14-letter words containing s, i, a, m
- bitmap display — (hardware) A computer output device where each pixel displayed on the monitor screen corresponds directly to one or more bits in the computer's video memory. Such a display can be updated extremely rapidly since changing a pixel involves only a single processor write to memory compared with a terminal or VDU connected via a serial line where the speed of the serial line limits the speed at which the display can be changed. Most modern personal computers and workstations have bitmap displays, allowing the efficient use of graphical user interfaces, interactive graphics and a choice of on-screen fonts. Some more expensive systems still delegate graphics operations to dedicated hardware such as graphics accelerators. The bitmap display might be traced back to the earliest days of computing when the Manchester University Mark I(?) computer, developed by F.C. Williams and T. Kilburn shortly after the Second World War. This used a storage tube as its working memory. Phosphor dots were used to store single bits of data which could be read by the user and interpreted as binary numbers.
- black diamonds — carbonado1 .
- black selenium — an allotropic form of selenium occurring as a black, amorphous, water-insoluble, light-sensitive powder: used chiefly in photoelectric cells.
- blind stamping — an impression on a book cover without using colour or gold leaf
- block sampling — the selection of a corpus for statistical literary analysis by random selection of a starting point and consideration of the continuous passage following it
- blue mountains — a mountain range in the US, in NE Oregon and SE Washington. Highest peak: Rock Creek Butte, 2773 m (9097 ft)
- body mechanics — body exercises that are intended to improve one's posture, stamina, poise, etc.
- breakfast time — Breakfast time is the period of the morning when most people have their breakfast.
- breast implant — an object such as a sachet filled with gel introduced surgically into a woman's breast to enlarge it
- bring onstream — To bring onstream a plant, mine, oilfield, etc. is to start production there.
- british malaya — a comprehensive term for the former British possessions on the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago: now part of Malaysia.
- cahokia mounds — the largest group of prehistoric Indian earthworks in the US, located northeast of East St Louis
- cairngormstone — (mineral, rare) A yellow or smoky brown variety of rock crystal, found especially in the mountains of w Cairngorm in Scotland.
- calamine brass — an alloy of zinc carbonate and copper, formerly used to imitate gold.
- calumniousness — Calumny.
- cambridge lisp — A flavour of Lisp using BCPL. Sources owned by Fitznorman partners.
- cambridgeshire — a county of E England, in East Anglia: includes the former counties of the Isle of Ely and Huntingdon and lies largely in the Fens: Peterborough became an independent unitary authority in 1998. Administrative centre: Cambridge. Pop (excluding Peterborough): 571 000 (2003 est). Area (excluding Peterborough): 3068 sq km (184 sq miles)
- camelopardalis — a N constellation between Ursa Major and Cassiopeia; the Giraffe
- campaign chest — money collected and set aside for use in a campaign, especially a political one; a campaign fund.
- captain's mast — a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew
- caramelisation — (chiefly British) alternative spelling of caramelization.
- carcinomatosis — a condition characterized by widespread dissemination of carcinomas or by a carcinoma that affects a large area
- carcinosarcoma — a malignant tumour composed of carcinoma and sarcoma
- cardiac muscle — a specialized form of striated muscle occurring in the hearts of vertebrates.
- castrametation — the art of designing and laying out an encampment
- catcher's mitt — the glove worn by the catcher to protect the hands
- catechumenship — the office or position of a catechumen
- cayman islands — three coral islands in the Caribbean Sea northwest of Jamaica: a dependency of Jamaica until 1962, now a UK Overseas Territory. Capital: George Town. Pop: 53 737 (2013 est). Area: about 260 sq km (100 sq miles)
- centenarianism — the situation or condition of being a centenarian
- centripetalism — the movement of things towards a centre
- cephalometrics — The measurement and analysis of the craniofacial area, especially as an aid to dental or orthodontic procedures.
- cervical smear — a smear of cellular material taken from the neck (cervix) of the uterus for detection of cancer
- chemical abuse — the habitual use of a mood-altering drug, alcoholic beverage, etc.
- chemosterilant — any process or chemical compound that can produce sterility, used esp. in insect control
- chemotherapies — Plural form of chemotherapy.
- chemotherapist — One who administers chemotherapy.
- chimney breast — A chimney breast is the part of a wall in a room which is built out round a chimney.
- china syndrome — a hypothetical nuclear-reactor accident in which the fuel would melt through the floor of the containment structure and burrow into the earth.
- chinook salmon — a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, valued as a food fish
- chisholm trail — cattle trail from San Antonio, Tex., to Abilene, Kans.: important from 1865 until the 1880s
- cholestyramine — a drug that reduces and prevents re-absorption of bile in the body
- chondromatosis — a painful and immobilizing condition that affects the joints, in particular the elbow, hip, and knee joints, and results in the synovial tissue becoming cartilaginous
- chrestomathies — Plural form of chrestomathy.
- christian name — Some people refer to their first names as their Christian names.
- christmas bush — any of various trees or shrubs flowering at Christmas and used for decoration
- christmas cake — A Christmas cake is a special cake that is eaten at Christmas in Britain and some other countries.
- christmas card — Christmas cards are cards with greetings, which people send to their friends and family at Christmas.
- christmas club — a savings account in a bank in which regular deposits are made, usually throughout one year, as to provide funds for Christmas shopping.
- christmas fern — an evergreen fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, having dense clusters of stiff fronds growing from a central rootstock.
- christmas rose — an evergreen ranunculaceous plant, Helleborus niger, of S Europe and W Asia, with white or pinkish winter-blooming flowers