15-letter words containing s, c, r, u, p
- samuel prescott — Samuel, 1751–77, U.S. patriot during the American Revolution: rode with Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn Colonists that British troops were marching from Boston, April 18, 1775.
- sb's trump card — Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone.
- schopenhauerian — Arthur [ahr-too r] /ˈɑr tʊər/ (Show IPA), 1788–1860, German philosopher.
- schopenhauerism — the philosophy of Schopenhauer, who taught that only the cessation of desire can solve the problems arising from the universal impulse of the will to live.
- scpi consortium — (body) A body established to promote Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments. Address: 8380 Hercules Drive, Suite P3, La Mesa, CA 91942, USA.
- sculptor's tool — the constellation Caelum.
- second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
- secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
- security police — a police force responsible for maintaining order at a specific locale or under specific circumstances, as at an airport or factory.
- seleucia pieria — an ancient port in Syria, on the River Orontes: the port of Antioch, of military importance during the wars between the Ptolemies and Seleucids; largely destroyed by earthquake in 526; site of present-day Samandaǧ (Turkey)
- self-production — produced by oneself or itself.
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
- spinach-rhubarb — an Ethiopian plant, Rumex abyssinicus, of the buckwheat family, having leaves that are sometimes used as spinach and leafstalks sometimes used as rhubarb.
- spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
- spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
- splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
- static pressure — the pressure exerted by a fluid that is not moving or flowing.
- streptobacillus — any of various bacilli that form in chains.
- sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- subject pronoun — pronoun in nominative case
- sulfite process — a process for making wood pulp by digesting wood chips in an acid liquor consisting of sulfurous acid and a salt, usually calcium bisulfite.
- sulphurous acid — an unstable acid produced when sulphur dioxide dissolves in water: used as a preservative for food and a bleaching agent. Formula: H2SO3
- sumatra camphor — borneol.
- super-committee — a committee with members from two or more organizations or political groups
- super-efficient — performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient assistant.
- superbureaucrat — an important or highly powerful bureaucrat
- superconfidence — great or extreme confidence, overconfidence
- superconvenient — highly convenient
- superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
- superexcellence — extreme or supreme excellence; the quality of being superexcellent
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- superintendence — a district or place under a superintendent.
- superintendency — a district or place under a superintendent.
- superplasticity — the phenomenon, exhibited by certain metals and alloys usually at high temperatures, of stretching to extreme lengths without breaking
- superspecialist — a highly skilled specialist
- supreme council — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- surge protector — a small device to protect a computer, telephone, television set, or the like from damage by high-voltage electrical surges.
- surgical spirit — Surgical spirit is a liquid which is used to clean wounds or surgical instruments. It consists mainly of alcohol.
- symmetric group — the group of all permutations of a finite set.
- synectics group — a group of people of varied background that meets to attempt creative solutions of problems through the unrestricted exercise of imagination and the correlation of disparate elements.
- textus receptus — a text of a work that is generally accepted as being genuine or original.
- thought process — thinking, train of thought
- tricuspid valve — the valve, consisting of three triangular flaps of tissue between the right auricle and ventricle of the heart, that keeps blood from flowing back into the auricle.
- trustee process — (in New England) garnishment (def 1).
- turk's-cap lily — either of two lilies, Lilum martagon or L. superbum, having nodding flowers with the perianth segments rolled backward.
- turkish cypriot — denoting ethnically Turkish inhabitants of Cyprus