19-letter words containing o, r, a
- arecibo observatory — an observatory in Puerto Rico at which the world's largest dish radio telescope (diameter 305 m) is situated. It is operated by the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
- aristotle's lantern — a complex arrangement of muscles and calcareous teeth and plates forming an eversible organ in most echinoids, functioning in mastication.
- ark of the covenant — the chest containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, kept in the holiest part of the ancient Jewish Tabernacle: Ex. 25:10
- armed response unit — (in Britain) a unit of police officers who are trained to use firearms in situations where unarmed police officers would be in danger
- armillaria root rot — a widespread rot caused by the honey mushroom, Armillariella mellea, seriously damaging to the roots of various hardwoods, conifers, and other trees.
- army of the potomac — Union forces, trained and organized by Gen. George B. McClellan, that guarded Washington, D.C., against a Confederate invasion across the Potomac and fought battles in the eastern sector during the Civil War.
- aromatase inhibitor — any of a class of drugs that inhibit the action of aromatase: used in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer
- arsenic trichloride — a colorless or yellow, oily, poisonous liquid, AsCl 3 , used chiefly as an intermediate in the manufacture of organic arsenicals.
- artemis microkernel — (operating system) A microkernel currently under development by Dave Hudson <[email protected]>, scheduled for release under GPL in May 1995. It is targeted at embedded applications on Intel 80386, Intel 486 and Pentium based systems.
- as a matter of fact — You use as a matter of fact to introduce a statement that gives more details about what has just been said, or an explanation of it, or something that contrasts with it.
- as long as your arm — If you say that a list is as long as your arm, you are emphasizing that it is very long.
- as sick as a parrot — If you say that you feel as sick as a parrot, you feel very disappointed about something.
- asbestos cork award — (humour) Once, long ago at MIT, there was a flamer so consistently obnoxious that another hacker designed, had made, and distributed posters announcing that said flamer had been nominated for the "asbestos cork award". (Any reader in doubt as to the intended application of the cork should consult the etymology under flame.) Since then, it is agreed that only a select few have risen to the heights of bombast required to earn this dubious dignity - but there is no agreement on *which* few.
- ask for a signature — If you ask for a signature, you ask someone to write their name, in their own characteristic way, on a document.
- asperger's syndrome — a form of autism in which the person affected has limited but obsessive interests, and has difficulty relating to other people
- assistant professor — An assistant professor is a college teacher who ranks above an instructor but below an associate professor.
- associate professor — An associate professor is a college teacher who ranks above an assistant professor but below a professor.
- associative storage — a storage device in which the information is identified by content rather than by an address
- astra digital radio — (audio) Digital Radio over satellite, compatible with analog television transmissions. Alternatively the normal TV subcarriers can be modulated by a MPEG-1 Layer-2 48 kHz 192 kbps signal. Quality is better than analog carriers and only needs half the bandwidth (analog stereo = 2 carrier, digital stereo = 1 carrier). Quality is limited and the data rate can't be increased.
- at a (or one) blow — by one action
- at one's discretion — as one wishes
- at one's fingertips — readily available and within one's mental grasp
- at your convenience — at a time suitable to you
- atherton technology — (company) The comapny that developed the Software BackPlane CASE framework. Their Atherton Tool Integration Services were the basis for the ATIS standard.
- atmospheric braking — a technique of reentry in which the vehicle is maneuvered in the upper atmosphere so as to lose velocity by utilizing drag without overheating.
- atrial fibrillation — a local and uncontrollable twitching of muscle fibres that results in rapid and irregular heart and pulse rate
- attachment disorder — an emotional and behavioral disorder arising from a failure to form a strong bond with one’s primary caregiver in early childhood and affecting one’s social relationships in later childhood and adulthood. See also attachment (def 3a).
- audio response unit — a device that enables a computer to give a spoken response by generating sounds similar to human speech.
- augsburg confession — the statement of beliefs and doctrines of the Lutherans, formulated by Melanchthon and endorsed by the Lutheran princes, which was presented at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 and which became the chief creed of the Lutheran Church.
- auriculoventricular — atrioventricular.
- austro-prussian war — the war (1866) in which Prussia, Italy, and some minor German states opposed Austria, Saxony, Hanover, and the states of southern Germany.
- author's alteration — a correction or change made in typeset copy that is not a correction of an error introduced by the compositor. Abbreviation: AA, A.A., a.a., aa.
- autoerotic asphyxia — asphyxia caused by intentionally strangling oneself while masturbating in order to intensify the orgasm through reduced oxygen flow to the brain.
- autotransplantation — autograft.
- ave regina coelorum — a Latin hymn in honor of the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven.
- avogadro's constant — the number of atoms or molecules in a mole of a substance, equal to 6.022 52 × 1023
- awareness programme — a programme designed to increase awareness of something
- baader-meinhof gang — a group of left-wing West German terrorists, active in the 1970s, who were dedicated to the violent overthrow of capitalist society
- bachelor of science — A Bachelor of Science is a first degree in a science subject. In British English, it can also mean a person with that degree. The abbreviation BSc or , BSc is also used.
- backward compatible — backward compatibility
- backward somersault — a somersault performed in a backward direction with the legs leading the rest of the body
- bacteriochlorophyll — a pale blue-gray form of chlorophyll that is unique to the photosynthetic but anaerobic purple bacteria.
- baja california sur — a state of NW Mexico, in the S part of the Lower California peninsula. Capital: La Paz. Pop: 423 516 (2000). Area: 73 475 sq km (28 363 sq miles)
- balfour declaration — the statement made by Arthur Balfour in 1917 of British support for the setting up of a national home for the Jews in Palestine, provided that the rights of "existing non-Jewish communities" in Palestine could be safeguarded
- ballistocardiograph — an instrument that records the slight recoil of the body, while on a special bed, caused by the contractions of the heart: used to measure cardiac pumping power and the elasticity of the aorta
- banff national park — a national reserve, 2585 sq. mi. (6695 sq. km), in the Rocky Mountains, in SW Alberta, Canada.
- bang for one's buck — value for money
- bank reconciliation — A bank reconciliation is the process of adjusting a bank statement to show transactions that have occurred since the date of issue, or a document showing this.
- bankruptcy petition — an official request for protection under bankruptcy laws, which initiates bankruptcy proceedings
- barbados gooseberry — Also called lemon vine. a treelike cactus, Pereskia aculeata, of tropical America, characterized by broad, elliptical leaves and spiny stems bearing a yellow, edible fruit.