15-letter words that end in a
- quezon y molina — Manuel Luis [mah-nwel lwees] /mɑˈnwɛl lwis/ (Show IPA), 1878–1944, Philippine political leader; 1st president of the Philippine Commonwealth 1933–44.
- qurnet es sauda — a mountain in N Lebanon, in the Lebanon Mountains: highest point in Lebanon. 10,131 feet (3090 meters).
- recombinant dna — DNA in which one or more segments or genes have been inserted, either naturally or by laboratory manipulation, from a different molecule or from another part of the same molecule, resulting in a new genetic combination.
- recreation area — public park
- reggio calabria — a seaport in S Italy, on the Strait of Messina: almost totally destroyed by an earthquake 1908.
- restricted area — out of bounds to military personnel
- río de la plata — Rí·o de la [ree-aw th e lah] /ˈri ɔ ðɛ lɑ/ (Show IPA) an estuary on the SE coast of South America between Argentina and Uruguay, formed by the Uruguay and Paraná rivers, about 185 miles (290 km) long.
- royal poinciana — a tree, Delonix regia, of the legume family, native to Madagascar, having showy clusters of brilliant scarlet flowers and long, flat, woody pods.
- rubaiyat stanza — a quatrain patterned after those in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, of iambic pentameter and rhyming aaba.
- saguia el hamra — the N part of Western Sahara.
- sanatana dharma — the name used by Hindus for Hinduism
- sb's cup of tea — If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they are not the kind of person or thing that you like.
- scala cordonata — a ramp having the form of broad, slightly inclined steps.
- security camera — closed-circuit TV camera
- 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)
- senile dementia — a syndrome of progressive, irreversible impairment of cognitive function, caused by organic factors and having its onset late in life.
- sinai peninsula — broad peninsula in NE Egypt, between the Gulf of Suez & the Gulf of Aqaba
- sistine madonna — a Madonna painted by Raphael for the Church of St. Sixtus at Piacenza, Italy.
- south australia — a state in S Australia. 380,070 sq. mi. (984,380 sq. km). Capital: Adelaide.
- south china sea — a part of the W Pacific, bounded by SE China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines.
- southend-on-sea — a seaport in SE Essex, in SE England, on Thames estuary.
- souvanna phouma — Prince, 1901–84, Laotian statesman: premier 1951–54, 1956–58, 1960, and 1962–75.
- spanish america — the Spanish-speaking countries south of the U.S.: Mexico, Central America (with the exception of Belize), South America (with the exceptions of Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname), and most of the West Indies.
- spanish paprika — a cultivated pepper, Capsicum annuum, grown originally in Spain.
- spirochaetaemia — the presence of spirochaetes in the blood
- strephosymbolia — a condition of perceiving objects as their mirror image and, specifically, having difficulty in distinguishing letters in words
- summer diarrhea — an acute condition of diarrhea, occurring during the hot summer months chiefly in infants and children, caused by bacterial contamination of food and associated with poor hygiene.
- tachyarrhythmia — an irregular and too-rapid heartbeat
- teratocarcinoma — a monstrous malignant tumour typically found in the testes
- terra incognita — an unknown or unexplored land, region, or subject.
- terra sigillata — Arretine ware.
- the santa maria — the flagship of Columbus on his first voyage to America (1492)
- thermanesthesia — loss of ability to feel cold or heat; loss of the sense or feeling of temperature.
- tirso de molina — Luis [loo-ees] /luˈis/ (Show IPA), 1535–1600, Spanish Jesuit theologian.
- tricolor camera — a camera for taking color photographs in which three separation negatives are exposed simultaneously by splitting the light from the subject with prisms and mirrors, and exposing through appropriate filters.
- upper peninsula — a peninsula in the northern US between Lakes Superior and Michigan, constituting the N part of the state of Michigan
- urban guerrilla — a member of any underground political group engaged in terrorism or violence in urban areas, especially during the 1970s.
- utopia planitia — Astronomy. a plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars that was the landing site of the Viking II space probe on September 3, 1976.
- variola porcina — an acute infectious viral disease of pigs characterized by skin eruptions
- vegetative coma — a condition in which an injured person is alive but comatose, and does not respond to stimuli
- victoria nyanza — Victoria (def 10).
- vine phylloxera — a homopterous insect, Phylloxera vitifolia, typically feeding on vine juices
- vitreous silica — silica glass
- wernicke's area — a portion of the left posterior temporal lobe of the brain, involved in the ability to understand words.
- wilderness area — a region whose natural growth is protected by legislation and whose recreational and industrial use is restricted.
- worcester china — porcelain articles made in Worcester (England) from 1751 in a factory that became, in 1862, the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company
- yorke peninsula — a peninsula in S Australia between Spencer Gulf and the Gulf of St. Vincent. 160 miles (257 km) long and 20–35 miles (32–56 km) wide.
- youth orchestra — an orchestra that is made up of young musicians