16-letter words containing s, p, t
- speaking trumpet — a trumpet-shaped instrument used to carry the voice a great distance or held to the ear by a deaf person to aid his hearing
- special interest — special-interest group (def 1).
- specific gravity — the ratio of the density of any substance to the density of some other substance taken as standard, water being the standard for liquids and solids, and hydrogen or air being the standard for gases.
- specious present — a short time span in which change and duration are alleged to be directly experienced.
- spectacled cobra — Indian cobra.
- spectrobolometer — an instrument consisting of a spectroscope and a bolometer, for determining the distribution of radiant energy in a spectrum.
- spectrochemistry — the branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical analysis of substances by means of the spectra of light they absorb or emit.
- spectroheliogram — a photograph of the sun made with a spectroheliograph.
- speech community — the aggregate of all the people who use a given language or dialect.
- speech pathology — the scientific study and treatment of defects, disorders, and malfunctions of speech and voice, as stuttering, lisping, or lalling, and of language disturbances, as aphasia or delayed language acquisition.
- speech synthesis — computer-generated audio output that imitates human speech
- speech therapist — sb who treats speaking disorders
- speed networking — the practice of trying to form business connections and contacts through meetings at which individuals are given the opportunity to have several conversations of limited duration with strangers
- spelling mistake — error in writing a word
- sphygmomanometer — an instrument, often attached to an inflatable air-bladder cuff and used with a stethoscope, for measuring blood pressure in an artery.
- sphygmomanometry — an instrument, often attached to an inflatable air-bladder cuff and used with a stethoscope, for measuring blood pressure in an artery.
- spill one's guts — the alimentary canal, especially between the pylorus and the anus, or some portion of it. Compare foregut, midgut, hindgut.
- spin the platter — a game in which one member of a group spins a platter on its edge and a designated member must catch it before it falls or pay a forfeit.
- spinone italiano — one of an Italian breed of large all-purpose hunting dogs having a short wiry coat, solid white or white with light brown or yellow patches in color.
- spiral staircase — stairs that wind round
- spiritual healer — a faith healer
- spiritual incest — marriage or a sexual relationship between persons related by spiritual affinity or with a person under a solemn vow of chastity
- spiritualization — to make spiritual.
- spiritus vinosus — (in prescriptions) spirits of wine; alcohol.
- spit-and-sawdust — (of a pub) shabby, dirty, and basic
- split infinitive — an expression in which there is a word or phrase, especially an adverb or adverbial phrase, between to and its accompanying verb form in an infinitive, as in to readily understand.
- sports equipment — gear used to play sport
- spotted mackerel — a small mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus, of northern Australian waters
- spotted redshank — a sandpiper, Tringa erythropus, which is a large wader with red legs
- spreader-ditcher — a machine for shaping and cleaning roadbeds and ditches and for freeing tracks of ice and snow by plowing and digging.
- spreading center — a linear zone in the sea floor along which magma rises and from which adjacent crustal plates are moving apart.
- spreading factor — a substance, as hyaluronidase, that promotes the diffusion of a material through body tissues
- spring mountains — a mountain range in S Nevada extending to the California border. Highest peak, Charleston Peak. 11,919 feet (3635 meters).
- sprinkler system — apparatus for automatically extinguishing fires in a building, consisting of a system of water pipes in or below the ceilings, with valves or sprinklers usually made to open automatically at a certain temperature.
- stage production — a play or show which is performed on stage
- stalked puffball — a puffball-like mushroom of the genus Tulestoma, maturing in early winter.
- stamp collecting — Stamp collecting is the hobby of building up a collection of stamps.
- stamp collection — the act of collecting postage stamps as a hobby
- standing cypress — a plant, Ipomopsis rubra, of the southern U.S., having feathery leaves and clusters of red and yellow flowers.
- stannic sulphide — an insoluble solid compound of tin usually existing as golden crystals or as a yellowish-brown powder: used as a pigment. Formula: SnS2
- start-up capital — capital used to set up a new business
- start-up company — new business
- state apartments — the most impressive rooms in a palace or mansion, used by royalty, or to receive visiting dignitaries
- state capitalism — a form of capitalism in which the central government controls most of the capital, industry, natural resources, etc.
- state department — state (def 12).
- stationary point — a point on a curve at which the tangent is either horizontal or vertical, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of inflection
- stenothermophile — a stenothermophilic bacterium.
- step out of line — to fail to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc
- stephen f austin — Alfred, 1835–1913, English poet: poet laureate 1896–1913.
- stereomicroscope — stereoscopic microscope.