15-letter words containing ac
- acoustic screen — a fabric-covered, double-sided screen used in open areas such as offices to absorb noise
- acoustical tile — tile made in various sizes and textures from soft, usually fibrous, sound-absorbing material, as wood, cork, or metal, and typically applied to ceilings or walls.
- acousticophobia — Fear of noise.
- acoustoelectric — electroacoustic.
- acquisitiveness — tending or seeking to acquire and own, often greedily; eager to get wealth, possessions, etc.: our acquisitive impulses; acquisitive societies.
- acrimoniousness — The quality of being resentful or cynical.
- acroanaesthesia — (pathology) Loss of sensation in the extremities.
- act of congress — a law that has been passed by both houses of the US Congress and signed by the president; if the president has chosen to veto the bill, it can be passed by a two-thirds majority in Congress
- actinide series — a series of 15 radioactive elements with increasing atomic numbers from actinium to lawrencium
- actinium series — a radioactive decay series that starts with uranium-235 and ends with lead-207
- actinochemistry — the branch of chemistry dealing with actinism; photochemistry.
- actinopterygian — belonging or pertaining to the Actinopterygii, a group of bony fishes.
- action painting — a development of abstract expressionism evolved in the 1940s, characterized by broad vigorous brush strokes and accidental effects of thrown, smeared, dripped, or spattered paint
- action reporter — a news reporter who reports to the public on matters of special interest to the consumer.
- action stations — the positions taken up by individuals in preparation for or during a battle
- active hydrogen — hydrogen in the form of single atoms, rather than molecules, which makes it extremely reactive.
- active immunity — immunity (to a disease) due to the production of antibodies by the body
- activity method — a type of teaching in which students acquire knowledge and understanding by participating in a set of specially designed activities, rather than by passively listening to a teacher
- activity series — a table of metals, listed in the order of their ability to replace other metals while in solution
- actual argument — (programming) A value, expression, or reference passed to a function or subroutine when it is called and which replaces or is bound to the corresponding formal argument. See: argument.
- acute bisectrix — See under bisectrix (def 1).
- acyclic terpene — (originally) any of a class of monocyclic hydrocarbons of the formula C 10 H 16 , obtained from plants.
- adhesive factor — the ratio of the force that can be exerted on driving wheels with full traction to the weight on the driving wheels, usually expressed as a percentage.
- adjacent angles — two angles that have the same vertex and a side in common
- airborne attack — an attack involving airborne troops
- airs and graces — If you refer to someone's airs and graces, you mean that they behave in a way that shows that they think they are more important than other people.
- alpine accentor — a small bird of the sparrow family, Prunella collaris, found especially in mountain regions of S Europe and Asia
- alsace-lorraine — an area of NE France, comprising the modern regions of Alsace and Lorraine: under German rule 1871–1919 and 1940–44. Area: 14 522 sq km (5607 sq miles)
- amaryllidaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Amaryllidaceae, a family of widely cultivated flowering plants having bulbs and including the amaryllis, snowdrop, narcissus, and daffodil
- american ipecac — a plant, Gillenia stipulata, of the rose family, of the eastern coast of the U.S., having white flowers on long stalks.
- anacoluthically — in an anacoluthic manner
- anacostia river — a river in the District of Columbia flowing into the Potomac River. about 24 miles (39 km) long.
- anfractuosities — Plural form of anfractuosity.
- angle of attack — the acute angle between the chord line of an aerofoil and the undisturbed relative airflow
- antiaphrodisiac — something that represses sexual desire
- antiaristocracy — Opposed to the aristocracy.
- antibureaucracy — Opposed to bureaucracy.
- anticlimactical — anticlimactic
- appalachian tea — any of various plants, as withe rod, whose leaves were used locally for tea in pioneer times
- apple macintosh — Macintosh
- approach lights — lights on the runway that guide planes coming in to land
- approachability — capable of being approached; accessible.
- archaebacterium — Any primitive bacteria-like organism in the kingdom Archaea.
- archiepiscopacy — a form of church government in which power is vested in archbishops.
- asclepiadaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Asclepiadaceae, a family of mostly tropical and subtropical flowering plants, including the milkweed and swallowwort, having pollen in the form of a waxy mass (pollinium): now usually regarded as a subfamily of the Apocynaceae
- autodidacticism — any self-directed learning or self-education
- bacchanalianism — the practice of bacchanalian behaviour; drunken revelry
- back plastering — the introduction of partitions of lath and plaster between the inner and outer surfaces of a stud wall in order to improve the insulating properties of the wall.
- back projection — a method of projecting pictures onto a translucent screen so that they are viewed from the opposite side, used esp in films to create the illusion that the actors in the foreground are moving
- back-scratching — a reciprocal exchange of favors, aid, or compliments