15-letter words containing u, n, b
- rubbing alcohol — a poisonous solution of about 70 percent isopropyl or denatured ethyl alcohol, usually containing a perfume oil, used chiefly in massaging.
- runabout ticket — a rail ticket that allows unlimited travel within a specified area for a limited period of time (for example one day, a weekend, three days, etc)
- running bowline — a type of slipknot formed by running the standing line through the loop formed in a regular bowline
- salisbury plain — a plateau in S England, N of Salisbury: the site of Stonehenge.
- san luis obispo — a city in W California.
- sauvignon blanc — a white grape grown primarily in France and California.
- saviour sibling — a child conceived through IVF and screened for compatibility with a terminally or seriously ill sibling in order to provide organ or cell donations as a form of treatment
- scribaciousness — the quality or state of being scribacious
- scrubbing brush — a handheld brush with short stiff bristles, used esp for scrubbing floors
- sebaceous gland — any of the cutaneous glands that secrete oily matter for lubricating hair and skin.
- second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
- self-combustion — the act or process of burning.
- self-subsisting — to exist; continue in existence.
- serous membrane — any of various thin membranes, as the peritoneum, that line certain cavities of the body and exude a serous fluid.
- sesquicarbonate — a salt intermediate in composition between a carbonate and a bicarbonate or consisting of the two combined.
- siberian squill — a bulbous, Eurasian plant, Scilla siberica, of the lily family, having nodding, deep blue flowers.
- silicone rubber — any of the synthetic rubbers made from silicone elastomers.
- sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
- sliver building — a very narrow skyscraper designed in response to restriction of the building site or zoning, frequently containing only a single apartment per floor or comparably limited office space.
- snubfin dolphin — Australian dolphin with a small dorsal fin
- sodium benzoate — a white crystalline soluble compound used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in preserving food (E211), as an antiseptic, and in making dyes and pharmaceuticals. Formula: (C6H5COO)Na
- sound as a bell — in perfect condition
- sound symbolism — a nonarbitrary connection between phonetic features of linguistic items and their meanings, as in the frequent occurrence of close vowels in words denoting smallness, as petite and teeny-weeny.
- southern blight — a disease of peanuts, tomatoes, and other plants, caused by a fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii, affecting the roots and resulting in rapid wilting.
- spinach-rhubarb — an Ethiopian plant, Rumex abyssinicus, of the buckwheat family, having leaves that are sometimes used as spinach and leafstalks sometimes used as rhubarb.
- spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
- stable equation — a differential equation each solution of which tends to zero as the independent variable increases to infinity. Compare transient (def 6).
- stumbling block — an obstacle or hindrance to progress, belief, or understanding.
- sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- sub-machine gun — a lightweight automatic or semiautomatic gun, fired from the shoulder or hip.
- subalimentation — hypoalimentation.
- subcivilization — a division of a civilization
- subclavian vein — either of a pair of veins, one on each side of the body, that return blood from the arms to the heart.
- subcommissioner — a member of a subcommission
- subconjunctival — the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids.
- subcontraoctave — the octave below the contraoctave, which is three octaves below the middle C octave on a standard keyboard
- subduction zone — an act or instance of subducting; subtraction or withdrawal.
- subintellection — an implication that is more or less understood
- subintelligence — below average intelligence
- subject heading — a title or heading of a category, esp in a bibliography or index
- subject pronoun — pronoun in nominative case
- subject-raising — a rule that moves the subject of a complement clause into the clause in which it is embedded, as in the derivation of He is likely to be late from It is likely that he will be late
- sublapsarianism — infralapsarianism.
- subminimum wage — See example at subminimum (def 1).
- suboptimization — a situation which is less than optimal
- suborganization — an organization within a larger organization
- subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
- subsidiary coin — a coin, especially one made of silver, having a value less than that of the monetary unit.
- substance abuse — long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction.
- substantiatable — to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiate a charge.