| petrel | <ornithology> Any one of numerous species of longwinged sea birds belonging to the family Procellaridae. The small petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, belong to Oceanites, Oceanodroma, Procellaria, and several allied genera. Diving petrel, any bird of the genus Pelecanoides. They chiefly inhabit the southern hemisphere. Fulmar petrel, Giant petrel. See Fulmar. Pintado petrel, the Cape pigeon. See Cape. Pintado petrel, any one of several small petrels, especially Procellaria pelagica, or Mother Carey's chicken, common on both sides of the Atlantic. Origin: F. Petrel; a dim. Of the name Peter, L. Petrus, Gr. A stone (John i.42); probably so called in allusion to St.Peter's walking on the sea. See Petrify. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| Petri dish | A small, shallow, circular dish made of thin glass or clear plastic with a loosely fitting, overlapping cover used especially in microbiology for the cultivation of microorganisms on solid media; it is frequently referred to as a plate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Petri, Julius | <person> German bacteriologist, 1852-1921. See: Petri dish. (05 Mar 2000) |
| petrifaction | Fossilization, as in conversion into stone. Origin: L. Petra, rock + facio, to make (05 Mar 2000) |
| petrificate | To petrify. "Our hearts petrificated were." (J. Hall (1646)) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| petrify | 1. To convert, as any animal or vegetable matter, into stone or stony substance. "A river that petrifies any sort of wood or leaves." (Kirwan) 2. To make callous or obdurate; to stupefy; to paralyze; to transform; as by petrifaction; as, to petrify the heart. Young. "Petrifying accuracy." "And petrify a genius to a dunce." (Pope) "The poor, petrified journeyman, quite unconscious of what he was doing." (De Quincey) "A hideous fatalism, which ought, logically, to petrify your volition." (G. Eliot) Origin: L. Petra rock, Gr. (akin to a stone) + -fy: cf. F. Petrifier. Cf. Parrot, Petrel, Pier. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| petrissage | A manipulation in massage, consisting in a kneading of the muscles. Origin: Fr. Kneading (05 Mar 2000) |
| petro- | <prefix> A combining form from Gr. A rock, a stone; as, petrology, petroglyphic. (29 Oct 1998) |
| petro-occipital | Denoting the cranial suture between the occipital bone and the petrous portion of the temporal. Synonym: petroccipital. (05 Mar 2000) |
| petro-occipital fissure | A fissure between the petrous part of the temporal bone and the basilar part of the occipital bone that extends anteromedially from the jugular foramen; includes the jugular foramem (at its posterior end). Synonym: fissura petro-occipitalis, Ecker's fissure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| petro-occipital joint | Fibrocartilage filling the petro-occipital fissure. Synonym: synchondrosis petro-occipitalis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| petroccipital | Denoting the cranial suture between the occipital bone and the petrous portion of the temporal. Synonym: petroccipital. (05 Mar 2000) |
| petrogale | <zoology> Any Australian kangaroo of the genus Petrogale, as the rock wallaby (P. Penicillata). Origin: NL, fr. Gr. A rock + a weasel. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| petrographic | Pertaining to petrography. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| petrographical | Pertaining to petrography. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |