Columbia Encyclopedia

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dislocation

(Encyclopedia)dislocation, displacement of a body part, usually a bone. When a bone is dislocated, the ends of opposing bones are usually forced out of connection with one another. In the process, bruising of tissu...

exchange-traded fund

(Encyclopedia)exchange-traded fund (ETF), in finance, an investment company that in exchange for the deposit of a portfolio of stocks, bonds, commodities, or other assets issues securities that represent those asse...

pollution allowance

(Encyclopedia)pollution allowance or emission rights, government-issued permit to emit a certain amount of a pollutant. The holder of the permit may use it to pollute legally, may trade permits, or may sell the per...

shock

(Encyclopedia)shock, any condition in which the circulatory system is unable to provide adequate circulation to the body tissues, also called circulatory failure or circulatory collapse. Shock results in the slowin...

frostbite

(Encyclopedia)frostbite (chilblains), injury to the tissue caused by exposure to cold, usually affecting the extremities of the body, such as the hands, feet, ears, or nose. Extreme cold causes the small blood vess...

cyclosis

(Encyclopedia)cyclosis sīklōˈsĭs [key], streaming of cytoplasm within a living cell without deformation of the external cell membrane. In some plant cells there is a rapid rotatory cytoplasmic movement, which i...

biopsy

(Encyclopedia)biopsy bīäpˈsē [key], examination of cells or tissues removed from a living organism. Excised material may be studied in order to diagnose disease or to confirm findings of normality. Preparatory ...

atrophy

(Encyclopedia)atrophy ătˈrəfē [key], diminution in the size of a cell, tissue, or organ from its fully developed normal size. Temporary atrophy may occur in muscles that are not used, as when a limb is encased ...

patina

(Encyclopedia)patina pătˈənə [key], coating of carbonate of copper on articles of copper or bronze, formed after long exposure to a moist atmosphere or burial in the earth. Although commonly green, patina varie...

splint

(Encyclopedia)splint, rigid or semiflexible device for the immobilization of displaced or fractured parts of the body. Most commonly employed for fractures of bones, a splint may be a first-aid measure that allows ...