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shale

(Encyclopedia)shale, sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of mud or clay, having the property of splitting into thin layers parallel to its bedding planes. Shale tends to be fissile, i.e., it tends to split...

menopause

(Encyclopedia)menopause klīmăkˈtərĭk, klīˌmăktĕrˈĭk [key], transitional phase in a woman's life when the ovaries stop releasing eggs, ovarian production of estrogen and other hormones tapers off, and men...

water supply

(Encyclopedia)water supply, process or activity by which water is provided for some use, e.g., to a home, factory, or business. The term may also refer to the supply of water provided in this way. In the United Sta...

salt, chemical compound

(Encyclopedia)salt, chemical compound (other than water) formed by a chemical reaction between an acid and a base (see acids and bases). Salts are also prepared by methods other than neutralization. A metal can c...

electromotive series

(Encyclopedia)electromotive series, list of metals whose order indicates the relative tendency to be oxidized, or to give up electrons (see oxidation and reduction); the list also includes the gas hydrogen. The ele...

digitalis

(Encyclopedia)digitalis dĭjˌĭtălˈĭs [key], any of several chemically similar drugs used primarily to increase the force and rate of heart contractions, especially in damaged heart muscle. The effects of the d...

collagen

(Encyclopedia)collagen kŏlˈəjən [key], any of a group of proteins found in skin, ligaments, tendons, bone and cartilage, and other connective tissue. Cells called fibroblasts form the various fibers in connecti...

fructose

(Encyclopedia)CE5 fructose lĕvˈyəlōsˌ [key], or fruit sugar, simple sugar found in honey and in the fruit and other parts of plants. It is much sweeter than sucrose (cane sugar). It is best obtained by hydr...

bone

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Bone bone, hard tissue that forms the skeleton of the body in vertebrate animals. In the very young, the skeleton is composed largely of cartilage and is therefore pliable, reducing the incide...

fresco

(Encyclopedia)fresco frĕsˈkō [key] [Ital.,=fresh], in its pure form the art of painting upon damp, fresh, lime plaster. In Renaissance Italy it was called buon fresco to distinguish it from fresco secco, which w...