17-letter words containing s, t, e, m, c
- south sea company — a British joint stock company that traded in South America in the 18th century. The South Sea Company took over the national debt in return for a monopoly of trade with the South Seas, causing feverish speculation in their stocks, and a financial crash in 1720 (the South Sea Bubble)
- sparc xterminal 1 — (computer) Sun's lowest cost networked Unix desktop, it is board-upgradeable to a SPARC 4. It comes with a choice of frame buffers: 8-bit colour, Turbo GX, or Turbo GX plus. This product was expected to replace the SPARCclassic X. UK availability was planned for March 1995.
- special committee — a committee, as of a legislative body, that is formed to examine and report on a specific bill or issue.
- specific humidity — the ratio of the mass of water vapor in air to the total mass of the mixture of air and water vapor.
- spectromicroscope — a microscope with an attached spectroscope.
- spectrophotometer — an instrument for making photometric comparisons between parts of spectra.
- spectrophotometry — an instrument for making photometric comparisons between parts of spectra.
- spectroradiometer — an instrument for determining the radiant-energy distribution in a spectrum, combining the functions of a spectroscope with those of a radiometer.
- spectrum analyser — an instrument that splits an input waveform into its frequency components, which are then displayed
- spectrum analysis — the determination of the constitution or condition of bodies and substances by means of the spectra they produce.
- spectrum disorder — any of a group of disorders each having symptoms that occur on a continuum and certain features that are shared along its spectrum but that manifest in markedly different forms and degrees. See also autism spectrum disorder.
- speech impediment — speaking disorder
- spore mother cell — a cell from which a spore is produced
- spot announcement — a brief radio or television announcement, usually an advertisement, made by an individual station during or after a network program.
- square centimeter — a unit of area measurement equal to a square measuring one centimeter on each side. 2 , sq. cm. Abbreviation: cm.
- squeegee merchant — a person who attempts to make money by squeegeeing the windscreens of cars that are stopped at traffic lights and then asking for payment
- stand on ceremony — to insist on or act with excessive formality
- stand-up comedian — performer: tells jokes
- steamship company — a company which has a fleet of steamships
- stenothermophilic — growing best within a narrow temperature range.
- storm in a teacup — a violent fuss or disturbance over a trivial matter
- stretch limousine — a limousine that has been lengthened to provide extra seating accommodation and more legroom
- suction lipectomy — the removal of fatty tissue by making a small incision in the skin, loosening the fat layer, and withdrawing it by suction.
- sum and substance — main idea, gist, or point: the sum and substance of an argument.
- supercolumniation — the placing of one order of columns above another.
- support mechanism — any formal system or method of providing support or assistance
- surface treatment — A surface treatment is a process applied to the surface of a material to make it better in some way, for example by making it more resistant to corrosion or wear.
- sweet mock orange — the syringa, Philadelphus coronarius.
- sympathetic magic — magic predicated on the belief that one thing or event can affect another at a distance as a consequence of a sympathetic connection between them.
- telescopic damper — a device with telescopic parts that reduce vibration in a motor vehicle
- tertiary consumer — a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers.
- textual criticism — lower criticism.
- the varsity match — a sporting fixture between Oxford and Cambridge university rugby teams
- three-course meal — A three-course meal is a meal that consists of three parts served one after the other.
- threshing machine — a machine for removing grains and seeds from straw and chaff.
- to come up trumps — If you say that someone came up trumps, you mean that they did something successfully, often when they were not expected to.
- to make sth clear — If you make something clear, you say something in a way that makes it impossible for there to be any doubt about your meaning, wishes, or intentions.
- transcendentalism — transcendental character, thought, or language.
- transdermal patch — a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place: patches at the elbows of a sports jacket.
- triboluminescence — luminescence produced by friction, usually within a crystalline substance.
- trigger mechanism — a physiological or psychological process caused by a stimulus and resulting in a usually severe reaction.
- trucial sheikdoms — an independent federation in E Arabia, formed in 1971, now comprising seven emirates on the S coast (formerly, Pirate Coast or Trucial Coast) of the Persian Gulf, formerly under British protection: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah (joined 1972), and Fujairah. About 32,300 sq. mi. (83,657 sq. km). Capital: Abu Dhabi. Abbreviation: U.A.E.
- uncle tom's cabin — an antislavery novel (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
- uncomfortableness — causing discomfort or distress; painful; irritating.
- uncompassionately — having or showing compassion: a compassionate person; a compassionate letter.
- undercompensation — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- unsympathetically — in a manner that is not characterized by feeling or showing sympathy
- velaric airstream — a current of mouth air produced by the action of the tongue, operant in forming click sounds.
- wimshurst machine — a device for the production of electric charge by electrostatic induction, consisting of two oppositely rotating glass or mica disks carrying metal strips upon which charges are induced and subsequently removed by contact with metallic combs.
- zygomatic process — any of several bony processes that articulate with the cheekbone.