Word Of The Day
Dorland's Word of the Day is a great way to broaden your knowledge of medical terminology. With a new and interesting term brought to you from the 32nd edition of Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary each day, it's an easy and fun way to increase your medical vocabulary!
You can view a new word on this website each day.
Today's Word
threshold substances
those substances in the blood, such as glucose, that are excreted when they reach their renal threshold.
Word of the Day Archive
Prunus serotina
the wild cherry, a large American tree with dark bark and thick oval leaves that yields the flavoring wild cherry. Both its leaves and its seeds contain cyanogenetic compounds and ingestion of large amounts can cause cyanide poisoning.
bilious vomiting
the vomiting of bile; called also cholemesis.
flicker
the visual sensation produced by regular flashes of light; the flashes may appear to flutter or to be steady according to the rate of interruption; called also flicker phenomenon.
caput ulnare musculi extensoris carpi ulnaris
the ulnar head of the extensor carpi ulnaris muscle, arising from the posterior border of the ulna.
aluminum poisoning
the toxic effects of high levels of aluminum or aluminum compounds in the body. In the gastrointestinal tract aluminum inhibits absorption of calcium, fluorides, iron, and phosphates; inhalation of bauxite fumes may cause pulmonary fibrosis; and aluminum in the bloodstream may lead to neurological symptoms that can be fatal.
colostrum
the thin, yellow, milky fluid secreted by the mammary gland before or after parturition. It contains up to 20 per cent protein, predominant among which are immunoglobulins, representing the antibodies found in maternal blood. It contains more minerals and less fat and carbohydrate than does milk.
hair
1. a long, slender filament. 2. one of the filamentous appendages growing out of the skin, consisting primarily of keratin, and comprising a cylindrical shaft and a root, which is contained in a follicle. In anatomical terminology, hairs in different locations are given specific names, e.g., pili, capilli, tragi, vibrissae, pubes, hirci.