| big | 1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large. "He's too big to go in there." 2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; often figuratively. "[Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome." (Addison) 3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc, whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride. "God hath not in heaven a bigger argument." (Jer. Taylor) Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced. To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously. "I talked big to them at first." (De Foe) Synonym: Bulky, large, great, massive, gross. Origin: Perh. From Celtic; cf. W. Beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. Baich burden, Arm. Beac'h; or cf. OE. Bygly, Icel. Biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. Biggen, Icel. Byggja, to dwell, build, akin to E. Be. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| big axillary nodes and normal breasts | <radiology> Consider: lymphoma, leukaemia, rheumatoid arthritis (12 Dec 1998) |
| big brain | <molecular biology> Neurogenic gene of Drosophila, believed to encode a product involved in cell cell communication, perhaps via gap junctions. Member of the major intrinsic protein family. (18 Nov 1997) |
| big-head | 1. In horses, usually denotes osteodystrophia fibrosa. 2. Gas gangrene infection of tissues of the head, caused by Clostridium novyi in sheep, usually young rams with head wounds. 3. Photosensitization in sheep. 4. An acute disease of young rams caused by the Clostridium novyi, C. Sordellii or, rarely, C. Chauvoei and characterised by a nongaseous, nonhemorrhagic, edematous swelling of the head and neck. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bone within a bone | <radiology> STOP heavy metal, S: sickle cell disease, T: Thorotrast, O: osteopetrosis, P: Paget's disease, heavy metals, hypervitaminosis D (12 Dec 1998) |
| marble bone disease | The formation of abnormally dense bone, as opposed to osteoporosis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Recklinghausen's disease of bone | Rarefying osteitis with fibrous degeneration and formation of cysts, and with the presence of fibrous nodules on the affected bones. It is due to marked osteoclastic activity secondary to hyperfunction of the parathyroid glands. (12 Dec 1998) |
| gorham's vanishing bone disease | <radiology> Massive osteolysis of Gorham, painless, occurs in kids and young adults, not life-threatening unless vital structures are encroached upon, some recover spontaneously, with or without residual deformity, complete destruction of part or all of bone by angiomatous tissue, usually unifocal, affects proximal skeleton, may spread into soft tissues and adjacent bones Cf: other syndromes of spontaneous osteolysis (12 Dec 1998) |
| disappearing bone disease | Extensive decalcification of a single bone; of unknown cause, sometimes associated with angioma. Synonym: Gorham's disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute reflex bone atrophy | Atrophy of bones, commonly of the carpal or tarsal bones, following a slight injury such as a sprain. See: causalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Synonym: acute reflex bone atrophy, posttraumatic osteoporosis, Sudeck's syndrome. Origin: L. English sweat (05 Mar 2000) |
| air-bone gap | The difference between the threshold for hearing acuity by bone conduction and by air conduction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Albrecht's bone | A small bone between the basioccipital and basisphenoid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| allogeneic bone marrow transplant | <haematology, procedure> A bone marrow transplant using marrow collected from a matched healthy donor, usually a brother or sister. The risks associated with the transplant increase with age and 50 years of age is generally regarded as the upper limit. (13 Nov 1997) |
| alveolar bone | That portion of bone in either the maxilla or the mandible which surrounds and supports the teeth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| alveolar bone loss | The resorption of bone in the supporting structures of the maxilla or mandible as a result of periodontal disease. (12 Dec 1998) |