| revolution | 1. The act of revolving, or turning round on an axis or a center; the motion of a body round a fixed point or line; rotation; as, the revolution of a wheel, of a top, of the earth on its axis, etc. 2. Return to a point before occupied, or to a point relatively the same; a rolling back; return; as, revolution in an ellipse or spiral. "That fear Comes thundering back, with dreadful revolution, On my defenseless head." (Milton) 3. The space measured by the regular return of a revolving body; the period made by the regular recurrence of a measure of time, or by a succession of similar events. "The short revolution of a day." 4. <astronomy> The motion of any body, as a planet or satellite, in a curved line or orbit, until it returns to the same point again, or to a point relatively the same; designated as the annual, anomalistic, nodical, sidereal, or tropical revolution, according as the point of return or completion has a fixed relation to the year, the anomaly, the nodes, the stars, or the tropics; as, the revolution of the earth about the sun; the revolution of the moon about the earth. The term is sometimes applied in astronomy to the motion of a single body, as a planet, about its own axis, but this motion is usually called rotation. 5. <geometry> The motion of a point, line, or surface about a point or line as its center or axis, in such a manner that a moving point generates a curve, a moving line a surface (called a surface of revolution), and a moving surface a solid (called a solid of revolution); as, the revolution of a right-angled triangle about one of its sides generates a cone; the revolution of a semicircle about the diameter generates a sphere. 6. A total or radical change; as, a revolution in one's circumstances or way of living. "The ability . . . Of the great philosopher speedily produced a complete revolution throughout the department." (Macaulay) 7. A fundamental change in political organization, or in a government or constitution; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed. "The violence of revolutions is generally proportioned to the degree of the maladministration which has produced them." (Macaulay) When used without qualifying terms, the word is often applied specifically, by way of eminence, to: (a) The English Revolution in 1689, when William of Orange and Mary became the reigning sovereigns, in place of James II. (b) The American Revolution, beginning in 1775, by which the English colonies, since known as the United States, secured their independence. (c) The revolution in France in 1789, commonly called the French Revolution, the subsequent revolutions in that country being designated by their dates, as the Revolution of 1830, of 1848, etc. Origin: F. Revolution, L. Revolutio. See Revolve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| green revolution | Advances in genetics, petrochemicals, and machinery that culminated in adramatic increase in crop productivity during the third quarter of the20th century. (09 Oct 1997) |
| respiratory minute volume | The minute volume of breathing; the product of tidal volume times the respiratory frequency. See: pulmonary ventilation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mice minute virus | The type species of parvovirus prevalent in mouse colonies and found as a contaminant of many transplanted tumours or leukaemias. (12 Dec 1998) |
| minute | 1. The sixtieth part of an hour; sixty seconds. (Abbrev. M.; as, 4 h. 30 m) "Four minutes, that is to say, minutes of an hour." (Chaucer) 2. The sixtieth part of a degree; sixty seconds (Marked thus ('); as, 10 deg 20') 3. A nautical or a geographic mile. 4. A coin; a half farthing. 5. A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a tittle. "Minutes and circumstances of his passion." (Jer. Taylor) 6. A point of time; a moment. "I go this minute to attend the king." (Dryden) 7. The memorandum; a record; a note to preserve the memory of anything; as, to take minutes of a contract; to take minutes of a conversation or debate. 8. A fixed part of a module. See Module. Different writers take as the minute one twelfth, one eighteenth, one thirtieth, or one sixtieth part of the module. Origin: LL. Minuta a small portion, small coin, fr. L. Minutus small: cf. F. Minute. See 4th Minute. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| minute mutant | <genetics, molecular biology> A class of recessive lethal mutants of Drosophila The heterozygotes grow more slowly, are smaller and less fertile than the wild type flies. There are about 40 loci that produce minute mutants. (18 Nov 1997) |
| minute output | A measurement of the blood flow through the heart to the systemic (and pulmonary) circulation. Cardiac output is expressed as volume of blood per unit time or litres/minute. Cardiac output can be calculated using the Fick method (oxygen consumption divided by arteriovenous oxygen difference) or by the thermodilution technique, using a Swan-Ganz catheter. (27 Sep 1997) |
| minute volume | The volume of any gas or fluid moved per minute; e.g., cardiac output or the respiratory minute volume. (05 Mar 2000) |
| double minute | <molecular biology> Small pieces of a chromosome containing many copies of the same gene. (09 Oct 1997) |
| double minute chromosomes | <genetics, molecular biology> Paired, extrachromosomal elements lacking centromeres, often associated with a drug resistance gene. (05 Mar 2000) |
| per- | 1. <prefix> A prefix used to signify through, throughout, by, for, or as an intensive as perhaps, by hap or chance; perennial, that lasts throughout the year; perforce, through or by force; perfoliate, perforate; perspicuous, evident throughout or very evident; perplex, literally, to entangle very much. 2. <chemistry> Originally, denoting that the element to the name of which it is prefixed in the respective compounds exercised its highest valence; now, only that the element has a higher valence than in other similar compounds; thus, barium peroxide is the highest oxide of barium; while nitrogen and manganese peroxides, so-called, are not the highest oxides of those elements. (29 Oct 1998) |
| per anum | By or through the anus. Origin: L. (05 Mar 2000) |
| per capita rate | <epidemiology> A rate which is proportional to the number of individuals in a population. (05 Dec 1998) |
| per contiguum | In contiguity; denoting the mode by which an inflammation or other morbid process spreads into an adjacent contiguous structure. Origin: per-+ L. Contiguus, touching, fr. Tango, to touch (05 Mar 2000) |
| per continuum | In continuity; continuous; denoting the mode by which an inflammation or other morbid process spreads from one part to another through continuous tissue. Origin: per-+ L. Continuus, holding together, continuous, fr. Teneo, to hold (05 Mar 2000) |