12-letter words containing s, r, u
- auger shower — a shower of electrons, photons, etc. resulting from the collision of primary cosmic rays with atomic nuclei in the atmosphere
- aurene glass — an iridescent American art glass colored gold and blue.
- austin friar — one of the Hermits of St. Augustine.
- australasian — Australasian means belonging or relating to Australasia or to its people.
- australopith — (archaeology, anthropology, paleonotology) Of or pertaining to the extinct hominid primates, of the genus Australopithecus, from the Pleistocene period.
- austronesian — of or relating to Austronesia, its peoples, or their languages
- auto-erotism — the arousal and satisfaction of sexual excitement within or by oneself, as by masturbation.
- autochangers — Plural form of autochanger.
- autodestruct — likely to or possessing the power to destroy or obliterate itself or its possessor
- autodiallers — Plural form of autodialler.
- autoexposure — A device that sets the exposure automatically on a camera or other piece of equipment.
- automorphism — the practice of seeing others as having the same characteristics as oneself
- autorickshaw — (in India) a light three-wheeled vehicle driven by a motorcycle engine
- avariciously — characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous.
- avascularity — the condition of having few blood vessels or of being without blood vessels
- aviculturist — A person who keeps and rears (breeds) birds.
- backpressure — a resistant pressure exerted by liquid or gas against the forward motion or flow of an exhaust or pipe system: Careful control of backpressure ensures an even supply of oil from the well.
- badger skunk — hog-nosed skunk (def 1).
- badger-skunk — Also called badger skunk, rooter skunk. a large, naked-muzzled skunk, Conepatus mesoleucus, common in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having a black coat with one broad white stripe down the back and tail.
- banana shrub — a tall Chinese shrub, Michelia figo, of the magnolia family, having cream-yellow flowers with a reddish edge and a strong banana odor.
- bankruptcies — Plural form of bankruptcy.
- barbados nut — an ornamental, tropical American tree, Jatropha curcas, of the spurge family, having ivylike leaves, small, yellow or greenish-yellow flowers, and olive-shaped fruit yielding a purgative, poisonous oil.
- barbecue set — a set of tools used for barbecuing
- barbiturates — any of a group of barbituric acid derivatives, used in medicine as sedatives and hypnotics.
- bardolatrous — relating to or characterized by bardolatry
- barge course — the overhang of the gable end of a roof
- barley sugar — Barley sugar is a sweet made from boiled sugar.
- barquisimeto — a city in NW Venezuela. Pop: 1 009 000 (2005 est)
- barratrously — In a barratrous manner.
- basque shirt — a knitted pullover shirt having a crew neck, long or short sleeves, and a pattern of horizontal stripes.
- bean sprouts — the sprouts of newly germinated mung beans, eaten as a vegetable, esp in Chinese dishes
- beardtongues — Plural form of beardtongue.
- bearskin rug — the pelt of a bear, used as a rug
- beaufort sea — part of the Arctic Ocean off the N coast of North America
- beaumarchais — Pierre Augustin Caron de (pjɛr oɡystɛ̃ karɔ̃ də). 1732–99, French dramatist, noted for his comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784)
- beauty strip — a narrow forest corridor left uncut alongside a road or body of water.
- behaviourism — Behaviourism is the belief held by some psychologists that the only valid method of studying the psychology of people or animals is to observe how they behave.
- belly-buster — belly flop.
- bevel square — a woodworker's square with an adjustable arm that can be set to mark out an angle or to check the slope of a surface
- bhubaneshwar — a state in E India. 60,136 sq. mi. (155,752 sq. km). Capital: Bhubaneshwar.
- bio-security — the precautions taken to protect against the spread of lethal or harmful organisms and diseases
- biohazardous — a pathogen, especially one used in or produced by biological research.
- bird's mouth — a right-angled notch cut in the underside of a rafter for fitting over a longitudinal member, as a wall plate.
- biscuit ware — unglazed earthenware
- black grouse — a large N European grouse, Lyrurus tetrix, the male of which has a bluish-black plumage and lyre-shaped tail
- black spruce — a coniferous tree, Picea mariana, of the northern regions of North America, growing mostly in cold bogs and having dark green needles
- black sucker — a hog sucker, Hypentelium nigricans, of eastern U.S. streams.
- blister rust — a disease of certain pines caused by rust fungi of the genus Cronartium, causing swellings on the bark from which orange masses of spores are released
- blue springs — a town in W Missouri.
- blue succory — a composite garden plant, Catananche caerulea, of southern Europe, having very hairy leaves and blue flower heads, used by the ancients as a love potion.