| macacus | <zoology> A genus of monkeys, found in Asia and the East Indies. They have short tails and prominent eyebrows. Origin: NL, a word of African origin. Cf. Macaco, Macaque. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| macadamize | To cover, as a road, or street, with small, broken stones, so as to form a smooth, hard, convex surface. Origin: From John Loudon McAdam, who introduced the process into Great Britain in 1816. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macao | <zoology> A macaw. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macaque | <zoology> Any one of several species of short-tailed monkeys of the genus Macacus; as, M. Maurus, the moor macaque of the East Indies. Origin: F. See Macacus. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macaranga gum | A gum of a crimson colour, obtained from a tree (Macaranga Indica) that grows in the East Indies. It is used in taking impressions of coins, medallions, etc, and sometimes as a medicine. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macartney | <zoology> A fire-backed pheasant. See Fireback. Origin: From Lord Macartney. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macauco | <zoology> Any one of several species of small lemurs, as Lemur murinus, which resembles a rat in size. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macavahu | <zoology> A small Brazilian monkey (Callithrix torquatus), Synonym: collared teetee. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macaw | <zoology> Any parrot of the genus Sittace, or Macrocercus. About eighteen species are known, all of them American. They are large and have a very long tail, a strong hooked bill, and a naked space around the eyes. The voice is harsh, and the colours are brilliant and strongly contrasted. <botany> Macaw bush, a tropical American palm (Acrocomia fusiformis and other species) having a prickly stem and pinnately divided leaves. Its nut yields a yellow butter, with the perfume of violets, which is used in making violet soap. Synonym: grugru palm. Origin: From the native name in the Antilles. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| maccabees | 1. The name given later times to the Asmonaeans, a family of Jewish patriots, who headed a religious revolt in the reign of Antiochus IV, 168-161 B. C, which led to a period of freedom for Israel. 2. The name of two ancient historical books, which give accounts of Jewish affairs in or about the time of the Maccabean princes, and which are received as canonical books in the Roman Catholic Church, but are included in the Apocrypha by Protestants. Also applied to three books, two of which are found in some MSS. Of the Septuagint. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Macchiavello's stain | <technique> A basic fuchsin-citric acid-methylene blue sequence in smears which produces red staining of rickettsiae and inclusion bodies, with nuclei staining blue. (05 Mar 2000) |
| MacConkey agar | Medium containing peptone, lactose, bile salts, neutral red, and crystal violet used to identify Gram-negative bacilli and characterise them according to their status as lactose fermenters. Fermenters appear as red colonies while nonfermenters are colourless. (05 Mar 2000) |
| MacConkey, Alfred | <person> British bacteriologist, 1861-1931. See: MacConkey agar. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mace | <botany> A kind of spice; the aril which partly covers nutmegs. See Nutmeg. Red mace is the aril of Myristica tingens, and white mace that of M. Otoba, East Indian trees of the same genus with the nutmeg tree. Origin: F. Macis, L. Macis, macir, Gr.; cf. Skr. Makaranda the nectar or honey of a flower, a fragrant mango. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| macedonian | <geography> Belonging, or relating, to Macedonia. A native or inhabitant of Macedonia. Origin: L. Macedonius, Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |