17-letter words containing r, s, f
- south frigid zone — the part of the earth's surface between the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole.
- south west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- south-west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- southern studfish — See under studfish.
- spatial frequency — the measure of fine detail in an optical image in terms of cycles per millimetre
- spiritus frumenti — whiskey.
- sports facilities — places and things for doing sports
- springfield rifle — a single-shot, breechloading .45-caliber rifle used by the U.S. Army from 1867 to 1893.
- standard function — a subprogram provided by a translator that carries out a task, for example the computation of a mathematical function, such as sine, square root, etc
- stannous fluoride — a white, crystalline powder, SnF 2 , slightly soluble in water: used as a source of fluorine in the prevention of dental caries, especially as a toothpaste additive.
- star of bethlehem — the star that is supposed to have appeared above Bethlehem at the birth of Christ
- star-of-bethlehem — any of several plants belonging to the genus Ornithogalum, of the lily family, having grasslike leaves and clusters of white flowers.
- star-of-jerusalem — meadow salsify.
- stare in the face — to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.
- statue of liberty — a large copper statue, on Liberty Island, in New York harbor, depicting a woman holding a burning torch: designed by F. A. Bartholdi and presented to the U.S. by France; unveiled 1886.
- statutory offense — a wrong punishable under a statute, rather than at common law.
- stereospecificity — (of a reaction) producing a simple stereoisomer.
- stock certificate — a certificate evidencing ownership of one or more shares of stock in a corporation.
- store and forward — to store (information) in a computer for later forward transmission through a telecommunication network
- straight arm lift — a wrestling attack, in which a wrestler twists the opponent's arm against the joint and lifts him or her by it, often using the shoulder as a fulcrum
- strait of otranto — a stretch of water between SE Italy and Albania, connecting the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea; of strategic importance during World War I
- stratford-on-avon — a town in SW Warwickshire, in central England, on the Avon River: birthplace and burial place of Shakespeare.
- stratified sample — a sample that is not drawn at random from the whole population, but separately from a number of disjoint strata of the population in order to ensure a more representative sample
- strike-slip fault — a geological fault on which the movement is along the strike of the fault
- striped killifish — a killifish, Fundulus majalis, of the Atlantic coast of the U.S., the female of which is marked with black stripes.
- strut one's stuff — to walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers.
- sufficient reason — the principle that nothing happens by pure chance, but that an explanation must always be available
- sulfonyl chloride — a colorless liquid, SO 2 Cl 2 , having a very pungent odor and corrosive to the skin and mucous membranes: used as a chlorinating or sulfonating agent.
- sulfurated potash — a yellowish-brown mixture consisting mainly of potassium polysulfides and potassium thiosulfate, used in treating mange.
- sulphur butterfly — sulfur butterfly.
- supreme sacrifice — the sacrifice of one's own life: Many made the supreme sacrifice during the war.
- surface condenser — a device condensing steam or vapor by passing it over a cool surface.
- surface structure — a structural representation of the final syntactic form of a sentence, as it exists after the transformational component has modified a deep structure. Compare deep structure.
- surface treatment — A surface treatment is a process applied to the surface of a material to make it better in some way, for example by making it more resistant to corrosion or wear.
- sword of damocles — Damocles (def 2).
- take years off sb — If you say that something such as an experience or a way of dressing has taken years off someone, you mean that it has made them look or feel much younger.
- teaching software — computer software for use in providing online education
- temple of artemis — the temple at Ephesus dedicated to Artemis.
- the age of reason — the 18th century in W Europe
- the bag of tricks — every device; everything
- the carboniferous — the Carboniferous period or rock system
- the first line of — If you refer to a method as the first line of, for example, defence or treatment, you mean that it is the first or most important method to be used in dealing with a problem.
- the perfect tense — the tense of a verb that indicates that the action has been completed
- the right side of — in favour with
- theory of numbers — number theory.
- thermal diffusion — the separation of constituents, often isotopes, of a fluid under the influence of a temperature gradient.
- think in terms of — If you say that you are thinking in terms of doing a particular thing, you mean that you are considering it.
- thiosulfuric acid — an acid, H 2 S 2 O 3 , that may be regarded as sulfuric acid with one oxygen atom replaced by sulfur.
- thistle butterfly — any nymphalid butterfly of the genus Vanessa, as the red admiral or painted lady.
- thuringian forest — a forested mountain region in central Germany: a resort area.