Descriptionary

witch hunt from approximately 1480 to 1700, irra­tional hunts for people who appeared to be witches, resulting in the hysterical executions of tens of thou­sands of innocents, sometimes by burning at the stake.

witch's ladder in Wicca, a cord tied with 13 knots, used for counting during chants or meditations.

wort old word for an herb.

wraith a ghost or vision of a living person that is said to appear just before that person dies.

xenoglossia the magical acquisition, mastery, or knowledge of a language one has never studied.

Yule in Wicca, a celebration of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, from December 20 to 23, featuring gift exchanges and feasting. It was adopted and altered by Christians and made into Christmas.

Zenner cards a deck of 25 cards with pictures of geometric shapes, used to test for ESP.

zodiac the celestial pathway followed by the sun, moon and planets, divided into 12 astrological signs.

zombie in voodoo, a snake spirit. Also, a corpse brought back to life, or the force causing this to happen.

FENG sHui

bagua an octagonal mirror used to reflect chi.

chi the energy force or breath of the universe. Also spelled qi.

feng shui ruler a measuring stick showing lucky measurements.

five elements fire, water, wood, earth, and metal.

geomancer a practitioner of feng shui.

luo pan a wooden compass used to determine the flow of cosmic energy, or chi.

pakua an octagonal amulet, with eight sections or trigrams.

qi see chi.

shifu a master or teacher of feng shui. Also known as sifu.

yin and yang opposing energy forces. Yin is consid­ered negative, and yang is positive.

EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTS

autoclave an apparatus that sterilizes medical instruments by steam.

biopsy needle a needle used in obtaining biopsy material.

bistoury a slender surgical knife, used most fre­quently to open an abscess.

bougie a slender, flexible probe made of rubber or silk and used in the diagnosis and measurement of strictures in the esophagus, the urethra, and other organs.

bronchoscope a tubular instrument inserted through the mouth and down the throat to inspect the trachea and bronchi.

caliper a forcepslike instrument used to measure thicknesses, especially body fat.

cannula a tube designed to fit into the various body channels for the withdrawing or delivering of fluids.

capnograph an instrument that monitors the amount of carbon dioxide in exhaled air.

cardiograph an instrument that records the activity of the heart.

catgut suture material made from the intestines of sheep; it is eventually absorbed by the body.

catheter a slender tube inserted into a body channel to extract or deliver fluids.

EDICINE

catheter, cardiac a slender tube passed through a blood vessel in an extremity to the heart to take blood samples and pressure readings.

CAT scanner computerized axial tomography; an X-ray instrument producing three-dimensional images. Also known as a CT scanner.

cautery an electrical instrument used to scar or destroy abnormal tissue.

Cavitron a motorized scalpel that cuts through deli­cate flesh but leaves blood vessels and ductal tissue intact; used in brain and liver surgery.

centrifuge a machine that separates substances of varying densities by subjecting them to centrifugal (whirling at high speed) force.

clamp an instrument clamped on a cut blood vessel to stop bleeding; a hemostat.

clip a metal clip used to hold tissues together.

colposcope a microscope used to directly examine the vagina and cervix.

coreometer an instrument that measures the size of the pupil of the eye.

costome

an instrument used to cut through ribs.

cryoprobe an instrument that freezes malignant tis­sue in order to destroy it.

culdoscope a lighted instrument passed through the vagina and into the pelvic cavity to examine the organs there.

curet a spoonlike instrument used to scrape away diseased tissue and growths or to collect tissue samples.

cystoscope a long, metal tube used to inspect the inside of the bladder.

cytoanalyzer an electronic apparatus that analyzes smears thought to contain malignant cells.

cytometer a device that counts and measures blood cells.

defibrillator an apparatus that delivers an electric current to the heart to restore normal heart rhythm.

dilator an inflatable instrument used to enlarge the opening of an organ or internal cavity.

dioptometer an instrument used to measure eye refraction for the purpose of determining eye defects.

drain a tube or wick used to drain fluid from a wound, sometimes assisted by a pump.

EEG see electroencephalograph.