12-letter words containing s, w
- sea bindweed — a species of bindweed, Calystegia soldanella, which grows on beaches in E North America, Europe, and Asia
- sea crawfish — spiny lobster
- sea lungwort — a plant, Mertensia maritima, of the borage family, growing on northern seacoasts and having leaves with an oysterlike flavor.
- sea milkwort — a maritime plant, Glaux maritima, having small, pinkish-white flowers.
- second world — the world's industrialized nations other than the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
- seismic wave — a wave of energy that is generated by an earthquake or other earth vibration and that travels within the earth or along its surface.
- self-drawing — the act of a person or thing that draws.
- self-powered — (of a machine, vehicle, etc.) having a specified fuel or prime mover: a gasoline-powered engine; an engine-powered pump.
- self-renewal — the act of renewing.
- self-winding — kept wound or wound periodically by a mechanism, as an electric motor or a system of weighted levers, so that winding by hand is not necessary.
- self-worship — reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
- self-wrought — Archaic except in some senses. a simple past tense and past participle of work.
- semantic web — an extension of the World Wide Web in which data is structured and XML-tagged on the basis of its meaning or content, so that computers can process and integrate the information without human intervention: the semantic Web acting as a global database or huge brain.
- sepak takraw — a game originating in South Asia in which two teams kick a ball back and forth over a net
- sergei witte — Sergei Yulievich [sur-gey yool-yuh-vich;; Russian syir-gyey yoo-lyi-vyich] /sɜrˈgeɪ ˈyul yə vɪtʃ;; Russian syɪrˈgyeɪ ˈyu lyɪ vyɪtʃ/ (Show IPA), 1849–1915, Russian statesman.
- series-wound — noting a commutator motor in which the field circuit and armature circuit are connected in series.
- servicewoman — a woman who is a member of the armed forces of a country.
- servile work — work of a physical nature that is forbidden on Sundays and on certain holidays
- sewage works — a place where chemicals are used to clean sewage so that it can then be allowed to go into rivers, etc or used to make manure
- sewing table — a worktable for holding sewing materials, often supplied with a bag or pouch for needlework.
- sewn binding — a style of binding where the backs of the gathered sections are sewn together before being inserted into a cover
- shadow bands — slow-moving waves of light and dark observed to move across light-coloured surfaces on the earth just before and after totality in a solar eclipse. They are thought to originate from the effects of irregular atmospheric refraction
- shadow dance — a dance in which shadows of the dancers are cast on a screen.
- shadow price — the calculated price of a good or service for which no market price exists
- shadowgraphy — the production of a shadowgraph
- sharp-witted — having or showing mental acuity; intellectually discerning; acute.
- shawl collar — a rolled collar and lapel in one piece that curves from the back of the neck down to the front closure of a single-breasted or double-breasted garment.
- shawl tongue — kiltie (def 3).
- shen congwen — 1902–1988, Chinese author.
- shift worker — a person who does shiftwork
- shirtwaister — a tailored blouse or shirt worn by women.
- shittim wood — the wood, probably acacia, of which the ark of the covenant and various parts of the tabernacle were made. Ex. 25, 26.
- shooting war — open conflict between hostile nations involving direct military engagements.
- shop steward — commerce: union rep
- short-winded — short of breath; liable to difficulty in breathing.
- show jumping — sport: horseriding event
- show stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- show the way — guide
- show-stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- show-through — the visibility through paper of what is printed on the other side.
- shower stall — an individual compartment or self-contained unit, having a single shower and accommodating one person.
- showstopping — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- showy orchis — a wild orchid, Orchis spectabilis, of eastern North America, having a spike of showy flowers, each with purple, pink, or white sepals and petals united into a galea and a white lip.
- shut-in well — confined to one's home, a hospital, etc., as from illness.
- siamese twin — (not in technical use) conjoined twin.
- side-wheeler — having a paddle wheel on each side, as a steamboat.
- signal tower — a tower from which railway signals are controlled or displayed
- sinisterwise — in a leftwards direction
- sink or swim — fail or succeed
- sir lawrence — Sir Lawrence Alma-, Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence.