19-letter words containing a, f, r, s
- radius of curvature — the absolute value of the reciprocal of the curvature at a point on a curve.
- reef whitetip shark — whitetip shark (def 1).
- reflux oesophagitis — inflammation of the gullet caused by regurgitation of stomach acids, producing heartburn: may be associated with a hiatus hernia
- refreshable display — braille display
- research fellowship — the position or office of someone who conducts academic research into a subject at a university, etc
- respiratory failure — a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently
- ring-spinning frame — a machine containing the ring, traveler, and bobbin used in spinning yarn.
- saccharofarinaceous — pertaining to or consisting of sugar and meal.
- sacrifice operative — a euphemistic term for a suicide bomber
- san fernando valley — valley in SW Calif., partly in NW Los Angeles: c. 260 sq mi (673 sq km)
- san francisco peaks — a mountain mass in N Arizona: highest point in the state, Humphrey's Peak, 12,611 feet (3845 meters).
- savings certificate — a certificate of deposit for a specific sum of money in a savings account, especially a deposit for a fixed term at a specified interest rate.
- scare the pants off — to scare extremely
- scratch the surface — examine superficially
- sea floor spreading — a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out.
- sea of tranquillity — Astronomy. Mare Tranquillitatis.
- sea-floor spreading — a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out.
- secondary infection — an infection resulting from another infection
- self-administration — the management of any office, business, or organization; direction.
- self-aggrandizement — increase of one's own power, wealth, etc., usually aggressively.
- self-congratulating — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-congratulation — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-congratulatory — the expression or feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's own accomplishment, good fortune, etc.; complacency.
- self-discrimination — an act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction.
- self-interpretation — the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication: This writer's work demands interpretation.
- self-representation — the act of representing.
- self-transformation — the act or process of transforming.
- sharp-focus realism — photorealism.
- shortness of breath — respiratory difficulty
- siberian forest cat — a breed of powerfully-built long-haired cat, typically tabby with a white ruff and white paws
- siberian wallflower — a North American plant, Erysimum asperum, of the mustard family, having orange-yellow flowers.
- sign of aggregation — any of the signs used to indicate grouping in an algebraic expression: vinculum, bar, or raised horizontal line, ; a pair of parentheses, (a + b); a pair of brackets, [ a + b ]; or a pair of braces, { a + b }.
- significant figures — the figures of a number that express a magnitude to a specified degree of accuracy, rounding up or down the final figure
- sir wilfrid laurier — Sir Wilfrid [wil-frid;; French weel-freed] /ˈwɪl frɪd;; French wilˈfrid/ (Show IPA), 1841–1919, Canadian statesman: prime minister 1896–1911.
- south african dutch — the Boers.
- south san francisco — a city in central California.
- spanish west africa — a former overseas territory of Spain in NW Africa: divided in 1958 into the overseas provinces of Ifni and Spanish Sahara
- spare a thought for — If you spare a thought for an unfortunate person, you make an effort to think sympathetically about them and their bad luck.
- specific characters — the persistent features that distinguish one species from all others
- specific resistance — resistivity (def 2).
- specific-resistance — the power or property of resistance.
- specular reflection — Specular reflection is reflection of heat or light in which the angles of different parts of the surface are important.
- spirit of hartshorn — a colorless, pungent, suffocating, aqueous solution of about 28.5 percent ammonia gas: used chiefly as a detergent, for removing stains and extracting certain vegetable coloring agents, and in the manufacture of ammonium salts.
- splinterproof glass — glass that is designed not to form sharp splinters should it be shattered
- spread oneself thin — to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).
- staff-student ratio — the ratio of teachers to pupils or students in a school, college, or university
- stanford university — (education) A University in the city of Palo Alto, California, noted for work in computing, especially artificial intelligence. See SAIL.
- stanford-binet test — a revised version of the Binet-Simon scale, prepared at Stanford University for use in the U.S.
- step-up transformer — a device that transfers an alternating current from one circuit to one or more other circuits with an increase of voltage
- straightforwardness — going or directed straight ahead: a straightforward gaze.