12-letter words containing s, p, e, d
- semideponent — (of a Latin verb) active in meaning but passive in form in the perfect tense
- semipellucid — somewhat pellucid; partially translucent or transparent
- send packing — to dismiss peremptorily
- serendipiter — an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
- shadow price — the calculated price of a good or service for which no market price exists
- sharp-witted — having or showing mental acuity; intellectually discerning; acute.
- sheepherding — the act of herding or tending sheep
- shepherd boy — male child who herds sheep
- shepherd dog — sheepdog.
- shepherdless — lacking a shepherd
- shepherdling — a young or little shepherd
- shop steward — commerce: union rep
- shoulder pad — clothing: insert in shoulder
- siderography — the art or technique of engraving on steel.
- siderophilic — having characteristics of siderophile
- sidesplitter — something that is uproariously funny, as a joke or a situation.
- sidestepping — the act of ascending or descending by facing sideways and lifting each ski alternately
- simpleminded — free of deceit or guile; artless or unsophisticated.
- skip welding — a technique of spacing welds on thin structural members in order to balance and minimize internal stresses due to heat.
- sleep around — to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.
- slipped disc — displaced spinal disc
- slipped disk — herniated disk.
- slippery dip — a long slide at a playground or funfair
- sloop-rigged — (of a sailboat) fore-and-aft rigged with a mainsail and a jib.
- sloped roman — a roman (vertical) typeface, usually sans serif, i.e. without the small, decorative, terminal strokes with which some typefaces are designed. The typeface is made to slope (usually to the right), but not generally to the same degree as a true italic typeface
- snake-hipped — having thin, sinuous hips.
- snow leopard — a long-haired, leopardlike feline, Panthera (Uncia) uncia, of mountain ranges of central Asia, having a relatively small head and a thick, creamy-gray coat with rosette spots: an endangered species.
- spade guinea — a guinea decorated with a spade-shaped shield, coined during the reign of George III
- spatter dash — roughcast (def 1).
- spatter-dash — Also called spatter dash. an exterior wall finish composed of mortar and fine pebbles mixed together and dashed against the wall. Compare pebble dash.
- spearheading — the sharp-pointed head that forms the piercing end of a spear.
- speckledness — the characteristic of being speckled
- speech sound — any of the set of distinctive sounds of a given language. Compare phoneme.
- speed camera — device that detects speeding traffic
- speed dating — an organized social event in which participants have one-on-one conversations typically limited to less than ten minutes, for the purpose of meeting people they would like to date.
- speedballing — the practice of taking cocaine and heroin together intravenously
- speedboating — the act, practice, or sport of traveling in a speedboat.
- speedskating — a form of ice skating in which contestants race against each other or the clock over various distances
- speedwriting — a system of shorthand that is based on the sound of words and utilizes letters of the alphabet rather than symbols.
- spellbinding — to hold or bind by or as if by a spell; enchant; entrance; fascinate.
- spermaticide — spermicide.
- spermatocide — spermicide.
- spermatozoid — a motile male gamete produced in an antheridium.
- 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.
- spider's web — a mesh of fine tough scleroprotein threads built by a spider from a liquid secreted from its spinnerets and used to trap insects
- spiderhunter — any of several sunbirds of the genus Arachnothera, of southern Asia and the East Indies, having dull-colored plumage and a long bill.
- spindle file — a device for holding bills, memos, etc., having a projecting metal spike or hooked object on which to stick papers.
- spindle side — the female side or line of descent of a family; distaff side (opposed to spear side).
- spindle tree — any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Euonymus, esp E. europaeus, of Europe and W Asia, typically having red fruits and yielding a hard wood formerly used in making spindles: family Celastraceae
- spinsterhood — Disparaging and Offensive. a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying.