16-letter words containing s, e, l, f, i
- file composition — A typesetting language.
- file compression — (algorithm) The compression of data in a file, usually to reduce storage requirements.
- fill one's boots — to take or do as much of something as one wants
- filterable virus — a virus particle small enough to pass through a filter of diatomaceous earth or porcelain, which will not pass bacteria: chiefly historical or an informal indicator of size, as synthetic membrane filters now permit passage of the smallest virus.
- find one's level — to find one's most suitable place socially, professionally, etc
- finless porpoise — a porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides of the Indian and pacific Oceans that completely lacks a dorsal fin
- fire regulations — rules intended to make sure that people and property stay safe in the event of a fire
- firework display — a public event at which fireworks are set alight
- first lieutenant — an officer ranking next above second lieutenant and next below a captain.
- flabbergastation — (colloquial) Bewildered shock or surprise; the state or condition of being flabbergasted.
- flabbergastingly — Surprisingly, astonishingly or amazingly.
- flash eliminator — a device fitted to the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the flash made by the ignited propellant gases
- flash in the pan — a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.
- flathead catfish — a yellow and brown catfish, Pylodictus olivaris, common in the central U.S., having a flattened head and a projecting lower jaw.
- flibbertigibbets — Plural form of flibbertigibbet.
- floridean starch — the storage polysaccharide of red algae.
- follicular phase — a stage of the menstrual cycle, from onset of menstruation to ovulation.
- football special — a train service provided specially to transport football supporters to and from a match
- four-dimensional — of a space having points, or a set having elements, which require four coordinates for their unique determination.
- fourier analysis — the expression of any periodic function as a sum of sine and cosine functions, as in an electromagnetic wave function. Compare Fourier series.
- franchise clause — a clause stipulating that the insured will be responsible for any loss not in excess of a stated amount, and the insurance company will be liable for full payment of the loss equaling or exceeding the amount up to the insured amount.
- francis of sales — Saint, 1567–1622, French ecclesiastic and writer on theology: bishop of Geneva 1602–22.
- fraunhofer lines — a set of dark lines appearing in the continuous emission spectrum of the sun. It is caused by the absorption of light of certain wavelengths coming from the hotter region of the sun by elements in the cooler outer atmosphere
- frederic mistral — Frédéric [frey-dey-reek] /freɪ deɪˈrik/ (Show IPA), 1830–1914, French Provençal poet: Nobel prize 1904.
- french polynesia — a French overseas territory in the S Pacific, including the Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, and other scattered island groups. 1544 sq. mi. (4000 sq. km). Capital: Papeete.
- friedrich engels — Friedrich [free-drikh] /ˈfri drɪx/ (Show IPA), 1820–95, German socialist in England: collaborated with Karl Marx in systematizing Marxism.
- friendly islands — Tonga
- friendly society — law: mutual group providing benefits
- fuel consumption — use of a material to generate power
- fullness of time — the proper or destined time.
- functionlessness — The quality or state of being functionless.
- fundamentalistic — Fundamentalist.
- furniture polish — product: shines wood
- garfield heights — a city in NE Ohio, near Cleveland.
- gas blowoff line — A gas blowoff line is a safety device to control sudden increases in pressure.
- gas liquefaction — Gas liquefaction is the process of refrigerating a gas to a temperature that is below its critical temperature in order to form a liquid.
- go off the rails — If someone goes off the rails, they start to behave in a way that other people think is unacceptable or very strange, for example they start taking drugs or breaking the law.
- goosefoot family — formerly, the plant family Chenopodiaceae, characterized by often weedy herbaceous plants and shrubs having simple, usually alternate leaves, small and inconspicuous flowers, and tiny, dry fruit, and including the beet, glasswort, goosefoot, Russian thistle, saltbush, and spinach; now part of the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae.
- harvest festival — religious celebration of crops gathered
- heat of solution — the heat evolved or absorbed when one mole of a substance dissolves completely in a large volume of solvent
- high-pass filter — a filter that allows high-frequency electromagnetic signals to pass while rejecting or attenuating others below a specific value.
- hourglass figure — the shape of a woman who is well-proportioned and has a small waist
- hydrogen sulfide — a colorless, flammable, water-soluble, cumulatively poisonous gas, H 2 S, having the odor of rotten eggs: used chiefly in the manufacture of chemicals, in metallurgy, and as a reagent in laboratory analysis.
- in a cleft stick — If you say that a person or organization is in a cleft stick, you mean that they are in a difficult situation which will bring them problems and harm whatever they decide to do.
- infantile autism — a disorder appearing in children before the age of two and a half, characterized by lack of interest in others, impaired communication skills, and bizarre behavior, as ritualistic acts and excessive attachment to objects.
- infelicitousness — (linguistics, pragmatics) The quality or state of being infelicitous, or pragmatically ill-formed.
- insufferableness — The state of being insufferable.
- intestinal flora — microorganisms that normally inhabit the lumen of the intestinal tract
- irrefragableness — The quality or degree of being irrefragable.
- isle of portland — a rugged limestone peninsula in SW England, in Dorset, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus and by Chesil Bank: the lighthouse of Portland Bill lies at the S tip; famous for the quarrying of Portland stone, a fine building material. Pop (town): 12 000 (latest est)