| limit | 1. That which terminates, circumscribes, restrains, or confines; the bound, border, or edge; the utmost extent; as, the limit of a walk, of a town, of a country; the limits of human knowledge or endeavor. "As eager of the chase, the maid Beyond the forest's verdant limits strayed." (Pope) 2. The space or thing defined by limits. "The archdeacon hath divided it Into three limits very equally." (Shak) 3. That which terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent. "The dateless limit of thy dear exile." (Shak) "The limit of your lives is out." (Shak) 4. A restriction; a check; a curb; a hindrance. "I prithee, give no limits to my tongue." (Shak) 5. <logic> A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic a differentia. 6. <mathematics> A determinate quantity, to which a variable one continually approaches, and may differ from it by less than any given difference, but to which, under the law of variation, the variable can never become exactly equivalent. Elastic limit. See Elastic. Prison limits, a definite, extent of space in or around a prison, within which a prisoner has liberty to go and come. Synonym: Boundary, border, edge, termination, restriction, bound, confine. Origin: From L. Limes, limitis: cf. F.limite; -or from E. Limit, v. See Limit. To apply a limit to, or set a limit for; to terminate, circumscribe, or restrict, by a limit or limits; as, to limit the acreage of a crop; to limit the issue of paper money; to limit one's ambitions or aspirations; to limit the meaning of a word. <astronomy> Limiting parallels, those parallels of latitude between which only an occultation of a star or planet by the moon, in a given case, can occur. Origin: F. Limiter, L. Limitare, fr. Limes, limitis, limit; prob. Akin to limen threshold, E. Eliminate; cf. L. Limus sidelong. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| limit dextrin | The polysaccharide fragments remaining at the end (limit) of exhaustive hydrolysis of amylopectin or glycogen by alpha-1,4-glucan maltohydrolase, which cannot hydrolyze the alpha-1,6 bonds at branch points; accumulates in individuals with type III glycogen storage disease. Synonym: dextrin limit. (05 Mar 2000) |
| limit dextrinase | <enzyme> An enzyme with action similar to that of isoamylase; it cleaves 1,6-alpha-glucosidic linkages in pullalan, amylopectin, and glycogen, and in alpha-and beta-amylase limit-dextrins of amylopectin and glycogen. Compare: isoamylase. Synonym: limit dextrinase, pullulanase, R enzyme. (05 Mar 2000) |
| limit dextrinosis | Glycogenosis due to amylo-1,6-glucosidase deficiency, resulting in accumulation of abnormal glycogen with short outer chains in liver and muscle. Synonym: Cori's disease, debranching deficiency limit dextrinosis, limit dextrinosis, Forbes' disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| limit of resolution | 1. <optics> The resolution of an optical system defines the closest proximity of two objects that can be seen as two distinct regions of the image. This limit depends upon the Numerical Aperture of the optical system, the contrast step between objects and background and the shape of the objects. The often quoted Airy limit applies only to self luminous discs. 2. <genetics> The smallest map distance measurable by an experiment involving a certain number of classified recombinant progency. (10 Mar 1998) |
| Bingham plastic | A material that, in the idealised case, does not flow until a critical stress (yield stress) is exceeded, and then flows at a rate proportional to the excess of stress over the yield stress; real materials probably only approach this ideal model. (05 Mar 2000) |
| modeling plastic | A thermoplastic material usually composed of gum damar and prepared chalk, used especially for making dental impressions. Synonym: impression compound, modeling composition, modeling compound. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic | 1. Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator. "See plastic Nature working to his end." (Pope) 2. Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child. 3. Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts. "Medallions . . . Fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art." (J. S. <medicine> Harford) Plastic clay See Force. Plastic operation, an operation in plastic surgery. Plastic surgery, that branch of surgery which is concerned with the repair or restoration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body. Origin: L. Plasticus, Gr, fr. To form, mold: cf. F. Plastique. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| plastic anatomy | The construction or study of models in layers which can be removed one after the other to show the structure of the organism and/or organ. Synonym: plastic anatomy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic bronchitis | Inflammation of the bronchial mucous membrane, accompanied by a fibrinous exudation, which often forms a cast of the bronchial tree with severe obstruction of air flow. Synonym: plastic bronchitis, pseudomembranous bronchitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic corpuscle | A cell present in an exudate that assists in the organization of new tissue. Synonym: exudation cell, inflammatory corpuscle, plastic corpuscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic cyclitis | Inflammation of the ciliary body, and usually of the entire uveal tract, with a fibrinous exudation into the anterior and vitreous chambers. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic embedding | The infiltrating of histological specimens with plastics, including acrylic resins, epoxy resins and polyethylene glycol, for support of the tissues in preparation for sectioning with a microtome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| plastic induration | Sclerosis of corpus cavernosum of penis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plastic iritis | Iritis with a fibrinous exudation. (05 Mar 2000) |