| seal | 1. To set or affix a seal to; hence, to authenticate; to confirm; to ratify; to establish; as, to seal a deed. "And with my hand I seal my true heart's love." (Shak) 2. To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality; as, to seal weights and measures; to seal silverware. 3. To fasten with a seal; to attach together with a wafer, wax, or other substance causing adhesion; as, to seal a letter. 4. Hence, to shut close; to keep close; to make fast; to keep secure or secret. "Seal up your lips, and give no words but "mum"." (Shak) 5. To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement, plaster, or the like. 6. To close by means of a seal; as, to seal a drainpipe with water. See Seal. 7. Among the Mormons, to confirm or set apart as a second or additional wife. "If a man once married desires a second helpmate . . . She is sealed to him under the solemn sanction of the church." (H. Stansbury) Origin: OE. Selen; cf. OF. Seeler, seieler, F. Sceller, LL. Sigillare. See Seal a stamp. <zoology> Any aquatic carnivorous mammal of the families Phocidae and Otariidae. Seals inhabit seacoasts, and are found principally in the higher latitudes of both hemispheres. There are numerous species, bearing such popular names as sea lion, sea leopard, sea bear, or ursine seal, fur seal, and sea elephant. The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), the hooded seal (Cystophora crustata), and the ringed seal (Phoca foetida), are northern species. See also Eared seal, Harp seal, and Fur seal, under Eared, Harp, Monk, and Fur. Seals are much hunted for their skins and fur, and also for their oil, which in some species is very abundant. <zoology> Harbor seal, the common seal (Phoca vitulina). It inhabits both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Ocean, and often ascends rivers. Synonym: marbled seal, native seal, river seal, bay seal, land seal, sea calf, sea cat, sea dog, dotard, ranger, selchie, tangfish. Origin: OE. Sele, AS. Seolh; akin to OHG. Selah, Dan. Sael, Sw. Sjal, Icel. Selr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| seal fingers | An infection caused by erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae that is almost wholly restricted to persons who in their occupation handle infected fish, shellfish, poultry, or meat. Three forms of this condition exist: a mild localised form manifested by local swelling and redness of the skin; a diffuse form that might present with fever; and a rare systemic form associated with endocarditis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| seal-fin deformity | Deflection outward of the fingers in rheumatoid arthritis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sealant | A material used to effect an airtight closure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sealed jar technique | A technique for producing suspended animation in small experimental animals, consisting of sealing the animal in a jar which is then refrigerated. (05 Mar 2000) |
| palatal seal | The seal at the posterior border of a denture. See: posterior palatal seal area. Synonym: palatal seal, post dam, postdam, postpalatal seal. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| velopharyngeal seal | Closure between the oral and nasopharyngeal cavities. (05 Mar 2000) |
| golden seal | The dried rhizome of Hydrastis canadensis (family Ranunculaceae), a native of the eastern U.S.; formerly used in the treatment of chronic catarrhal states of the mucous membranes and in metrorrhagia. Synonym: golden seal, jaundice root, yellow root. Origin: Mod. L. Fr. G. Hydor (hydro-), water, + drao, to accomplish (05 Mar 2000) |
| peripheral seal | border seal |
| posterior palatal seal | The seal at the posterior border of a denture. See: posterior palatal seal area. Synonym: palatal seal, post dam, postdam, postpalatal seal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| posterior palatal seal area | The soft tissues along the junction of the hard and soft palates on which pressure within the physiologic limits of the tissues can be applied by a denture to aid in the retention of the denture. Synonym: post dam area, postpalatal seal area. (05 Mar 2000) |
| postpalatal seal | The seal at the posterior border of a denture. See: posterior palatal seal area. Synonym: palatal seal, post dam, postdam, postpalatal seal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| postpalatal seal area | The soft tissues along the junction of the hard and soft palates on which pressure within the physiologic limits of the tissues can be applied by a denture to aid in the retention of the denture. Synonym: post dam area, postpalatal seal area. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lady's seal | <botany> The European Solomon's seal (Polygonatum verticillatum). The black bryony (Tamus communis). Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |