| lant | <zoology> Any one of several species of small, slender, marine fishes of the genus Ammedytes. The common European species (A. Tobianus) and the American species (A. Americanus) live on sandy shores, buried in the sand, and are caught in large quantities for bait. Synonym: launce, and sand eel. Origin: Cf. Lance. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| lantanum | <chemistry> See Lanthanum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| lantanuric | <chemistry> Pertaining to, or designating, a nitrogenous organic acid of the uric acid group, obtained by the decomposition of allantoin, and usually called allanturic acid. Origin: Formed by transposition of the letters of allantoin and -uric. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Lanterman | A.J., 19th century U.S. Anatomist in Strasbourg. See: Lanterman's incisures, Lanterman's segments, Schmidt-Lanterman clefts, Schmidt-Lanterman incisures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Lanterman's incisures | Funnel-shaped interruptions in the regular structure of the myelin sheath of nerve fibres, formerly interpreted as actual breaks in the sheath but shown by electron microscopy to correspond each to a strand of cytoplasm locally separating the two otherwise fused oligodendroglial (or, in peripheral nerves, Schwann cell) membranes composing the myelin sheath. Synonym: Lanterman's incisures, Schmidt-Lanterman clefts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Lanterman's segments | The divisions of the nerve fibre between the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lantern | 1. Something inclosing a light, and protecting it from wind, rain, etc.; sometimes portable, as a closed vessel or case of horn, perforated tin, glass, oiled paper, or other material, having a lamp or candle within; sometimes fixed, as the glazed inclosure of a street light, or of a lighthouse light. 2. An open structure of light material set upon a roof, to give light and air to the interior. A cage or open chamber of rich architecture, open below into the building or tower which it crowns. A smaller and secondary cupola crowning a larger one, for ornament, or to admit light; such as the lantern of the cupola of the Capitol at Washington, or that of the Florence cathedral. 3. <machinery> A lantern pinion or trundle wheel. See Lantern pinion (below). 4. <engineering> A kind of cage inserted in a stuffing box and surrounding a piston rod, to separate the packing into two parts and form a chamber between for the reception of steam, etc.; called also lantern brass. 5. A perforated barrel to form a core upon. 6. <zoology> See Aristotle's lantern. Fig. 1 represents a hand lantern; fig. 2, an arm lantern; fig. 3, a breast lantern; so named from the positions in which they are carried. Dark lantern, a lantern with a single opening, which may be closed so as to conceal the light; called also bull's-eye. Lantern fly, Lantern carrier, any translucent, marine, bivalve shell of the genus Anatina, and allied genera. Magic lantern, an optical instrument consisting of a case inclosing a light, and having suitable lenses in a lateral tube, for throwing upon a screen, in a darkened room or the like, greatly magnified pictures from slides placed in the focus of the outer lens. Origin: F. Lanterne, L. Lanterna, laterna, from Gr. Light, torch. See Lamp. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| lanthanic | Rarely used term denoting a disease process that produces no symptoms or clinical evidence of illness. Origin: G. Lanthano, to lie hidden (05 Mar 2000) |
| lanthanides | Those elements with atomic numbers 57-71 which closely resemble one another chemically and were once difficult to separate from one another. Synonym: rare earth elements. Origin: Lanthanum, first element of the series (05 Mar 2000) |
| lanthanite | <chemical> Hydrous carbonate of lanthanum, found in tabular while crystals. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| lanthanum | <chemical> Lanthanum salts are used as a negative stain in electron microscopy and as calcium channel blockers. (18 Nov 1997) |
| lanthionine | S(CH2-CH(NH3)+-COO- )2; 3,3'-thiodialanine;an amino acid obtained from wood which resembles cystine but has only one sulfur atom in the molecule rather than two; i.e., a sulfide rather than a disulfide. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lanthionine synthase | <enzyme> Proposed complex of nisb, at least two molecules of nisc and a nist dimer; converts nisin prepeptide by a dehydratase reaction at serine and threonine, forming dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine, which are converted to thioethers with neighboring cysteine residues in lantibiotic prepeptides Registry number: EC 4.2.1.- (26 Jun 1999) |
| lanthopine | <chemistry> An alkaloid found in opium in small quantities, and extracted as a white crystalline substance. Origin: Gr. To lie hid + E. Opium. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |