12-letter words starting with b
- barium enema — an injection into the rectum of a preparation of barium sulphate, which is opaque to X-rays, before X-raying the lower alimentary canal
- barium oxide — a white or yellowish-white poisonous heavy powder used esp as a dehydrating agent. Formula: BaO
- barium x-ray — gastrointestinal series: x-ray examination of the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract after barium sulfate is given rectally (barium enema) or orally as a contrast medium.
- barking deer — muntjac.
- barking frog — a robber frog, Hylactophryne augusti, of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, having a call like a dog's bark.
- barley field — a piece of land cleared of trees and undergrowth, usually enclosed with a fence or hedge and used for growing barley
- barley sugar — Barley sugar is a sweet made from boiled sugar.
- barley water — Barley water is a drink made from barley. It is sometimes flavoured with orange or lemon.
- barn dancing — the act of performing a progressive round country dance
- barn raising — (in rural areas) a party, usually providing food, drink, etc., for the purpose of assisting a neighbor to put up a new barn.
- barn swallow — the US and Canadian name for the common swallow, Hirundo rustica
- barnstormers — Plural form of barnstormer.
- barnstorming — A barnstorming performance is full of energy and very exciting to watch.
- barodynamics — the branch of mechanics concerned with heavy structures
- barometrical — (archaic) Relating to, or observed with, a barometer, barometric.
- barophoresis — the diffusion of suspended particles at a rate dependent on external forces
- baroreceptor — a collection of sensory nerve endings, principally in the carotid sinuses and the aortic arch, that monitor blood pressure changes in the body
- barquisimeto — a city in NW Venezuela. Pop: 1 009 000 (2005 est)
- barrack life — the experiences, activities, etc that are characteristic of a soldier's time spent dwelling in a barracks
- barrack room — a room inside a military barracks, esp one in which soldiers sleep
- barracks bag — a large bag containing a soldier's personal belongings and equipment
- barranquilla — a port in N Colombia, on the Magdalena River. Pop: 1 918 000 (2005 est)
- barratrously — In a barratrous manner.
- barrel chair — a kind of upholstered chair with an upright, rounded back
- barrel organ — A barrel organ is a large machine that plays music when you turn the handle on the side. Barrel organs used to be played in the street to entertain people.
- barrel vault — a vault in the form of a half cylinder
- barrier reef — a long narrow coral reef near and lying parallel to the shore, separated from it by deep water
- barristerial — pertaining to a barrister
- barrow point — the northernmost tip of Alaska, on the Arctic Ocean
- bartlesville — a city in NE Oklahoma.
- baryta water — an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide, used chiefly as a reagent.
- basal reader — an elementary-school textbook that teaches reading by combining stories with practice exercises: The Dick and Jane series was the most famous basal reader.
- base bullion — smelted lead containing impurities, as gold, silver, or zinc, that are later removed.
- base jumping — a sport in which a participant parachutes from any of a variety of fixed objects such as high buildings, cliffs, etc
- base pairing — the hydrogen bonding that occurs between complementary nitrogenous bases in the two polynucleotide chains of a DNA molecule
- base station — a fixed transmitter that forms part of an otherwise mobile radio network
- base-pairing — the process of binding separate DNA sequences by base pairs.
- baseball cap — A baseball cap is a close-fitting cap with a curved part at the front that sticks out above your eyes.
- baselessness — The state or quality of being baseless.
- basementless — without a basement
- bashi-bazouk — a member of the notoriously brutal 19th-cent. Turkish irregulars
- bashibazouks — Plural form of bashibazouk.
- bashkirtseff — Marie, original name Marya Konstantinovna Bashkirtseva. 1858–84, Russian painter and diarist who wrote in French, noted esp for her Journal (1887)
- basic jovial — (language) A subset of JOVIAL written ca. 1965.
- basic salary — base pay.
- basic weight — basis weight.
- basidiocarps — Plural form of basidiocarp.
- basidiospore — one of the spores, usually four in number, produced in a basidium
- basification — the process of making something alkaline
- basilic vein — a large vein situated on the inner side of the arm