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swim bladder

(Encyclopedia)swim bladder, large, thin-walled sac in some fishes that may function in several ways, e.g., as a buoyant float, a sound producer and receptor, and a respiratory organ. The swim bladder, or air bladde...

speech defect

(Encyclopedia)speech defect, any condition that interferes with the mental formation of words or their physical production. Speech defects in children generally become apparent in the early school years. Speech pro...

sports medicine

(Encyclopedia)sports medicine, branch of medicine concerned with physical fitness and with the treatment and prevention of injuries and other disorders related to sports. Knee, leg, back, and shoulder injuries; sti...

squash tennis

(Encyclopedia)squash tennis, game played on a four-walled court, similar in dimensions to the court on which squash racquets is played. The two games, however, differ in equipment, rules, and play. The squash tenni...

Brittany spaniel

(Encyclopedia)Brittany spaniel, breed of medium-sized sporting dog whose origins may be traced back hundreds of years to France and Spain. It stands about 19 in. (48.3 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 30...

bronchitis

(Encyclopedia)bronchitis brŏnkīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes. It can be caused by viral or bacterial infections or by allergic reactions to irritants such as tobacco smo...

age grade and age set

(Encyclopedia)age grade and age set, differentiation of social role based on age, commonly found in small-scale societies of North America and East Africa. Age sets are a type of sodality (nonresidential groups tha...

pneumothorax

(Encyclopedia)pneumothorax no͞omōthôrˈăks [key], collapse of a lung with escape of air into the pleural cavity between the lung and the chest wall. The cause may be traumatic (e.g., gunshot or stab wound), spo...

vomiting

(Encyclopedia)vomiting, ejection of food and other matter from the stomach through the mouth, often preceded by nausea. The process is initiated by stimulation of the vomiting center of the brain by nerve impulses ...

weather vane

(Encyclopedia)weather vane or wind vane, instrument used to indicate wind direction. It consists of an asymmetrically shaped object, e.g., an arrow or a rooster, mounted at its center of gravity so it can move free...