| pencil | 1. A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colours. "With subtile pencil depainted was this storie." (Chaucer) 2. A slender cylinder or strip of black lead, coloured chalk, slate etc, or such a cylinder or strip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed, or in a case, which forms a handle, used for drawing or writing. See Graphite. 3. Hence, figuratively, an artist's ability or peculiar manner; also, in general, the act or occupation of the artist, descriptive writer, etc. 4. <optics> An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point. 5. <geometry> A number of lines that intersect in one point, the point of intersection being called the pencil point. 6. <medicine> A small medicated bougie. Pencil case, a holder for pencil lead. <botany> Pencil flower, an American perennial leguminous herb (Stylosanthes elatior). Pencil lead, a slender rod of black lead, or the like, adapted for insertion in a holder. Origin: OF. Pincel, F. Pinceau, L. Penicillum, penicillus, equiv. To peniculus, dim. Of penis a tail. Cf. Penicil. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| auscultatory percussion | Auscultation of the chest or other part at the same time that percussion is made, to aid in hearing the sound made by percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bimanual percussion | Immediate percussion in which the finger of one hand taps the other hand; a form of mediate percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| palpatory percussion | Finger percussion in which attention is focused upon the resistance and reverberation of the tissues under the finger as well as upon the sound elicited. Synonym: plessesthesia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mediate percussion | Percussion effected by the intervention of a finger or a plessimeter between the striking finger or plessor and the part percussed. (05 Mar 2000) |
| percussion | 1. The act of percussing, or striking one body against another; forcible collision, especially. Such as gives a sound or report. 2. Hence: The effect of violent collision; vibratory shock; impression of sound on the ear. "The thunderlike percussion of thy sounds." (Shak) 3. <medicine> The act of tapping or striking the surface of the body in order to learn the condition of the parts beneath by the sound emitted or the sensation imparted to the fingers. Percussion is said to be immediate if the blow is directly upon the body; if some interventing substance, as a pleximeter, is, used, it is called mediate. Center of percussion. See Center. Percussion bullet, a bullet containing a substance which is exploded by percussion; an explosive bullet. Percussion cap, a small copper cap or cup, containing fulminating powder, and used with a percussion lock to explode gunpowder. Percussion fuze. See Fuze. Percussion lock, the lock of a gun that is fired by percussion upon fulminating powder. Percussion match, a match which ignites by percussion. Percussion powder, powder so composed as to ignite by slight percussion; fulminating powder. Percussion sieve, Percussion table, a machine for sorting ores by agitation in running water. Origin: L. Percussio: cf. F. Percussion. See Percuss. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| percussion sound | Any sound elicited on percussing over one of the cavities of the body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| percussion wave | The main positive wave of an arterial pulse tracing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| clavicular percussion | Percussion, usually direct, along the entire clavicle to demonstrate dullness, particularly in apical pulmonary tuberculosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| piano percussion | Examination for dullness by striking the chest wall directly with the fingertips of one hand successively, beginning with the fifth finger. Synonym: piano percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Murphy's percussion | Examination for dullness by striking the chest wall directly with the fingertips of one hand successively, beginning with the fifth finger. Synonym: piano percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| deep percussion | Heavy percussion to obtain information about deeply situated organs or structures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| direct percussion | The striking of the part under examination directly with the finger or a plessor, without the intervention of another finger or plessimeter. Synonym: direct percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immediate percussion | The striking of the part under examination directly with the finger or a plessor, without the intervention of another finger or plessimeter. Synonym: direct percussion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| threshold percussion | Percussion effected by means of a glass rod as a plessimeter, the rod being inclined to the wall of the chest or abdomen and touching it only by one extremity. (05 Mar 2000) |