| jerky nystagmus | Nystagmus in which there is a slow drift of the eyes in one direction, followed by a rapid recovery movement, always described in the direction of the recovery movement; it usually arises from labyrinthine or neurologic lesions or stimuli. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| jerky respiration | The inspiratory sound being broken into two or three by silent intervals. Synonym: interrupted respiration, jerky respiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| jermoonal | <zoology> The Himalayan now partridge. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Jerne technique | A technique for measuring immunocompetence by quantitating the number of splenic antibody-forming cells found in a mouse that has been sensitised to sheep erythrocytes. The number of plaques formed correlates with the number of splenic antibody-forming cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
| jerusalem | The chief city of Palestine, intimately associated with the glory of the Jewish nation, and the life and death of Jesus Christ. Jerusalem artichoke [Perh. A corrupt. Of It. Girasole i.e, sunflower, or turnsole. See Gyre, Solar. <botany> A spiny, leguminous tree (Parkinsonia aculeata), widely dispersed in warm countries, and used for hedges. The new Jerusalem, Heaven; the Celestial City. Origin: Gr, fr. Heb. Yrshalaim. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome | <syndrome> A prolonged Q-T interval recorded in the electrocardiogram of certain congenitally deaf children subject to attacks of unconsciousness resulting from Adams-Stokes seizures and ventricular fibrillation; autosomal recessive inheritance. Synonym: surdocardiac syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Jervell, Anton | <person> 20th century Norwegian cardiologist. See: Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| jervine | <chemistry> A poisonous alkaloid resembling veratrine, and found with it in white hellebore (Veratrum album). Synonym: jervina. Origin: Prob. Fr. Sp. Yerba herb, OSp, the poison of the veratrum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| jessamine | <botany> Same as Jasmine. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| jessant | Springing up or emerging; said of a plant or animal. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| jesse | Any representation or suggestion of the genealogy of Christ, in decorative art; as: A genealogical tree represented in stained glass. A candlestick with many branches, each of which bears the name of some one of the descendants of Jesse; called also tree of Jesse. Jesse window, a window of which the glazing and tracery represent the tree of Jesse. Origin: LL.Jesse, the father of David, fr. Gr, fr. Herb. Yishai. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| jesuit | 1. One of a religious order founded by Ignatius Loyola, and approved in 1540, under the title of The Society of Jesus. The order consists of Scholastics, the Professed, the Spiritual Coadjutors, and the Temporal Coadjutors or Lay Brothers. The Jesuit novice after two years becomes a Scholastic, and takes his first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience simply. Some years after, at the close of a second novitiate, he takes his second vows and is ranked among the Coadjutors or Professed. The Professed are bound by a fourth vow, from which only the pope can dispense, requiring them to go wherever the pope may send them for missionary duty. The Coadjutors teach in the schools, and are employed in general missionary labors. The Society is governed by a General who holds office for life. He has associated with him "Assistants" (five at the present time), representing different provinces. The Society was first established in the United States in 1807. The Jesuits have displayed in their enterprises a high degree of zeal, learning, and skill, but, by their enemies, have been generally reputed to use art and intrigue in promoting or accomplishing their purposes, whence the words Jesuit, Jesuitical, and the like, have acquired an opprobrious sense. 2. A crafty person; an intriguer. Jesuits' bark, Peruvian bark, or the bark of certain species of Cinchona; so called because its medicinal properties were first made known in Europe by Jesuit missionaries to South America. Jesuits' drops. See Friar's balsam, under Friar. Jesuits' nut, the European water chestnut. Jesuits' powder, powdered cinchona bark. Jesuits' tea, a Chilian leguminous shrub, used as a tea and medicinally. Origin: F. Jesuite, Sp. Jesuita: cf. It. Gesuita. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Jesuit tea | The dried ripe fruit of Chenopodium ambrosoides (family Chenopodiaceae), American wormwood, from which a volatile oil is distilled and used as an anthelmintic. Synonym: Jesuit tea, Mexican tea, wormseed. Origin: G. Chen, goose, + pous (pod-), foot (05 Mar 2000) |
| Jesuits' bark | A genus of rubiaceous south american trees that yields the toxic cinchona alkaloids from their bark; quinine, quinidine, chinconine, cinchonidine and others are used to treat malaria and cardiac arrhythmias. (12 Dec 1998) |
| jet | <chemical> A variety of lignite, of a very compact texture and velvet black colour, susceptible of a good polish, and often wrought into mourning jewelry, toys, buttons, etc. Formerly called also black amber. <zoology> Jet ant, a blackish European ant (Formica fuliginosa), which builds its nest of a paperlike material in the trunks of trees. Origin: OF. Jet, jayet, F. Jaiet, jais, L. Gagates, fr. Gr.; so called from or, a town and river in Lycia Alternative forms: jeat, jayet. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |