15-letter words containing r, i, e, m, a
- barium stearate — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, Ba(C 18 H 35 O 2) 2 , used chiefly as a waterproofing agent and as a lubricant.
- barium sulphate — a white insoluble fine dense powder, used as a pigment, as a filler for paper, rubber, etc, and in barium meals. Formula: BaSO4
- barium titanate — a crystalline ceramic used in capacitors and piezoelectric devices. Formula: BaTiO3
- basse-normandie — a region of NW France, on the English Channel: consists of the Cherbourg peninsula in the west rising to the Normandy hills in the east; mainly agricultural
- bathymetrically — In a bathymetric way.
- battery farming — the activity of using batteries for raising poultry
- bear animalcule — tardigrade (def 3).
- bear comparison — to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably
- bedtime reading — a book, magazine etc read at bedtime
- beside the mark — not striking the point aimed at
- biblia pauperum — any of the picture books illustrating Biblical events and usually containing a short text, used chiefly in the Middle Ages for purposes of religious instruction.
- binomial series — an infinite series obtained by expanding a binomial raised to a power that is not a positive integer.
- bladder campion — a European caryophyllaceous plant, Silene vulgaris, having white flowers with an inflated calyx
- blenheim orange — a type of apple tree bearing gold-coloured apples
- bohemia-moravia — a former German protectorate including Bohemia and Moravia, 1939–45.
- bohemian forest — a mountain range between the SW Czech Republic and SE Germany. Highest peak: Arber, 1457 m (4780 ft)
- boston marriage — (especially in 19th-century New England) an intimate friendship between two women often maintaining a household together.
- brazilian plume — a tropical American plant, Justicia carnea, of the acanthus family, having hairy, prominently veined leaves and a short, dense cluster of purple or pink flowers, grown in greenhouses or outdoors in warm regions.
- britannia metal — an alloy of low melting point consisting of tin with 5–10 per cent antimony, 1–3 per cent copper, and sometimes small quantities of zinc, lead, or bismuth: used for decorative purposes and for bearings
- british america — British North America.
- brompheniramine — a substance, C 16 H 19 BrN 2 , used as an antihistamine in the management of various allergies, as hay fever.
- brother-in-arms — a fellow soldier or comrade in a shared struggle
- buckinghamshire — a county in SE central England, containing the Vale of Aylesbury and parts of the Chiltern Hills: the geographic and ceremonial county includes Milton Keynes, which became an independent unitary authority in 1997. Administrative centre: Aylesbury. Pop (excluding Milton Keynes): 478 000 (2003 est). Area (excluding Milton Keynes): 1568 sq km (605 sq miles)
- bulimia nervosa — a disorder characterized by compulsive overeating followed by vomiting: sometimes associated with anxiety about gaining weight
- bureau of mines — a division of the Department of the Interior, created in 1910, that studies the nation's mineral resources and inspects mines.
- cactus geranium — a plant, Pelargonium echinatum, of the geranium family, native to southern Africa, having prickly stipules and white or reddish flowers.
- cadmean victory — a victory won with great losses to the victors
- cairngorm-stone — smoky quartz.
- calcium blocker — any of a group of drugs that prevent the influx of calcium into excitable tissues such as smooth muscle of the heart or arterioles, used in the treatment of angina, hypertension, and certain arrhythmias.
- calcium carbide — a grey salt of calcium used in the production of acetylene (by its reaction with water) and calcium cyanamide. Formula: CaC2
- calcium citrate — the calcium salt of citric acid, used as a food additive
- calcium nitrate — a white, deliquescent solid, Ca(NO 3) 2 , used chiefly in the manufacture of fertilizers, fireworks, matches, and explosives.
- camelot library — (library)
- campaign worker — a person who carries out duties for a political candidate or party, esp before an election
- camphorated oil — a liniment consisting of camphor and peanut oil, used as a counterirritant
- cantilever beam — a long thick straight-sided piece of wood, metal, concrete, etc that is fixed at one end and is free at the other
- car maintenance — the act of maintaining an automobile
- carbon monoxide — Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is produced especially by the engines of vehicles.
- cardiac massage — a rhythmic compressing of the heart, using the hands to force blood through the blood vessels: an emergency medical procedure for treating heart failure
- cardinal number — A cardinal number is a number such as 1, 3, or 10 that tells you how many things there are in a group but not what order they are in. Compare ordinal number.
- cardinal system — a system of coding navigational aids by shape, color, and number, according to their positions relative to navigational hazards.
- carding machine — card2 (defs 1, 2).
- career criminal — a person who earns his income through criminal activities
- carmarthenshire — a county of S Wales, formerly part of Dyfed (1974–96): on Carmarthen Bay, with the Cambrian Mountains in the N: generally agricultural (esp dairying). Administrative centre: Carmarthen. Pop: 176 000 (2003 est). Area: 2398 sq km (926 sq miles)
- castanospermine — a substance obtained from the Australian chestnut or black bean tree
- castrametations — Plural form of castrametation.
- central america — an isthmus joining the continents of North and South America, extending from the S border of Mexico to the NW border of Colombia and consisting of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Area: about 518 000 sq km (200 000 sq miles)
- chamois leather — soft cleaning cloth
- charles simonyi — (person) Microsoft programmer, most famously responsible for Hungarian Notation. Simonyi was born in Budapest in 1948, and for more than a decade was senior programmer at Microsoft in Redmond.
- charm offensive — If you say that someone has launched a charm offensive, you disapprove of the fact that they are being very friendly to their opponents or people who are causing problems for them.