| pubovesicalis muscle | <anatomy> Smooth muscle fibres within the pubovesical ligament in the female. Synonym: musculus pubovesicalis, pubovesical muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| PUBS | Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling. In PUBS, a needle is inserted through the mother's abdominal wall and the uterine wall and usually blood is withdrawn from the umbilical vein where the umbilical cord inserts into the placenta. Blood may also be withdrawn from the umbilical vein on its way to the foetal liver such as in situations where the foetus is between a posterior placental insertion and the maternal abdomen. Pubs is a technique used both in prenatal diagnosis and prenatal treatment of the foetus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| puccoon | <botany> Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, as the bloodroot and two species of Lithospermum (L. Hirtum, and L. Canescens); also, the pigment itself. Origin: From the American Indian name. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| puceron | <zoology> Any plant louse, or aphis. Origin: F, from puce a flea. See: Puce. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pucherite | <chemical> Vanadate of bismuth, occurring in minute reddish brown crystals. Origin: So named from the Pucher Mine, in Saxony. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Puchtler-Sweat stain | <technique> For basement membranes, a staining method using resorcin-fuchsin and nuclear fast red solutions after Carnoy's fixative; basement membranes are gray to black and nuclei pink to red. For haemoglobin and haemosiderin, a complex staining method in which, on a yellow background, haemoglobin is stained red, haemosiderin blue to green and elastic fibres are pink. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Puchtler-Sweat stains | See: Puchtler-Sweat stain for basement membranes, Puchtler-Sweat stain for haemoglobin and haemosiderin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| puck | 1. <medicine> A celebrated fairy, "the merry wanderer of the night;" called also Robin Goodfellow, Friar Rush, Pug, etc. "He meeteth Puck, whom most men call Hobgoblin, and on him doth fall." (Drayton) 2. <zoology> The goatsucker. Origin: OE. Pouke; cf. OSw. Puke, Icel. Puki an evil demon, W. Pwca a hobgoblin. Cf. Poker a bugbear, Pug. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pucker | To gather into small folds or wrinkles; to contract into ridges and furrows; to corrugate; often with up; as, to pucker up the mouth. "His skin [was] puckered up in wrinkles." Origin: From Poke a pocket, small bag. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pucras | <zoology> See Koklass. Origin: From a native name in India. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pudding | 1. A species of food of a soft or moderately hard consistence, variously made, but often a compound of flour or meal, with milk and eggs, etc. "And solid pudding against empty praise." (Pope) 2. Anything resembling, or of the softness and consistency of, pudding. 3. An intestine; especially, an intestine stuffed with meat, etc.; a sausage. 4. Any food or victuals. "Eat your pudding, slave, and hold your tongue." (Prior) 5. Same as Puddening. <botany> Pudding grass See Conglomerate. Pudding time. The time of dinner, pudding being formerly the dish first eaten. The nick of time; critical time. "Mars, that still protects the stout, In pudding time came to his aid." (Hudibras) Origin: Cf. F. Boudin black pudding, sausage, L. Botulus, botellus, a sausage, G. & Sw. Pudding pudding, Dan. Podding, pudding, LG. Puddig thick, stumpy, W. Poten, potten, also E. Pod, pout, v. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pudding opium | Opium so diluted after importation as barely to meet the official requirements. Synonym: pudding opium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| puddle sign | <clinical sign> A sign of free abdominal fluid: the patient assumes a position on all fours; one flank is percussed by repeated light flicking of constant intensity while a Bowles-type stethoscope is placed over the most dependent portion of the abdomen and gradually moved toward the flank opposite the percussion; a sharp increase in the intensity of the sound picked up by the stethoscope indicates the level of fluid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| puddling | 1. <physics> The process of working clay, loam, pulverized ore, etc, with water, to render it compact, or impervious to liquids; also, the process of rendering anything impervious to liquids by means of puddled material. Puddle. See: Puddle. 2. <chemistry> The art or process of converting cast iron into wrought iron or steel by subjecting it to intense heat and frequent stirring in a reverberatory furnace in the presence of oxidizing substances, by which it is freed from a portion of its carbon and other impurities. Puddling furnace, a reverberatory furnace in which cast iron is converted into wrought iron or into steel by puddling. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| pudenda | <anatomy> The external organs of generation. Origin: L, from pudendus that of which one ought to be ashamed, fr. Pudere to be ashamed. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |