MEN 



258 



MEP 



plants whose seed or fruit is 

 kidney or half-moon shaped, 

 hence the name : Menispermum, 

 n., a genus of hardy plants, pos- 

 sessing strong narcotic properties : 

 menispermin, n., -sperm'm, a 

 non-poisonous substance obtained 

 from the pericarp of the Anamirta 

 cocculus. 



menorrhagia, n., m^n f -6r-rddj f -i'd 

 (Gr. men, a month ; menes, a 

 woman's menses ; rhegnumi, I 

 break or burst forth), an immod- 

 erate flowing of the catamenia 

 or menses. 



menses, n. plu., mZr'sSz (L. men- 

 sis, a month), the monthly dis- 

 charges of women. 



menstrual, a., men'stroo-al (L. 

 menstrudlis, every month from 

 mensis, a month), happening 

 once a month ; lasting a month ; 

 catamenial : menstruant, a., 

 men'stroo-dnt, subject to monthly 

 flowings : menstruation, n., 

 m%n'strdo'a f 'shun, the periodical 

 flow of the menses : menstruous, 

 a., m&n'-strdb'US, pert, to the 

 monthly discharges of women. 



menstruum, n., men'stroo-um, 

 menstruums, n. plu., -stroo-umz, 

 or menstrua, n. plu., -stroo-a. (L. 

 menstruum, that which lasts or 

 continues a month from mensis, 

 a month), a solvent ; any liquor 

 used in dissolving so named by 

 the old chemists, because they 

 supposed that the moon had a 

 mysterious influence on the mak- 

 ing of their preparations for 

 dissolving metals, etc. 



mentagra, n., ment'-ag-ra (L. 

 mentum, the chin ; Gr. agra, a 

 seizure), a disease affecting the 

 beard, moustache, whiskers, and 

 inner part of the nostrils caused 

 by minute fungi, or vegetable 

 parasites at the roots of the hair ; 

 Tinea sycosis. 



mentagraphyte, n., mVn-tag'-ra- 



fit (L. mentum,ihe chin; Gr. agra, 

 a seizure ; Gr. phuton, a plant), 

 crypto^amous plants, or mould, 



supposed to be the cause of the 

 cutaneous disease mentagra ; 

 synonym of 'mentagra.' 



Mentha, n., menth'-a, (from 

 Menthe, a nymph, fabled to have 

 been changed into mint by Pros- 

 erpine in a fit of jealousy), the 

 mints, a well-known genus of 

 useful herbs, Ord. Labiatse, the 

 species of which yield volatile 

 oils : Mentha piperita, pip'-er* 

 it'-a (L. piperltus, of or pert, to 

 pepper from piper, pepper), 

 peppermint, used as a carminat- 

 ive and diffusive stimulant in 

 flatulent disorders: M. pulegium, 

 pul-edj'$'um (L. pulegium, flea- 

 bane, pennyroyal from pulex, a 

 flea, as the smell when burnt 

 destroys fleas), pennyroyal ; M. 

 viridis, mr'M-is (L. viridis, 

 green), spearmint, both plants 

 act like peppermint, but are less 

 powerful. 



mentum, n., mZnt'um (L. merit- 

 um, the chin), the basal portion 

 of the labium or lower lip in 

 insects. 



Mentzelia, n., mZnt-zel'i-d (after 

 Mentzel, a botanist of Branden- 

 burg), a genus of curious plants, 

 Ord. Loasacese : Mentzelia hisp- 



ida, lilsp'-id'd (L. hispidus, 

 shaggy, hairy), a Mexican herb 

 said to possess purgative quali- 

 ties. 



MenyanthesB, n. plu., men'i-dnth'- 

 $6 (Gr. men, a month, oYmenuo, I 

 show; anthos, a flower referring 

 to the duration of the flowers), a 

 Sub-order of the Ord. Geiitianaceae: 

 Menyanthes, n., men'i-dnth'ez, a 

 genus of plants : Menyanthes 

 trifoliata, trX/oW-atM (L. tris, 

 ihiee-, folium, a leaf), buck-bean, 

 marsh-trefoil, or bog-bean, whose 

 leaves are used as a substitute 

 for Gentian. 



mephitic, a., mef'U^ik (L. meph- 

 itis, a noxious, pestilential exhal- 

 ation), offensive to the smell; 

 noxious; deadly : mephitis, n., 

 mef-U'is, or mephitism, n., mtf' 



