| fit | Origin: AS. Fit strife, fight; of uncertain origin. 1. A stroke or blow. "Curse on that cross, quoth then the Sarazin, That keeps thy body from the bitter fit." (Spenser) 2. A sudden and violent attack of a disorder; a stroke of disease, as of epilepsy or apoplexy, which produces convulsions or unconsciousness; a convulsion; a paroxysm; hence, a period of exacerbation of a disease; in general, an attack of disease; as, a fit of sickness. "And when the fit was on him, I did mark How he did shake." (Shak) 3. A mood of any kind which masters or possesses one for a time; a temporary, absorbing affection; a paroxysm; as, a fit melancholy, of passion, or of laughter. "All fits of pleasure we balanced by an equal degree of pain." (Swift) "The English, however, were on this subject prone to fits of jealously." (Macaulay) 4. A passing humor; a caprice; a sudden and unusual effort, activity, or motion, followed by relaxation or insction; an impulse and irregular action. "The fits of the season." (Shak) 5. A darting point; a sudden emission. "A tongue of light, a fit of flame." (Coleridge) By fits, By fits and starts, by intervals of action and repose; impulsively and irregularly; intermittently. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| FIT test | Employment of the phenomenon of cerebral fusion of binaural sounds to substitute for conventional masking in hearing testing. Synonym: FIT test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| FITC | <chemical> A fluorescent chemical derived from fluorescein which is used to label proteins. (25 Jun 1999) |
| fitch | Origin: See Vetch. 1. <botany> A vetch. 2. <botany> A word found in the Authorised Version of the Bible, representing different Hebrew originals. In Isaiah xxviii. 25, 27, it means the black aromatic seeds of Nigella sativa, still used as a flavoring in the East. In Ezekiel iv. 9, the Revised Version now reads spelt. <zoology> The European polecat; also, its fur. Origin: Contr. Of fitched. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fitchew | <zoology> The European polecat (Putorius foetidus). See Polecat. Origin: Cf. OF. Fisseau, fissel, OD. Fisse, visse, vitsche, D. Vies nasty, loathsome, E. Fizz. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fitness | 1. Well-being. 2. Suitability. 3. In population genetics, a measure of the relative survival and reproductive success of a given individual or phenotype, or of a population subgroup. 4. A set of attributes, primarily respiratory and cardiovascular, relating to ability to perform tasks requiring expenditure of energy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fitweed | <botany> A plant (Eryngium foetidum) supposed to be a remedy for fits. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fitz | A son; used in compound names, to indicate paternity, especially. Of the illegitimate sons of kings and princes of the blood; as, Fitzroy, the son of the king; Fitzclarence, the son of the duke of Clarence. Origin: OF. Fils, filz, fiz, son, F. Fils, L. Filius. See Filial. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Fitz-Hugh and Curtis syndrome | <syndrome> Perihepatitis in women with a history of gonococcal or chlamydial salpingitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Fitz-Hugh, T Jr | <person> U.S. Physician, 1894-1963. See: Fitz-Hugh and Curtis syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Fitzgerald factor | high molecular weight kininogen |
| goodness of fit | Degree of agreement between an empirically observed distribution and a mathematical or theoretical distribution. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| goodness of fit test | A statistical test of the hypothesis that data have been randomly sampled or generated from a population that follows a particular theoretical distribution. (05 Mar 2000) |
| induced fit | A change in the conformation of an enzyme due to it binding to asubstrate that makes it catalyticallyactive. A situation where any molecule changes shape as it binds toa ligand so that its bindingsite more closely conforms to the shape of the ligand. (09 Oct 1997) |
| induced fit model | A model to suggest a mode of action of enzymes in which the substrate binds to the active site of the protein, causing a conformational change in the protein. Synonym: Koshland-Nemethy-Filmer model. (05 Mar 2000) |
| uncinate fit | Seizures with elaborate and multiple sensory, motor, and/or psychic components. A common feature is the clouding of consciousness and amnesia for the event. Some clinical manifestations may include more complex behaviours like burst of anger, emotional outbursts, fear or automatisms. The EEG often reveals spike discharges in the temporal lobe during sleep. (27 Sep 1997) |