16-letter words containing n, i, s, a
- chilean firebush — South American shrub with scarlet flowers
- chinese calendar — the former calendar of China, in which the year consisted of 12 lunar months with an intercalary month added seven times every 19 years to reconcile the lunar year of 354 days with the solar year of 365 days, time being reckoned in 60-year cycles with the first cycle dating from 2637 b.c.
- chinese cinnamon — cassia (def 1).
- chinese fan palm — a fan palm, Livistona chinensis, of southern Japan, having very large, deeply cleft leaves and bluish-green, ovalish fruit.
- chinese pavilion — crescent (def 6).
- chinese shar-pei — Shar-Pei.
- chinese snowball — a Chinese shrub, Viburnum macrocephalum, of the honeysuckle family, having scurfy, hairy twigs, hairy leaves, and white flowers in large, showy, globelike clusters.
- chinese windlass — differential windlass
- chinese wisteria — a high-climbing Chinese vine, Wisteria sinensis, of the legume family, having hanging clusters of fragrant, bluish-violet flowers and long, velvety pods.
- chinese-pavilion — a shape resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
- chipping sparrow — a common North American sparrow, Spizella passerina, having brown-and-grey plumage and a white eye stripe
- chondrodysplasia — (medicine) A genetic disorder characterized by short-limbed dwarfism.
- chorioamnionitis — Inflammation of the fetal membranes (amnion and chorion) due to a bacterial infection, most often associated with prolonged labour.
- christian action — an inter-Church movement formed in 1946 to promote Christian ideals in society at large
- christmas dinner — the main meal on Christmas day, eaten any time in the afternoon or evening
- christmas island — an island in the Indian Ocean, south of Java: administered by Singapore (1900–58), now by Australia; phosphate mining. Pop: 1496 (2013 est). Area: 135 sq km (52 sq miles)
- chryselephantine — (of ancient Greek statues) made of or overlaid with gold and ivory
- circular sailing — a method of navigation in which the curvature of the earth is taken into consideration.
- circumstantially — of pertaining to, or derived from circumstances: a circumstantial result.
- circumstantiated — Simple past tense and past participle of circumstantiate.
- circumstantiates — Third-person singular simple present indicative form of circumstantiate.
- cisaconitic acid — a stereoisomer of 1-propene-1,2,3 tricarboxylic acid, C 6 H 6 O 6 , an important intermediate in the Krebs cycle.
- citizen's arrest — If someone makes a citizen's arrest, they catch someone who they believe has committed a crime and inform the police.
- citronella grass — a tropical Asian grass, Cymbopogon (or Andropogon) nardus, with bluish-green lemon-scented leaves
- civilian clothes — not military uniform
- clackmannanshire — a council area and historical county of central Scotland; became part of the Central region in 1975 but reinstated as an independent unitary authority in 1996; mainly agricultural. Administrative centre: Alloa. Pop: 47 680 (2003 est). Area: 142 sq km (55 sq miles)
- clay-with-flints — a deposit of stiff clay containing unworn whole flints in the S England
- cleansing tissue — a small piece of absorbent paper, used especially for removing cleansing cream and cosmetics and also serving as a disposable handkerchief.
- clearsightedness — The property of being clearsighted.
- clinically obese — overweight to a degree which causes medical complications
- cloak-and-suiter — a manufacturer or seller of clothing.
- closed-captioned — (of a video recording) having subtitles which appear on screen only if the cassette is played through a special decoder
- closing argument — In a court case, a lawyer's closing argument is their final speech, in which they give a summary of their case.
- coadministration — Joint administration.
- cochineal cactus — a treelike cactus, Nopalea cochenillifera, of Mexico and Central America, that is a principal source of food of the cochineal insect.
- cochineal insect — a Mexican homopterous insect, Dactylopius coccus, that feeds on cacti
- collaborationism — The act of collaborating, especially with an enemy.
- collaborationist — A collaborationist government or individual is one that helps or gives support to the enemy during the war.
- collagen disease — any of a group of diseases, as systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis, involving inflammation or degeneration of connective tissue and accompanied by deposition of fibrinous material.
- collectivisation — Alternative spelling of collectivization.
- colonial heights — a town in central Virginia.
- colorado springs — a city and resort in central Colorado. Pop: 370 448 (2003 est)
- combination last — a shoe last that has a narrower heel or instep than the standard last.
- combination shot — a shot in pool in which the cue ball strikes at least one object ball before contact is made with the ball to be pocketed.
- combination skin — facial skin that is dry in some areas and greasy in others
- commensurability — The quality of being commensurable or commensurate.
- commission agent — a person who sells goods and services for a fee
- commonsensically — sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.
- communicableness — The state or quality of being communicable.
- communion sunday — any Sunday on which communion is administered.