15-letter words containing u, p, r, a
- saturated vapor — a vapor whose temperature and pressure are such that any compression of its volume at constant temperature causes it to condense to liquid at a rate sufficient to maintain a constant pressure.
- sb's trump card — Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone.
- schopenhauerian — Arthur [ahr-too r] /ˈɑr tʊər/ (Show IPA), 1788–1860, German philosopher.
- schopenhauerism — the philosophy of Schopenhauer, who taught that only the cessation of desire can solve the problems arising from the universal impulse of the will to live.
- secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
- seleucia pieria — an ancient port in Syria, on the River Orontes: the port of Antioch, of military importance during the wars between the Ptolemies and Seleucids; largely destroyed by earthquake in 526; site of present-day Samandaǧ (Turkey)
- self-persuasion — the act of persuading or seeking to persuade.
- serum hepatitis — hepatitis B.
- shoulder weapon — a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- slumpflationary — of or relating to slumpflation
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- snapping turtle — either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
- southern paiute — See under Paiute (def 2).
- spawning ground — a place where fish deposit their eggs for fertilization
- special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
- 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.
- splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
- stamping ground — a habitual or favorite haunt.
- static pressure — the pressure exerted by a fluid that is not moving or flowing.
- steak au poivre — pepper steak (def 2).
- stirrup leather — the strap that holds the stirrup of a saddle.
- streptobacillus — any of various bacilli that form in chains.
- studio portrait — a photograph of a person taken in a studio
- 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.
- sublapsarianism — infralapsarianism.
- subperiosteally — the normal investment of bone, consisting of a dense, fibrous outer layer, to which muscles attach, and a more delicate, inner layer capable of forming bone.
- subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
- substratosphere — the upper troposphere.
- sulphinpyrazone — a uricosuric drug with molecular formula C23H20N2O3S, used in the treatment of chronic gout
- sulphurous acid — an unstable acid produced when sulphur dioxide dissolves in water: used as a preservative for food and a bleaching agent. Formula: H2SO3
- sumatra camphor — borneol.
- super-sexuality — sexual character; possession of the structural and functional traits of sex.
- superabundantly — very or too abundantly
- superbureaucrat — an important or highly powerful bureaucrat
- superexaltation — extreme or supreme exaltation; the act of superexalting; the process or condition of being superexalted
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- supergiant star — Astronomy. an exceptionally luminous star whose diameter is more than 100 times that of the sun, as Betelgeuse or Antares.
- superindividual — greater than the individual
- superior planet — any of the five planets whose orbits are outside the orbit of the earth, namely, the planets Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
- supernaturalism — supernatural character or agency.
- supernaturalist — supernatural character or agency.
- supernaturality — the quality or state of being supernatural; supernaturalism.
- supernaturalize — to make supernatural; give supernatural character or qualities to.
- superordination — Logic. the relation between a universal proposition and a particular proposition of the same quality containing the same terms in the same order.
- superparasitism — the parasitic deposit of eggs on a host already parasitized by a different member of the same species
- superpatriotism — the quality of being superpatriotic
- superplasticity — the phenomenon, exhibited by certain metals and alloys usually at high temperatures, of stretching to extreme lengths without breaking
- superspecialist — a highly skilled specialist