| abiogenesis |
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noun
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(biology) The supposed origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents; spontaneous generation; " called also abiogeny, and opposed to biogenesis
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Quotations
- I shall call the ... doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of " Huxley, 1870
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| actinomorphic |
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adjective-
(botany) (i, of a flower) Having its petals arranged in a radially symmetric fashion.
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| adaptive radiation |
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noun-
(biology) the diversification of species into separate forms that each adapt to occupy a specific environmental niche
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| adherent |
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noun
- A person who has membership in some group, association or religion.
adjective
- adhesive, that sticks to something
- that has the quality of clinging or sticking fast to something
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| adnate |
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adjective
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(botany, or, mycology) Link, linked or fused to something unlike itself, for example where mushroom gills are attached to the stalk slightly above the bottom of the gill.
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| affinity |
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noun (affinities)
- A family relationship through marriage of a relative, as opposed to consanguinity. (e.g. sister-in-law).
- A kinsman or kinswoman of such relationship. Affinal kinsman or kinswoman.
- Any romantic relationship.
- Any passionate love for something.
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(chemistry) An attractive force between atoms, or groups of atoms, that contributes towards their forming bonds
- The attraction between an antibody and an antigen
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| ALA |
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initialism
- Alpha Linolenic Acid
- American Library Association
- Acacia Leadership Academy
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| alar |
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noun
- A growth-regulating chemical sprayed on fruit trees; entire crop can be harvested at one time; daminozide
adjective
- (anatomy) of or relating to the armpit; axillary
- Having, resembling, or composed of wings or alae
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| albino |
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noun (pl=albinos, pl2=albinoes)
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(countable) person or animal congenitally lacking melanin pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair or feathers (or more rarely only in the eyes); one born with albinism
adjective
- congenitally lacking melanin pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair or feathers (or more rarely only in the eyes); born with albinism
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| allometry |
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noun
- The science studying the differential growth rates of the parts of a living organism's body part or process.
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| Ally |
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proper noun- A diminutive of the female given name Alison.
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| alveolate |
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noun-
(biology) A grouping of protists comprising the ciliates, sporozoa and dinoflagellates
adjective
- Having a structure containing honeycomb-like cavities
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| ameboid |
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adjective
- Resembling an amoebae.
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| amorphous |
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adjective
- lacking a definite form or clear shape
The enormous pile of spaghetti landed in an amorphous heap on the floor.
- being without definite character or nature
- lacking organization or unity
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(physics) A state of solid that is not in crystal and its regular structure is crystal.
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| analogous |
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adjective
- Having analogy; corresponding to something else; bearing some resemblance or proportion;—often followed by to.
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Analogous tendencies in arts and manners. --De Quincey.
- Decay of public spirit, which may be considered to natural death. --J. H. Newman.
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| analogue |
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noun
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(countable) Something that bears an analogy to something else.
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(countable) (Biology) An organ or structure that is similar in function to one in another kind of organism but is of dissimilar evolutionary origin.
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(chemistry) A structural derivative of a parent compound that often differs from it by a single element.
adjective
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(notcomparable) (Of a device or system) in which the value of a data item (such as time) is represented by a continuously variable physical quantity that can be measured (such as the shadow of a sundial)
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| analogy |
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noun (analogi, es)
- The use of a similar example or model to explain or extrapolate from.
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The birthing class instructor used a balloon and a ping-pong ball as an for the baby in the womb.
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Many use the Gospels' of a mustard seed growing into a huge plant to explain faith.
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| anastomosis |
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noun
- a cross-connection between two blood-vessels
- an interconnection between any two channels, passages or vessels
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1922: (...) our grandam, which we are linked up with by successive of navelcords sold us all, seed, breed and generation, for a penny pippin. (Joyce, Ulysses)
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(medicine) the surgical creation of a connecting passage between blood-vessels or other channels
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| anatomy |
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noun (anatomies)
- The art of dissecting, or artificially separating the different parts of any organized body, to discover their situation, structure, and economy; dissection.
- The science that deals with the form and structure of organic bodies; anatomical structure or organization.
Let the muscles be well inserted and bound together, according to the knowledge of them which is given us by anatomy. --Dryden.
Animal anatomy is also called zomy or zootomy; vegetable anatomy, phytotomy; and human anatomy, anthropotomy.
Comparative anatomy compares the structure of different kinds and classes of animals.
- A treatise or book on anatomy.
- The act of dividing anything, corporeal or intellectual, for the purpose of examining its parts; analysis; as, the anatomy of a discourse.
- A skeleton; anything anatomized or dissected, or which has the appearance of being so.
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| ancestor |
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noun (femaleancestress)
- One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a fore father.
- (Biology) An earlier type; a progenitor
This fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse.
- (Law) One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
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| animal |
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noun
- In scientific usage, a multicellular organism that is usually mobile, whose cells are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing it from plants and fungi) and which derives energy solely from the consumption of other organisms (distinguishing it from plants).
A cat is an , not a plant.
Evolutionary biologists say humans are also animals.
- In non-scientific usage, any member of the kingdom Animalia other than a human being.
- In non-scientific usage, any land-living vertebrate (i.e. not birds, fishes, insects etc)
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(figuratively) A person who behaves wildly.
My students are animals.
adjective
- Pertaining to the spirit or soul; relating to sensation or innervation.
- 2003: To explain what activated the flesh, " spirits" were posited, superfine fluids which shuttled between the mind and the vitals, conveying messages and motion. " Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason (Penguin 2004, p. 47)
- Of or relating to animals.
- animal instincts
- Raw, base, unhindered by social codes.
- animal passions
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(context, slang, Ireland) Excellent.
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| annulus |
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noun
- A ring- or donut-shaped area or structure.
- In mathematics, the region between two concentric circles of different radius.
- In astronomy, the ring of the sun not covered by the moon in an annular eclipse, annular solar eclipse.
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| areola |
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noun (pl2=areolae, pl3=areoles)
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(anatomy) the colored circle around a nipple, or around the pupil of the eye
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| ARM |
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initialism
- accelerated reply mail: a service of the United States Postal Service
- adjustable rate mortgage
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| artifact |
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noun
- An object made by human hand or shaped by it.
- An object, such as a tool, weapon or ornament, of archaeological or historical interest, esp. such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
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The dig produced many Roman artifacts.
- Something viewed as a product of human conception or agency rather than an inherent element.
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"The very act of looking at a naked model was an of male supremacy" (Philip Weiss).
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Ref: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 8 March 2007.
- A structure or finding in an experiment or investigation that is not a true feature of the object under observation, but is a result of external action, the test arrangement, or an experimental error.
- The spot on his lung turned out to be an of the X-ray process.
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| artificial |
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adjective
- Man-made; of artifice.
The flowers were artificial, and he thought them rather tacky.
- False, misleading.
Her manner was somewhat artificial.
- Unnatural.
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| astral |
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adjective
- Relating to or resembling the stars.
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(theosophy) Relating to a supposed supersensible substance taking the form of an aura discernible to certain gifted individuals.
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| atavism |
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noun
- the reappearance of an ancestral characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence. Often also refered to as a throwback.
- the recurrence or reversion to a past behaviour, method, characteristic or style after a long period of absence.
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| atavistic |
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adjective
- Pertaining to atavists.
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| azygous |
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adjective
- odd; having no fellow; not one of a pair; single; as, the azygous muscle of the uvula.
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