15-letter words containing s, t, e, m
- aristotelianism — a philosophical tradition based on the wide-ranging belief system of Aristotle
- armaments depot — a store for armaments
- armes parlantes — arms using devices to illustrate the name of the bearers, such as a rose and a wall to illustrate the name Rosewall
- arms inspection — the official checking of a country's weapons and other military equipment, usually to check that international agreements have been respected
- army-navy store — a retail store selling a stock of surplus army, naval, and other military apparel and goods, often at bargain rates.
- arrest judgment — to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error
- arrondissements — Plural form of arrondissement.
- asbestos cement — a compound of asbestos fiber and Portland cement formerly used for various nonstructural building purposes.
- astrophotometry — the measurement of the intensity of light of celestial objects.
- asymmetric bars — a pair of wooden or fibreglass bars placed parallel to each other but set at different heights, for various exercises
- asymmetric time — musical time consisting of an odd number of beats in each bar divided into uneven combinations, such as 3 + 2, 4 + 3, 2 + 3 + 2, etc
- as…as they come — the most characteristic example of a class or type
- at arm's length — If you hold something at arm's length, you hold it away from your body with your arm straight.
- atmospherically — pertaining to, existing in, or consisting of the atmosphere: atmospheric vapors.
- augmented sixth — an interval greater than a major sixth by a chromatic half step.
- augusta emerita — a market town in W Spain, in Extremadura, on the Guadiana River: founded in 25 bc; became the capital of Lusitania and one of the chief cities of Iberia. Pop: 52 110 (2003 est)
- autotransformer — a transformer in which part of the winding is common to both primary and secondary circuits
- ballet mistress — a woman who teaches and rehearses the dancers in a ballet company
- bangtail muster — a roundup of cattle to be counted, each one having the hairs on its tail docked as it is counted
- baptism of fire — If someone who has just begun a new job has a baptism of fire, they immediately have to cope with very many severe difficulties and obstacles.
- barium stearate — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, Ba(C 18 H 35 O 2) 2 , used chiefly as a waterproofing agent and as a lubricant.
- barium sulphate — a white insoluble fine dense powder, used as a pigment, as a filler for paper, rubber, etc, and in barium meals. Formula: BaSO4
- basic statement — protocol (def 6).
- basidiomycetous — belonging or pertaining to the basidiomycetes.
- bathing costume — A bathing costume is a piece of clothing that is worn for swimming, especially by women and girls.
- bathroom scales — scales typically kept in a bathroom for people to weigh themselves
- be of two minds — to be undecided or irresolute
- beat one's gums — to talk much and idly
- beat one's meat — to masturbate
- before the mast — as an apprentice seaman
- beside the mark — not striking the point aimed at
- best-ball match — a match, scored by holes, in which one player competing against two or more others must score lower than the lowest scoring opponent to win a hole.
- bide one's time — to wait patiently for an opportunity
- billings method — a natural method of birth control that involves examining the colour and viscosity of the cervical mucus to discover when ovulation is occurring
- biogeochemistry — the science of biological, chemical, and geological aspects of the environment
- black september — a Palestinian Terrorist group, responsible for the assassinations of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games at Munich in 1972
- blossom-end rot — a disease of tomato and pepper caused by a deficiency of calcium, characterized by decay at the blossom end of the fruit.
- bohemian forest — a mountain range between the SW Czech Republic and SE Germany. Highest peak: Arber, 1457 m (4780 ft)
- boom-bust cycle — A boom-bust cycle is a series of events in which a rapid increase in business activity in the economy is followed by a rapid decrease in business activity, and this process is repeated again and again.
- boston marriage — (especially in 19th-century New England) an intimate friendship between two women often maintaining a household together.
- boston massacre — an outbreak (1770) in Boston against British troops, in which a few citizens were killed
- box the compass — to name the compass points in order
- break statement — (programming) A statement in the C programming language that transfers control out of the innermost enclosing switch, while, do, or for statement. The statement also exists in languages derived from C, such as C++ and Java.
- british america — British North America.
- british telecom — the popular name for British Telecommunications Group plc, the dominant fixed line telecommunications and broadband internet provider in the United Kingdom
- brother-in-arms — a fellow soldier or comrade in a shared struggle
- bum someone out — to upset, distress, annoy, depress, bore, etc. someone
- bury st edmunds — a market town in E England, in Suffolk. Pop: 36 218 (2001)
- butcher's-broom — a liliaceous evergreen shrub, Ruscus aculeatus, that has stiff prickle-tipped flattened green stems, which resemble and function as true leaves. The plant was formerly used for making brooms
- cactus geranium — a plant, Pelargonium echinatum, of the geranium family, native to southern Africa, having prickly stipules and white or reddish flowers.