| general | 1. Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy. 2. Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or particular; including all particulars; as, a general inference or conclusion. 3. Not restrained or limited to a precise import; not specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a loose and general expression. 4. Common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread; prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general opinion; a general custom. "This general applause and cheerful sout Argue your wisdom and your love to Richard." (Shak) 5. Having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, Adam, our general sire. 6. As a whole; in gross; for the most part. "His general behavior vain, ridiculous." (Shak) 7. Usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or method. The word general, annexed to a name of office, usually denotes chief or superior; as, attorney-general; adjutant general; commissary general; quartermaster general; vicar-general, etc. General agent, a warrant, now illegal, to apprehend suspected persons, without naming individuals. Synonym: General, Common, Universal. Common denotes primarily that in which many share; and hence, that which is often met with. General is stronger, denoting that which pertains to a majority of the individuals which compose a genus, or whole. Universal, that which pertains to all without exception. To be able to read and write is so common an attainment in the United States, that we may pronounce it general, though by no means universal. 1. The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to all, or the chief part; opposed to particular. "In particulars our knowledge begins, and so spreads itself by degrees to generals." (Locke) 2. One of the chief military officers of a government or country; the commander of an army, of a body of men not less than a brigade. In European armies, the highest military rank next below field marshal. In the United States the office of General of the Army has been created by temporary laws, and has been held only by Generals U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, and P. H. Sheridan. Popularly, the title General is given to various general officers, as General, Lieutenant general, Major general, Brigadier general, Commissary general, etc. See Brigadier general, Lieutenant general, Major general, in the Vocabulary. 3. The roll of the drum which calls the troops together; as, to beat the general. 4. The chief of an order of monks, or of all the houses or congregations under the same rule. 5. The public; the people; the vulgar. In general, in the main; for the most part. Origin: F. General, fr. L. Generalis. See Genus. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| general acid-base catalysis | A catalytic reaction that involves the tranfer of a proton to or from anon-water molecule. (09 Oct 1997) |
| general adaptation syndrome | <syndrome> The sum of all non-specific systemic reactions of the body to long-continued exposure to systemic stress. (12 Dec 1998) |
| general anaesthesia | A form of anaesthesia that results in putting the patient to sleep. Total body anaesthesia. Origin: Gr. Aisthesis = sensation (27 Sep 1997) |
| general anaesthetic | A compound that produces loss of sensation associated with loss of consciousness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general anatomy | The study of gross and microscopic structures as well as of the composition of the body, its tissues and fluids. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general bloodletting | Removing blood by arteriotomy or phlebotomy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general duty nurse | Nurse who accepts assignment to any unit of a hospital other than an intensive care unit. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general fertility rate | A refined measure of fertility in a population; the numerator is the number of live births in a year, the denominator is the number of females of child-bearing age, usually defined as ages 15-44 (but increasingly recognised as extending to age 49). (05 Mar 2000) |
| general hospital | Any large civilian hospital that is equipped to care for medical, surgical, maternity, and psychiatric cases, and usually has a resident medical staff. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general immunity | Immunity associated with widely diffused mechanisms that tend to protect the body as a whole, as compared with local immunity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general paresis | A part of late ( tertiary ) syphilis a decade or more after the initial infection, due to chronic inflammation of the covering and substance of the brain (meningoencephalitis) which results in progressive dementia and generalised paralysis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| general peritonitis | Peritonitis throughout the peritoneal cavity. Synonym: diffuse peritonitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general physiology | The science of the functions or vital processes common to almost all living things, whether animal or plant, as opposed to aspects of physiology peculiar to particular types of animals or plants, or to the application of physiology to applied sciences such as medicine and agriculture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| general practice | A term for physicians who care for all types of medical problems, including internal medical, paediatric, obstetrical, and surgical diseases. Post-graduate training for general practitioners was limited and there was no specialty certification; the field has been replaced by more extensively trained family practitioners. (05 Mar 2000) |