<B>oligarch, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the rulers in an oligarchy. </DL>
<A NAME="oligarchic">
<B>oligarchic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of an oligarchy or oligarchs; having to do with rule by few. <BR> <I>Ex. In autocratic or oligarchic societies ... the moral and intellectual flabbiness of only a few men in the seats of power will lead to the disintegration of great empires (Harper's).</I> adv. <B>oligarchically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="oligarchical">
<B>oligarchical, </B>adjective. =oligarchic.</DL>
<A NAME="oligarchy">
<B>oligarchy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-chies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a form of government in which a few people have the ruling power. <BR> <I>Ex. The Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony were governed by a Puritan oligarchy.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a country or state having such a government. <BR> <I>Ex. Most ancient Greek city-states were classic examples of oligarchies (William Ebenstein).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the ruling few. <DD><B> 4. </B>any organization, such as a business or a church, having an administration controlled by a few people. </DL>
<A NAME="oligo">
<B>oligo-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) small; little; few. <BR> <I>Ex. Oligochrome = a design in few colors.</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> Also, <B>olig-</B> before vowels. </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="oligocene">
<B>Oligocene, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the third epoch of the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic era, after the Eocene and before the Miocene, during which the first apes appeared and modern mammals became dominant. <DD><B> 2. </B>the series of rocks formed in this epoch. <DD><I>adj. </I> of this epoch or these rocks. </DL>
<A NAME="oligochaete">
<B>oligochaete, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of hermaphroditic annelid worms, such as the earthworms and various aquatic groups, having only a few setae projecting from each body segment, and lacking a distinct head. </DL>
<A NAME="oligochaetous">
<B>oligochaetous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having the character of the oligochaetes. </DL>
<A NAME="oligochrome">
<B>oligochrome, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> painted or done in few colors, as decorative work. <DD><I>noun </I> a design in a few colors. </DL>
<A NAME="oligoclase">
<B>oligoclase, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a feldspar containing sodium and calcium, occurring in light gray, yellow, or greenish crystals. </DL>
<A NAME="oligocythemia">
<B>oligocythemia</B> or <B>oligocythaemia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a form of anemia characterized by a deficiency of red cells in the blood. </DL>
<A NAME="oligomer">
<B>oligomer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a chemical compound with few molecular units, in contrast with a polymer or a monomer. </DL>
<A NAME="oligomeric">
<B>oligomeric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or characteristic of an oligomer. <BR> <I>Ex. Most enzymes are ... composed of a small number of protein sub-units associated together. This oligomeric structure is useful in allowing certain control functions to operate (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="oligomycin">
<B>oligomycin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> either of three related antibiotics obtained from an actinomycete, used in treating various fungous diseases of animals and plants. </DL>
<A NAME="oligonucleotide">
<B>oligonucleotide, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a substance composedof a small number of nucleotides. <BR> <I>Ex. Since the sequence of nucleotides in many RNA molecules is known, specific oligonucleotides with three or four monomers may be designed to bind to a selected part of the molecule by complementary base pairing (Science Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="oligophagous">
<B>oligophagous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> eating few kinds of food; not polyphagous. <BR> <I>Ex. an oligophagous insect.</I> </DL>
<B>oligophrenic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or displaying mental deficiency. </DL>
<A NAME="oligopolist">
<B>oligopolist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or firm that creates or maintains an oligopoly. <BR> <I>Ex. The principal defect of present antitrust law is its inability to cope with market power created by jointly acting oligopolists--small groups of large companies that dominate an industry (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="oligopolistic">
<B>oligopolistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with oligopoly. </DL>
<A NAME="oligopoly">
<B>oligopoly, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a condition in a market in which so few producers supply a commodity or service that each of them can influence its price, with or without an agreement between them. <BR> <I>Ex. Ultimately, it is the oligopolies and not the State that set the economic priorities of our society (Manchester Guardian).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="oligopsony">
<B>oligopsony, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a condition in which a few buyers have a strong influence on the demand for a commodity or service. </DL>
<A NAME="oligosaccharide">
<B>oligosaccharide, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a carbohydrate that on hydrolysis yields a relatively small number (usually two to ten) of monosaccharides as compared to a polysaccharide. </DL>
<A NAME="oligotrophic">
<B>oligotrophic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> not providing nutrition, as a lake with scant vegetation. </DL>
<A NAME="oligotrophy">
<B>oligotrophy, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> deficiency of nutrition. </DL>
<A NAME="olim">
<B>olim, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Hebrew.) <DD><B> 1. </B>Jewish immigrants to Israel. <BR> <I>Ex. Positively, the nation [Israel] feels refreshed by olim, the homecoming immigrants, justified in its deepest purpose, and strengthened to build a new life on its corner of the earth (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(literally) those who ascend. See also <B>aliyah.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="olingo">
<B>olingo, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mammal related to the raccoon, found from Ecuador to Nicaragua, having golden-brown fur and a bushy tail. </DL>
<A NAME="olio">
<B>olio, </B>noun, pl. <B>olios.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any mixture; jumble; hodgepodge. <DD><B> 2a. </B>a collection of artistic or literary pieces; miscellany. <BR> <I>Ex. Ben Jonson, in his "Sejanus and Catiline" has given us this olio of a play (John Dryden).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a musical medley; potpourri. <DD><B> 3a. </B><B>=olla-podrida </B>(def. 1). <DD><B> b. </B>any dish made of many ingredients. </DL>
<A NAME="olitory">
<B>olitory, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or producing potherbs or vegetables. </DL>
<B>olivary, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>shaped like an olive. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with either of two olive-shaped bodies, one on each side of the anterior surface of the medulla oblongata. </DL>
<A NAME="olive">
<B>olive, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a kind of evergreen tree with gray-green leaves. The olive grows in the southern part of Europe and in other warm regions. It is grown for its fruit and also for its wood. <DD><B> 2. </B>the fruit of this tree, with a hard stone and a bitter pulp. Olives are eaten green or ripe. <BR> <I>Ex. Olive oil is pressed from olives.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the wood of the olive tree. <DD><B> 4. </B>a wreath of olive leaves; olive branch. <BR> <I>Ex. I hold the olive in my hand; my words are as full of peace as matter (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 5a. </B>a yellowish green; olive green. <DD><B> b. </B>a yellowish brown; olive brown. <DD><B> 6. </B>a gastropod mollusk with an elongated oval shell, found in tropical seas. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1a. </B>yellowish-green. <DD><B> b. </B>yellowish-brown. <DD><B> 2. </B>of the olive. </DL>
<A NAME="olivebackedthrush">
<B>olive-backed thrush,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an American thrush with a grayish or olive-brown back, and a conspicuous eye ring, that breeds chiefly in the coniferous forests of Canada and the northern United States. </DL>
<A NAME="olivebranch">
<B>olive branch,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a branch of the olive tree. <DD><B> 2. </B>one or more such branches, used as an emblem or symbol of peace. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) anything offered as a sign of peace. <DD><B> 4. </B>a child. <BR> <I>Ex. The wife and olive branches of one Mr. Kenwigs (Dickens).</I> (SYN) scion. </DL>
<A NAME="olivebrown">
<B>olive brown,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a yellowish-brown color. </DL>
<A NAME="olivebrown">
<B>olive-brown, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> brown with a yellowish tinge. </DL>
<A NAME="olivedrab">
<B>olive drab,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a dark greenish-yellow color. <DD><B> 2. </B>a dark greenish-yellow woolen cloth, formerly used by the United States Army for uniforms. </DL>
<A NAME="olivedrab">
<B>olive-drab,</B>, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or like olive drab. </DL>
<A NAME="olivefamily">
<B>olive family,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs, native to warm and temperate regions. The family includes the olive, ash, jasmine, lilac, forsythia, and fringe tree. </DL>
<A NAME="olivegreen">
<B>olive green,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a dull, yellowish green; olive. </DL>
<B>olivenite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mineral, an arsenate of copper, usually occurring in olive-green crystals or masses. </DL>
<A NAME="oliveoil">
<B>olive oil,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> oil pressed from olives, used especially in cooking, in salad dressings, and in medicine. </DL>
<A NAME="oliver">
<B>Oliver, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of Charlemagne's heroic followers and a friend of Roland. </DL>
<A NAME="olivesparrow">
<B>olive sparrow,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an olive-green finch of southern Texas and Mexico, with yellow and reddish markings; Texas sparrow; greenfinch. </DL>
<A NAME="olivewarbler">
<B>olive warbler,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a grayish-and-white warbler of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, the male of which has a tawny head, neck, and breast. </DL>
<A NAME="olivewood">
<B>olivewood, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the hard, yellow wood of the olive tree, used in cabinet-making, for inlays, and other fine work, and canes. </DL>
<A NAME="olivine">
<B>olivine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a chrysolite, especially when greenish or yellowish; silicate of iron and magnesium. <BR> <I>Ex. The rigid mantle of the earth is thought to consist largely of olivine, an insulator under normal conditions (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="olivinic">
<B>olivinic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or resembling olivine. <BR> <I>Ex. a silicate of the olivinic type.</I> </DL>
