accumulator |
an apparatus in a hydraulic or pneumatic system that stores and regulates the supply of fluid that provides pressure in the system. [1/3 definitions] |
acetylcholine |
a form of this compound used in medicine for its ability to decrease blood pressure and cause muscular movement in such organs as the alimentary canal. [1/2 definitions] |
acupressure |
a process or technique intended to relieve pain or cure disease by the application of pressure with the hands to specific parts of the body. [1/2 definitions] |
Addison's disease |
a disease caused by disturbance or failure of the adrenal glands, resulting in anemia, low blood pressure, weakness, and an abnormal brownish tinge to the skin. |
adiabatic |
of, relating to, or denoting a process that occurs without loss or gain of heat, such as a change in the volume or pressure of the contents of a container. |
aerosol |
a liquid that is in a container under pressure and comes out in a fine spray. [1/2 definitions] |
air bladder |
an air-filled sac in various animals and plants, esp. such a structure located near the spine of certain fish that functions to maintain buoyancy by regulating hydrostatic pressure. (See swim bladder.) |
air lock |
an airtight compartment in which the air pressure can be regulated, usu. situated between two areas that have different air pressures, as in underwater operations. [1/2 definitions] |
air mass |
a body of air that covers a wide area and has little horizontal variation in temperature, pressure, or moisture. |
air pressure |
the force of air on things. Air pressure has to do with how much force air has when it has been compressed into a space like a tire. It is also the pressure of the earth's atmosphere. |
analog computer |
a computer that uses physical quantities such as pressure or electric voltages to represent data. (Cf. digital computer.) |
aneroid barometer |
a barometer that uses a thin metal disk covering a partial vacuum, such that a change in atmospheric pressure results in a corresponding change in the shape of the disk and moves the indicator needle. |
anticyclone |
a large system of winds that rotates around a center of high barometric pressure, moving clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern, and usu. producing cool, dry weather. (Cf. cyclone.) |
arm-twisting |
(informal) the use of unrelenting or unethical pressure in an effort to persuade someone to do something. |
artesian well |
a well dug through impermeable strata, reaching water that is under pressure. |
autoclave |
a container made to hold superheated steam under pressure, used for sterilizing medical instruments or the like or for cooking. [1/2 definitions] |
backbone |
courage under pressure; the quality of not giving in. [1/2 definitions] |
balloon tire |
a wide tire with deep walls that is inflated with relatively low air pressure to cushion shocks or facilitate travel on sand. |
bar2 |
a unit of pressure equal to one million dynes per square centimeter. |
baro- |
weight; pressure. |
barogram |
a visual record of atmospheric pressure over time, produced by a barograph. |