| beet | 1. <botany> A biennial plant of the genus Beta, which produces an edible root the first year and seed the second year. 2. The root of plants of the genus Beta, different species and varieties of which are used for the table, for feeding stock, or in making sugar. There are many varieties of the common beet (Beta vulgaris). The Old "white beet", cultivated for its edible leafstalks, is a distinct species (Beta Cicla). Origin: AS. Bete, from L. Beta. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| beet sugar | D-sucrose. See: sucrose. (05 Mar 2000) |
| beet-tongue | Sometimes used of the tongue in pellagra, where intense erythema appears, first at the tip, then along the edges, and finally over the dorsum; there may be pain and increased elevation; the shiny appearance results from oedema, not atrophy, except in chronic pellagra. (05 Mar 2000) |
| beetle | Any insect of the order Coleoptera, having four wings, the outer pair being stiff cases for covering the others when they are folded up. See Coleoptera. <zoology> Beetle mite, one of many species of mites, of the family Oribatidae, parasitic on beetles. Black beetle, the common large black cockroach (Blatta orientalis). Origin: OE. Bityl, bittle, AS. Btel, fr. Btan to bite. See Bite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| beetlehead | 1. A stupid fellow; a blockhead. 2. <zoology> The black-bellied plover, or bullhead (Squatarola helvetica). See Plover. Origin: Beetle a mallet + head. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| beeturia | Urinary excretion of betacyanin after ingestion of beets, found in most iron-deficient individuals and in some normal persons. Synonym: betacyaninuria. (05 Mar 2000) |