16-letter words starting with a
- acetylandromedol — grayanotoxin.
- acetylene series — a group of similar hydrocarbons
- acetylsalicylate — a salt or ester of acetylsalicylic acid.
- achievement test — a test designed to measure the effects that learning and teaching have on individuals
- achromatic prism — a system of two or more prisms of different substances that deflects but does not disperse a beam of light.
- acid house party — a professionally organized party for young people, with Acid House music, sometimes held in a field or disused building
- acid metaprotein — a metaprotein derived by means of a hydrolytic acid.
- acidophilus milk — milk fermented by bacteria of the species Lactobacillus acidophilus, used in treating disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
- acknowledgements — Plural form of acknowledgement.
- acorn archimedes — Archimedes
- acoustic coupler — a device converting computer-data signals into acoustic form for transmission down a telephone line, through the handset microphone
- acoustic feature — any of the acoustic components or elements present in a speech sound and capable of being experimentally observed, recorded, and reproduced
- acoustic neuroma — a benign brain tumour of the vestibulocochlear nerve, one of the nerves connecting the ear to the brain, which can cause hearing and balance problems
- acoustic torpedo — a torpedo guided by sound that either emanates from the target or is emitted by the torpedo and bounces off the target.
- acoustical cloud — one of a number of acoustic panels installed near the ceiling of a concert hall to reflect sound for improving the acoustic quality of music.
- acquaintanceship — a person known to one, but usually not a close friend.
- acroparaesthesia — a persistent sensation of numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- across the board — If a policy or a situation applies across the board, it affects everything or everyone in a particular group.
- across-the-board — applying to all employees, members, groups, or categories; general: The across-the-board pay increase means a raise for all employees.
- acrylic painting — a painting done with pigments in a solution of an acrylic resin: it dries quickly with a brilliance and depth comparable to those of both watercolor and oil paints
- act of indemnity — an act of Parliament granting exemption to public officers from technical penalties that they may have been compelled to incur
- actinobacillosis — a disease of cattle and sheep, caused by infection with an Actinobacillus lignieresii and characterized by soft tissue lesions, esp of the tongue
- actinodermatitis — dermatitis from exposure to radiation, esp ultraviolet light or X-rays
- actinopterygians — Plural form of actinopterygian.
- action committee — a group of people who come together to organize and supervise others who are fighting for a particular cause or carrying out a particular task
- action potential — a localized change in electrical potential, from about –70 mV to +30 mV and back again, that occurs across a nerve fibre during transmission of a nerve impulse
- activated carbon — a porous highly adsorptive form of carbon used to remove colour or impurities from liquids and gases, in the separation and extraction of chemical compounds, and in the recovery of solvents
- activated sludge — a mass of aerated precipitated sewage added to untreated sewage to bring about purification by hastening decomposition by microorganisms
- activation order — an instruction to create, mobilize, or organize a unit
- active directory — (operating system) A directory service from Microsoft Corporation, similar in concept to Novell Netware Directory Services, that also integrates with the user organisation's DNS structure and is interoperable with LDAP. Active Directory is included in Windows 2000.
- active transport — a process by which molecules are enabled to pass across a membrane from a region in which they are in a low concentration to one of high concentration; this requires the expenditure of energy in metabolism and is assisted by carrier proteins, commonly referred to as pumps
- activity holiday — a type of holiday in which holiday-makers can take part in many different organized activities, esp sports
- ad eundem gradum — to, of, or in the same rank or standing: pertaining to a university recognizing the academic credentials of a student transferring from another university by granting the student comparable status.
- adam de la halle — c1240–87, French troubadour: composer.
- adaptive routing — dynamic routing
- add to the check — If you add an item or expense to the check at a restaurant or hotel, you put an extra charge onto a customer's bill to charge for an additional service they have used.
- added title page — a title page preceding or following the main title page of a book, often giving a series title or the book title in another language.
- addition polymer — a polymer formed by the direct reaction of two or more monomers, and with no resulting water or other by-product.
- additive inverse — the number that must be added to a number to equal zero
- additive process — a photographic process in which the desired colours are produced by adding together appropriate proportions of three primary colours
- adenohypophyseal — Alternative form of adenohypophysial.
- adenohypophysial — Relating to the adenohypophysis.
- adhesive bandage — a bandage consisting of a small pad of gauze affixed to a strip of adhesive tape.
- adhesive binding — a style of binding used mainly for paperback books, where the backs of the gathered sections are trimmed and inserted into a cover along with adhesive to hold the pages and cover together
- adhesive plaster — adhesive tape, especially in wide sheets.
- adiadochokinesia — the inability to perform rapidly alternating muscular movements, as flexion and extension.
- adiadochokinesis — the inability to perform rapidly alternating muscular movements, as flexion and extension.
- adirondack chair — a sturdy armchair for outdoor use, made of wide wooden slats, with a sloping back and a seat often slanting down toward it.
- adjective clause — a relative clause that modifies a noun or pronoun, as the clause that I told you about in This is the book that I told you about and who saw us in It was she who saw us.
- adjective phrase — An adjective phrase or adjectival phrase is a group of words based on an adjective, such as 'very nice' or 'interested in football.' An adjective phrase can also consist simply of an adjective.