meiosis
meiosis: n.
1 Biol. a type of cell division that results in daughter cells with half the chromosome number of the parent cell (cf. MITOSIS).
2 = LITOTES. øømeiotic adj. meiotically adv. [mod.L f. Gk meiosis f. meioo lessen f. meion less]

minesweeper
minesweeper: n. a ship for clearing away floating and submarine mines.

maharaja
maharaja: n. (also maharajah) hist. a title of some Indian princes. [Hindi maharaja f. maha great + RAJA]

morality
morality: n. (pl. -ies.
1 the degree of conformity of an idea, practice, etc., to moral principles.
2 right moral conduct.
3 a lesson in morals.
4 the science of morals.
5 a particular system of morals (commercial morality).
6 (in pl.) moral principles; points of ethics.
7 (in full morality play) hist. a kind of drama with personified abstract qualities as the main characters and inculcating a moral lesson, popular in the 16th c. [ME f. OF moralit÷ or LL moralitas f. L (as MORAL)]

monetary
monetary: adj.
1 of the currency in use.
2 of or consisting of money. øømonetarily adv. [F mon÷taire or LL monetarius f. L (as MONEY)]

member
member: n.
1 a person belonging to a society, team, etc.
2 (Member) a person formally elected to take part in the proceedings of certain organizations (Member of Parliament; Member of Congress).
3 (also attrib.) a part or branch of a political body (member State; a member of the EEC).
4 a constituent portion of a complex structure.
5 a part of a sentence, equation, group of figures, mathematical set, etc.
6 a any part or organ of the body, esp. a limb. b = PENIS.
7 used in the title awarded to a person admitted to (usu. the lowest grade of) certain honours (Member of the British Empire). øømembered adj. (also in comb.). memberless adj. [ME f. OF membre f. L membrum limb]

manual
manual: adj. & n. --adj.
1 of or done with the hands (manual labour).
2 (of a machine etc.) worked by hand, not automatically. --n.
1 a a book of instructions, esp. for operating a machine or learning a subject; a handbook (a computer manual). b any small book.
2 an organ keyboard played with the hands not the feet.
3 Mil. an exercise in handling a rifle etc.
4 hist. a book of the forms to be used by priests in the administration of the Sacraments. ømanual alphabet sign language. øømanually adv. [ME f. OF manuel, f. (and later assim. to) L manualis f. manus hand]

minutia
minutia: n. (pl. -iae) (usu. in pl.) a precise, trivial, or minor detail. [L, = smallness, in pl. trifles f. minutus: see MINUTE(2) )]

michigan
masonic
Masonic: adj. of or relating to Freemasons.

mexican
Mexican: n. & adj. --n.
1 a a native or national of Mexico in Central America. b a person of Mexican descent.
2 a language spoken in Mexico, esp. Nahuatl. --adj.
1 of or relating to Mexico or its people.
2 of Mexican descent. [Sp. mexicano]

midriff
midriff: n.
1 a the region of the front of the body between the thorax and abdomen. b the diaphragm.
2 a garment or part of a garment covering the abdomen. [OE midhrif (as MID(1), hrif belly)]

mortal
mortal: adj. & n. --adj.
1 (of a living being, esp. a human) subject to death.
2 (often foll. by to) causing death; fatal.
3 (of a battle) fought to the death.
4 associated with death (mortal agony).
5 (of an enemy) implacable.
6 (of pain, fear, an affront, etc.) intense, very serious.
7 colloq. a very great (in a mortal hurry). b long and tedious (for two mortal hours).
8 colloq. conceivable, imaginable (every mortal thing; of no mortal use). --n.
1 a mortal being, esp. a human.
2 joc. a person described in some specified way (a thirsty mortal). ømortal sin Theol. a grave sin that is regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace. øømortally adv. [ME f. OF mortal, mortel or L mortalis f. mors mortis death]

maalox
multiplication
multiplication: n.
1 the arithmetical process of multiplying.
2 the act or an instance of multiplying. ømultiplication sign the sign (x) to indicate that one quantity is to be multiplied by another, as i.
2 .
3 = 6. multiplication table a list of multiples of a particular number, usu. fro.
1 to 12. øømultiplicative adj. [ME f. OF multiplication or L multiplicatio (as MULTIPLY)]

mechatronics
mechatronics: n. the science of the combination of electronics and mechanics in developing new manufacturing techniques. [mechanics + elec tronics]

multinomial
multinomial: adj. & n. Math. = POLYNOMIAL. [MULTI-, after binomial]

magnetic
magnetic: adj.
1 a having the properties of a magnet. b producing, produced by, or acting by magnetism.
2 capable of being attracted by or acquiring the properties of a magnet.
3 very attractive or alluring (a magnetic personality). ømagnetic compass = COMPASS 1. magnetic disk see DISC . magnetic equator an imaginary line, near the equator, on which a magnetic needle has no dip. magnetic field a region of variable force around magnets, magnetic materials, or current-carrying conductors. magnetic inclination = DIP n. 8. magnetic mine a submarine mine detonated by the proximity of a magnetized body such as that of a ship. magnetic moment the property of a magnet that interacts with an applied field to give a mechanical moment. magnetic needle a piece of magnetized steel used as an indicator on the dial of a compass and in magnetic and electrical apparatus, esp. in telegraphy. magnetic north the point indicated by the north end of a compass needle. magnetic pol.
1 each of the points near the extremities of the axis of rotation of the earth or another body where a magnetic needle dips vertically.
2 each of the regions of an artificial or natural magnet, from which the magnetic forces appear to originate. magnetic storm a disturbance of the earth's magnetic field caused by charged particles from the sun etc. magnetic tape a tape coated with magnetic material for recording sound or pictures or for the storage of information. øømagnetically adv. [LL magneticus (as MAGNET)]