16-letter words containing r, e, l, i
- concertina table — an extensible table having a hinged double top falling onto a hinged frame that unfolds like an accordion when pulled out.
- conciliatoriness — tending to conciliate: a conciliatory manner; conciliatory comments.
- congeliturbation — the churning, heaving, and thrusting of soil material due to the action of frost.
- congressionalist — of or relating to a congress.
- conservation law — any law stating that some quantity or property remains constant during and after an interaction or process, as conservation of charge or conservation of linear momentum.
- continental army — the Revolutionary War Army, authorized by the Continental Congress in 1775 and led by George Washington.
- continental rise — the gently sloping transition between the continental slope and the deep ocean floor, usually characterized by coalescence of submarine alluvial fans.
- contour interval — the difference in altitude represented by the space between two contour lines on a map
- control variable — Also called control. Statistics. a person, group, event, etc., that is used as a constant and unchanging standard of comparison in scientific experimentation. Compare dependent variable (def 2), independent variable (def 2).
- controversialism — The attitude or tendency to engage in controversy.
- controversialist — a person who takes part in controversy or likes to do so
- controversiality — The quality or state of being controversial.
- controversialize — (transitive) To make to appear controversial.
- conversationally — of, relating to, or characteristic of conversation: a conversational tone of voice.
- conversion table — a diagram which shows equivalent amounts in different measuring systems
- convertible bond — a bond that can be exchanged for a fixed number of shares of the common stock of the issuing company at the holder's option.
- convertible lens — a lens containing two or more elements that can be used individually or in combination to provide a variety of focal lengths.
- copolymerization — a process resembling polymerization, in which unlike molecules unite in alternate or random sequences in a chain
- coreferentiality — (of two words or phrases) having reference to the same person or thing.
- cornelian cherry — a flowering tree of the dogwood family Cornus mas
- coroutine pascal — ["Control Separation in Programming languages", Lemon et al, ACM Ann Conf 1977].
- correcting plate — a thin lens used to correct incoming light rays in special forms of reflecting telescopes.
- correction fluid — a fluid, usually white, that can be painted over a mistake in writing or typing so that the correct form can be written or typed on top
- council of trent — the council of the Roman Catholic Church that met between 1545 and 1563 at Trent in S Tyrol. Reacting against the Protestants, it reaffirmed traditional Catholic beliefs and formulated the ideals of the Counter-Reformation
- counter-violence — swift and intense force: the violence of a storm.
- counterbalancing — Present participle of counterbalance.
- counterclockwise — If something is moving counterclockwise, it is moving in the opposite direction to the direction in which the hands of a clock move.
- counterculturist — Counterculturalist.
- counterguerrilla — (of operations, conflicts, etc) conducted against guerrillas
- creeping thistle — a weedy Eurasian thistle, Cirsium arvense, common as a fast-spreading weed in the US
- creole continuum — a range of language varieties in an area undergoing decreolization showing a continuous gradation from forms more like the underlying creole to those approaching the standard language.
- crime passionnel — a crime committed from passion, esp sexual passion
- criminal justice — the system of law enforcement, involving police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, used for all stages of criminal proceedings and punishment.
- criminal offence — an action which is punishable under the law
- critical density — the density of matter that would be required to halt the expansion of the universe
- critical section — A non-re-entrant piece of code that can only be executed by one process at a time. It will usually terminate in bounded time and a process will only have to wait a bounded time to enter it. Some synchronisation mechanism is required at the entry and exit of the critical section to ensure exclusive use.
- cross-cut chisel — a chisel used for making grooves
- croydon facelift — the tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail
- crystalline lens — a biconvex transparent elastic structure in the eye situated behind the iris, serving to focus images on the retina
- curlew sandpiper — a common Eurasian sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea, having a brick-red breeding plumage and a greyish winter plumage
- curmudgeonliness — The state or condition of being curmudgeonly.
- curriculum vitae — A curriculum vitae is the same as a CV.
- customer profile — a description or analysis of a typical or ideal customer for one's business
- cycle of erosion — the hypothetical sequence of modifications to the earth's surface by erosion, from the original uplift of the land to the ultimate low plain, usually divided into the youthful, mature, and old stages
- dangling pointer — (programming) A reference that doesn't actually lead anywhere. In C and some other languages, a pointer that doesn't actually point at anything valid. Usually this happens because it formerly pointed to something that has moved or disappeared, e.g. a heap-allocated block which has been freed and reused. Used as jargon in a generalisation of its technical meaning; for example, a local phone number for a person who has since moved is a dangling pointer.
- daylight robbery — If someone charges you a great deal of money for something and you think this is unfair or unreasonable, you can refer to this as daylight robbery.
- de broglie waves — the set of waves that represent the behaviour of an elementary particle, or some atoms and molecules, under certain conditions. The de Broglie wavelength, λ, is given by λ = h/mv, where h is the Planck constant, m the mass, and v the velocity of the particle
- decentralisation — Alternative spelling of decentralization.
- decentralization — to distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area: to decentralize the national government.
- decimal currency — a system of currency in which the monetary units are parts or powers of ten