n. 1. any of various South American plants of the genus Alstroemeria valued for their handsome umbels of beautiful flowers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 one of many families or subfamilies into which some classification systems subdivide the Liliaceae but not widely accepted; sometimes included in subfamily Amaryllidaceae.
Syn. -- family Alstroemeriaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man + &unr_; house. ] (bot.) The stamens of a flower taken collectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. Beroe, one of the Oceanidæ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. beroé. ] (Zool.) A small, oval, transparent jellyfish, belonging to the Ctenophora. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. [ L., fr. G. Kroi^sos. ] A king of Lydia who flourished in the 6th century b. c., and was renowned for his vast wealth; hence, a common appellation for a very rich man; as, he is a veritable Crœsus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] A block or long slat of wood, perforated for the passage of the crowfoot, or cords by which an awning is held up. [ Written also uphroe and uvrou. ] Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. sing. & pl. An inhabitant, or, collectively, inhabitants, of the Faroe islands. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Frow. ] A dirty woman; a slattern; a frow. [ Obs. ] “Raging frantic froes.” Draylon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Frow the tool ] An iron cleaver or splitting tool; a frow. [ U. S. ] Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or derived from, Friedrich Froebel, or the kindergarten system of education, which he organized. -- n. One who teaches by, or advocates the use of, the kindergarten system. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Gastro- + Gr &unr_; sheath + &unr_; a cutting ] (Surg.) The operation of cutting into the upper part of the vagina, through the abdomen (without opening the peritoneum), for the purpose of removing a fetus. It is a substitute for the Cæsarean operation, and less dangerous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gastro- + -enteric. ] (Anat. & Med.) Gastrointestinal. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Gastroenrteric, and -itis. ] (Med.) Inflammation of the lining membrane of the stomach and the intestines. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gastro- + -epiploic. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the stomach and omentum. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A black-coated sheep dog with a heavily plumed tail. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A heroine. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Hetero- + Gr. &unr_; house. ] (Bot.) Passing through the different stages in its life history on an alternation of hosts, as the common wheat-rust fungus (Puccinia graminis), and certain other parasitic fungi; -- contrasted with autœcious. -- Het`er*œ"cism n. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

n. [ Hysteria + epilepsy. ] (Med.) A disease resembling hysteria in its nature, and characterized by the occurrence of epileptiform convulsions, which can often be controlled or excited by pressure on the ovaries, and upon other definite points in the body. -- Hys`ter*o*ep`i*lep"tic a. [1913 Webster]

. See under Doctrine. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, p. pr. of &unr_; to lead the way: cf. F. proégumène. ] (Med.) Serving to predispose; predisposing; as, a proeguminal cause of disease. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. prooemium, Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; before + &unr_; way, course or strain of a song: cf. F. proème. ] Preface; introduction; preliminary observations; prelude. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thus much may serve by way of proem. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To preface. [ Obs. ] South. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. pro- + embryo. ] (Bot.) (a) The series of cells formed in the ovule of a flowering plant after fertilization, but before the formation of the embryo. (b) The primary growth from the spore in certain cryptogamous plants; as, the proembryo, or protonema, of mosses. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Introductory; prefatory; preliminary. [ R. ] Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; to fall in before; &unr_; before + &unr_; in + &unr_; to fall. ] (Chron.) The addition of a day to the lunar calendar. [ R. ] See Metemptosis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ . ] (Bioch.) Any one of a class of proteins that are converted, in the normal course of cellular metabolism, into one or more active enzymes; also called zymogen. The conversion usually is due to a specific cleavage of a peptide bond by another enzyme, or may be due to acid. [ PJC ]

a. [ Pyro- + electric. ] (Physics) Pertaining to, or dependent on, pyroelectricity; receiving electric polarity when heated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physics) A substance which becomes electrically polar when heated, exhibiting opposite charges of statical electricity at two separate parts, especially the two extremities. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physics) Electricity developed by means of heat; the science which treats of electricity thus developed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. ro, AS. rāh; akin to D. ree, G. reh, Icel. rā, SW. rå. ] (Zool.) (a) A roebuck. See Roebuck. (b) The female of any species of deer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For roan, OE. rowne, akin to G. rogen, OHG. rogan, Icel. hrogn, Dan. rogn, ravn, Sw. rom; of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; pebble, Skr. &unr_;arkarā gravel. ] 1. (Zool.) The ova or spawn of fishes and amphibians, especially when still inclosed in the ovarian membranes. Sometimes applied, loosely, to the sperm and the testes of the male. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A mottled appearance of light and shade in wood, especially in mahogany. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 1st roe + buck. ] (Zool.) A small European and Asiatic deer (Capreolus capraea) having erect, cylindrical, branched antlers, forked at the summit. This, the smallest European deer, is very nimble and graceful. It always prefers a mountainous country, or high grounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Filled with roe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The roebuck. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the German physicist Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen, or the rays discovered by him; as, Röntgen apparatus. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. (Physics) To render (air or other gas) conducting by the passage of Röntgen rays. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

the Anglicised spelling of Röntgen ray. Same as X ray. [ PJC ]

. [ see Röntgen. ] (Physics) An X-ray; originally, the term was applied to any of the rays produced when cathode rays strike upon surface of a solid (as the wall of the vacuum tube), but now it refers specifically to electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths from 10-3 nm to 10 nm, immediately below ultraviolet radiation on the wavelength scale. Röntgen rays are noted for their penetration of opaque substances, as wood and flesh, their action on photographic plates, and their fluorescent effects. They were called X rays by their discoverer, W. K. Röntgen. They are one of the forms of ionizing radiation, which can have damaging effects on living cells. They also ionize gases, but cannot be reflected, or polarized, or deflected by a magnetic field. They are used in examining opaque objects, especially in medicine for visualizing organs and other objects inside the human body, as for locating fractures or bullets, and examining internal organs for abnormalities. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

. (Law) A fictious name for a party, real or fictious, to an act or proceeding. Other names were formerly similarly used, as John-a-Nokes, John o', or of the, Nokes, or Noakes, John-a-Stiles, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Min.) Same as Oolite. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pert. to or designating any form of spark tube the electric discharge within which is used in spectroscopic observations. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ OE. þrowe, þrawe, AS. þreá a threatening, oppression, suffering, perhaps influenced by Icel. þrā a throe, a pang, a longing; cf. AS. þreowian to suffer. ] 1. Extreme pain; violent pang; anguish; agony; especially, one of the pangs of travail in childbirth, or purturition. [ 1913 Webster ]

Prodogious motion felt, and rueful throes. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A tool for splitting wood into shingles; a frow. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To struggle in extreme pain; to be in agony; to agonize. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To put in agony. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) Same as Euphroe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 1st Uro-, and Erythrin. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A reddish urinary pigment, considered as the substance which gives to the urine of rheumatism its characteristic color. It also causes the red color often seen in deposits of urates. [ 1913 Webster ]