| SW | seriously wounded; short waves; sinewave; slow wave; soap and water; social worker; spike wave; spir... |
|---|---|
| AE | above-elbow [amputation]; acrodermatitis enteropathica; activation energy; adult erythrocyte; advers... |
| AEG | air encephalography, air encephalogram; atrial electrogram |
| DAE | diphenylanthracene endoperoxide; diving air embolism; dysbaric air embolism |
| TW | tap water; terminal web; test weight; total body water; travelling wave |
| soil phase | A subdivision of a soil series having features (for example, slope, surface texture, thickness and stoniness) that affect the use and management of the soil, but which do not vary sufficiently to differentiate it as a separate series. (09 Oct 1997) |
|---|---|
| soil pollutants | Substances which pollute the soil. Use for soil pollutants in general or for which there is no specific heading. (12 Dec 1998) |
| soil pollutants, radioactive | Pollutants, present in soil, which exhibit radioactivity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| soil pore | An area within soil occupied by either air or water, resulting from the arrangement of individual soil particles. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil profile | A vertical section of the soil through all its horizons and extending into the parent material. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil series | A group of soils having horizons similar in differentiating characteristics and arrangements in the soil profile, except for texture of the surface layer. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil structure | The combination or arrangement of primary soil particles into secondary particles, units or peds. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil suborder | Second highest taxonomic level of the current U.S. Soil classification system. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil surface | The upper limits of the soil profile, for mineral soils, the upper limits of the highest mineral horizon (A-horizon), for organic soils, the upper limit of undecomposed organic matter. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil texture | The relative proportions of the various sizes of particles (silt, sand and clay) in a soil. (09 Oct 1997) |
| soil value | The relative lightness or intensity of colour, approximately a function of the square root of the total amount of light, one of the three variables of colour. (09 Oct 1997) |
| somewhat poorly drained soil | <botany> A condition in which water is removed slowly enough that the soil is wet for significant periods during the growing season. (04 Mar 1998) |
| expansive soil | Soils that swell when they absorb water and shrink as they dry. (09 Oct 1997) |
| air | 1. The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodourous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable. By the ancient philosophers, air was regarded as an element; but modern science has shown that it is essentially a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, with a small amount of carbon dioxide, the average proportions being, by volume: oxygen.96 per cent.; nitrogen.00 per cent.; carbon dioxide.04 per cent. These proportions are subject to a very slight variability. Air also always contains some vapor of water. 2. Symbolically: Something unsubstantial, light, or volatile. "Charm ache with air." "He was still all air and fire. (Macaulay). [Air and fire being the finer and quicker elements as opposed to earth and water]" 3. A particular state of the atmosphere, as respects heat, cold, moisture, etc, or as affecting the sensations; as, a smoky air, a damp air, the morning air, etc. 4. Any aeriform body; a gas; as, oxygen was formerly called vital air. 5. Air in motion; a light breeze; a gentle wind. "Let vernal airs through trembling osiers play." (Pope) 6. Odouriferous or contaminated air. 7. That which surrounds and influences. "The keen, the wholesome air of poverty." (Wordsworth) 8. Utterance abroad; publicity; vent. "You gave it air before me." (Dryden) 9. Intelligence; information. 10. A musical idea, or motive, rhythmically developed in consecutive single tones, so as to form a symmetrical and balanced whole, which may be sung by a single voice to the stanzas of a hymn or song, or even to plain prose, or played upon an instrument; a melody; a tune; an aria. In harmonised chorals, psalmody, part songs, etc, the part which bears the tune or melody in modern harmony usually the upper part is sometimes called the air. 11. The peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person; mien; demeanor; as, the air of a youth; a heavy air; a lofty air. "His very air." 12. Peculiar appearance; apparent character; semblance; manner; style. "It was communicated with the air of a secret." (Pope) 12. An artificial or affected manner; show of pride or vanity; haughtiness; as, it is said of a person, he puts on airs. 14. The representation or reproduction of the effect of the atmospheric medium through which every object in nature is viewed. Carriage; attitude; action; movement; as, the head of that portrait has a good air. 15. The artificial motion or carriage of a horse. 16. To expose to the air for the purpose of cooling, refreshing, or purifying; to ventilate; as, to air a room. "It were good wisdom . . . That the jail were aired." (Bacon) "Were you but riding forth to air yourself." (Shak) 17. To expose for the sake of public notice; to display ostentatiously; as, to air one's opinion. "Airing a snowy hand and signet gem." (Tennyson) 18. To expose to heat, for the purpose of expelling dampness, or of warming; as, to air linen; to air liquors. Air is much used adjectively or as the first part of a compound term. In most cases it might be written indifferently, as a separate limiting word, or as the first element of the compound term, with or without the hyphen; as, air bladder, air-bladder, or airbladder; air cell, air-cell, or aircell; air-pump, or airpump. Air balloon. See Balloon. Air bath. An apparatus for the application of air to the body. An arrangement for drying substances in air of any desired temperature. Air castle. See Castle in the air, under Castle. Air compressor, a machine for compressing air to be used as a motive power. Air crossing, a passage for air in a mine. Air cushion, an air-tight cushion which can be inflated; also, a device for arresting motion without shock by confined air. Air fountain, a contrivance for producing a jet of water by the force of compressed air. Air furnace, a furnace which depends on a natural draft and not on blast. Air line, a straight line; a bee line. Hence Air-line,; as, air-line road. <medicine> Air lock Unsupported and liable to be turned or taken in flank; as, the army had its wing in the air. To take air, to be divulged; to be made public. To take the air, to go abroad; to walk or ride out. Origin: OE. Air, eir, F. Air, L. Aer, fr. Gr, air, mist, for, fr. Root to blow, breathe, probably akin to E. Wind. In sense 10 the French has taking a meaning fr. It. Aria atmosphere, air, fr. The same Latin word; and in senses 11, 12, 13 the French meaning is either fr. L. Aria, or due to confusion with F. Aire, in an older sense of origin, descent. Cf. Ary, Debonair, Malaria, Wind. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| air ambulances | Fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters equipped for air transport of patients. (12 Dec 1998) |