| traffic | 1. Commerce, either by barter or by buying and selling; interchange of goods and commodities; trade. "A merchant of great traffic through the world." (Shak) "The traffic in honors, places, and pardons." (Macaulay) This word, like trade, comprehends every species of dealing in the exchange or passing of goods or merchandise from hand to hand for an equivalent, unless the business of relating may be excepted. It signifies appropriately foreign trade, but is not limited to that. 2. Commodities of the market. "You 'll see a draggled damsel From Billingsgate her fishy traffic bear." (Gay) 3. The business done upon a railway, steamboat line, etc, with reference to the number of passengers or the amount of freight carried. Traffic return, a periodical statement of the receipts for goods and passengers, as on a railway line. Traffic taker, a computer of the returns of traffic on a railway, steamboat line, etc. Origin: Cf. F. Trafic, It. Traffico, Sp. Trafico, trafago, Pg. Trafego, LL. Traficum, trafica. See Traffic. 1. To pass goods and commodities from one person to another for an equivalent in goods or money; to buy or sell goods; to barter; to trade. 2. To trade meanly or mercenarily; to bargain. Origin: F. Trafiquer; cf. It. Trafficare, Sp. Traficar, trafagar, Pg. Traficar, trafegar, trafeguear, LL. Traficare; of uncertain origin, perhaps fr. L. Trans across, over + -ficare to make (see -fy, and cf. G. Ubermachen to transmit, send over, e. G, money, wares); or cf. Pg. Trasfegar to pour out from one vessel into another, OPg. Also, to traffic, perhaps fr. (assumed) LL. Vicare to exchange, from L. Vicis change (cf. Vicar). Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| trafficking | 1. Posttranslational modification of proteins, particularly secretory proteins and proteins targeted for membranes or specific cellular locations. Synonym: trafficking. 2. Posttranscriptional modification of polynucleic acids. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragacanth | <botany> A kind of gum procured from a spiny leguminous shrub (Astragalus gummifer) of Western Asia, and other species of Astragalus. It comes in hard whitish or yellowish flakes or filaments, and is nearly insoluble in water, but slowly swells into a mucilaginous mass, which is used as a substitute for gum arabic in medicine and the arts. Synonym: gum tragacanth. Origin: L. Tragacanthum tragacanth, tragacantha the plant producing tragacanth, Gr. A he-goat + a thorn: cf. F. Tragacanthe. (11 Mar 1998) |
| tragacantha | A gummy exudation from Astragalus species, including A. Gummifer, shrubs of the eastern end of the Mediterranean; it occurs as bands or strings of a tough gummy substance, forming a jelly-like mucilage with 50 parts of water; used as a demulcent and excipient in emulsions and suspensions. Origin: G. Tragakantha, a gum-producing shrub, fr. Tragos, goat, + akanthos, thorn (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragal | Relating to the tragus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragi | 1. Plural of tragus. 2. The hairs growing at the entrance to the external acoustic meatus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragicus | See: tragicus muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragicus muscle | <anatomy> A band of vertical muscular fibres on the outer surface of the tragus of the ear. Synonym: musculus tragicus, muscle of tragus, Valsalva's muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragion | A cephalometric point in the notch just above the tragus of the ear; it lies 1 to 2 mm below the spine of the helix, which can be palpated. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragomaschalia | Bromidrosis of the axillae. Origin: G. Tragomaschalos, with smelling armpits, fr. Tragos, goat, + maschale, the axilla (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragopan | <zoology> Any one of several species of Asiatic pheasants of the genus Ceriornis. They are brilliantly coloured with a variety of tints, the back and breast are usually covered with white or buff ocelli, and the head is ornamented with two bright-coloured, fleshy wattles. The crimson tragopan, or horned pheasant (C. Satyra), of India is one of the best-known species. Origin: NL, fr. L. Tragopan a fabulous Ethiopian bird, Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| tragophonia | Tragophony Synonym: egophony. Origin: G. Tragos, goat, + phone, voice (05 Mar 2000) |
| tragus | <anatomy> The prominence in front of the external opening of the ear. Origin: NL, fr. Gr. A part of the inner ear. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| trail | 1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after. "When his brother saw the red blood trail." (Spenser) 2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb. 1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail. "They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail." (Cooper) "How cheerfully on the false trail they cry!" (Shak) 2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains. 3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke. "When lightning shoots in glittering trails along." (Rowe) 4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. "A radiant trail of hair." 5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. 6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. 7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep. "The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish." (Baird) 8. That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. 9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. Trail boards, the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead. Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat. 1. To hunt by the track; to track. 2. To draw or drag, as along the ground. "And hung his head, and trailed his legs along." (Dryden) "They shall not trail me through their streets Like a wild beast." (Milton) "Long behind he trails his pompous robe." (Pope) 3. To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle. 4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat. 5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon. "I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance." (C. Bronte) Origin: OE. Trailen, OF. Trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. Trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. Trahere to draw; cf. L. Traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. Trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. Treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| trail making test | The subject's ability to connect 25 numbered and lettered circles in sequence in a specific length of time. A score of 12 or below is suggestive of organic brain damage. (12 Dec 1998) |