| Meiji |
the name given to the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito of Japan, who ruled from 1867 to 1912. |
| Meiji Restoration |
a period in Japanese history that is characterized by the downfall of feudalism and the opening of Japan to trade and diplomatic relations with the West. |
| meiosis |
the process in which the diploid chromosomes of a cell are replicated once, followed by two divisions of the nucleus, to give rise to four haploid cells that may develop into gametes or spores. |
| Meistersinger |
a member of a medieval German guild organized for the cultivation of music and poetry. |
| Mekong |
a major river originating in China and flowing southeast through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. |
| Mekong Delta |
an expansive delta region formed by the Mekong River in southeast Vietnam, whose wetlands make it a major rice producer. The Mekong Delta was a scene of heavy combat between U.S. and Viet Cong troops during the Viet Nam War. |
| Mekong River |
a major river originating in China and flowing southeast through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. |
| melamed |
one who teaches children in a Jewish school. |
| melamine |
a white crystalline solid, used in the manufacture of resins. |
| melancholia |
a mental illness characterized by depression and withdrawal. |
| melancholic |
suffering or inclined to suffer from melancholy; sad, gloomy, or depressed. [2 definitions] |
| melancholy |
a sad, gloomy, or depressed state or quality. [3 definitions] |
| Melanesia |
one of the three principal Pacific island groups, south of the equator, stretching from northeast of New Guinea to Fiji. (Cf. Micronesia, Polynesia.) |
| Melanesian |
of or pertaining to Melanesia or its people, cultures, languages, or the like. [3 definitions] |
| mélange |
a mixture, usu. of very dissimilar elements. |
| melanin |
a dark pigment that colors the skin, hair, and other tissue of humans and some animals. |
| melanism |
an esp. high amount of dark pigmentation, as in hair, skin, feathers, or the like. [2 definitions] |
| melano- |
dark; black. |
| melanocyte |
an epidermal cell in birds and mammals that produces and stores the pigment melanin. |
| melanoma |
a malignant tumor, esp. of the skin or eye, that is darkly pigmented with melanin. |
| melatonin |
a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that is important in regulating the body's response to biological rhythms such as the light-dark cycle. |