| additivity | The quality or state of being additive. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| addle | 1. To earn by labour. 2. To thrive or grow; to ripen. "Kill ivy, else tree will addle no more." (Tusser) Origin: OE. Adlen, adilen, to gain, acquire; prob. Fr. Icel. Oolask to acquire property, akin to ooal property. Cf. Allodial. Having lost the power of development, and become rotten, as eggs; putrid. Hence: Unfruitful or confused, as brains; muddled. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| address | <molecular biology> A site on a chromosome (characterised by a DNA sequence greater than 16 base pairs) that occurs only once in the genome. (14 Nov 1997) |
| addressing ligands | Ligands on cells for specific homing receptors on lymphocytes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adducent | <physiology> Bringing together or towards a given point; a word applied to those muscles of the body which pull one part towards another. Opposed to abducent. Origin: L. Addunces, p. Pr. Of adducere. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| adducin | A protein that binds to spectrin and actin and appears to play a role in the assembly and maintenance of the spectrin-actin network. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adduct | <chemistry, molecular biology> A compound produced by the mixing of two or more chemicals. Acomplex that forms when a chemical binds to a biological molecule, such as DNA or a protein. (06 May 1997) |
| adducted thumbs with mental reatardation | A syndrome with the following characteristic features: (1) neurologically:mental retardation and aphasia (lack of speech); (2) limbs: adducted (clasped) thumbs, absent extensor pollicis longus and/or brevis muscles to the thumb, shuffling gait, and leg spasticity; (3) growth: small body size; (4) skeleton: lumbar lordosis (sway back). The syndrome is inherited as an X-linked trait and so affects mainly boys. Alternative names include MASA syndrome ( MASA stands for mental retardation, aphasia, shuffling gait, and adducted thumbs), clasped thumb and mental retardation, congenital clasped thumb with mental retardation, and the Gareis-Mason syndrome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adduction | <anatomy, orthopaedics> Movement of the limbs toward the medial plane of the body or toward the axial line of the limb. (27 Sep 1997) |
| adductor | <anatomy, orthopaedics> Muscles which move a portion of the body toward the midline such as lowering your arm to your side. (27 Sep 1997) |
| adductor brevis | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, superior ramus of pubis; insertion, upper third of medial lip of linea aspera; action, adducts thigh; nerve supply, obturator. Synonym: musculus adductor brevis, short adductor muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adductor canal | The space in middle third of the thigh between the vastus medialis and adductor muscles, converted into a canal by the overlying sartorius muscle. It gives passage to the femoral vessels and saphenous nerve, ending at the adductor hiatus. Synonym: canalis adductorius, Hunter's canal, subsartorial canal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adductor hallucis | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, by two heads, the transverse head from the capsules of the lateral four metatarsophalangeal joints and the oblique head from the lateral cuneiform and bases of the third and fourth metatarsal bones; insertion, lateral side of base of proximal phalanx of great toe; action, adducts great toe; nerve supply, lateral plantar. Synonym: musculus adductor hallucis, adductor muscle of great toe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adductor hiatus | The aperture in the aponeurotic insertion of the adductor magnus that transmits the femoral artery and vein from the adductor canal to the popliteal space. Synonym: hiatus tendineus, hiatus adductorius, femoral opening, tendinous opening. (05 Mar 2000) |
| adductor longus | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, symphysis and crest of pubis; insertion, middle third of medial lip of linea aspera of femur; action, adducts, flexes and laterally rotates the thigh; nerve supply, obturator. Synonym: musculus adductor longus, long adductor muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |