislature or council, called to meet in addition to those held regularly.
- speed indicator — an instrument for counting the number of revolutions of a gasoline engine.
- spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
- spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
- splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
- sporting chance — an even or fair opportunity for a favorable outcome in an enterprise, as winning in a game of chance or in any kind of contest: They gave the less experienced players a sporting chance by handicapping the experts.
- sports medicine — a field of medicine concerned with the functioning of the human body during physical activity and with the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries.
- spotted cowbane — a North American water hemlock, Cicuta maculata, of the parsley family, having a purple-mottled stem, white flowers, and deadly poisonous, tuberlike roots.
- stage direction — an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements.
- stand-up comedy — telling jokes to an audience
- star attraction — the main or most popular attraction, as of a tourist destination, etc
- star connection — a connection used in a polyphase electrical device or system of devices in which the windings each have one end connected to a common junction, the star point, and the other end to a separate terminal
- starting blocks — the rigid blocks adjustable at an angle and mounted on a track against which a runner's shoes are placed to aid in starting
- state education — education provided by the state; education which is not private
- station officer — a person who is in charge of a fire station
- steering column — the shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear assembly of an automotive vehicle.
- stillson wrench — a large wrench having adjustable jaws that tighten as the pressure on the handle is increased
- stocking filler — A stocking filler is a small present that is suitable for putting in a Christmas stocking.
- stocking stitch — stockinette (def 2).
- stone the crows — an expression of surprise, dismay, etc
- storm insurance — insurance cover against damage caused by windstorms
- strait of canso — a channel in Canada, between the Nova Scotia mainland and S Cape Breton Island
- stretch a point — a sharp or tapering end, as of a dagger.
- structural iron — iron shaped for use in construction.
- student council — a representative body composed chiefly of students chosen by their classmates to organize social and extracurricular activities and to participate in the government of a school or college.
- studio audience — spectators on a TV set
- stumbling block — an obstacle or hindrance to progress, belief, or understanding.
- sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- subcivilization — a division of a civilization
- subcommissioner — a member of a subcommission
- subconjunctival — the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids.