<B>physical anthropologist,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who studies physical anthropology. <BR> <I>Ex. The physical anthropologist is, in one sense, a biologist who concentrates his attention on man (Beals and Hoijer).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicalanthropology">
<B>physical anthropology,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the branch of anthropology that deals with the development of man's personal characteristics, including his bodily formation and mental traits. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalchange">
<B>physical change,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) a change in the size or form of a substance without any alteration in the composition of its molecules or without its producing or becoming a new substance. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalchemistry">
<B>physical chemistry,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the branch of chemistry that deals with the basic laws of the properties of substances as formulated by physics and their relations to chemical composition and changes. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalculture">
<B>physical culture,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the development of the body by appropriate exercise. </DL>
<A NAME="physicaleducation">
<B>physical education,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> instruction in how to exercise and take care of the body, especially as a course at a school or college. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalexamination">
<B>physical examination,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an examination of a person's body to determine the state of health, especially as made by a physician. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalgeography">
<B>physical geography,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the branch of geography that deals with the natural features of the earth's surface; physiography. Physical geography teaches about the earth's formation, climate, clouds, winds, ocean currents, and all other physical features of the earth. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalinventory">
<B>physical inventory,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an inventory made by a count of stock or equipment instead of by checking books of account. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalism">
<B>physicalism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the doctrine that physical properties, functions, and processes are the only valid subject of scientific study and experimentation. <BR> <I>Ex. There is no necessary border to battle between physicalism and mentalism (Noam Chomsky).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicalist">
<B>physicalist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who believes in physicalism. </DL>
<A NAME="physicality">
<B>physicality, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> physical quality or condition. </DL>
<A NAME="physically">
<B>physically, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a physical manner; in physical respects; as regards the body. <BR> <I>Ex. After his vacation he was in fine condition both physically and mentally.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicallychallenged">
<B>physically challenged,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> having a physical handicap; disabled. <BR> <I>Ex. Does the cripple feel better about being stuck in it [a wheelchair], because someone back in the early days of the Reagan Administration decided that, for official purposes, he was "physically challenged"? (Robert Hughes).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicalmedicine">
<B>physical medicine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the branch of medicine that deals with curing disease and disability by physical means, especially physical therapy or physiotherapy. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalmetallurgy">
<B>physical metallurgy,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the science and technology of the production and compounding of metals and alloys; alloy metallurgy. <BR> <I>Ex. Physical metallurgy is the branch of metallurgy which adapts metals to human use (A. E. Adami).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicalproduction">
<B>physical production,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> production measured by quantities of goods produced, rather than by money values. An index of physical production reflects changes in output, not changes in price. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalrestoration">
<B>physical restoration,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> occupational therapy that involves rehabilitation of the muscles and joints, as after paralysis or an accident, or during a period of adjustment to an artificial limb; functional therapy. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalscience">
<B>physical science,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>physics. <DD><B> 2. </B>physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and other sciences dealing with inanimate matter. </DL>
<A NAME="physicalscientist">
<B>physical scientist,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who studies or is skilled in one of the physical sciences. </DL>
<A NAME="physicaltherapist">
<B>physical therapist,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in physical therapy. </DL>
<A NAME="physicaltherapy">
<B>physical therapy,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the treatment of diseases and physical defects of the body by remedies such as massage or electricity, rather than by drugs; physiotherapy. </DL>
<A NAME="physician">
<B>physician, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a doctor of medicine. <BR> <I>Ex. The physician gave his sick patient some strong medicine.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>any practitioner of the healing art. <BR> <I>Ex. More needs she the divine than the physician (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a person who cures any one of various maladies or infirmities, as of the soul; healer. </DL>
<A NAME="physicianassistedsuicide">
<B>physician-assisted suicide,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> suicide accomplished with the help of a physician. <BR> <I>Ex. [A] panel has recommended, unanimously, that the state resist pressure to legalize physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill (Elizabeth Rosenthal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physicist">
<B>physicist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who studies or is skilled in physics. <BR> <I>Ex. In studying these phenomena, the classical aerodynamicist must learn from the physicist who has some knowledge of spectroscopy (Louis N. Ridenour).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) a natural philosopher. </DL>
<A NAME="physicochemical">
<B>physicochemical, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with the physical and chemical properties of substances. <BR> <I>Ex. physicochemical research.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with physical chemistry. adv. <B>physicochemically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="physics">
<B>physics, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the science that deals with matter and energy, and the action of different forms of energy, excluding chemical and biological change. Physics studies force, motion, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, radiation, and atomic structure. <BR> <I>Ex. The aim of theoretical physics must be to find a complete set of mutually consistent postulates or axioms from which the properties of nature ... can be deduced in the form of a number of theorems (H. J. Bhaba).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a textbook or treatise on physics. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Archaic.) natural science. </DL>
<A NAME="physio">
<B>physio-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) physical, as in <I>physiology, physiography.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physiochemical">
<B>physiochemical, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the chemistry of living animals and plants. </DL>
<A NAME="physiocracy">
<B>physiocracy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the economic doctrines and system advocated by the physiocrats. <DD><B> 2. </B>government by, or in accordance with, nature. </DL>
<A NAME="physiocrat">
<B>physiocrat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a follower of the school of economic thought founded by the French economist Francois Quesnay, in the 1700's, who believed that land was the only real source of wealth and the only proper source of taxation, maintained that society should be governed by an inherent natural order, and advocated free trade. </DL>
<A NAME="physiocratic">
<B>physiocratic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with government according to nature. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with the physiocrats or their doctrines. </DL>
<A NAME="physiognomic">
<B>physiognomic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with physiognomy. adv. <B>physiognomically.</B> </DL>
<B>physiognomist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in physiognomy. </DL>
<A NAME="physiognomy">
<B>physiognomy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-mies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the kind of features or type of face one has; one's face. <BR> <I>Ex. a ruddy physiognomy, a kindly physiognomy. His physiognomy indicated the inanity of character which pervaded his life (Scott).</I> (SYN) countenance. <DD><B> 2. </B>the art of estimating character from the features of the face or the form of the body. <DD><B> 3. </B>the general aspect or looks of something, such as the countryside or a situation. <BR> <I>Ex. the rugged physiognomy of northern Scotland.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="physiographer">
<B>physiographer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an expert in physiography. </DL>
<A NAME="physiographic">
<B>physiographic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with physiography. </DL>
<B>physiographic climax,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Ecology.) a climax that is determined mainly by the physical features or topography of the area, for example whether it has grass, woods, or hills. </DL>
<A NAME="physiography">
<B>physiography, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=physical geography.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=geomorphology.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>(formerly) the science of nature or of natural phenomena in general. </DL>
