| mesdames |
pl. of madame. |
| mesdemoiselles |
pl. of mademoiselle. |
| mesencephalon |
the midbrain. |
| mesentery |
the membrane that encloses the small intestine and connects it to the spinal wall of the abdomen. |
| mesh |
any of the open spaces in a net, sieve, wire screen, or the like. [8 definitions] |
| meshuga |
(informal) crazy; insane. |
| meshwork |
something of or like mesh; meshes or network. |
| mesmerism |
the theories and practices of Franz Mesmer, esp. those involving hypnotism and magnetic attraction of living beings. |
| mesmerize |
to induce a hypnotic trance in; hypnotize. [2 definitions] |
| meso- |
middle. |
| mesoblast |
in an embryo, the middle layer of cells; mesoderm. |
| mesocarp |
the middle layer or fleshy part of a ripened fruit. |
| mesoderm |
in an embryo, the middle layer of cells from which the skeletal, muscular, connective, and other tissues develop. |
| Mesolithic |
(sometimes l.c.) designating the Stone Age cultural period from about 10,000 to about 8,000 B.C., between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods, characterized by the use of small flint tools set in bone or wood. |
| mesomorphic |
of or pertaining to a muscular human body type. (Cf. ectomorphic, endomorphic.) |
| meson |
any of a group of elementary particles that react strongly with other particles, and that have a mass between that of the electron and that of the proton. |
| mesosphere |
the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, or from twenty miles to fifty miles above the earth's surface. |
| mesothelioma |
a tumor of the mesothelium, often malignant and possibly caused by the breathing in of particles of asbestos. |
| mesothelium |
the cell layer that lines such body cavities as the heart, chest, and abdomen. |
| Mesozoic |
of, relating to, or designating the geological era between the Paleozoic and the Cenozoic, from approximately 220 million to 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs appeared and became extinct and ferns were abundant. [2 definitions] |
| mesquite |
any of several shrubs or small trees of the legume family, found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, which bear pods rich in sugar that are used as fodder for livestock. [2 definitions] |