16-letter words containing u, p, b, r
- hyperreal number — any of the set of numbers formed by the addition of infinite numbers and infinitesimal numbers to the set of real numbers
- hypersusceptible — hypersensitive (def 2).
- imperturbability — incapable of being upset or agitated; not easily excited; calm: imperturbable composure.
- incorruptibility — not corruptible: incorruptible integrity.
- khakass republic — a constituent republic of S central Russia, formerly in Krasnoyarsk Territory: formed in 1930. Capital: Abakan. Pop: 546 100 (2002). Area: 61 900 sq km (23 855 sq miles)
- library pictures — a caption used to alert viewers that footage being broadcast is from an earlier time and is not happening now
- mari el republic — a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga basin. Capital: Yoshkar-Ola. Pop: 728 000 (2002). Area: 23 200 sq km (8955 sq miles)
- non-reproducible — to make a copy, representation, duplicate, or close imitation of: to reproduce a picture.
- obstreperousness — resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly.
- october surprise — a major event, occurring shortly before a presidential election, which influences the result
- onboard computer — onboard a vehicle, ship, plane, train or spacecraft
- operating budget — money allocated to a project
- outboard profile — an exterior side elevation of a vessel, showing all deck structures, rigging, fittings, etc.
- oversubscription — to subscribe for more of than is available, expected, or required: The charity drive was oversubscribed by several thousand dollars.
- paint-by-numbers — formulaic; showing no original thought or creativity
- paratuberculosis — Johne's disease.
- photograph album — bound book for photos
- pietermaritzburg — a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Capital: Pietermaritzburg.
- pit bull terrier — American Staffordshire terrier.
- planetary nebula — an expanding shell of thin ionized gas that is ejected from and surrounds a hot, dying star of about the same mass as the sun; the gas absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the central star and reemits it as visible light by the process of fluorescence.
- plumber's helper — plunger (def 3).
- potato tuberworm — the larva of the potato moth.
- pourriture noble — noble rot.
- powerfully built — (of a person, esp a man) big and physically strong, with large muscles
- pre-subscription — a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
- pro bono publico — for the public good or welfare.
- prometheus bound — a tragedy (c457 b.c.) by Aeschylus.
- public ownership — ownership by the state; nationalization
- public relations — (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
- public transport — fare-paying travel
- put sb/sth first — If you put someone or something first, you treat or consider them as more important than anything else.
- query by example — (database, language) (QBE) A user-friendly query language developed by Moshé Zloof of IBM in 1975.
- republican party — one of the two major political parties in the U.S.: originated 1854–56.
- republican river — a river flowing E from E Colorado through Nebraska and Kansas into the Kansas River. 422 miles (680 km) long.
- saint petersburg — Also called Russian Empire. Russian Rossiya. a former empire in E Europe and N and W Asia: overthrown by the Russian Revolution 1917. Capital: St. Petersburg (1703–1917).
- schaumburg-lippe — a former state in NW Germany.
- sodium perborate — a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, NaBO 2 ⋅3H 2 O or NaBO 3 ⋅4H 2 O, used chiefly as a bleaching agent and antiseptic.
- southern baptist — a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, founded in Augusta, Georgia, in 1845, that is strictly Calvinistic and active in religious publishing and education.
- sub-postmistress — (in Britain) a woman who runs a sub-post office
- subsistence crop — a food plant which is grown by a farmer for consumption by himself and his family, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
- subtropical high — one of several highs, as the Azores and Pacific highs, that prevail over the oceans at latitudes of about 30 degrees N and S. Also called subtropical anticyclone. Compare high (def 37).
- superb blue wren — a small Australian bird, Malurus cyaneus, the adult male of which has bright blue plumage
- superserviceable — overly disposed to be of service; officious.
- sweet pepperbush — a shrub, Clethra alnifolia, of the eastern and southern coastal U.S., having numerous erect clusters of white or pinkish flowers.
- take by surprise — to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beauty surprised me.
- telephone number — digits dialled to reach sb by phone
- the public purse — money from or controlled by the government
- to bite your lip — If you bite your lip or your tongue, you stop yourself from saying something that you want to say, because it would be the wrong thing to say in the circumstances.
- to blow your top — If someone blows their top, they become very angry about something.
- transport number — that fraction of the total electric current that anions and cations carry in passing through an electrolytic solution.