17-letter words containing o, u
- ammonium selenate — a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble solid, (NH 4) 2 SeO 4 , used as a mothproofing agent.
- ammonium stearate — a tan, waxlike, water-insoluble solid, C 18 H 39 NO 2 , used chiefly in the manufacture of cosmetics.
- ammonium sulphate — a white soluble crystalline solid used mainly as a fertilizer and in water purification. Formula: (NH4)2SO4
- analogue computer — (computer, hardware) A machine or electronic circuit designed to work on numerical data represented by some physical quantity (e.g. rotation or displacement) or electrical quantity (e.g. voltage or charge) which varies continuously, in contrast to digital signals which are either 0 or 1. For example, the turning of a wheel or changes in voltage can be used as input. Analogue computers are said to operate in real time and are used for research in design where many different shapes and speeds can be tried out quickly. A computer model of a car suspension allows the designer to see the effects of changing size, stiffness and damping.
- andes (mountains) — mountain system extending the length of W South America: highest peak, Aconcagua
- angostura bitters — a bitter aromatic tonic made from gentian and various spices and vegetable colourings, used as a flavouring in alcoholic drinks
- angular leaf spot — a disease of plants, characterized by angular, watery spots on the leaves and fruit, caused by any of several bacteria, as Pseudomonas lachrymans.
- annunciation lily — Madonna lily.
- anthraquinone dye — any of the class of dyes derived from anthraquinone, used for dyeing textiles, especially cotton, rayon, and silk.
- antiauthoritarian — Opposed to authority.
- antifouling paint — paint applied to the portion of a hull below the waterline to poison or discourage marine animals and plants that would otherwise cling to it.
- antirevolutionary — opposed to revolution, esp opposed to a particular revolution and the people who are carrying it out
- antivirus program — antivirus software
- anzhero-sudzhensk — a city in the S Russian Federation in Central Asia.
- aperture priority — an automatic exposure system in which the photographer selects the aperture and the camera then automatically sets the correct shutter speed
- aperture-priority — of or relating to a semiautomatic exposure system in which the photographer presets the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed.
- appointed actuary — An appointed actuary is an actuary appointed by a life insurance company, whose main role is to carry out a regular valuation of the reserves held to pay future policy benefits.
- arcanum arcanorum — secret of secrets.
- aristolochiaceous — belonging to the Aristolochiaceae, the birthwort family of plants.
- armature reaction — a change in the magnetic field of a dynamo caused by the magnetic field induced by the current flowing through the armature.
- aromatic compound — an organic compound that contains one or more benzene or equivalent heterocyclic rings: many such compounds have an agreeable odor.
- around the corner — If you say that something is around the corner, you mean that it will happen very soon. In British English, you can also say that something is round the corner.
- articulated joint — Anatomy. a flexible joint.
- articulated lorry — a lorry made in two separate sections, a tractor and a trailer, connected by a pivoted bar
- articulatory loop — a short-term memory system that enables a person to remember short strings of words by rehearsing them repeatedly in his head
- as who should say — as if one should say
- ashby-de-la-zouch — a town in central England, in Leicestershire: Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned (1569) in the castle. Pop: 11 409 (2001)
- ashton-under-lyne — a town in NW England, in Tameside unitary authority, Greater Manchester. Pop: 43 236 (2001)
- astronomical unit — a unit of distance used in astronomy equal to the mean distance between the earth and the sun. 1 astronomical unit is equivalent to 1.495 × 1011 metres or about 9.3 × 107 miles
- at close quarters — If you do something at close quarters, you do it very near to a particular person or thing.
- at cross purposes — an opposing or contrary purpose.
- at cross-purposes — If people are at cross-purposes, they do not understand each other because they are working towards or talking about different things without realizing it.
- at the request of — in accordance with the specific demand or wish of (someone)
- audio description — a facility provided for visually impaired people in which a film, television programme, or play is described through audio technology
- audio-visual aids — training or educational materials directed at both the sense of hearing and the sense of sight; films, recordings, photographs, etc., used in classroom instruction, library collections, or the like.
- audubon's warbler — a common North American wood warbler, Dendroica coronata, having yellow spots on the rump, crown, and sides, including a white-throated eastern subspecies (myrtle warbler) and a yellow-throated western subspecies (Audubon's warbler)
- aurea mediocritas — the golden mean.
- australian ballot — an official ballot listing candidates for election to public office and issues, levies, etc., distributed inside the polling place to be marked by the voter in secret: it originated in Australia and is widely used in the U.S.
- australopithecine — any of various extinct apelike primates of the genus Australopithecus and related genera, remains of which have been discovered in southern and E Africa. Some species are estimated to be over 4.5 million years old
- authoritativeness — having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority: an authoritative opinion.
- authority control — the establishment and maintainance of consistent forms of terms, as of names, subjects, and titles, to be used as headings in bibliographic records.
- autocatalytically — In an autocatalytic manner.
- autocorrelational — Of or pertaining to autocorrelation.
- automated testing — (testing) Software testing assisted with software tools that require no operator input, analysis, or evaluation.
- automatic vending — selling goods by vending machines
- automatic writing — writing performed without apparent intent or conscious control, especially to achieve spontaneity or uncensored expression.
- autonomous syntax — an approach of generative grammar in which the syntactic component of a grammar is viewed as existing or operating independently of the semantic component and abstract syntactic representation is not equivalent to semantic representation.
- autonomous system — (networking, routing) (AS) A collection of routers under a single administrative authority, using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.
- autosensitization — autoimmunization.
- auxiliary storage — secondary storage.