12-letter words containing o, r, k
- junior clerk — a clerk of low rank
- k/t boundary — Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary: the time zone comprising the end of the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Tertiary periods
- kakistocracy — government by the worst persons; a form of government in which the worst persons are in power.
- kalmar sound — a strait between SE Sweden and Öland Island. 85 miles (137 km) long; 14 miles (23 km) wide.
- kangaroo dog — an Australian breed of large rough-haired dog that resembles a greyhound and is bred to hunt kangaroos
- kangaroo paw — any plant of the Australian genus Anigozanthos, resembling a kangaroo's paw, esp the red-and-green flowered A. manglesii, which is the floral emblem of Western Australia: family Haemodoraceae
- kangaroo rat — any of various small jumping rodents of the family Heteromyidae, of Mexico and the western U.S.
- karlovy vary — a city in W Czech Republic: mineral springs; Carlsbad Decrees (1819).
- karyokinesis — mitosis.
- karyokinetic — Of or pertaining to karyokinesis.
- karyomapping — a technique for determining whether an embryo has inherited a genetic defect by analysing DNA taken from it and its close relatives
- kashmir goat — one of a long-haired breed of goat raised in Tibet and the higher elevations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Turkey for its meat, milk, and cashmere wool.
- katamorphism — metamorphism at or near the earth's surface: breaks down complex minerals into simpler ones.
- katharevousa — The purist form of modern Greek used in traditional literary writing, as opposed to the form that is spoken and used in everyday writing (called demotic).
- katharometer — (science) A device used for analyzing gas mixtures by measuring their thermal conductivity.
- keeping room — hall (def 11).
- keratinocyte — An epidermal cell that produces keratin.
- keratogenous — producing horn or a horny substance.
- keratohyalin — (biology) A protein structure found in granules in the stratum granulosum of the epidermis, which may be involved in keratinization, and in Hassall corpuscles in the thymus.
- keratoplasty — plastic surgery performed upon the cornea, especially a corneal transplantation.
- keratotomies — Plural form of keratotomy.
- keraunograph — an instrument for recording thunderstorms by detecting the radio waves generated
- ketoaciduria — (pathology) The presence of (excess) ketoacids in the urine.
- ketone group — the characteristic group occurring in ketones that consists of the carbonyl group attached to two alkyl groups.
- keyboardists — Plural form of keyboardist.
- khornerstone — A multipurpose benchmark from Workstation Labs used in various periodicals. The source is not free. Results are published in "UNIX Review".
- kidney donor — someone who donates one of their kidneys to be transplanted into another person
- killer micro — [Popularised by Eugene Brooks] A microprocessor-based machine that infringes on mini, mainframe, or supercomputer performance turf. Often heard in "No one will survive the attack of the killer micros!", the battle cry of the downsizers. Used especially of RISC architectures. The popularity of the phrase "attack of the killer micros" is doubtless reinforced by the movie title "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes" (one of the canonical examples of so-bad-it's-wonderful among hackers). This has even more flavour now that killer micros have gone on the offensive not just individually (in workstations) but in hordes (within massively parallel computers).
- kilocalories — Plural form of kilocalorie.
- kindred soul — like-minded person
- kinetography — a camera for taking pictures for a kinetoscope.
- king's color — a white ceremonial ensign with a royal cipher, flown on special occasions by the British Royal Navy.
- king's crown — a tropical American shrub, Justicia carnea, of the acanthus family, bearing clusters of tubular reddish flowers.
- king-of-arms — a title of certain of the principal heralds of England and certain other kingdoms empowered by their sovereigns to grant armorial bearings.
- kirk session — the lowest court of the Presbyterian Church
- kiteboarding — A sport in which participants ride a form of wakeboard or surfboard harnessed to a large kite which is controlled by the rider.
- kittikachorn — Thanom [thah-nom] /θɑˈnɒm/ (Show IPA), 1911–2004, Thai army officer and statesman: premier 1963–73.
- kitty-corner — diagonal.
- kleptocratic — a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; rule by a thief or thieves.
- kluge around — (jargon) To avoid a bug or difficult condition by inserting a kluge. Compare workaround.
- knock around — to strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal: to knock on the door before entering.
- kolyma range — a mountain range in NE Russia, in NE Siberia, extending about 1100 km (700 miles) between the Kolyma River and the Sea of Okhotsk. Highest peak: 1862 m (6109 ft)
- korea strait — a strait between Korea and Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. 120 miles (195 km) long.
- korsakoffian — relating to or suffering from Korsakoff's psychosis
- kosher-style — (of a cuisine, restaurant, etc.) featuring traditional Jewish dishes, but not adhering to the dietary laws: kosher-style cooking.
- kourotrophos — (archaeology) a class of Mycenaean terracotta figurines depicting women carrying children.
- kremlinology — the study of the government of the former Soviet Union, especially the study of those factors governing its foreign affairs.
- kurchatovium — (chemistry) A rejected name for rutherfordium.
- labor market — the available supply of labor considered with reference to the demand for it.
- lake ontario — a province in S Canada, bordering on the Great Lakes. 412,582 sq. mi. (1,068,585 sq. km). Capital: Toronto.