15-letter words starting with s
- sargon of akkad — 24th to 23rd century bc, semilegendary Mesopotamian ruler whose empire extended from the Gulf to the Mediterranean
- sarraceniaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Sarraceniaceae, an American family of pitcher plants
- sartor resartus — a satirical work (1833–34) by Carlyle.
- saskatchewanian — a native or inhabitant of Saskatchewan
- satin bowerbird — the largest Australian bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, the male of which has lustrous blue plumage
- saturated vapor — a vapor whose temperature and pressure are such that any compression of its volume at constant temperature causes it to condense to liquid at a rate sufficient to maintain a constant pressure.
- sauce espagnole — brown sauce.
- sausage machine — a machine for making sausages
- sausage turning — turning of members to resemble a continuous row of sausages flattened at the ends.
- sauvignon blanc — a white grape grown primarily in France and California.
- save one's neck — to escape from a difficult or dangerous situation
- save one's skin — to avoid harm or injury; esp., to escape death
- savings account — a bank account on which interest is paid, traditionally one for which a bankbook is used to record deposits, withdrawals, and interest payments.
- saviour sibling — a child conceived through IVF and screened for compatibility with a terminally or seriously ill sibling in order to provide organ or cell donations as a form of treatment
- saw-edged knife — a knife with a serrated edge
- say a few words — to give a brief speech
- say one's beads — to pray with a rosary
- say one's piece — If you say your piece, you say everything you want to say about a particular matter without being interrupted, although people may be wanting to express opposing views.
- say someone nay — to refuse or forbid
- sayan mountains — a mountain range in S central Russia, in S Siberia. Highest peak: Munku-Sardyk, 3437 m (11 457 ft)
- sb of few words — A person of few words says very little, especially about their opinions or feelings.
- sb's cup of tea — If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they are not the kind of person or thing that you like.
- sb's trump card — Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone.
- scala cordonata — a ramp having the form of broad, slightly inclined steps.
- scaling circuit — an electronic device or circuit that aggregates electric pulses and gives a single output pulse for a predetermined number of input pulses
- scanning device — any of various devices used in medical diagnosis to obtain an image of an internal organ or part
- scaphocephalous — of or relating to scaphocephalus
- scared shitless — terrified
- scared to death — terrified
- scarlet lychnis — a plant, Lychnis chalcedonica, of the pink family, having scarlet or sometimes white flowers, the arrangement and shape of the petals resembling a Maltese cross.
- scarlet tanager — an American tanager, Piranga olivacea, the male of which is bright red with black wings and tail during the breeding season.
- scatter cushion — Scatter cushions are small cushions for use on sofas and chairs.
- scatter diagram — a graphic representation of bivariate data as a set of points in the plane that have Cartesian coordinates equal to corresponding values of the two variates.
- scavenge stroke — (in a reciprocating engine) the stroke of a piston in a four-stroke cycle that pushes the burnt gases out as exhaust
- scenic designer — a person whose job is to create the scenery for television, film and stage
- scheduled caste — (in India) the official name given to the lower castes that are now protected by the government and offered special concessions.
- scheele's green — copper arsenite used as a pigment, especially in paints.
- schiffs-reagent — a solution of rosaniline and sulfurous acid in water, used to test for the presence of aldehydes.
- schillerization — the process of altering crystals to produce schiller
- schistosomiasis — an infection caused by parasitic flukes of the genus Schistosoma, occurring commonly in eastern Asia and in tropical regions and transmitted to humans through feces-contaminated fresh water or snails: symptoms commonly include pain, anemia, and malfunction of the infected organ.
- schlieffen plan — a plan intended to ensure German victory over a Franco-Russian alliance by holding off Russia with minimal strength and swiftly defeating France by a massive flanking movement through the Low Countries, devised by Alfred, Count von Schlieffen (1833–1913) in 1905
- schmitt trigger — a bistable circuit that gives a constant output when the input voltage is above a specified value
- schola cantorum — an ecclesiastical choir or choir school.
- schone mullerin — a song cycle (1823), by Franz Schubert, consisting of 20 songs set to poems by Wilhelm Müller.
- school district — A school district is an area which includes all the schools that are situated within that area and are governed by a particular authority.
- school holidays — the period during which schools are closed - in the summer, at Christmas and Easter, and at other times of the year
- school teaching — School teaching is the work done by teachers in a school.
- school-gate mum — a young family-oriented working mother, considered by political parties as forming a significant part of the electorate
- schoolboy crush — an infatuation that a young boy has, usually for an older woman such as a teacher or an actress, which is seen as superficial and unlikely to last for long
- schooner-rigged — rigged as a schooner, especially with gaff sails and staysails only.