| oscillopsia | The subjective sensation of oscillation of objects viewed. Synonym: oscillating vision. Origin: L. Oscillo, to swing, + G. Opsis, vision (05 Mar 2000) |
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| oscilloscope | <instrument> An oscillograph in which the record of oscillations is continuously visible. Cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO), the common form of oscilloscope, in which a varying electrical signal (y) vertically deflects an electron beam impinging on a fluorescent screen, while some other function (x or time) deflects the beam horizontally; the result is a visual graph of y plotted against x or time with negligible distortion by inertia. Storage oscilloscope, a cathode ray oscilloscope in which the visual record of oscillations persists on the fluorescent screen until erased electrically. (05 Mar 2000) |
| oscine | <ornithology> Singing birds; a group of the Passeres, having numerous syringeal muscles, conferring musical ability. Origin: L. Oscen, -inis. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| oscinian | 1. <ornithology> One of the Oscines, or singing birds. 2. <zoology> Any one of numerous species of dipterous files of the family Oscinidae. Some, whose larvae live in the stalks, are very destructive to barley, wheat, and rye; others, as the barley fly (Oscinis frit), destroy the heads of grain. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| oscinine | <zoology> Of or pertaining to the Oscines. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| oscitate | To yawn; to gape. Origin: L. Oscito, fr. Os, mouth, + cieo, to put in motion (05 Mar 2000) |
| oscitation | Synonym: yawning. Origin: L. Oscitatio (05 Mar 2000) |
| osculant | 1. Kissing; hence, meeting; clinging. 2. <zoology> Adhering closely; embracing; applied to certain creeping animals, as caterpillars. 3. <biology> Intermediate in character, or on the border, between two genera, groups, families, etc, of animals or plants, and partaking somewhat of the characters of each, thus forming a connecting link; interosculant; as, the genera by which two families approximate are called osculant genera. Origin: L. Osculans, -antis, p. Pr. Of osculari to kiss. See Osculate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| osculate | 1. To kiss. 2. <geometry> To touch closely, so as to have a common curvature at the point of contact. See Osculation. Origin: L. Osculatus, p. P. Of osculari to kiss, fr. Osculum a little mouth, a kiss, dim. Of os mouth. See Oral, and cf. Oscillate. 1. To kiss one another; to kiss. 2. <geometry> To touch closely. See Osculation. 3. <biology> To have characters in common with two genera or families, so as to form a connecting link between them; to interosculate. See Osculant. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| osculation | 1. The act of kissing; a kiss. 2. <geometry> The contact of one curve with another, when the number of consecutive points of the latter through which the former passes suffices for the complete determination of the former curve. Origin: L. Osculatio a kissing: cf. F. Osculation. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| osculatory | Same as Pax. Origin: LL. Osculatorium. See Osculate. 1. Of or pertaining to kissing; kissing. "The osculatory ceremony." 2. <geometry> Pertaining to, or having the properties of, an osculatrix; capable of osculation; as, a circle may be osculatory with a curve, at a given point. Osculatory circle. <geometry> See Osculating circle of a curve, under Circle. Osculatory plane (to a curve of double curvature), a plane which passes through three successive points of the curve. Osculatory sphere (to a line of double curvature), a sphere passing through four consecutive points of the curve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| osculatrix | Origin: NL. <geometry> A curve whose contact with a given curve, at a given point, is of a higher order (or involves the equality of a greater number of successive differential coefficients of the ordinates of the curves taken at that point) than that of any other curve of the same kind. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| oscule | <zoology> One of the excurrent apertures of sponges. Origin: Cf. F. Oscule. See Osculum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| osculum | Origin: L, a little mouth. <zoology> Same as Oscule. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Osgood | Robert B., U.S. Orthopedic surgeon, 1873-1956. See: Osgood-Schlatter disease. (05 Mar 2000) |