| imbalance | 1. Lack of equality between opposing forces. 2. Lack of equality in some aspect of binocular vision, such as muscle balance, image size, and/or image shape. Origin: L. In-neg. + bi-lanx (-lanc-), having two scales, fr. Bis, twice, + lanx, dish, scale of a balance (05 Mar 2000) |
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| imbecile | An obsolete term for a subclass of mental retardation or the individual classified therein. Origin: L. Imbecillus, weak, silly (05 Mar 2000) |
| imbed | To surround a pathological or histological specimen with a firm and sometimes hard medium such as paraffin, wax, celloidin, or a resin, in order to make possible the cutting of thin sections for microscopic examination. Synonym: imbed. (05 Mar 2000) |
| imber-goose | <zoology> The loon. See Ember-goose. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbibe | 1. To drink in; to absorb; to suck or take in; to receive as by drinking; as, a person imbibes drink, or a sponge imbibes moisture. 2. To receive or absorb into the mind and retain; as, to imbibe principles; to imbibe errors. 3. To saturate; to imbue. "Earth, imbibed with . . . Acid." Origin: L. Imbibere; pref. Im- in + bibere to drink: cf. F. Imbiber. Cf. Bib, Imbue, Potable. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbibition | 1. Absorption of fluid by a solid body without resultant chemical change in either. 2. Taking up of water by a gel, thereby increasing its size. Origin: L. Im-bibo, to drink in (in + bibo) (05 Mar 2000) |
| imbosk | To conceal, as in bushes; to hide. Origin: CF. It. Imboscare to imbosk, imboscarsi to retire into a wood; pref. Im- in + bosco wood. See Boscage, and cf. Ambush. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbosom | 1. To hold in the bosom; to cherish in the heart or affection; to embosom. 2. To inclose or place in the midst of; to surround or shelter; as, a house imbosomed in a grove. "Villages imbosomed soft in trees." "The Father infinite, By whom in bliss imbosomed sat the Son." (Milton) Origin: Pref. Im- in + bosom. Cf. Embosom. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbrangle | To entangle as in a cobweb; to mix confusedly. "Physiology imbrangled with an inapplicable logic." (Coleridge) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbricate | Of perianth parts, having the edges overlapping in the bud. Compare: valvate. (09 Oct 1997) |
| imbricated | 1. Bent and hollowed like a roof or gutter tile. 2. Lying over each other in regular order, so as to "break joints," like tiles or shingles on a roof, the scales on the leaf buds of plants and the cups of some acorns, or the scales of fishes; overlapping each other at the margins, as leaves in aestivation. 3. In decorative art: Having scales lapping one over the other, or a representation of such scales; as, an imbricated surface; an imbricated pattern. Origin: L. Imbricatus, p.p. Of imbricare to cover with tiles, to form like a gutter tile, fr. Imbrex, -icis, a hollow tile, gutter tile, fr. Imber rain. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbrication | The operative overlapping of layers of tissue in the closure of wounds or the repair of defects. Origin: see imbricate (05 Mar 2000) |
| imbrication lines of von Ebner | Incremental line's in the dentin of the tooth that reflect variations in mineralization during dentin formation; the distance between the line's corresponds to the daily rate of dentin formation. Synonym: incremental lines of von Ebner. (05 Mar 2000) |
| imbricative | <botany> Imbricate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| imbrue | To wet or moisten; to soak; to drench, especially in blood. "While Darwen stream, will blood of Scots imbrued." (Milton) Origin: Cf. OF. Embruer, also embruver, embreuver, embrever, to give to drink, soak (see pref. En-, 1, 1st In-, and Breverage), but also OE. Enbrewen, enbrowen, to stain, soil (cf. Brewis). Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |