16-letter words containing t, o, s, l, i
- lattice constant — a parameter, either a measure of length or angle, that defines the size and shape of the unit cell of a crystal lattice.
- lawson criterion — (in a hypothetical nuclear fusion reactor) the requirement that in order for the energy produced by fusion to exceed the energy expended in causing the fusion, the product of the density of the fuel and the time during which it is confined at that density (Lawson product) must be greater than a certain number that depends on the kind of fuel used.
- leading question — a question so worded as to suggest the proper or desired answer.
- leconte de lisle — Charles Marie [sharl ma-ree] /ʃarl maˈri/ (Show IPA), 1818–94, French poet.
- legal separation — judicial separation.
- legislative veto — a veto exercised by a legislature nullifying or reversing an action, decision, etc., of the executive branch.
- leptosporangiate — (of ferns) having each sporangium developing from a single cell, rather than from a group, and normally with specialized explosive spore dispersal
- let loose (with) — to set free or give out; release
- levallois-perret — a suburb of Paris, in N France, on the Seine.
- level descriptor — one of a set of criteria used to assess the performance of a pupil in a particular subject
- lexicostatistics — the statistical study of the vocabulary of a language or languages for historical purposes.
- libation-bearers — Choëphori.
- liberal unionist — a Liberal who opposed Gladstone's policy of Irish Home Rule in 1886 and after
- lick observatory — the astronomical observatory of the University of California, situated on Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California, and having a 120-inch (3-meter) reflecting telescope and a 36-inch (91-cm) refracting telescope.
- light microscope — microscope (def 1).
- lighthouse clock — an American mantel clock of the early 19th century, having the dial and works exposed beneath a glass dome on a tapered, cylindrical body.
- lighthouse point — a city in NW Florida.
- lightning stroke — a discharge of lightning between a cloud and the earth, esp one that causes damage
- lignin sulfonate — a brown powder consisting of a sulfonate salt made from waste liquor of the sulfate pulping process of soft wood: used in concrete, leather tanning, as an additive in oil-well drilling mud, and as a source of vanillin.
- limited-stop bus — a bus which only stops at a small number of predetermined stops, rather than on request
- line composition — type produced on a linecaster
- line of position — a line connecting all the possible positions of a ship or aircraft, as determined by a single observation. Abbreviation: LOP.
- linguistic stock — a parent language and all its derived dialects and languages.
- listen to reason — be persuaded
- lloyd's register — a publication, issued annually by Lloyd's, consisting of a list of all of the world's seagoing vessels and including such information as their age, tonnage, and classification.
- loan translation — the process whereby a compound word or expression is created by literal translation of each of the elements of a compound word or expression in another language, as marriage of convenience from French mariage de convenance.
- local oscillator — the oscillator in a superheterodyne receiver whose output frequency is mixed with the incoming modulated radio-frequency carrier signal to produce the required intermediate frequency
- logical constant — one of the connectives of a given system of formal logic, esp those of the sentential calculus, not, and, or, and if … then …
- long time no see — I haven't seen you for a long time
- long-established — having a long history; old
- long-tail claims — Long-tail claims are claims that are made or settled a long time after the insurance policy has expired.
- loose connection — an imperfect electrical connection, as in a plug or car engine
- lose one's shirt — a long- or short-sleeved garment for the upper part of the body, usually lightweight and having a collar and a front opening.
- lost river range — a mountain range in E central Idaho. Highest peak, Borah Peak (also highest in the state), 12,662 feet (3862 meters).
- luminosity class — a classification of stars of a given spectral type according to their luminosity, breaking them down into dwarfs, giants, and supergiants.
- macro-linguistic — a field of study concerned with language in its broadest sense and including cultural and behavioral features associated with language.
- macrolinguistics — a field of study concerned with language in its broadest sense and including cultural and behavioral features associated with language.
- manganese violet — a moderate to strong purple color.
- marginal costing — a method of cost accounting and decision making used for internal reporting in which only marginal costs are charged to cost units and fixed costs are treated as a lump sum
- marine biologist — scientist who studies sea life
- marsupialization — (surgery) The surgical technique of cutting a slit into a cyst and suturing its edges to form a continuous surface from the exterior to the interior of the cyst, allowing it to drain freely.
- medieval history — the branch of history dealing with the Middle Ages
- megakaryoblastic — (cytology) Of or pertaining to a megakaryoblast.
- menstrual period — the bleeding from the womb that occurs approximately monthly in nonpregnant women of reproductive age
- mercator sailing — sailing according to rhumb lines, which appear as straight lines on a Mercator chart.
- microcosmic salt — sodium ammonium phosphate.
- microcrystalline — minutely crystalline; composed of microscopic crystals.
- microelectronics — the technology dealing with the design, development, and construction of electronic systems utilizing extremely small elements, especially solid-state devices employing microminiaturization.
- microencapsulate — (transitive) To embed by means of microencapsulation.
- microlinguistics — the branch of linguistics that is concerned with the study of languages in the abstract, and that looks at specific linguistic data without consideration of meaning