| BEI test | An obsolete test for thyroid function, applicable in patients who have received large amounts of iodine or iodised products. Synonym: BEI test. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| beige mouse | A mouse strain typified by beige hair and lymphadenopathy, reticulum cell neoplasms and giant lysosomal granules in leukocytes. May be the murine equivalent of Chediak Higashi syndrome of man. (18 Nov 1997) |
| being | From Be. Existing. Being was formerly used where we now use having. "Being to go to a ball in a few days." . In modern usage, is, are, was or were being, with a past participle following (as built, made, etc) indicates the process toward the completed result expressed by the participle. The form is or was building, in this passive signification, is idiomatic, and, if free from ambiguity, is commonly preferable to the modern is or was being built. The last form of speech is, however, sufficiently authorised by approved writers. The older expression was is, or was, a-building or in building. "A man who is being strangled." (Lamb) "While the article on Burns was being written." (Froude) "Fresh experience is always being gained." (Jowett (Thucyd)) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| bejel | Nonvenereal endemic syphilis now found chiefly among Arab children; apparently due to Treponema pallidum. See: nonvenereal syphilis. Origin: Ar. Bajlah (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bek | E.V., Russian physician. See: Kashin-Bek disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bekesy | Georg von, Hungarian biophysicist in U.S. And Nobel laureate, 1899-1972. See: Bekesy audiometer, Bekesy audiometry. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bekesy audiometer | An automatic audiometer in which the tone sweeps the audiometric scale while the patient controls intensity by pressing a button when he cannot hear the tone; may be operated either at a fixed frequency or at steadily changing frequencies. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bekesy audiometry | Automatic audiometry utilizing the Bekesy audiometer; the patient makes two threshold tracings, one in which the tone is rapidly turned on and off (interrupted tone) and one in which the tone is presented steadily (continuous tone); results may be suggestive of middle-ear, cochlear, or eighth nerve lesions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bel | Unit expressing the relative intensity of a sound. The intensity in bels is the logarithm (to the base 10) of the ratio of the power of the sound to that of a reference sound. Ordinarily, the reference sound is assumed to be one with a power of 10-16 watts per sq cm, approximately the threshold of a normal human ear at 1000 Hz. Origin: A.G. Bell, Scottish-U.S. Scientist, 1847-1922 (05 Mar 2000) |
| belch | 1. To eject or throw up from the stomach with violence; to eruct. "I belched a hurricane of wind." (Swift) 2. To eject violently from within; to cast forth; to emit; to give vent to; to vent. "Within the gates that now Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame." (Milton) Origin: OE. Belken, AS. Bealcan, akin to E. Bellow. See Bellow. 1. To eject wind from the stomach through the mouth; to eructate. 2. To issue with spasmodic force or noise. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| belching | A normal process to relieve distention from the air that accumulates in the stomach. The upper abdominal discomfort associated with excessive swallowed air may extend into the lower chest, producing symptoms suggesting heart or lung disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| beldam beldame | 1. Grandmother; corresponding to belsire. "To show the beldam daughters of her daughter." (Shak) 2. An old woman in general; especially, an ugly old woman; a hag. "Around the beldam all erect they hang." (Akenside) Origin: Pref. Bel-, denoting relationship + dame mother: cf. F. Belledame fair lady, It. Belladonna. See Belle, and Dame. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| belemnite | <paleontology> A conical calcareous fossil, tapering to a point at the lower extremity, with a conical cavity at the other end, where it is ordinarily broken; but when perfect it contains a small chambered cone, called the phragmocone, prolonged, on one side, into a delicate concave blade; the thunderstone. It is the internal shell of a cephalopod related to the sepia, and belonging to an extinct family. The belemnites are found in rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. Origin: Gr. Dart, fr. Dart, fr. To throw: cf. F. Belemnite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| belemnoid | Dart-shaped. Origin: G. Belemnon, a dart, + eidos, resemblance (05 Mar 2000) |
| Belgian Congo anaemia | A form of anaemia occurring in natives of Zaire (formerly the Belgian Congo), with associated oedema of subcutaneous tissues, depigmented regions in the skin, and various gastrointestinal disturbances; thought to result from deficiencies in nutrition. Synonym: Belgian Congo anaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |