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Poly

A whitish woolly plant (Teucrium Polium) of the order Labiat/, found throughout the Mediterranean region. The name, with sundry prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus.

Poly-

A combining form or prefix from Gr. poly`s, many; as, polygon, a figure of many angles; polyatomic, having many atoms; polychord, polyconic.

Poly-mountain

Same as Poly, n. The closely related Teucrium montanum, formerly called Polium montanum, a plant of Southern Europe. The Bartsia alpina, a low purple-flowered herb of Europe.

Polyacid

Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monobasic acid; having more than one hydrogen atom capable of being replaced by acid radicals; -- said of certain bases; as, calcium hydrate and glycerin are polyacid bases.

Polyacoustic

Multiplying or magnifying sound. A polyacoustic instrument.

Polyacron

A solid having many summits or angular points; a polyhedron.

Polyactinia

An old name for those Anthozoa which, like the actinias, have numerous simple tentacles.

Polyadelphia

A Linn/an class of plants having stamens united in three or more bodies or bundles by the filaments.

Polyandria

A Linn/an class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Polyandric

Pertaining to, or characterized by, polyandry; mating with several males.

Polyandrous

Belonging to the class Polyandria; having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Polyandry

The possession by a woman of more than one husband at the same time; -- contrasted with monandry.

Polyanthus

The oxlip. So called because the peduncle bears a many-flowered umbel. See Oxlip. (b) A bulbous flowering plant of the genus Narcissus (Narcissus Tazetta, or Narcissus polyanthus of some authors). See Illust. of Narcissus.

Polyarchist

One who advocates polyarchy; -- opposed to monarchist.

Polyarchy

A government by many persons, of whatever order or class.

Polyatomic

Having more than one atom in the molecule; consisting of several atoms. Having a valence greater than one.

Polyautography

The act or practice of multiplying copies of one's own handwriting, or of manuscripts, by printing from stone, -- a species of lithography.

Polybasic

Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monacid base; having several hydrogen atoms capable of being replaced by basic radicals; -- said of certain acids; as, sulphuric acid is polybasic.

Polybasite

An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.

Polybranchia

A division of Nudibranchiata including those which have numerous branchi/ on the back.

Polybromide

A bromide containing more than one atom of bromine in the molecule.

Polycarpellary

Composed of several or numerous carpels; -- said of such fruits as the orange.

Polychaeta

One of the two principal groups of Ch/topoda. It includes those that have prominent parapodia and fascicles of set/. See Illust. under Parapodia.

Polychloride

A chloride containing more than one atom of chlorine in the molecule.

Polychord

A musical instrument of ten strings. An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a keyed instrument.

Polychrest

A medicine that serves for many uses, or that cures many diseases.

Polychroite

The coloring matter of saffron; -- formerly so called because of the change of color on treatment with certain acids; -- called also crocin, and safranin.

Polychromate

A compound which exhibits, or from which may be prepared, a variety of colors, as certain solutions derived from vegetables, which display colors by fluorescence.

Polychrome

Executed in the manner of polychromy; as, polychrome printing.

Polychromous

Of or pertaining to polychromy; many-colored; polychromatic.

Polychromy

The art or practice of combining different colors, especially brilliant ones, in an artistic way.

Polyclinic

A clinic in which diseases of many sorts are treated; especially, an institution in which clinical instruction is given in all kinds of disease.

Polyconic

Pertaining to, or based upon, many cones.

polycosmic

Representing multiple possible worlds; -- used of a computational ontology that includes logically inconsistent assertions (theories), structured as different possible worlds; as, the only way to accommodate different theories of physics in one ontology is for that ontology to be polycosmic.

Polycotyledon

A plant that has many, or more than two, cotyledons in the seed.

Polycotyledonary

Having the villi of the placenta collected into definite patches, or cotyledons.

Polycracy

Government by many rulers; polyarchy.

Polycrotic

Of or pertaining to polycrotism; manifesting polycrotism; as, a polycrotic pulse; a polycrotic pulse curve.

Polycrotism

That state or condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve, or sphygmogram, shows several secondary crests or elevations; -- contrasted with monocrotism and dicrotism.

Polycystid

One of the Polycystidea. One of the Polycystina. Pertaining to the Polycystidea, or the Polycystina.

Polycystidea

A division of Gregarin/ including those that have two or more internal divisions of the body.

Polycystina

A division of Radiolaria including numerous minute marine species. The skeleton is composed of silica, and is often very elegant in form and sculpture. Many have been found in the fossil state.

Polycystine

Pertaining to the Polycystina. One of the Polycystina.

Polycyttaria

A division of Radiolaria. It includes those having one more central capsules.

Polydactylism

The possession of more that the normal number of digits.

Polydipsia

Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

Polyeidic

Passing through several distinct larval forms; -- having several distinct kinds of young.

Polyeidism

The quality or state of being polyeidic.

Polyembryonate

Consisting of, or having, several embryos; polyembryonic.

Polyembryony

The production of two or more embryos in one seed, due either to the existence and fertilization of more than one embryonic sac or to the origination of embryos outside of the embryonic sac.

Polygala

A genus of bitter herbs or shrubs having eight stamens and a two-celled ovary (as the Seneca snakeroot, the flowering wintergreen, etc.); milkwort.

Polygalaceous

Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Polygalace/) of which Polygala is the type.

Polygalic

Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, Polygala; specifically, designating an acrid glucoside (called polygalic acid, senegin, etc.), resembling, or possibly identical with, saponin.

Polygamia

A Linn/an class of plants, characterized by having both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant. A name given by Linn/us to file orders of plants having syngenesious flowers.

Polygamist

One who practices polygamy, or maintains its lawfulness.

Polygamize

To practice polygamy; to marry several wives.

Polygamy

The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; -- opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry.

Polygenetic

Having many distinct sources; originating at various places or times.

Polygenic

Of or relating to polygeny; polygenetic.

Polygenism

The doctrine that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair.

Polygenist

One who maintains that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair; -- opposed to monogenist.

Polygenous

Consisting of, or containing, many kinds; as, a polygenous mountain.

Polygeny Polygenesis

The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; -- opposed to monogenesis.

Polyglot

One who speaks several languages.

Polygon

A plane figure having many angles, and consequently many sides; esp., one whose perimeter consists of more than four sides; any figure having many angles.

Polygonaceous

Of or pertaining to a natural order of apetalous plants (Polygonace/), of which the knotweeds (species of Polygonum) are the type, and which includes also the docks (Rumex), the buckwheat, rhubarb, sea grape (Coccoloba), and several other genera.

Polygonometry

The doctrine of polygons; an extension of some of the principles of trigonometry to the case of polygons.

Polygonum

A genus of plants embracing a large number of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

Polygony

Any plant of the genus Polygonum.

Polygordius

A genus of marine annelids, believed to be an ancient or ancestral type. It is remarkable for its simplicity of structure and want of parapodia. It is the type of the order Archiannelida, or Gymnotoma. See Loeven's larva.

Polygram

A figure consisting of many lines.

Polygraph

An instrument for multiplying copies of a writing; a manifold writer; a copying machine.

Polygrooved

Having many grooves; as, a polygrooved rifle or gun (referring to the rifling).

Polygyn

A plant of the order Polygynia.

Polygynia

A Linn/an order of plants having many styles.

Polygynist

One who practices or advocates polygyny.

Polygyny

The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; marriage to several wives.

Polyhalite

A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.

Polyhedron

A body or solid contained by many sides or planes.

Polyiodide

A iodide having more than one atom of iodine in the molecule.

Polymastism

The condition of having more than two mamm/, or breasts.

Polymathic

Pertaining to polymathy; acquainted with many branches of learning.

Polymathist

One versed in many sciences; a person of various learning.

Polymathy

The knowledge of many arts and sciences; variety of learning.

Polymeniscous

Having numerous facets; -- said of the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans.

Polymer

Any one of two or more substances related to each other by polymerism; specifically, a substance produced from another substance by chemical polymerization.

Polymeric

Having the same percentage composition (that is, having the same elements united in the same proportion by weight), but different molecular weights; -- often used with with; thus, cyanic acid (CNOH), fulminic acid (C2N2O2H2), and cyanuric acid (C3N3O3H3), are polymeric with each other.

Polymerism

The state, quality, or relation of two or more polymeric substances. The act or process of forming polymers.

Polymerization

The act or process of changing to a polymeric form; the condition resulting from such change.

Polymerize

To change into another substance having the same atomic proportions, but a higher molecular weight; to undergo polymerization; thus, aldehyde polymerizes in forming paraldehyde.

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