NYM 



284 



OBV 



nymph), two small folds of 

 mucous membrane, one on each 

 side of the vagina ; the labia 

 minora. 



Nymphaeaceae, n. plu., nimf'e-a' 

 se-e (L. nympha, Gr. numphe, a 

 water nymph), an Order of 

 floating plants having handsome 

 flowers, and generally peltate 

 leaves, some being bitter and 

 astringent, others sedative : 

 Nymphaea, n. plu., nimf'e-d, a 

 genus of water-lilies : Nymphsea 

 alba, aW-Oj (L. albus, white), the 

 common white water-lily, a species 

 whose rhizomes are better than 

 oak-galls for dyeing grey, and 

 are employed in tanning leather : 

 N. lotus, lot'-us (Gr. lotos, L. 

 lotus, the water-lily of the Nile), 

 the Lotus Water-Lily, supposed 

 to be the lily of the 0: T. 



nymphs, n. plu., nimfs (L. 

 nympha, a maid), in? zool., the 

 active pupae of certain insects. 



nystagmos, n., ms-tag'-mos (Gr. 

 nustagmos, slumbering with 

 nodding), an involuntary oscillat- 

 ory movement of the eyeballs ; 

 a condition of indistinct vision. 



obcompressed, a., 

 (L. ob, reversed ; Eng. com- 

 pressed), in bot., flattened in 

 front and behind, not laterally. 



obcordate, a., db'kord'at (L. ob,. 

 reversed ; cor, the heart, cordis, 

 of the heart), heart-shaped, but 

 inverted ; inversely cordate. 



obesity, n., ob-es'i-ti (L. obesus r 

 fat, plump), excessive and un- 

 healthy fatness ; corpulence. 



oblique, a., ob-lek r (L. obliquus, 

 sidewise, slanting), deviating 

 from straight line ; not parallel 

 or perpendicular ; in bot., unequal- 

 sided. 



obliquus descendens externus 

 abdominis, ob-llk'wus de-send'-ens 

 elcs-tern'us ab-do'm'm-is (L. 

 obliquus, sideways, slanting ; 

 descendens, descending or falling; 

 externus, outward ; abdomen, the 



belly, abdominis, of the belly), 

 the oblique descending outward 

 muscle of the abdomen, which 

 supports and compresses the 

 abdomen, bends the body 

 obliquely when the ribs are 

 fixed, and raises the pelvis 

 obliquely: obliquus auris, dwr'-is 

 (L. auris, the ear, auris, of the 

 ear), the oblique fibres of the 

 ear, a small band of fibres ex- 

 tending from the upper and back 

 part of the concha of the ear to 

 the convexity immediately above 

 it. 



obovate, a., tib-ov'-at (L. ob, 

 reversed ; ovdtus, egg-shaped), in 

 bot., ovate, but having the narrow 

 end downwards. 



obscured, a., tib-sMrd', also ob- 

 scurate,. a., ob'skur-at (L. 

 obscilrus, dark, with but little 

 light), in bot., darkened; hidden, 



obsolete, a. , db'sol-et (L. obsoletus, 

 grown out of use), in bot. , imper- 

 fectly developed or abortive ; 

 having any part suppressed. 



obstetrics, n. plu., Sb-steMlcs 

 (L. obstetrix, a midwife from 

 obsfoi I stand before or in the 

 way), the art or science of mid- 

 wifery ; the art of assisting 

 women in< childbirth, and treating 

 their diseases during pregnancy : 

 obstetric, at, db-st&Mk, pert, to 

 midwifery : obstetrician, n. , 

 8b f -stet-rish f -an, an accoucheur ; a 

 midwife. 



obturator, n., Sb'tur-d^dr (L. 

 obturo, I stop or close up), in 

 surg., a, plug for closing an 

 aperture; in anat., one of two 

 muscles named respectively 'ex- 

 ternus' and 'internus,' which 

 move the thigh backwards, and 

 roll it upon its axis. 



obtuse, a., db-tus' (L. obtusus, 

 blunt), in bot. , having a rounded 

 or blunt termination. 



obvallate, a., db-val'-ldt (L. ob, 

 about ; valldtus, surrounded with 

 a rampart), in bot., walled up, 

 applied to certain Fungi. 



