DICTIONARY 



OF 



SCIENTIFIC TEEMS. 



Aardvark, (ard'vark). [D. aard, earth; varlc, 

 pig.] An ant-eating quadruped of S. Africa 

 =Orycteropus capensis. 



Aardwolf, (ard'woolf ). [D.aard, earth.] Afox- 

 like quadruped of S. Africa=Proteleslalandii. 



Aaron's Beard, (a'ronz berd)=Hypericum caly- 

 cinum. An under-shrub, belonging to Hy- 

 pericacese. 



Abacus, (ab'a-kus). [L. abacus, table.] 1. 

 The upper plata 

 of a column, be- 

 neath the archi- 1 

 trave. 2. A cal- 

 culating apparatus. Abacus. 



Abatis, (ab-a-te'). [P. abatis, thrown down.] 

 A breastwork of trees, or branches of trees. 



Abbeville Flints, (ab'vel). Rude spearheads, 

 &c., found in the alluvium near Abbeville. 



Abdar process, for separating silver from any 

 copper ore in which it occurs. 



Abdomen, (ab-do'men). [L. abdere, to hide.] 

 1. The posterior portion of the human trunk, 

 containing the intestines. 2. In insects, the 

 portion of the body behind the legs, contain- 

 ing the viscera of nutrition and reproduction. 



Abdominales, (ab-dom'i-na-lez). [Abdomen, 

 g.v.] Fishes having the ventral fins far behind 

 the pectoral fins. (Ex. , carp, salmon). 



Abdominalia, (ab-dom-i-na'lia). [Abdomen, 

 g.v.] 1. A sub-division of Ascidioida (Mol- 

 luscoida), in which the branchial sac is small 

 in front. 2. A sub-division of Cirripedia 

 (Articulata). 



Abele, (a-bel'). [L. abies; D. abeel] Abel tree, 

 white poplar, Populus alba, Dutch beech. A 

 common European tree, about 80 ft. high. 



Abelmoschus, (a-bel-mos'kus). [Arabname]= 

 Hibiscus abelmoschus, Syrian mallow, musk 

 mallow. A shrub, belonging to Malvacere. 



Aberdavine, (a-ber-da-vm')=Siskin= Fringilla 

 spinus : a small migratory singing bird. 



Aberration, (ab-er-ra'shou). [L. ab, from; 

 errare, to wander]. Deviation of light rays 

 from a true focus, caused either by the form 

 of a lens=spherical A., resulting in an in- 

 distinct image; or by refrangibility of light= 

 chromatic A., resulting in a coloured image. 

 Abies, (a'bi-es). [L. abies, from abeo, to rise, 

 or apios, pear tree.] The fir tree : a genus 

 of Abietese (Pinaceae). A. pectinata, silver 

 fir, gives Strasburg turpentine. A. excelsa, 

 spruce fir. Tall, evergreen tree, common. 

 Abietine, (ab'i-e-tin). [L. abies, the fir tree.] 

 A resin obtained from turpentine. 



Abietites, (a-bi-et-i'tez). [L. abies, fir tree.] 

 Fossil remains of fir trees, chiefly cones, found 

 in Wealden and Greensand. 



Abiogenesis, (a-bi-6-jen'e-sis). [Gk. a, not; bios, 

 life; genesis, birth.] Spontaneous generation. 



Abiotos, (a-bi'o-tos). [Gk. a, not; biotas, life.] 

 =Hemlock: so named from its poisonous 

 qualities. 



Ablepsia, (ab-lep'si-a). [Gk. a, not ; blepo, I 

 see] = blindness. 



Abnormal, (ab-nor'mal). [L. ab, from; norma, 

 rule.] Not in accordance with the type of 

 growth: used of animals and plants which 

 differ from the ordinary plan. 



Aboma, (ab'o-ma). [The native name.]=Epi- 

 crates cenchria: a large yellow snake of S. 

 America. 



Abomasum, (ab-6-ma'sum). [L. ab, from; oma- 

 sum, tripe]:= Rennet: the fourth cavity in the 

 complex stomach of a ruminant animal. 



Abranchiate, (a-brang'ki-ut). [Gk. a, not, and 

 branchia, gills.] Without gills; unable to 

 breathe only in water. A. vetebrata, mam- 

 malia, aves, and reptiles, the highest forms 

 of animal life, all of which have an amnion, 

 an allantois, but no gills. A. annelida, 

 leeches and earthworms. 



Abrazite, (ab'ra-zit.) [Gk. a, not; brazo, I bub- 

 ble.] A mineral, chiefly silicate of alumina, 

 lime, and potash; one of the zeolite group, 

 which does not effervesce under the action 

 of the blowpipe. 



Abreuvoir, (ab-ruv-warO. [The French name.] 

 The space between stones in masonry, 

 usually filled with mortar. 



Abscissa, (ab-sis'a). [L. ab, from; scindere, to 

 cutoff]. The portion of a given 

 curve cut off by another line. 



Absinthine, (ab-sinth'in). [L. v 

 absinthium, wormwood.] = 

 Ci6H22Os. A bitter crystal- Abscissa, 

 line principle found in wormwood. 



Absolute Unit of Force. That force which will 

 generate a unit of velocity when acting on a 

 unit of mass during a unit of time. The unit 

 of time is usually 1 second, of velocity 1 foot 

 (in Britain), and of weight 1 Ib. avoirdupoiso 

 (in Britain). 



Absorption, (ab-sorp'shon). [L. ab, from ; snr- 

 beo, I suck up]. 1. The stoppage of heat or 

 light rays, which varies inversely as the re- 

 flecting power of the absorbing surface. 2. 

 Passage of a liquid or gas into or through a 

 porous substance. 



