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GLOSSARY. 



Axial (Axis). In the direction of the 

 axis. 



Ax'il (Lat. axilla, the armpit). In 

 botany, the angle formed by a leaf 

 with the stem. 



Axilla (Lat.) The armpit. 



Axillary (Lat. axilla, the armpit). 

 Belonging to the armpit ; in botany, 

 growing in the angle formed by a 

 leaf with the stem. 



Axiom (Gr. a|iow, axioo, I think wor- 

 thy). A self-evident truth, incapable 

 of being made plainer by reasoning. 



Axis (Lat. axis, an axletree). A 

 straight line passing through the 

 centre of a body ; a pivot on which 

 anything turns ; the second verte- 

 bra of the neck, because the head 

 turns on it. 



Azimuth (Arab, samatha, to go to- 

 wards). The direction of an object 



in reference to the cardinal points, 

 or to the plane of the meridian. 



Azimuth Compass. An instrument 

 consisting of a magnetic bar or 

 needle balanced on a vertical pivot, 

 so as to turn freely in an horizontal 

 plane. 



Azoic (Gr. a, a, not ; &ov, zoon, an 

 animal). Without animals ; ap- 

 plied to the lowest or primary geo- 

 logical strata, in which no remains 

 of animals are found. 



Az'ote (Gfr. ci, a, not ; CWTJ, ', life). 

 A name for nitrogen gas, because 

 it will not support animal life. 



Az'otised (Azote). Containing azote 

 of nitrogen. 



Az'ygos (Gr. a, a, not ; vyov, zugon, 

 a yoke). Without a fellow ; having 

 no corresponding symmetrical part. 



Baccate (Lat. bacca, a berry). Re- 

 sembling a berry. 



Baily's Beads. In astronomy, an 

 appearance as of a string of beads 

 round the sun in an eclipse. 



Bal'anoid (Grr. jSaAai/os, bal'anos, an 

 acorn). A family of cirripeds or 

 barnacles, having shells arranged 

 conically, like an acorn. 



Balsam (Gr. ^a\(ra/j.ov, bal'samon). 

 A natural mixture of resin with a 

 volatile oil. 



Barb'ule (Lat. barba, a beard). A 

 little beard. 



Barilla (Spanish). An impure car- 

 bonate of soda. 



Baroni'eter (Gr. &apos, baros, weight ; 

 /uerpoj/, metron, a measure). An 

 instrument for measuring the weight 

 or pressure of the air. 



Basalt'. A close-grained rock of the 

 trappean group, dark- coloured, 

 often arranged in more or less regu- 

 lar columns. 



(Gr. fia<ris, basis, a foundation). 

 The lower part of anything, or that 

 on which it rests ; in chemistry, a 

 substance which, when combined 

 with an acid, forms a salt. 



Basement Membrane. A fine, trans- 

 parent layer, lying underneath the 

 epithelium of mucous and serous 

 membranes, and beneath the epi- 

 dermis of the skin. 



Ba'sic (Base). In chemistry, having 

 a large proportion of base ; basic 

 water is water which appears to act 

 as a base in the formation of certain 

 salts. 



Bas'ilar (Lat. basis, a base). Ba- 

 sic ; belonging to the base of the 

 skull ; applied especially to an ar- 

 tery of the brain. 



Basin (Fr. bassin). A hollow vessel ; 

 in geology, a hollow or trough 

 formed of rocks older than the 

 deposit contained in it. 



Basioccipltal (Lat. basis, a base ; 

 occiput, the back of the head). A 

 bone of the head of lower vertebrate 

 animals, answering to a part of the 

 occipital bone in man. 



Bathymet'rical (Gr. fraQvs, bathus, 

 deep ; fjifrpov, metron, a measure). 

 Relating to the distribution of 

 plants and animals along the bot- 

 tom of the sea, according to the 

 depth which they inhabit. 



