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18-letter words containing o, d, i

  • cursor dipped in x — (jargon)   The metaphorical source of the electronic equivalent of a poisoned-pen letter. Derived from English metaphors of the form "pen dipped in X" (where X = e.g. "acid", "bile", "vitriol"). These map over neatly to this hackish usage (the cursor being what moves, leaving letters behind, when one is composing on-line). "Talk about a nastygram! He must've had his cursor dipped in acid when he wrote that one!"
  • curvature of field — a monochromatic aberration of a lens or other optical system in which the focal surface is curved, the refracted image of an object oriented perpendicular to the axis of the lens lying on a curved surface rather than in a plane perpendicular to the axis.
  • cushing's syndrome — a medical condition characterized by obesity, hypertension, excessive hair growth, etc., caused by an overactive adrenal gland or large doses of corticosteroids
  • custodial sentence — a sentence given by a court that involves a term of imprisonment
  • customs and excise — Customs and Excise is a British government department which is responsible for collecting taxes on imported and exported goods. Compare Customs Service.
  • cycle of indiction — indiction (def 3).
  • cycle-of-indiction — a proclamation made every 15 years in the later Roman Empire, fixing the valuation of property to be used as a basis for taxation.
  • dagwood (sandwich) — a thick sandwich with a variety of fillings, often of apparently incompatible foods
  • data communication — electronic transmission of information that has been encoded for storage and processing by computers.
  • data flow analysis — (programming)   A process to discover the dependencies between different data items manipulated by a program. The order of execution in a data driven language is determined solely by the data dependencies. For example, given the equations 1. X = A + B 2. B = 2 + 2 3. A = 3 + 4 a data-flow analysis would find that 2 and 3 must be evaluated before 1. Since there are no data dependencies between 2 and 3, they may be evaluated in any order, including in parallel. This technique is implemented in hardware in some pipelined processors with multiple functional units. It allows instructions to be executed as soon as their inputs are available, independent of the original program order.
  • david lloyd george — David, 1st Earl of Dwyfor [doo-vawr] /ˈdu vɔr/ (Show IPA), 1863–1945, British statesman: prime minister 1916–22.
  • daytime television — television broadcasts that are shown during the daytime rather than in the evening
  • de bruijn notation — (language)   A variation of lambda notation for specifying functions using numbers instead of names to refer to formal parameters. A reference to a formal parameter is a number which gives the number of lambdas (written as \ here) between the reference and the lambda which binds the parameter. E.g. the function \ f . \ x . f x would be written \ . \ . 1 0. The 0 refers to the innermost lambda, the 1 to the next etc. The chief advantage of this notation is that it avoids the possibility of name capture and removes the need for alpha conversion.
  • de-differentiation — a process by which structures or behaviors that were specialized for a specific function lose their specialization and become simplified or generalized.
  • de-objectification — to present as an object, especially of sight, touch, or other physical sense; make objective; externalize.
  • dead as a doornail — completely dead
  • dead-letter office — an office where undeliverable letters were taken for storage
  • deadweight tonnage — the capacity in long tons of cargo, passengers, fuel, stores, etc. (deadweight tons) of a vessel: the difference between the loaded and light displacement tonnage of the vessel.
  • deanthropomorphism — the ridding of philosophy or religion of anthropomorphic beliefs and doctrines.
  • debt consolidation — the process of taking out a new loan (often secured on one's property) in order to pay off a number of existing debts
  • decachlorobiphenyl — (organic compound) The fully chlorinated polychlorinated biphenyl containing ten chlorine atoms.
  • dechristianization — The act of dechristianizing; the systematic removal of Christianity or Christian elements.
  • decision procedure — a procedure, as an algorithm, for determining in a finite number of steps the validity of any of a certain class of propositions.
  • declaration of war — a formal statement made by one country to another that a state of war now exists between them
  • decompartmentalize — to remove excessive compartmentalization from (an organization)
  • deep-discount bond — a fixed-interest security that pays little or no interest but is issued at a substantial discount to its redemption value, thus largely substituting capital gain for income
  • deficiency account — an account summarizing the financial condition of an individual or company in danger of bankruptcy.
  • deinstitutionalize — to discharge (a patient) as from a mental institution
  • deliver oneself of — to speak with deliberation or at length
  • demilitarized zone — an area from which military presence or function has been removed
  • democratic deficit — any situation in which there is believed to be a lack of democratic accountability and control over the decision-making process
  • dendrochronologist — One who carries out dendrochronology.
  • depository library — a library designated by law to receive without charge all or a selection of the official publications of a government.
  • derestriction sign — a circular white sign with a black diagonal band signifying the lifting of any other speed restriction
  • desalination plant — a factory where salt is removed from salt water in order to make the water suitable for drinking and irrigation
  • desktop publishing — Desktop publishing is the production of printed materials such as newspapers and magazines using a desktop computer and a laser printer, rather than using conventional printing methods. The abbreviation DTP is also used.
  • determinate growth — growth of a plant stem that is terminated early by the formation of a bud
  • developing country — a nonindustrialized poor country that is seeking to develop its resources by industrialization
  • development period — a length of time during which a company grows
  • dia de los muertos — Day of the Dead.
  • diagnostic testing — Diagnostic testing is the testing of a vehicle, or one of its systems or parts, in order to identify why it is not working properly.
  • dialytic telescope — a type of achromatic telescope with a second correcting lens
  • diaminofluorescein — (organic compound) A fluorescein into which two amino groups have been substituted.
  • diamondback turtle — any edible North American terrapin of the genus Malaclemys, esp M. terrapin, occurring in brackish and tidal waters and having diamond-shaped markings on the shell: family Emydidae
  • diastereoisomerism — (chemistry) Any form of stereoisomerism other than enantiomerism.
  • diatomaceous earth — an unconsolidated form of diatomite
  • diazonium compound — any of a series of compounds that contain the group ArN 2 –, in which Ar represents an aryl group.
  • dichloracetic acid — a highly corrosive acid. Formula: C2H2Cl2O2
  • dictionary catalog — a library catalog having all its entries, including authors, titles, subjects, etc., in one general alphabetical sequence.
  • didaskaleinophobia — The fear of going to school.
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