| passiflora | <botany> A genus of plants, including the passion flower. It is the type of the order Passifloreae, which includes about nineteen genera and two hundred and fifty species. Origin: NL, from L. Passio passion (fr. Pati, passus, to suffer) + flos, floris, flower. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| passion | 1. A suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress (as, a cardiac passion); specifically, the suffering of Christ between the time of the last supper and his death, especially. In the garden upon the cross. "The passions of this time." "To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs." (Acts i. 3) 2. The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition; opposed to action. "A body at rest affords us no idea of any active power to move, and, when set is motion, it is rather a passion than an action in it." (Locke) 3. Capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents. "Moldable and not moldable, scissible and not scissible, and many other passions of matter." (Bacon) 4. The state of the mind when it is powerfully acted upon and influenced by something external to itself; the state of any particular faculty which, under such conditions, becomes extremely sensitive or uncontrollably excited; any emotion or sentiment (specifically, love or anger) in a state of abnormal or controlling activity; an extreme or inordinate desire; also, the capacity or susceptibility of being so affected; as, to be in a passion; the passions of love, hate, jealously, wrath, ambition, avarice, fear, etc.; a passion for war, or for drink; an orator should have passion as well as rhetorical skill. "A passion fond even to idolatry." . "Her passion is to seek roses." "We also are men of like passions with you." (Acts xiv. 15) "The nature of the human mind can not be sufficiently understood, without considering the affections and passions, or those modifications or actions of the mind consequent upon the apprehension of certain objects or events in which the mind generally conceives good or evil." (Hutcheson) "The term passion, and its adverb passionately, often express a very strong predilection for any pursuit, or object of taste a kind of enthusiastic fondness for anything." (Cogan) "The bravery of his grief did put me Into a towering passion." (Shak) "The ruling passion, be it what it will, The ruling passion conquers reason still." (Pope) "Who walked in every path of human life, Felt every passion." (Akenside) "When statesmen are ruled by faction and interest, they can have no passion for the glory of their country." (Addison) 5. Disorder of the mind; madness. 6. Passion week. See Passion week, below. <botany> Passion flower, any flower or plant of the genus Passiflora; so named from a fancied resemblance of parts of the flower to the instruments of our Savior's crucifixion. The flowers are showy, and the fruit is sometimes highly esteemed (see Granadilla, and Maypop). The roots and leaves are generally more or less noxious, and are used in medicine. The plants are mostly tendril climbers, and are commonest in the warmer parts of America, though a few species are Asiatic or Australian. Passion music, the fifth Sunday in Lent, or the second before Easter. Passion Week, the last week but one in Lent, or the second week preceding Easter. "The name of Passion week is frequently, but improperly, applied to Holy Week." Synonym: Passion, Feeling, Emotion. When any feeling or emotion completely masters the mind, we call it a passion; as, a passion for music, dress, etc.; especially is anger (when thus extreme) called passion. The mind, in such cases, is considered as having lost its self-control, and become the passive instrument of the feeling in question. Origin: F, fr. L. Passio, fr. Pati, passus, to suffer. See Patient. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| passional attitudes | Attitudes expressive of any of the great passions; e.g., anger, lust. Synonym: emotional attitudes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passionist | A member of a religious order founded in Italy in 1737, and introduced into the United States in 1852. The members of the order unite the austerities of the Trappists with the activity and zeal of the Jesuits and Lazarists. Called also Barefooted Clerks of the most Holy Cross. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| passive | Neither spontaneous nor active, not produced by active efforts. Origin: L. Passivus (18 Nov 1997) |
| passive agglutination | Agglutination of particles that have been coated with soluble antigen, by antiserum specific for the adsorbed antigen. Synonym: indirect agglutination. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive anaphylaxis | A reaction resulting from inoculation of antigen in an animal previously inoculated intravenously with specific antiserum from another animal, a latent period being required between the two inoculations. Synonym: antiserum anaphylaxis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive atelectasis | The pulmonary collapse that occurs due to a space-occupying intrathoracic process such as pneumothorax or hydrothorax. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive clot | A clot formed in an aneurysmal sac consequent to the cessation or slowing of circulation through the aneurysm. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive congestion | Congestion caused by obstruction or slowing of the venous drainage, resulting in partial stagnation of blood in the capillaries and venules. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive cutaneous anaphylaxis | An evanescent cutaneous reaction occurring when antibody is injected into a local area on the skin and antigen is subsequently injected intravenously along with a dye. The dye makes the rapidly occurring capillary dilatation and increased vascular permeability readily visible by leakage into the reaction site. Pca is a sensitive reaction for detecting very small quantities of antibodies and is also a method for studying the mechanisms of immediate hypersensitivity. (12 Dec 1998) |
| passive cutaneous anaphylaxis test | An animal is injected intradermally with antibody (usually IgE) and subsequently challenged intravenously with a mixture of antigen and Evans blue dye 24-48 hours later. A dark blue area indicates a positive reaction due to the leakage of the dye at the site of antigen-antibody reactions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive diffusion | See: facilitated transport. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive duction | A manoeuver to determine whether a mechanical obstruction is present in the eye; with forceps grasping an eye muscle, an attempt is made to passively move the eyeball in the direction of restricted rotation. Synonym: passive duction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| passive eruption | The apparent continued eruption of the teeth, actually the result of regression of the gingivae and crestal bone. Polymorphous light eruption, a common pruritic papular eruption appearing in a few hours and lasting up to several days on skin exposed to shortwave ultraviolet light; subepidermal oedema and deep perivascular lymphocytic infiltration is seen microscopically. Eruption sequestrum, spicule of bone overlying the central occlusal fossa of an erupting permanent molar. Serum eruption, urticaria seen in serum sickness. Surgical eruption, the uncovering of an unerupted tooth to permit its further eruption into the oral cavity by surgically removing overlying soft tissue, bone, and sometimes teeth. (05 Mar 2000) |