es·ter

n. Any of a class of organic compounds corresponding to the inorganic salts and formed from an organic acid and an alcohol.

flash point also flash·point

n.

1. The lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be made to ignite momentarily in air.
2. The point at which eruption into significant action, creation, or violence occurs: “The shootdown did not increase international tensions to the flash point” (Seymour M. Hersh).

for·ceps

n. pl. forceps

1. An instrument resembling a pair of pincers or tongs, used for grasping, manipulating, or extracting, especially such an instrument used by a surgeon.
2. A pincerlike pair of movable appendages at the posterior end of the abdomen in certain insects, such as earwigs.

for·mal·de·hyde

n. A colorless gaseous compound, HCHO, the simplest aldehyde, used for manufacturing melamine and phenolic resins, fertilizers, dyes, and embalming fluids and in aqueous solution as a preservative and disinfectant.

hy·brid

n.

1. Genetics. The offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock, especially the offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties, species, or races.
1. Something of mixed origin or composition.
2. Something, such as a computer or power plant, having two kinds of components that produce the same or similar results.
2. A word whose elements are derived from different languages.

in·kling

n.

1. A slight hint or indication.
2. A slight understanding or vague idea or notion.
3. Literary: Grotesque, flesh - eating underworld creatures, featured in "Hard - Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami. INK·lings

In·u·it also In·nu·it

n. pl. Inuit or In·u·its also Innuit or In·nu·its

1. A member of a group of Eskimoan peoples inhabiting the Arctic from northern Alaska eastward to eastern Greenland, particularly those of Canada.
1. The family of languages spoken by the Inuit.
2. Any of the languages spoken by the Inuit.

in·ver·te·brate

adj.

1. Lacking a backbone or spinal column; not vertebrate.
2. Of or relating to invertebrates: invertebrate zoology.

la·dle

n. A long - handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving liquids.

tr.v. la·dled, la·dling, la·dles

Laz·a·rus

lo·cust

n.

1. Any of numerous grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, often migrating in immense swarms that devour vegetation and crops.
2. The seventeen - year locust.
   1. Any of several North American deciduous trees of the genus Robinia, especially R. pseudoacacia, having compound leaves, drooping clusters of fragrant white flowers, and durable hard wood.
   2. Any of several similar or related trees, such as the honey locust or the carob.
   3. The wood of one of these trees.

lu·bri·cious

adj.

1. Having a slippery or smooth quality.
2. Shifty or tricky.
1. Lewd; wanton.
2. Sexually stimulating; salacious.

lus·ter

n.

1. Soft reflected light; sheen.
2. Brilliance or radiance of light; brightness.
3. Glory, radiance, distinction, or splendor, as of achievement, reputation, or beauty.
4. A glass pendant, especially on a chandelier.
5. A decorative object, such as a chandelier, that gives off light.
6. Any of various substances, such as wax or glaze, used to give an object a gloss or polish.
7. The surface glossiness of ceramic ware after glazing, especially the metallic sheen of lusterware.
8. A fabric, such as alpaca, having a glossy surface.
9. The appearance of a mineral surface judged by its brilliance and ability to reflect light.

par·al·lax

n. An apparent change in the direction of an object, caused by a change in observational position that provides a new line of sight.

pro·pel·lent

n.

1. Something, such as an explosive charge or a rocket fuel, that propels or provides thrust.
2. A compressed inert gas, such as a fluorocarbon, that acts as a vehicle for discharging the contents of an aerosol container.

score

n.
v. scored, scor·ing, scores
v. tr.

1. To mark with lines or notches, especially for the purpose of keeping a record.
2. To cancel or eliminate by or as if by superimposing lines.
3. To mark the surface of (meat, for example) with usually parallel cuts.
4. To achieve; win.
5. To evaluate and assign a grade to.
6. Music.
   1. To orchestrate.
   2. To arrange for a specific instrument.
7. To criticize cuttingly; berate.
8. Slang.
   1. To succeed in acquiring: scored two tickets to the play.
   2. To succeed in obtaining (an illicit drug) : “Aging punks try to impress her with tales of... the different drugs they've scored” (Art Jahnke).

strat·o·sphere

n.

1. The region of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.
2. An extremely high or the highest point or degree on a ranked scale: business expenses in the stratosphere.

su·pine

adj.

1. Lying on the back or having the face upward.
2. Having the palm upward. Used of the hand.
3. Marked by or showing lethargy, passivity, or blameworthy indifference.
4. Inclined; sloping.

sym·bi·ont

n. An organism in a symbiotic relationship. Also called symbiote.

also

sym·bi·o·sis

n. pl. sym·bi·o·ses

1. Biology. A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.
2. A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

symbi·otic

( - tk) or symbi·oti·cal

( - - kl) adj.
symbi·oti·cal·ly adv.

tri·lo·bite

n. Any of numerous extinct marine arthropods of the class trilobita, of the Paleozoic Era, having a segmented body divided by grooves into three vertical lobes and found as fossils throughout the world.

un·der·bel·ly

n. pl. un·der·bel·lies

1. The soft belly or underside of an animal's body. Also called underbody.
2. The vulnerable or weak part: “So much... can be learned from these and other neglected sources from the underbelly of traditional scholarship” (Stephen Jay Gould).

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