TAL 



408 



TAR 



the foot, extending from the 

 extremity of the astragalus to the 

 scaphoid bone. 



talus, n., tdl'-us (L. talus, the 

 ankle-bone, a die), in anat., the 

 ' astragalus, ' which see. 



Tamaricacese, n. plu., tdm-dr'-l- 

 kd'se-e (said to be after the river 

 Tamaris, now Tambro, near the 

 Pyrenees, on whose banks they 

 grow : L. tamarix, the tamarisk), 

 the Tamarisk family, an Order 

 of plants, which have a bitter 

 astringent bark, some yielding 

 a quantity of sulphate of soda 

 when burnt : Tamarix, n. , tarn'- 

 dr4ks, a genus of very elegant 

 shrubs: Tamarix Gallica, gal' 

 ik'CL (L. gallicus, of or from Gal- 

 lia or Gaul) ; and T. mannif- 

 era, mdn-nif^r-d (L. manna, 

 manna ; fero, 1 bear), are species 

 which yield the saccharine sub- 

 stance Tamarisk, or Mount 

 Sinai manna, caused by the 

 puncture of an insect, the coccus 

 manniparus : T. Orientalis, or'i- 

 ent-al'is (L. tirientdlis, eastern 

 from ortor, I arise), a species of 

 N. "W. India, which furnish galls, 

 used for oak-galls. 



Tamarindus, n. , tam'-dr>md'.us 

 (Ar. tamar-hindi, the Indian 

 date), a genus of plants, Ord. 

 Leguminosae, Sub -order Caesal- 

 pinieae : Tamarindus Indica, 

 ind'-ih-d (L. indicus, of or from 

 India), the Tamarind tree, from 

 whose pericarp a laxative pulp is 

 procured, forming a delicious 

 confection. 



Tanacetum, n., tan'-as-et'tim (F. 

 tanaisie, the tansy, said to be a 

 corruption of Gr. athanasia, im- 

 mortality), a genus of plants, 

 Ord. Composite, Sub-Ord. Corym- 

 biferee : Tanacetum vulgare, 

 vulg-dr'-Z (L. vulgdris, common), 

 the Tansy, whose leaves have 

 stimulant, antispasmodic proper- 

 ties, containing also a bitter resin, 

 and an aromatic volatile oil. 



Tanghinia, n., tang-hm'-l-ti (tang- 



hin, a Madagascar name), a genus 

 of remarkable plants, Ord. 

 Apocynacese : Tanghinia venen- 

 ata, ven'Vn-dtf'd (L. venendtus, 

 furnished with poison from 

 venenum, poison, a potion), a 

 plant, the seeds of which, called 

 Tangena nuts, supply the 

 famous Tanghin poison, formerly 

 used in Madagascar as an ordeal 

 for criminals, and for witchcraft : 

 Tanghin, n., tang'-hm, the poison 

 so called. 



tannic, a., ttin'ik (F. tan, Bret. 

 tann, oak, bark of oak ; Ger. 

 tanne, a fir tree), denoting a 

 peculiar acid found in oak bark, 

 and more abundantly in gall 

 nuts, very astringent, converting 

 the skins of animals into leather : 

 tannin, n. , tdn'm, another name 

 for tannic acid, a powerful anti- 

 septic or preservative from putre- 

 faction. 



tapetum, n., tdp>&f-tim (L. tapete, 

 or tapetum, a carpet), in anat., 

 a silvery layer forming the lining 

 on a greater or less extent of the 

 back part of the choroid mem- 

 brane of the eye, instead of the 

 usual dark pigment in fishes and 

 many mammals. 



tape-worm, see 'taenia.' 



taphrenchyma, n., taf-reng^Tcim-a 

 (Gr. tdp/irds, a trench, a pit ; 

 en, in ; cheuma, juice, tissue), 

 in bot. , pitted vessels ; * bothren- 

 chyma,' which see. 



tapping, n., tapping (from Eng. 

 tap), the surgical operation of 

 removing fluid from the body, as 

 in dropsy ; paracentesis. 



tap-root, in bot., a conical root 

 with branches striking off from 

 it. 



Taraxacum, n. , tar>aks'.a1c-um (Gr. 

 tdrdxis, a disorder of the bowels 

 from tarasso, I disturb), a genus 

 of plants, Ord. Composite, Sub- 

 ord. Cichoracese ; taraxacum 

 dens-leonis, d^ns'le-on'-is (L. 

 dens, the tooth ; led, the lion, 

 leonis, of the lion), dandelion, 



