| ribbon | 1. A fillet or narrow woven fabric, commonly of silk, used for trimming some part of a woman's attire, for badges, and other decorative purposes. 2. A narrow strip or shred; as, a steel or magnesium ribbon; sails torn to ribbons. 3. Same as Rib-band. 4. Driving reins. 5. A bearing similar to the bend, but only one eighth as wide. 6. A silver. The blue ribbon, and The red ribbon, are phrases often used to designate the British orders of the Garter and of the Bath, respectively, the badges of which are suspended by ribbons of these colours. See Blue ribbon, under Blue. Ribbon fish. A tapeworm. A nemertean. Origin: OE. Riban, OF. Riban, F. Ruban, probably of German origin; cf. D. Ringband collar, necklace, E. Ring circle, and band Alternative forms: riband, ribband. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| ribbon arch | A thin, ribbon-shaped, rectangular orthodontic arch wire applied to the dental arch's so that its widest dimension is parallel to the labial or buccal surfaces of the teeth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ribbon arch appliance | An appliance consisting of a rectangular wire inserted into a specially designed bracket attached to the labial and buccal surfaces of the teeth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ribbon synapse | <biology, physiology> Ultrastructurally distinct type of synapse found in a variety of sensory receptor cells such as retinal photoreceptor cells, cochlear hair cells and vestibular organ receptors, as well as in a nonsensory neuron, the retinal bipolar cell. Unlike most neurons, these cells do not use regenerative action potentials but release transmitter in response to small graded potential changes. Ribbon synapses have different exocytotic machinery from conventional synapses in containing dense bars or ribbons anchored to the presynaptic membrane covered with a layer of synaptic vesices. The ribbons have been proposed to shuttle synaptic vesicles to exocytotic sites. (23 Aug 1998) |
| ribbonwood | <botany> A malvaceous tree (Hoheria populnea) of New Zealand, the bark of which is used for cordage. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Reil's ribbon | A band of white fibres originating from the gracile and cuneate nuclei and decussating in the lower medulla; thence it passes upward through the centre of the medulla oblongata, close to the median raphe; on entering the pons it spreads out laterally to form a flat band ascending over the dorsal border of the pontine nuclei; in the mesencephalon it passes over the dorsal border of the substantia nigra and is displaced laterally by the red nucleus; passing medial to the medial geniculate body, the bundle enters and terminates in the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus. Throughout their course, the fibres retain a somatotopic order such that those originating from the gracile nucleus and representing the lower extremity lie lateral to those originating in the cuneate nucleus and representing the arm. The medial lemniscus conveys somatic-sensory information involved in tactile discrimination (two-point discrimination), position sense, and vibration sense. Synonym: lemniscus medialis, medial fillet, Reil's band, Reil's ribbon. (05 Mar 2000) |
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