12-letter words containing s, e, p, t, a, l
- saw palmetto — a shrublike palmetto, Serenoa repens, of the palm family, native to the southern U.S., having green or blue leafstalks set with spiny teeth.
- scatter plot — a graphic representation of bivariate data as a set of points in the plane that have Cartesian coordinates equal to corresponding values of the two variates.
- scopes trial — John Thomas, 1901–70, U.S. high-school teacher whose teaching of the Darwinian theory of evolution became a cause célèbre (Scopes Trial or Monkey Trial) in 1925.
- scratchplate — a plastic or metal plate attached to the front of a guitar to protect it from pick scratches
- sea elephant — elephant seal.
- seating plan — layout of seats at a venue or on transport
- seed capital — small sum invested in new business
- self-tapping — (of a screw) cutting its own thread when screwed into a plain hole in a metal sheet
- semitropical — subtropical.
- separability — capable of being separated, parted, or dissociated.
- septilateral — having seven sides.
- septuplicate — a group, series, or set of seven identical copies (usually preceded by in).
- sextuplicate — a group, series, or set of six identical copies: The application is to be submitted in sextuplicate.
- shore patrol — (often initial capital letters) members of an organization in the U.S. Navy having police duties similar to those performed by military police. Abbreviation: SP.
- sieve-plates — an elongated cell whose walls contain perforations (sieve pores) that are arranged in circumscribed areas (sieve plates) and that afford communication with similar adjacent cells.
- silver plate — thin coat of silver
- silver-plate — to coat (base metal) with silver, especially by electroplating.
- single-party — of or relating to a form of government in which only a single political party constitutes the government
- skeleton map — a map showing only basic details of a land, place, etc
- slash pocket — a pocket set into a garment, especially below the waistline, to which easy access is provided by an exterior, vertical or diagonal slit.
- sleeper seat — a seat, as on an airplane, that can be extended horizontally to permit sleeping.
- slipper bath — a bath in the shape of a slipper, with a covered end
- somatopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the upper layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the overlying ectoderm, functioning in the formation of the body wall and amnion.
- south platte — a river flowing NE from central Colorado to the Platte River in W Nebraska. 424 miles (683 km) long.
- space flight — journey into outer space
- space helmet — a helmet worn by astronauts while in outer space
- space travel — spaceflight of manned vehicles.
- special sort — a character, such as an accented letter, that is not a usual member of any font
- special team — Football. a group of players fielded for kicking plays, as punts, kickoffs, and field-goal attempts.
- special term — the sitting of a court for the trial of a special case.
- specialistic — pertaining to or characteristic of specialists or specialism.
- specialities — specialty.
- speciational — relating to speciation
- spectatorial — a person who looks on or watches; onlooker; observer.
- speculatrice — a female speculator
- spermatocele — a swelling of the testicle
- sphacelation — the process of mortification
- sphericality — the state of being a sphere
- sphincterial — relating to a sphincter
- spider plant — Also called ribbon plant. a plant, Chlorophytum comosum, of the lily family, native to southern Africa, that has long, narrow leaves and clusters of white flowers and is widely cultivated as a houseplant.
- spiritualize — to make spiritual.
- spirochaetal — resulting from spirochaetes
- splatterpunk — a form of fiction featuring extremely graphic violence.
- splenization — the transformation of something into a spleenlike tissue
- spotted tail — (Sinte-galeshka) 1833?–81, Brulé Sioux leader.
- spray millet — the seeds of millet left on the spike and sold in pet shops for cage birds.
- stamp dealer — someone who buys and sells postage stamps (to collectors)
- stanley pool — a lake between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville, formed by a widening of the River Congo. Area: 829 sq km (320 sq miles)
- state police — a police force under state authority rather than under the authority of a city or county in the state.
- steel-plated — covered with steel