# General Information (I-N)

IBM 3270 Workstation Program
The IBM 3270 Workstation Program allows your IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or 3270 PC emulate 3278/79 display terminals. On a PC equipped with a corresponding emulation adapter and coaxial cable, connection to the host system can be to a 3174/3274/3276 cluster controller, 3745/3725/3720 communications controller, or directly to the 9370 or 4361 (with an Integrated Communications Adapter). The product also supports TokenRing attachment to a 3745/3725/3720 communications controller, 3174 cluster controller in CUT or DFT mode, 3274 cluster controller in DFT mode, or directly to the 9370 Token-Ring subsystem controller. The Workstation Program supports up to four SNA sessions, six PC DOS sessions, and two notepad sessions. It also supports LIM EMS version 3.2 to accommodate terminalemulation software and DOS applications beyond the 640K RAM limit. Expanded memory support provides a migration path from the Workstation Program to OS/2 Extended Edition with its Communications Manager (which provides the functionality of the Workstation Program.) Because it supports LIM/EMS version 3.2, all DOS sessions access the region above 640K. However, only data, not applications, can occupy this region. EMS support is available with IBM's Expanded Memory Adapter (XMA). These adapters can be configured to support EMS or the extended memory used by OS/2. The Workstation Program supports baseband or broadband PC Network Adapters and full screen 3278 model 3, 4, or 5 support with the 8514/A display adapter. File transfers are handled via the Send/Receive protocol and require a host component to be loaded. The Enhanced Connectivity Facilities (ECF) Server-Requester Programmers Interface (SRPI) is supported for the development of programs which take advantage of these protocols. There is additional programming support for 3270 High Level Language Application Program Interface (HLLAPI) and Application Programmers Interface (API).

IBM Storyboard Plus
IBM Storyboard Plus is a graphics tool for creating, editing, arranging, and presenting slide shows on your computer monitor. This program lets you use special effects, graph manipulation, text, paint, and timing features to produce impressive presentations. Picture Taker, the first of four modules, captures screens from other applications programs and saves them on a file which can be called up within the Picture Maker or Story Editor modules. Picture Maker is an icon-oriented freehand-painting module for creating graphic images and modifying images captured with Picture Taker. You can create images by drawing and colouring text and shapes, or you cut and paste pictures from a library of clip-art. This module makes extensive use of function keys if you are not using a mouse. There are eight text fonts, each with five sizes. A Ÿepep">zoom feature allows detailed editing. Story Editor lets you display and sequence screens created in Picture Maker or Picture Taker.

Ichnology
Ichnology is the scientific study of footprints, first popularised in the 19th century following the discover in 1828 of the footprints of a tortoise in sandstone at Annandale by Dr Duncan.

Iconoscope
An iconoscope is a type of television camera in which an image of the scene to be televised is projected on a mosaic consisting of granules of photo-emissive material. Emission of photo-electrons from each granule in proportion to the amount of light falling upon it results in the formation of a charge image on the mosaic.

Identiscope
An identiscope was an optical apparatus for combining two photographic portraits into one. One was first sold in Britain in 1884.

Igneous rock
Igneous rock is rock formed from cooling lava.

ImageStudio
ImageStudio by Letraset, is a gray-scale image editor that gives complete creative control over images that have been scanned into the Macintosh or created with other graphics programs. The program provides many of the tools to modify images that are used by retouching studios. A photograph is scanned into your computer and you can alter the contrast and brightness of an image. Use the artist's tools to soften or sharpen an edge, and scale, crop, or rotate the images. While most scanners offer some editing control, ImageStudio provides a broader range of editing tools. It imports a finished image into most desktop-publishing programs or prints out on PostScript-compatible printers for professional results. While many scanners record gray-scale information to approximately the range of grays in a continuous-tone photograph, ImageStudio lets you work with 64 shades of gray. A complete set of artist's tools, including a paintbrush, charcoal, water drop, and fingertip, are used for a variety of special effects. ImageStudio includes four palettes that can be moved: tool, pen, gray map editor, and shade. The tool palette is similar to tools in other painting programs, although some work slightly differently. The pen palette offers a selection of pen tips that you can customise or add to the palette. With the shade palette, you choose the shades you want to work with. Brightness, contrast, and distribution of shades in an object are controlled in the gray map editor.

Immiscible
In chemistry, immiscible means incapable of being mixed, as with oil and water.

Impedance
Impedance is the total opposition offered by a circuit to the flow of alternating current.

Imperial Cancer Research Fund
The Imperial Cancer Research Fund is a scheme first issued in March 1902 by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons for systematic cancer research and the collection of statistical, dietetic and topographical information.

Imperial Crown
The Imperial Crown was made for King George V for his coronation as King Emperor at Delhi in 1911, and is part of the British Crown Jewels.

Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown was designed and made for Queen Victoria in 1838. It is one of the British Crown Jewels.

Implement
Implement is a method of execution carried out by thrusting a stake through the body.

Incandescence
Incandescence is the emission of light due to heat.

Inch
The inch is a unit of the imperial scale of measurement of the length equivalent to 25.4 millimetres. It was defined in 1824 by an act of parliament that 39.13929 inches is the length of a seconds pendulum in the latitude of London, vibrating in vacuo at sea level, at the temperature of 62 degrees Farenheit.

Income Tax
Income Tax is a tax levied directly from income of every description. It was first levied in Britain in January 1799, then repealed in 1802 and reinstated the same year under the name of Property Tax. It was fixed at 10 percent in 1806 and repealed in 1816 only to be reinstated in 1842. Since then the rate has fluctuated with the political whims of the current ruling party, and it is currently graduated but starting at 20 percent.

Indicator
In chemistry, indicator is a compound which changes colour with changes in the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of a solution.

Indigestion
see "Dyspepsia"

Indigo
Indigo is the dye obtained from the woad plant, isatis tinctoria. It was used by the Egyptians and other ancient nations.

Indium
Indium is a soft, rare metal element with the symbol In.

Indonesian
see "indonesia"

Inductance
In electronics, inductance is the property of a circuit whereby an electro-motive force is generated by reason of a change in the magnetic flux through the circuit.

Inertia
Inertia is the property of a body that causes it to oppose any change in its velocity, even if the velocity is zero. An object at rest requires a force to make it move, and a moving object requires a force to make it slow down, accelerate, or change direction. Newton called this resistance to a change of velocity inertia. It has been found that the greater the mass of a body, the higher is its inertia.

Infectious mononucleosis
see "Glandular Fever"

Inferiority Complex
Inferiority Complex is a term used in psycho-analysis for a complex pattern of richly emotional ideas connected with what the patient rightly or wrongly believes to be his inferiority. The feeling of inferiority is often compensated for by the patient adopting an opposite character.

Infra-red
Infra-red radiation (heat waves) consists of electro-magnetic radiation of wavelengths shorter than those of the super-high-frequency radio waves and longer than 7600 angstroms, corresponding to the red end of the visible spectrum.

Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry is the science dealing with the preparation and properties of the elements and their compounds, except those carbon compounds considered in Organic Chemistry. Many groups of analogous compounds exist, the oldest known being acids, bases and salts. Acids usually have a sour taste, change blue vegetable colours red and react with alkalis to form salts. Alkalis restore the colours of indicators changed by acids.

Intel Above Board
The Intel Above Board was the first product to incorporate the Lotus/Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification (EMS), which allows PC-DOS programs to access up to eight megabytes beyond the 640K memory limit. Above Board/286 is particularly useful to users of programs that require all data to be memory-resident, such as 1-2-3, Symphony, and Framework III. With an Above Board you can access up to 4Mb additional memory on a PC and 8Mb additional memory on an AT. This allowed users to create enormous spreadsheets - up to 15 times that available under normal DOS constraints. If a machine has less than 640K, Above Board memory could be used to back-fill or assign a portion of its memory to fill up system memory. Above Boards had software for a RAM disk, print buffer and menu-driven configuration program. Intel Above Board PS/286 was functionally equivalent to the Above Board 286 and added a serial port and a parallel port. Above Board provided expanded memory for products which work better with memory beyond the 640K DOS limit such as Lotus 1-2-3 or require additional memory such as IBM OS/2.

Interactive EasyFlow
EasyFlow by Haventree Software is a powerful flowcharting package for the IBM PC, that provides tools to create and edit flowcharts and ornanisation charts. It is not a freehand drawing program, but rather a package that provides you with a large set of objects to choose from and the ability to place these objects on-screen in any position. Either the keyboard or a mouse can be used to choose shapes and position them in the desired location. Automatic text centering within shapes is available horizontally and vertically. EasyFlow understands the concept of a "from" shape and a "destination" shape and creates a straight connector line between the shapes in your flowchart. If you move the shapes within the chart, the lines automatically maintain the connection between the from shape and the destination shape. This way, the chart evolves as you create it; you do not need to plan ahead of time. Editing charts is simple with this program. Text edited within an object is automatically recentered. Individual shapes or groups of shapes can be cut, copied, moved, and deleted from a chart. You can also save sections of a chart to be merged with another chart. Charts can be compressed horizontally or vertically so charts that are too large to fit on a single page can be compressed and printed on one page. EasyFlow offers a useful way to manage the creation of charts. The screen displays two small windows and one large window. The large Chart Window shows a condensed representation of the chart. You cannot see the words inside the objects, but you can see the individual objects and lines and the relationship between them. The Chart Window shows the current position of the cursor in the chart using an invisible grid as reference. Each object takes up one space. The smaller Shape Window shows the content of the shape under the cursor in full detail. As you cursor around the chart, the current shape is always shown in the Shape Window. There is also a small Text/Message Window
r text entry and for messages from the program. Charts can be more than 16 shapes in width and height. The size is limited only by memory available. If your chart is too large for the printer paper size, EasyFlow breaks the chart and prints it in page-size pieces.

INTERCAL
INTERCAL (said by the authors to stand for `Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym') is a computer language designed by Don Woods and James Lyon in 1972. INTERCAL is purposely different from all other computer languages in all ways but one; it is purely a written language, being totally unspeakable.

Interface
An interface is a shared boundary between two devices. These may be a human and a machine for example. Computer operating systems use an interface to receive and transmit data to and from a human operator.

Interlisp
Interlisp is a dialect of the Lisp programming language. It is a computer programming language designed for procedure orientated representation. It has all the standard features of Lisp, plus extensive debugging facilities, and a DWIM self-correcting facility.

Interpol
Interpol is an international police organisation with headquarters in Paris.

Intestinal
see "Intestine"

Invar
Invar is an alloy of iron and nickel.

Invisible
Invisible describes something that cannot be seen.

Iodine
Iodine is a non-metallic halogen element usually obtained as a heavy, shining, blackish-grey crystalline form and is used especially in medicine, photography and analysis. It has the symbol I.

Iodine number
In chemistry, iodine number is the number of grams of iodine required to saturate 100 grams of fat.

Ion
An ion is a charged atom or group of atoms. The charge occurs from a surplus or deficiency of electrons.

Ionised
see "ion"

Ionization
In chemistry, ionization is the separation of an electrolyte into charged ions in solution.

Ionization Voltage
Ionization Voltage is the potential which an electron must traverse before it attains sufficient kinetic energy to ionize by collision an atom of a specified gas.

Ionosphere
The ionosphere is the ionised layer of the earth's atmosphere. It extends over altitudes from about 50 km to about 600 km.

Iridium
Iridium is a metal element with the symbol Ir.

Iridosmine
see "Osmiridium"

Irish
Irish is a term used to denote something or someone from Ireland.

IRMA
IRMA is the standard product for a direct link between the IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 model 25 or 30 and an IBM SNA (Systems Network Architecture) network. It offered the first coax connection between a PC and IBM mainframe. IRMA connects to an IBM 3174, 3274, or 3276 cluster controller that can be directly or remotely attached to the mainframe, or be attached to an integral terminal controller with a type A adapter. The package includes a hardware adapter card that fits into a full-length slot in a PC, emulation software and file-transfer software. IRMA fits into existing 3270 networks by attaching directly to 3278/79 controller ports configured for Control Unit Terminal (CUT) single session support. Nothing additional is needed. IRMAlink file transfer software for TSO and CMS environments is included. IRMA provides emulation of IBM 3278 terminal models 2, 3, and 4 and 3279 colour terminal models 2A, 3A, 2B and 38. Support for 12 IBM keyboards, light pen, four and seven colour modes, and APL/TEXT keyboards is also included. In addition, it supports hotkey switching between DOS and terminal sessions and Application Programming Interface (API) support for development of programs which interact directly with a host session through the hardware adapter. Sample programs for the API are included. IRMA 2 is an enhanced version of the original that adds support for the IBM 3278 model 5 terminal through horizontal and vertical scrolling. If you use specific 132 column supported display adapters, you can get full-screen monochrome and colour model 5 support. IRMA 2 also includes keyboard utilities which allow remapping and let you create macros for frequently repeated commands and new keyboard profiles. Its Extended Attribute Buffer (EAB) supports character attributes such as normal, blinking, reverse video, highlighted, and underlined (mono only), APL character set support and the ability to capture terminal screens to disk or local/system printer. Because IRMA 2 uses
e-loaded instead of PROM-loaded microcode, it can be upgraded by changing diskettes rather than by replacing PROM chips. The IRMA 2 MCA offers the same functionality as the IRMA 2 for the IBM PS/2 models 50, 50z, 60, 70, and 80.

Iron Cross
The Iron Cross was an order of knighthood established by Frederick William III of Prussia in 1813 to honour patriotic bravery in the war against France.

Irradiation
Irradiation is the process of exposing something to radiation. It is used to preserve food and destroy cancer growths.

Irrigation
Irrigation is the process of supplying water to land through a series of artificial waterways.

Irula
Irula is a dialect of Tamil.

Isallobar
An isallobar is a line on a map passing through all the places with equal changes in pressure over a certain period.

Ischaemia
Ischaemia is the condition of insufficient blood supply to a part of the body, for example to the heart muscle, causing angina.

ISO 8859
ISO 8859 is a series of computer character sets all of which have American ASCII in their low (7-bit) half, invisible control characters in positions 128 to 159 and 96 fixed width graphics in positions 160-255.

ISO 8859-1
see "Latin-1"

ISO 8859-2
see "Latin-2"

ISO 8859-5
ISO 8859-5 is a computer character set of Cyrillic letters purporting to support Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian. However, it lacks the Ukrainian ghe with a downstroke, and so KOI8-R is generally more popular.

Isobutyl Nitrate
Isobutyl Nitrate is a drug very similar to amyl nitrate.

Isoelectric point
In chemistry, the isoelectric point is the pH at which a substance is electrically neutral or at it's minimum ionization.

Isomers
In chemistry, isomers are compounds which have the same molecular formula but different structural formulas.

Isonicotinic acid hydrazide
Isonicotinic acid hydrazide is an agent found by Domagk to inhibit the growth of tubercle bacilli. It has been used since 1952 in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is closely related to the vitamin nicotinamide, and is also used in the treatment of depression.

Isosorbide Dinitrate
Isosorbide Dinitrate is an anti-anginal drug used to reduce the frequency and severity of angina attacks.

Isosorbide Dinitrate
Isosorbide Dinitrate is a drug very similar to amyl nitrate.

Isotonic solution
In chemistry, an isotonic solution is a solution having the same osmotic pressure as another with which it is compared.

Isotope
An isotope is a form of an element which has a different atomic weight and nuclear properties than other isotopes of the same element.

Isotopes
In chemistry, isotopes are atoms of the same element having the same atomic number but having different atomic weights.

Isoxsuprine
Isoxsuprine is a vasodilator drug used to improve poor blood circulation.

Isthmian Games
The Isthmian Games were a Greek athletic contest held at Corinth. They were first held in 523 BC and resemble the Olympic games except that the victor received a crown of wild parsley.

J-aerial
A J-aerial is a dipole type aerial consisting of a three-quarter wavelength vertical portion and a quarter-wavelength portion parallel to it, the feeding points being equidistant from the junction.

Jacobins
The Jacobins were a radical French political group. They were originally called the Club Breton when they were formed in Versailles, but on moving to Paris in 1789 were renamed the Jacobins. After successive purges they became the instrument of the Reign of Terror under Robespierre's dictatorship.

Jah
Jah is the Jamaican, and more especially the Rastafarian, name for god.

Jansky
The Jansky is the unit of radiation received from outer space, used in radio astronomy. It is equal to 10-26 watts per square meter per hertz, and is named after the USA engineer Karl Jansky.

January
January derives its name from Janus, an early Roman god. January was added to the Roman calendar by Numar in 713 BC, he placed it about the winter solstice and made it the first month because Janus was supposed to preside over the beginnings of all business. In 1751 the legal year in England was ordered to begin on January 1st instead of 25th March.

JavaScript
JavaScript is an interpreted computer language supported by some client Web browsers. It was first introduced by Netscape in their Navigator Web browser. It allows embed commands in an HTML page which are loaded by the client Web browser as a part of the HTML document. These commands can be triggered when the user clicks on page items, manipulates gadgets and fields in an HTML form, or moves through the page history list.

Javelin Plus
Javelin Plus is a financial modelling tool designed for the development and analysis of business planning models. Because Javelin Plus is faster and, in many ways, easier to use than a spreadsheet, it appeals to a broad base of business analysts and financial planning professionals. Javelin Plus's understanding of time periods such as weeks, months, quarters, and years makes it helpful in creating time-series models. It automatically calculates monthly figures from input data. Javelin Plus minimises errors that are difficult to spot in complicated financial models by using formula-name references rather than cell references. Javelin Plus allows you to construct a model by defining relationships rather than by tediously defining a series of cells. Data is stored in an information base instead of a spreadsheet, so you can create the relationships between the different values and show them in several views rather than in a simple, flat matrix (although that is one of the options). Javelin Plus makes it easy to do forecasting because you can actually draw a graph in the quick graph view, and the product will insert the respective numbers into that variable's data table (another view). For example, if you create a variable called East which is equal to the total sales of Boston, New York, and Toronto and a variable called First Quarter equal to January, February, and March, when you call for East and First Quarter, Javelin Plus automatically adds the data associated with the three cities for the first three months. One of the most interesting aspects of Javelin Plus is the snap-in building block capability which allows users to develop fully integrated add-in tools. Snap-ins are open-architecture design features, similar to templates, that allow you to create unlimited applications which can be accessed as needed. Javelin Plus allows text and date variables to be used in modelling as if they were numeric variables. This means you can base calculations in models on
umeric data. You can perform true date arithmetic which is especially useful for querying in models that include databases. Database functions such as sorting and cross-tabulation are included. Javelin Plus also has improved worksheet-printing options for the worksheet view, including user-specified page breaks, margins, setup strings, and printer fonts. Graph styles include high-low-close, mixed line/bar, and XY plots of up to seven variables.

Jazz
Jazz is a lively type of music which originated in America amongst the black community.

Jesuit's Bark
Jesuit's Bark (fever-wood) is the bark of the cinchona or chinchona tree. Its existence was brought to Europeans by a Jesuit about 1535 but it was not generally used until 1633 when the wife of the viceroy of Peru was cured of a fever with it. She brought it to Europe in 1639 and it came into general use in 1680. The active constituent of Jesuit's Bark is quinine.

Jetsam
Jetsam are goods thrown overboard in a storm, or after a shipwreck, and cast upon the shore.

Johnson Noise
In electronics, Johnson Noise is unwanted voltage variations which manifest in a receiver as noise and in other types of apparatus as spurious signals in the output. Johnson Noise is due to the random motion of electrons in a conductor, which increases with temperature.

Jota
The jota is the national dance of Aragon.

Judo
Judo is a form of Japanese wrestling.

Judy
Judy is an English slang expression for a woman.

Jujitsu
Jujitsu is a Japanese form of self defence.

Jurassic
The Jurassic was the tenth geological period, 135,000,000 years ago. The first mammals evolved.

Jute
Jute is a fibre obtained from plants and used for making sacks.

K-band
K-band is the frequency band from 10,900 to 36,000 mhz, about 1 cm wavelength, employed in radar.

Kabbala
see "Qabbala"

Kaftan
see "Caftan"

Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument which, by an arrangement of mirrors produces a symmetrical reflection of various transparent substances placed between them. It was invented by Sir David Brewster between 1814 and 1817.

Kamptulicon
Kamptulicon was a substance used for flooring. It was invented in 1843 by Elijah Galloway and was comprised of rubber and cork combined by a masticating machine.

Kasuwa
Kasuwa is a dialect of Tamil.

Kathode
see "Cathode"

Kauri gum
Kauri gum is fossilised copal found in New Zealand.

Kayser
The kayser is the unit of wave number (number of waves in a unit length), used in spectroscopy. It is expressed as waves per centimetre, and is the reciprocal of the wavelength. A wavelength of 0.1 cm has a wave number of 10 kaysers.

Keikogi
A keikogi is a Japanese jacket worn for kendo.

Kelvin
Kelvin is a temperature scale in which the absolute zero of temperature (-273 degrees celsius) is represented by zero degrees kelvin.

Kennelly-Heaviside Layer
see "E Layer"

Kenotron
A kenotron is a high-voltage thermionic diode rectifier.

Keratin
Keratin is a fibrous protein.

Keroselene
Keroselene is a substance derived from the distillation of coal-tar. It was discovered in 1861 by Merrill, and used as an anaesthetic.

Ket's Rebellion
Ket's Rebellion was a revolt in July 1549 instigated by William Ket, a tanner, of Wymondham, Norfolk. He demanded the abolition of inclosures and the dismissal of evil counsellors. The insurgents amounted to 20,000 men, but were quickly defeated by the earl of Warwick. More than 2000 were killed, and Ket and some others were tried and hanged.

Ketalar
see "Ketamine"

Ketamine
Ketamine (xylazine or Ketalar) is an injected dissociative anesthetic and central nervous system stimulant used for superficial operative procedures, particularly with children and the relief of cancer pain and reduction of preoperative anxiety.

Ketoglutaric Acid
Ketoglutaric Acid is a salt or acid produced in the metabolism of proteins or carbohydrates.

Ketone
Ketone is one of a series of organic compounds in which the carbonyl group is united with two monovalent hydrocarbon radicals.

Kevlar
Kevlar is a trade name for DPont bullet-proof fabric used in protective clothing, usually bullet-proof vests.

Khurta
A khurta is an East Indian garment consisting of a long, loose-fitting collarless shirt.

Kichel
Kichel is a type of small cake.

Kid
A kid is a baby goat.

Kie kie
The kie kie is an item worn around the waste of all Tongans to formal occasions as a symbol of respect to God, King and Country.

Kilderkin
The kilderkin was a British unit of measurement applied to beer equal to two firkins.

Kin
The kin was a Japanese unit of weight equal to 1.3228 lbs.

Kindling temperature
In chemistry, kindling temperature is the lowest temperature at which a substance bursts into flame.

Kinescope
Kinescope is a name mainly used in America for a cathode ray tube used in a television receiver.

Kinesed
see "Phenobarbital"

Kinetic Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its motion.

Kinetics
Kinetics is the branch of dynamics dealing with actual motion.

Kinetoscope
The kinetoscope was an apparatus invented by Edison for the continuous photography of objects in motion. The first series of photographs were of the strong man Sandow, and were reported in New York in 1894.

King's evil
King's evil was a popular name for Scrofula.

King's sceptre
The King's sceptre is part of the British Crown Jewels and contains the largest part of the Star of Africa diamond which weighs over 516 carats.

Kinizsi
see "Ferencvaros"

Kinoplasm
Kinoplasm is a very active, specialised protoplasm responsible for the formation of mobile cell structures, such as cilia and filaments.

Klystron
A klystron is a thermionic tube suitable for use as a microwave amplifier or oscillator, in which the electron stream is velocity-modulated.

Knight
Historically, a knight was an honourable military rank which was bestowed upon a noble who had served as a page and squire by the king. Today a knight is a social title bestowed upon people for supposed service to the crown or country, and entitles them to be called ''Sir'' rather than ''Mister''.

Knighthood
Knighthood is the social rank of knight.

Knot
In navigation the knot is the unit by which a ship's speed is measured, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour (one knot equals about 1.15 miles per hour). It is also sometimes used in aviation.

Knowledge
Knowledge is practical understanding.

Koh-i-Noor diamond
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is a fabulous diamond of 106 carats and is mounted in the State Crown.

Kohl
Kohl is antimony sulphide used by women as eye make up.

KOI8-R
KOI8-R is a non-ISO computer character set popular in Russia. The lower half is American ASCII and the upper half is a Cyrillic character set.

Korava
Korava is a dialect of Tamil.

Kote
A kote is a heavily padded gauntlet worn during kendo to protect the hand and forearm.

Koto
The koto is a stringed musical instrument from Japan.

Kremvax
Kremvax was originally, a fictitious USENET site at the Kremlin, announced on April 1, 1984 in a posting ostensibly originated there by Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko. The posting was actually forged by Piet Beertema as an April Fool's joke. Other fictitious sites mentioned in the hoax were moskvax and kgbvax.

Krypton
Krypton is a gaseous element with the symbol Kr.

Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a form of Chinese unarmed combat.

Kvass
see "Quass"

Kwan
The kwan was a Japanese unit of weight equal to 8.2673 lbs.

L-band
L-band is the frequency band from 390 to 1550 mhz employed in radar.

La Leche League International
La Leche League International is an organization of women who offer information and encouragement to mothers who want to breast-feed their babies. The league provides counselling and education to parents and professionals through meetings, seminars, and publications. Its publications include a book called The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. The league also distributes brochures on childbirth, child care, and related subjects. It directs group discussions for mothers who are breast-feeding and other interested women.

Labret
A labret is an ornament inserted in a hole pierced through the lip.

Labyrinth
A labyrinth is a maze like structure.

Lachrymation
Lachrymation is the anatomical term for the shedding of tears.

Lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid formed by certain bacteria during fermentation. It also occurs in the muscles when they are exercised vigorously. It is used in food preservation and pharmaceuticals.

Lactoglucose
see "Galactose"

Lactose
Lactose is a sugar found in solution in milk. It is the combination of glucose and galactose.

Ladanum
Ladanum is a gum resin extracted from plants of the genus Cistus and used in perfume.

Ladino
Ladino is a Spanish dialect spoken by Sephardic Jews.

Laevulose
see "Fructose"

Lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow stretch of salt water partly or wholly separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land or a low sand-bank or coral reef.

Lallans
Lallans is a Lowland Scottish language.

Lamb
A lamb is a young sheep.

Lambda
Lambda is the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Lambert
The lambert is the unit of luminance (the light shining from a surface), equal to one lumen per square centimetre. In scientific work the candela per square meter is preferred.

Lambrequin
Lambrequin was originally a material covering worn over a helmet. It is now a term applied to a short piece of drapery hung over the top of a door or window.

Lamella
A lamella is a thin plate, scale or film of bone or tissue.

Lamina
The lamina is the blade on the leaf on either side of the midrib on flowering plants. It is usually the primary organ of photosynthesis.

Lamp
A lamp is a vessel filled with oil and fitted with a wick which is then used to provide light. The term has come to apply to any device which provides illumination, including electric lamps.

Lampas
Lampas is a horse disease with a swelling in the roof of the mouth.

Lampblack
Lampblack is a pigment deroved from oil and resin soot.

Lancastrian
A Lancastrian is an inhabitant of Lancashire.

Lancet
A lancet is a fine pointed, double-edged surgical knife.

Land Rover Defender 90 Tdi
The Land Rover Defender 90 Tdi is a British automobile with 4 x 4 drive and a 2495 CC engine giving a top speed of 85 mph and roughly 28 mpg.

Landau
A landau is a four-wheeled carriage with a top, the back and front of the top can be raised and lowered independently of each other.

Landscape
Landscape is a term applied to inland scenery, or a picture of inland scenery.

Lane
A lane is a narrow road, usually between hedges, or a passage way.

Lanolin
Lanolin is a wax derived from sheep's wool.

LANSpool
LANSpool is a software utility that lets you share locally attached printers over a Novell NetWare local area nehuork. Since NetWare allows only five printers to be attached directly to the server, a utility such as LANSpool can be an inexpensive way to add printers to a Novell network. LANSpool provides users with a means to locate printers conveniently. LANSpool lets you connect networked printers to any PC on the LAN. These can be dedicated as print servers, or non-dedicated and serve as workstations as well.

Lanthanide
The lanthanides are a group of 15 elements.

Lanthanum
Lanthanum is a rare metal lanthanide element with the symbol La. It was discovered in the oxide of cerium by Mosander in 1839.

Lanyard
A lanyard is a cord attached to a knife or whistle with which to hold it, or to serve as a handle.

Lap-Link
Lap-Link III is a data migration product that takes a different approach from most other products. The package is ideally suited to those who find DOS commands cryptic, since Lap-Link III presents users with a completely menu-driven operation. Unlike other data migration products that only operate as DOS device drivers, Lap-Link III can perform lightning fast file transfer from one format to another without its optional device driver being installed. Lap-Link IIl's unique split-screen design helps you keep track of what files you are working with. You can even tag several files or use wildcards when tagging files marked for transfer.

Laparotomy
A laparotomy is a surgical incision through the abdominal walls into the abdominal cavity.

Lapel
A lapel is a part of the front of a coat which is folded back towards the shoulder.

Lard
Lard is the rendered and clarified internal fat from the abdomen of pigs or cattle used in cooking and pharmacy.

Larder
A larder is a room or cupboard used for storing provisions.

Lardon
A lardon is a strip of bacon or pork used to lard meat.

Larixinic Acid
see "Maltol"

Laryngoscope
The laryngoscope is an instrument consisting of a concave mirror, by which light is thrown upon a small plane mirror placed in the posterior part of the cavity of the mouth. It is used in the examination of the vocal cords and the interior of the larynx. The laryngoscope was invented by Manuel Garcia in 1855.

Laser
Laser is an acronym for Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. It is a device producing an intense narrow beam of light.

Lassa fever
Lassa fever is an incurable fever caused by a virus carried by a species of rat found in west Africa.

Lasso
A lasso is a rope with a running noose used for catching cattle.

Last
A last was a British measure which when applied to cod was equal to 12 barrels; applied to hides 12 dozen; appled to leather 200 skins; applied to pitch or tar 14 barrels; appled to wool 12 sacks.

Latchet
A latchet was a thong used for fastening a shoe.

Latent heat
In chemistry, latent heat is the heat absorbed in the changing of a substance from solid to liquid, or from a liquid to a gas.

Lath
A lath is a thin narrow strip of wood. Laths are used for supporting plaster, and to construct trellis.

Lathe
A lathe is a machine used for turning wood, metal and other materials by rotating the article against tools which cut it to shape.

Laths
see "Lath"

Latin
Latin is an Indo-European language which originated amongst the people of ancient Latium and the Romans.

Latin-1
Latin-1 (ISO 8859-1) is one of the ISO 8859 computer character sets. It covers most Western European languages such as Albanian, catalan, Danish, Danish, Dutch, English, Faroese, Finnish, French, German, Galician, Irish, Icelandic, Italian, Nowegian, Portugese, Spanish and Swedish but lacks the ligatures Dutch ij, French oe and the old-style German quotation marks. It is the base character set of HTML.

Latin-2
Latin-2 (ISO 8859-2) is an ISO 8859 computer character set supporting most Latin-written Slavic and Central European languages such as Czech, German, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak and Slovene.

Latten
Latten is a yellow alloy of copper, zinc, lead and tin used for making monumental brasses and church candlesticks.

Lattice
A lattice is a framework of laths crossed diagonally so as to form a net-like structure to be used as a screen or door.

Laudanum
Laudanum is a tincture of opium.

Lauramide DEA
Lauramide DEA is a white, waxy, nonionic, artificial chemical used in shampoos, bubble baths and detergents as a surfactant and foam-builder.

Lava
Lava is the molten material expelled by a volcano. It cools to form igneous rock.

Lawn Bowls
Lawn Bowls is a game played on a flat lawn or green at least 40 by 40 yards in size. The green is surrounded by a ditch approximately 2 inches deep amd 12 inches wide and enclosed by a bank sloping at 35 degrees from the perpendicular. Matches may be played by one, two, three or four players on each of two sides who bowl bowls at a smaller white ball (the jack).

Lawrence Tube
The Lawrence tube is a form of picture tube for colour television, having a single electron gun, the beam from which scans the luminescent screen in horizontal lines, each line consisting of three closely spaced lines of three phosphors producing red, green and blue luminescence respectively. The beam is deflected to the line of appropriate colour by information contained in the signal waveform.

Lawrencium
Lawrencium is an artificial radioactive element with the symbol Lr.

Laxative
A laxative is a substance which loosens the bowels assisting or encouraging the excretion of faeces.

Lazaret
A lazaret is a hospital for the poor, especially for lepers.

Lead
Lead is a soft, malleable, metallic element with the symbol Pb. It occurs in many ores, the most important of which is galena. It is a very dense metal, and is used as a shield in environments where radiation abounds, such as x-rays and the nuclear industry.

Leaflet
In botanical terms, a leaflet is a division of a compound leaf.

League
A league was a measurement of distance, it was equivalent to roughly 3 miles or just under 5 km.

Leather
Leather is a material prepared from the hides of dead animals.

Lebensraum
Lebensraum was the theory of living space used by the Nazis to justify their annexation of neighbouring states on the grounds that Germany was overpopulated during the 1930s.

Lecithin
Lecithin is a lipid containing nitrogen and phosphorus. It forms a vital part of plant and animal cell membranes. It is used as an emulsifier in foods, but is a perfectly natural additive.

Leeward
Leeward is a nautical expression, referring to the opposite side of the ship to that from which the wind is blowing.

Legacy
A legacy is a sum of money or article bequeathed by will and handed down from a predecessor.

Leo
Leo is a sign of the zodiac represented by a lion.

Leprosy
Leprosy is a disease of the skin characterised by the formation of nodules or tubercles in the skin. There are variations, one causes the loss of bones which results in mutilation of the limbs.

Levsin-PB
see "Phenobarbital"

Liang
see "Tael"

Libra
Libra is a sign of the zodiac represented by a set of scales.

Librax
Librax is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride.

Libritabs
Libritabs is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride

Librium
Librium is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride

Ligan
Ligan is a wreck consisting of goods sunk in the sea, but tied to a buoy so that they may be found again.

Light
Light is electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye and of wavelengths between approximately 4000 and 7000 Angstrom units. The different colours are represented by different wavelengths ranging from violet at 3600 - 4300 Angstroms to red at 6470 - 7600 Angstroms.

Lightning
Lightning is a spark discharge of electricity between two charged clouds or between a charged cloud and the earth.

Limonene
Limonene is a terpene occurring in the oil of lemon, lime, lavender, caraway and bergamot.

Link
The link is a unit of the imperial scale of measurement of length equivalent to 7.92 inches.

Lipid
A lipid is an organic substance that is soluble in solvents such as alcohol but not in water.

Lipowitz's Alloy
Lipowitz's alloy is a fusible alloy consisting of 50 per cent bismuth, 26.5 percent lead, 13.3 per cent tin and 10.2 per cent cadmium.

Liqueur
A liqueur is a strong sweet alcoholic beverage with a spirit base and flavoured with aromatics.

LISP
LISP (from `LISt Processing language', but mythically from `Lots of Irritating Superfluous Parentheses') is a computer programming language. It is a language based on the ideas of (a) variable-length lists and trees as fundamental data types, and (b) the interpretation of code as data and vice-versa. It was Invented by John McCarthy at MIT in the late 1950s, and is actually older than any other high-level language still in use except FORTRAN. Accordingly, it has undergone considerable adaptive radiation over the years; modern variants are quite different in detail from the original LISP 1.5.

Lithium
Lithium is a metal element with the symbol Li.

Lithography
Lithography is a printing process invented by Senefelder in 1796.

Litmus
Litmus is a dye derived from lichens and used to test acidity.

Litz
see "Litzendraht"

Litzendraht
Litzendraht (Litz) is a composite conductor designed for use in high-frequency circuits, and composed of a large number of fine wires, each separately insulated, and interwoven in a special way. This construction ensures a high ratio of surface area per unit length to cross-sectional area, and thus reduces the skin effect.

Load
The load was a British measure which when applied to bricks was equal to 500 lbs; applied to earth and gravel equal to a cubic yard; applied to hay and straw equal to 36 trusses; applied to lime equal to 32 bushels.

Localizer
A localizer is a form of radio beacon used in instrument landing systems for aircraft. It is located about 230 meters beyond the stop end of an airfield runway and radiates two signals of different frequencies from two aerials whose polar diagrams overlap in such a way that their signals are of equal strength along the centre of the runway. In the receiving equipment fitted in the aircraft the two signals are applied to a centre-zero instrument. When the indicating pointer of the instrument is in the centre (zero) position the pilot knows that he is correctly aligned with the runway.

Loch
Loch is a Scottish term applied to both lakes and inlets.

Lockjaw
see "Tetanus"

Logo
Logo is a computer programming language designed to teach mathematical concepts. It was developed in the early 1970s in America.

London Commodity Exchange
The London Commodity Exchange is a company that provides services for commodity markets in non-metals, including cocoa, sugar, grain, coffee, petroleum, rubber, and wool.

Long Friday
Long Friday was the Saxon name for the festival now called Good Friday.

Long Waves
Long Waves are radio waves having wavelengths between 1000 and 10,000 meters, corresponding to frequencies from 300 khz down to 30 khz.

Loofah
A loofah or luffa is the fibrous skeleton of the cylindrical fruit of the dishcloth gourd (Luffa cylindrica). It is used as a bath sponge.

Loran
Loran is a radio navigation system of the hyperbolic type and developed in America chiefly for long-range navigation over the sea. Chains of transmitters radiate high power 50 micro-second pulses on frequencies in the order of 2 mhz.

Los Angeles Angeles
see "California Angels"

Lotus Freelance
Lotus Freelance is an integrated-graphics program that gives charting capabilities and lets you add text and graphic images to presentations. With the various tools provided, you can create presentations that include organization charts, text charts, logos, diagrams, business graphs, and free-form drawings. Lotus Freelance includes a Portfolio feature that assists you in planning, organising, previewing, and printing multiple files. If you have created graphs within your spreadsheet, Freelance can enhance them with symbols, text, diagrams, and icons. Graphics may be edited by changing the size, colour, fill pattern, line type, and font. Objects may be copied, moved, replicated, deleted, undeleted, turned, flipped, and joined into a single symbol which can then be edited as a single object. Freelance automatically scales, sizes, and formats its charts. You can create high-quality graphics by using Freelance's drawing aids such as grids, rulers, over 40 templates, or by merging any of over 700 library symbols into any diagram or drawing. You can even create special symbols such as your company logo. Freelance's unique drawing area lets you keep frequently used symbols on one page and import them to your graph on the other page with a single keystroke. Freelance is similar to drawing programs because it is object-oriented rather than a bit-mapped. It recognizes the pieces of your image as unique objects and manipulates and modifies objects in a way similar to stand-alone drawing programs. For example, Freelance understands that a pie chart created in Lotus 1-2-3 is made up of individual slices that can be edited individually. The product has its own basic charting capabilities for creating 12 chart types including pie, bar, line, mixed, exploded, table, bar-line, XY scatter, high-low-close text, and multiple charts. Data entry is consistent across all chart types. A built-in chart composition system automatically adjusts datadriven chart layouts to accommodate data,
ven when it changes. Freelance is a WYSIWYG program that lets you accurately preview graphics files on-screen. The WYSIWYG preview displays colours and font attributes, as well as true placement of graphics elements on the page. Freelance includes Datalinks and Visible Data Import that creates a lasting link between a chart form and a spreadsheet, database, ASCII, or SYLK file. When a chart file is retrieved, you can choose to have it automatically updated with the latest data for the source file.

Lotus Symphony
Lotus Symphony is a multi-function, fully integrated business software package which provides users with the ability to create documents which mix text, numeric data, and graphs and produce presentation quality output. It includes a windowing capability, macros, and a command programming language. Symphony's powerful word processor includes an 80,000-word add-in dictionary and a text-outliner to help you organise ideas. There is automatic paragraph reformatting and wildcard characters may be used to assist in search-and-replace tasks. Symphony's database is form-oriented. You can insert, move, edit, and delete fields directly from the form environment. There are several database statistical functions that find averages, totals, and maximum values for records meeting selected criteria. The communications function accesses information from mainframes, minis, or other personal computers. Symphony comes with pre-configured settings for many on-line information services. Symphony's spreadsheet is based on that of Lotus 1-2-3. In addition, the Viewer function lets you browse and retrieve files from within Symphony. Symphony files are fully compatible with Lotus 1-2-3 files and have a similar interface. The product includes several add-ins. Allways lets you add fonts, shading, boxes, and lines to a spreadsheet. Magellan Viewer makes it easy to browse, retrieve, or link files. @BASE lets you create, edit, and manage dBase files stored on disk from within Symphony, or access multiple database files simultaneously.

Lough
Lough is an Irish term applied to both lakes and inlets.

Lsd
Lysergic acid diethylamide (lsd) is an hallucinogen illegal drug.

Lufyllin-EPG
see "Phenobarbital"

Lumbago
Lumbago is pain in the lower part of the back.

Lumen
The Lumen the unit of luminous flux, equal to the amount of light emitted per unit solid angle by a standard international candle.

Luminescence
Luminescence is the emission of light as the result of any stimulus other than heat. If the stimulus is heat the emission of light is termed incandescence.

Luminous flux
Luminous flux is the amount of light emitted from a light source.

Lute
The lute is a family of stringed musical instruments that were in use during the 14th to 18th centuries.

Lutetium
Lutetium is a metal element with the symbol Lu.

Lux
The lux is the SI unit of illuminance or illumination (the light falling on an object). It is equivalent to one lumen per square meter or to the illuminance of a surface one meter distant from a point source of one candela.

Lysis
In biology, a lysis is any process that destroys a cell by rupturing its membrane or cell wall.

Macadamising
Macadamising was a system of road-making invented by John Macadam in 1819 involving the use of stones broken to six ounces weight and the use of clean flints and granite chippings.

MacDraw II
MacDraw II, the enhanced version of MacDraw by Claris, includes all the functionality of MacDraw and is well-suited for graphic designs, diagrams, floor plans, engineering applications, and low-end CAD applications. The product includes a slide manager that lets you create a rolling slide show on images on-screen and a slides title-sorter to rename and reorder slides. You can also create notes to attach to a document and can optionally be displayed on-screen or printed. MacDraw II is very fast and offers scrolling and keyboard shortcuts. Advanced features for precise and intricate design tasks include a layering capability that lets you create documents with unlimited overlapping, hidden transparent layers, and the ability to rearrange them in any order. A zoom capability lets you work on documents up to 32 times their original size. The ruler settings can be customised and set to draw with an accuracy of 2,000 dpi. Objects and text can be rotated a full 360 degrees in increments as small as 1/100 of a degree. Pen widths can be fully customized from zero to one and a half inches with an accuracy of four decimal places. You can have up to 255 pen widths per drawing. MacDraw II has strong text and precision capabilities. You can customise your font sizes and line spaces from 1 to 127 points and paragraphs and notes can have multiple type fonts, sizes, and styles. Unlike MacDraw, MacDraw II lets you edit text by single letters. A 100,000-word interactive spell checker is included. MacDraw II includes a library feature that lets you name created objects, store them in the library, and recall them from anywhere within the application. Corporate logos, component parts, and symbols need only be created once.

MacLinkPlus/PC
MacLinkPlus/PC by Dataviz is an advanced file-transfer and translation software program that provides built-in communications. The program is designed to allow seamless file exchange between Macintoshes and IBM PCs or Macintoshes and Macintoshes. It can be used with modems or cable and includes software for both the Macintosh and the PC. The package includes a serial cable to connect a PC (25-pin) to Mac SE, Mac Plus or Mac II (8-pin DIN). If you are using a Mac 128 or 512, which uses 9-pin serial ports, Dataviz includes a card that can be sent in, with the original cable, to exchange for the correct cable. The package's file translation capabilities provide a clean conversion of file format and contents, including control codes, spreadsheet formulas, and databases. Translations are supported between application formats such as MacWrite, Microsoft Excel, Lotus, Microsoft Word, MultiMate, WordStar, WordPerfect, OfficeWriter, dBase, and DIF. If you have PCs and Macintoshes sharing files over an AppleTalk network, MacLinkPlus/PC offers a local mode to provide file transfer and translation over network cabling. The product supports batch file transfers. One window displays hard disks, folders, and files on the Macintosh, while another window displays similar information on the PC. MacLinkPlus/PC includes a special communications mode to allow your Macintosh to dial or hard-wire to systems that support ASCII TTY or XMODEM communications. You can use this mode interactively with local mode, translating files in local mode before sending them or after receiving them from a remote system.

Macrocephalia
Macrocephalia is the medical condition of having an excessively large head.

MacroMind Director
MacroMind Director gives users with artistic talent the power of a production department at their desk. The product lets you combine and manipulate text, graphics, animation, and video. These elements can be synchronised with music and sound effects for on-screen presentations, video productions, product prototypes, and the simulation of complex processes and concepts. The product provides several features that allow you to make impressive productions quickly. However, creating your own animations and special effects takes some time. MacroMind Director is made up of two major parts, Overview and Studio. Like the director of a movie, Overview controls the sequence and timing of a presentation-up to 30 frames per second. You create a document that references a group of other documents that will be part of the presentation. Overview makes sure that all the documents are available and make it to the screen on time, stay on-screen for as long as needed, get off the screen, and remain ready, if necessary, for a later appearance. Studio offers the tools needed to create multimedia presentations. Included is a comprehensive painting program, image import functions, and animation commands that control image positioning, sequence, the relationship of images to each other on the screen, and sound effects. The Auto Animate feature provides quick access to several animated text effects where text can be entered and choices can be made about the type of effect, tempo, and colour. The Transitions feature provides a number of precreated methods to move from one image to another including dissolves, reveals, wipes, and pushes. Both of these features quickly add professional-looking effects to presentations. MacroMind Player is a run-time version of Director which allows a presentation to be distributed to other users, even if they do not have Director on their Macintosh.

Madura Foot
see "Mycetoma"

Magenta
Magenta (fuchsine, rosein, harmaline or aniline red) is the hydrochloride of rosaniline, an aniline dye.

Magnadur
Magnadur is a cermaic material used for making permanent magnets. It consists basically of sintered oxide of iron and oxide of barium, and is therefore non-mettalic, although possessing ferro-magnetic properties. Because of its ceramic structure it is a good electrical insulator.

Magnesia
see "Magnesium oxide"

Magnesian
see "Magnesium oxide"

Magnesium
Magnesium is a metal element with the symbol Mg that burns with a very bright white light.

Magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide is formed when magnesium is burnt in the air. It is a white powder that is used to treat acidity in the stomach.

Magnesium Peroxide
Magnesium peroxide is a white, tastless, water-insoluble powder used as an antiseptic and as an oxidizing and bleaching agent.

Magnesium Silicate
Magnesium Silicate is a fine, white, odourless, tastless powder with variable hydration. It is insoluble in both water and alcohol and is used as a rubber filler, a bleaching agent, and odour absorber and in the manufacture of paints and resins.

Magnesium Sulphate
see "Epsom Salts"

Magnesium Trisilicate
Magnesium Trisilicate is a fine, white, odourless, tastless powder used in industry as an odour absorber and as a decoloriser. It is used in medicine as an antacid.

Magnet
A magnet is a piece of one of the so-called ferromagnetic materials which has been magnetized, that is to say it has acquired, either permanently or temporarily, the power of attracting or repelling other pieces of similar material and of exerting a mechanical force on a neighbouring conductor carrying an electric current.

Magnetostriction
Magnetostriction is small changes in the length of a piece of magnetic material which accompany the process of magnetization.

Magnetron Effect
The magnetron effect is the deflexion of electrons emitted from a straight filamentary or thin tubular thermionic cathode and accelerated towards a co-axial cylindrical anode, the deflexion resulting from the application of an axial magnetic field.

Mal de mer
Mal de mer is French for sea sickness.

Malaria
Malaria is an intermittent and remittent fever caused by the micro-organism Pasmodium and transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito.

Malayalam
Malayalam is a Dravidian dialect closely related to Tamil and widely spoken on the west coast of south India.

Malayalim
Malayalim is a Dravidian language allied to Tamil.

Maleic Acid
Maleic acid is a colourless, crystaline, water-soluble solid. It has an astringent taste and faint acidulous odour. It is used in the manufacture of synthetic resins, the dyeing and finishing of textiles, and as a preservative for fats and oils.

Maleic Anhydride
Maleic anhydride is a colourless, crystalline, unsaturated compound that is soluble in acetone and hydrolyses in water. It is used in the production of polyester resins, pesticides, fumaric acid and tartaric acid.

Maleic Hydrazide
Maleic hydrazide is a cystalline compound used as a plant growth inhibitor and weed-killer.

Malic acid
Malic acid is an organic compound extracted from fruits.

Malleable
Something which is malleable can be hammered into a new shape with out fracturing or returning to its original shape.

Mallet
A mallet is a large and heavy hammer, usually made of wood.

Malmsey
Malmsey is a strong, sweet wine with a strong flavour. It was originally made in Greece, but now most of it is made in Madeira.

Malonic Acid
Malonic acid is a white, crystalline, water-soluble dibasic acid easily decomposed by heat and used chiefly as an intermediate in the synthesis of barbiturates.

Malt
Malt is derived from grain, usually barley, which is steeped in water and made to germinate which causes the grain's starch to convert into saccharine matter, it is then dried in a kiln and used in the brewing of beer, distilling of whisky and other culinary uses.

Malted
see "Malt"

Malting
see "Malt"

Maltol
Maltol (Larixinic acid) is a crystalline compound obtained from larch bark, pine needles, chicory or roasted malt and used for enhancing flavours and aromas in foods, wines and perfumes.

Maltose
Maltose is a sugar formed naturally from starch during the germination of grain. It is two glucose molecules combined.

Mandolin
The mandolin is a stringed musical instrument descended from the lute.

Manganese
Manganese is a metal element with the symbol Mn.

Manna of St Nicholas of Bari
see "Aqua Tofana"

Mansbridge Capacitor
A Mansbridge capacitor is an electronic capactitor having metal foil plates and paper dielectric and so designed that, should the insulation break down to puncture of the dielectric, the discharge between the plates at the seat of the breakdown oxidises the metal and thus restores the insulation resistance.

Manx
Manx is a dialect of Gaelic once spoken in the Isle Of Man.

Margerine
see "Butterine"

Margerine Act
The Margerine Act of 1887 declared that butterine, and other substances like butter must be termed margerine. The term ''butter'' being restricted to the product of milk or cream, or both.

Marine Society
The Marine Society was an institution founded in 1756 by James Hanway for the instruction and maintenance of boys for the navy. It instituted the first training ship on the Thames in 1786, HMS Warspite which was burned in 1876 where upon the boys were removed to the Conqueror.

Mariolatry
Mariolatry is worship of the virgin Mary. It began in the 4th century and greatly increased in the 10th.

Mariotte's Law
see "Boyle's Law"

Marsala
Marsala is a dry or sweet Sicilian dessert wine, with a dark amber colour and a caramel flavour. It is fortified with grape juice that has been cooked and reduced to one-third of its original volume.

Maskador
Maskador is a tradename for para-di-chloro benzene

Masquerade
A masquerade is a party or dance at which fancy masks and costumes are worn.

Mass
In physics, mass is the quantity of matter which a body contains.

Master Disk
Master Disk by Rosenthal Engineering prepares PC floppy diskettes used as masters for software duplication and distribution. Software duplicated from these originals are more reliable and resistant to virus contamination. It examines the diskette and drive for flaws and errors, and verifies the quality and integrity as being suitable for use as the original master, fills unused sectors and boot tracks with special security code. The documentation includes extensive anti-virus test data.

MathCAD
MathCAD by MathSoft Inc. is a unique non-structured computer program that allows you to work with numbers logically in an open, flexible environment. The extraordinary calculating ability of MathCAD gives technical professionals the opportunity to explore mathematical options unavailable through standard spreadsheet-like programs. You enter equations and text anywhere and the program formats the equations, checks for errors, and solves the equation. Results may be displayed numerically or they may be plotted. Plots correspond to mathematics and change in real-time as equations are modified. MathCAD performs numerical operations on real and complex numbers. Precision is automatically monitored to 15 digits. Trigonometric, hyperbolic, logarithmic, and Bessel functions are built-in. Operators include absolute value, factorial, square root, summations, and subscripted variables. The product performs dimensional analysis automatically. You can solve systems of equations and perform matrix arithmetic. MathCAD's text-editing capability makes it easy to transform mathematical notes into specifications and document designs quickly and accurately.

Matter
In chemistry, matter is anything which occupies space and has mass.

Maund
The maund was a unit of measurement used in India around 1900. It is equivalent to 40 seer.

Maxi Form
Maxi Form by Herne Data Systems Ltd is a floppy disk formatting program for the PC that gives more space on a disk: 360k disks are expanded to 420k, 720 becomes 800k, 1.2 mb becomes 1.4 mb and 1.44 mb is boosted to 1.6 mb. The disks are user transparent to DOS version 3.20 or later and can be used interchangeably with normal DOS disks.

Maxibolin
Maxibolin is an anabolic steroid. It causes increased protein sythesis and amino acid consumption, androgensisis, catabolism, and gluticocototitosis. It is used for sports performance enhancement, relief and recovery from common injuries, rehabilitation, weight control, anti-insomnia, and regulation of sexuality, aggression, and cognition.

Maxwell
The maxwell is the c.g.s. unit of magnetic flux. It is now replaced by the SI unit, the weber (one maxwell equals 10-8 weber). The maxwell is a very small unit, representing a single line of magnetic flux. It is equal to the flux through one square centimetre normal to a magnetic field with an intensity of one gauss.

Maze
A maze is a confusing network of passages and winding interconnecting paths.
A maze was a British measurement for herring equal to 615 fish.

Mead
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey.

Meclofenamate
Meclofenamate is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat joint pain, stiffness, inflammation and swelling of arthritis and gout.

Meliorism
Meliorism is the doctrine that the world may be made better by human effort.

Melodeon
A melodeon is a type of accordion.

Melody
Melody is the tune of a piece of music.

Mendelevium
Mendelevium is an artificial metal radioactive element with the symbol Md.

Menispermine
Menispermine is an alkaloid discovered by Pelletier and Couerbe in the seeds of Menispermum cocculus. It crystallizes in prisms and in insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol and ether from which it deposits in the crystalline state.

Menkar
Menkar (Ceti) is the chief star of the constellation Cetus.

Menorah
A menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum used in Jewish worship.

Menthol
Menthol is an alcohol derivative of menthone and occurs in peppermint. It is also known as menthylic alcohol and camphor of peppermint.

Menthylic alcohol
see "Menthol"

Meperidine hydrochloride
Meperidine hydrochloride (Demerol hydrochloride) is a powerful blocker of pain messages to the brain. It is used in medicine as a relief of moderate to severe pain and as a pre-operative medication. It is injected or orally ingested.

Mequin
see "Methaqualone"

Mercuric Chloride
Mercuric Chloride (Corrosive Sublimate) is a compound (HgCl2) used medicinally as an antiseptic and as an astringent. It is extremely poisonous.

Mercuric cyanide
Mercuric cyanide is a very poisonous compound prepared by dissolving yellow mercuric oxide in aqueous hydrocyanic acid.

Mercury
Mercury is a dense, mobile, silvery liquid metal element, symbol Hg.

Mercury fulminate
Mercury fulminate is an explosive used in detonators and percussion caps.

Merman XXX
Merman XXX is a Scottish ale brewed with a mix of roast and crystal malts to a 19th century recipe by the Caledonian Brewing Company of Edinburgh.

Merry thought
A merry thought (or wish-bone) is the forked bone of a fowl's breast which is used in sport bu unmarried persons, each taking hold of and pulling at one of the forks, the possession of the longest piece being an omen of an early marriage to the one who gets it. In other folk-lore, the holder of the longest piece gets to make a wish.

Mesh
Mesh are an English PC manufacturer based in London with a reputation for producing high specification computers at a low price for the retail market, though they also operate a corporate wing for business customers. As of 1998 they are the sponsors of Charlton Athletic Football Club.

Mesh Elite 300H
The Mesh Elite 300H is an Intel Pentium II based PC. The CPU is clocked at 300 mhz and the PC is supplied with 128 mb of RAM, an 8 GB hard disk. CD-ROM, 17 inch monitor, 8 mb Hercules terminator 3d graphics card, Creative Labs PCI sound card, 50 watt speakers and a 56 kbps modem.

Mesmerism
Mesmerism (or hypnosis) was a system popularised by Franz Anton Mesmer who called it Animal Magnetism. He believed that the stars exercised an influence over men, and identifying this with magnetism sought to effect cures by stroking his patients with magnets. Finding that Gassner effected cures by stroking with his hand, Mesmer abandoned the use of magnets. The Marquis de Puysagur discovered that sleep could be induced by gentle manipulation and pioneered the scientific study of mesmerism away from Memser's mysterious approach.

Mesoderm
see "Germ layer"

Mesons
Mesons are charged particles observed in cosmic rays, and having rest masses greater than that of an electron but less than that of a proton.

Mesural
Mesural is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride

Metal
Metal is a class of elements.

Meteor
A meteor is a small solid body which sails through space.

Meteorite
A meteorite is a piece of rock or metal from space.

Meteorograph
A meteorograph is an apparatus for registering the various changes in the atmosphere in the form of a diagram. It was invented by father Secchi of Rome who received a prize for it at the Paris International Exhibition in July 1867.

Methane
Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon. It is an odourless gas that is explosive when mixed with oxygen.

Methanoic acid
Methanoic acid is a fuming liquid that occurs in stinging nettles.

Methanol
Methanol is the simplest alcohol having the formulae ch3oh.

Methaqualone
Methaqualone (Mequin, Parest, Quaalude, Rouqualone-300, Sopor, Torinal, Tuazole, Tuazolone) is a depressive drug which is orally ingested, injected, sniffed or smoked to decrease anxiety and tension.

Methatriol
Methatriol is an anabolic steroid. It causes increased protein sythesis and amino acid consumption, androgensisis, catabolism, and gluticocototitosis. It is used for sports performance enhancement, relief and recovery from common injuries, rehabilitation, weight control, anti-insomnia, and regulation of sexuality, aggression, and cognition.

Methodism
Methodism is a religious movement. It was founded by John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitfield in reaction to apathy within the Church of England.

Methyl aldehyde
see "Formaldehyde"

Methyl salicylate
Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil) is the essential oil of Gaultheria procumbens. It is an oily liquid with a pleasant smell used as a flavouring and for the preparation of natural salicylic acid.

Methyl-aniline
see "Toluidine"

Methyl-benzene
see "Toluene"

Methyl-guanidine-acetic acid
Methyl-guanidine-acetic acid (Creatine) is a naturally occurring amino-acid found in meat juices.

Methyl-phenol
see "Cresol"

Methyl-propylphenol
see "Thymo"

Methyl-theobromine
see "Caffeine"

Methyldopa
Methyldopa is a drug used for long lasting mild to severe high blood pressure. It has the possible side effects of: sedation, headache, weakness, dizziness, decreased mental acuity, depression, nightmares, decreased heart rate, swelling, weight gain, dry mouth, nasal stuffiness, diarrhea, skin rash and drug-induced fever.

Methylethyl acetic acid
Methylethyl acetic acid is an isomeric variety of valeric acid found in plants.

Methyltestoterone
Methyltestoterone is an anabolic steroid. It causes increased protein sythesis and amino acid consumption, androgensisis, catabolism, and gluticocototitosis. It is used for sports performance enhancement, relief and recovery from common injuries, rehabilitation, weight control, anti-insomnia, and regulation of sexuality, aggression, and cognition.

Methysergide
Methysergide is a vasoconstrictor drug used to prevent migraine and other recurring vascular headaches. It works by blocking the action of serotonin, a chemical that constricts blood vessels.

Metoprolol Tartrate
Metoprolol tartrate is a drug used to reduce high blood pressure. It has the possible side effects of: fatigue, lethargy, decreased heart rate, low blood pressure, congestive heart failure, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash and fever.

Metronome
A metronome is a device for regulating time in the performance of music. The first was patented in 1816.

Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a method of engraving on copper or steel.

Mho
Mho is the unit of conductance, the reciprocal of the ohm.

Miami Seahawks
see "Baltimore Colts"

Micrografx Designer
Micrografx Designer is a high-end illustration package that works under Microsoft Windows. It is designed primarily for graphic artists and technical illustrators who require tools beyond those found in the basic drawing packages. Micrografx Designer offers all the basic drawing tools typically found in drawing programs and includes features such as Bezier curves, curve smoothing, parabolas, polylines, and layering normally found in CAD programs. A freehand tool can be used to dynamically smooth and reduce the number of points in Bezier curves. The product sizes, scales, and rotates graphics and text in 1/10 degree increments, draws standard shapes and fills them with colour or patterns, and prints in colour or shades of gray. Micrografx Designer includes an autotrace feature to trace almost any scanned image including images saved in .PCX and TIFF format. This lets you create an object-oriented version that can be resized without loss of image quality or proportionality, and printed at high resolution. You also have the choice of tracing the entire image or only a portion. A zoom feature lets you do detailed work with three levels of magnification. Curves may be edited, smoothed, and unsmoothed.

Micrometer
A micrometer is an instrument for measuring minute lengths or angles with great accuracy; different types of micrometer are used in astronomical and engineering work.
The type of micrometer used in astronomy consists of two fine wires, one fixed and the other movable, placed in the focal plane of a telescope; the movable wire is fixed on a sliding plate and can be positioned parallel to the other until the object appears between the wires.
The movement is then indicated by a scale on the adjusting screw.
The micrometer calliper, of great value in engineering, has its adjustment effected by an extremely accurate fine-pitch screw (vernier).

Micron
The micron is a unit of length equal to one thousandth part of a millimetre.

Microphone
A microphone is the first component in a sound recording system. It converts sound waves into electrical energy. A simple microphone is the telephone receiver mouthpiece.

Microsoft Chart
Microsoft Chart is a very visual, high-end business-charting package that provides eight chart types in a total of 45 standard formats. Each format is pictured in a series of illustrated menus called the gallery so you see exactly how a chart type will look before you choose the format. The gallery shows examples of area, bar, column, high-low, line, mixed, pie, and scatter charts. Each chart type has five to eight standard formats from which to choose. Your data is immediately displayed in the format you have selected. You can even create a custom chart. If you find your data is not well-represented with the chosen chart type, it is easy to switch between formats until you find the one that best conveys the information you want to present. Because it is so easy to switch from one graph type to another, Microsoft Chart is excellent for finding the best fit between data and its graphic representation. Once you have found the appropriate format, you can tailor your chart to meet your precise needs. Microsoft Chart lets you improve the clarity of a chart by changing its four components: axis, data, labels, or legend. Text can be tailored to your chart by varying the font, size, location, or amount of text. You can even draw an arrow from a note to the element of the chart to be noted. You also have full flexibility to change the chart as a whole. For example, you can change size, colours, pattern, position, or border. As you modify, move, size, position, colour, and shade elements, you can watch the changes on the screen. To make working even simpler, the program offers automatic scaling, spacing, and centering for all elements of the chart. Microsoft Chart offers a hotlink between your chart and a spreadsheet file, so you can set the charts to automatically update when data in the originating program changes. Microsoft Chart also has an editor for inputting and correcting data from the keyboard.

Microtome
A microtome is an instrument used for cutting very thin sections of organic tissue for microscopic examination.

Mildew
Mildew is a growth of minute fungi.

Mile
The mile is a unit of the imperial scale of measurement of length equivalent to 8 furlongs, 1760 yards or 1.6093 kilometres.

Miliary Fever
see "Sweating Sickness"

Militaire
see "Three-Day Event"

Milky Way
The Milky Way is the large, disk-shaped aggregation of stars, or galaxy , that includes the sun and its solar system. Its name is derived from its appearance as a faintly luminous band that stretches across earth's sky at night. This band is the disk in which the solar system lies. Its hazy appearance results from the combined light of stars too far away to be distinguished individually by the unaided eye. The individual stars that are distinct in the sky are those in the Milky Way galaxy that lie sufficiently close to the solar system to be discerned separately. From the middle northern latitudes, the Milky Way is best seen on clear, moonless, summer nights, when it appears as a luminous, irregular band circling the sky from the northeastern to the southeastern horizon. It extends through the constellations Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. In the region of the Northern Cross it divides into two streams: the western stream, which is bright as it passes through the Northern Cross, fades near Ophiuchus, or the Serpent Bearer, because of dense dust clouds, and appears again in Scorpio; and the eastern stream, which grows brighter as it passes southward through Scutum and Sagittarius. The brightest part of the Milky Way extends from Scutum to Scorpio, through Sagittarius. The center is in the direction of Sagittarius and is about 26,000 light-years from the sun.

Millennium
Millennium is a period of measurement being 1000 years.

Millennium Master
Millennium Master from MFX Research is a software package for the PC which can change short date formats in all applications and data files by catching them at the machine code level. The package claims to work with all custom and bespoke applications, changing the dates to a year 2000 compliant format.

Mineral
A mineral is an element or compound occurring naturally due to inorganic processes.

Ming
Ming is the name of the Chinese dynasty which ruled from 1368 to 1644.

Minuet
The Minuet is a dance which came to Paris in 1650 and reached its greatest popularity in the reign of Louis XV. It combined gracefulness with ceremonial formality.

Miocene
The Miocene was the sixteenth geological period, 25,000,000 years ago. The first apes evolved.

Miosis
Miosis is contstriction of the pupil.

Mirror-iron
see "Spiegel-eisen"

Miscible
In chemistry, miscible refers to being capable of being mixed.

Mixture
In chemistry, a mixture is an aggregate of two or more substances which are not chemically combined and which exist in no fixed proportion to one another.

Mizen
see "Mizzen"

Mizzen
A mizzen is the fore and aft sail on the after side of the mizzen-mast of a three-masted ship.

MMX
MMX is a set of multimedia instructions built into Intel's microprocessors. MMX-enabled microprocessors can handle many common multimedia operations, such as as digital signal processing (DSP) that are normally handled by a separate sound or video card.

Modem
Modem is a contraction of the term Modulator/Demodulator. It is a device that modulates and demodulates signals on and off a ''carrier'' frequency. It is not limited to computer data use, thus the telco-specific term ''data set'' for data modems.

Modulation
Modulation is alterations in the characteristics of analog carrier waves, impressed on the amplitude, phase and/or the frequency of the wave.

Molal solution
In chemistry, a molal solution is a solution containing one mole of a solute in 1,000 grams of solute.

Molar solution
In chemistry, a molar solution is a solution which contains 1 gram-molecular weight of solute in one liter of solution.

Mole
In chemistry, a mole is the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams.

Molecular weight
In chemistry, molecular weight is the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule.

Molecule
A molecule is the smallest particle of any substance that can exist and still exhibit the properties of the substance.

Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a metal element with the symbol Mo.

Monday
Monday is the first day of the week.

Monoamine
A monoamine is a biogenic amine neurotransmitter with a single amino group.

Monosaccharide
Monosaccharide is a simple carbohydrate.

Monsoon
A monsoon is a seasonal wind occasioned by the deflection of permanent winds from their normal path through the heating of a neighbouring land mass.

Month
The month is a unit of measurement of time based upon the motion of the moon around the earth.

Moon
The moon is the natural satellite of the earth. It is 3476 km in diameter and has a mass 1/8th that of the earth. It orbits the earth every 27.32 days.

Morals and Health Act
The Morals and Health Act was passed in 1802 as the first legislation in Britain to improve the appaling conditions in British factories.

More
More by Symantec is a powerful outlining tool which integrates multiple presentation capabilities. The program provides a variety of tools to plan, organise, and produce presentations efficiently. More features advanced outline for organizing ideas and information, a built-in word processor, drawing capabilities, and an on-screen slide show function. More provides the ability to use two monitors: one for the audience to display the presentation, and one for the presenter to display speaker's notes, a mini view of the presentation, and the time elapsed. More contains an outline processor that lets you gather, sort, organise, and reorganise information in virtually limitless ways. Word processing capabilities include wrapping headlines, headers and footers, page breaks, rules, automatic on-screen labeling, and a 100,000-word spell checker. More lets you create presentation-quality tree charts or bullet charts from outlines. It maintains lists of things to do, client information, or your personal calendar. More's powerful outline-editing feature lets you organise ideas and rearrange outlines to suit your needs. You can expand and contract sections, zoom in on a line, and add descriptive text. You can use templates to save frequently used formats such as addresses or expenses. Several templates are included or you can create your own. Similar to other desktop presentation programs, More lets you create colour or black-and-white slide shows, overhead transparencies, or hard copy complete with speaker's notes and audience handouts. Templates increase the production speed of a presentation and slides can be re-ordered from the outline or thumbnail sketch view. More can also be used to create organisation charts. The spell checker and thesaurus included with More can be used with other applications such as word processors that do not contain a spell checker or thesaurus.

Moreen
Moreen is a fabric made from wool or wool and cotton in imitation of moire.

Moroxite
Moroxite is the crystallised form of apatite, occurring in crystals of a brownish or greenish-blue colour.

Morphia
see "Morphine"

Morphine
Morphine is an opium alkaloid used to treat severe pain.

Morphine sulphate
Morphine sulphate (Astramorph, Duramorph, MS Contin, MSIR, Roxanol SR, Roxanol 100, RMS) blocks pain messages to the brain and spinal cord. It is a respiratory depressive and causes miosis. It is injected, or administered orally in a suspension to relieve moderate to severe acute and chronic pain and to facilitate the induction of anesthesia.

Morse Code
Morse Code is a telegraphic code, devised by S. F. B. Morse, wherein letters, figures etc. are represented by differing arrangements of long and short pulses (dots and dashes).

Mountaineering
Mountaineering is the practice of climbing mountains.

MS Contin
MS Contin is a tradename for morphine sulphate.

MS-DOS
MS-DOS (MicroSoft Disk Operating System) is a clone of CP/M for the 8088 put together in six weeks by hacker Tim Paterson, who is said to have regretted it ever since. It has numerous features, including vaguely UNIX-like but rather broken support for subdirectories, I/O redirection, and pipelines, were hacked into version 2.0 and subsequent versions; as a result, there are two or more incompatible versions of many system calls, and MS-DOS programmers can never agree on basic things like what character to use as an option switch or whether to be case-sensitive. The resulting mess is now the highest-unit-volume OS in history. Often known simply as DOS, which annoys people familiar with other similarly abbreviated operating systems (the name goes back to the mid-1960s, when it was attached to IBM's first disk operating system for the 360). The name further annoys those who know what the term operating system does (or ought to) connote; DOS is more properly a set of relatively simple interrupt services.

MSIR
MSIR is a tradename for morphine sulphate.

MTBF
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) is a statistical method developed and administered by the U.S. military for purposes of estimating maintenance levels required by various devices and systems. Since accurate statistics require a basis of ''failures per million hours of operation,'' an MTBF estimate on a single device is not very accurate; it would take 114 years to see if the device really had that many failures! Similarly, since the MTBF is an estimate of averages, half of the devices can be expected to fail before then, and half after. MTBF cannot be used as a guarantee. Telecommunications systems operate on the principle of ''Availability,'' for which there is a body of CCITT Recommendations.

Mu-metal
Mu-metal is a nickel-iron alloy characterised by its high permeability at low field strengths and its small hysterisis losses.

Mudrane GG
see "Phenobarbital"

Muffle
A muffle is an arched fire-brick furnace used in assaying operations.

Mullagatawny
Mullagatawny is a soup made with meat cut into small pieces and mixed with rice and curry-powder.

Multileaving
Multileaving is an IBM Bisync-era method of interspersing message blocks for various applications on a single line.

Multum
Multum is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride

Mum
Mum is a malt liquor made of malt wheat, oats and bean meal. It was brewed extensively in Brunswick at the start of the 20th century.

Mummy
A mummy is any dead body, human or animal, that has been naturally or artificially preserved. Natural mummification can occur through freezing, drying, or preservation in bogs or oil seeps. Artificial mummification may be achieved by embalming (for example, the mummies of ancient Egypt) or by freeze-drying.

Mumps
Mumps is an infectious disease which attacks the young and consists of a painful inflammation of the salivary glands with swelling along the neck.

Mungo
Mungo is a material similar to shoddy which is made from old woollen fabrics which have been torn up for remaking.

Munjeet
Munjeet is a dye obtained from the roots of the Rubia cordifolia plant which is grown in India.

Muriatic Acid
Muriatic Acid was a former name for Hydrochloric acid.

Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law reads: "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it."

Murrine
Murrine vases were priceless vessels brought from Carmania in Persia and used in ancient Rome as winecups where it was believed they would break if poison was mixed with the wine.

Musk
Musk is a substance used in perfume and obtained from the Musk-deer. Musk is also used in medicine as an antispasmodic.

Muslin
Muslin is a fine thin cotton fabric first imported into England in 1670 from India.

Mycetoma
Mycetoma is a painless swelling caused by infection from Eumycetes becoming matted together with soft body tissues. The fungus often enters the body with a thorn, and legions are common on the legs and feet giving rise to its popular name of Madura Foot.

Myckle ail
Myckle ail is the old English name for leprosy.

Mycology
Mycology is the study of fungi, including the identification, description and classification of the great diversity of fungi.

Myopia
Myopia, (shortsightedness), is a visual defect that causes blurred distance vision. Except in extreme cases, near vision remains clear. In most myopic people, the eyeball is longer than normal from front to back. As a result, light rays from a distant object meet in front of the retina.

Myrrh
Myrrh is a gum resin produced by a tree found in Arabia. It is used as incense and in embalming.

Myxoedema
Myxoedema is a thyroid deficiency.

N-hexane
N-hexane is a chemical made from crude oil. It is used in laboratories, primarily when it is mixed with similar chemicals to produce solvents. Common names for these solvents are commercial hexane, mixed hexanes, petroleum ether, and petroleum naphtha. The major use for solvents containing n-hexane is to extract vegetable oils from crops such as soybeans, flax, peanuts, and safflower seed. They are also used as cleaning agents in the textile, furniture, shoemaking, and printing industries, particularly rotogravure printing. N-hexane is also an ingredient of special glues that are used in the roofing, shoe, and leather industries. N-hexane is used in binding books, working leather, shaping pills and tablets, canning, manufacturing tyres, and making baseballs. Consumer products that contain small amounts of n-hexane include petrol, rubber cement, typeover correction fluids, non-mercury thermometers, alcohol preparations, and aerosols in perfumes. N-hexane is also a component of preparations such as paint thinners, general purpose solvents, degreasing agents, or cleaners. N-hexane is a colourless liquid with a slightly disagreeable odour. It evaporates very easily into the air and dissolves only sightly in water. It is highly flammable, and its vapors can be explosive. It may be ignited by heat, sparks, and flames. Flammable vapor may spread away from a spill. N-hexane can react vigorously with oxidizing materials such as liquid chlorine, concentrated oxygen, and sodium hypochlorite. It will attack some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings. It is insoluble in water and miscible with alcohol, chloroform, and ether. It is incompatible with strong oxidizers. N-hexane is also known as hexane and hexyl hydride.

N-Nitrosodiphenylamine
N-Nitrosodiphenylamine is a yellow or orange-brown solid with no odour. It is soluble in acetone, ethanol, benzene, and ethylene dichloride. Its flash point and flammability limits are unknown. It is not a naturally occurring substance; it is a man-made chemical that was used in rubber compounding as a retarder to prevent premature vulcanization of rubber compounds during mixing and other processing operations. It was generally used with sulphenamide accelerators in tyre compounds and other mechanical goods. N-Nitrosodiphenylamine was also used as an intermediate in the manufacture of p-nitrosodiphenylamine, which was subsequently used to produced N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine and other rubber-processing chemicals. American manufacturers stopped producing N-nitrosodiphenylamine in the early 1980s because new and more efficient chemicals were found to replace it. It also had several undesirable side effects which do not occur with replacement chemicals. N-nitrosodiphenylamine is also known as diphenylnitrosoamine, N-nitroso-n-phenylaniline, N-nitroso-n-phenylbenzenamine, N,n-diphenylnitrosoamine, nitrous diphenylamide, NDPA, and NDPhA.

NACK
Nack (nak) is the 'Negative Acknowledge' character in many data codes; typically used to indicate receipt of a corrupted message, ordering retransmission.

Nail
The nail is a unit of the imperial measurement of length equivalent to 1/16 yards.

NAK
see "NACK"

Naphthalene
Naphthalene is a white solid hydrocarbon with a strong smell; is also called mothballs, moth flakes, white tar, and tar camphor. Naphthalene is a natural component of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal; it is also formed when natural products such as wood or tobacco are burned. The principal use for naphthalene is as an intermediate in the production of phthalic anhydride, which is used as an intermediate in the production of phthalate plasticizers, resins, phthaleins, dyes, pharmaceuticals, insect repellents, and other materials; other products made from naphthalene are moth repellents, in the form of mothballs or crystals, and toilet and diaper pail deodorant blocks. Naphthalene is also used for making leather tanning agents, and the insecticide carbaryl. There are two common compounds related to naphthalene: 1-methylnaphthalene (C11H10), also called alpha-methylnaphthalene; and 2-methylnaphthalene (C11H10), called beta-methylnaphthalene. Naphthalene evaporates easily; when its vapors are mixed with air, the mixture can burn easily. It is soluble in benzene, alcohol, ether, and acetone; it is soluble in water at 20 degrees C. It is a moderate fire hazard when exposed to heat or flame; it reacts with oxidizing materials and chromium anhydride. It is a moderate explosion hazard, in the form of dust, when exposed to heat or flame. Naphthalene is also known as naphthalin, naphthaline, tar camphor, white tar, NCI-C52904, albocarbon, and naphthene.

Narcotic
A narcotic is a sleep inducing and analgesic drug.

NASA
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is an American government agency founded in 1958 for space flight and aeronautical research. Its headquarters are in Washington DC. Its main installation is the Kennedy Space Centre.

Nascent
In chemistry, nascent is the condition of an element that has just been released in the monatomic state in a chemical reaction.

National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery in London. It was started in 1824 when the British government purchased the Angerstein collection of 38 pictures for 57,000 pounds. The first exhibition of them took place on the 10th of May 1824 in Pall-mall.

Nature
Nature is a weekly illustrated scientific journal. It first appeared on the 4th of November 1869 edited by Joseph Norman Lockyer.

Nautical Mile
The Nautical Mile is a unit of measurement used by ships. It is 1852 meters long.

Nebula
A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in space. Before the invention of the telescope, the term nebula was applied to all celestial objects of a diffuse appearance. As a result, many objects now known to be star clusters or galaxies were originally called nebulas. Nebulas exist within other galaxies as well as in our own Milky Way galaxy. They are classified as planetary nebulas, supernova remnants, and diffuse nebulas, including reflecting, emission, and dark nebulas. Small, very bright nebulas called Herbig-Haro objects are found in dense interstellar clouds and are probably the products of gas jets expelled by new stars in the process of formation. Planetary nebulas, or planetaries, are so called because many of them superficially resemble planets through telescopes. They are actually shells of material that an old average star sheds during a late, red giant stage in its evolution, before becoming a white dwarf. The Ring nebula of the constellation Lyra, a typical planetary, has a rotational period of 132,900 years and a mass calculated to be about 14 times that of the earth's sun. Several thousand planetaries have been discovered in the Milky Way. More spectacular but fewer in number are nebulas that are the fragments of supernova explosions, perhaps the most famous of which is the Crab nebula in Taurus, now fading at the rate of about 0.4 percent per year. Nebulas of this kind are strong emitters of radio waves, as a result of the explosions that formed them and the probable pulsar remnants of the original star. Diffuse nebulas are extremely large structures, often many light-years wide, that have no definite outline and a tenuous, cloudlike appearance. They are either luminous or dark. The former shine as a result of the light of neighboring stars. They include some of the most striking objects in the sky, such as the Great nebula in Orion. The tremendous streams of matter in the diffuse nebulas are intermingled in violent, chaotic currents. Many thousands of
uminous nebulas are known. Spectral studies show that light emanating from them consists of reflected light from stars and also, in so-called emission nebulas, of stimulated radiation of ionized gases and dust from the nebulas themselves. Dark, diffuse nebulas are observed as nonluminous clouds or faintly luminous, obscuring portions of the Milky Way and too distant from the stimulation of neighboring stars to reflect or emit much light of their own. One of the most famous dark nebulas is the Horsehead nebula in Orion, so named for the silhouette of the dark mass in front of a more luminous nebular region. The longest dark rift observed on photographic plates of the star clouds of the Milky Way is a succession of dark nebulas. Both dark nebulas and luminous nebulas are considered likely sites for the processes of dust-cloud condensation and the formation of new stars.

Nematodes
see "nematode"

Nembutal
see "Phenobarbital"

Nemean Games
The Nemean Games were a Greek athletic contest named after the city of Nemea and dating from 516 BC. They were held every 2 years and the prize was a crown of wild celery or a pine wreath.

Neon
Neon is an inert gaseous element with the symbol Ne. It is one of the rare components of the atmosphere and is used in some forms of discharge tubes and lamps, in which it gives a characteristic red glow.

Neper
The neper is a unit used for comparing two currents, in a similar way to the bel or decibel.

Neptunium
Neptunium is an artificial element with the symbol Np produced in nuclear reactors.

Neuralgia
Neuralgia is a pain originating from the nerves.

Neurosis
Neurosis is a mild mental condition of emotional disorders.

Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is surgery upon the brain or spinal cord.

Neutrino
A neutrino is a short-lived uncharged particle of zero or near zero rest mass. They occur in certain nuclear reactions.

Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic uncharged particle, of slightly greater mass than a proton and forming a constituent part of the nucleus of all atoms except hydrogen atoms, which consist of a single proton. It may be considered as the equivalent of one proton and one electron.

Neve
In geography, neve is snow which has become a hard crystalline mass, but has not been compacted into ice.

New English Art Club
The New English Art Club is a British society founded in 1886 by a group of artists whose progressive work was being largely rejected by the Royal Academy. Their work was largely influenced by recent French work.

Newspaper
A newspaper is a publication reporting and commenting upon news. The first newspapers were published by the Romans.

Niacin
see "Vitamin B3"

Nickel
Nickel is a metal element with the symbol Ni.

Nickel Silver
Nickel Silver (German Silver, Pack-Fong) is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc in different proportions. Sometimes lead is added if the alloy is destined for making candlesticks or casts.

Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid derived from the leaves of tobacco.

Nicotinic acid
see "Vitamin B3"

Niello
Niello is a black, metal, amalgam of sulphur added to copper, silver or lead and used for filling engraved lines in metal objects.

Nifedipine
Nifedipine is a calcium-channel blocker, anti-arrhythmic and anti-anginal drug used to prevent angina attacks, treat Reynaud's disease, treat high blood pressure and treat spasm of the esophagus.

Nimbostratus
Nimbostratus is a type of cloud, low, dark grey and trailing.

Nimbus
A nimbus is a bright cloud or halo added to pictures of saints etc. implying deity.

Niobium
Niobium is a metal element with the symbol Nb.

Nisan
see "Abib"

Nitrate
A nitrate is any salt of nitric acid.

Nitrazepam
Nitrazepam is a hypnotic drug given by mouth to treat insomnia.

Nitric acid
Nitric acid (Aqua fortis) is produced by the oxidation of ammonia.

Nitro Keg
Nitro Keg is a strong copper-coloured dry ale from the Ash Vine brewery at Frome in Somerset.

Nitro-glycerine
Nitro-glycerine is a powerful explosive produced from nitric acid and glycerol.

Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, gaseous element which constitutes 78% of the atmosphere by volume, and occurs as a constituent of all living tissues in combined form. It has the symbol N.

Nitrogen mustard
Nitrogen mustard, in its pure form, occurs as a dark liquid with a faint fishy odor. It is fairly volatile and decomposes slowly on standing, forming the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt. It is very slightly soluble in water. Nitrogen mustard hydrochloride, which is the form produced commercially for sale, is composed of large white, hygroscopic crystals that are soluble in water and methanol. When heated to decomposition, nitrogen mustard emits very toxic fumes of hydrochloric acid and other chlorinated compounds as well as nitrogen oxides (NOx). As formulated for injection, nitrogen mustard hydrochloride contains 100% +/- 10% active ingredient. Currently, the only known commercial use of nitrogen mustard is as a chemical intermediate in the production of its hydrochloride. Nitrogen mustard hydrochloride is used as an antineoplastic agent, either alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, to treat neoplastic diseases, including Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, generalized lymphosarcoma, mycosis fungoides, and bronchogenic carcinoma. Also, it is used to control pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions caused by metastatic tumors. Clinical investigations have been performed in the past to evaluate its usefulness in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and a variety of other nonmalignant diseases. Research has also been conducted to investigate its use as a chemosterilant and as a cross-linking agent for the manufacture of ion-exchange fibers. Formerly, the pure form of nitrogen mustard was produced for use as a vesicant in chemical warfare.

Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is an analgesic gas. It causes analgesia, delirium and loss of motor control (which makes its use in pregnancy labour rather questionable), elation and excitement.

No*Stop Suprdupe
No*Stop Suprdupe by Nonstop Networks Limited, is a computer program that makes two drives the same. It "synchronizes" them. It works with any two drives, so long as the "target" is large enough to hold the data on the "source". It can make a floppy disk look like a subdirectory of your hard disk, or make your RAMdrive look like a subdirectory of your hard disk. Scrub a complex data structure (such as a demo) from your hard disk. Dump important structures and data to a removable device for backup and safekeeping. It can be used to copy data only if the date/time, attributes or size are different.

Nobelium
Nobelium is a radioactive metal element with the symbol No.

Noble gases
In chemistry, the noble gases are a family of elements consisting of helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.

Nocardia
Nocardia is a bacteria found in soil which causes nocardiosis.

Nocardiosis
Nocardiosis is a disease affecting the skin, lungs and brain resulting in abscesses.

NoiseKiller
NoiseKiller by Jean-Pierre Menicucci is a computer program to spin IDE drives down when they are unused. The drives start spinning again as soon as they are accessed.

Nonelectrolyte
In chemistry, a nonelectrolyte is a compound whose water solution does not conduct an electric current.

Nones
In the Roman calendar, the nones were the fifth day of each month, excepting March, May, July and October when the nones fell on the seventh day.

Noose
A noose is a loop with a running knot which tightens as the string is pulled.

Normal solution
In chemistry, a normal solution is a solution which contains 1 gram-equivalent weight of a solute in 21 litres of solution.

Norse
The term Norse refers to ancient Norway.

North Star
The North Star (polestar) is a conspicuous star in the northern hemisphere, located closest to the point toward which the axis of the earth is directed, thus roughly marking the location of the north celestial pole. A polestar has been used by navigators throughout recorded history for charting navigation routes and is still used for determining true azimuth and astronomic latitude. The positions of the celestial poles change as the earth's axis moves with the earth's precessional motion, and as the north celestial pole assumes different positions relative to the constellations, different stars become the North Star.
During the past 5000 years the line of direction of the North Pole has moved from the star Thuban, or Alpha Draconis, in the constellation Draco, to within one degree of the bright star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor, which is now the North Star.

Nova
A nova is a faint star that suddenly erupts in brightness.

Novell Advanced NetWare
Advanced NetWare is a powerful LAN operating system package that lets you link up to 100 PCs to a file server to share files and network resources such as printers. With Advanced NetWare installed in an 80286 or better based PC, you can achieve minicomputer-like performance while you continue to use your PC-based applications. Advanced NetWare can be configured as either a dedicated or non-dedicated system upon installation. Taking full advantage of the power of the processor, this product uses up to 12Mb of RAM and more than 2Mb of hard disk storage to support up to 100 users per server. Because it is fully compatible with IBM's NetBIOS, it works with the many multi-user applications available for the IBM Token-Ring and PC Network. Compatible with over 80 popular network hardware adapters and topologies, the package offers the utmost in flexibility. For example, if the layout of your building requires multiple cable-types, you could connect an ARCNET segment in one part of the building, an Ethernet in another, and a Token-Ring somewhere else. If you already have a non-Novell network installed, you can switch to Advanced or SFT NetWare and take advantage of the package's sophisticated security, power, and flexibility. Advanced NetWare provides operating system support for NetWare for Macintosh, a VAP (Value Added Process), and offers transparent protocol connectivity between IPX and Apple's AFP. Using NetWare for Macintosh and Novell NL1000 AppleTalk network interface card, you can connect any AppleTalk network or network device (such as Apple LaserWriters) to a Novell file server running NetWare version 2.15.

Novell ELS NetWare
Novell ELS NetWare Level I is Novell's Entry Level Solution non-dedicated network operating system software for small workgroups or offices. Designed for those who need the advantages of networking but who are afraid that network installation is too complex. LAN operations such as file and resource sharing are supported. Much less expensive and easier to install than Novell's other LAN software, Novell ELS NetWare Level I is a non-dedicated LAN operating system that supports up to four network users simultaneously. The package includes many of the features of Novell's other LAN software, such as menu-driven operation, print spooling, and a custom menuing program, and supports up to five network server-attached printers. Novell ELS NetWare Level II supports up to eight concurrent users. Unlike ELS NetWare Level I, it includes many key features and network management tools of Novell Advanced NetWare, such as resource accounting, system security, basic system fault tolerance, and hardware independence. ELS NetWare Level II offers the choice of dedicated or non-dedicated 80286 modes of operation. A read-after-write verification is performed whenever data is written to the network hard disk insuring that the data is re-readable. If the read-after-write verification finds a faulty area of the hard disk, Hot Fix labels it as bad, lists it in the bad block table, and automatically writes data to undamaged areas. ELS NetWare Level II provides operating system support for NetWare for Macintosh, a VAP (Value Added Process), and offers transparent protocol connectivity between IPX Apple's AFF. Using NetWare for Macintosh and Novell NL1000 AppleTalk network interface card, you can connect any AppleTalk network or network device (such as Apple LaserWriters) to a Novell file server running NetWare version 2.15.

Novocaine
Novocaine is a synthetic drug widely used as a local anaesthetic. It has replaced cocaine, being equally strong when injected-but only one-third as toxic and not habit-forming. It is, however, not nearly so effective when used as a surface anaesthetic. It is always used with adrenaline.

Nucleic acid
Nucleic acid is a complex organic acid forming the basis of heredity.

Nucleus
The nucleus is the positively charged central part of an atom.

Numismatics
Numismatics is the study of coins and medals.

Nyctophobia
see "Scotophobia"

Nylon
Nylon is a synthetic plastic similar in chemical structure to protein.

o-Toludine Hydrochloride
o-Toludine Hydrochloride is a crystalline, colourless to white sand like material used to make various dyes and colours fast to acids.

Copyright 1997,1998 Servile Software Enquiries to Matthew Probert

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