0%

19-letter words containing y, a, l, e

  • rayleigh scattering — the scattering of light by particles that are very small in relation to the wavelength of the light, and in which the intensity of the scattered light varies inversely with the fourth power of the wavelength.
  • reciprocity failure — a failure of the two exposure variables, light intensity and exposure time, to behave in a reciprocal fashion at very high or very low values
  • refreshable display — braille display
  • regression analysis — Statistics. a procedure for determining a relationship between a dependent variable, as predicted success in college, and an independent variable, as a score on a scholastic aptitude test, for a given population. The relationship is expressed as an equation for a line (regres·sion·line) or curve (regres·sion·curve) in which any coefficient (regression coefficient) of the independent variable in the equation has been determined from a sample population.
  • research laboratory — place for scientific experimentation
  • respiratory failure — a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently
  • reticulated tracery — tracery consisting in large part of a netlike arrangement of repeated geometrical figures.
  • roosevelt corollary — a corollary (1904) to the Monroe Doctrine, asserting that the U.S. might intervene in the affairs of an American republic threatened with seizure or intervention by a European country.
  • royal correspondent — a journalist who reports on matters relating to royalty
  • rural free delivery — former name for rural delivery service. Abbreviation: R.F.D.
  • safety-squeeze-play — Baseball. Also called suicide squeeze, suicide squeeze play. a play executed when there is a runner on third base and usually not more than one out, in which the runner starts for home as soon as the pitcher makes a motion to pitch, and the batter bunts. Also called safety squeeze, safety squeeze play. a similar play in which the runner on third base waits until the batter has successfully bunted before trying to score.
  • salvage archaeology — the collection of archaeological data and materials from a site in danger of imminent destruction, as from new construction or flooding.
  • san fernando valley — valley in SW Calif., partly in NW Los Angeles: c. 260 sq mi (673 sq km)
  • sea of tranquillity — Astronomy. Mare Tranquillitatis.
  • secondary qualities — one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.
  • see one's way clear — to be willing (to do something)
  • self-congratulatory — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
  • senatorial courtesy — the practice in the U.S. Senate of confirming only those presidential appointees approved by both senators from the state of the appointee, or by the senior senator of the president's party.
  • sequential analysis — the analysis of data obtained from a sample the size of which is not fixed in advance, but is selected based on the outcome of the sampling as it proceeds.
  • sessional indemnity — the remuneration paid to a member of the Canadian parliament.
  • sexual stereotyping — the formation or promotion of a fixed general idea or image of how men and women will behave
  • signalling system 7 — (protocol)   (SS7) A protocol suite used for communication with, and control of, telephone central office switches and their attached processors.
  • simple carbohydrate — a carbohydrate, as glucose, that consists of a single monosaccharide unit.
  • single life annuity — A single life annuity is an annuity where only one life is covered.
  • single-line display — a display that presents information in a single line
  • sleepy hollow chair — an armchair of the mid-19th century, sometimes on rockers, having a single piece forming a high upholstered back and a concave upholstered seat.
  • social security act — a law passed in 1935 providing old-age retirement insurance, a federal-state program of unemployment compensation, and federal grants for state welfare programs.
  • solid-state physics — the branch of physics that deals with the macroscopic physical properties of matter, especially solids; the study of the electromagnetic, structural, and thermodynamic properties of solids.
  • spherical astronomy — the branch of astronomy dealing with the determination of the positions of celestial bodies on the celestial sphere.
  • st. lawrence seaway — a series of channels, locks, and canals between Montreal and the mouth of Lake Ontario, a distance of 182 miles (293 km), enabling most deep-draft vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean, up the St. Lawrence River, to all the Great Lakes ports: developed jointly by the U.S. and Canada.
  • st.-germain-en-laye — a city in N France, near Paris: royal château and forest; treaties 1570, 1632, 1679, 1919.
  • supplementary angle — either of two angles that added together produce an angle of 180°.
  • supplementary story — follow-up (def 3b).
  • suspensory ligament — any of several tissues that suspend certain organs or parts of the body, especially the transparent, delicate web of fibrous tissue that supports the crystalline lens.
  • take sth personally — If you take someone's remarks personally, you are upset because you think that they are criticizing you in particular.
  • tall poppy syndrome — a tendency to disparage any person who has achieved great prominence or wealth
  • talleyrand-perigord — Charles Maurice de [sharl moh-rees duh] /ʃarl moʊˈris də/ (Show IPA), Prince de Bénévent [duh bey-ney-vahn] /də beɪ neɪˈvɑ̃/ (Show IPA), 1754–1838, French statesman.
  • tangential-velocity — the component of the linear motion of a star with respect to the sun, measured along a line perpendicular to its line of sight and expressed in miles or kilometers per second.
  • tetrachloroethylene — a colorless, nonflammable, nonexplosive liquid, C 2 Cl 4 , used as a solvent, especially in dry cleaning.
  • tetrafluoroethylene — a colorless, water-insoluble, flammable gas, C 2 F 4 , used in the synthesis of certain polymeric resins, as Teflon.
  • tetralogy of fallot — a congenital malformation of the heart characterized by an abnormal opening in the septum dividing the ventricles, misplacement of the aorta so that it receives blood from both ventricles instead of only the left ventricle, narrowing of the pulmonary artery, and enlargement of the right ventricle.
  • tetramethyldiarsine — an oily slightly water-soluble poisonous liquid with garlic-like odour. Its derivatives are used as accelerators for rubber
  • the admiralty board — (formerly) a department of the British Ministry of Defence, responsible for the administration and planning of the Royal Navy
  • the almighty dollar — money regarded figuratively as a god, or source of great power
  • the channel country — an area of E central Australia, in SW Queensland: crossed by intermittent rivers and subject to both flooding and long periods of drought
  • the london assembly — the devolved legislature of London, based in City Hall, Southwark
  • theoretical physics — abstract use of physics
  • to blow a raspberry — If you blow a raspberry, you make a sound by putting your tongue out and blowing, in order to insult someone.
  • to go blackberrying — to go on an outing to collect blackberries
  • to hold your breath — If you hold your breath, you make yourself stop breathing for a few moments, for example because you are under water.
Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?