Dictionary of health

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R. Tumpati M.D.
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
Founder, WikiMD Wellnesspedia &
W8MD weight loss and sleep centers

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Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

#-A

• avascular - adj. without blood vessels

• anthropology - noun the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings * anhedonia - noun an inability to experience pleasure

• adenomegaly - noun gland enlargement

• acromegaly - noun enlargement of bones of hands and feet and face; often accompanied by headache and muscle pain and emotional disturbances; caused by overproduction of growth hormone by the anterior pituitary gland (due to a tumor)

• acardia - noun congenital absence of the heart (as in the development of some monsters)

• abrachia - noun the condition of having no arms

• Acetaminophen - noun an analgesic for mild pain; also used as an antipyretic; (Datril, Tylenol, Panadol, Phenaphen, Tempra, and Anacin III are trademarks of brands of acetaminophen tablets)

• amniotic fluid - noun the serous fluid in which the embryo is suspended inside the amnion

• atactic - adj. lacking motor coordination; marked or caused by ataxia

• abortifacient - adj. causing abortion; noun a drug (or other chemical agent) that causes abortion

• abnormal - adj. much greater than the normal; not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm; departing from the normal in e.g. intelligence and development

• ablution - noun the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels

• ablate - verb remove an organ or bodily structure; wear away through erosion or vaporization

• abiotrophy - noun a loss of vitality and a degeneration of cells and tissues not due to any apparent injury

• ability - noun the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment; possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done

• abeyance - noun temporary cessation or suspension

• adduct - noun a compound formed by an addition reaction; verb draw a limb towards the body

• abdominoplasty - noun cosmetic surgery of the abdomen to remove wrinkles and tighten the skin over the stomach

• abaxial - adj. facing away from the axis of an organ or organism

• abatement - noun the act of abating; an interruption in the intensity or amount of something

• abasia - noun inability to walk

• afebrile - adj. having no fever

• appendicitis - noun inflammation of the vermiform appendix

• asthma - noun respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing; usually of allergic origin

• atherosclerosis - noun a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls

• abort - noun the act of terminating a project or procedure before it is completed; verb terminate a pregnancy by undergoing an abortion; cease development, die, and be aborted; terminate before completion

• autosuggestion - noun hypnosis induced by yourself

• azotaemia - noun accumulation in the blood of nitrogenous waste products (urea) that are usually excreted in the urine

• axon - noun long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron

• autoregulation - noun (physiology) processes that maintain a generally constant physiological state in a cell or organism

• autopsy - noun an examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by disease; verb perform an autopsy on a dead body; do a post-mortem

• autograft - noun tissue that is taken from one site and grafted to another site on the same person

• autism - noun (psychiatry) an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people

• aura - noun an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint; a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure; a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing.

• audiogram - noun a graphical representation of a person's auditory sensitivity to sound

• attack - noun a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase; an offensive move in a sport or game; the act of attacking; (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); strong criticism; the onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent); a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation; intense adverse criticism; verb begin to injure; set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; attack in speech or writing; take the initiative and go on the offensive; launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; attack someone physically or emotionally

• atrium - noun the central area in a building; open to the sky; any chamber that is connected to other chambers or passageways (especially one of the two upper chambers of the heart)

• atrophy - noun any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use); a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse; verb undergo atrophy

• atrial septal defect - noun an abnormal opening between the left and right atria of the heart

• dentistry - noun the branch of medicine dealing with the anatomy and development and diseases of the teeth

• esthetic - adj. concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste; aesthetically pleasing; relating to or dealing with the subject of aesthetics; noun (philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful

• antidepressant - noun any of a class of drugs used to treat depression; often have undesirable side effects

• antibody - noun any of a large variety of proteins normally present in the body or produced in response to an antigen which it neutralizes, thus producing an immune response

• antibiotic - adj. of or relating to antibiotic drugs; noun a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that kills microorganisms and cures infections

• anoxia - noun severe hypoxia; absence of oxygen in inspired gases or in arterial blood or in the tissues

• anorexia - noun a prolonged disorder of eating due to loss of appetite

• anomaly - noun (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun); a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule

• angioplasty - noun an operation to repair a damaged blood vessel or unblock a coronary artery

• angioma - noun a tumor consisting of a mass of blood or lymphatic vessels

• angina - noun any disease of the throat or fauces marked by spasmodic attacks of intense suffocative pain; a heart condition marked by paroxysms of chest pain due to reduced oxygen to the heart

• anaesthesia - noun loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness

• aplastic anaemia - noun anemia characterized by pancytopenia resulting from failure of the bone marrow; can be caused by neoplasm or by toxic exposure

• anaemia - noun a deficiency of red blood cells; a lack of vitality

• anatomy - noun a detailed analysis; the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals; alternative names for the body of a human being

• anastomosis - noun a natural or surgical joining of parts or branches of tubular structures so as to make or become continuous

• anaphylaxis - noun hypersensitivity reaction to the ingestion or injection of a substance (a protein or drug) resulting from prior contact with a substance

• anabolism - noun the synthesis in living organisms of more complex substances (e.g., living tissue) from simpler ones together with the storage of energy

• amyotrophy - noun progressive wasting of muscle tissues

• amyloidosis - noun a disorder characterized by deposit of amyloid in organs or tissues; often secondary to chronic rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis or multiple myeloma

• amylase - noun any of a group of proteins found in saliva and pancreatic juice and parts of plants; help convert starch to sugar

• amputation - noun a surgical removal of all or part of a limb; a condition of disability resulting from the loss of one or more limbs

• ampulla - noun a flask that has two handles; used by Romans for wines or oils; the dilated portion of a canal or duct especially of the semicircular canals of the ear

• ampoule - noun a small bottle that contains a drug (especially a sealed sterile container for injection by needle)

• amplification - noun (electronics) the act of increasing voltage or power or current; addition of extra material or illustration or clarifying detail; the amount of increase in signal power or voltage or current expressed as the ratio of output to input

• amniocentesis - noun (pregnancy) extraction by centesis of amniotic fluid from a pregnant woman (after the 15th week of pregnancy) to aid in the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities

• amnesia - noun partial or total loss of memory

• amitriptyline hydrochloride - noun a tricyclic antidepressant drug (trade name Elavil) with serious side effects; interacts with many other medications

• amino acid - noun organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group

• amenorrhoea - noun absence or suppression of normal menstrual flow

• allele - noun either of a pair (or series) of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular chromosome and that control the same character

• amoebiasis - noun infection by a disease-causing ameba

• ambidextrous - adj. marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another; equally skillful with each hand

• amblyopia - noun visual impairment without apparent organic pathology

• amaurosis - noun partial or total loss of sight without pathology of the eye; caused by disease of optic nerve or retina or brain

• alveolus - noun a tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways; a bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth

• alveolitis - noun inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs caused by inhaling dust; with repeated exposure the condition may become chronic; inflammation in the socket of a tooth; sometimes occurs after a tooth is extracted and a blood clot fails to form

• alum - noun a double sulphate of aluminum and potassium that is used as an astringent (among other things); a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminum; a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum; a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)

• allergy - noun hypersensitivity reaction to a particular allergen; symptoms can vary greatly in intensity

• alkalosis - noun abnormally high alkalinity (low hydrogen-ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues

• alimentary - adj. of or providing nourishment

• alexia - noun inability to perceive written words

• aldosterone - noun a corticosteroid hormone that is secreted by the cortex of the adrenal gland; regulates salt (sodium and potassium) and water balance

• alcoholism - noun habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms; an intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess

• albuminuria - noun the presence of excessive protein (chiefly albumin but also globulin) in the urine; usually a symptom of kidney disorder

• albumin - noun a simple water-soluble protein found in many animal tissues and liquids

• albinism - noun the congenital absence of pigmentation in the eyes and skin and hair

• alanine - noun a crystalline amino acid that occurs in many proteins

• akinesia - noun motionlessness attributable to a temporary paralysis

• AIDS - noun a serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles

• agoraphobia - noun a morbid fear of open spaces (as fear of being caught alone in some public place)

• agraphia - noun a loss of the ability to write or to express thoughts in writing because of a brain lesion

• aging - adj. growing old; noun the organic process of growing older and showing the effects of increasing age; acquiring desirable qualities by being left undisturbed for some time

• aggression - noun violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked; deliberately unfriendly behavior; the act of initiating hostilities; a disposition to behave aggressively; a feeling of hostility that arouses thoughts of attack

• agglutination - noun the building of words from component morphemes that retain their form and meaning in the process of combining; a clumping of bacteria or red cells when held together by antibodies (agglutinins); the coalescing of small particles that are suspended in solution; these larger masses are then (usually) precipitated

• agent - noun an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect; a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission; a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations; any agent or representative of a federal agency or bureau; a substance that exerts some force or effect; the semantic role of the animate entity that instigates or causes the happening denoted by the verb in the clause

• agenesis - noun imperfect development; nondevelopment of a part

• age - noun how long something has existed; a time in life (usually defined in years) at which some particular qualification or power arises; a late time of life; a prolonged period of time; an era of history having some distinctive feature; verb begin to seem older; get older; make older; grow old or older

• agar - noun a colloidal extract of algae; used especially in culture media and as a gelling agent in foods; any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent

• adjuvant - adj. enhancing the action of a medical treatment; furnishing added support; noun an additive that enhances the effectiveness of medical treatment

• algorithm - noun a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem

• aftercare - noun care and treatment of a convalescent patient

• afterbirth - noun the placenta and fetal membranes that are expelled from the uterus after the baby is born

• aflatoxin - noun a potent carcinogen from the fungus Aspergillus; can be produced and stored for use as a bioweapon

• affect - noun the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion; verb act physically on; have an effect upon; have an effect upon; have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; make believe with the intent to deceive; connect closely and often incriminatingly

• aerosol - noun a dispenser that holds a substance under pressure and that can release it as a fine spray (usually by means of a propellant gas); a cloud of solid or liquid particles in a gas

• adsorption - noun the accumulation of molecules of a gas to form a thin film on the surface of a solid

• adrenergic - adj. relating to epinephrine (its release or action); noun drug that has the effects of epinephrine

• adrenal - adj. of or pertaining to the adrenal glands or their secretions; near the kidneys; noun either of a pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney

• adolescence - noun in the state that someone is in between puberty and adulthood; the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood

• adhesion - noun a fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures; abnormal union of bodily tissues; most common in the abdomen; faithful support for a religion or cause or political party; the property of sticking together (as of glue and wood) or the joining of surfaces of different composition

• adenoma - noun a benign epithelial tumor of glandular origin

• adenoidectomy - noun surgical removal of the adenoids; commonly performed along with tonsillectomy

• adenocarcinoma - noun malignant tumor originating in glandular epithelium

• additive - adj. characterized or produced by addition; designating or involving an equation whose terms are of the first degree; noun something added to enhance food or gasoline or paint or medicine

• addiction - noun (Roman law) a formal award by a magistrate of a thing or person to another person (as the award of a debtor to his creditor); a surrender to a master; an abnormally strong craving; being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)

• adaptation - noun (physiology) the responsive adjustment of a sense organ (as the eye) to varying conditions (as of light); a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new form; the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions)

• acupressure - noun treatment of symptoms by applying pressure with the fingers to specific pressure points on the body

• activity - noun any specific behavior; (chemistry) the capacity of a substance to take part in a chemical reaction; the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically; an organic process that takes place in the body; a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings); the state of being active

• acidosis - noun abnormally high acidity (excess hydrogen-ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues

• acid-fast - adj. not easily decolorized by acid solutions; pertains to micro-organisms (especially the tubercle bacillus that causes tuberculosis)

• acid - adj. having the characteristics of an acid; harsh or corrosive in tone; being sour to the taste; noun street name for lysergic acid diethylamide; any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt

• acetabulum - noun the cup-shaped hollow in the hipbone into which the head of the femur fits to form a ball-and-socket joint

• accident-prone - adj. having more than the average number of accidents

• abuse - noun a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; cruel or inhumane treatment; improper or excessive use; verb use wrongly or improperly or excessively; use foul or abusive language towards; change the inherent purpose or function of something; treat badly

• abstinence - noun act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite; the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol)

• absorption - noun (chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid; (physics) the process in which incident radiated energy is retained without reflection or transmission on passing through a medium; the mental state of being preoccupied by something; complete attention; intense mental effort; the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion; the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

• abrasion - noun erosion by friction; an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice

• acupuncture - noun treatment of pain or disease by inserting the tips of needles at specific points on the skin

• aberration - noun an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm

• abscess - noun symptom consisting of a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue

• aberrant - adj. markedly different from an accepted norm; noun one whose behavior departs substantially from the norm of a group

• abortion - noun termination of pregnancy; failure of a plan

• abduction - noun (physiology) moving of a body part away from the central axis of the body; the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife

• abdomen - noun the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis; the cavity containing the major viscera; in mammals it is separated from the thorax by the diaphragm

Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

B

• B - noun the blood group whose red cells carry the B antigen; the 2nd letter of the Roman alphabet; aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil; (physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective circular area that one particle presents to another as a target for an encounter; a logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels; a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder; originally thought to be a single vitamin but now separated into several B vitamins

• balanoposthitis - noun inflammation of both the head of the penis and the foreskin

• blepharitis - noun inflammation of the eyelids characterized by redness and swelling and dried crusts

• bicipital - adj. having two heads or points of origin as a biceps

• bruise - noun an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration; verb damage (plant tissue) by abrasion of pressure; break up into small pieces for food preparation; injure the underlying soft tissue of bone of; hurt the feelings of

• brucellosis - noun infectious bacterial disease of human beings transmitted by contact with infected animals or infected meat or milk products; characterized by fever and headache; an infectious disease of domestic animals often resulting in spontaneous abortion; transmittable to human beings

• breast - noun the front part of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen; either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman; meat carved from the breast of a fowl; verb reach the summit; meet at breast level; confront bodily

• bran - noun food prepared from the husks of cereal grains; broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting

• brain-stem - noun the part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord and comprising the medulla oblongata and pons and midbrain and parts of the hypothalamus

• bradycardia - noun abnormally slow heartbeat

• botulism - noun food poisoning from ingesting botulin; not infectious; affects the CNS; can be fatal if not treated promptly

• blood type - noun human blood cells (usually just the red blood cells) that have the same antigens

• blood group - noun human blood cells (usually just the red blood cells) that have the same antigens

• blood count - noun the act of estimating the number of red and white corpuscles in a blood sample; the number of red and white corpuscles in a blood sample

• blood bank - noun a place for storing whole blood or blood plasma

• bladder - noun a bag that fills with air; a distensible membranous sac (usually containing liquid or gas)

• blackout - noun a momentary loss of consciousness; the failure of electric power for a general region; darkness resulting from the extinction of lights (as in a city invisible to enemy aircraft); a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting; partial or total loss of memory

• bisexual - adj. sexually attracted to both sexes; having an ambiguous sexual identity; noun a person who is sexually attracted to both sexes

• birthmark - noun a blemish on the skin that is formed before birth

• biopsy - noun examination of tissues or liquids from the living body to determine the existence or cause of a disease

• bilirubin - noun an orange-yellow pigment in the bile that forms as a product of hemoglobin; excess amounts in the blood produce the yellow appearance observed in jaundice

• bile - noun a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder; aids in the digestion of fats

• beriberi - noun avitaminosis caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1)

• Bursa - noun a small fluid-filled sac located between movable parts of the body especially at joints; a city in northwestern Turkey

• Bulla - noun the round leaden seal affixed to a papal bull; (pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid

• bronchopneumonia - noun pneumonia characterized by acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles

• ballottement - noun a palpatory technique for feeling a floating object in the body (especially for determining the position of a fetus by feeling the rebound of the fetus after a quick digital tap on the wall of the uterus)

• bronchoscope - noun a slender tubular instrument used to examine the bronchial tubes

• bronchiolitis - noun inflammation of the membranes lining the bronchioles

• barium - noun a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group; found in barite

• bypass - noun a road that takes traffic around the edge of a town; a surgically created shunt (usually around a damaged part); a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current; verb avoid something unpleasant or laborious

• burn - noun damage inflicted by fire; a place or area that has been burned (especially on a person's body); an injury caused by exposure to heat or chemicals or radiation; pain that feels hot as if it were on fire; a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun; verb burn with heat, fire, or radiation; undergo combustion; cause to undergo combustion; destroy by fire; feel strong emotion, especially anger or passion; feel hot or painful; spend (significant amounts of money); burn at the stake; cause to burn or combust; shine intensely, as if with heat; get a sunburn by overexposure to the sun; burn, sear, or freeze (tissue) using a hot iron or electric current or a caustic agent; use up (energy); create by duplicating data; cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort

• bulimia - noun pathologically insatiable hunger (especially when caused by brain lesions); a disorder of eating seen among young women who go on eating binges and then feel guilt and depression and self-condemnation

• bronchus - noun either of the two main branches of the trachea

• banding - noun an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material; a stripe or stripes of contrasting color

• band - noun a thin flat strip of flexible material that is worn around the body or one of the limbs (especially to decorate the body); an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material; a restraint put around something to hold it together; a strip of material attached to the leg of a bird to identify it (as in studies of bird migration); a thin flat strip or loop of flexible material that goes around or over something else; a stripe or stripes of contrasting color; a range of frequencies between two limits; instrumentalists not including string players; jewelry consisting of a circlet of precious metal (often set with jewels) worn on the finger; a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure; an unofficial association of people or groups; a group of musicians playing popular music for dancing; verb bind or tie together, as with a band; attach a ring to the foot of, in order to identify

• bacterium - noun (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered plants

• bacillus - noun aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil

• breathing - adj. passing or able to pass air in and out of the lungs normally; sometimes used in combination; noun the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

C

• C - noun the 3rd letter of the Roman alphabet; (music) the keynote of the scale of C major; a general-purpose programing language closely associated with the UNIX operating system; street names for cocaine; a unit of electrical charge equal to the amount of charge transferred by a current of 1 ampere in 1 second; a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature; an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds; a base found in DNA and RNA and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with guanine; one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose); the speed at which light travels in a vacuum; the constancy and universality of the speed of light is recognized by defining it to be exactly 299,792,458 meters per second

• cardiomegaly - noun an abnormal enlargement of the heart

• concussion - noun any violent blow; injury to the brain caused by a blow; usually resulting in loss of consciousness

• carotid - adj. of or relating to either of the two major arteries supplying blood to the head and neck

• cerebral death - noun death when respiration and other reflexes are absent; consciousness is gone; organs can be removed for transplantation before the heartbeat stops

• cyanide - noun an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid; any of a class of organic compounds containing the cyano radical -CN

• curve - noun a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approach the batter; a line on a graph representing data; the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes; curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.); the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface; verb form a curl, curve, or kink; turn sharply; change direction abruptly; bend or cause to bend; form an arch or curve; extend in curves and turns

• curette - noun a surgical instrument shaped like a scoop to remove tissue from a bodily cavity

• curettage - noun surgery to remove tissue or growths from a bodily cavity (as the uterus) by scraping with a curette

• cupric - adj. of or containing divalent copper

• culdoscopy - noun endoscopic examination of a woman's pelvic organs by the insertion of a culdoscope through the vagina

• crystal - noun a protective cover that protects the face of a watch; glassware made of quartz; a crystalline element used as a component in various electronic devices; a rock formed by the solidification of a substance; has regularly repeating internal structure; external plane faces; a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure; colorless glass made of almost pure silica

• cryocautery - noun application of a substance that destroys tissue by freezing it; an instrument for destroying tissue by freezing it

• crowning - adj. representing a level of the highest possible achievement or attainment; forming or providing a crown or summit

• croup - noun a disease of infants and young children; harsh coughing and hoarseness and fever and difficult breathing; the part of a quadruped that corresponds to the human buttocks

• crepitation - noun the sharp sound of snapping noises

• creatine - noun an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates both in the free form and as phosphocreatine; supplies energy for muscle contraction

• craniotomy - noun a surgical opening through the skull

• coxa - noun the ball-and-socket joint between the head of the femur and the acetabulum

• counterirritant - noun a medicine applied locally to produce superficial inflammation in order to reduce deeper inflammation

• corpus - noun the main part of an organ or other bodily structure; a collection of writings; capital as contrasted with the income derived from it

• cornea - noun transparent anterior portion of the outer covering of the eye; it covers the lens and iris and is continuous with the sclera

• copulation - noun the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur

• coprophagia - noun eating feces; in human a symptom of some kinds of insanity

• control - noun the activity of managing or exerting control over something; (physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc; a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine; power to direct or determine; the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.; a spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance; a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another; discipline in personal and social activities; great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity; a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment; the state that exists when one person or group has power over another; verb verify by using a duplicate register for comparison; exercise authoritative control or power over; lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments; have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of; be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; handle and cause to function; control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage

• contracture - noun an abnormal and usually permanent contraction of a muscle

• contraction - noun the act of decreasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope; (physiology) a shortening or tensing of a part or organ (especially of a muscle or muscle fiber); a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds; the process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together

• contractile - adj. capable of contracting or being contracted

• continence - noun the exercise of self constraint in sexual matters; voluntary control over urinary and fecal discharge

• contaminant - noun a substance that contaminates

• contagion - noun the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people; an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted; any disease easily transmitted by contact

• conscious - adj. (followed by `of') showing realization or recognition of something; knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts; intentionally conceived

• consanguinity - noun (anthropology) related by blood

• conjunctivitis - noun inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye

• congenital - adj. present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development

• conduction - noun the transmission of heat or electricity or sound

• condom - noun contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse

• conditioning - noun a learning process in which an organism's behavior becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment

• compliance - noun happy friendly agreement; the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another; acting according to certain accepted standards; a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others

• complex - adj. complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts; noun a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts; (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior; a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated; a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

• complement - noun something added to complete or make perfect; either of two parts that mutually complete each other; a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction; number needed to make up a whole force; a complete number or quantity; one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response; verb make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to

• compatible - adj. able to exist and perform in harmonious or agreeable combination; capable of being used with or connected to other devices or components without modification; capable of forming a homogeneous mixture that neither separates nor is altered by chemical interaction; having similar disposition and tastes; (of a couple) existing together harmoniously

• colonoscopy - noun visual examination of the colon (with a colonoscope) from the cecum to the rectum; requires sedation

• colon - noun the part of the large intestine between the cecum and the rectum; it extracts moisture from food residues before they are excreted; a punctuation mark (:) used after a word introducing a series or an example or an explanation (or after the salutation of a business letter); a port city at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal; the basic unit of money in Costa Rica; equal to 100 centimos; the basic unit of money in El Salvador; equal to 100 centavos

• colloid - noun a mixture with properties between those of a solution and fine suspension

• collapse - noun a mishap caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in; an abrupt failure of function or health; the act of throwing yourself down; a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures); verb lose significance, effectiveness, or value; break down, literally or metaphorically; cause to burst; fold or close up; collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack; suffer a nervous breakdown; fall apart

• colitis - noun inflammation of the colon

• colic - noun acute abdominal pain (especially in infants)

• coefficient - noun a constant number that serves as a measure of some property or characteristic

• chloasma - noun a tan discoloration of a woman's face that is associated with pregnancy or with the use of oral contraceptives

• cocaine - noun a narcotic (alkaloid) extracted from coca leaves; used as a surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become powerfully addictive

• clostridium - noun spindle-shaped bacterial cell especially one swollen at the center by an endospore

• cloning - noun a general term for the research activity that creates a copy of some biological entity (a gene or organism or cell)

• cholecystitis - noun inflammation of the gall bladder

• cholecystectomy - noun surgical removal of the gall bladder (usually for relief of gallstone pain)

• cholangiography - noun roentgenographic examination of the bile ducts after a contrast medium has been injected

• chemotaxis - noun movement by a cell or organism in reaction to a chemical stimulus

• chemoreceptor - noun a sensory receptor that responds to chemical stimuli

• chorionic villus biopsy - noun a prenatal test to detect birth defects at an early stage of pregnancy; tissue from the chorionic villi is assayed

• chapped - adj. used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure

• caesarean - adj. of or relating to or in the manner of Julius Caesar; relating to abdominal delivery; noun the delivery of a fetus by surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus (from the belief that Julius Caesar was born that way)

• cervix - noun necklike opening to the uterus; the part of an organism that connects the head to the rest of the body

• cephalosporin - noun one of several broad spectrum antibiotic substances obtained from fungi and related to penicillin (trade names Mefoxin); addition of side chains has produced semisynthetic antibiotics with greater antibacterial activity

• centriole - noun one of a pair of small cylindrical cell organelles near the nucleus in animal cells; composed of nine triplet microtubules and form the asters during mitosis

• calisthenics - noun light exercises designed to promote general fitness; the practice of calisthenic exercises

• calculus - noun the branch of mathematics that is concerned with limits and with the differentiation and integration of functions; a hard lump produced by the concretion of mineral salts; found in hollow organs or ducts of the body; an incrustation that forms on the teeth and gums

• calcitonin - noun thyroid hormone that tends to lower the level of calcium in the blood plasma and inhibit resorption of bone

• calcification - noun a process that impregnates something with calcium (or calcium salts); an inflexible and unchanging state; tissue hardened by deposition of lime salts

• caffeine - noun a bitter alkaloid found in coffee and tea that is responsible for their stimulating effects

• cachexia - noun any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease

• choroid - noun a highly vascular membrane in the eye between the retina and the sclera

• chorea - noun any of several degenerative nervous disorders characterized by spasmodic movements of the body and limbs; chorea in dogs

• cholesterol - noun an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues

• chromatography - noun a process used for separating mixtures by virtue of differences in absorbency

• callosity - noun an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot); devoid of passion or feeling; hardheartedness

• calcaneus - noun the largest tarsal bone; forms the human heel

• cadaver - noun the dead body of a human being

• capillary - adj. long and slender with a very small internal diameter; of or relating to hair; noun a tube of small internal diameter; holds liquid by capillary action; any of the minute blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules

• cannabis - noun the most commonly used illicit drug; considered a soft drug, it consists of the dried leaves of the hemp plant; smoked or chewed for euphoric effect; any plant of the genus Cannabis; a coarse bushy annual with palmate leaves and clusters of small green flowers; yields tough fibers and narcotic drugs

• cancer - noun type genus of the family Cancridae; the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22; a small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini; (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer; any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream

• calorie - noun unit of heat defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree centigrade at atmospheric pressure; a unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food

• callus - noun (botany) an isolated thickening of tissue, especially a stiff protuberance on the lip of an orchid; bony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone; an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot); verb form a callus or calluses; cause a callus to form on

• chronological age - noun age measured by the time (years and months) that something or someone has existed

• capsule - noun a pill in the form of a small rounded gelatinous container with medicine inside; a small container; a structure that encloses a body part; a dry dehiscent seed vessel or the spore-containing structure of e.g. mosses; a pilot's seat in an airplane that can be forcibly ejected in the case of an emergency; then the pilot descends by parachute; a spacecraft designed to transport people and support human life in outer space; a shortened version of a written work; verb enclose in a capsule; put in a short or concise form; reduce in volume

• cannula - noun a small flexible tube inserted into a body cavity for draining off fluid or introducing medication

• candida - noun any of the yeastlike imperfect fungi of the genus Candida

• carotene - noun yellow or orange-red fat-soluble pigments in plants; an orange isomer of an unsaturated hydrocarbon found in many plants; is converted into vitamin A in the liver

• carcinoma - noun any malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue; one of the four major types of cancer

• clearance - noun permission to proceed; the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them; vertical space available to allow easy passage under something

• clamp - noun a device (generally used by carpenters) that holds things firmly together; verb impose or inflict forcefully; fasten or fix with a clamp

• circadian - adj. of or relating to biological processes occurring at 24-hour intervals

• chyle - noun a milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats; formed in the small intestine during digestion of ingested fats

• casein - noun a milk protein used in making e.g. plastics and adhesives; a water-base paint made with a protein precipitated from milk

• cartilage - noun tough elastic tissue; mostly converted to bone in adults

• carina - noun any of various keel-shaped structures or ridges such as that on the breastbone of a bird or that formed by the fused petals of a pea blossom; a keel-shaped constellation in the southern hemisphere; contains the start Canopus

• caries - noun soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth

• cardiomyopathy - noun a disorder (usually of unknown origin) of the heart muscle (myocardium)

• centrifuge - noun an apparatus that uses centrifugal force to separate particles from a suspension; verb rotate at very high speed in order to separate the liquids from the solids

• cellulose - noun a polysaccharide that is the chief constituent of all plant tissues and fibers

• crown - noun the part of a hat (the vertex) that covers the crown of the head; an ornamental jewelled headdress signifying sovereignty; a wreath or garland worn on the head to signify victory; the center of a cambered road; the part of a tooth above the gum that is covered with enamel; the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy; the upper branches and leaves of a tree; an English coin worth 5 shillings; the top of the head; the award given to the champion; the top point of a mountain or hill; verb be the culminating event; put an enamel cover on; invest with regal power; enthrone; form the topmost part of

• clitoris - noun a female sexual organ homologous to the penis

• claudication - noun disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet

• cirrhosis - noun a chronic disease interfering with the normal functioning of the liver; the major cause is chronic alcoholism

• cilium - noun a hairlike projection from the surface of a cell; provides locomotion in free-swimming unicellular organisms; any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

• chromosome - noun a threadlike body in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order

• cellulitis - noun an inflammation of body tissue (especially that below the skin) characterized by fever and swelling and redness and pain

• cell - noun (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals; a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction; a room where a prisoner is kept; small room is which a monk or nun lives; any small compartment; a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement; a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver

• catheter - noun a thin flexible tube inserted into the body to permit introduction or withdrawal of fluids or to keep the passageway open

• cataract - noun a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice; clouding of the natural lens of the eye

• catalepsy - noun a trancelike state with loss of voluntary motion and failure to react to stimuli

Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

D

• D - noun the 4th letter of the Roman alphabet; a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

• disease - noun an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

• delirium tremens - noun acute delirium caused by alcohol poisoning

• dysarthria - noun impaired articulatory ability resulting from defects in the peripheral motor nerves or in the speech musculature

• diuretic - noun any substance that tends to increase the flow of urine

• dyspnoea - noun difficult or labored respiration

• defibrillator - noun an electronic device that administers an electric shock of preset voltage to the heart through the chest wall in an attempt to restore the normal rhythm of the heart during ventricular fibrillation

• dysuria - noun painful or difficult urination

• dystrophy - noun any degenerative disorder resulting from inadequate or faulty nutrition; any of several hereditary diseases of the muscular system characterized by weakness and wasting of skeletal muscles

• dysplasia - noun abnormal development (of organs or cells) or an abnormal structure resulting from such growth

• dyspepsia - noun a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea

• dyslexia - noun impaired ability to learn to read

• dyskinesia - noun abnormality in performing voluntary muscle movements

• dysgenesis - noun infertility between hybrids

• gonadal - adj. of or relating to the gonads

• dysfunction - noun (medicine) any disturbance in the function of an organ or body part

• dysentery - noun an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

• dyscrasia - noun an abnormal or physiologically unbalanced state of the body

• dwarf - noun a person who is markedly small; a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure; verb check the growth of; make appear small by comparison

• duplication - noun the act of copying or making a duplicate (or duplicates) of something; a copy that corresponds to an original exactly

• duodenum - noun the part of the small intestine between the stomach and the jejunum

• duct - noun an enclosed conduit for a fluid; a bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance; a continuous tube formed by a row of elongated cells lacking intervening end walls

• drug - noun a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic; verb administer a drug to; use recreational drugs

• dropsy - noun swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue

• dressing - noun the act of applying a bandage; the activity of getting dressed; putting on clothes; processes in the conversion of rough hides into leather; a cloth covering for a wound or sore; savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type; making fertile as by applying fertilizer or manure; a mixture of seasoned ingredients used to stuff meats and vegetables

• drainage - noun emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it

• suction - noun a force over an area produced by a pressure difference; the act of sucking; verb empty or clean (a body cavity) by the force of suction; remove or draw away by the force of suction

• drain - noun emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it; a gradual depletion of energy or resources; a pipe through which liquid is carried away; tube inserted into a body cavity (as during surgery) to remove unwanted material; verb empty of liquid; drain the liquid from; deplete of resources; flow off gradually; make weak

• dose - noun a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time; the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time; street name for lysergic acid diethylamide; a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact; verb treat with an agent; add (an agent) to; administer a drug to

• dopamine - noun a monoamine neurotransmitter found in the brain and essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system; as a drug (trade names Dopastat and Intropin) it is used to treat shock and hypotension

• divergence - noun the act of moving away in different direction from a common point; an infinite series that has no limit; a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions; a variation that deviates from the standard or norm

• divarication - noun branching at a wide angle

• diurnal - adj. having a daily cycle or occurring every day; belonging to or active during the day

• diuresis - noun increased secretion of urine; if not due to increased liquid intake or to the action of a diuretic drug it can be a symptom of diabetes mellitus

• disk - noun a flat circular plate; something with a round shape like a flat circular plate; (computer science) a memory device consisting of a flat disk covered with a magnetic coating on which information is stored; sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove; verb draw a harrow over (land)

• disengagement - noun to break off a military action with an enemy; the act of releasing from an attachment or connection

• Disease - noun an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

• Alzheimers - noun a progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s; first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness

• discharge - noun the act of discharging a gun; the act of venting; the sudden giving off of energy; the pouring forth of a fluid; electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field; any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body; a substance that is emitted or released; a formal written statement of relinquishment; the termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart); verb eliminate (substances) from the body; release from military service; pour forth or release; remove the charge from; become empty or void of its content; pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; cause to go off; go off or discharge; leave or unload, especially of passengers or cargo; free from obligations or duties; complete or carry out

• disability - noun the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness

• director - noun someone who controls resources and expenditures; someone who supervises the actors and directs the action in the production of a show; member of a board of directors; the person who leads a musical group; the person who directs the making of a film

• diplegia - noun paralysis of corresponding parts on both sides of the body

• diphtheria - noun acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing

• digestive - adj. relating to or having the power to cause or promote digestion; noun any substance that promotes digestion

• diffusion - noun the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another; (physics) the process of diffusing; the intermingling of molecules in gases and liquids as a result of random thermal agitation; the act of dispersing or diffusing something; the property of being diffused or dispersed

• diffuse - adj. spread out; not concentrated in one place; lacking conciseness; (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected; verb move outward; cause to become widely known; spread or diffuse through

• differentiation - noun the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function; a discrimination between things as different and distinct; (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function

• diethylstilboestrol - noun a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry

• diet - noun the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal); a prescribed selection of foods; a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan); verb eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight; follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons

• diet - noun the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal); a prescribed selection of foods; a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan); verb eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight; follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons

• diet - noun the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal); a prescribed selection of foods; a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan); verb eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight; follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons

• diabetic diet - noun a diet designed to help control the symptoms of diabetes

• diet - noun the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal); a prescribed selection of foods; a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan); verb eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight; follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons

• balanced - adj. total debits and credits are equal; being in a state of proper balance or equilibrium

• diet - noun the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal); a prescribed selection of foods; a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan); verb eat sparingly, for health reasons or to lose weight; follow a regimen or a diet, as for health reasons

• diathesis - noun constitutional predisposition to a particular disease or abnormality

• diathermy - noun a method of physical therapy that involves generating local heat in body tissues by high-frequency electromagnetic currents

• diastema - noun a gap or vacant space between two teeth

• diastasis - noun separation of an epiphysis from the long bone to which it is normally attached without fracture of the bone

• diarrhoea - noun frequent and watery bowel movements; can be a symptom of infection or food poisoning or colitis or a gastrointestinal tumor

• diaphysis - noun the main (mid) section of a long bone

• diaphragm - noun a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens; electro-acoustic transducer that vibrates to receive or produce sound waves; a contraceptive device consisting of a flexible dome-shaped cup made of rubber or plastic; it is filled with spermicide and fitted over the uterine cervix; (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration

• diagram - noun a drawing intended to explain how something works; a drawing showing the relation between the parts; verb make a schematic or technical drawing of that shows how things work or how they are constructed

• Venn - noun English logician who introduced Venn diagrams (1834-1923)

• diagnosis - noun identifying the nature or cause of some phenomenon

• diabetes mellitus - noun diabetes caused by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin and characterized by polyuria

• diabetes mellitus - noun diabetes caused by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin and characterized by polyuria

• diabetes insipidus - noun a rare form of diabetes resulting from a deficiency of vasopressin (the pituitary hormone that regulates the kidneys); characterized by the chronic excretion of large amounts of pale dilute urine which results in dehydration and extreme thirst

• diabetes - noun any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive urination and persistent thirst

• dextrocardia - noun abnormal condition where the heart is located toward the right side of the chest

• dextrin - noun any of various polysaccharides obtained by hydrolysis of starch; a tasteless and odorless gummy substance that is used as a thickening agent and in adhesives and in dietary supplements

• detergent - adj. having cleansing power; noun a cleansing agent that differs from soap but can also emulsify oils and hold dirt in suspension; a surface-active chemical widely used in industry and laundering

• desensitization - noun the process of reducing sensitivity

• dermatitis - noun inflammation of the skin; skin becomes itchy and may develop blisters

• dermabrasion - noun removal of scars or tattoos by anesthetizing the skin surface and then sanding or scraping off some of the outer skin layer

• depression - noun pushing down; sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy; angular distance below the horizon (especially of a celestial object); a concavity in a surface produced by pressing; a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity; a long-term economic state characterized by unemployment and low prices and low levels of trade and investment; a period during the 1930s when there was a worldwide economic depression and mass unemployment; a sunken or depressed geological formation; a state of depression and anhedonia so severe as to require clinical intervention; an air mass of lower pressure; often brings precipitation

• depilatory - adj. able to remove hair or render hairless; noun a cosmetic for temporary removal of undesired hair; a chemical (usually a sulfide) used to remove hair or wool or bristles from hides

• deoxyribonucleic acid - noun (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information

• denture - noun a dental appliance that artificially replaces missing teeth

• dentition - noun the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal; the eruption through the gums of baby teeth

• delusion - noun the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas; a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea; (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary

• delivery - noun the act of delivering a child; the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail); the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another; the event of giving birth; recovery or preservation from loss or danger; (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter; your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally

• delirium - noun a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion often accompanied by hallucinations; state of violent mental agitation

• deletion - noun the act of deleting something written or printed; the omission that is made when an editorial change shortens a written passage; (genetics) the loss or absence of one or more nucleotides from a chromosome; any process whereby sounds are left out of spoken words or phrases

• decubitus - noun a reclining position (as in a bed)

• decontamination - noun the removal of contaminants

• decalcification - noun loss of calcium from bones or teeth

• debris - noun the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

• debridement - noun surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing

• death - noun the act of killing; the event of dying or departure from life; the personification of death; the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism; the absence of life or state of being dead; the time at which life ends; continuing until dead; the time when something ends; a final state

• dental caries - noun soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth

• disease - noun an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

• decay - noun the organic phenomenon of rotting; a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current; the process of gradually becoming inferior; the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation; an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying; verb fall into decay or ruin; undergo decay or decomposition; lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current

Table of contents:

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.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

E

• E - noun the 5th letter of the Roman alphabet; the base of the natural system of logarithms; approximately equal to 2.718282...; the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees; a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons; a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

• endemic - adj. native to or confined to a certain region; of or relating to a disease (or anything resembling a disease) constantly present to greater or lesser extent in a particular locality; originating where it is found; noun a plant that is native to a certain limited area; a disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location

• epidemic - adj. (especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously; noun a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time

• euthanasia - noun the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

• emasculation - noun loss of power and masculinity; neutering a male animal by removing the testicles

• electromyograph - noun a medical instrument that records the electrical waves associated with the activity of skeletal muscles

• electrocardiography - noun diagnostic procedure consisting of recording the activity of the heart electronically with a cardiograph (and producing a cardiogram)

• electrocardiograph - noun medical instrument that records electric currents associated with contractions of the heart

• elation - noun a feeling of joy and pride; an exhilarating psychological state of pride and optimism; an absence of depression

• elastosis - noun breakdown of elastic tissue (as the loss of elasticity in the skin of elderly people that results from degeneration of connective tissue)

• elastin - noun a fibrous scleroprotein found in elastic tissues such as the walls of arteries

• ejaculation - noun an abrupt emphatic exclamation expressing emotion; the discharge of semen in males

• ejaculate - noun the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract; verb eject semen; utter impulsively

• effuse - verb give out or emit (also metaphorically); pour out; flow or spill forth

• egocentric - adj. limited to or caring only about yourself and your own needs; noun a self-centered person with little regard for others

• effusion - noun flow under pressure; an unrestrained expression of emotion

• effluvium - noun a foul-smelling outflow or vapor (especially a gaseous waste)

• effloresce - verb become encrusted with crystals due to evaporation; come into or as if into flower; assume crystalline form; become crystallized

• efficacy - noun capacity or power to produce a desired effect

• effervescent - adj. (of a liquid) giving off bubbles; marked by high spirits or excitement; used of wines and waters; charged naturally or artificially with carbon dioxide

• effervesce - verb form bubbles

• efferent - adj. of nerves and nerve impulses; conveying information away from the CNS; noun a nerve that conveys impulses toward or to muscles or glands

• effector - noun an organ (a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to nerve impulses; a nerve fiber that terminates on a muscle or gland and stimulates contraction or secretion; one who brings about a result or event; one who accomplishes a purpose

• ectoplasm - noun the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm; (spiritualism) a substance supposed to emanate from the body of the medium during a trance

• ectopic - adj. exhibiting ectopia

• ectoparasite - noun any external parasitic organism (as fleas)

• ectopia - noun abnormal position of a part or organ (especially at the time of birth)

• ectoderm - noun the outer germ layer that develops into skin and nervous tissue

• ecstasy - noun a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion; a state of elated bliss; street names for methylenedioxymethamphetamine

• ecosystem - noun a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

• ecology - noun the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment; the environment as it relates to living organisms

• echocardiography - noun a noninvasive diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasound to study to structure and motions of the heart

• echinococcosis - noun infestation with larval echinococci (tapeworms)

• ecdemic - adj. of or relating to a disease that originates outside the locality in which it occurs

• eccrine - adj. (of exocrine glands) producing a clear aqueous secretion without releasing part of the secreting cell; important in regulating body temperature

• ecchymosis - noun the escape of blood from ruptured blood vessels into the surrounding tissue to form a purple or black-and-blue spot on the skin; the purple or black-and-blue area resulting from a bruise

• eccentric - adj. not having a common center; not concentric; conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual; noun a person with an unusual or odd personality; a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

• epistemology - noun the philosophical theory of knowledge

• epistaxis - noun bleeding from the nose

• extraction - noun the act of pulling out (as a tooth); the process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound by chemical or physical or mechanical means; properties attributable to your ancestry

• extirpation - noun the act of pulling up or out; uprooting; cutting off from existence; surgical removal of a body part or tissue

• exteriorise - verb make external or objective, or give reality to

• extension - noun act of expanding in scope; making more widely available; act of stretching or straightening out a flexed limb; an educational opportunity provided by colleges and universities to people who not enrolled as regular students; an additional telephone set that is connected to the same telephone line; amount or degree or range to which something extends; the ability to raise the working leg high in the air; a string of characters beginning with a period and followed by one to three letters; the optional second part of a PC computer filename; a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt; an addition that extends a main building; an addition to the length of something; the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions

• expectoration - noun the process of coughing up and spitting out; the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)

• exotoxin - noun a toxin that is secreted by microorganisms into the surrounding medium

• exostosis - noun a benign outgrowth from a bone (usually covered with cartilage)

• exophthalmos - noun protrusion of the eyeball from the socket

• exenteration - noun surgical removal of the organs within a body cavity (as those of the pelvis)

• excoriation - noun severe censure; an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

• exanthema - noun eruption on the skin occurring as a symptom of a disease

• evisceration - noun altering something (as a legislative act or a statement) in such a manner as to reduce its value; surgical removal of an organ (or the contents of an organ) from a patient; the act of removing the bowels or viscera; the act of cutting so as to cause the viscera to protrude

• eunuch - noun a man who has been castrated and is incapable of reproduction

• eukaryote - noun an organism with cells characteristic of all life forms except primitive microorganisms such as bacteria; i.e. an organism with `good' or membrane-bound nuclei in its cells

• ether - noun a colorless volatile highly inflammable liquid formerly used as an inhalation anesthetic; a medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves; any of a class of organic compounds that have two hydrocarbon groups linked by an oxygen atom; the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies

• ESR - noun microwave spectroscopy in which there is resonant absorption of radiation by a paramagnet; the rate at which red blood cells settle out in a tube of blood under standardized conditions; a high rate usually indicates the presence of inflammation

• erythropoietin - noun a glycoprotein secreted by the kidneys that stimulates the production of red blood cells

• erythrocyte - noun a mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues; a biconcave disc that has no nucleus

• erythema - noun abnormal redness of the skin resulting from dilation of blood vessels (as in sunburn or inflammation)

• erysipelas - noun an acute streptococcal infection characterized by deep-red inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes

• eruption - noun the emergence of a tooth as it breaks through the gum; (of volcanos) pouring out fumes of lava (or a deposit so formed); symptom consisting of a breaking out and becoming visible; a sudden very loud noise; a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition); the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge of steam and volcanic material

• erosion - noun (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it); a gradual decline of something; condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind; erosion by chemical action

• ergotism - noun poisoning by ingestion of ergot-infected grain products; characterized by thirst and diarrhea and nausea and craming and vomiting and abnormal cardiac rhythms; in severe cases it can cause seizures and gangrene of the limbs

• episiotomy - noun surgical incision of the perineum to enlarge the vagina and so facilitate delivery during childbirth

• epiphysis - noun the end of a long bone; initially separated from the main bone by a layer of cartilage that eventually ossifies so the parts become fused; a small endocrine gland in the brain; situated beneath the back part of the corpus callosum; secretes melatonin

• epinephrine - noun a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action

• epilepsy - noun a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions

• enterotoxin - noun a cytotoxin specific for the cells of the intestinal mucosa

• enterostomy - noun surgical operation that creates a permanent opening through the abdominal wall into the intestine

• enteral - adj. of or relating to or inside the intestines; of or relating to the enteron

• enema - noun injection of a liquid through the anus to stimulate evacuation; sometimes used for diagnostic purposes

• enema - noun injection of a liquid through the anus to stimulate evacuation; sometimes used for diagnostic purposes

• endometrium - noun (pregnancy) the mucous membrane that lines the uterus; thickens under hormonal control and (if pregnancy does not occur) is shed in menstruation; if pregnancy occurs it is shed along with the placenta at parturition

• endocrine - adj. of or belonging to endocrine glands or their secretions; noun any of the glands of the endocrine system that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream; the secretion of an endocrine gland that is transmitted by the blood to the tissue on which it has a specific effect

• endarteritis - noun inflammation of the inner lining of an artery

• encephalitis - noun inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus; symptoms include headache and neck pain and drowsiness and nausea and fever (`phrenitis' is no longer in scientific use)

• enamel - noun any smooth glossy coating that resembles ceramic glaze; a paint that dries to a hard glossy finish; hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth; a colored glassy compound (opaque or partially opaque) that is fused to the surface of metal or glass or pottery for decoration or protection; verb coat, inlay, or surface with enamel

• emetic - noun a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting

• embryo - noun an animal organism in the early stages of growth and differentiation that in higher forms merge into fetal stages but in lower forms terminate in commencement of larval life; (botany) a minute rudimentary plant contained within a seed or an archegonium

• embolus - noun an abnormal particle (e.g. an air bubble or part of a clot) circulating in the blood

• electromyography - noun diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders with the use of an electromyograph

• electrocardiogram - noun a graphical recording of the cardiac cycle produced by an electrocardiograph

• ego - noun (psychoanalysis) the conscious mind; an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others; your consciousness of your own identity

• EEG - noun a graphical record of electrical activity of the brain; produced by an electroencephalograph

• eczema - noun generic term for inflammatory conditions of the skin; particularly with vesiculation in the acute stages

• ectasia - noun dilatation or distension of a hollow organ

• ECG - noun a graphical recording of the cardiac cycle produced by an electrocardiograph

• epidural anaesthesia - noun regional anesthesia resulting from injection of an anesthetic into the epidural space of the spinal cord; sensation is lost in the abdominal and genital and pelvic areas; used in childbirth and gynecological surgery

• embolism - noun occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus (a loose clot or air bubble or other particle); an insertion into a calendar

• emphysema - noun an abnormal condition of the lungs marked by decreased respiratory function; associated with smoking or chronic bronchitis or old age

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F

• F - noun the 6th letter of the Roman alphabet; the capacitance of a capacitor that has an equal and opposite charge of 1 coulomb on each plate and a voltage difference of 1 volt between the plates; a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature; a nonmetallic univalent element belonging to the halogens; usually a yellow irritating toxic flammable gas; a powerful oxidizing agent; recovered from fluorite or cryolite or fluorapatite

• fasciculation - noun muscular twitching of contiguous groups of muscle fibers

• fenoprofen calcium - noun a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Nalfon) used in the treatment of arthritis and other painful inflammatory disorders

• fatality - noun the quality of being able to cause death or fatal disasters; a death resulting from an accident or a disaster

• falsification - noun the act of determining that something is false; the act of rendering something false as by fraudulent changes (of documents or measures etc.) or counterfeiting; a willful perversion of facts; any evidence that helps to establish the falsity of something

• facultative - adj. not compulsory; granting a privilege or permission or power to do or not do something; able to exist under more than one set of conditions; of or relating to the mental faculties

• furunculosis - noun acute skin disease characterized by the presence of many furuncles

• frostbite - noun destruction of tissue by freezing and characterized by tingling, blistering and possibly gangrene

• fracture - noun the act of cracking something; breaking of hard tissue such as bone; (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; verb fracture a bone of; break (a bone); become fractured; violate or abuse; break into pieces; interrupt, break, or destroy

• fossa - noun largest carnivore of Madagascar; intermediate in some respects between cats and civets; monotypic genus of Madagascar civets closely related to palm civets; a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression)

• forceps - noun an extractor consisting of a pair of pincers used in medical treatment (especially for the delivery of babies)

• follicle - noun any small spherical group of cells containing a cavity

• flexion - noun act of bending a joint; especially a joint between the bones of a limb so that the angle between them is decreased; deviation from a straight or normal course; the state of being flexed (as of a joint)

• flange - noun a projection used for strength or for attaching to another object

• fistula - noun an abnormal passage leading from a suppurating cavity to the body surface; a chronic inflammation of the withers of a horse

• fissure - noun (anatomy) a long narrow slit or groove that divides an organ into lobes; a long narrow opening; a long narrow depression in a surface; verb break into fissures or fine cracks

• filariasis - noun a disease caused by nematodes in the blood or tissues of the body causing blockage of lymphatic vessels

• fibre - noun a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth; the inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions; a slender and greatly elongated solid substance

• fetor - noun a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant

• fermentation - noun a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol; a state of agitation or turbulent change or development

• fenestra - noun a small opening covered with membrane (especially one in the bone between the middle and inner ear)

• feminization - noun the process of becoming feminized; the development of female characteristics (loss of facial hair or breast enlargement) in a male because of hormonal disorders or castration

• fear - noun an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight); a profound emotion inspired by a deity; an anxious feeling; verb be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; be uneasy or apprehensive about; be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement; be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event; regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of

• fatigue - noun (always used with a modifier) boredom resulting from overexposure to something; temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work; used of materials (especially metals) in a weakened state caused by long stress; labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on); verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress; get tired of something or somebody

• fasciculus - noun a bundle of fibers (especially nerve fibers)

• factor - noun an independent variable in statistics; anything that contributes causally to a result; any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together; (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; an abstract part of something; a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission; one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer; verb resolve into factors

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G

• G - noun the 7th letter of the Roman alphabet; a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated; (physics) the universal constant relating force to mass and distance in Newton's law of gravitation; a unit of information equal to one billion (1,073,741,824) bytes or 1024 megabytes; a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram; one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose); a purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with cytosine

• glandular fever - noun an acute disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes and an abnormal increase of mononuclear leucocytes or monocytes in the bloodstream; not highly contagious; some believe it can be transmitted by kissing

• Geriatric - adj. of or relating to or practicing geriatrics; of or relating to the aged

• glycerol - noun a sweet syrupy trihydroxy alcohol obtained by saponification of fats and oils

• galactagogue - noun agent that induces milk secretion

• gastroenteritis - noun inflammation of the stomach and intestines; can be caused by Salmonella enteritidis

• gout - noun a painful inflammation of the big toe and foot caused by defects in uric acid metabolism resulting in deposits of the acid and its salts in the blood and joints

• glucose - noun a monosaccharide sugar that has several forms; an important source of physiological energy

• growth - noun vegetation that has grown; something grown or growing; (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level; a progression from simpler to more complex forms; (pathology) an abnormal proliferation of tissue (as in a tumor); the gradual beginning or coming forth; a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important

• granule - noun a tiny grain

• goitre - noun abnormally enlarged thyroid gland; can result from underproduction or overproduction of hormone or from a deficiency of iodine in the diet

• glucagon - noun a hormone secreted by the pancreas; stimulates increases in blood sugar levels in the blood (thus opposing the action of insulin)

• glomerulus - noun a small intertwined group of capillaries in the malpighian body; it filters the blood during urine formation

• glaucoma - noun increased pressure in the eyeball due to obstruction of the outflow of aqueous humor; damages the optic disc and impairs vision (sometimes progressing to blindness)

• gland - noun any of various organs that synthesize substances needed by the body and release it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream

• gestation - noun the conception and development of an idea or plan; the period during which an embryo develops (about 266 days in humans); the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus

• genetics - noun the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms

• genealogy - noun the study or investigation of ancestry and family history; successive generations of kin

• gastroenterology - noun the branch of medicine that studies the gastrointestinal tract and its diseases

• gastritis - noun inflammation of the lining of the stomach; nausea and loss of appetite and discomfort after eating

• gangrene - noun necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass; the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply); verb undergo necrosis

• gamete - noun a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes

• gait - noun a person's manner of walking; a horse's manner of moving; the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

• general anaesthesia - noun a state of total unconsciousness resulting from anesthetic drugs (as for a major surgical operation)

• GABA - noun an amino acid that is found in the central nervous system; acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter

• gestational age - noun the age of an embryo counting from the time of fertilization

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H

• H - noun the 8th letter of the Roman alphabet; (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity equal to the internal energy of a system plus the product of its volume and pressure; the constant of proportionality relating the energy of a photon to its frequency; approximately 6.626 x 10^-34 joule-second; a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second; a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe

• hypoglycaemia - noun abnormally low blood sugar usually resulting from excessive insulin or a poor diet

• hyperglycaemia - noun abnormally high blood sugar usually associated with diabetes

• haemoptysis - noun coughing up blood from the respiratory tract; usually indicates a severe infection of the bronchi or lungs

• haematuria - noun the presence of blood in the urine; often a symptom of urinary tract disease

• haematemesis - noun vomiting blood

• haemorrhagic stroke - noun stroke caused by the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain

• hypertension - noun a common disorder in which blood pressure remains abnormally high (a reading of 140/90 mm Hg or greater)

• hypermetropia - noun abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects

• hysteria - noun excessive or uncontrollable fear; neurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks and disturbances of sensory and motor functions; state of violent mental agitation

• hysterectomy - noun surgical removal of the uterus

• hypoxia - noun a very strong drive resulting from a deficiency of available oxygen in the blood and bodily tissues (short of anoxia)

• hypotonia - noun (of muscular tissue) the state of being hypotonic

• hypothermia - noun subnormal body temperature

• hypotension - noun abnormally low blood pressure

• hypnosis - noun a state that resembles sleep but that is induced by suggestion

• hyperplasia - noun abnormal increase in number of cells

• hyperaemia - noun increased blood in an organ or other body part

• hypercalciuria - noun the presence of abnormally high levels of calcium in the urine; usually the result of excessive bone resorption in hyperparathyroidism or osteoporosis

• hyperactivity - noun a condition characterized by excessive restlessness and movement

• hydrops - noun swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue

• hormone - noun the secretion of an endocrine gland that is transmitted by the blood to the tissue on which it has a specific effect

• homophobia - noun prejudice against (fear or dislike of) homosexual people and homosexuality

• holism - noun the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole

• HIV - noun infection by the human immunodeficiency virus; the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); it replicates in and kills the helper T cells

• histology - noun the branch of biology that studies the microscopic structure of animal or plant tissues

• hirsutism - noun excessive hairiness

• hilum - noun the scar on certain seeds marking its point of attachment to the funicle; (anatomy) a depression or fissure where vessels or nerves or ducts enter a bodily organ

• heterosexual - adj. sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex; noun a heterosexual person; someone having a sexual orientation to persons of the opposite sex

• hernia - noun rupture in smooth muscle tissue through which a bodily structure protrudes

• hepatitis - noun inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or a toxin

• heparin - noun a polysaccharide produced in basophils (especially in the lung and liver) and that inhibits the activity of thrombin in coagulation of the blood; it (trade names Lipo-Hepin and Liquaemin) is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis and in heart surgery

• haemorrhoid - noun pain caused by venous swelling at or inside the anal sphincter

• haemoglobin - noun a hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color; function primarily to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues

• haemangioma - noun benign angioma consisting of a mass of blood vessels; some appear as birthmarks

• health - noun the general condition of body and mind; a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

• hallucination - noun an object perceived during a hallucinatory episode; illusory perception; a common symptom of severe mental disorder; a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea

• hybridization - noun (genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids

• homeostasis - noun (physiology) metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes

• histocompatibility complex - noun a family of fifty or more genes on the sixth human chromosome that code for proteins on the surfaces of cells and that play a role in the immune response

• habitual abortion - noun repeated spontaneous abortion (often for no known reason)

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I

• I - noun the 9th letter of the Roman alphabet; a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks)

• intertrigo - noun chafing between two skin surfaces that are in contact (as in the armpit or under the breasts or between the thighs)

• incubation period - noun the period between infection and the appearance of symptoms of the disease

• insomnia - noun an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness

• inflammation - noun arousal to violent emotion; a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat; the act of setting something on fire; the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up

• ischaemia - noun local anemia in a given body part sometimes resulting from vasoconstriction or thrombosis or embolism

• introitus - noun entrance or opening to a hollow organ or tube (especially the vaginal opening)

• intervention - noun (law) a proceeding that permits a person to enter into a lawsuit already in progress; admission of person not an original party to the suit so that person can protect some right or interest that is allegedly affected by the proceedings; the act of intervening (as to mediate a dispute); a policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries

• intention - noun an act of intending; a volition that you intend to carry out; (usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal; an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

• infirmary - noun a health facility where patients receive treatment

• infestation - noun a swarm of insects that attack plants; the state of being invaded or overrun by parasites

• indusium - noun a membrane enclosing and protecting the developing spores especially that covering the sori of a fern

• inebriety - noun a temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol

• indisposition - noun a slight illness; a certain degree of unwillingness

• incontinence - noun involuntary urination or defecation; indiscipline with regard to sensuous pleasures

• insulin - noun hormone secreted by the isles of Langerhans in the pancreas; regulates storage of glycogen in the liver and accelerates oxidation of sugar in cells

• itch - noun an irritating cutaneous sensation that produces a desire to scratch; a strong restless desire; a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation; verb have a strong desire or urge to do something; have or perceive an itch; scrape or rub as if to relieve itching

• irradiation - noun (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus; the apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background; (physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex; the condition of being exposed to radiation; (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance; a column of light (as from a beacon)

• intrinsic - adj. situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts; belonging to a thing by its very nature

• intolerance - noun impatience with annoyances; unwillingness to recognize and respect differences in opinions or beliefs

• intelligence - noun the operation of gathering information about an enemy; the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience; secret information about an enemy (or potential enemy); a unit responsible for gathering and interpreting information about an enemy; new information about specific and timely events

• integument - noun an outer protective covering such as the skin of an animal or a cuticle or seed coat or rind or shell

• insidious - adj. working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; intended to entrap; beguiling but harmful

• insemination - noun the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female; the act of sowing (of seeds in the ground or, figuratively, of germs in the body or ideas in the mind, etc.)

• inoculation - noun taking a vaccine as a precaution against contracting a disease

• innervation - noun the distribution of nerve fibers to an organ or body region; the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or gland

• injury - noun an act that injures someone; an accident that results in physical damage or hurt; any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.; a casualty to military personnel resulting from combat

• injection - noun the forceful insertion of a substance under pressure; the act of putting a liquid into the body by means of a syringe; any solution that is injected (as into the skin)

• ingestion - noun the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating)

• influenza - noun an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease

• infiltration - noun a process in which individuals (or small groups) penetrate an area (especially the military penetration of enemy positions without detection); the slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium

• infection - noun (international law) illegality that taints or contaminates a ship or cargo rendering it liable to seizure; moral corruption or contamination; an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted; (medicine) the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to tissue damage and disease; (phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the influence of a neighboring sound; the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms; the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people

• infantilism - noun infantile behavior in mature persons; an abnormal condition in which an older child or adult retains infantile characteristics

• induction - noun the act of bringing about something (especially at an early time); an electrical phenomenon whereby an electromotive force (EMF) is generated in a closed circuit by a change in the flow of current; an act that sets in motion some course of events; reasoning from detailed facts to general principles; stimulation that calls up (draws forth) a particular class of behaviors; a formal entry into an organization or position or office

• inconstant - adj. likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable

• impulse - noun the act of applying force suddenly; an impelling force or strength; the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber; (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients); a sudden desire; an instinctive motive

• impetigo - noun a very contagious infection of the skin; common in children; localized redness develops into small blisters that gradually crust and erode

• immunodeficiency - noun immunological disorder in which some part of the body's immune system is inadequate and resistance to infectious diseases is reduced

• immunity - noun the quality of being unaffected by something; (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease; an act exempting someone; the state of not being susceptible

• immersion - noun a form of baptism in which part or all of a person's body is submerged; the act of wetting something by submerging it; complete attention; intense mental effort; (astronomy) the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse; sinking until covered completely with water

• illumination - noun the degree of visibility of your environment; painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts); the luminous flux incident on a unit area; an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding; a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination

• ileum - noun the part of the small intestine between the jejunum and the cecum

• insufflate - verb blow or breathe hard on or into; treat by blowing a powder or vapor into a bodily cavity; breathe or blow onto as a ritual or sacramental act, especially so as to symbolize the action of the Holy Spirit

• imbibition - noun (chemistry) the absorption of a liquid by a solid or gel; the act of consuming liquids

• incomplete abortion - noun termination of pregnancy without expulsion of all of the products of conception

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J

• J - noun the 10th letter of the Roman alphabet; a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second

• juxtaposition - noun the act of positioning close together (or side by side); a side-by-side position

• juvenile delinquent - noun a young offender

• juice - noun any of several liquids of the body; the liquid part that can be extracted from plant or animal tissue; electric current; energetic vitality

• jet lag - noun fatigue and sleep disturbance resulting from disruption of the body's normal circadian rhythm as a result of jet travel

• junction - noun an act of joining or adjoining things; the place where two or more things come together; something that joins or connects; the state of being joined together; the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made

• jejunum - noun the part of the small intestine between the duodenum and the ileum

• joint - adj. involving both houses of a legislature; united or combined; affecting or involving two or more; noun marijuana leaves rolled into a cigarette for smoking; junction by which parts or objects are joined together; a disreputable place of entertainment; (anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion); a piece of meat roasted or for roasting and of a size for slicing into more than one portion; the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made; verb separate (meat) at the joint; fasten with a joint; provide with a joint; fit as if by joints

• jaundice - noun yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood; can be a symptom of gallstones or liver infection or anemia; a rough and bitter manner; verb affect with, or as if with, jaundice; distort adversely

K

• K - noun street names for ketamine; the 11th letter of the Roman alphabet; a unit of information equal to one thousand (1024) bytes; the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites; a light soft silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water; is abundant in nature in combined forms occurring in sea water and in carnallite and kainite and sylvite

• korsakoff's syndrome - noun dementia observed during the last stages of severe chronic alcoholism; involves loss of memory for recent events although long term memory is intact

• keratomycosis - noun fungal infection of the cornea

• kinesiology - noun the branch of physiology that studies the mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement

• kraurosis vulvae - noun kraurosis of the vulva; often a precancerous lesion

• keratoderma - noun any skin disorder consisting of a growth that appears horny

• kyphosis - noun an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column

• kidney - noun either of two bean-shaped excretory organs that filter wastes (especially urea) from the blood and excrete them and water in urine

• keratitis - noun inflammation of the cornea causing watery painful eyes and blurred vision

• keratin - noun a fibrous scleroprotein that occurs in the outer layer of the skin and in horny tissues such as hair feathers nails and hooves

• kwashiorkor - noun severe malnutrition in children resulting from a diet excessively high in carbohydrates and low in protein

• keratoplasty - noun a surgical procedure in which part or all of a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by healthy corneal tissue from a donor

• keloid - noun raised pinkish scar tissue at the site of an injury; results from excessive tissue repair

L

• L - noun the 12th letter of the Roman alphabet; a metric unit of capacity equal to the volume of 1 kilogram of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade and 760 mm of mercury (or approximately 1.76 pints); a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

• lipoma - noun a tumor consisting of fatty tissue

• lactosuria - noun presence of lactose in the urine; can occur during pregnancy or lactation

• laryngitis - noun inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx; characterized by hoarseness or loss of voice and coughing

• lipophilic - adj. having an affinity for lipids

• lochia - noun substance discharged from the vagina (cellular debris and mucus and blood) that gradually decreases in amount during the weeks following childbirth

• lysis - noun (biochemistry) dissolution or destruction of cells such as blood cells or bacteria; recuperation in which the symptoms of an acute disease gradually subside

• lymphoma - noun a neoplasm of lymph tissue that is usually malignant; one of the four major types of cancer

• lupus - noun a constellation in the southern hemisphere near Centaurus; any of several forms of ulcerative skin disease

• lumen - noun a cavity or passage in a tubular organ; a unit of luminous flux equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle of 1 steradian by a point source of 1 candela intensity radiating uniformly in all directions

• liposome - noun an artificially made microscopic vesicle into which nucleic acids can be packaged; used in molecular biology as a transducing vector

• ligation - noun (surgery) tying a duct or blood vessel with a ligature (as to prevent bleeding during surgery)

• ligament - noun any connection or unifying bond; a sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue connecting bones or cartilages or supporting muscles or organs

• libido - noun (psychoanalysis) a Freudian term for sexual urge or desire

• leucocytosis - noun an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood as a result of infection (as in leukemia)

• leukaemia - noun malignant neoplasm of blood-forming tissues; characterized by abnormal proliferation of leukocytes; one of the four major types of cancer

• lesion - noun any visible abnormal structural change in a bodily part; any break in the skin or an organ caused by violence or surgical incision

• leprosy - noun chronic granulomatous communicable disease occurring in tropical and subtropical regions; characterized by inflamed nodules beneath the skin and wasting of body parts; caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae

• laxative - adj. stimulating evacuation of feces; noun a mild cathartic

• larynx - noun a cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea; contains elastic vocal cords that are the source of the vocal tone in speech

• laparotomy - noun surgical incision into the abdominal wall; often done to examine abdominal organs

• lacrimation - noun shedding tears

• labile - adj. open to change; liable to change; (chemistry, physics, biology) readily undergoing change or breakdown

• local anaesthesia - noun loss of sensation in a small area of the body (as when a local anesthetic is injected for a tooth extraction)

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M

• M - noun the 13th letter of the Roman alphabet; concentration measured by the number of moles of solute per liter of solution; the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

• meningitis - noun infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the meninges (the tissues that surround the brain or spinal cord) usually caused by a bacterial infection; symptoms include headache and stiff neck and fever and nausea

• Munchausen syndrome - noun syndrome consisting of feigning acute and dramatic illness for which no clinical evidence is ever found

• Mantoux test - noun tuberculin (a derivative of tubercle bacillus) is injected intradermally; a red area appearing 1-3 days later signifies an exposure (past or present) to tubercle bacilli and the need for further testing

• multiple sclerosis - noun a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

• malignant - adj. dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)

• myopia - noun (ophthalmology) eyesight abnormality resulting from the eye's faulty refractive ability; distant objects appear blurred

• myxoma - noun a benign tumor of connective tissue containing jellylike material

• myxoedema - noun hypothyroidism marked by dry skin and swellings around lips and nose as well as mental deterioration

• myoglobinuria - noun the presence of myoglobin in the urine

• myiasis - noun infestation of the body by the larvae of flies (usually through a wound or other opening) or any disease resulting from such infestation

• mutagen - noun any agent (physical or environmental) that can induce a genetic mutation or can increase the rate of mutation

• murmur - noun a schwa that is incidental to the pronunciation of a consonant; a complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone; a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech; an abnormal sound of the heart; sometimes a sign of abnormal function of the heart valves; verb make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath; speak softly or indistinctly

• mortuary - adj. of or relating to a funeral; of or relating to or characteristic of death; noun a building (or room) where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation

• mortality - noun the quality or state of being mortal; the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 per year

• morbidity - noun an abnormally gloomy or unhealthy state of mind; the relative incidence of a particular disease; the quality of being unhealthful and generally bad for you

• monitor - noun any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia; fabled to warn of crocodiles; a piece of electronic equipment that keeps track of the operation of a system continuously and warns of trouble; electronic equipment that is used to check the quality or content of electronic transmissions; display produced by a device that takes signals and displays them on a television screen or a computer monitor; an ironclad vessel built by Federal forces to do battle with the Merrimac; someone who gives a warning so that a mistake can be avoided; someone who supervises (an examination); verb keep tabs on; keep an eye on; keep under surveillance

• molar - adj. pertaining to large units of behavior; containing one mole of a substance; designating a solution containing one mole of solute per liter of solution; of or pertaining to the grinding teeth in the back of a mammal's mouth; noun grinding tooth with a broad crown; located behind the premolars

• mitosis - noun cell division in which the nucleus divides into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes

• migraine - noun a severe recurring vascular headache; occurs more frequently in women than men

• midwife - noun a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies

• microscope - noun magnifier of the image of small objects

• microbe - noun a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use

• metrorrhagia - noun bleeding from the uterus that is not due to menstruation; usually indicative of disease (as cervical cancer)

• metastasis - noun the spreading of a disease to another part of the body; the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life

• mesentery - noun a double layer of peritoneum that attaches to the back wall of the abdominal cavity and supports the small intestines

• meniscus - noun (physics) the curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a vertical tube; (optics) a lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other; (anatomy) a disk of cartilage that serves as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet at a joint

• membrane - noun a thin pliable sheet of material; a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects organs or cells of animals

• melanosis - noun a condition characterized by abnormal deposits of melanin (especially in the skin)

• melancholia - noun extreme depression characterized by tearful sadness and irrational fears

• meiosis - noun (genetics) cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms; the nucleus divides into four nuclei each containing half the chromosome number (leading to gametes in animals and spores in plants); understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)

• MEDLARS - noun relational database of the United States National Library of Medicine for the storage and retrieval of bibliographical information concerning the biomedical literature

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• tropical - adj. of weather or climate; hot and humid as in the tropics; characterized by or of the nature of a trope or tropes; changed from its literal sense; relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator); of or relating to the tropics, or either tropic

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• preventive - adj. preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease; tending to prevent or hinder; tending to ward off; noun remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease; an agent or device intended to prevent conception; any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• holistic - adj. emphasizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• geriatric - adj. of or relating to or practicing geriatrics; of or relating to the aged

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• forensic - adj. of, relating to, or used in courts of law or public debate or argument

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• folk - noun people in general (often used in the plural); the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community; people descended from a common ancestor; a social division of (usually preliterate) people

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• experimental - adj. relying on observation or experiment; of the nature of or undergoing an experiment; relating to or based on experiment

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• comparative - adj. having significance only in relation to something else; relating to or based on or involving comparison; noun the comparative form of an adjective

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• community - noun (ecology) a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other; a group of people living in a particular local area; a group of people having ethnic or cultural or religious characteristics in common; a group of nations having common interests; common ownership; agreement as to goals; the body of people in a learned occupation; a district where people live; occupied primarily by private residences

• medicine - noun the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions; verb treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• aviation - noun the art of operating aircraft; the operation of aircraft to provide transportation; the aggregation of a country's military aircraft; travel via aircraft

• mediastinum - noun the part of the thoracic cavity between the lungs that contains the heart and aorta and esophagus and trachea and thymus

• mating - noun the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes

• mater - noun an informal use of the Latin word for mother; sometimes used by British schoolboys or used facetiously

• masturbation - noun manual stimulation of the genital organs (of yourself or another) for sexual pleasure

• masochism - noun sexual pleasure obtained from receiving punishment (physical or psychological)

• masking - noun the blocking of one sensation resulting from the presence of another sensation; the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it; scenery used to block the audience's view of parts of the stage that should not be seen

• marrow - noun the fatty network of connective tissue that fills the cavities of bones; large elongated squash with creamy to deep green skins; very tender and very nutritious tissue from marrowbones; any of various squash plants grown for their elongated fruit with smooth dark green skin and whitish flesh; the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

• marasmus - noun extreme malnutrition and emaciation (especially in children); can result from inadequate intake of food or from malabsorption or metabolic disorders

• mapping - noun (genetics) the process of locating genes on a chromosome; a function such that for every element of one set there is a unique element of another set

• mania - noun an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action; a mood disorder; an affective disorder in which the victim tends to respond excessively and sometimes violently

• mammography - noun a diagnostic procedure to detect breast tumors by the use of X rays

• maladjustment - noun the condition of being unable to adapt properly to your environment with resulting emotional instability

• malabsorption - noun abnormal absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract

• macrophage - noun a large phagocyte; some are fixed and other circulate in the blood stream

• megacolon - noun an abnormal enlargement of the colon; can be congenital (as in Hirschsprung's disease) or acquired (as when children refuse to defecate)

• machine - noun any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks; a device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point; a group that controls the activities of a political party; an intricate organization that accomplishes its goals efficiently; an efficient person; a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine; verb make by machinery; turn, shape, mold, or otherwise finish by machinery

• macaca - noun macaques; rhesus monkeys

• mental age - noun the level of intellectual development as measured by an intelligence test

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N

• N - noun the 14th letter of the Roman alphabet; (of a solution) concentration expressed in gram equivalents of solute per liter; a unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 m/sec/sec to a mass of 1 kilogram; equal to 100,000 dynes; the cardinal compass point that is at 0 or 360 degrees; a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues

• nebuliser - noun a dispenser that turns a liquid (such as perfume) into a fine mist

• nephrotoxic - adj. toxic to the kidney

• nystagmus - noun involuntary movements of the eyeballs; its presence or absence is used to diagnose a variety of neurological and visual disorders

• nymphomania - noun abnormally intense sexual desire in women

• nutrition - noun the scientific study of food and drink (especially in humans); (physiology) the organic process of nourishing or being nourished; the processes by which an organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and maintenance; a source of materials to nourish the body

• nurse - noun one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician); a woman who is the custodian of children; verb try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury; treat carefully; serve as a nurse; care for sick or handicapped people; give suck to; maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

• nucleus - noun a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction; any histologically identifiable mass of neural cell bodies in the brain or spinal cord; the positively charged dense center of an atom; (astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail; a small group of indispensable persons or things

• normal - adj. conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal; being approximately average or within certain limits in e.g. intelligence and development; in accordance with scientific laws; forming a right angle; noun something regarded as a normative example

• nocturia - noun excessive urination at night; especially common in older men

• nipple - noun a flexible cap on a baby's feeding bottle or pacifier; the small projection of a mammary gland

• neurotransmitter - noun transmits nerve impulses across a synapse

• neurosyphilis - noun syphilis of the central nervous system

• neurosis - noun a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction

• neuropathy - noun any pathology of the peripheral nerves

• diabetic - adj. suffering from diabetes; of or relating to or causing diabetes; noun someone who has diabetes

• neuropathy - noun any pathology of the peripheral nerves

• neuron - noun a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses

• neuromuscular - adj. affecting or characteristic of both neural and muscular tissue

• neuroma - noun any tumor derived from cells of the nervous system

• neurology - noun (neurology) the branch of medicine that deals with the nervous system and its disorders; the branch of medical science that deals with the nervous system

• neuroendocrine - adj. of or relating to the nervous and endocrine systems (especially as they function together)

• neuroblastoma - noun malignant tumor containing embryonic nerve cells; usually metastasizes quickly

• nephritis - noun an inflammation of the kidney

• nephrectomy - noun surgical removal of a kidney

• neonate - noun a baby from birth to four weeks

• neologism - noun the act of inventing a word or phrase; a newly invented word or phrase

• necrosis - noun the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)

• necrobiosis - noun (physiology) the normal degeneration and death of living cells (as in various epithelial cells)

• natriuresis - noun the presence of abnormally large amounts of sodium in the urine

• narcolepsy - noun a sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep

• narcissism - noun an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself

• nitrogen - noun a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues

• needle biopsy - noun biopsy of deep tissue that is obtained through a hollow needle

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O

• O - noun the blood group whose red cells carry neither the A nor B antigens; the 15th letter of the Roman alphabet; a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

• osteochondroma - noun benign tumor containing both bone and cartilage; usually occurs near the end of a long bone

• otitis media - noun inflammation of the middle ear; common in children

• odynophagia - noun severe pain on swallowing due to a disorder of the esophagus

• occiput - noun back part of the head or skull

• obtuse - adj. lacking in insight or discernment; of an angle; between 90 and 180 degrees; of a leaf shape; rounded at the apex; slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity

• obtund - verb reduce the edge or violence of

• obstipation - noun severe constipation resulting from an obstruction in the intestines

• obsessive-compulsive - adj. characterized by obsessions and compulsions; noun a person with obsessive-compulsive characteristics

• obligate - adj. restricted to a particular condition of life; verb commit in order to fulfill an obligation; bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted; force or compel somebody to do something

• objective - adj. belonging to immediate experience of actual things or events; undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena; emphasizing or expressing things as perceived without distortion of personal feelings, insertion of fictional matter, or interpretation; serving as or indicating the object of a verb or of certain prepositions and used for certain other purposes; noun the lens or system of lenses in a telescope or microscope that is nearest the object being viewed; the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

• ovulation - noun the expulsion of an ovum from the ovary (usually midway in the menstrual cycle)

• ovary - noun (vertebrates) one of usually two organs that produce ova and secrete estrogen and progesterone; the organ that bears the ovules of a flower

• osteoporosis - noun abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium; most common in postmenopausal women

• osteopathy - noun therapy based on the assumption that restoring health is best accomplished by manipulating the skeleton and muscles

• osteomalacia - noun abnormal softening of bones caused by deficiencies of phosphorus or calcium or vitamin D

• osteoarthritis - noun chronic breakdown of cartilage in the joints; the most common form of arthritis occurring usually after middle age

• osmosis - noun diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal

• osmoreceptor - noun sensory end organ that responds to changes in osmotic pressure

• opportunistic - adj. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit

• ophthalmoscope - noun medical instrument for examining the retina of the eye

• ophthalmoplegia - noun paralysis of the motor nerves of the eye

• operation - noun the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.); a planned activity involving many people performing various actions; a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work; a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body; activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign); a business especially one run on a large scale; (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction); process or manner of functioning or operating; the state of being in effect or being operative; (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods; (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents

• oncogene - noun a gene that causes normal cells to change into cancerous tumor cells

• oligodendroglia - noun tissue consisting of glial cells with sheetlike processes that form the myelin sheath of nerve fibers

• ointment - noun semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation; toiletry consisting of any of various substances in the form of a thick liquid that have a soothing and moisturizing effect when applied to the skin

• obesity - noun more than average fatness

• oesophagus - noun the passage between the pharynx and the stomach

• oesophagitis - noun inflammation of the esophagus; often caused by gastroesophageal reflux

• oedema - noun swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue

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P

• P - noun the 16th letter of the Roman alphabet; a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms

• prophylaxis - noun the prevention of disease

• Phimosis - noun an abnormal tightness of the foreskin preventing retraction over the glans

• periodontist - noun a dentist specializing in diseases of the gums and other structure surrounding the teeth

• psychosomatic - adj. used of illness or symptoms resulting from neurosis

• phlebitis - noun inflammation of a vein (usually in the legs)

• pediculosis - noun infestation with lice (Pediculus humanus) resulting in severe itching

• pyloric stenosis - noun narrowing of the pyloric sphincter that blocks the passage of food from the stomach into the duodenum

• pyuria - noun presence of white blood cells in the urine; symptom of urinary tract infection

• pyrosis - noun a painful burning sensation in the chest caused by gastroesophageal reflux (backflow from the stomach irritating the esophagus); symptomatic of an ulcer or a diaphragmatic hernia or other disorder

• pyrogen - noun any substance that can cause a rise in body temperature; any substance characterized by its great flammability

• pylorus - noun a small circular opening between the stomach and the duodenum

• pygmy - noun any member of various peoples having an average height of less than five feet; an unusually small individual

• pyelography - noun roentgenography of the kidney and ureters (usually after injection with a radiopaque dye)

• pus - noun a fluid product of inflammation; the tenth month of the Hindu calendar

• purulent - adj. "a purulent wound"

• puncture - noun the act of puncturing or perforating; a small hole made by a sharp object; loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object; verb be pierced or punctured; cause to lose air pressure or collapse by piercing; pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into; make by piercing; reduce or lessen the size or importance of

• punctum - noun (anatomy) a point or small area

• progeria - noun a rare abnormality marked by premature aging (grey hair and wrinkled skin and stooped posture) in a child

• progenitor - noun an ancestor in the direct line

• proctitis - noun inflammation of the rectum; marked by bloody stools and a frequent urge to defecate; frequently associated with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

• proctalgia - noun pain in the rectum

• pulse - noun the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; edible seeds of various pod-bearing plants (peas or beans or lentils etc.); the rate at which the heart beats; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health; (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients); verb produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of short bursts or pulses or cause an apparatus to produce pulses; drive by or as if by pulsation; expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically

• procedure - noun a mode of conducting legal and parliamentary proceedings; a particular course of action intended to achieve a result; a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work; a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program

• priapism - noun condition in which the penis is continually erect; usually painful and seldom with sexual arousal

• pressure - noun a force that compels; the somatic sensation that results from applying force to an area of skin; the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit); an oppressive condition of physical or mental or social or economic distress; the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure; the state of demanding notice or attention; verb to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"; exert pressure on someone through threats

• preservative - adj. tending or having the power to preserve; noun a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition

• prepuce - noun a fold of skin covering the tip of the penis; a fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris

• pregnancy - noun the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus

• ectopic - adj. exhibiting ectopia

• pregnancy - noun the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus

• polypeptide - noun a peptide containing 10 to more than 100 amino acids

• poliomyelitis - noun an acute viral disease marked by inflammation of nerve cells of the brain stem and spinal cord

• poison - noun anything that harms or destroys; any substance that causes injury or illness or death of a living organism; verb administer poison to; add poison to; kill with poison; kill by its poison; spoil as if by poison

• pneumothorax - noun abnormal presence of air in the pleural cavity resulting in the collapse of the lung; may be spontaneous (due to injury to the chest) or induced (as a treatment for tuberculosis)

• pneumonia - noun respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma (excluding the bronchi) with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants

• plexus - noun a network of intersecting blood vessels or intersecting nerves or intersecting lymph vessels

• plague - noun an annoyance; any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God); any epidemic disease with a high death rate; a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal; a swarm of insects that attack plants; verb annoy continually or chronically; cause to suffer a blight

• placenta - noun the vascular structure in the uterus of most mammals providing oxygen and nutrients for and transferring wastes from the developing fetus; that part of the ovary of a flowering plant where the ovules form

• placebo - noun (Roman Catholic Church) vespers of the office for the dead; an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug

• pityriasis - noun any of several skin disorders characterized by shedding dry flakes of skin

• pineal - adj. having the form of a pine cone; relating to the pineal body

• phylloquinone - noun a form of vitamin K

• phobia - noun an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations

• phase - noun (astronomy) the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination (especially one of the recurring shapes of the part of Earth's moon that is illuminated by the sun); (physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary; a particular point in the time of a cycle; measured from some arbitrary zero and expressed as an angle; any distinct time period in a sequence of events; verb adjust so as to be in a synchronized condition; arrange in phases or stages

• pharynx - noun the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone

• pharmacopoeia - noun a collection or stock of drugs

• pharmacokinetics - noun the study of the action of drugs in the body: method and rate of excretion; duration of effect; etc.

• phantom - adj. something apparently sensed but having no physical reality; noun something existing in perception only; a ghostly appearing figure

• phagocyte - noun a cell that engulfs and digests debris and invading microorganisms

• pessimism - noun a general disposition to look on the dark side and to expect the worst in all things; the feeling that things will turn out badly

• perspiration - noun salty fluid secreted by sweat glands; the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid

• peritoneum - noun a transparent membrane that lines the abdominal cavity in mammals and covers most of the viscera

• periosteum - noun a dense fibrous membrane covering the surface of bones (except at their extremities) and serving as an attachment for tendons and muscles; contains nerves and blood vessels that nourish the enclosed bone

• period - noun a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations; the end or completion of something; a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed; one of three periods of play in hockey games; the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon; a stage in the history of a culture having a definable place in space and time; the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause; an amount of time

• percussion - noun the act of exploding a percussion cap; the act of playing a percussion instrument; tapping a part of the body for diagnostic purposes; the section of a band or orchestra that plays percussion instruments

• perception - noun the process of perceiving; knowledge gained by perceiving; a way of conceiving something; becoming aware of something via the senses; the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

• peptone - noun any of various water-soluble compounds that form by hydrolysis in the digestion of proteins to amino acids

• pepsin - noun an enzyme produced in the stomach that splits proteins into peptones

• peppermint - noun a candy flavored with peppermint oil; herb with downy leaves and small purple or white flowers that yields a pungent oil used as a flavoring; red gum tree of Tasmania

• pemphigus - noun a skin disease characterized by large thin-walled blisters (bullae) arising from normal skin or mucous membrane

• pelvis - noun a structure shaped like a funnel in the outlet of the kidney into which urine is discharged before passing into the ureter; the structure of the vertebrate skeleton supporting the lower limbs in humans and the hind limbs or corresponding parts in other vertebrates

• pellagra - noun a disease caused by deficiency of niacin or tryptophan (or by a defect in the metabolic conversion of tryptophan to niacin); characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances and erythema and nervous or mental disorders; may be caused by malnutrition or alcoholism or other nutritional impairments

• peduncle - noun a bundle of myelinated neurons joining different parts of the brain; stalk bearing an inflorescence or solitary flower; the thin process of tissue that attaches a polyp to the body

• patient - adj. enduring without protest or complaint; enduring trying circumstances with even temper or characterized by such endurance; noun a person who requires medical care; the semantic role of an entity that is not the agent but is directly involved in or affected by the happening denoted by the verb in the clause

• pathology - noun the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases; any deviation from a healthy or normal condition

• pathogenesis - noun the origination and development of a disease

• path - noun a way especially designed for a particular use; an established line of travel or access; a line or route along which something travels or moves; a course of conduct

• pasteurisation - noun partial sterilization of foods at a temperature that destroys harmful microorganisms without major changes in the chemistry of the food

• paroxysm - noun a sudden uncontrollable attack

• parotid - adj. relating to or located near the parotid gland

• paraplegia - noun paralysis of the lower half of the body (most often as a result of trauma)

• parameter - noun a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves; a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data; any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance

• juvenile - adj. of or relating to or characteristic of or appropriate for children or young people; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity; noun a youthful person

• papilla - noun a small projection of tissue at the base of a hair or tooth or feather; a small nipple-shaped protuberance concerned with taste, touch, or smell; (botany) a tiny outgrowth on the surface of a petal or leaf

• pancreas - noun a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin

• palpation - noun a method of examination in which the examiner feels the size or shape or firmness or location of something (of body parts when the examiner is a health professional)

• palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

• palatopharyngoplasty - noun surgical resection of unnecessary palatal and oropharyngeal tissue to open the airway; intended to cure extreme cases of snoring (with or without sleep apnea)

• pain - noun a somatic sensation of acute discomfort; emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid; a bothersome annoying person; a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness; verb cause emotional anguish or make miserable; cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed

• pertussis - noun a disease of the respiratory mucous membrane

• pernicious anaemia - noun a chronic progressive anemia of older adults; thought to result from a lack of intrinsic factor (a substance secreted by the stomach that is responsible for the absorption of vitamin B12)

• psychogenic - adj. mental or emotional rather than physiological in origin; of or relating to the psychological cause of a disorder

• psychotherapy - noun the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means; the branch of psychiatry concerned with psychological methods

• psychotherapy - noun the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means; the branch of psychiatry concerned with psychological methods

• psychosis - noun any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted

• psychopharmacology - noun the study of drugs that affect the mind

• psychology - noun the science of mental life

• PABA - noun a metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells; used to make dyes and drugs and sun blockers

• projection - noun any structure that branches out from a central support; the representation of a figure or solid on a plane as it would look from a particular direction; a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations; the projection of an image from a film onto a screen; the acoustic phenomenon that gives sound a penetrating quality; (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your own traits and emotions are attributed to someone else; any solid convex shape that juts out from something; the act of expelling or projecting or ejecting; the act of projecting out from something; a planned undertaking

• progesterone - noun a steroid hormone (trade name Lipo-Lutin) produced in the ovary; prepares and maintains the uterus for pregnancy

• prothrombin - noun a protein in blood plasma that is the inactive precursor of thrombin

• proteinuria - noun the presence of excessive protein (chiefly albumin but also globulin) in the urine; usually a symptom of kidney disorder

• prostatitis - noun inflammation of the prostate gland characterized by perineal pain and irregular urination and (if severe) chills and fever

• prostatectomy - noun surgical removal of part or all of the prostate gland

• prostate - adj. relating to the prostate gland; noun a firm partly muscular chestnut sized gland in males at the neck of the urethra; produces a viscid secretion that is the fluid part of semen

• prostaglandin - noun a potent substance that acts like a hormone and is found in many bodily tissues (and especially in semen); produced in response to trauma and may affect blood pressure and metabolism and smooth muscle activity

• prophylactic - adj. preventing or contributing to the prevention of disease; tending to ward off; capable of preventing conception or impregnation; noun contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse; remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease

• propagative - adj. characterized by propagation or relating to propagation

• preeclampsia - noun abnormal state of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and fluid retention and albuminuria; can lead to eclampsia if untreated

• porphyria - noun a genetic abnormality of metabolism causing abdominal pains and mental confusion

• probe - noun an investigation conducted using a flexible surgical instrument to explore an injury or a body cavity; an exploratory action or expedition; a flexible slender surgical instrument used to explore wounds or body cavities; an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities; verb question or examine thoroughly and closely; examine physically with or as if with a probe

• probability - noun the quality of being probable; a probable event or the most probable event; a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

• privacy - noun the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others; the condition of being concealed or hidden

• prolapse - noun the slipping or falling out of place of an organ (as the uterus); verb slip or fall out of place, as of body parts

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R

• R - noun the 18th letter of the Roman alphabet; the length of a line segment between the center and circumference of a circle or sphere; (physics) the universal constant in the gas equation: pressure times volume = R times temperature; equal to 8.3143 joules per kelvin per mole; a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

• radiation - noun the act of spreading outward from a central source; a radial arrangement of nerve fibers connecting different parts of the brain; the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats; energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles; the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles or electromagnetic rays in nuclear decay; (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance; syndrome resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation (e.g., exposure to radioactive chemicals or to nuclear explosions); low doses cause diarrhea and nausea and vomiting and sometimes loss of hair; greater exposure can cause sterility and cataracts and some forms of cancer and other diseases; severe exposure can cause death within hours

• rabies - noun an acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain

• runt - noun disparaging terms for small people

• rumination - noun regurgitation of small amounts of food; seen in some infants after feeding; (of ruminants) chewing (the cud); a calm lengthy intent consideration

• root - noun the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support; (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed; (botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground; a number that when multiplied by itself some number of times equals a given number; a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes; the set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation; the place where something begins, where it springs into being; someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent); verb take root and begin to grow; cause to take roots; plant by the roots; come into existence, originate; become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style; take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy for; dig with the snout

• role - noun normal or customary activity of a person in a particular social setting; the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; what something is used for; an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

• roentgen - noun German physicist who discovered x-rays and developed roentgenography (1845-1923); a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

• rigidity - noun the physical property of being stiff and resisting bending; the quality of being rigid and rigorously severe

• rickettsia - noun any of a group of very small rod-shaped bacteria that live in biting arthropods (as ticks and mites) and cause disease in vertebrate hosts; they cause typhus and other febrile diseases in human beings

• rickets - noun childhood disease caused by deficiency of vitamin D and sunlight associated with impaired metabolism of calcium and phosphorus

• rheumatism - noun any painful disorder of the joints or muscles or connective tissues; a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint

• retractor - noun surgical instrument that holds back the edges of a surgical incision

• retina - noun the light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve

• resuscitation - noun the act of reviving a person and returning them to consciousness

• respiration - noun the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic molecules; processes that take place in the cells and tissues during which energy is released and carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed by the blood to be transported to the lungs; a single complete act of breathing in and out; the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

• resection - noun surgical removal of part of a structure or organ

• reproduction - noun the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring; the act of making copies; recall that is hypothesized to work by storing the original stimulus input and reproducing it during recall; the process of generating offspring; copy that is not the original; something that has been copied

• replant - verb plant again or anew

• remission - noun (law) the act of remitting (especially the referral of a law case to another court); an abatement in intensity or degree (as in the manifestations of a disease); the act of absolving or remitting; formal redemption as pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance; a payment of money sent to a person in another place

• relaxation - noun a method of solving simultaneous equations by guessing a solution and then reducing the errors that result by successive approximations until all the errors are less than some specified amount; an occurrence of control or strength weakening; (physics) the exponential return of a system to equilibrium after a disturbance; (physiology) the gradual lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers; the act of making less strict; freedom from activity (work or strain or responsibility); a feeling of refreshing tranquility and an absence of tension or worry

• restoration - noun the act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state; the re-establishment of the British monarchy in 1660; a model that represents the landscape of a former geological age or that represents and extinct animal etc.; some artifact that has been restored or reconstructed; the reign of Charles II in England; 1660-1685; getting something back again; the state of being restored to its former good condition

• respiration - noun the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic molecules; processes that take place in the cells and tissues during which energy is released and carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed by the blood to be transported to the lungs; a single complete act of breathing in and out; the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

• resistance - noun the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with; the military action of resisting the enemy's advance; group action in opposition to those in power; (psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness; the degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria); any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion; an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current; a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force; a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms; (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease

• repulsion - noun the act of repulsing or repelling an attack; a successful defensive stand; the force by which bodies repel one another; intense aversion

• reproducibility - noun the quality of being reproducible

• repair - noun the act of putting something in working order again; a formal way of referring to the condition of something; a frequently visited place; verb restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken; move, travel, or proceed toward some place; give new life or energy to; set straight or right; make amends for; pay compensation for

• relaxant - adj. tending to relax or relieve muscular or nervous tension; noun a drug that relaxes and relieves tension

• regulation - adj. prescribed by or according to regulation; noun the act of controlling or directing according to rule; the act of bringing to uniformity; making regular; an authoritative rule; (embryology) the ability of an early embryo to continue normal development after its structure has been somehow damaged or altered; the state of being controlled or governed; a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

• regression - noun returning to a former state; the relation between selected values of x and observed values of y (from which the most probable value of y can be predicted for any value of x); (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which you flee from reality by assuming a more infantile state; an abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely

• reflex - adj. without volition or conscious control; noun an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

• reconstruction - noun the activity of constructing something again; recall that is hypothesized to work by storing abstract features which are then used to construct the memory during recall; an interpretation formed by piecing together bits of evidence; the period after the American Civil War when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union; 1865-1877

• receptor - noun a cellular structure that is postulated to exist in order to mediate between a chemical agent that acts on nervous tissue and the physiological response; an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation

• reaction - noun doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like; a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some foregoing stimulus or agent; an idea evoked by some experience; extreme conservatism in political or social matters; a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude; (mechanics) the equal and opposite force that is produced when any force is applied to a body; (chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others

• adverse - adj. in an opposing direction; contrary to your interests or welfare

• reaction - noun doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like; a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some foregoing stimulus or agent; an idea evoked by some experience; extreme conservatism in political or social matters; a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude; (mechanics) the equal and opposite force that is produced when any force is applied to a body; (chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others

• rational - adj. having its source in or being guided by the intellect (distinguished from experience or emotion); consistent with or based on or using reason; capable of being expressed as a quotient of integers; of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind; noun an integer or a fraction

• rate - noun amount of a charge or payment relative to some basis; a quantity or amount or measure considered as a proportion of another quantity or amount or measure; a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; the relative speed of progress or change; verb assign a rank or rating to; estimate the value of; be worthy of or have a certain rating

• sedimentation - noun the phenomenon of sediment or gravel accumulating

• raphe - noun a ridge that forms a seam between two parts

• random - adj. lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance; taken haphazardly

• rancid - adj. (used of decomposing oils or fats) having a rank smell or taste usually due to a chemical change or decomposition; smelling of fermentation or staleness

• ramus - noun the posterior part of the mandible that is more or less vertical

• radius - noun the length of a line segment between the center and circumference of a circle or sphere; the outer and slightly shorter of the two bones of the human forearm; a circular region whose area is indicated by the length of its radius; a straight line from the center to the perimeter of a circle (or from the center to the surface of a sphere); support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

• radiography - noun photography that uses other kinds of radiation than visible light; the process of making a radiograph; producing an image on a radiosensitive surface by radiation other than visible light

• reversal - noun a change from one state to the opposite state; a judgment by a higher court that the judgment of a lower court was incorrect and should be set aside; a decision to reverse an earlier decision; turning in an opposite direction or position; a major change in attitude or principle or point of view; the act of reversing the order or place of; turning in the opposite direction; an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating

• retinoblastoma - noun malignant ocular tumor of retinal cells; usually occurs before the third year of life; composed of primitive small round retinal cells

• retention - noun the act of retaining something; the power of retaining liquid; the power of retaining and recalling past experience

• regurgitation - noun recall after rote memorization; backflow of blood through a defective heart valve; the reflex act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth

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S

• S - noun the 19th letter of the Roman alphabet; (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work; a unit of conductance equal to the reciprocal of an ohm; the cardinal compass point that is at 180 degrees; an abundant tasteless odorless multivalent nonmetallic element; best known in yellow crystals; occurs in many sulphide and sulphate minerals and even in native form (especially in volcanic regions); 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

• sunscreen - noun a cream spread on the skin; contains a chemical (as PABA) to filter out ultraviolet light and so protect from sunburn

• subcutaneous - adj. relating to or located below the epidermis

• spur - noun a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward; tubular extension at the base of the corolla in some flowers; any sharply pointed projection; a railway line connected to a trunk line; a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something; verb goad with spurs; equip with spurs; strike with a spur; give heart or courage to; incite or stimulate

• seizure - noun the taking possession of something by legal process; a sudden occurrence (or recurrence) of a disease; the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property; the act of taking of a person by force

• sympathy - noun an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion; sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish); a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other

• swallow - noun the act of swallowing; small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations; a small amount of liquid food; verb believe or accept without questioning or challenge; keep from expressing; take back what one has said; utter indistinctly; engulf and destroy; pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; tolerate or accommodate oneself to; enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing

• suture - noun thread of catgut or silk or wire used by surgeons to stitch tissues together; a seam used in surgery; an immovable joint (especially between the bones of the skull); verb join with a suture

• surfactant - noun a substance capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved

• supine - adj. lying face upward; offering no resistance

• supinate - verb turn (the hand or forearm) so that the back is downward or backward, or turn out (the leg)

• supernumerary - adj. more than is needed, desired, or required; noun a minor actor in crowd scenes; a person serving no apparent function

• superego - noun (psychoanalysis) that part of the unconscious mind that acts as a conscience

• sunstroke - noun sudden prostration due to exposure to the sun or excessive heat

• suicide - noun the act of killing yourself; a person who kills himself intentionally

• suffocate - verb feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air; be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of; become stultified, suppressed, or stifled; impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing

• submucosa - noun the connective tissue beneath mucous membrane

• subliminal - adj. below the threshold of conscious perception

• suberic acid - noun a dicarboxylic acid found in cork

• subconsciousness - noun a state of mind not immediately available to consciousness

• subacute - adj. less than acute; relating to a disease present in a person with no symptoms of it

• stroke - noun a light touch with the hands; a single complete movement; (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand; any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing; a mark made by a writing implement (as in cursive writing); a light touch; the oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace for the rest of the crew; a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain; a punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information; the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam; verb treat gingerly or carefully; strike a ball with a smooth blow; row at a particular rate; touch lightly and with affection, with brushing motions

• stridor - noun a whistling sound when breathing (usually heard on inspiration); indicates obstruction of the trachea or larynx

• stricture - noun severe criticism; abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway

• stress - noun the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body; difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; special emphasis attached to something; (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; verb put stress on; utter with an accent; to stress, single out as important; test the limits of

• strength - noun the property of being physically or mentally strong; the condition of financial success; capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects; physical energy or intensity; permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force; the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation); an asset of special worth or utility; the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty; capability in terms of personnel and materiel that affect the capacity to fight a war

• stratum - noun one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock); an abstract place usually conceived as having depth

• strangulation - noun (pathology) constriction of a body part so as to cut off the flow of blood or other fluid; the condition of having respiration stopped by compression of the air passage; the act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe

• stomatitis - noun inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth

• stimulus - noun any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

• stimulant - adj. that stimulates; noun a drug that temporarily quickens some vital process; any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

• stigma - noun a skin lesion that is a diagnostic sign of some disease; an external tracheal aperture in a terrestrial arthropod; the apical end of the style where deposited pollen enters the pistil; a symbol of disgrace or infamy

• stethoscope - noun a medical instrument for listening to the sounds generated inside the body

• steroid - noun any of several fat-soluble organic compounds having as a basis 17 carbon atoms in four rings; many have important physiological effects; any hormone affecting the development and growth of sex organs

• sternum - noun the flat bone that articulates with the clavicles and the first seven pairs of ribs

• sterilization - noun the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means); the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)

• sterility - noun the state of being unable to produce offspring; in a woman it is an inability to conceive; in a man it is an inability to impregnate; (of non-living objects) the state of being free of pathogenic organisms

• stent - noun a slender tube inserted inside a tubular body part (as a blood vessel) to provide support during and after surgical anastomosis

• stenosis - noun abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway

• steal - noun a stolen base; an instance in which a base runner advances safely during the delivery of a pitch (without the help of a hit or walk or passed ball or wild pitch); an advantageous purchase; verb steal a base; move stealthily; take without the owner's consent

• starch - noun a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles; verb stiffen with starch

• stapedectomy - noun surgical removal of the stapes of the middle ear

• stain - noun a soiled or discolored appearance; (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible; an act that brings discredit to the person who does it; a symbol of disgrace or infamy; the state of being covered with unclean things; verb color for microscopic study; color with a liquid dye or tint; produce or leave stains; make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically.

• stagnation - noun a state of inactivity (in business or art etc); inactivity of liquids; being stagnant; standing still; without current or circulation

• staging - noun getting rid of a stage of a multistage rocket; travel by stagecoach; a system of scaffolds; the production of a drama on the stage

• staging - noun getting rid of a stage of a multistage rocket; travel by stagecoach; a system of scaffolds; the production of a drama on the stage

• sputum - noun expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness

• sprue - noun a chronic disorder that occurs in tropical and non-tropical forms and in both children and adults; nutrients are not absorbed; symptoms include foul-smelling diarrhea and emaciation

• sporadic - adj. recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

• system - noun instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole; a group of physiologically or anatomically related organs or parts; a complex of methods or rules governing behavior; a procedure or process for obtaining an objective; a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole; (physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium; an ordered manner; orderliness by virtue of being methodical and well organized; an organized structure for arranging or classifying

• synonym - noun two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context

• synapse - noun the junction between two neurons (axon-to-dendrite) or between a neuron and a muscle

• spondylitis - noun inflammation of a spinal joint; characterized by pain and stiffness

• splicing - noun a junction where two things (as paper or film or magnetic tape) have been joined together

• splenectomy - noun surgical removal of the spleen

• spirochete - noun parasitic or free-living bacteria; many pathogenic to humans and other animals

• silicosis - noun a lung disease caused by inhaling particles of silica or quartz or slate

• silicone - noun any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation

• siderosis - noun fibrosis of the lung caused by iron dust; occurs among welders and other metal workers

• sphincter - noun a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening

• sphincter - noun a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening

• sphincter - noun a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening

• hereditary - adj. inherited or inheritable by established rules (usually legal rules) of descent; tending to occur among members of a family usually by heredity

• spectrophotometer - noun a photometer for comparing two light radiations wavelength by wavelength

• specificity - noun the quality of being specific rather than general; the quality of being specific to a particular organism

• spasticity - noun the quality of moving or acting in spasms

• spasm - noun (pathology) sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood vessel); a painful and involuntary muscular contraction

• space - noun the unlimited expanse in which everything is located; a blank area; a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing; one of the areas between or below or above the lines of a musical staff; an area reserved for some particular purpose; an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things); (printing) a block of type without a raised letter; used for spacing between words; the interval between two times; verb place at intervals

• denture - noun a dental appliance that artificially replaces missing teeth

• somnambulism - noun walking by a person who is asleep

• sodium fluoride - noun a colorless crystalline salt of sodium (NaF) used in fluoridation of water and to prevent tooth decay

• sociopath - noun someone with a sociopathic personality; a person with an antisocial personality disorder (`psychopath' was once widely used but has now been superseded by `sociopath')

• smog - noun air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog

• shuttle - noun bobbin that passes the weft thread between the warp threads; public transport that consists of a bus or train or airplane that plies back and forth between two points; badminton equipment consisting of a ball of cork or rubber with a crown of feathers; verb travel back and forth between two points

• sex - noun the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles; all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses; either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided; activities associated with sexual intercourse; verb tell the sex (of young chickens); stimulate sexually

• serous - adj. of or producing or containing serum

• self - adj. (used as a combining form) relating to--of or by or to or from or for--the self; noun your consciousness of your own identity; a person considered as a unique individual

• section - noun one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object; a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical); a segment of a citrus fruit; a small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon; a small army unit usually having a special function; a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class; (geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid; a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people; a very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance) for examination under a microscope; a land unit of 1 square mile measuring 1 mile on a side; the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation); one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; a specialized division of a large organization; verb divide into segments

• scrotum - noun the external pouch that contains the testes

• scoliosis - noun an abnormal lateral curve to the vertebral column

• schizophrenia - noun any of several psychotic disorders characterized by distortions of reality and disturbances of thought and language and withdrawal from social contact

• scapula - noun either of two flat triangular bones one on each side of the shoulder in human beings

• sinus - noun any of various air-filled cavities especially in the bones of the skull; a wide channel containing blood; does not have the coating of an ordinary blood vessel; an abnormal passage leading from a suppurating cavity to the body surface

• scale - noun a flattened rigid plate forming part of the body covering of many animals; an indicator having a graduated sequence of marks; a measuring instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass; (music) a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme (usually within an octave); a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin; a specialized leaf or bract that protects a bud or catkin; relative magnitude; the ratio between the size of something and a representation of it; an ordered reference standard; a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners); verb size or measure according to a scale; measure with or as if with scales; remove the scales from; pattern, make, regulate, set, measure, or estimate according to some rate or standard; climb up by means of a ladder; reach the highest point of; take by attacking with scaling ladders; measure by or as if by a scale

• scabies - noun a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation

• sarcoma - noun a usually malignant tumor arising from connective tissue (bone or muscle etc.); one of the four major types of cancer

• sarcoma - noun a usually malignant tumor arising from connective tissue (bone or muscle etc.); one of the four major types of cancer

• saprophyte - noun an organism that feeds on dead organic matter especially a fungus or bacterium

• saponification - noun a chemical reaction in which an ester is heated with an alkali (especially the alkaline hydrolysis of a fat or oil to make soap)

• salpingitis - noun inflammation of a Fallopian tube (usually the result of infection spreading from the vagina or uterus) or of a Eustachian tube

• saliva - noun a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches

• saline - adj. containing salt; noun an isotonic solution of sodium chloride and distilled water

• sagittal - adj. located in a plane that is parallel to the central plane of the sagittal suture

• sacrum - noun wedge-shaped bone consisting of five fused vertebrae forming the posterior part of the pelvis; its base connects with the lowest lumbar vertebra and its tip with the coccyx

• sac - noun a structure resembling a bag in an animal; a member of the Algonquian people formerly living in Wisconsin in the Fox River valley and on the shores of Green Bay; a case or sheath especially a pollen sac or moss capsule; an enclosed space

• smegma - noun a white secretion of the sebaceous glands of the foreskin

• somatosensory - adj. of or relating to the somatosenses

• socket - noun a receptacle into which an electric device can be inserted; receptacle where something (a pipe or probe or end of a bone) is inserted; a bony hollow into which a structure fits

• spacing - noun the property possessed by an array of things that have space between them; the time between occurrences of a repeating event

• scurvy - adj. of the most contemptible kind; noun a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

• screen - noun protective covering consisting of a metallic netting mounted in a frame and covering windows or doors (especially for protection against insects); a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something; partition consisting of a decorative frame or panel that serves to divide a space; display on the surface of the large end of a cathode-ray tube on which is electronically created; a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing; something that keeps things out or hinders sight; a door that consists of a frame holding metallic or plastic netting; used to allow ventilation and to keep insects from entering a building through the open door; a strainer for separating lumps from powdered material or grading particles; verb examine methodically; prevent from entering; project onto a screen for viewing; examine in order to test suitability; test or examine for the presence of disease or infection; protect, hide, or conceal from danger or harm; separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff

• scleroderma - noun genus of poisonous fungi having hard-skinned fruiting bodies: false truffles; an autoimmune disease that affects the blood vessels and connective tissue; fibrous connective tissue is deposited in the skin

• scar - noun a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue; an indication of damage; verb mark with a scar

• scaphoid - adj. shaped like a boat

• smear - noun a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope; slanderous defamation; an act that brings discredit to the person who does it; a blemish made by dirt; verb make a smudge on; soil by smudging; stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance; charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it

• slough - noun any outer covering that can be shed or cast off (such as the cast-off skin of a snake); a stagnant swamp (especially as part of a bayou); a hollow filled with mud; necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass; verb cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers

• sleep - noun a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended; a torpid state resembling deep sleep; a period of time spent sleeping; euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb); verb be asleep; be able to accommodate for sleeping

• sinusitis - noun inflammation of one of the paranasal sinuses

• serotonin - noun a neurotransmitter involved in e.g. sleep and depression and memory

• serosa - noun a thin membrane lining the closed cavities of the body; has two layers with a space between that is filled with serous fluid

• serendipity - noun good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries

• sequela - noun any abnormality following or resulting from a disease or injury or treatment

• septum - noun (anatomy) a dividing partition between two tissues or cavities; a partition or wall especially in an ovary

• sensual - adj. sexually exciting or gratifying; marked by the appetites and passions of the body

• sensitivity - noun the ability to respond to affective changes in your interpersonal environment; the ability to respond to physical stimuli or to register small physical amounts or differences; (physiology) responsiveness to external stimuli; the faculty of sensation; sensitivity to emotional feelings (of self and others); susceptibility to a pathogen

• self-control - noun the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior; the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses

• section - noun one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object; a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical); a segment of a citrus fruit; a small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon; a small army unit usually having a special function; a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class; (geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid; a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people; a very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance) for examination under a microscope; a land unit of 1 square mile measuring 1 mile on a side; the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation); one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; a specialized division of a large organization; verb divide into segments

• caesarean - adj. of or relating to or in the manner of Julius Caesar; relating to abdominal delivery; noun the delivery of a fetus by surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus (from the belief that Julius Caesar was born that way)

• secrete - verb generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids; place out of sight; keep secret

• syphilis - noun a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)

• syndrome - noun a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

• splint - noun an orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body (as a broken leg); a thin sliver of wood; verb support with a splint

• splenomegaly - noun an abnormal enlargement of the spleen

• spirometer - noun a measuring instrument for measuring the vital capacity of the lungs

• spine - noun a sharp rigid animal process or appendage; as a porcupine quill or a ridge on a bone or a ray of a fish fin; the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved; a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf; the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; any sharply pointed projection

• shunt - noun implant consisting of a tube made of plastic or rubber; for draining fluids within the body; a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current; a passage by which a bodily fluid (especially blood) is diverted from one channel to another; verb transfer to another track, of trains; provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt

• serration - noun a single notch in a row of notches; a row of notches; the condition of being serrated

• symptom - noun anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence; (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease

Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

T

• T - noun the 20th letter of the Roman alphabet; hormone produced by the thyroid glands to regulate metabolism by controlling the rate of oxidation in cells; thyroid hormone similar to thyroxine but with one less iodine atom per molecule and produced in smaller quantity; exerts the same biological effects as thyroxine but is more potent and briefer; a unit of information equal to a trillion (1,099,511,627,776) bytes or 1024 gigabytes; a unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilograms; one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose); a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

• thanatology - noun the branch of science that studies death (especially its social and psychological aspects)

• tenacity - noun persistent determination

• tampon - noun plug of cotton or other absorbent material; inserted into wound or body cavity to absorb exuded fluids (especially blood); verb plug with a tampon

• talipes - noun congenital deformity of the foot usually marked by a curled shape or twisted position of the ankle and heel and toes

• typhoid - noun serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration; caused by Salmonella typhosa ingested with food or water

• twin - adj. being two identical; very similar; noun a waterfall in the Snake River in southern Idaho; either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy; a duplicate copy; (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Gemini; verb give birth to twins; grow as twins; duplicate or match; bring two objects, ideas, or people together

• tumour - noun an abnormal new mass of tissue that serves no purpose

• trophoblast - noun the membrane that forms the wall of the blastocyst in early development; aids implantation in the uterine wall

• trichinosis - noun infestation by trichina larvae that are transmitted by eating inadequately cooked meat (especially pork); larvae migrate from the intestinal tract to the muscles where they become encysted

• trial - noun (law) legal proceedings consisting of the judicial examination of issues by a competent tribunal; (law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law; trying something to find out about it; an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; (sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications; the act of testing something; the act of undergoing testing

• clinical - adj. scientifically detached; unemotional; relating to a clinic or conducted in or as if in a clinic and depending on direct observation of patients

• trial - noun (law) legal proceedings consisting of the judicial examination of issues by a competent tribunal; (law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law; trying something to find out about it; an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; (sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications; the act of testing something; the act of undergoing testing

• triad - noun a three-note major or minor chord; a note and its third and fifth tones; three people considered as a unit; a set of three similar things considered as a unit

• trauma - noun an emotional wound or shock often having long-lasting effects; any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

• transvestism - noun the practice of adopting the clothes or the manner or the sexual role of the opposite sex

• transposition - noun (music) playing in a different key from the key intended; moving the pitch of a piece of music upwards or downwards; the act of reversing the order or place of; (electricity) a rearrangement of the relative positions of power lines in order to minimize the effects of mutual capacitance and inductance; (mathematics) the transfer of a quantity from one side of an equation to the other along with a change of sign; (genetics) a kind of mutation in which a chromosomal segment is transfered to a new position on the same or another chromosome; any abnormal position of the organs of the body; an event in which one thing is substituted for another

• transplant - noun the act of removing something from one location and introducing it in another location; an operation moving an organ from one organism (the donor) to another (the recipient); (surgery) tissue or organ transplanted from a donor to a recipient; in some cases the patient can be both donor and recipient; verb place the organ of a donor into the body of a recipient; lift and reset in another soil or situation; be transplantable; transfer from one place or period to another

• trait - noun a distinguishing feature of your personal nature

• tract - noun a system of body parts that together serve some particular purpose; a brief treatise on a subject of interest; published in the form of a booklet; an extended area of land; a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

• trachoma - noun a chronic contagious viral disease marked by inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye and the formation of scar tissue

• tracheostomy - noun a surgical operation that creates an opening into the trachea with a tube inserted to provide a passage for air; performed when the pharynx is obstructed by edema or cancer or other causes

• tracheobronchitis - noun common respiratory infection characterized by inflammation of the trachea and the bronchi

• trabecula - noun rod-shaped structures of fibrous tissue that divide an organ into parts (as in the penis) or stabilize the structure of an organ (as in the spleen)

• toxoid - noun a bacterial toxin that has been weakened until it is no longer toxic but is strong enough to induce the formation of antibodies and immunity to the specific disease caused by the toxin

• toxaemia - noun blood poisoning caused by bacterial toxic substances in the blood; an abnormal condition of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and edema and protein in the urine

• torticollis - noun an unnatural condition in which the head leans to one side because the neck muscles on that side are contracted

• tonometer - noun measuring instrument for measuring tension or pressure (especially for measuring intraocular pressure in testing for glaucoma)

• tomography - noun (medicine) obtaining pictures of the interior of the body

• tinnitus - noun a ringing or booming sensation in one or both ears; a symptom of an ear infection or Meniere's disease

• tinea - noun type genus of the Tineidae: clothes moths; infections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches

• thyroid - adj. suggestive of a thyroid disorder; of or relating to the thyroid gland; noun located near the base of the neck

• thymus - noun large genus of Old World mints: thyme; a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age

• thrombus - noun a blood clot formed within a blood vessel and remaining attached to its place of origin

• thrombosis - noun the formation or presence of a thrombus (a clot of coagulated blood attached at the site of its formation) in a blood vessel

• thrombin - noun an enzyme that acts on fibrinogen in blood causing it to clot

• throat - noun a passage resembling a throat in shape or function; an opening in the vamp of a shoe at the instep; the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone

• sore - adj. roused to anger; hurting; causing misery or pain or distress; noun an open skin infection

• thorax - noun part of an insect's body that bears the wings and legs; the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates; the middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen

• therapy - noun (medicine) the act of caring for someone (as by medication or remedial training etc.)

• theory - noun a belief that can guide behavior; a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena

• thalassaemia - noun an inherited form of anemia caused by faulty synthesis of hemoglobin

• tetany - noun clinical neurological syndrome characterized by muscular twitching and cramps and (when severe) seizures; associated with calcium deficiency (hypoparathyroidism) or vitamin D deficiency or alkalosis

• tetanus - noun a sustained muscular contraction resulting from a rapid series of nerve impulses; an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages

• test - noun the act of testing something; the act of undergoing testing; any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc; a hard outer covering as of some amoebas and sea urchins; trying something to find out about it; a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; verb undergo a test; determine the presence or properties of (a substance); achieve a certain score or rating on a test; put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; show a certain characteristic when tested; examine someone's knowledge of something; test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

• stress - noun the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body; difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; special emphasis attached to something; (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; verb put stress on; utter with an accent; to stress, single out as important; test the limits of

• test - noun the act of testing something; the act of undergoing testing; any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc; a hard outer covering as of some amoebas and sea urchins; trying something to find out about it; a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; verb undergo a test; determine the presence or properties of (a substance); achieve a certain score or rating on a test; put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; show a certain characteristic when tested; examine someone's knowledge of something; test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

• teratoma - noun a tumor consisting of a mixture of tissues not normally found at that site

• tension - noun the action of stretching something tight; (physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body; a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature); (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; the physical condition of being stretched or strained; feelings of hostility that are not manifest

• tenosynovitis - noun inflammation of a tendon and its enveloping sheath

• tendon - noun a cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment

• telophase - noun the final stage of mitosis; the final stage of meiosis when the chromosomes move toward opposite ends of the nuclear spindle

• tubercle - noun a swelling that is the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis; a protuberance on a bone especially for attachment of a muscle or ligament; small rounded wartlike protuberance on a plant

• taxonomy - noun practice of classifying plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships; (biology) study of the general principles of scientific classification; a classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin etc

• tannin - noun any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine

• tapeworm - noun ribbonlike flatworms that are parasitic in the intestines of humans and other vertebrates

• tachometer - noun measuring instrument for indicating speed of rotation

• tissue plasminogen activator - noun a thrombolytic agent (trade name Activase) that causes fibrinolysis at the site of a blood clot; used in treating acute myocardial infarction

• tap - noun a light touch or stroke; a plug for a bunghole in a cask; a tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads; a small metal plate that attaches to the toe or heel of a shoe (as in tap dancing); the act of tapping a telephone or telegraph line to get information; a faucet for drawing water from a pipe or cask; the sound made by a gentle blow; a gentle blow; verb strike lightly; cut a female screw thread with a tap; pierce in order to draw a liquid from; draw (liquor) from a tap; walk with a tapping sound; make light, repeated taps on a surface; draw from or dip into to get something; furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it; make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently; draw from; make good use of; dance and make rhythmic clicking sounds by means of metal plates nailed to the sole of the dance shoes; tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information

• tannic acid - noun any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine

• tachycardia - noun abnormally rapid heartbeat (over 100 beats per minute)

• tablespoon - noun a spoon larger than a dessert spoon; used for serving; as much as a tablespoon will hold

U

• U - adj. (chiefly British) of or appropriate to the upper classes especially in language use; noun the 21st letter of the Roman alphabet; a heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element; occurs in many isotopes; used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons; a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

• umbilicus - noun scar where the umbilical cord was attached

• UV - noun radiation lying in the ultraviolet range; wave lengths shorter than light but longer than X rays

• urticaria - noun an itchy skin eruption characterized by weals with pale interiors and well-defined red margins; usually the result of an allergic response to insect bites or food or drugs

• uric acid - noun a white tasteless odorless crystalline product of protein metabolism; found in the blood and urine

• urethra - noun duct through which urine is discharged in most mammals and which serves as the male genital duct

• urea - noun the chief solid component of mammalian urine; synthesized from ammonia and carbon dioxide and used as fertilizer and in animal feed and in plastics

• unsaturated - adj. (of color) not chromatically pure; diluted; used of a compound (especially of carbon) containing atoms sharing more than one valence bond; not saturated; capable of dissolving more of a substance at a given temperature

• ultraviolet - adj. having or employing wavelengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays; lying outside the visible spectrum at its violet end; noun radiation lying in the ultraviolet range; wave lengths shorter than light but longer than X rays

• ulcer - noun a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue

• decubitus - noun a reclining position (as in a bed)

• urine - noun liquid excretory product

• urethritis - noun inflammation of the urethra; results in painful urination

• ureter - noun either of a pair of thick-walled tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder

• unmyelinated - adj. (of neurons) not myelinated

• unit - noun a single undivided whole; an organization regarded as part of a larger social group; a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else; an individual or group or structure or other entity regarded as a structural or functional constituent of a whole; an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange

• ultrasonography - noun using the reflections of high-frequency sound waves to construct an image of a body organ (a sonogram); commonly used to observe fetal growth or study bodily organs

• ulcer - noun a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue

• ulcerative colitis - noun a serious chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine and rectum characterized by recurrent episodes of abdominal pain and fever and chills and profuse diarrhea

• V - noun the 22nd letter of the Roman alphabet; a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt; equivalent to the potential difference across a resistance of 1 ohm when 1 ampere of current flows through it; a soft silvery white toxic metallic element used in steel alloys; it occurs in several complex minerals including carnotite and vanadinite

• vulva - noun external parts of the female genitalia

• voyeurism - noun a perversion in which a person receives sexual gratification from seeing the genitalia of others or witnessing others' sexual behavior

• volvulus - noun abnormal twisting of the intestines (usually in the are of the ileum or sigmoid colon) resulting in intestinal obstruction

• vitiligo - noun an acquired skin disease characterized by patches of unpigmented skin (often surrounded by a heavily pigmented border)

• vitamin - noun any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism

• virus - noun (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein; a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer; a harmful or corrupting agency

• virulence - noun extreme hostility; extreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease)

• villus - noun a minute hairlike projection on mucous membrane

• viability - noun (of living things) capable of normal growth and development; capable of being done in a practical and useful way

• veterinary - adj. of or relating to veterinarians or veterinary medicine; noun a doctor who practices veterinary medicine

• vestibule - noun any of various bodily cavities leading to another cavity (as of the ear or vagina); a large entrance or reception room or area

• vesicle - noun a small anatomically normal sac or bladderlike structure (especially one containing fluid)

• vertigo - noun a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall

• vertex - noun the point of intersection of lines or the point opposite the base of a figure; the highest point (of something)

• vertebra - noun one of the bony segments of the spinal column

• ventricle - noun a chamber of the heart that receives blood from an atrium and pumps it to the arteries; one of four connected cavities in the brain; is continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord and contains cerebrospinal fluid

• ventilator - noun a device (such as a fan) that introduces fresh air or expels foul air; a device that facilitates breathing in cases of respiratory failure

• vein - noun one of the horny ribs that stiffen and support the wing of an insect; a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart; a distinctive style or manner; a layer of ore between layers of rock; any of the vascular bundles or ribs that form the branching framework of conducting and supporting tissues in a leaf or other plant organ; verb make a veinlike pattern

• vector - noun a variable quantity that can be resolved into components; any agent (person or animal or microorganism) that carries and transmits a disease; a straight line segment whose length is magnitude and whose orientation in space is direction

• vasoconstriction - noun decrease in the diameter of blood vessels

• vasectomy - noun surgical procedure that removes all or part of the vas deferens (usually as a means of sterilization); is sometimes reversible

• varicella - noun an acute contagious disease caused by herpes varicella zoster virus; causes a rash of vesicles on the face and body

• valve - noun control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid; device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone; a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it

• tricuspid - adj. having three cusps or points (especially a molar tooth)

• valve - noun control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid; device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone; a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it

• pulmonary - adj. relating to or affecting the lungs

V

• valve - noun control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid; device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone; a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it

• mitral - adj. of or relating to or located in or near the mitral valve; relating to or resembling the miter worn by some clerics

• valve - noun control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid; device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone; a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it

• vagus - noun a mixed nerve that supplies the pharynx and larynx and lungs and heart and esophagus and stomach and most of the abdominal viscera

• vaginismus - noun muscular contraction that causes the vagina to close; usually an anxiety reaction before coitus or pelvic examination

• vagina - noun the lower part of the female reproductive tract; a moist canal in female mammals extending from the labia minora to the uterus

• vaccine - noun immunogen consisting of a suspension of weakened or dead pathogenic cells injected in order to stimulate the production of antibodies

• measles - noun an acute and highly contagious viral disease marked by distinct red spots followed by a rash; occurs primarily in children

• vaccine - noun immunogen consisting of a suspension of weakened or dead pathogenic cells injected in order to stimulate the production of antibodies

• W - noun the 23rd letter of the Roman alphabet; a unit of power equal to 1 joule per second; the power dissipated by a current of 1 ampere flowing across a resistance of 1 ohm; the cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees; a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

• waxing - adj. (of the moon) pertaining to the period during which the visible surface of the moon increases; noun the application of wax to a surface; a gradual increase in magnitude or extent

• wasting - noun a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse; any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease

• whey - noun watery part of milk produced when raw milk sours and coagulates; the serum or watery part of milk that is separated from the curd in making cheese

• work - noun activity directed toward making or doing something; a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing; (physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force; the occupation for which you are paid; the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it); a place where work is done; applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading); verb arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; move into or onto; shape, form, or improve a material; gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; move in an agitated manner; provoke or excite; proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; cause to work; be employed; exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; cause to operate or function; operate in or through; have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; behave in a certain way when handled; give a workout to; go sour or spoil; cause to undergo fermentation; find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; use or manipulate to one's advantage; make uniform; perform as expected when applied; cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; make something, usually for a specific function; prepare for crops; proceed along a path; have and exert influence or effect.

• wiring - noun the work of installing the wires for an electrical system or device; a circuit of wires for the distribution of electricity

• wrinkle - noun a clever method of doing something (especially something new and different); a minor difficulty; a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface; verb make wrinkles or creases into a smooth surface; become wrinkled or crumpled or creased; make wrinkled or creased; gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker

• whoop - noun a loud hooting cry of exultation or excitement; verb shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm; cough spasmodically

• wheeze - noun breathing with a husky or whistling sound; (Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick; verb breathe with difficulty

• wheal - noun a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions

• weaning - noun the act of substituting other food for the mother's milk in the diet of a child or young mammal

• WBC - noun blood cells that engulf and digest bacteria and fungi; an important part of the body's defense system

X

• X - noun; street names for methylenedioxymethamphetamine

• xerostomia - noun abnormal dryness of the mouth resulting from decreased secretion of saliva

• X-linked - adj. relating to genes or characteristics or conditions carried on the X chromosome

• xerophthalmia - noun abnormal dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eyes; may be due to a systemic deficiency of vitamin A

• xeroderma - noun a mild form of ichthyosis characterized by abnormal dryness and roughness of the skin

• xenophobia - noun an irrational fear of foreigners or strangers

• xanthoma - noun a skin problem marked by the development (on the eyelids and neck and back) of irregular yellow nodules; sometimes attributable to disturbances of cholesterol metabolism

• xanthopsia - noun visual defect in which objects appear to have a yellowish hue; sometimes occurs in cases of jaundice

Table of contents:

.A | .B | .C | .D | .E | .F | .G | .H | .I | .J | .K | .L | .M

.N | .O | .P | .Q | .R | .S | .T | .U | .V | .W | .X | .Y | .Z

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