Category: M

  • Metonymy

    In rhetoric, a figure of speech in which one word is used for another, related one (e.g., “crown” for “king,” “queen,” “monarch,” or “sovereign”).  

  • Metol

    Monomethy-p-aminophelol sulfate, one of two developing agents used in radiographic developing solutions. Its primary function is to act quickly to bring out the shades of gray in a radiographic image. One component of the developing agent plays a crucial role in the initial phases of development and contributes to generating the fundamental grayscale image of…

  • Metmyoglobin

    Myoglobin with the ferrous ion in the heme oxidized to the ferric ion.  

  • Methylxanthine

    A group of naturally occurring agents present in caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine. They act on the central nervous system, stimulate the myocardium, relax smooth muscle, and promote diuresis. A commonly prescribed methylxanthine is theophylline, which is used primarily to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Substance found in caffeine that may cause symptoms of…

  • Methylparaben

    An antifungal agent used as a preservative in pharmaceuticals.  

  • Methylmercury

    An especially toxic form of mercury that is readily taken into the body through the skin or the respiratory tract. Diverse poisonous substances that encompass the organic moiety CH3Hg. These substances emerge as byproducts of industrial processes and residues of pesticides, accumulating in fish and other organisms, particularly those positioned atop the food chain. Upon…

  • Methylglyoxal

    An aldehyde formed from the metabolic degradation of glucose. Methylglyoxal can bind to proteins and DNA, causing metabolic damage to tissues (e.g., in diabetes mellitus), mutations, or cell death.  

  • Methylcytosine

    A derivative of pyrimidine present in some nucleic acids.  

  • Methylation

    The addition of methyl groups to a compound.  

  • Methylate

    A compound of methyl alcohol and a base.