16-letter words containing s, i, a, l, o
- lexicostatistics — the statistical study of the vocabulary of a language or languages for historical purposes.
- libation-bearers — Choëphori.
- liberal unionist — a Liberal who opposed Gladstone's policy of Irish Home Rule in 1886 and after
- lick observatory — the astronomical observatory of the University of California, situated on Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California, and having a 120-inch (3-meter) reflecting telescope and a 36-inch (91-cm) refracting telescope.
- lignin sulfonate — a brown powder consisting of a sulfonate salt made from waste liquor of the sulfate pulping process of soft wood: used in concrete, leather tanning, as an additive in oil-well drilling mud, and as a source of vanillin.
- lissajous figure — the series of plane curves traced by an object executing two mutually perpendicular harmonic motions.
- listen to reason — be persuaded
- loan translation — the process whereby a compound word or expression is created by literal translation of each of the elements of a compound word or expression in another language, as marriage of convenience from French mariage de convenance.
- local oscillator — the oscillator in a superheterodyne receiver whose output frequency is mixed with the incoming modulated radio-frequency carrier signal to produce the required intermediate frequency
- logical constant — one of the connectives of a given system of formal logic, esp those of the sentential calculus, not, and, or, and if … then …
- long-established — having a long history; old
- long-tail claims — Long-tail claims are claims that are made or settled a long time after the insurance policy has expired.
- lord howe island — an island in the S Pacific, E of Australia: a dependency of New South Wales. 5 sq. mi. (13 sq. km).
- lords-and-ladies — (used with a singular verb) cuckoopint.
- lost river range — a mountain range in E central Idaho. Highest peak, Borah Peak (also highest in the state), 12,662 feet (3862 meters).
- louisiana french — French as spoken in Louisiana; Cajun. Abbreviation: LaF.
- luminosity class — a classification of stars of a given spectral type according to their luminosity, breaking them down into dwarfs, giants, and supergiants.
- macro-linguistic — a field of study concerned with language in its broadest sense and including cultural and behavioral features associated with language.
- macrolinguistics — a field of study concerned with language in its broadest sense and including cultural and behavioral features associated with language.
- mail-order house — a retail firm that conducts its business by receiving orders and shipping its merchandise through the mail and that supplies its customers with catalogs, circulars, etc.
- malicious damage — Malicious damage is damage caused on purpose to the property of another person.
- manganese violet — a moderate to strong purple color.
- marginal costing — a method of cost accounting and decision making used for internal reporting in which only marginal costs are charged to cost units and fixed costs are treated as a lump sum
- marine biologist — scientist who studies sea life
- marseille prolog — (language) One of the two main dialects of Prolog, the other being Edinburgh Prolog. The difference is largely syntax. The original Marseille Interpreter (1973) was written in Fortran.
- marsh cinquefoil — a variety of cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris, that grows in marshy areas
- marsupialization — (surgery) The surgical technique of cutting a slit into a cyst and suturing its edges to form a continuous surface from the exterior to the interior of the cyst, allowing it to drain freely.
- mason-dixon line — the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, partly surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767, popularly considered before the end of slavery as a line of demarcation between free and slave states.
- medieval cornish — the Cornish language of the Middle Ages, usually dated from the 14th century to 1600.
- medieval history — the branch of history dealing with the Middle Ages
- megakaryoblastic — (cytology) Of or pertaining to a megakaryoblast.
- memorial service — ceremony held in commemoration
- menstrual period — the bleeding from the womb that occurs approximately monthly in nonpregnant women of reproductive age
- mercator sailing — sailing according to rhumb lines, which appear as straight lines on a Mercator chart.
- microcosmic salt — sodium ammonium phosphate.
- microcrystalline — minutely crystalline; composed of microscopic crystals.
- microencapsulate — (transitive) To embed by means of microencapsulation.
- microvasculature — the system of tiny blood vessels, including capillaries, venules, and arterioles, that perfuse the body's tissues.
- midair collision — a crash, such as a plane crash, that takes place in the air
- middle stone age — the Mesolithic period.
- migratory locust — any of several locusts that migrate in great swarms, especially Locusta migratoria, of Africa and Asia.
- military honours — ceremonies performed by troops in honour of royalty, at the burial of an officer, etc
- milk of magnesia — a milky white suspension in water of magnesium hydroxide, Mg (OH) 2 , used as an antacid or laxative.
- mineral deposits — amounts of minerals that occur naturally in particular areas
- miraculous fruit — miracle fruit.
- misanthropically — In a misanthropic manner.
- misogynistically — In a misogynistic manner.
- mission-critical — essential for a project to launch
- mistletoe cactus — a tropical, branched cactus, Rhipsalis baccifera (or cassutha), having cylindrical stems and mistletoelike fruit.
- modified-release — denoting a formulation of a medicinal drug taken orally that releases the active ingredients over several hours, in order to maintain a relatively constant plasma concentration of the drug