16-letter words containing u, c, e
- ancient monument — a historical building or the remains of one, usually dating from no later than the medieval period, that has been designated as worthy of preservation and is often in the care of a government department
- angular velocity — the velocity of a body rotating about a specified axis measured as the rate of change of the angle subtended at that axis by the path of the body
- anti-consumerism — a modern movement for the protection of the consumer against useless, inferior, or dangerous products, misleading advertising, unfair pricing, etc.
- antibureaucratic — Lb politics Opposed to bureaucracy.
- antilles current — a warm ocean current flowing NW along the N coast of the Greater Antilles and joining the Florida Current off the SW coast of Florida.
- apple-touch-icon — (programming) (apple-touch-icon.png) Apple's default icon (image) used to represent a website, e.g. when saved as a bookmark or on the home screen of an iOS device such as an iPhone or iPad. Apple's scheme allows a site to offer images of different sizes so the client can choose the most appropriate one according to its screen size and resolution. Apple devices and applications completely ignore the favicon.ico de facto standard which, while somewhat quirky in its use of the ico format, has been pretty much universally adopted elsewhere. Conversely, apple-touch-icon.png will be ignored by non-Apple devices, possibly because its 16x16 resolution would look pretty shabby on most smart phones.
- aquidneck island — an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.
- aromatherapeutic — Of or pertaining to aromatherapy.
- around the clock — continuing without pause or interruption: an around-the-clock guard on the prisoner.
- around-the-clock — all day and all night
- arthus' reaction — a severe, local immune reaction to the injection of an antigen in a sensitized host.
- article of virtu — an object that it interesting because of its rarity, beauty or appeal to a connoisseur
- assigned counsel — any private lawyer designated by a city or county court to represent indigent defendants in criminal cases at public expense.
- assisted suicide — suicide committed with the assistance of a physician by a person terminally ill or in unmanageable pain
- 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
- auction pinochle — a variety of pinochle for three to five players in which, for every hand, there are three active players, each dealt 15 cards, with the highest bidder winning the contract and playing against the other two active opponents.
- audience chamber — a room where a monarch or head of state conducts formal interviews
- audience figures — the number of people regularly watching a television programme or listening to a radio programme
- audio conference — a meeting that is conducted by the use of audio telecommunications
- auditory vesicle — the pouch that is formed by the invagination of an ectodermal placode and that develops into the internal ear.
- australopithecus — an extinct genus of small-brained,large-toothed bipedal hominids that lived in Africa between one and four million years ago.
- authentification — The process of making, or establishing as, authentic.
- autoethnographic — Using ethnographic techniques to describe one's own life, or events in which one is a participant.
- autofluorescence — (biology, microscopy) Self-induced fluorescence.
- automatic camera — a camera in which the lens aperture or the shutter speed or both are automatically adjusted to the prevailing conditions
- automatic redial — a telephone service feature whereby the last number dialed is automatically called again, either after a specified time or when activated by the user.
- automatic repeat — a key on the keyboard of a typewriter, computer, etc, which, when depressed continuously, produces the character repeatedly until the key is released
- autostereoscopic — Of or pertaining to autostereoscopy.
- auxiliary police — a part-time reserve attached to a regular police force
- background check — an investigation into a person's origins and previous history
- background noise — any type of noise that is not the sound that you are specifically listening to or monitoring
- background paper — a report or other piece of writing that is intended to provide contextual and historical information that will help people understand a particular topic or situation
- banana republics — any of the small countries in the tropics, especially in the Western Hemisphere, whose economies are largely dependent on fruit exports, tourism, and foreign investors.
- bankruptcy order — a court order appointing a receiver to manage the property of a debtor or bankrupt
- banned substance — In sport, banned substances are drugs that competitors are not allowed to take because they could artificially improve their performance.
- barbecue stopper — a controversial current-affairs issue
- barium carbonate — a white, poisonous, water-insoluble powder, BaCO 3 , used chiefly in the manufacture of rodenticides, paints, and dyes.
- bashkir republic — a constituent republic of E central Russia, in the S Urals: established as the first Soviet autonomous republic in 1919; rich mineral resources. Capital: Ufa. Pop: 4 012 900 (2002). Area: 143 600 sq km (55 430 sq miles)
- basque provinces — an autonomous region of N Spain, comprising the provinces of Álava, Guipúzcoa, and Vizcaya: inhabited mainly by Basques, who retained virtual autonomy from the 9th to the 19th century. Pop: 1 840 700 (2003 est). Area: about 7250 sq km (2800 sq miles)
- bastard culverin — a 16th-century cannon, smaller than a culverin, firing a shot of between 5 and 8 pounds (11 and 17.6 kg).
- be in one's cups — If someone is in their cups, they are drunk.
- becquerel effect — the electromotive force produced by the unequal illumination of two identical electrodes placed in an electrolyte.
- behind the curve — behind the times; behind schedule
- benguela current — a strong ocean current in the South Atlantic, flowing northward along the SW coast of Africa
- bernoulli effect — the decrease in pressure as the velocity of a fluid increases.
- beryllium copper — a copper alloy containing a small amount of beryllium and often some nickel or cobalt, having high strength, hardness, and electrical conductivity.
- big picture, the — a long-range or overall view or account of some complex matter
- binuclear family — a social unit composed of an extended family, usually the children and subsequent spouses of divorced parents.
- biological value — the nutritional effectiveness of the protein in a given food, expressed as the percentage used by the body of either the total protein consumed or the digestible protein available.