| mandrake | 1. <botany> A low plant (Mandragora officinarum) of the Nightshade family, having a fleshy root, often forked, and supposed to resemble a man. It was therefore supposed to have animal life, and to cry out when pulled up. All parts of the plant are strongly narcotic. It is found in the Mediterranean region. "And shrieks like mandrakes, torn out of the earth, That living mortals, hearing them, run mad." (Shak) The mandrake of Scripture was perhaps the same plant, but proof is wanting. 2. <botany> The May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). See May apple under May, and Podophyllum. Origin: AS. Mandragora, L. Mandragoras, fr. Gr., cf. F. Mandragore. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| mandrel | Mandril 1. The shaft or spindle to which a tool is attached and by means of which it is rotated. Synonym: mandrin. 3. In dentistry, an instrument used in a handpiece to hold a disk, stone, or cup used for grinding, smoothing, or finishing. Origin: G. Mandra, a stable; the bed in which a ring's stone is set (05 Mar 2000) |
| mandrill | <zoology> A large West African baboon (Cynocephalus, or Papio, mormon). The adult male has, on the sides of the nose, large, naked, grooved swellings, conspicuously striped with blue and red. Origin: Cf. F. Mandrille, Sp. Mandril, It. Mandrillo; prob. The native name in Africa. Cf. Drill an ape. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| mandrin | A stiff wire or stylet inserted in the lumen of a soft catheter to give it shape and firmness while passing through a hollow tubular structure. Synonym: mandrel, mandril. Origin: Fr. Mandrin, mandrel (05 Mar 2000) |
| manduca | A genus of sphinx or hawk moths of the family sphingidae. These insects are used in molecular biology studies during all stages of their life cycle. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Manduca sexta | A species of Lepidopteran insect, also called the tobacco hornworm moth. The caterpillars, which are very large, are used in studies of ion transport, moulting and as a system for transgenic gene expression (see baculovirus). (18 Nov 1997) |