difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge; "the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them"; "a deep metaphysical theory"; "some recondite problem in historiography"
protective secretion of the mucous membranes; in the gut it lubricates the passage of food and protects the epithelial cells; in the nose and throat and lungs it can make it difficult for bacteria to penetrate the body through the epithelium
the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart"
edible seeds of various pod-bearing plants (peas or beans or lentils etc.)
the rate at which the heart beats; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health
produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of short bursts or pulses or cause an apparatus to produce pulses; "pulse waves"; "a transmitter pulsed by an electronic tube"
drive by or as if by pulsation; "A soft breeze pulsed the air"
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
an opening at the corner or on the side of a billiard table into which billiard balls are struck
a small isolated group of people; "they were concentrated in pockets inside the city"; "the battle was won except for cleaning up pockets of resistance"
a supply of money; "they dipped into the taxpayers' pockets"
(bowling) the space between the headpin and the pins behind it on the right or left; "the ball hit the pocket and gave him a perfect strike"
indistinctness of shape or character; "the scene had the swirling vagueness of a painting by Turner"
unclearness by virtue of being poorly expressed or not coherent in meaning; "the Conservative manifesto is a model of vagueness"; "these terms were used with a vagueness that suggested little or no thought about what each might convey"
throw into great confusion or disorder; "Fundamental Islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in Algeria and Egypt"
disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill"
cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull; "The orbits of these stars were perturbed by the passings of a comet"
disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom; "The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion"
a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; "an air of mystery"; "the house had a neglected air"; "an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate's headquarters"; "the place had an aura of romance"
medium for radio and television broadcasting; "the program was on the air from 9 til midnight"; "the president used the airwaves to take his message to the people"
the region above the ground; "her hand stopped in mid air"; "he threw the ball into the air"
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of; "air pollution"; "a smell of chemicals in the air"; "open a window and let in some air"; "I need some fresh air"
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
expose to warm or heated air, so as to dry; "Air linen"
broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television; "We cannot air this X-rated song"
be broadcast; "This show will air Saturdays at 2 P.M."