| limonite | <chemical> Hydrous sesquixoide of iron, an important ore of iron, occurring in stalactitic, mammillary, or earthy forms, of a dark brown colour, yellowish brown powder. It includes bog iron. Also called brown hematite. Origin: Gr. Any moist grassy place, a meadow: cf. F. Limonite, G. Limonit. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| limophoitas | Rarely used term for a psychosis induced by starvation. Origin: G. Limos, hunger, + phoitas, frenzy (05 Mar 2000) |
| limophthisis | Rarely used term for emaciation from lack of sufficient nourishment. Origin: G. Limos, hunger, + phthisis, wasting (05 Mar 2000) |
| limosis | <medicine> A ravenous appetite caused by disease; excessive and morbid hunger. Origin: NL, fr. Gr. Hunger. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| limp | A lame walk with a yielding step; asymmetrical gait. See: claudication. (05 Mar 2000) |
| limpet | <zoology> 1. In a general sense, any hatshaped, or conical, gastropod shell. 2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order Docoglossa, mostly found adhering to rocks, between tides. The common European limpets of the genus Patella (especially. P. Vulgata) are extensively used as food. The common new England species is Acmaea testudinalis. Numerous species of limpets occur on the Pacific coast of America, some of them of large size. 3. Any species of Siphonaria, a genus of limpet-shaped Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks. 4. A keyhole limpet. See Fissurella. Origin: Prob. Through French fr. L. Lepas, -adis, Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| limpkin | <ornithology> Either one of two species of wading birds of the genus Aramus, intermediate between the cranes and rails. The limpkins are remarkable for the great length of the toes. One species (A. Giganteus) inhabits Florida and the West Indies; the other (A. Scolopaceus) is found in South America. Synonym: courlan, and crying bird. (04 Mar 1998) |
| limu | <botany> The Hawaiian name for seaweeds. Over sixty kinds are used as food, and have species names, as Limu Lipoa, Limu palawai, etc. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| limule | <zoology> A limulus. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| limuloidea | <zoology> An order of Merostomata, including among living animals the genus Limulus, with various allied fossil genera, mostly of the Carboniferous period. Synonym: Xiphosura. There are six pairs of leglike organs, surrounding the mouth, most of which terminate in claws; those of the first pair (probably mandibles) are the smallest; the others have the basal joints thickened and spinose, to serve as jaws, while the terminal joints serve as legs. This group is intermediate, in some characteristics, between crustaceans and certain arachnids (scorpions), but the respiration is by means of lamellate gills borne upon the five posterior abdominal appendages, which are flat and united in pairs by their inner edges, and are protected by the lidlike anterior pair, which also bear the genital orifices. Origin: NL. See Limulus, and -oid. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| limulus | <zoology> The only existing genus of Merostomata. It includes only a few species from the East Indies, and one (Limulus polyphemus) from the Atlantic coast of North America. Synonym: Molucca crab, king crab, horseshoe crab, and horsefoot. (04 Mar 1998) |
| limulus lysate test | A test for the rapid detection of Gram-negative bacterial meningitis; Gram-negative endotoxin induces gel formation of Limulus polyphemus (horseshoe crab) lysates. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Limulus polyphemus | <marine biology, zoology> Now renamed Xiphosura, though Limulus is still in common usage as a name. The king crab or horseshoe crab, found on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is more closely related to the arachnids than the crustacea and horseshoe crabs are the only surviving representatives of the subclass Xiphosura. Its compound eyes have been widely used in studies on visual systems, but it is probably better known from the Limulus amoebocyte lysate LAL) test, LAL is very sensitive to small amounts of endotoxin, clotting rapidly to form a gel and the test is used clinically to test for septicaemia. (04 Mar 1998) |
| limulus test | Sensitive method for detection of bacterial endotoxins and endotoxin-like substances that depends on the in vitro gelation of limulus amebocyte lysate (lal), prepared from the circulating blood (amebocytes) of the horseshoe crab, by the endotoxin or related compound. Used for detection of endotoxin in body fluids and parenteral pharmaceuticals. (12 Dec 1998) |