13-letter words containing a, b, u, r
- baroque organ — a pipe organ dating from or built to the specifications of the baroque period at the time of J. S. Bach.
- barosinusitis — aerosinusitis.
- barrel cactus — any of several large, cylindrical, ribbed, spiny cacti of the genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus.
- barrier-nurse — to tend (infectious patients) in isolation, to prevent the spread of infection
- baryon number — the number of baryons in a system minus the number of antibaryons
- bathtub curve — Common term for the curve (resembling an end-to-end section of one of those claw-footed antique bathtubs) that describes the expected failure rate of electronics with time: initially high, dropping to near 0 for most of the system's lifetime, then rising again as it "tires out". See also burn-in period, infant mortality.
- bathurst burr — an Australian plant, Xanthium spinosum, having numerous hooked burrs that became entangled in sheep's wool
- battlecruiser — A large warship of a type built in the early 20th century, carrying similar armament to a battleship but faster and more lightly armored.
- battlegrounds — Plural form of battleground.
- bearer cheque — a cheque payable to the person who has it
- beat the drum — a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow, usually cylindrical, body covered at one or both ends with a tightly stretched membrane, or head, which is struck with the hand, a stick, or a pair of sticks, and typically produces a booming, tapping, or hollow sound.
- beau brummell — any dandy or fop
- beauty editor — the person in charge of a section of newspaper or magazine devoted to cosmetics, etc
- beauty parlor — A beauty parlor is a place where women can go to have beauty treatments, for example, to have their hair, nails, or makeup done.
- beaux esprits — bel esprit
- beaux-esprits — plural of bel-esprit.
- behaviourally — from a behavioural point of view
- beleaguerment — a blockade or siege
- bell purchase — a tackle consisting of two standing single blocks, two running single blocks, a fall, and a runner, so arranged that it gives a mechanical advantage of six, neglecting friction.
- benefit fraud — the illegal activity of claiming benefit payments which a person is not entitled to
- benito juarez — Benito (Pablo) [be-nee-taw pah-vlaw] /bɛˈni tɔ ˈpɑ vlɔ/ (Show IPA), 1806–72, president of Mexico 1857–72.
- bermuda grass — a widely distributed grass, Cynodon dactylon, with wiry creeping rootstocks and several purplish spikes of flowers arising from a single point: used for lawns, pasturage, binding sand dunes, etc
- bermuda onion — a large white or yellow onion with a mild flavor, grown in Texas, California, etc.
- bibliolatrous — characterized by bibliolatry
- biculturalism — the characteristics, or policy, of a two-cultured society
- bildungsroman — a novel concerned with a person's formative years and development
- bimolecularly — in a bimolecular fashion
- binary number — a number expressed in binary notation, as 1101.101 = 1 × 23 + 1 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 1 × 20 + 1 × 2–1 + 0 × 2–2 + 1 × 2–3 = 13 5⁄8
- binary pulsar — a pulsar in a binary system.
- bio-autograph — an analytical technique in which organic compounds are separated by chromatography and identified by studying their effects on microorganisms.
- bioautography — an analytical technique in which organic compounds are separated by chromatography and identified by studying their effects on microorganisms.
- birectangular — having two right angles.
- birthday suit — If you are in your birthday suit, you are not wearing any clothes.
- biscuit bread — biscuits or a biscuit: I like biscuit bread more than corn bread for supper.
- black country — a district in the English Midlands, around Birmingham: so called from the soot and grime produced by the many local industries.
- black currant — the small, round, blackish, edible fruit of a widely cultivated shrub, Ribes nigrum, of the saxifrage family.
- black mustard — a Eurasian plant, Brassica (or Sinapsis) nigra, with clusters of yellow flowers and pungent seeds from which the condiment mustard is made: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- black quarter — blackleg (def 1).
- black russian — a drink made from one part coffee liqueur and two parts vodka, served over ice.
- black vulture — the Eurasian vulture, Aegypius monachus, of the family Accipitridae
- blame culture — the tendency to look for one person or organization that can be held responsible for a bad state of affairs, an accident, etc
- blast furnace — A blast furnace is a large structure in which iron ore is heated under pressure so that it melts and the pure iron metal separates out and can be collected.
- blue copperas — a salt, copper sulfate, CuSO 4 ⋅5H 2 O, occurring naturally as large transparent, deep-blue triclinic crystals, appearing in its anhydrous state as a white powder: used chiefly as a mordant, insecticide, fungicide, and in engraving.
- blue grosbeak — a grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea, of the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, the male of which is blue with two rusty bars on each wing.
- board measure — a system of units for measuring wood based on the board foot. 1980 board feet equal one standard
- boardinghouse — a private house in which accommodation and meals are provided for paying guests
- bonded labour — a system in which a person provides labour in order to pay off debts
- boraginaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Boraginaceae, a family of temperate and tropical typically hairy-leaved flowering plants that includes forget-me-not, lungwort, borage, comfrey, and heliotrope
- bosman ruling — an EU ruling that allows out-of-contract footballers to leave their clubs without the clubs receiving a transfer fee
- boudoir grand — a domestic grand piano between 5 and 6 feet in length