(Encyclopedia) verb, part of speech typically used to indicate an action. English verbs are inflected for person, number, tense and partially for mood; compound verbs formed with auxiliaries (e.g.,…
(Encyclopedia) vibration, in physics, commonly an oscillatory motion—a movement first in one direction and then back again in the opposite direction. It is exhibited, for example, by a swinging…
(Encyclopedia) congenital heart disease, any defect in the heart present at birth. There is evidence that some congenital heart defects are inherited, but the cause of most cases is unknown. One…
(Encyclopedia) Chronicles, two books of the Bible, originally a single work in the Hebrew canon (the final book of that canon), called First and Second Chronicles in the Authorized Version, and…
(Encyclopedia) anaplasmosisanaplasmosisănˌəplăzmōˈsĭs [key], infectious blood disease in cattle, sheep, and goats, caused by a rickettsia of the genus Anaplasma. The organism parasitizes red blood…
(Encyclopedia) Goncourt, Edmond Louis Antoine Huot deGoncourt, Edmond Louis Antoine Huot deĕdmôNˈ lwē äNtwänˈ üōˈ də gôNk&oomacr;rˈ [key], 1822–96, and Jules Alfred Huot de GoncourtGoncourt,…
(Encyclopedia) decompression sickness, physiological disorder caused by a rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure, resulting in the release of nitrogen bubbles into the body tissues. It is also known…
(Encyclopedia) defoliant, any one of several chemical compounds that, when applied to plants, can alter their metabolism, causing the leaves to drop off. In agriculture defoliants are used to…
(Encyclopedia) diarrheadiarrheadīərēˈə [key], frequent discharge of watery feces from the intestines, sometimes containing blood and mucus. It can be caused by excessive indulgence in alcohol or…
