16-letter words containing t, r, a
- article of faith — If something is an article of faith for a person or group, they believe in it totally.
- article of virtu — an object that it interesting because of its rarity, beauty or appeal to a connoisseur
- artificial blood — a chemical emulsion, capable of carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide, for temporary use as a blood substitute in medical emergencies or when a patient objects to blood transfusions on religious grounds.
- artificial crown — the enamel-covered part of a tooth above the gum
- artificial heart — any of various four-chambered devices, modeled on the human heart, that pump blood by attachment to a power source and that are constructed for temporary external use or for implantation as a temporary or permanent heart replacement.
- artistic license — (legal) The open source license applicable to Perl.
- as a last resort — If you do something as a last resort, you do it because you can find no other way of getting out of a difficult situation or of solving a problem.
- as distinct from — If you say that you are talking about one thing as distinct from another, you are indicating exactly which thing you mean.
- as right as rain — If you say that someone is as right as rain, you mean that they are completely well or healthy again, for example when they have recovered from an illness or a shock.
- ascending rhythm — rising rhythm.
- asparagus beetle — either of two leaf beetles of the genus Crioceris that feed on the asparagus plant in both the larval and adult stages.
- assembly routine — assembler (def 2a).
- assistant editor — a person who assists an editor in their work
- assistant priest — a person who assists a priest in their work or who is not yet fully qualified as a priest
- associate degree — An associate degree is a college degree that is awarded to a student who has completed a two-year course of study.
- associate member — a person who is a member of a club, organization etc. but has only partial rights and privileges or subordinate status
- association area — any of the regions of the cerebral cortex of the brain connected by numerous nerve fibers to all parts of both cerebral hemispheres and coordinating such higher activities as learning and reasoning.
- aston dark space — the dark region between the cathode and the cathode glow in a vacuum tube, occurring when the pressure is low.
- astroarchaeology — archaeoastronomy.
- astroengineering — (scifi) The construction of megastructures in space by technologically advanced beings.
- astrometeorology — the study of the theoretical effects of astronomical bodies and forces on the earth's atmosphere.
- astronomer royal — an honorary title awarded to an eminent British astronomer: until 1972, the Astronomer Royal was also director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory
- astrophotography — the photography of celestial bodies used in astronomy
- at daggers drawn — If you say that two people are at daggers drawn, you mean they are having an argument and are still very angry with each other.
- at full throttle — If you say that something is done at full throttle, you mean that it is done with great speed and enthusiasm.
- at liberty to do — If someone is at liberty to do something, they have been given permission to do it.
- at one's leisure — when one has free time
- at the sharp end — If you say that someone is at the sharp end of a particular activity or type of work, you mean that they are involved in the most difficult or dangerous aspects of it.
- at-risk register — an official list of people or things considered to be exposed to possible threat, such as children in potentially abusive households or historic buildings in need of maintenance
- athanasian creed — a profession of faith widely used in the Western Church which, although formerly attributed to Athanasius, probably originated in Gaul between 381 and 428 ad
- atherothrombotic — (medicine) Pertaining to or caused by atherothrombosis, the sudden disruption of an atherosclerotic plaque.
- atlantic charter — the joint declaration issued by F. D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill on Aug 14, 1941, consisting of eight principles to guide a postwar settlement
- atlantic croaker — a person or thing that croaks.
- atmospheric tide — a movement of atmospheric masses caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon and by daily solar heating.
- atomic structure — the concept of an atom as a central positively charged nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons surrounded by a number of electrons. The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons: the whole entity is thus electrically neutral
- atrioventricular — of, relating to, or affecting both the atria and the ventricles of the heart
- attendance order — (in Britain) an order issued by a court requiring a young offender to attend a specified place at specified times in order to carry out unpaid work, usually as an alternative to being fined
- attitude problem — a frame of mind perceived by others to be hostile or uncooperative
- attorney general — A country's Attorney General is its chief law officer, who advises its government or ruler.
- attorney-in-fact — a person authorized by power of attorney to act on the authorizer's behalf outside a court of law.
- attributive noun — a noun that occurs before and modifies another noun, as toy in toy store or tour in tour group.
- auditory aphasia — aphasia in which there is no comprehension of spoken words; word deafness.
- auditory vesicle — the pouch that is formed by the invagination of an ectodermal placode and that develops into the internal ear.
- aureate language — a style of poetic diction, used originally in 15th-century English poetry, characterized by the use of ornate phrases and Latinized coinages.
- aurora australis — the aurora seen around the South Pole
- australian crawl — a stroke in which the feet are kicked like paddles while the arms reach forward and pull back through the water
- australian rules — a game resembling rugby football, played in Australia between teams of 18 men each on an oval pitch, with a ball resembling a large rugby ball. Players attempt to kick the ball between posts (without crossbars) at either end of the pitch, scoring six points for a goal (between the two main posts) and one point for a behind (between either of two outer posts and the main posts). They may punch or kick the ball and run with it provided that they bounce it every ten yards
- australopithecus — an extinct genus of small-brained,large-toothed bipedal hominids that lived in Africa between one and four million years ago.
- austro-hungarian — of or relating to the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918)
- authoritarianism — Authoritarianism is the state of being authoritarian or the belief that people with power, especially the State, have the right to control other people's actions.