| 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) |
| holiday heart syndrome | <syndrome> Arrhythmias of the heart, sometimes apparent after a vacation or weekend away from work, following excessive alcohol consumption; usually transient. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hyperkinetic heart syndrome | <syndrome> Loosely, a syndrome in which the heart appears to be "overworking", i.e., beating excessively fast and/or causing subjective awareness of continual cardiac activity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hypoplastic left heart syndrome | <syndrome> Underdevelopment of the left side of the heart characterised by: aortic valve atresia, hypoplastic ascending aorta, hypoplastic/atretic mitral valve, endocardial fibroelastosis most common cause of congestive heart failure in neonate, 25% of cardiac deaths in 1st week of life, prognosis: 100% fatal by 6 weeks haemodynamics: pulmonary venous return is diverted from LA to RA through atrial septal defect, RV supplies pulmonary artery, ductus arteriosus, descending aorta (antegrade flow), aortic arch, ascending aorta, coronary circulation (retrograde flow), leads to RV work overload and congestive heart failure Treatment: Norwood procedure (palliative), transplant (12 Dec 1998) |
| stiff heart syndrome | <syndrome> Any condition, usually acute, that causes the heart to be restricted in diastole mainly affecting the ventricles and at one time a complication of cardiac surgery. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abnormal heart chamber dimensions | <radiology> Left ventricular volume overload, left ventricular hypertrophy, right ventricular volume overload, right ventricular hypertrophy, fixed subvalvular aortic stenosis, hypoplastic left/right ventricle; common ventricle, congestive cardiomyopathy (12 Dec 1998) |
| Abrams' heart reflex | A contraction of the myocardium when the skin of the precordial region is irritated. (05 Mar 2000) |
| american heart association | A voluntary organization concerned with the prevention and treatment of heart and vascular diseases. (12 Dec 1998) |
| apex of heart | The blunt extremity of the heart formed by the left ventricle. See: apex beat. Synonym: apex cordis, vertex cordis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| armored heart | Calcareous deposits in the pericardium due to subacute or chronic pericarditis. Synonym: panzerherz. (05 Mar 2000) |
| armor heart | Extensive to complete calcification (rarely ossification) of the pericardium usually producing constrictive pericarditis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| artificial heart | A mechanical pump used to replace the function of a damaged heart, either temporarily or as a permanent prosthesis. (05 Mar 2000) |