mass
(mas 
)
[L. massa, mass fr. Gr. maza, (barley) cake]
- A quantity of material, such as cells, that unite or adhere to each other.
- Soft solid preparation for internal use and of such consistency that it may be molded into pills.
- A fundamental scalar property of an object that describes the amount of acceleration an object will have when a given force is applied to it. The metric unit of mass is the kilogram. One kilogram equals 2.205 pounds.
SEE: weight.
- Large, extensive, or encompassing an entire organ or population group, e.g., a mass vaccination.
- In medical imaging, an opacity that is larger than 3 cm.
cell m.In embryology, the mass of cells that develops into an organ or structure.
epithelial m.The inner portion of a developing gonad enclosed within the germinal epithelium.
fat m.Total body fat. It can be measured with dual energy absorptiometry or bioelectrical impedance techniques.
fat-free m.The lean body mass plus the skeletal mass.
formula m.Gram molecular mass.
gram molecular m.The mass or weight in grams of a substance equal to its molecular mass/weight. SYN: formula mass ; gram molecular weight .
inner cell m.In embryology, the group of cells within the blastocyst from which the embryo, yolk sac, and amnion develop.
SEE: blastocyst.
intermediate cell m.A plate of nonsegmented mesoderm lying lateral to the segments (somites) and connecting them to the nonsegmented lateral mesoderm. SYN: nephrotome.
lateral m. of the atlas The parts of the first cervical vertebra that articulate with the occipital bone superiorly and the axis inferiorly.
lean body m.The weight of the body minus the fat content. It includes bones, muscles, and internal organs.