13-letter words containing u, f, o, l
- fluorohydride — (inorganic chemistry) An compound formed by the addition of the elements of hydrogen fluoride.
- fluoroplastic — any of the plastics, as Teflon, in which hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon chains are replaced by fluorine atoms.
- fluoroscoping — Present participle of fluoroscope.
- fluoroscopist — One who carries out fluoroscopy.
- flutterboards — Plural form of flutterboard.
- flying column — (formerly) a force of troops equipped and organized to move swiftly and independently of a principal unit to which it is attached.
- focal seizure — an epileptic manifestation arising from a localized anomaly in the brain, as a small tumor or scar, and usually involving a single motor or sensory mechanism but occasionally spreading to other areas and causing convulsions and loss of consciousness.
- fold function — (programming) In functional programming, fold or "reduce" is a kind of higher-order function that takes as arguments a function, an initial "accumulator" value and a data structure (often a list). In Haskell, the two flavours of fold for lists, called foldl and foldr are defined like this: foldl :: (a -> b -> a) -> a -> [b] -> a foldl f z [] = z foldl f z (x:xs) = foldl f (f z x) xs foldr :: (a -> b -> b) -> b -> [a] -> b foldr f z [] = z foldr f z (x:xs) = f x (foldr f z xs) In both cases, if the input list is empty, the result is the value of the accumulator, z. If not, foldl takes the head of the list, x, and returns the result of recursing on the tail of the list using (f z x) as the new z. foldr returns (f x q) where q is the result of recursing on the tail. The "l" and "r" in the names refer to the associativity of the application of f. Thus if f = (+) (the binary plus operator used as a function of two arguments), we have: foldl (+) 0 [1, 2, 3] = (((0 + 1) + 2) + 3 (applying + left associatively) and foldr (+) 0 [1, 2, 3] = 0 + (1 + (2 + 3)) (applying + right associatively). For +, this makes no difference but for an non-commutative operator it would.
- foldoc source — The source text of FOLDOC is a single plain text file. FOLDOC is also available on paper from your local printer but, at 700,000+ words, that would be about 2000 pages.
- fontainebleau — a town in N France, SE of Paris: famous palace, long a favorite residence of French kings; extensive forest.
- food supplies — food obtained for a household or for a country, an expedition, etc
- fooling about — the act of speaking or acting in a playful, teasing, or jesting manner
- for values of — (jargon) A common rhetorical maneuver at MIT is to use any of the canonical random numbers as placeholders for variables. "The max function takes 42 arguments, for arbitrary values of 42". "There are 69 ways to leave your lover, for 69 = 50". This is especially likely when the speaker has uttered a random number and realises that it was not recognised as such, but even "non-random" numbers are occasionally used in this fashion. A related joke is that pi equals 3 - for small values of pi and large values of 3. This usage probably derives from the programming language MAD (Michigan Algorithm Decoder), an ALGOL-like language that was the most common choice among mainstream (non-hacker) users at MIT in the mid-1960s. It had a control structure FOR VALUES OF X = 3, 7, 99 DO ... that would repeat the indicated instructions for each value in the list (unlike the usual FOR that generates an arithmetic sequence of values). MAD is long extinct, but similar for-constructs still flourish (e.g. in Unix's shell languages).
- forced labour — labour done because of force; compulsory labour
- forgetfulness — apt to forget; that forgets: a forgetful person.
- fork luncheon — déjeuner à la fourchette.
- formula algol — An ALGOL extension for symbolic mathematics, strings and lists, developed by A.J. Perlis and R. Iturriaga at Carnegie for the CDC G-20 in 1962.
- formulaically — made according to a formula; composed of formulas: a formulaic plot.
- formularising — Present participle of formularise.
- formularistic — relating to formularization
- formularizing — Present participle of formularize.
- fort moultrie — William, 1730–1805, U.S. general.
- fortuneteller — a person who claims the ability to predict the future.
- fossiliferous — bearing or containing fossils, as rocks or strata.
- foul-smelling — having a very unpleasant smell
- foul-tempered — frequently and unnecessarily sullen or angry
- four-wheeling — traveling in a vehicle using four-wheel drive.
- foursome reel — a lively Scottish dance for two couples who combine in square and circular formations
- fouta djallon — a highland pastoral region in West Africa, in central Guinea, also in Sierra Leone and Liberia. 30,000 sq. mi. (77,700 sq. km).
- fractocumulus — low ragged slightly bulbous cloud, often appearing below nimbostratus clouds during rain
- frivolousness — characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.
- frontal gyrus — any of several convolutions on the outer surface of the frontal lobe of the cerebrum.
- fuel air bomb — a type of bomb that spreads a cloud of gas, which is then detonated, over the target area, causing extensive destruction
- fuel injector — injector (def 2b).
- full of beans — the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
- full throttle — used in the phrase at full throttle, at full speed or with great intensity
- full-bottomed — (of a wig) long at the back
- full-flavored — Full-flavored food or wine has a pleasant fairly strong taste.
- full-throated — A full-throated sound coming from someone's mouth, such as a shout or a laugh, is very loud.
- funambulation — the act of walking on a tightrope; funambulism
- funambulatory — relating to tightrope-walking
- functionalise — to make functional.
- functionalism — (usually initial capital letter) Chiefly Architecture, Furniture. a design movement evolved from several previous movements or schools in Europe in the early 20th century, advocating the design of buildings, furnishings, etc., as direct fulfillments of material requirements, as for shelter, repose, or the serving of food, with the construction, materials, and purpose clearly expressed or at least not denied, and with aesthetic effect derived chiefly from proportions and finish, purely decorative effects being excluded or greatly subordinated. the doctrines and practices associated with this movement. Compare rationalism (def 4).
- functionalist — a person who advocates, or works according to, the principles of functionalism.
- functionality — of or relating to a function or functions: functional difficulties in the administration.
- functionalize — to make functional.
- funemployment — the condition of a person who enjoys being out of work
- futtock plate — a metal plate placed perpendicular to the top of a ship's lower mast to hold the futtock shrouds.
- futurological — Pertaining to futurology.
- geminiflorous — having flowers arranged in pairs.