| moth | 1. <zoology> Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included among the butterflies; as, the luna moth; Io moth; hawk moth. 2. <zoology> Any lepidopterous insect that feeds upon garments, grain, etc.; as, the clothes moth; grain moth; bee moth. See these terms under Clothes, Grain, etc. 3. <zoology> Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and fur goods, etc, especially. The larvae of several species of beetles of the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the larvae of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes, Anthrenus. 4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing. Moth blight, a clothes moth. <botany> Moth mullein, a common herb of the genus Verbascum (V. Blattaria), having large wheel-shaped yellow or whitish flowers. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| moth patch | <dermatology> Melasma cholasma hepaticum a term formerly used to refer to circumscribed facial hyperpigmentation resembling melasma that may occur as a cutaneous manifestation of chronic liver disease. Origin: Gr. Chloazein = to be green (18 Nov 1997) |
| moth-eaten alopecia | Patchy hair loss of parietal and occipital regions of the scalp, characteristic of secondary syphilis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother | 1. A female parent; especially, one of the human race; a woman who has borne a child. 2. That which has produced or nurtured anything; source of birth or origin; generatrix. "Alas! poor country! . It can not Be called our mother, but our grave." (Shak) "I behold . The solitary majesty of Crete, mother of a religion, it is said, that lived two thousand years." (Landor) 3. An old woman or matron. 4. The female superior or head of a religious house, as an abbess, etc. 5. <medicine> Mother Carey's chicken, a congenital mark upon the body; a naevus. 6. Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. "It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived." (T. 7. <biology> Arnold) Mother cell, the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed. Mother queen, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother. Mother tongue. A language from which another language has had its origin. The language of one's native land; native tongue. Mother water. See Mother liquor (above). Mother wit, natural or native wit or intelligence. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| mother cell | A cell which, by division, gives rise to two or more daughter cell's. Synonym: brood cell, metrocyte, parent cell. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother colony | A colony which gives rise to a secondary colony (a daughter colony), the latter growing on the surface of the former; the mother colony is larger than the daughter colony, and the characteristics of the colony's may differ. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother cyst | A hydatid cyst from the inner, or germinal, layer, from which secondary cyst's containing scoleces (daughter cyst's) are developed; sometimes tertiary cyst's (granddaughter cyst's) are developed within the daughter cyst's; occurs most frequently in the liver, but may be found in other organs and tissues; symptoms are those of a tumour of the part affected. Synonym: parent cyst. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother liquor | The saturated solution remaining after a crystallization or precipitation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother of vinegar | In vinegar, the fungus of acetous fermentation appearing as a stringy sediment. Origin: A.S. Modder, mud (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother star | The single star figure at the end of prophase in mitosis. Synonym: mother star. Origin: mono-+ G. Aster, star (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother superior complex | The tendency of a psychotherapist to play a mothering role to the detriment of the therapeutic process. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother surrogate | One who substitutes for or takes the place of the mother. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother yaw | A large granulomatous lesion, considered to be the initial lesion in yaws, most commonly present on the hand, leg, or foot. Synonym: buba madre, frambesioma, mamanpian, protopianoma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mother-child relations | Interaction between the mother and the child. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mother-of-pearl | <zoology> The hard pearly internal layer of several kinds of shells, especially. Of pearl oysters, river mussels, and the abalone shells; nacre. See Pearl. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| angoumois moth | <zoology> A small moth (Gelechia cerealella) which is very destructive to wheat and other grain. The larva eats out the inferior of the grain, leaving only the shell. Origin: So named from Angoumois in France. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| v moth | <zoology> A common gray European moth (Halia vauaria) having a V-shaped spot of dark brown on each of the fore wings. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pernyi moth | <zoology> A silk-producing moth (Attacus Pernyi) which feeds upon the oak. It has been introduced into Europe and America from China. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| hawk moth | <zoology> Any moth of the family Sphingidae, of which there are numerous genera and species. They are large, handsome moths, which fly mostly at twilight and hover about flowers like a humming bird, sucking the honey by means of a long, slender proboscis. The larvae are large, hairless caterpillars ornamented with green and other bright colours, and often with a caudal spine. The larvae of several species of hawk moths feed on grapevines. The elm-tree hawk moth is Ceratomia Amyntor. See: sphinx, tobacco worm, tomato worm, tobacco hawk moth (Macrosila Carolina). Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| io moth | <zoology> A large and handsome American moth (Hyperchiria Io), having a large, bright-coloured spot on each hind wing, resembling the spots on the tail of a peacock. The larva is covered with prickly hairs, which sting like nettles. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| isabella moth | <zoology> A common American moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), of an isabella colour. The larva, called woolly bear and hedgehog caterpillar, is densely covered with hairs, which are black at each end of the body, and red in the middle part. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |