#star
- Abbess — The superior of a Roman Catholic monastery of nuns (abbess). In the history of medicine and hospital care, abbesses played a vital role during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, managing monastic infirmaries, organizing care for the poor and sick, and overseeing the preparation of herbal remedies and ointments in monastic pharmacies.
- Abbot — The superior of a Roman Catholic monastery of monks (abbot). In the history of medicine and hospital care, abbots played a major administrative role during the Middle Ages, coordinating monastic hospitals (xenodochia) and infirmaries attached to abbeys, where pilgrims, the poor, and the sick received care and shelter.
- Abd el-Krim — Moroccan military and political leader (1882-1963) during the Rif War; his forces and civilian populations were among the first historical targets of large-scale chemical warfare (mustard gas), making this a milestone case in military toxicology and long-term chemical weapon pathology.
- Abhorrence / Loathing act — The act of abhorring and its result; the psychic process or external manifestation of a deep feeling of rejection, ultimate detestation, hatred, or unyielding aversion. In medical terminology and behavioral analysis, the term indicates the psychic dynamics through which an individual expresses somatic or ideational repulsion, serving as an important indicator in evaluating the intensity of affective disorders or conditioned aversions.
- Young silver fir shoot — An archaic and diminutive folk name used regionally in mountain communities to denote a small species or young shoot of the silver fir (Abies alba), or a weak medicinal infusion prepared from its needles. In empirical village medicine, the abieluța extract was administered as a syrup or tonic tea to soothe pertussis in children, alleviate acute bronchitis, and stimulate appetite during convalescence states.
- Approach — The act of docking or touching the shore or another vessel (maritime term); (in medicine/surgery) the approach, technical modality, or anatomical pathway chosen by a surgeon to reach an organ, lesion, or blood vessel during an operation; (figurative, literary) a way of approaching, tackling, or handling a problem, a subject, or a person.
- Abrosia — (Medicine, rare) A pathological condition characterized by a lack of food, chronic starvation, or extreme wasting caused by the refusal or inability to feed; a less frequent variant of the medical neologism 'abrozie'.
- Lollipop — A delightful confectionery product, spherical, discoid, or spiraled in shape, made by boiling and solidifying granulated sugar or glucose syrup, enriched with various flavorings and food colorings. Its defining structural element is the rigid stick (made of wood, plastic, or pressed paper) on which it is fixed, designed to facilitate clean and prolonged consumption. Beyond its culinary role, the lollipop is a universal symbol of childhood, nostalgia, and pop culture, embedded in countless artistic expressions and festive traditions.
- Acarophobia — An anxiety disorder manifested by an irrational, persistent, and pathological fear of mites, ticks, or other microscopic parasitic organisms, as well as the possibility of having one's skin infested by them. Affected individuals frequently develop severe obsessive-compulsive behaviors, such as excessive cleaning of the home, repeated washing of the body (to the point of causing skin lesions), and avoidance of outdoor spaces; the condition is sometimes associated with delusional parasitosis (Ekbom syndrome).
- Acrogenesis — A physiological and structural process of formation, differentiation, or development of plant organs or tissues localized exclusively at the tip or upper extremity of an axis.
- Acronychal — Pertaining to acrony; located outside of time or independent of the linear temporal succession. In ancient and classical astronomy, the term describes the acronychal rising of a star or planet, occurring exactly at the moment of sunset (or vice versa), representing a geometric position diametrically opposed to the sun.
- Acrotropism — A phenomenon of orientation, bending, or tropistic movement of plant organs (shoots, roots, stalks) directed strictly toward a point of prominence, a superior extremity, or an anatomical apex determined by an external stimulus (light, mechanical contact). This structural reaction guides the elongation direction of meristematic tissues, ensuring optimal spatial adaptation of the foliar or root apparatus in relation to surrounding environmental resources.
- Actiniform — Having the shape of a ray or a star; characterized by a radial or divergent geometric structure. In zoology and botany, the term describes organisms or organs whose anatomical elements, such as the tentacles of sea anemones or the petals of certain flowers, are arranged symmetrically around a central axis. In mineralogy, it is used to define aggregates of acicular crystals that extend divergently from a common point.
- Actinocarpious — A structural botanical term describing a plant, a carpel, or a fruit whose component elements are arranged in a radiating, symmetric, or star-like manner around a central axis. In historical plant taxonomy, the term was also used to designate a group of aquatic or marsh plants (such as the genus Damasonium, formerly named Actinocarpus) characterized by fruits composed of follicles arranged in a bright star shape.
- Actinomere — An anatomical segment or structural zone within a body exhibiting radial symmetry, corresponding to one of the repetitive sections arranged around the central axis. In invertebrate zoology, the term describes each of the similar radial segments making up the body of certain echinoderms (such as the arms of starfish) or coelenterates, including the internal organs and skeletal structures associated with that section.
- Activation — The act of activating and its result; the structural process by which a system, device, digital account, software license, or chemical reaction is put into operation or brought into a state of active functionality. It represents the functional transition phase from a latent to an executive state.
- Actress — A woman who portrays roles in plays, films, radio, or television; a female artist who scenically or cinematographically transposes a literary character through physical, vocal, and emotional expressiveness. This professional status implies mastering dramatic techniques to evoke complex states and narratives in front of an audience or a camera.
- Adămuș — A locality and commune located in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania, situated on the Târnava Mică River; historically documented since the Middle Ages (the year 1305). The toponym also represents a surname derived through diminutive or hypocoristic suffixation from the root name Adam, carrying a profound historical resonance linked to the multiethnic communities in the region and neighboring fortified church architectures.
- Adâncata — The name of several localities and communes in the Romanian and Eastern European space, such as the Adâncata commune in Suceava County, Romania, or localities in Ukraine (Chernivtsi Oblast). The toponym is of descriptive origin, indicating the geographical placement of the village hearth inside a deep, depressed, or scenic valley, bordered by hills or ancient forests.
- Sheltering — The act of sheltering or taking shelter and its result; the logistic, technical, or social process of placing persons, animals, or material assets in a safe place, protected from severe weather, dangers, or attacks. In zootechnics, it refers to the complex of measures for housing livestock in stables or halls, while in emergency management, it denotes the evacuation and protection of the population in bunkers or temporary centers.