apparatus (redirected from Critical apparatus)

apparatus /ap·pa·ra·tus/ (ap″ah-ră´tus) pl. appara´tus, apparatuses   a number of parts acting together to perform a special function.

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branchial apparatus  pharyngeal a.

Golgi apparatus  see under complex.

juxtaglomerular apparatus  see under cell.

Kirschner's apparatus  a wire and stirrup apparatus for applying skeletal traction in leg fractures.

lacrimal apparatus , apparatus lacrima´lis the lacrimal gland and ducts and associated structures.

pharyngeal apparatus  the pharyngeal arches, pouches, and grooves considered as a unit.

subneural apparatus  see under cleft.

vestibular apparatus  the structures of the inner ear concerned with stimuli of equilibrium, including the semicircular canals, saccule, and utricle.

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ap·pa·ra·tus (p-rts, -rts)

n. pl. apparatus or ap·pa·ra·tus·es

1. An integrated group of materials or devices used for a particular purpose.

2. A group or system of organs that collectively performs a specific function or process.

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apparatus

[ap′ərat′əs]

Etymology: L, ad, toward, parare, to make ready

a device or a system composed of different parts that act together to perform some special function.

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apparatus [ap″ah-rat´tus] (pl. appara´tus, apparatuses)

an arrangement of a number of parts acting together to perform a special function.

Golgi apparatus see golgi apparatus.

juxtaglomerular apparatus a collective term for the juxtaglomerular cells in a nephron.

lacrimal apparatus see lacrimal apparatus.

Wangensteen's apparatus a nasal suction apparatus connected with a duodenal tube for aspirating gas and fluid from stomach and intestine.

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apparatus (ap´rat´us),

n 1. an arrangement of a number of parts that act together to perform some special function.
2. a device.

apparatus, attachment,

n an older term for the tissues that invest and support the teeth for function and include gingivae, cementum of the tooth, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Now commonly called
periodontium.

apparatus, masticating,

n an older term for the structures involved in chewing (i.e., the teeth, mandibular musculature, mandible and its temporomandibular joints, accessory mandibular and facial musculature, and tongue), which are controlled by an exquisitely functioning neuromuscular mechanism. See also system, stomatognathic.

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apparatus

1. an arrangement of a number of parts acting together to perform a special function.

2. certain organ systems such as respiratory or digestive apparatus.

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apparatus digestorius

see digestive system.

fetlock joint suspensory apparatus

see suspensory ligament.

forelimb stay apparatus

an apparatus of ligaments and tendons which prevents the forelimb from buckling while the horse is standing for long periods of time; includes mechanisms to prevent flexion of the shoulder and elbow joints, and to prevent overextension or flexion of the carpal joint.

hindlimb stay apparatus

an apparatus of ligaments and tendons which prevents the hindlimb from buckling while the horse is standing for long periods of time; includes mechanisms to lock the stifle and hock joints including the presence of a 'reciprocal apparatus', which ensures that the two joints perform in unison.

lacrimal apparatus

the structures associated with the production, flow and drainage of tears; it includes the lacrimal and accessory glands and their excretory ducts, the lacrimal canals, the lacrimal sac and the nasolacrimal duct.

reciprocal apparatus

consists of two tendinous cords in the hindlimb of the horse, the peroneus tertius and the superficial flexor, which connect the distal end of the femur to the hock, one on the cranial face of the tibia, the other on the caudal face; they ensure that the two joints always move in unison.

Wangensteen's apparatus

a nasal suction apparatus connected with a duodenal tube for aspirating gas and fluid from the stomach and intestine.