11-letter words that end in a
- black maria — a police van for transporting prisoners
- black volta — a river in W Africa, rising in SW Burkina Faso and flowing northeast, then south into Lake Volta: forms part of the border of Ghana with Burkina-Faso and with Côte d'Ivoire. Length: about 800 km (500 miles)
- blue spirea — a grayish, hairy, eastern Asian shrub, Caryopteris incana, of the verbena family, having clusters of showy, blue or bluish-purple flowers.
- bodhidharma — 6th century ad, Indian Buddhist monk, who taught in China (from 520): considered to be the founder of Zen Buddhism
- bodhisattva — (in Mahayana Buddhism) a divine being worthy of nirvana who remains on the human plane to help men to salvation
- bonaventura — Saint, called the Seraphic Doctor. 1221–74, Italian Franciscan monk, mystic, theologian, and philosopher; author of a Life of St Francis and Journey of the Soul to God. Feast day: July 14
- brachialgia — pain in the nerves of the upper arm.
- bradycardia — an abnormally low rate of heartbeat
- brahmajnana — jnana.
- brahmaputra — a river in S Asia, rising in SW Tibet as the Tsangpo and flowing through the Himalayas and NE India to join the Ganges at its delta in Bangladesh. Length: about 2900 km (1800 miles)
- bright idea — suggestion: clever
- brown hyena — a hyena, Hyaena brunnea, of southern Africa, having a blackish-gray coat: its dwindling population is now protected.
- bucaramanga — a city in N central Colombia, in the Cordillera Oriental: centre of a district growing coffee, tobacco, and cotton. Pop: 1 069 000 (2005 est)
- buena vista — a village in NE Mexico, near Saltillo: site of the defeat of the Mexicans by US forces (1847)
- bulimarexia — bulimia (sense 2)
- bunya-bunya — a tall dome-shaped Australian coniferous tree, Araucaria bidwillii, having edible cones (bunya nuts) and thickish flattened needles
- byelorussia — Official name Belarus. Formerly White Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. a republic in E Europe, N of Ukraine: formerly a part of the Soviet Union. 80,154 sq. mi. (207,600 sq. km). Capital: Minsk.
- caesalpinia — designating a family (Caesalpiniaceae) of leguminous trees and shrubs, including the Kentucky coffee tree
- cainophobia — The fear of newness and/or of things that are new.
- calabazilla — a prostrate vine, Cucurbita foetidissima, of the gourd family, native to southwestern North America, having yellow flowers, round, inedible green and yellow fruit, and an unpleasant odor.
- calceolaria — any tropical American scrophulariaceous plant of the genus Calceolaria: cultivated for its speckled slipper-shaped flowers
- cambric tea — a hot drink of milk, sugar, and water or, often, weak tea
- canandaigua — a town in central New York.
- cape-glossa — Cape, a promontory in SW Albania.
- cappa magna — a ceremonial cloak having a long train and a silk or fur-lined hood, worn by cardinals, bishops, and certain other dignitaries.
- capricciosa — A pizza garnished with mushrooms, artichokes, ham and olives.
- capricornia — the regions of Australia in the tropic of Capricorn
- carcinomata — Plural form of carcinoma.
- cardiodynia — pain in the heart region.
- carpentaria — Gulf ofarm of the Arafura Sea, indenting the N coast of Australia: c. 480 mi (772 km) long; 400 mi (644 km) wide
- carpinteria — a town in SW California.
- caspian sea — a salt lake between SE Europe and Asia: the largest inland sea in the world; fed mainly by the River Volga. Area: 394 299 sq km (152 239 sq miles)
- cctv camera — a closed-circuit television camera
- celebes sea — the part of the Pacific Ocean between Sulawesi, Borneo, and Mindanao
- cenesthesia — the mass of undifferentiated sensations that make one aware of the body and its condition, as in the feeling of well-being or illness
- census data — the data generated by an official census
- cephalalgia — headache (def 1).
- cervicalgia — Neck pain.
- cha-cha-cha — a Latin-American ballroom dance with small steps and swaying hip movements
- chamaedorea — any of various small, slender palms of the genus Chamaedorea, several species of which are cultivated as houseplants.
- chao phraya — a river in N Thailand, rising in the N highlands and flowing south to the Gulf of Thailand. Length: (including the headstreams Nan and Ping) 1200 km (750 miles)
- chattanooga — a city in SE Tennessee, on the Tennessee River: scene of two battles during the Civil War, in which the North defeated the Confederates, cleared Tennessee, and opened the way to Georgia (1863). Pop: 154 887 (2003 est)
- chaulmoogra — a tropical Asian tree, Taraktogenos (or Hydnocarpus) kurzii: family Flacourtiaceae
- che guevara — Ernesto [er-nes-taw] /ɛrˈnɛs tɔ/ (Show IPA), ("Che") 1928–67, Cuban revolutionist and political leader, born in Argentina.
- cheektowaga — a town in NW New York, near Buffalo.
- chickamauga — creek in NW Ga.: site of a Civil War battle (Sept., 1863) in which Confederate forces routed the Union army
- chikungunya — A viral disease resembling dengue, transmitted by mosquitoes and endemic in East Africa and parts of Asia.
- chimichanga — a savoury deep-fried filled tortilla
- chindonesia — China, India, and Indonesia: seen collectively as the most important developing economies with the best growth markets for investors
- choreodrama — dance drama performed by a group