15-letter words containing r, i, b
- irritable colon — any combination of common disturbances of the bowel, as diarrhea or constipation, occurring with abdominal pain, sometimes accompanied by psychological stress. Abbreviation: IBS.
- irritable heart — cardiac neurosis.
- isotopic number — the number of neutrons minus the number of protons in an atomic nucleus.
- jerusalem bible — a Roman Catholic version of the Bible published in 1966, translated from the French La Bible de Jérusalem, produced by Dominican scholars in Jerusalem (1956)
- job description — an abstract of a job analysis containing the classification of and requirements for a job, used in hiring and placing prospective employees.
- job opportunity — an opportunity of employment
- job requirement — a quality or qualification that you must have in order to be suitable for a certain job
- jobbing printer — a person who prints mainly commercial and display work rather than books or newspapers
- journal bearing — a plain cylindrical bearing to support a shaft or axle
- judicial branch — the branch of government charged with the interpretation of laws and the administration of justice; the judiciary.
- jupiter's-beard — red valerian.
- kaibab squirrel — a nearly extinct tree squirrel, Sciurus kaibabensis, found only in a small area north of the Grand Canyon.
- kalmyk republic — a constituent republic of S Russia, on the Caspian Sea: became subject to Russia in 1646. Capital: Elista. Pop: 292 400 (2002). Area: 76 100 sq km (29 382 sq miles)
- keyboard skills — ability to input information using a keyboard
- knickerbockered — wearing knickers.
- knight bachelor — bachelor (def 3).
- knight banneret — banneret1 (def 2).
- labor relations — worker-employer relationship
- labor-intensive — requiring or using a large supply of labor, relative to capital.
- labyrinthodonts — Plural form of labyrinthodont.
- ladybird beetle — ladybug.
- lambda particle — any of a family of neutral baryons with strangeness −1 or charm +1, and isotopic spin 0. The least massive member of the lambda family was the first strange particle to be discovered. Symbol: Λ.
- leibnitz's rule — a rule for finding the derivative of the product of two functions. For a first derivative it is d(uv)/dx = udv/dx + vdu/dx
- lending library — Also called circulating library, rental library. a small library that is maintained by a commercial establishment, as a drugstore, and is composed largely of current books that are lent to customers for a fee.
- leonid brezhnev — Leonid Ilyich [ley-uh-nid il-yich;; Russian lyi-uh-nyeet ee-lyeech] /ˈleɪ ə nɪd ˈɪl yɪtʃ;; Russian lyɪ ʌˈnyit iˈlyitʃ/ (Show IPA), 1906–82, Russian political leader: first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party 1964–66; general secretary 1966–82; president of the Soviet Union 1960–64, 1977–82.
- liberal judaism — Reform Judaism.
- liberal studies — a supplementary arts course for those specializing in scientific, technical, or professional studies
- liberalizations — Plural form of liberalization.
- library binding — a tough, durable cloth binding for books. Compare edition binding.
- library edition — an edition of a book prepared for library use, especially with a library binding.
- library science — the study of the organization and administration of a library and of its technical, informational, and reference services.
- life membership — the fact or condition of being a life member
- lira da braccio — a many-stringed musical instrument of the 15th and 16th centuries, played with a bow and used for polyphonic improvisation.
- liskov, barbara — Barbara Liskov
- lithium battery — A lithium battery is a type of battery used for low-power, high-reliability, long-life applications, such as clocks, cameras and calculators.
- livery cupboard — a cupboard with pierced doors, formerly used as a storage place for food.
- lobar pneumonia — pneumonia (def 2).
- lord it over sb — If someone lords it over you, they act in a way that shows that they think they are better than you, especially by giving lots of orders.
- low earth orbit — (communications) (LEO) The kind of orbit used by communications satellites that will offer high bandwidth for video on demand, television, and Internet communications. A satellite in LEO, in contrast to one in a geostationary orbit, is not in a fixed position relative to the Earth's surface so several satellites are required to provide continuous service.
- lower slobbovia — any place considered to be remote, poor, or unenlightened.
- lubricating oil — an oily substance that is used to cover or treat machinery so as to lessen friction
- lucrezia borgia — Cesare [che-zah-re] /ˈtʃɛ zɑ rɛ/ (Show IPA), 1476?–1507, Italian cardinal, military leader, and politician.
- mackinac bridge — a suspension bridge over the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan: one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. 3800-foot (1158-meter) center span; 7400 feet (2256 meters) in total length.
- maldistribution — bad or unsatisfactory distribution, as of wealth, among a population or members of a group.
- man-made fabric — a type of fabric that is made artificially, such as polyester or rayon, rather than occurring naturally, like cotton or wool
- man-o'-war bird — frigate bird.
- man-of-war bird — frigate bird.
- maneuverability — a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops, warships, etc.
- manoeuvrability — The quality of being manoeuvrable.
- māori battalion — the Māori unit of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War II