19-letter words containing t, f, o, r
- radioactive fallout — the settling to the ground of airborne particles ejected into the atmosphere from the earth by explosions, eruptions, forest fires, etc., especially such settling from nuclear explosions (radioactive fallout) Compare rainout.
- radius of curvature — the absolute value of the reciprocal of the curvature at a point on a curve.
- rapture of the deep — nitrogen narcosis.
- rate of penetration — The rate of penetration is the speed with which a drill bit can break the rock under it.
- reciprocity failure — a failure of the two exposure variables, light intensity and exposure time, to behave in a reciprocal fashion at very high or very low values
- reference electrode — an electrode of known oxidation potential used in determining the electromotive force of a galvanic cell.
- reflux oesophagitis — inflammation of the gullet caused by regurgitation of stomach acids, producing heartburn: may be associated with a hiatus hernia
- reinforced concrete — concrete containing steel bars, strands, mesh, etc., to absorb tensile and shearing stresses.
- relief organization — humanitarian group
- republic of letters — the collective body of literary people.
- republic of vietnam — the name (from 1955–75) for South Vietnam, as an independent republic, following the division of the country in 1954 into North Vietnam and South Vietnam
- resign oneself (to) — to submit or become reconciled (to); accept (something) passively
- respiratory failure — a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently
- reticular formation — a network of neurons in the brainstem involved in consciousness, regulation of breathing, the transmission of sensory stimuli to higher brain centers, and the constantly shifting muscular activity that supports the body against gravity.
- right-eyed flounder — any of several flatfishes of the family Pleuronectidae, having both eyes on the right side of the head.
- sacrifice operative — a euphemistic term for a suicide bomber
- scare the pants off — to scare extremely
- sea of tranquillity — Astronomy. Mare Tranquillitatis.
- secondary infection — an infection resulting from another infection
- self-administration — the management of any office, business, or organization; direction.
- self-congratulating — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-congratulation — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-congratulatory — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-discrimination — an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.
- self-interpretation — the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication: This writer's work demands interpretation.
- self-reconstruction — an act of reconstructing.
- self-representation — the act of representing.
- self-responsibility — the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
- self-transformation — the act or process of transforming.
- seminiferous tubule — any of the coiled tubules of the testis in which spermatozoa are produced.
- sense of proportion — If someone has a sense of proportion, they know what is really important and what is not.
- sheet flood erosion — Geology. erosion by sheets of running water, rather than by streams.
- shortness of breath — respiratory difficulty
- siberian forest cat — a breed of powerfully-built long-haired cat, typically tabby with a white ruff and white paws
- sign of aggregation — any of the signs used to indicate grouping in an algebraic expression: vinculum, bar, or raised horizontal line, ; a pair of parentheses, (a + b); a pair of brackets, [ a + b ]; or a pair of braces, { a + b }.
- sodium hydrosulfite — a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, Na 2 S 2 O 4 , used as a reducing agent, especially in dyeing, and as a bleach.
- soft-shelled turtle — any of numerous aquatic turtles of the family Trionychidae, inhabiting North America, Asia, and Africa, having the shell covered with flexible, leathery skin instead of horny plates.
- solid of revolution — a three-dimensional figure formed by revolving a plane area about a given axis.
- south african dutch — the Boers.
- south san francisco — a city in central California.
- spare a thought for — If you spare a thought for an unfortunate person, you make an effort to think sympathetically about them and their bad luck.
- specular reflection — Specular reflection is reflection of heat or light in which the angles of different parts of the surface are important.
- spirit of hartshorn — a colorless, pungent, suffocating, aqueous solution of about 28.5 percent ammonia gas: used chiefly as a detergent, for removing stains and extracting certain vegetable coloring agents, and in the manufacture of ammonium salts.
- splinterproof glass — glass that is designed not to form sharp splinters should it be shattered
- spread oneself thin — to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).
- staff-student ratio — the ratio of teachers to pupils or students in a school, college, or university
- stanford university — (education) A University in the city of Palo Alto, California, noted for work in computing, especially artificial intelligence. See SAIL.
- stanford-binet test — a revised version of the Binet-Simon scale, prepared at Stanford University for use in the U.S.
- step-up transformer — a device that transfers an alternating current from one circuit to one or more other circuits with an increase of voltage
- store refurbishment — Store refurbishment happens when a store needs to be redecorated, modernized or the layout changed. The store will often be closed to customers during this time.