<B>osculation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Humorous.) the act of kissing. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Humorous.) a kiss. <BR> <I>Ex. And here, I suppose, follow osculations between the sisters (Thackeray).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Geometry,) a contact, as between two curves or surfaces, at three or more common points. </DL>
<A NAME="osculatory">
<B>osculatory, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>(Humorous.) of or having to do with kissing. <DD><B> 2. </B>coming into close contact. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Geometry.) osculating. <DD><I>noun </I> (in the Roman Catholic Church) a small tablet in former times kissed by priest and congregation in the Mass. </DL>
<A NAME="osculum">
<B>osculum, </B>noun pl. <B>-la.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) a mouth or mouthlike opening, as of a sponge or tapeworm. </DL>
<A NAME="osd">
<B>O.S.D.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Order of Saint Dominic; Dominicans (Latin, <I>Ordinis Sancti Dominici</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="ose">
<B>-ose</B> (1),<DL COMPACT><DD> (suffix forming adjectives.) <DD><B> 1. </B>full of; having much or many. <BR> <I>Ex. Verbose = having many words.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>inclined to; fond of. <BR> <I>Ex. Jocose = fond of jest.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>like. <BR> <I>Ex. Schistose = like schist.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ose">
<B>-ose</B> (2),<DL COMPACT><DD> (suffix forming chemical terms.) <DD><B> 1. </B>type of sugar or other carbohydrate, as in <I>fructose, lactose.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a primary protein derivative, as in <I>proteose.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osee">
<B>Osee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> Hosea, in the Douay Bible. </DL>
<A NAME="osetian">
<B>Osetian, </B>adjective, noun. =Ossetian.</DL>
<A NAME="osetic">
<B>Osetic, </B>noun, adjective. =Ossetic.</DL>
<A NAME="osf">
<B>O.S.F.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Order of Saint Francis; Franciscans (Latin, <I>Ordinis Sancti Francisci</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="osha">
<B>OSHA, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> Occupational Safety and Health Administration (of the U.S. Department of Labor). <BR> <I>Ex. OSHA's permanent standards for worker exposure to vinyl chloride monomer--a cancer-causing material--went into effect in April (Edward Abrams).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osier">
<B>osier, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>a kind of willow with tough, flexible branches or shoots. <DD><B> b. </B>one of these branches, used in weaving baskets or other wickerwork. (SYN) withe. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various shrubby dogwoods of North America. <DD><I>adj. </I> made of osiers. </DL>
<A NAME="osiris">
<B>Osiris, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the chief gods of ancient Egypt, brother and husband of Isis, ruler of the lower world, and judge of the dead. He represented good and productivity and is identified with the Nile. </DL>
<A NAME="osis">
<B>-osis,</B> pl. <B>-oses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (suffix.) <DD><B> 1. </B>act or process of ______, or state or condition of ______, as in <I>osmosis, cyanosis.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an abnormal condition, as in <I>mononucleosis, neurosis, trichinosis, thrombosis.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osmanli">
<B>Osmanli, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lis,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B><B>=Ottoman.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>the language of the Ottoman Turks. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>=Ottoman.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="osmatic">
<B>osmatic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or possessing the sense of smell. </DL>
<A NAME="osmeterium">
<B>osmeterium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-teria.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a forked process of the first thoracic segment of certain butterfly larvae, noted for the disagreeable odor it emits. </DL>
<A NAME="osmic">
<B>osmic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) <DD><B> 1. </B>of osmium. <DD><B> 2. </B>containing osmium, especially with a valence of four. </DL>
<A NAME="osmicacid">
<B>osmic acid,</B> =osmium tetroxide.</DL>
<A NAME="osmics">
<B>osmics, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the science that deals with the sense of smell. </DL>
<A NAME="osmious">
<B>osmious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) <DD><B> 1. </B>of osmium. <DD><B> 2. </B>containing osmium, especially with a valence of three. </DL>
<A NAME="osmiridium">
<B>osmiridium, </B>noun. =iridosmine.</DL>
<A NAME="osmium">
<B>osmium, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a hard, bluish-white chemical element which occurs with platinum and iridium. Osmium is a metal and the heaviest known element. It is used for electric-light filaments and phonograph needles. </DL>
<A NAME="osmiumtetroxide">
<B>osmium tetroxide,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an oxide of osmium used in electron microscopy to stain and fix biological material, especially animal tissues. </DL>
<A NAME="osmol">
<B>osmol, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of osmotic pressure. </DL>
<A NAME="osmolal">
<B>osmolal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the osmol. </DL>
<A NAME="osmolality">
<B>osmolality, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the degree of the pressure operative in osmosis. </DL>
<A NAME="osmolar">
<B>osmolar, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with osmosis. </DL>
<A NAME="osmolarity">
<B>osmolarity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality or tendency characteristic of osmosis. <BR> <I>Ex. The most important functions of the kidney are to keep constant the volume, osmolarity, and composition of the fluid which surrounds the cells of the body (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osmometer">
<B>osmometer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a device for measuring osmotic pressure. </DL>
<A NAME="osmometric">
<B>osmometric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with osmometry or an osmometer. adv. <B>osmometrically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="osmometry">
<B>osmometry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the measurement of osmotic pressure. </DL>
<A NAME="osmoregulation">
<B>osmoregulation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the process by which the osmotic activity of a living cell is increased or decreased by the organism in order to maintain the most favorable conditions for the vital processes of the cell and the organism. </DL>
<A NAME="osmoregulatorymechanism">
<B>osmoregulatory mechanism,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a biological device or chemical reaction by which an organism carries out osmoregulation. </DL>
<A NAME="osmose">
<B>osmose, </B>verb, <B>-mosed,</B> <B>-mosing,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to subject to osmosis. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to pass by osmosis. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>=osmosis.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="osmosis">
<B>osmosis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the tendency of two fluids of different strengths that are separated by something porous to go through it and become mixed. Osmosis is the chief means by which the body absorbs food and by which fluid in the tissues moves into the blood vessels. Osmosis is specifically the tendency of a fluid of lower concentration to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution of higher concentration. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Chemistry.) the diffusion or spreading of fluids through a membrane or partition till they are mixed. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a gradual, often unconscious, absorbing or understanding of facts, theories, ideas, and the like. <BR> <I>Ex. to learn French by osmosis. A hilarious round of sport and pleasure which could only be described as the broadest education by osmosis (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osmotic">
<B>osmotic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with osmosis. </DL>
<A NAME="osmotically">
<B>osmotically, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> by osmosis; diffusively. <BR> <I>Ex. "Concentration" for this purpose means the total concentration of osmotically active particles (G. R. Hervey).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osmoticpressure">
<B>osmotic pressure,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the force acting upon a semipermeable membrane placed between a solution and a pure solvent, such as water, caused by the flow of solute molecules through the membrane toward the pure solvent. <BR> <I>Ex. One cell contains a solution of high osmotic pressure, such as a solution of sugar (Susann and Orlin Biddulph).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="osmous">
<B>osmous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) containing osmium, especially with a lower valence than that contained in osmic compounds. </DL>
<A NAME="osmund">
<B>osmund, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of ferns, with large, upright, pinnate or bipinnate fronds, such as the royal fern. </DL>
<A NAME="osmunda">
<B>osmunda, </B>noun. =osmund.</DL>
<A NAME="oso">
<B>OSO</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> Orbiting Solar Observatory (an unmanned satellite of NASA, designed for solar research from a circular orbit around the earth). </DL>
<A NAME="osprey">
<B>osprey, </B>noun, pl. <B>-preys.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a large hawk that feeds on fish; fish hawk; fishing eagle. Ospreys have white underparts and dark-brown backs and wings. <DD><B> 2. </B>an ornamental feather, used especially for trimming hats. </DL>
<A NAME="oss">
<B>OSS</B> (no periods) or <B>O.S.S.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Office of Strategic Services (an agency of the United States government in World War II, forerunner of the CIA). </DL>
<A NAME="ossa">
<B>ossa, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) plural of <B>os</B> (1). </DL>
<A NAME="ossein">
<B>ossein, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the organic basis of bone tissue, remaining after the mineral matter has been removed; ostein. </DL>
<A NAME="osselet">
<B>osselet, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a hard substance growing on the inside of a horse's leg above the knee. <DD><B> 2. </B>a small, bonelike part; ossicle. </DL>
<A NAME="osseous">
<B>osseous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>bony. <BR> <I>Ex. True bone or osseous tissue occurs only in the skeletons of bony fishes and land vertebrates (Tracy I. Storer).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>containing bones. adv. <B>osseously.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="osset">
<B>Osset, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a native or inhabitant of Ossetia, in southern Russia. </DL>
<B>Ossetic, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the Iranian language spoken by the Ossets. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with the Ossets or their language. Also, <B>Osetic.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="ossianic">
<B>Ossianic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with the style of poetry or rhythmic prose used by James Macpherson in <I>Poems of Ossian</I> (1762) and <I>Temora</I> (1763), purporting to be translations of works by Ossian. <DD><B> 2. </B>grandiloquent; bombastic. <DD><B> 3. </B>of or having to do with Ossian, a legendary Gaelic poet and hero of the 200's A.D. </DL>
