17-letter words containing s, e, r, u
- mundane astrology — the astrology of worldly events, in contrast to the astrology of the individual: used especially in interpretations and forecasts involving politics, the stock market, weather, and disasters.
- muscle dysmorphia — a mental disorder primarily affecting males, characterized by obsessions about a perceived lack of muscularity, leading to compulsive exercising, use of anabolic steroids, etc. Compare body dysmorphic disorder.
- musical interlude — an interval in a play, event or occasion during which music is played
- mustard and cress — Mustard and cress is very young mustard plants and cress plants grown together and eaten in salad.
- naked singularity — an infinitely dense point mass without a surrounding black hole
- narrow-shouldered — having shoulders which do not extend very far from the neck; not broad-shouldered
- national security — defence of a country
- natural resources — a naturally occurring source of wealth, as land or water.
- natural selection — the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, as predators, changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits in succeeding generations.
- natural-resources — a naturally occurring source of wealth, as land or water.
- nervous breakdown — (not in technical use) any disabling mental disorder requiring treatment.
- net present value — an assessment of the long-term profitability of a project made by adding together all the revenue it can be expected to achieve over its whole life and deducting all the costs involved, discounting both future costs and revenue at an appropriate rate
- neuilly-sur-seine — a suburb of Paris, in N France: treaty of peace (1919) between the Allies and Bulgaria. 66,095.
- neurofibromatosis — a dominantly inherited genetic disorder characterized by flat brown patches on the skin, neurofibromas of the skin and internal organs, and in some cases skeletal deformity.
- neurophysiologist — the branch of physiology dealing with the functions of the nervous system.
- neuropsychiatrist — A medical doctor specializing in neuropsychiatry; a medical doctor dealing with disorders that have both neurological and psychiatric features.
- neuropsychologist — A neurologist or psychologist whose speciality is neuropsychology.
- neurotransmission — the transmission of a nerve impulse across a synapse.
- neurotransmissive — Relating to neurotransmission.
- neurotransmitters — Plural form of neurotransmitter.
- newspaper cutting — clipping from a news publication
- nichiren buddhism — a doctrine of salvation based on the Lotus Sutra.
- nikita khrushchev — Nikita S(ergeyevich) [ni-kee-tuh sur-gey-uh-vich;; Russian nyi-kyee-tuh syir-gye-yuh-vyich] /nɪˈki tə sɜrˈgeɪ ə vɪtʃ;; Russian nyɪˈkyi tə syɪrˈgyɛ yə vyɪtʃ/ (Show IPA), 1894–1971, Russian political leader: premier of the U.S.S.R. 1958–64.
- non-reimbursement — to make repayment to for expense or loss incurred: The insurance company reimbursed him for his losses in the fire.
- nonproductiveness — The quality of being nonproductive.
- nonunderstandable — Not understandable.
- northern studfish — See under studfish.
- nuclear chemistry — the branch of chemistry concerned with nuclear reactions
- nuclear isomerism — isomerism (def 2).
- nuclear scientist — a scientist who studies nuclear physics
- nuclear submarine — undersea vessel powered by atomic energy
- nuclear threshold — the point in war at which a combatant brings nuclear weapons into use
- nuclear-isomerism — Chemistry. the relation of two or more compounds, radicals, or ions that are composed of the same kinds and numbers of atoms but differ from each other in structural arrangement (structural isomerism) as CH 3 OCH 3 and CH 3 CH 2 OH, or in the arrangement of their atoms in space and therefore in one or more properties. Compare optical isomerism, stereoisomerism.
- number seven iron — pitcher2 (def 3).
- nursery education — education provided at a school for young children, usually from three to five years old
- nyquist frequency — (DSP) The highest frequency that can be represented in a digital signal of a specified sampling frequency. It is equal to one-half of the sampling rate. See Nyquist Theorem.
- odds-on favourite — a person, team, horse, etc that is regarded as the most likely to win a competition
- old wives' summer — a period of fine, summerlike weather occurring in Europe in autumn.
- on cruise control — If you say that someone is on cruise control in a contest, you mean that they are winning the contest easily and without needing to make a lot of effort.
- opening arguments — the statements or arguments provided by lawyers at the beginning of a trial
- order of business — a task assigned or to be dealt with: Our first order of business is to reduce expenses.
- organ-pipe cactus — a treelike or columnar cactus, Lemaireocereus marginatus, of Mexico, having a central, erect spine surrounded by spreading spines in clusters of five to eight, and funnel-shaped, brownish-purple flowers.
- osculating circle — circle of curvature.
- out of all reason — unreasonable
- outside broadcast — An outside broadcast is a radio or television programme that is not recorded or filmed in a studio, but in another building or in the open air.
- over-presumptuous — full of, characterized by, or showing presumption or readiness to presume in conduct or thought, as by saying or doing something without right or permission.
- overconscientious — Excessively conscientious.
- overnight success — sth or sb suddenly popular
- oversquare engine — An oversquare engine is an engine which has a cylinder bore that is larger than its stroke.
- parallel universe — Physics. any of a hypothetical collection of undetectable universes that are like our known universe but have branched off from our universe due to a quantum-level event. See also multiverse.