| merluce | <zoology> The European hake. Synonym: herring hake and sea pike. Origin: F. Merluche, merlus. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| mermaid | A fabled marine creature, typically represented as having the upper part like that of a woman, and the lower like a fish; a sea nymph, sea woman, or woman fish. Chaucer uses this word as equivalent to the siren of the ancients. Mermaid fish, a European spatangoid sea urchin (Echinocardium cordatum) having some resemblance to a skull. <botany> Mermaid weed, an aquatic herb with dentate or pectinate leaves (Proserpinaca palustris and P. Pectinacea). Origin: AS. Mere lake, sea. See Mere lake, and maid. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| mermaid deformity | Union of the legs with partial or complete fusion of the feet. See: sympus. Synonym: mermaid deformity, symmelia. Origin: L. Siren, G. Seiren, a siren (05 Mar 2000) |
| merman | The male corresponding to mermaid; a sea man, or man fish. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| mermithoidea | A superfamily of nematodes of the order enoplida. Characteristics include a reduced alimentary tract and the presence of a trophosome. Its organisms can be present in the human intestine through ingestion of unwashed or contaminated raw vegetables. (12 Dec 1998) |
| meroacrania | Congenital lack of a part of the cranium other than the occipital bone. Origin: mero-+ G. A-priv. + kranion, skull (05 Mar 2000) |
| meroanencephaly | A type of anencephaly in which the brain and cranium are present in rudimentary form. Origin: mero-+ G. An-priv. + enkephalos, brain (05 Mar 2000) |
| meroblast | <biology> An ovum, as that of a mammal, only partially composed of germinal matter, that is, consisting of both a germinal portion and an albuminous or nutritive one; opposed to holoblast. Origin: Gr. Part. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| meroblastic | <biology> Consisting only in part of germinal matter; characterised by partial segmentation only; as, meroblastic ova, in which a portion of the yolk only undergoes fission; meroblastic segmentation; opposed to holoblastic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| meroblastic cleavage | Incomplete separation of the blastomeres, with the divisions being limited to the nonyolked portion of the egg. Synonym: incomplete cleavage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| MeroCaM | <chemical> Calcium sensitive fluorophore that can be used to measure calcium levels within live cells. (18 Nov 1997) |
| merocele | <medicine> Hernia in the thigh; femoral hernia . Origin: Gr. Thigh + tumour. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| merocrine | <endocrinology, physiology> Commonest mode of secretion in which a secretory vesicle fuses with the plasma membrane and releases its contents to the exterior. (18 Nov 1997) |
| merocrine gland | A gland that releases only an acellular secretory product, in contrast to a holocrine gland. (05 Mar 2000) |
| merodiastolic | Partially diastolic; relating to a part of the diastole of the heart. Origin: mero-+ diastole (05 Mar 2000) |