| pun | A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation. "A better put on this word was made on the Beggar's Opera, which, it was said, made Gay rich, and Rich gay." (Walpole) Origin: Cf. Pun to pound, Pound to beat. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| puna | Synonym: altitude sickness. Origin: Sp., fr. Quechua puna, a high, dry Andean plateau (05 Mar 2000) |
| punch | To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. Punching machine, or Punching press, a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; called also punch press. Origin: From Punch, a tool; cf. F. Poinconner. A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc. Milk punch, a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. Punch bowl, a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. Roman punch, a punch frozen and served as an ice. Origin: Hind. Panch five, Skr. Pacan. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz, sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| punch biopsy | A punch is an instrument for cutting and removing a disk of tissue. A punch biopsy of the skin may for example be done to make the diagnosis of a malignancy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| punch card | A card on which data are stored by means of holes made in specified positions so that data can be sorted, processed, and analyzed. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punch grafts | Small full-thickness graft's of the scalp, removed with a circular punch and transplanted to a bald area to grow hair. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punchdrunk | See: punchdrunk syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punchdrunk syndrome | <syndrome> A condition seen in boxers, often years after their retirement, and presumably caused by repeated cerebral injury, characterised by weakness in the lower limbs, unsteadiness of gait, slowness of muscular movements, tremors of hands, dysarthria, and slow cerebration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| puncta | Plural of punctum. Origin: L. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punctate | <dermatology> Marked with dots. (09 Oct 1997) |
| punctate basophilia | 1. A speckling of a blood cell or other structure with fine dots when exposed to the action of a basic stain, due to the presence of free basophil granules in the cell protoplasm. Synonym: punctate basophilia. 2. An orange peel appearance of the attached gingiva. 3. A roughening of the surfaces of a denture base to stimulate natural gingival stippling. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punctate cataract | An incomplete cataract in which there are opaque dots scattered through the lens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punctate haemorrhage | Capillary haemorrhage into the skin that forms petechiae. Synonym: punctate haemorrhage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punctate hyalosis | A condition marked by minute opacities in the vitreous. (05 Mar 2000) |
| punctate keratitis | Inflammatory cells on the corneal endothelium. Synonym: punctate keratitis, keratitis punctata. (05 Mar 2000) |