# General Biology/Glossary

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# Glossary

* Autotroph: an organism which can make its own energy
* Cell: Fundamental structural unit of all living things
* Ether:noun
1. CHEMISTRY a pleasant-smelling, colorless, volatile liquid that is highly flammable. It is used as an anesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes. any organic compound with a structure similar to ether, having an oxygen atom linking two alkyl or other organic groups. plural noun: ethers "methyl t -butyl ether"
2. literary the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds. "nasty gases and smoke disperse into the ether"
* Eukaryote: an organism with a nucleus
* Exoenzyme: an enzyme used to break down organic molecules outside the body
* Glycerol: noun; a colorless, sweet, viscous liquid formed as a byproduct in soap manufacture. It is used as an emollient and laxative, and for making explosives and antifreeze.
* Heterotroph: an organism which can not make its own energy
* Hydrocarbon: an organic compound that contains carbon and hydrogen only.
* Lipid: fatty acid esters which form the basis of cell membranes
* Nucleus: Membrane-bound organelle which contains the chromosomes
* Prokaryote: an organism with no nucleus
* Seed: noun
1. a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant. synonyms: pip, stone, kernel; ovule "apple seeds" a quantity of these. "grass seed" the cause or latent beginning of a feeling, process, or condition. "the conversation sowed a tiny seed of doubt in his mind" synonyms: genesis, source, origin, root, starting point, germ, beginnings, potential (for); More archaic (chiefly in biblical use) a person's offspring or descendants. synonyms: descendants, heirs, successors, scions; More a man's semen. a small crystal introduced into a liquid to act as a nucleus for crystallization. noun: seed crystal; plural noun: seed crystals a small container for radioactive material placed in body tissue during radiotherapy. 2. any of a number of stronger competitors in a sports tournament who have been assigned a specified position in an ordered list with the aim of ensuring that they do not play each other in the early rounds. "he knocked the top seed out of the championships" verb verb: seed; 3rd person present: seeds; past tense: seeded; past participle: seeded; gerund or present participle: seeding 1. sow (land) with seeds. "the shoreline is seeded with a special grass" sow (a particular kind of seed) on or in the ground. cause (something) to begin to develop or grow. "severance payouts that help seed their new businesses" place a crystal or crystalline substance in (something) in order to cause crystallization or condensation (especially in a cloud to produce rain). 2. (of a plant) produce or drop seeds. "mulches encourage many plants to seed freely"
* Flower: noun
1. the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals). synonyms: bloom, blossom, floweret, floret "blue flowers" a brightly colored and conspicuous example of the flower of a plant together with its stalk, typically used with others as a decoration or gift. "I stopped to buy Bridget some flowers" the state or period in which a plant's flowers have developed and opened. "the roses were just coming into flower" 2. the finest individuals out of a number of people or things. "the flower of college track athletes" synonyms: best, finest, pick, choice, cream, crème de la crème, elite "the flower of the nation's youth" antonyms: dregs the period of optimum development. "a young policeman in the flower of his life gunned down" verb verb: flower; 3rd person present: flowers; past tense: flowered; past participle: flowered; gerund or present participle: flowering 1. (of a plant) produce flowers; bloom. "these daisies can flower as late as October" induce (a plant) to produce flowers. 2. be in or reach an optimum stage of development; develop fully and richly. "it is there that the theory of deconstruction has flowered most extravagantly"
* Tracheid: a type of water-conducting cell in the xylem that lacks perforations in the cell wall.
* Haploid: A cell with a single set of chromosomes (23 in humans), in humans this is usually in gametes. This is commonly represented by n.
* Diploid: A cell with two sets of chromosomes (46 in humans). This is commonly represented by 2n.
* Sporangium: (in ferns and lower plants) a receptacle in which asexual spores are formed.