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bursa
bursa , closed fibrous sac lined with a smooth membrane, producing a viscous lubricant known as synovial fluid. Bursas are found in regions where muscles or tendons rub against other muscles, tendons, or bones. The bursas function in two ways, lubricating points of friction, and dissipating force by...
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Elche
Elche , Valencian Elx, city (1990 pop. 184,912), Alicante prov., SE Spain, in Valencia. It is surrounded by an extensive grove of date palms, the only one of its kind in Europe. The city's industries produce footwear, soap, olive oil, and palm products. Elche preserves a North African atmosphere. ...
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ornamental brasses
ornamental brasses Brass, a copper-zinc alloy produced since imperial Roman times, is closely associated in art with bronze, a copper-tin alloy (see bronze sculpture ). Brass was generally fashioned into utilitarian objects such as bowls, pots, and jugs. In the Middle East, China, and Japan, brass...
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dynamics
dynamics branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of objects; it may be further divided into kinematics, the study of motion without regard to the forces producing it, and kinetics, the study of the forces that produce or change motion. Motion is caused by an unbalanced force acting on ...
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sisal hemp
sisal hemp [from Sisal, former chief port of Yucatan], important cordage fiber obtained from the leaves of the sisal hemp plant, an extensively cultivated tropical agave (family Agavaceae or Liliaceae). It is considered second to Manila hemp in strength and value and is used chiefly for cordage. Ab...
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astrakhan
astrakhan [from Astrakhan ], pelt of the newborn Persian lamb, used like fur in garments, and also the woolen fabric woven to resemble real astrakhan. The cloth is woven on a cotton base entirely covered by a pile of closely curled mohair. Before being woven the mohair is wound on spindles and ste...
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astrakhan
astrakhan [from Astrakhan ], pelt of the newborn Persian lamb, used like fur in garments, and also the woolen fabric woven to resemble real astrakhan. The cloth is woven on a cotton base entirely covered by a pile of closely curled mohair. Before being woven the mohair is wound on spindles and ste...
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funny bone
funny bone highly sensitive area at the back of the elbow where the ulnar nerve passes close to the surface of the skin in a groove between end prominences of the humerus (the upper arm bone) and the ulna (the large forearm bone). A blow to the area causes the nerve to compress against bone, produc...
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photorealism
photorealism international art movement of the late 1960s and 70s that stressed the precise rendering of subject matter, often taken from actual photographs or painted with the aid of slides. Also known as superrealism, the style stressed objectivity and technical proficiency in producing images of...
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kaleidoscope
kaleidoscope , optical instrument that uses mirrors to produce changing symmetrical patterns. Invented by the Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster in 1816, the device is usually a hand-held tube, a few inches to as much as twelve feet in length, and looks like a small telescope. At one end of the...
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