15-letter words containing s
- asbestos cement — a compound of asbestos fiber and Portland cement formerly used for various nonstructural building purposes.
- ascending colon — the first portion of the colon, beginning at the cecum in the lower right abdominal cavity and continuing upward along the right posterior abdominal wall to approximately the lower ribs.
- ascending scale — a scale that is rising in pitch
- asclepiadaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Asclepiadaceae, a family of mostly tropical and subtropical flowering plants, including the milkweed and swallowwort, having pollen in the form of a waxy mass (pollinium): now usually regarded as a subfamily of the Apocynaceae
- ascribed status — the social position assigned to a person on the basis of kinship, ethnic group, sex, etc.
- asiago (cheese) — a hard, dry, sharply flavored cheese originally of N Italy
- asian influenza — pandemic influenza caused by a strain of the influenza virus first isolated in Singapore in 1957
- asian shorthair — a generic term for a group of breeds of short-haired cat of Burmese type, including the Bombay
- asiatic cholera — cholera (def 1).
- assemblypersons — Plural form of assemblyperson.
- asset-stripping — If a person or company is involved in asset-stripping, they buy companies cheaply, sell off their assets to make a profit, and then close the companies down.
- assign a policy — If you assign a policy, you transfer legal ownership of an insurance policy to another person.
- assimilationism — the theory of promoting the incorporation and mixing of different groups in society
- assimilationist — a person who favours and promotes the incorporation and mixing of different groups in society
- assistant judge — a person who assists a judge in their work or who is not yet fully qualified as a judge
- assisted living — Assisted living is a type of housing specially designed for people who need help in their everyday lives, but who do not need specialist nursing care. In assisted living facilities, residents live in independent rooms or apartments, but receive help with day-to-day activities, for example bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and taking their medicines.
- association law — any law governing the association of ideas
- assured tenancy — an agreement between a government-approved body such as a housing association and a tenant for occupation of a newly-built house or flat at an agreed market rent, under which the tenant has security of tenure
- astrobiologists — Plural form of astrobiologist.
- astrodynamicist — a person who studies astrodynamics
- astronautically — In an astronautic way.
- astronavigation — celestial navigation
- astrophotograph — a photograph of the heavenly bodies
- astrophotometry — the measurement of the intensity of light of celestial objects.
- astrophysically — from an astrophysical point of view
- astrophysicists — Plural form of astrophysicist.
- 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.
- at death's door — If you say that someone is at death's door, you mean they are very ill indeed and likely to die.
- at first glance — If you say that something is true or seems to be true at first glance, you mean that it seems to be true when you first see it or think about it, but that your first impression may be wrong.
- at full stretch — If you are at full stretch, your arm is straight and extended as far as possible, usually because you are trying to reach something that is almost too far away.
- at pistol point — being under or using the threat of being shot
- at right angles — If two things are at right angles, they are situated so that they form an angle of 90° where they touch each other. You can also say that one thing is at right angles to another.
- at sb's bidding — If you do something at someone's bidding, you do it because they have asked you to do it.
- at sbs instance — If you do something at someone's instance, you do it because they have ordered or requested you to do it.
- at short notice — Notice is used in expressions such as 'at short notice', 'at a moment's notice' or 'at twenty-four hours' notice', to indicate that something can or must be done within a short period of time.
- at the controls — If someone is at the controls of a machine or other piece of equipment, they are operating it.
- at the earliest — At the earliest means not before the date or time mentioned.
- at the hands of — If someone experiences a particular kind of treatment, especially unpleasant treatment, at the hands of a person or organization, they receive it from them.
- at your service — You can use 'at your service' after your name as a formal way of introducing yourself to someone and saying that you are willing to help them in any way you can.
- atherosclerosis — a degenerative disease of the arteries characterized by patchy thickening of the inner lining of the arterial walls, caused by deposits of fatty material; a form of arteriosclerosis
- atherosclerotic — Of, pertaining to, or afflicted with atherosclerosis.
- athlete's heart — enlargement of the heart, caused by continued, heavy physical exertion
- athletic sports — sports, esp track and field events, in which athleticism is required
- atlantic salmon — a valuable food and game fish, Salmo salar, mainly of northern coastal Atlantic waters or, when spawning, in freshwater streams tributary to the ocean.
- atlas mountains — a mountain system of N Africa, between the Mediterranean and the Sahara. Highest peak: Mount Toubkal, 4165 m (13 664 ft)
- atmospherically — pertaining to, existing in, or consisting of the atmosphere: atmospheric vapors.
- atrabiliousness — The state or quality of being characterized by melancholy or glumness.