16-letter words containing s, u, a, v
- overcautiousness — the quality or state of being too cautious, wary, or careful
- overenthusiastic — full of or characterized by enthusiasm; ardent: He seems very enthusiastic about his role in the play.
- passive immunity — immunity resulting from the injection of antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes from another organism or, in infants, from the transfer of antibodies through the placenta or from colostrum.
- peter stuyvesant — Peter, 1592–1672, Dutch colonial administrator in the Americas: last governor of New Netherlands 1646–64.
- plutarch's lives — (Parallel Lives) a collection (a.d. 105–15) by Plutarch of short biographies of the leading political figures of ancient Greece and Rome.
- punitive damages — law: penalty payment
- quantitativeness — The state or quality of being quantitative.
- quasi-equivalent — equal in value, measure, force, effect, significance, etc.: His silence is equivalent to an admission of guilt.
- reserve buoyancy — the difference between the volume of a hull below the designed waterline and the volume of the hull below the lowest opening incapable of being made watertight.
- river carpsucker — a carpsucker, Carpiodes carpio, found in silty rivers of the central U.S. south to Mexico.
- san buenaventura — a city in SW California.
- saturation level — carrying capacity.
- save as you earn — (in Britain) a savings scheme which offers a tax-free bonus and allows employees to buy shares in the company they work for at a fixed price
- self-cultivation — the act or art of cultivating.
- self-vulcanizing — to treat (rubber) with sulfur and heat, thereby imparting strength, greater elasticity, durability, etc.
- semiquantitative — partially quantitative.
- sevruga (caviar) — caviar prepared from the small, grayish or black roe of a sturgeon chiefly from the Caspian Sea
- sexual deviation — a type of mental disorder characterized by a preference for or obsession with unusual sexual practices, as pedophilia, sadomasochism, or exhibitionism.
- slugging average — a measure of the effectiveness of a batter in making base hits, obtained by dividing the total bases reached by hitting by the number of official times at bat and carrying out the result to three decimal places. A batter making 275 total bases in 500 times at bat has a slugging average of .550.
- social evolution — the gradual development of society and social forms, institutions, etc., usually through a series of peaceful stages. Compare revolution (def 2).
- south vietnamese — of or relating to the former South Vietnam (now part of Vietnam) or its inhabitants
- state university — a university maintained by the government of a state.
- strawberry guava — a shrub or small tree, Psidium littorale, of the myrtle family, native to Brazil, having smooth, grayish-brown bark, leathery leaves, white flowers, and edible, white-fleshed, purplish-red fruit.
- substantive rank — a permanent rank in the armed services obtained by length of service, selection, etc
- superheavyweight — an amateur boxer weighing more than 91 kg
- superserviceable — overly disposed to be of service; officious.
- surveyor's chain — a series of objects connected one after the other, usually in the form of a series of metal rings passing through one another, used either for various purposes requiring a flexible tie with high tensile strength, as for hauling, supporting, or confining, or in various ornamental and decorative forms.
- swedish vallhund — a small sturdy dog of a Swedish breed with a long body and pricked pointed ears
- texas revolution — a revolutionary movement, 1832–36, in which U.S. settlers asserted their independence from Mexico and established the republic of Texas.
- thaddeus stevens — Alfred, 1817–75, English painter and sculptor.
- the unobservable — something that cannot be observed
- to move a muscle — If you say that someone did not move a muscle, you mean that they stayed absolutely still.
- to speak volumes — If something such as an action speaks volumes about a person or thing, it gives you a lot of information about them.
- transverse flute — the normal orchestral flute, as opposed to the recorder (or fipple flute)
- travel insurance — insurance which covers losses that may be incurred while travelling, such as medical expenses, flight cancellations, lost luggage, etc
- unattractiveness — the condition of not appealing to the senses or mind through beauty, form, character, etc
- unconversational — of, relating to, or characteristic of conversation: a conversational tone of voice.
- ungava peninsula — a peninsula in NW Ungava region, in N Quebec, in E Canada.
- universalization — to make universal.
- unrepresentative — a person or thing that represents another or others.
- vancouver island — an island of SW Canada, off the SW coast of British Columbia: separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound, and from the US mainland by Juan de Fuca Strait; the largest island off the W coast of North America. Chief town: Victoria. Pop: 706 243 (2001). Area: 32 137 sq km (12 408 sq miles)
- vapor combustion — Vapor combustion is a closed burn system used for treating liquid waste which contains volatile organic compounds.
- vascular cambium — cambium.
- vaughan williams — Ralph, 1872–1958, English composer.
- vauxhall gardens — a public garden at Vauxhall, laid out in 1661; a fashionable meeting place and site of lavish entertainments. Closed in 1859
- venus and adonis — a narrative poem (1593) by Shakespeare.
- verruca vulgaris — the common wart.
- vestibular nerve — the part of the auditory nerve in the inner ear that carries sensory information related to body equilibrium.
- vesuvianite jade — a green variety of vesuvianite, used as a gem: not a true jade.
- victorian values — qualities considered to characterize the Victorian period, including enterprise and initiative and the importance of the family