An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

An → extrasolar planet more massive than the Earth but less massive than 10 → Earth masses. The first discovered super-Earth orbits an M4 V star named GJ 876. Its estimated mass is 7.5±0.7 Earth masses and it has an orbital period of 1.94 days. It is close to the host star, and the surface temperature is calculated to lie between 430 and 650 K (Rivera et al. 2005, ApJ 634, 625).

→ super-; → Earth.

A reddish-brown deposit consisting mainly of potassium hydrogen tartrate, which forms during the fermentation of wine. Same as → argol.

From O.Fr. tartre, from L. tartarum, from late Gk. tartaron "tartar encrusting the sides of wine casks," perhaps relating to Pers. dord (?).

Dord "lees, dregs, sediment, tartar of wine."

An organic acid with general chemical formula C₄H₆O₆ that exists in four isomeric forms . The common form, d-tartaric acid, obtained from → tartar, is a white, soluble, crystalline solid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly in grapes, bananas, and tamarinds. It is also one of the main acids found in wine.

Tartaric, from → tartar; → acid.

In → plasma physics, → fluid dynamics, and → self-gravitating systems, a particle or ensemble of particles which are affected by the evolution of the rest of the system, but do not affect the rest of the system. The test particle concept is used, e.g., for revealing a flow, describing the path of fluid elements, and so on.

→ test; → particle.

The phase of the Moon when half the visible disk of the waning Moon is illuminated. This quarter occurs when the celestial longitude of the Moon is 270° greater than the Sun's.

→ third; → quarter.

A subatomic particle that, according to the uncertainty principle, comes into being out of energy fluctuations of the "vacuum" and lasts for extremely short periods of time. An electron-positron pair can exist only about 4 x 10^-21 seconds. The lifetime increases as the mass and energy involved decreases. Virtual particles are real and have measurable effects, but cannot be directly observed, according to the uncertainty principle. → vacuum polarization.

→ virtual; → particle

A hard rough lump growing on the skin, caused by infection with certain viruses and occurring typically on the hands or feet (TheFreeDictionary.com).

M.E., from O.E. weart "wart," cf. O.Norse varta, O.Frisian warte, Du. wrat, O.H.G. warza, Ger. Warze, Swed. varta, Russ. vered "ulcer," perhaps ultimately from the same source as L. verruca "a steep place, swelling, wart" (Fr. verrue, Sp. verruga, Catalan berruga, It. verruca), ultimately from PIE *uer-s- "a steep place, height," from *uer- "highland, high place, top;" cf. Gk. ouranos "sky."

Zegil "wart," maybe related to Pers. gereh "knot," ultimately from prefixed (*uz-, → ex-) *graθH- "to tie (a knot)."
Veruk "wart," variants vâruk, vâru, veri, var, oru, bâlu, bâlik, belik (also "the clitoris" in dialects), belije, bâlur, bali, maybe variants of zegil "wart," as above, ultimately from Proto-Ir. *graθH- "to tie (a knot)."

The principle admitted in → quantum mechanics that all particles have a wave-like nature and that waves have a particle aspect. The wave-particle duality is of fundamental importance in obtaining a realistic picture of the → elementary particles.
See also: → particle nature, → wave nature, → de Broglie hypothesis, → Davisson-Germer experiment.

→ wave; → particle; → duality.