12-letter words starting with sp
- spina bifida — a congenital neural tube defect in which part of the meninges or spinal cord protrudes through the spinal column, often resulting in neurological impairment.
- spinach beet — chard, a plant cultivated for its edible leaves
- spinal block — spinal anesthesia.
- spinal canal — the tube formed by the vertebrae in which the spinal cord and its membranes are located.
- spinal fluid — cerebrospinal fluid
- spinal nerve — any of a series of paired nerves that originate in the nerve roots of the spinal cord and emerge from the vertebrae on both sides of the spinal column, each branching out to innervate a specific region of the neck, trunk, or limbs.
- spindle file — a device for holding bills, memos, etc., having a projecting metal spike or hooked object on which to stick papers.
- spindle side — the female side or line of descent of a family; distaff side (opposed to spear side).
- spindle tree — any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Euonymus, esp E. europaeus, of Europe and W Asia, typically having red fruits and yielding a hard wood formerly used in making spindles: family Celastraceae
- spinning box — centrifugal box.
- spinning rod — a flexible fishing rod, often made of fiberglass, used with a spinning reel.
- spinsterhood — Disparaging and Offensive. a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying.
- spinstership — the state of being a spinster
- spinulescent — producing spines
- spiny lizard — any of numerous iguanid lizards of the genus Sceloporus, common in North and Central America, usually having keeled scales that may end in a sharp point.
- spiny-finned — having fins with sharp bony rays, as an acanthopterygian.
- spiral-bound — having a spiral binding.
- spirit guide — type of mystical guardian
- spirit level — a device for determining true horizontal or vertical directions by the centering of a bubble in a slightly curved glass tube or tubes filled with alcohol or ether.
- spiritedness — having or showing mettle, courage, vigor, liveliness, etc.: a spirited defense of poetry.
- spiritualism — the belief or doctrine that the spirits of the dead, surviving after the mortal life, can and do communicate with the living, especially through a person (a medium) particularly susceptible to their influence.
- spiritualist — an adherent of spiritualism.
- spirituality — the quality or fact of being spiritual.
- spiritualize — to make spiritual.
- spirochaetal — resulting from spirochaetes
- spit it out! — say it
- spit-roasted — cooked on a spit
- spitefulness — full of spite or malice; showing spite; malicious; malevolent; venomous: a spiteful child.
- splash guard — a large flap behind a rear tire to prevent mud, water, etc., from being splashed on the following vehicle.
- splatterpunk — a form of fiction featuring extremely graphic violence.
- splenization — the transformation of something into a spleenlike tissue
- splenomegaly — enlargement of the spleen.
- split screen — Also called composite shot. Movies, Television. a type of process photography in which two or more shots are juxtaposed and projected simultaneously on the screen.
- split second — a fraction of a second.
- split ticket — a ballot on which not all votes have been cast for candidates of the same party.
- split-screen — Split-screen is used to describe the technique in making films and television programmes in which two different pieces of film are shown at the same time.
- splotchiness — the state or condition of being splotchy
- spoil ground — an area within a body of water, especially in the sea, where dredged material is deposited.
- spokesperson — a person who speaks for another or for a group.
- sponge cloth — any cloth loosely woven of coarse yarn to produce a spongy look or texture, especially one constructed in honeycomb weave.
- sponged ware — spongeware.
- spongicolous — relating to the skeleton of some marine animals
- spongillafly — spongefly.
- spongioblast — one of the primordial cells in the embryonic brain and spinal cord capable of developing into neuroglia.
- spongologist — a person who studies sponges
- sponsorships — a person who vouches or is responsible for a person or thing.
- sporadically — (of similar things or occurrences) appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional: sporadic renewals of enthusiasm.
- sporangiolum — a small sporangium
- sporogenesis — the production of spores; sporogony.
- sporophorous — the state of being or functioning as a sporophore