GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT TERMS 



The diacritical marks are those used in the Webster school dictionaries. 



Abdomen (ab do'men) : the posterior 

 region of the body, behind the 

 thorax, of an insect ; the region of 

 the body below the chest in man. 



Absorption (ab sorp'shwn) : the proc- 

 ess of taking up liquid food or 

 other substances through the walls 

 of cells. 



Adaptation (ad'ap ta'shun) : fitness 

 for surroundings ; fitness to do a 

 certain kind of work ; changes 

 which a plant or an animal has 

 undergone that fit it for the con- 

 ditions in which it lives. 



Adenoids (ad'e noids) : fleshy growths 

 in the back of the nose cavity which 

 clog the air passages. 



Adrenaline (ad re'ndl m) : commer- 

 cially prepared adrenin, a secretion 

 of the adrenal glands. 



Adrenals (ad re'ndls) : two small 

 ductless glands situated just above 

 the kidneys. 



Adulterant (d dul'ter dnt) : a sub- 

 stance put in another to cheapen 

 it ; usually reducing its strength or 

 otherwise injuring it. 



Aerobic (a er o'blk) organisms: bac- 

 teria or other organisms which 

 require free oxygen, as opposed to 

 anaerobic organisms (bacteria and 

 some parasitic worms) which do not 

 require free oxygen. 



Agglutinin (d gloo'tl mn) : antibody 

 found in blood, which causes bacteria 

 to be clumped together, preparatory 

 to their destruction by the colorless 

 corpuscles. 



Albumin (al bu'min) : a protein form- 

 ing an important part of the blood, 

 an,d found also in many animal and 

 vegetable substances. 



Alimentary (al'i men'td ri) canal: the 

 food tube. 



Alternation of generations : the alter- 

 nating of a sexual with an asexual 



generation in the life-history of a 

 plant or an animal. 



Amino acid (ami no as'id) : a part 

 of a complex protein ; one of the 

 simpler substances into which a pro- 

 tein may be broken down in the 

 body. 



Analogy (d nal'6 ji) : likeness in func- 

 tion. 



Antenna (an ten'd) (pi. Antennae) : a 

 jointed feeler on the head of an 

 insect or of a crustacean. 



Anterior : nearer the head end (Zool.) ; 

 facing outward from the axis (Bot.). 



Anther (an'ther) : the part of the 

 stamen which develops and con- 

 tains pollen. 



Antibodies (an'tl bod'Iz) : substances 

 found in the blood, which fight 

 against bacteria or toxin which may 

 enter the body. 



Antiseptic (an'tl sep'tlk) : a substance 

 which prevents the growth of harm- 

 ful microorganisms. 



Antitoxin (an'ti tok'sm) : a substance 

 that neutralizes a toxin or poison 

 produced by invading disease germs. 



Anus (a/n&s) : the posterior opening of 

 the food tube. 



Aorta (a or'td) : the large artery leav- 

 ing the left ventricle of the heart. 



Appendage (dpen'daj): a jointed 

 organ attached to the side of the 

 body. 



Arachnid (d rak'nld) : any of the 

 class of animals including the spiders 

 and scorpions. 



Artery (ar'ter I) : a tube which con- 

 veys blood from the heart. 



Aseptic (d sep'tlk) : free from pus- 

 forming bacteria or other harmful 

 organisms. 



Asexual (d sgk'shu dl) : having no sex. 



Assimilation (d slm'X la'shun) : the 

 converting of digested food into 

 living matter. 



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