‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_;, a nettle. ] A group of Cœlenterata, including the Medusæ or jellyfishes, and hydroids; -- so called from the stinging power they possess. Sometimes called sea nettles. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n.; pl. Acalephs Acalephans [ See Acalephæ. ] (Zool.) One of the Acalephæ. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; a spine, thorn + &unr_; head. ] (Zool.) A group of intestinal worms, having the proboscis armed with recurved spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having a spiny head, as one of the Acanthocephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;; 'a priv. + &unr_; head: cf. F. acéphale, LL. acephalus. ] (Zool.) One of the Acephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, adj. neut. pl., headless. See Acephal. ] (Zool.) That division of the Mollusca which includes the bivalve shells, like the clams and oysters; -- so called because they have no evident head. Formerly the group included the Tunicata, Brachiopoda, and sometimes the Bryozoa. See Mollusca. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Acephal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the Acephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ LL., pl. of acephalus. See Acephal. ] 1. A fabulous people reported by ancient writers to have heads. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eccl. Hist.) (a) A Christian sect without a leader. (b) Bishops and certain clergymen not under regular diocesan control. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A class of levelers in the time of K. Henry I. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who acknowledges no head or superior. Dr. Gauden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'ake`falos without a head + ky`stis bladder. ] (Zool.) A larval entozoön in the form of a subglobular or oval vesicle, or hydatid, filled with fluid, sometimes found in the tissues of man and the lower animals; -- so called from the absence of a head or visible organs on the vesicle. These cysts are the immature stages of certain tapeworms. Also applied to similar cysts of different origin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or resembling, the acephalocysts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Acephal. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Headless. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Without a distinct head; -- a term applied to bivalve mollusks. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Bot.) Having the style spring from the base, instead of from the apex, as is the case in certain ovaries. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Without a leader or chief. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Wanting the beginning. [ 1913 Webster ]

A false or acephalous structure of sentence. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Pros.) Deficient at the beginning, as a line of poetry. Brande. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; highest + &unr_;. See Cephalic. ] Characterized by a high skull. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of birds.
Syn. -- genus Acrocephalus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Loftiness of skull. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man + kefalh` head. ] Having a human head (upon an animal's body), as the Egyptian sphinx. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, priv. + &unr_; the brain: cf. Encephalon. ] (Zool.) Without a brain; brainless. Todd & B. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. pref. &unr_; + &unr_; the brain. ] (Zool.) The division that includes man alone. R. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of fur seals.
Syn. -- genus Arctocephalus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Aurum + cephalous. ] (Zool.) Having a gold-colored head. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; independent; &unr_; self + &unr_; head. ] (Eccl. Hist.) Having its own head; independent of episcopal or patriarchal jurisdiction, as certain Greek churches. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + cephalous: cf. F. bicéphale. ] Having two heads. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; eyelid + -ilis. ] (Med.) Inflammation of the eyelids. -- Bleph`a*rit"ic a. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{ , n. [ Cf. F. Brachycéphalie ] . (Anat.) The state or condition of being brachycephalic; shortness of head. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , a. [ Gr. brachy`s short + &unr_; head. ] (Anat.) Having the skull short in proportion to its breadth; shortheaded; -- in distinction from dolichocephalic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;, lit., ox-headed; &unr_; ox + &unr_; head. ] 1. The celebrated war horse of Alexander the Great. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Hence, any riding horse. [ Jocose ] Sir W. Scott. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. [ Gr. kefalh` head + L. ad toward. ] (Zool.) Forwards; towards the head or anterior extremity of the body; opposed to caudad. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cephalalgicus, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Med.) Relating to, or affected with, headache. -- n. A remedy for the headache. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ L. cephalalgia, Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; + &unr_; pain: cf. F. céphalalgie. ] (Med.) Pain in the head; headache. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; + &unr_; flower. ] (Bot.) Same as Anthodium. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. kefalh` head + &unr_; a shield. ] (Paleon.) A genus of fossil ganoid fishes found in the old red sandstone or Devonian formation. The head is large, and protected by a broad shield-shaped helmet prolonged behind into two lateral points. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. kefalh` head. ] (Zool.) A large division of Mollusca, including all except the bivalves; -- so called because the head is distinctly developed. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having a head. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A medicine for headache, or other disorder in the head. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cephalicus, Gr. &unr_;, fr. kefalh` head: cf. F. céphalique. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the head. See the Note under Anterior. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cephalic index (Anat.), the ratio of the breadth of the cranium to the length, which is taken as the standard, and equal to 100; the breadth index. --
Cephalic vein, a large vein running from the back of the head alond the arm; -- so named because the ancients used to open it for disorders of the head. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. kefalh` the head; it was supposed by Thudichum to exist in brain tissue. ] (Physiol. Chem.) One of a group of phospholipids (nitrogenous phosphorized fatty substances), present in all living cells and particularly evident in nervous tissue. The cephalins consist of glycerol phosphate in which the two free hydroxyls of the glycerol are esterified with fatty acids, and the phosphate forms an ester linkage to the hydroxyl of ethanolamine. The phosphate may be linked to the alpha (end) or beta (middle) hydroxyl of the glycerol portion. The natural isomers are of the alpha form, and have the general formula R.O.CH2.CHOR′.CH2.O.PO2.O.CH2.CH2.NH2, where R and R′ are the acyl residues of long-chain fatty acids, which may be the same or different. [ Also spelled kephalin. ]
Syn. -- phosphatidylethanolamine. [ PJC ]

n. [ Gr. kefalh` head. ] (Anthropol.) Form or development of the skull; as, the races of man differ greatly in cephalism. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. kefalh` head + -itis. ] (Med.) Same as Phrenitis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Domination of the head in animal life as expressed in the physical structure; localization of important organs or parts in or near the head, in animal development. Dana. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Gr. kefalh` head. ] A combining form denoting the head, of the head, connected with the head; as, cephalosome, cephalopod. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cephalo- + Gr. ke`rkos tail. ] (Zool.) Relating to the long axis of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cephalo- + -oid. ] Shaped like the head. Craing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cephalo- + -logy. ] The science which treats of the head. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cephalo- + -mere. ] (Zool.) One of the somites (arthromeres) which make up the head of arthropods. Packard. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cephalo- + -meter. ] (Med.) An instrument measuring the dimensions of the head of a fetus during delivery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Anthropometry) The measurement of the heads of living persons. -- Ceph`a*lo*met"ric pos>a. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

‖n. (Zool.) The head. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. kefalh` head + fe`rein to bear. ] (Zool.) The cephalata. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., gr. Gr. kefalh` head + -poda: cf. F. céphalopode. ] (Zool.) The highest class of Mollusca. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ They have, around the front of the head, a group of elongated muscular arms, which are usually furnished with prehensile suckers or hooks. The head is highly developed, with large, well organized eyes and ears, and usually with a cartilaginous brain case. The higher forms, as the cuttlefishes, squids, and octopi, swim rapidly by ejecting a jet of water from the tubular siphon beneath the head. They have a pair of powerful horny jaws shaped like a parrot's beak, and a bag of inklike fluid which they can eject from the siphon, thus clouding the water in order to escape from their enemies. They are divided into two orders, the Dibranchiata, having two gills and eight or ten sucker-bearing arms, and the Tetrabranchiata, with four gills and numerous arms without suckers. The latter are all extinct except the Nautilus. See Octopus, Squid, Nautilus. [ 1913 Webster ]