GIANT a.
. It is the largest heron known. -- Giant kettle, a pothole of very large dimensions, as found in Norway in connection with glaciers. See Pothole. -- Giant powder. See Nitroglycerin. -- Giant puffball (Bot.), a fungus (Lycoperdon giganteum), edible when young, and when dried used for stanching wounds. -- Giant sala…
GLOBULIN n.
is present in the red blood corpuscles united with hæmatin to form hæmoglobin. It is also found in the crystalline lens of the eye, and in blood serum, and is sometimes called crystallin. In the plural the word is applied to a group of proteid substances such as vitellin, myosin, fibrinogen, etc., all insoluble in wate…
GLYCOGEN n.
us, tasteless substance resembling starch, soluble in water to an opalescent fluid. It is found abundantly in the liver of most animals, and in small quantity in other organs and tissues, particularly in the embryo. It is quickly changed into sugar when boiled with dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, and also by the…
GLYCOLIC a.
from, glycol; as, glycolic ether; glycolic acid. Glycolic acid (Chem.), an organic acid, found naturally in unripe grapes and in the leaves of the wild grape (Ampelopsis quinquefolia), and produced artificially in many ways, as by the oxidation of glycol, -- whence its name. It is a sirupy, or white crystalline, subst…
GOLD n.
ld, Fool's gold, Gold dust, etc. See under Dutch, Dust, etc. -- Gold amalgam, a mineral, found in Columbia and California, composed of gold and mercury. -- Gold beater, one whose occupation is to beat gold into gold leaf. -- Gold beater's skin, the prepared outside membrane of the large intestine of the ox, used for…
GOLDEN a.
ion, or rule of three. -- Golden samphire (Bot.), a composite plant (Inula crithmoides), found on the seashore of Europe. -- Golden saxifrage (Bot.), a low herb with yellow flowers (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium), blossoming in wet places in early spring. -- Golden seal (Bot.), a perennial ranunculaceous herb (Hydra…
GOLDEN-EYE n.
A duck (Glaucionetta clangula), found in Northern Europe, Asia, and America. The American variety (var. Americana) is larger. Called whistler, garrot, gowdy, pied widgeon, whiteside, curre, and doucker. Barrow's golden-eye of America (G. Islandica) is less common.