n. [ Gr. 'an priv. + orthoclase. ] (Min.) A feldspar closely related to orthoclase, but triclinic. It is chiefly a silicate of sodium, potassium, and aluminium. Sp. gr., 2.57 -- 2.60. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖a. [ F., p. p. of blaser. ] 1. Having the sensibilities deadened by excess or frequency of enjoyment; sated or surfeited with pleasure; uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence; used up.
Syn. -- bored. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

2. very sophisticated; versed in the ways of the world. the blase traveler refers to the ocean he has crossed as `the pond'
Syn. -- knowing, worldly. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. uninterested and attaching little importance; -- of attitudes toward duties. a blase attitude about housecleaning
Syn. -- unconcerned. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an enzyme found in most plant and animal cells that functions as an oxidative catalyst; it decomposes hydrogen peroxide into hydrogen and water. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

pos>n. [ Gr. e'y^ well, easily + &unr_; to break. Cf. F. euclase, G. euklas. See named from its brittleness. ] (Min.) A brittle gem occurring in light green, transparent crystals, affording a brilliant clinodiagonal cleavage. It is a silicate of alumina and glucina. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Hydrolysis + -ase. ] 1. (Chem.) an enzyme which causes the splitting of a chemical bond with the addition of the elements of water; a hydrolytic enzyme. Formerly called a hydrolytic ferment. There are many known hydrolases, including nearly all of the digestive enzymes. Among the hydrolases are the esterases, which split ester bonds and amidases, which split amide bonds, and among the latter are the proteases and peptidases, which split peptide bonds, such as those found in proteins. [ PJC ]

pos>v. i. [ imp. & p. p. lased p. pr. & vb. n. lasing. ] [ by back-formation from laser. See laser. ] To give off a beam of coherent light; -- of a laser. [ PJC ]

n. [ acronym from Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation: ca. 1955. ] A device which produces an intense, usually narrow, monochromatic beam of coherent light; called also optical maser. It has various forms, and is used in various applications in science and technology. The beam is produced by boosting the majority of the electrons in specific radiation-absorbing atoms in a medium into a higher energy level, from which they are stimulated by their own emitted radiation to drop back synchronously to their lower energy level, and emit light which is in phase (coherent).
Syn. -- optical maser. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A beam of light from a laser. [ PJC ]

n. A digital data storage medium consisting of a thin disk onto which the data is impressed by a laser, in the form of a linear sequence of dots; same as optical disk. The data is subsequently read back by the use of a laser beam. See also compact disk. The original disk may be created by use of a laser, but copies of the original disk may be created by a replicating process which does not itself require a laser. [ PJC ]

n. Light produced by a laser. [ PJC ]

n. A printer controlled by a computer, using a laser beam to produce images in a fine dot-matrix pattern of charge on an electrostatic drum, to which fine particles of ink are subsequently caused to adhere, and the image of which is subsequently transferred to paper or another type of material in sheet form. It is capable of high-speed production of images with a higher resolution than those from dot-matrix impact printers. [ PJC ]

n. (Med.) Surgery using lasers. [ PJC ]

n. [ L. laser the juice of the laserwort. ] (Bot.) Any plant of the umbelliferous genus Laserpitium, of several species (as Laserpitium glabrum, and Laserpitium siler), the root of which yields a resinous substance of a bitter taste. The genus is mostly European. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Oligo- + Gr. &unr_; fracture, fr. &unr_; to break. ] (Min.) A triclinic soda-lime feldspar. See Feldspar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Ortho- + Gr. &unr_; to break. ] (Min.) Common or potash feldspar crystallizing in the monoclinic system and having two cleavages at right angles to each other. See Feldspar. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Pref. peri- + Gr. &unr_; to break. ] (Min.) A grayish or dark green mineral, consisting essentially of magnesia (magnesium oxide), occurring in granular forms or in isometric crystals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. pla`gios oblique + kla^n to break. ] (Min.) A general term used of any triclinic feldspar. See the Note under Feldspar. [ 1913 Webster ]