| guillemot | <ornithology> One of several northern sea birds, allied to the auks. They have short legs, placed far back, and are expert divers and swimmers. The common guillemots, or murres, belong to the genus Uria (as U. Troile); the black or foolish guillemot (Cepphus grylle, formerly Uria grylle), is Synonym: sea pigeon and eligny. See Murre. Origin: F. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| guillotine | 1. A machine for beheading a person by one stroke of a heavy ax or blade, which slides in vertical guides, is raised by a cord, and let fall upon the neck of the victim. 2. Any machine or instrument for cutting or shearing, resembling in its action a guillotine. Origin: F, from Guillotin, a French physician, who proposed, in the Constituent Assembly of 1789, to abolish decapitation with the ax or sword. The instrument was invented by Dr. Antoine Louis, and was called at first Louison or Louisette. Similar machines, however, were known earlier. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| guillotine amputation | Amputation performed by a circular incision through the skin, the muscles being similarly divided higher up, and the bone higher still. Synonym: guillotine amputation, linear amputation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| guilt | Subjective feeling of having committed an error, offense or sin; unpleasant feeling of self-criticism. These result from acts, impulses, or thoughts contrary to one's personal conscience. (12 Dec 1998) |
| guinea | 1. A district on the west coast of Africa (formerly noted for its export of gold and slaves) after which the Guinea fowl, Guinea grass, Guinea peach, etc, are named. 2. A gold coin of England current for twenty-one shillings sterling, or about five dollars, but not coined since the issue of sovereigns in 1817. "The guinea, so called from the Guinea gold out of which it was first struck, was proclaimed in 1663, and to go for twenty shillings; but it never went for less than twenty-one shillings." (Pinkerton) Guinea corn. <botany> A long and slender African nematoid worm (Filaria Medinensis) of a white colour. It lives in the cellular tissue of man, beneath the skin, and produces painful sores. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| guinea corn yaws | A form of yaws in which the lesions resemble grains of Indian corn. (05 Mar 2000) |
| guinea green B | An acid diaminotriphenylmethane dye, used as an indicator for H-ion determinations (changing at pH 6.0 from magenta to green) and as a fibre cytoplasmic stain in certain Masson trichrome staining procedures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| guinea pig | A rodent with a very short tail that is not visible externally; native to South America, where it is raised for food; used widely as a laboratory animal in bacteriologic, pathologic, and pharmacologic research. Synonym: guinea pig. (05 Mar 2000) |
| guinea pigs | A common name used for the family caviidae. The most common species is cavia porcellus which is the domesticated guinea pig used for pets and biomedical research. (12 Dec 1998) |
| guinea-bissau | A republic in western africa, south of senegal and west of guinea. Its capital is bissau. It was discovered by the portuguese in 1446. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was active in slave trading. Its boundaries were established by convention with france in 1886 and 1902-05 and in 1974 it gained its independence. As a portuguese overseas province, the country was called portuguese guinea; it was named guinea-bissau in 1974. The name guinea is from the tuareg word aginaw, meaning black people. Bissau is from the native name of the people there, the bijuga, whose meaning is uncertain. (12 Dec 1998) |
| guise | 1. Customary way of speaking or acting; custom; fashion; manner; behavior; mien; mode; practice; often used formerly in such phrases as: at his own guise; that is, in his own fashion, to suit himself. "The swain replied, "It never was our guise To slight the poor, or aught humane despise."" (Pope) 2. External appearance in manner or dress; appropriate indication or expression; garb; shape. "As then the guise was for each gentle swain." (Spenser) "A . . . Specter, in a far more terrific guise than any which ever yet have overpowered the imagination." (Burke) 3. Cover; cloak; as, under the guise of patriotism. Origin: OE. Guise, gise, way, manner, F. Guise, fr. OHG. Wisa, G. Weise. See Wise. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| guitguit | <ornithology> One of several species of small tropical American birds of the family Coerebidae, allied to the creepers. Synonym: quit. See Quit. Origin: So called from its note. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| gula | Origin: L, the throat, gullet. 1. <zoology> The upper front of the neck, next to the chin; the upper throat. A plate which in most insects supports the submentum. 2. A capping molding. Same as Cymatium. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| gular | <zoology> Pertaining to the gula or throat; as, gular plates. Origin: Cf. F. Gulaire. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Guldberg | C., Norwegian chemist, 1862-1902. See: Guldberg-Waage law. (05 Mar 2000) |