13-letter words that end in a
- rhinoscleroma — an inflammatory bacterial disease of the nose that is mostly found in Africa and Central America
- ribosomal rna — a type of RNA, distinguished by its length and abundance, functioning in protein synthesis as a component of ribosomes. Abbreviation: rRNA.
- rio da duvida — former name of Roosevelt, Río.
- rose of china — China rose (def 2).
- roxas y acuña — Manuel (maˈnwel). 1892–1948, Philippine statesman; first president of the Republic of the Philippines (1946–48)
- saint columba — Padraic [paw-drik] /ˈpɔ drɪk/ (Show IPA), 1881–1972, Irish poet and dramatist, in the U.S. from 1914.
- santa barbara — a city on the SW coast of California: Spanish mission.
- santa clarita — city in SW Calif., near Los Angeles: pop. 151,000
- sassafras tea — a tea made from the aromatic dried bark of the root of the sassafras tree, often used medicinally as a stimulant, diaphoretic, and diuretic.
- scarlet gilia — skyrocket.
- schizophrenia — Psychiatry.. Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.
- school phobia — a fear of going to or returning to school
- scleromalacia — a thinning of the sclera (the eyeball's outer covering) which can occur as a result of rheumatoid arthritis
- second banana — a comic who supports the leading comedian, often as a straight man, especially in burlesque or vaudeville.
- secondary era — the period from the beginning of the Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous
- sierra morena — a mountain range in SW Spain, between the Guadiana and Guadalquivir Rivers. Highest peak: Estrella, 1299 m (4262 ft)
- sierra nevada — a mountain range in E California. Highest peak, Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4420 meters).
- sleeping area — an area in a room or house where people can sleep
- social phobia — a type of anxiety disorder characterized by shyness and heightened self-consciousness in particular social situations
- south america — a continent in the S part of the Western Hemisphere. About 6,900,000 sq. mi. (17,871,000 sq. km).
- south georgia — a British island in the S Atlantic, about 800 miles (1290 km) SE of the Falkland Islands. About 1000 sq. mi. (2590 sq. km).
- south ossetia — a region in N Georgia, on the S side of the Caucasus Range. 1506 sq. mi. (3900 sq. km).
- soviet russia — a conventional name of the Soviet Union.
- spenta amesha — Amesha Spenta.
- spermatorrhea — abnormally frequent and involuntary nonorgasmic emission of semen.
- spiral nebula — (formerly) a spiral galaxy.
- spotted hyena — a long-legged carnivorous doglike mammal native to Africa and S Asia (Crocuta crocuta)
- squandermania — an extreme urge for, or level of pleasure obtained by, spending money recklessly
- state militia — (formerly) a force composed of the citizens of a state
- sterling area — those countries having currencies whose values tend to vary directly with the rise and fall of the value of the pound sterling.
- striped hyena — a hyena, Hyaena hyaena, of northern Africa, Arabia, and India, having a grayish coat with distinct blackish stripes.
- stuffed derma — kishke.
- sulphonylurea — an antidiabetic drug used in treating type II diabetes, which acts by stimulating the production of insulin in the pancreas
- suovetaurilia — (in ancient Rome) a sacrifice of a hog, a ram, and a bull.
- sweet cassava — any of several tropical American plants belonging to the genus Manihot, of the spurge family, as M. esculenta (bitter cassava) and M. dulcis (sweet cassava) cultivated for their tuberous roots, which yield important food products.
- swimming gala — a competitive event featuring swimming races
- synophthalmia — cyclopia.
- syphilophobia — the excessive fear of syphilis
- syringomyelia — a disease of the spinal cord in which the nerve tissue is replaced by a cavity filled with fluid.
- thanatophobia — an abnormal fear of death.
- thermesthesia — ability to perceive or sense cold or heat; sensitiveness to heat.
- thrombophilia — a condition marked by the tendency to develop blood clots or thrombosis
- transcaucasia — a region in SE Europe, S of the Caucasus Mountains, between the Black and Caspian seas: constituted a republic 1922–36 (Transcauca·sian So·cialist Fed·erated So·viet Repub·lic) area now includes the republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
- tromba marina — trumpet marine.
- upper austria — a province in N Austria. 4631 sq. mi. (11,995 sq. km). Capital: Linz.
- upper silesia — a highly industrialized region divided between Germany and Poland after World War I.
- valle d'aosta — a region in NW Italy. 1259 sq. mi. (3260 sq. km).
- vasa murrhina — an American art glass, consisting of colored glass dusted with flakes or grains of metal and flashed with clear glass.
- vasco da gama — Vasco da [vas-koh duh;; Portuguese vahsh-koo duh] /ˈvæs koʊ də;; Portuguese ˈvɑʃ kʊ də/ (Show IPA), c1460–1524, Portuguese navigator: discovered the sea route from Portugal around the continent of Africa to India.
- vide ut supra — (used to direct a reader to a specified place in a text) see as above