| ironwood | <botany> A tree unusually hard, strong, or heavy wood. In the United States, the hornbeam and the hop hornbeam are so called; also the Olneya Tesota, a small tree of Arizona; in the West Indies, the Erythroxylon areolatum, and several other unrelated trees; in China, the Metrosideros vera; in India, the Mesua ferrea, and two species of Inga; in Australia, the Eucalyptus Sideroxylon, and in many countries, species of Sideroxylon and Diospyros, and many other trees. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| ironwort | <botany> An herb of the Mint family (Sideritis), supposed to heal sword cuts; also, a species of Galeopsis. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irony | 1. Made or consisting of iron; partaking of iron; iron; as, irony chains; irony particles. 2. Resembling iron taste, hardness, or other physical property. Origin: From Iron. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| iroquois | <ethnology> A powerful and warlike confederacy of Indian tribes, formerly inhabiting Central new York and constituting most of the Five Nations. Also, any Indian of the Iroquois tribes. Origin: F. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irradiancy | 1. The act of irradiating; emission of rays of light. 2. That which irradiates or is irradiated; luster; splendor; irradiation; brilliancy. Origin: From Irradiant. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irradiant | Irradiating or illuminating; as, the irradiant moon. Origin: L. Irradians, -antis, p. Pr. See Irradiate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irradiate | 1. To throw rays of light upon; to illuminate; to brighten; to adorn with luster. "Thy smile irradiates yon blue fields." (Sir W. Jones) 2. To enlighten intellectually; to illuminate; as, to irradiate the mind. 3. To animate by heat or light. 4. To radiate, shed, or diffuse. "A splendid faade, . . . Irradiating hospitality." (H. James) Origin: L. Irradiatus, p. P. Of irradiate. See In- in, and Radiate. To emit rays; to shine. Illuminated; irradiated. Origin: L. Irradiatus, p. P. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irradiated vitamin D milk | Cow's milk exposed in a thin film to ultraviolet light and standardised to contain 400 USP units of vitamin D per quart. (05 Mar 2000) |
| irradiation | Treatment by ionising radiation, such as X-rays or radioactive sources such as radioactive iodine seeds. See: radiation therapy. (16 Dec 1997) |
| irrational | 1. Not rational; void of reason or understanding; as, brutes are irrational animals. 2. Not according to reason; absurd; foolish. "It seemed utterly irrational any longer to maintain it." (I. Taylor) 3. <mathematics> Not capable of being exactly expressed by an integral number, or by a vulgar fraction; surd; said especially of roots. See Surd. Synonym: Absurd, foolish, preposterous, unreasonable, senseless. See Absurd. Origin: L. Irrationalis: cf. F. Irrationnel. See In- not, and Rational. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irrecordable | Not fit or possible to be recorded. Origin: Pref. Ir not + record: cf. L. Irrecordabilis not to be remembered. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irreducible | 1. Incapable of being reduced, or brought into a different state; incapable of restoration to its proper or normal condition; as, an irreducible hernia. 2. <mathematics> Incapable of being reduced to a simpler form of expression; as, an irreducible formula. <mathematics> Irreducible case, a particular case in the solution of a cubic equation, in which the formula commonly employed contains an imaginary quantity, and therefore fails in its application. Irredu"cibleness, Irredu"cibly. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irreducible hernia | A hernia that cannot be reduced without operation. Synonym: incarcerated hernia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| irrefromable | Incapable of being reformed; incorrigible. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| irregular | Not regular; not conforming to a law, method, or usage recognised as the general rule; not according to common form; not conformable to nature, to the rules of moral rectitude, or to established principles; not normal; unnatural; immethodical; unsymmetrical; erratic; no straight; not uniform; as, an irregular line; an irregular figure; an irregular verse; an irregular physician; an irregular proceeding; irregular motion; irregular conduct, etc. Cf. Regular. "Mazes intricate, Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular Then most when most irregular they seem." (Milton) "Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight Against the irregular and wild Glendower." (Shak) "A flowery meadow through which a clear stream murmured in many irregular meanders." (Jones) Synonym: Immethodical, unsystematic, abnormal, unnatural, anomalous, erratic, devious, crooked, eccentric, unsettled, uneven, variable, changeable, mutable, desultory, disorderly, wild, immoderate, intemperate, inordinate, vicious. Origin: Pref. Ir- not + regular: cf. F. Irregulier. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |