any group of things or persons regarded as an entity: They formed a cohesive unit.
3.
one of the individuals or groups that together constitute a whole; one of the parts or elements into which a whole may be divided or analyzed.
4.
one of a number of things, organizations, etc., identical or equivalent in function or form: a rental unit; a unit of rolling stock.
5.
any magnitude regarded as an independent whole; a single, indivisible entity.
6.
Also called dimension.any specified amount of a quantity, as of length, volume, force, momentum, or time, by comparison with which any other quantity of the same kind is measured or estimated.
(in a mixed number) the position of the first digit to the left of the decimal point.
b.
(in a whole number) the position of the first digit from the right of the decimal point.
9.
a machine, part, or system of machines having a specified purpose; apparatus: a heating unit.
10.
Education. a division of instruction centering on a single theme.
11.
Military. an organized body of soldiers, varying in size and constituting a subdivision of a larger body.
12.
Medicine/Medical.
a.
the measured amount of a substance necessary to cause a certain effect; a clinical quantity used when a substance cannot be readily isolated in pure form and its activity determined directly.
b.
the amount necessary to cause a specific effect upon a specific animal or upon animal tissues.
13.
Mathematics.
a.
an identity element.
b.
an element in a group, ring, etc., that possesses an inverse.
[Origin: 1570; coined by John Dee as a trans. of Gk mónas (previously rendered as unity); perh. influenced by digit]
An individual, group, structure, or other entity regarded as an elementary structural or functional constituent of a whole.
A group regarded as a distinct entity within a larger group.
A mechanical part or module.
An entire apparatus or the equipment that performs a specific function.
A fixed amount of scholastic study used as a basis for calculating academic credits, usually measured in hours of classroom instruction or laboratory work.
A section of an academic course focusing on a selected theme: a unit on Native Americans.
The lowest positive whole number; one.
An element of a ring with a multiplicative inverse.
A precisely specified quantity in terms of which the magnitudes of other quantities of the same kind can be stated.
Medicine The quantity of a vaccine, serum, drug, or other agent necessary to produce a specific effect.
A fixed amount of scholastic study used as a basis for calculating academic credits, usually measured in hours of classroom instruction or laboratory work.
A section of an academic course focusing on a selected theme: a unit on Native Americans.
The lowest positive whole number; one.
An element of a ring with a multiplicative inverse.
The number immediately to the left of the decimal point in the Arabic numeral system.
Mathematics
The lowest positive whole number; one.
An element of a ring with a multiplicative inverse.
1570, "single number regarded as an undivided whole," alteration of unity on the basis of digit. Popularized in John Dee's Eng. translation of Euclid, to express Gk. monas (Dee says unity formerly was used in this sense). Meaning "single thing regarded as a member of a group" is attested from 1642. Extended sense of "a quantity adopted as a standard of measure" is from 1738. Sense of "group of wards in a hospital" is attested from 1893.
any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange; "the dollar is the United States unit of currency"; "a unit of wheat is a bushel"; "change per unit volume" [syn: unit of measurement]
2.
an individual or group or structure or other entity regarded as a structural or functional constituent of a whole; "the reduced the number of units and installations"; "the word is a basic linguistic unit"
3.
an organization regarded as part of a larger social group; "the coach said the offensive unit did a good job"; "after the battle the soldier had trouble rejoining his unit"
4.
a single undivided whole; "an idea is not a unit that can be moved from one brain to another"
5.
a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else; "units of nucleic acids"
6.
an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; "how big is that part compared to the whole?"; "the team is a unit" [syn: whole]
Main Entry: unit Pronunciation: 'yü-n&t Function: noun 1: an amount of a biologically active agent (as a drug or antigen) required to
produce a specific result under strictly controlled conditions <a unit of penicillin> 2: a molecule or portion of a molecule especially as combined in a larger
molecule
One\, a. [OE. one, on, an, AS. ["a]n; akin to D. een, OS. ["e]n, OFries. ["e]n, ["a]n, G. ein, Dan. een, Sw. en, Icel. einn, Goth. ains, W. un, Ir. & Gael. aon, L. unus, earlier oinos, oenos, Gr. ? the ace on dice; cf. Skr. ["e]ka. The same word as the indefinite article a, an. [root] 299. Cf. 2d A, 1st An, Alone, Anon, Any, None, Nonce, Only, Onion, Unit.]1. Being a single unit, or entire being or thing, and no more; not multifold; single; individual. The dream of Pharaoh is one. --Gen. xli. 25. O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England. --Shak. 2. Denoting a person or thing conceived or spoken of indefinitely; a certain. "I am the sister of one Claudio" [--Shak.], that is, of a certain man named Claudio. 3. Pointing out a contrast, or denoting a particular thing or person different from some other specified; -- used as a correlative adjective, with or without the. From the one side of heaven unto the other. --Deut. iv. 32. 4. Closely bound together; undivided; united; constituting a whole. The church is therefore one, though the members may be many. --Bp. Pearson 5. Single in kind; the same; a common. One plague was on you all, and on your lords. --1 Sam. vi. 4. 6. Single; inmarried. [Obs.] Men may counsel a woman to be one. --Chaucer. Note: One is often used in forming compound words, the meaning of which is obvious; as, one-armed, one-celled, one-eyed, one-handed, one-hearted, one-horned, one-idead, one-leaved, one-masted, one-ribbed, one-story, one-syllable, one-stringed, one-winged, etc. All one, of the same or equal nature, or consequence; as, he says that it is all one what course you take. --Shak. One day. (a) On a certain day, not definitely specified, referring to time past. One day when Phoebe fair, With all her band, was following the chase. --Spenser. (b) Referring to future time: At some uncertain day or period; some day. Well, I will marry one day. --Shak.
Ther"mal\, a. [L. thermae hot springs, fr. Gr. ?, pl. of ? heat, fr. ? hot, warm, ? to warm, make hot; perhaps akin to L. formus warm, and E. forceps.] Of or pertaining to heat; warm; hot; as, the thermal unit; thermal waters. The thermal condition of the earth. --J. D. Forbes. Thermal conductivity, Thermal spectrum. See under Conductivity, and Spectrum. Thermal unit (Physics), a unit chosen for the comparison or calculation of quantities of heat. The unit most commonly employed is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one gram or one pound of water from zero to one degree Centigrade. See Calorie, and under Unit.
U*nan"i*mous\, a. [L. unanimus, unanimus; unus one + animus mind: cf. F. unanime. See Unit, and Animate.]1. Being of one mind; agreeing in opinion, design, or determination; consentient; not discordant or dissentient; harmonious; as, the assembly was unanimous; the members of the council were unanimous. "Both in one faith unanimous." --Milton. 2. Formed with unanimity; indicating unanimity; having the agreement and consent of all; agreed upon without the opposition or contradiction of any; as, a unanimous opinion; a unanimous vote. -- U*nan"i*mous*ly, adv. -- U*nan"i*mous*ness, n.
Un"ion\ (?; 277), n. [F., from L. unio oneness, union, a single large pearl, a kind of onion, fr. unus one. See One, and cf. Onion, Unit.]1. The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one, or the state of being united or joined; junction; coalition; combination. Note: Union differs from connection, as it implies that the bodies are in contact, without an inter?ening body; whereas things may be connected by the in???vention of a third body, as by a cord or chain. 2. Agreement and conjunction of mind, spirit, will, affections, or the like; harmony; concord. 3. That which is united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league; as, the weavers have formed a union; trades unions have become very numerous; the United States of America are often called the Union. --A. Hamilton. 4. A textile fabric composed of two or more materials, as cotton, silk, wool, etc., woven together. 5. A large, fine pearl. [Obs.] If they [pearls] be white, great, round, smooth, and weighty . . . our dainties and delicates here at Rome . . . call them unions, as a man would say "singular," and by themselves alone. --Holland. In the cup an union shall he throw, Richer than that which four successive kings In Denmark's crown have worn. --Shak. 6. A device emblematic of union, used on a national flag or ensign, sometimes, as in the military standard of Great Britain, covering the whole field; sometimes, as in the flag of the United States, and the English naval and marine flag, occupying the upper inner corner, the rest of the flag being called the fly. Also, a flag having such a device; especially, the flag of Great Britain. Note: The union of the United States ensign is a cluster of white stars, denoting the union of the States, and, properly, equal in number to that of the States, displayed on a blue field; the fly being composed of alternate stripes of red and white. The union of the British ensign is the three crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick in combination, denoting the union of England, Scotland and Ireland, displayed on a blue field in the national banner used on shore, on a red, white, or blue field in naval ensigns, and with a white border or fly in the merchant service. 7. (Mach.) A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, or the like, as the elastic pipe of a tender connecting it with the feed pipe of a locomotive engine; especially, a pipe fitting for connecting pipes, or pipes and fittings, in such a way as to facilitate disconnection. 8. (Brewing) A cask suspended on trunnions, in which fermentation is carried on. Hypostatic union (Theol.) See under Hypostatic. Latin union. See under Latin. Legislative Union (Eng. Hist.), the union of Great Britain and Ireland, which took place Jan. 1, 1801. Union, or Act of Union (Eng. Hist.), the act by which Scotland was united to England, or by which the two kingdoms were incorporated into one, in 1707. Union by the first, or second, intention. (Surg.) See To heal by the first, or second, intention, under Intention. Union down (Naut.), a signal of distress at sea made by reversing the flag, or turning its union downward. Union jack. (Naut.) See Jack, n., 10. Union joint. (Mech.) (a) A joint formed by means of a union. (b) A piece of pipe made in the form of the letter T. Syn: Unity; junction; connection; concord; alliance; coalition; combination; confederacy. Usage: Union, Unity. Union is the act of bringing two or more things together so as to make but one, or the state of being united into one. Unity is a state of simple oneness, either of essence, as the unity of God, or of action, feeling, etc., as unity of design, of affection, etc. Thus, we may speak of effecting a union of interests which shall result in a unity of labor and interest in securing a given object. One kingdom, joy, and union without end. --Milton. [Man] is to . . . beget Like of his like, his image multiplied. In unity defective; which requires Collateral love, and dearest amity. --Milton.
U"nit\, n. [Abbrev. from unity.]1. A single thing or person. 2. (Arith.) The least whole number; one. Units are the integral parts of any large number. --I. Watts. 3. A gold coin of the reign of James I., of the value of twenty shillings. --Camden. 4. Any determinate amount or quantity (as of length, time, heat, value) adopted as a standard of measurement for other amounts or quantities of the same kind. 5. (Math.) A single thing, as a magnitude or number, regarded as an undivided whole. Abstract unit, the unit of numeration; one taken in the abstract; the number represented by 1. The term is used in distinction from concrete, or determinate, unit, that is, a unit in which the kind of thing is expressed; a unit of measure or value; as 1 foot, 1 dollar, 1 pound, and the like. Complex unit (Theory of Numbers), an imaginary number of the form a + broot-1, when a^2 + b^2 = 1. Duodecimal unit, a unit in the scale of numbers increasing or decreasing by twelves. Fractional unit, the unit of a fraction; the reciprocal of the denominator; thus, 1/4 is the unit of the fraction 3/4. Integral unit, the unit of integral numbers, or 1. Physical unit, a value or magnitude conventionally adopted as a unit or standard in physical measurements. The various physical units are usually based on given units of length, mass, and time, and on the density or other properties of some substance, for example, water. See Dyne, Erg, Farad, Ohm, Poundal, etc. Unit deme (Biol.), a unit of the inferior order or orders of individuality. Unit jar (Elec.), a small, insulated Leyden jar, placed between the electrical machine and a larger jar or battery, so as to announce, by its repeated discharges, the amount of electricity passed into the larger jar. Unit of heat (Physics), a determinate quantity of heat adopted as a unit of measure; a thermal unit (see under Thermal). Water is the substance generally employed, the unit being one gram or one pound, and the temperature interval one degree of the Centigrade or Fahrenheit scale. When referred to the gram, it is called the gram degree. The British unit of heat, or thermal unit, used by engineers in England and in the United States, is the quantity of heat necessary to raise one pound of pure water at and near its temperature of greatest density (39.1[deg] Fahr.) through one degree of the Fahrenheit scale. --Rankine. Unit of illumination, the light of a sperm candle burning 120 grains per hour. Standard gas, burning at the rate of five cubic feet per hour, must have an illuminating power equal to that of fourteen such candles. Unit of measure (as of length, surface, volume, dry measure, liquid measure, money, weight, time, and the like), in general, a determinate quantity or magnitude of the kind designated, taken as a standard of comparison for others of the same kind, in assigning to them numerical values, as 1 foot, 1 yard, 1 mile, 1 square foot, 1 square yard, 1 cubic foot, 1 peck, 1 bushel, 1 gallon, 1 cent, 1 ounce, 1 pound, 1 hour, and the like; more specifically, the fundamental unit adopted in any system of weights, measures, or money, by which its several denominations are regulated, and which is itself defined by comparison with some known magnitude, either natural or empirical, as, in the United States, the dollar for money, the pound avoirdupois for weight, the yard for length, the gallon of 8.3389 pounds avoirdupois of water at 39.8[deg] Fahr. (about 231 cubic inches) for liquid measure, etc.; in Great Britain, the pound sterling, the pound troy, the yard, or 1/108719 part of the length of a second's pendulum at London, the gallon of 277.274 cubic inches, etc.; in the metric system, the meter, the liter, the gram, etc. Unit of power. (Mach.) See Horse power. Unit of resistance. (Elec.) See Resistance, n., 4, and Ohm. Unit of work (Physics), the amount of work done by a unit force acting through a unit distance, or the amount required to lift a unit weight through a unit distance against gravitation. See Erg, Foot Pound, Kilogrammeter. Unit stress (Mech. Physics), stress per unit of area; intensity of stress. It is expressed in ounces, pounds, tons, etc., per square inch, square foot, or square yard, etc., or in atmospheres, or inches of mercury or water, or the like.
U"ni*ty\, n.; pl. Unities. [OE. unite, F. unit['e], L. unitas, from unus one. See One, and cf. Unit.]1. The state of being one; oneness. Whatever we can consider as one thing suggests to the understanding the idea of unity. --Locks. Note: Unity is affirmed of a simple substance or indivisible monad, or of several particles or parts so intimately and closely united as to constitute a separate body or thing. See the Synonyms under Union. 2. Concord; harmony; conjunction; agreement; uniformity; as, a unity of proofs; unity of doctrine. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! --Ps. cxxxiii. 1. 3. (Math.) Any definite quantity, or aggregate of quantities or magnitudes taken as one, or for which 1 is made to stand in calculation; thus, in a table of natural sines, the radius of the circle is regarded as unity. Note: The number 1, when it is not applied to any particular thing, is generally called unity. 4. (Poetry & Rhet.) In dramatic composition, one of the principles by which a uniform tenor of story and propriety of representation are preserved; conformity in a composition to these; in oratory, discourse, etc., the due subordination and reference of every part to the development of the leading idea or the eastablishment of the main proposition. Note: In the Greek drama, the three unities required were those of action, of time, and of place; that is, that there should be but one main plot; that the time supposed should not exceed twenty-four hours; and that the place of the action before the spectators should be one and the same throughout the piece. 5. (Fine Arts & Mus.) Such a combination of parts as to constitute a whole, or a kind of symmetry of style and character. 6. (Law) The peculiar characteristics of an estate held by several in joint tenancy. Note: The properties of it are derived from its unity, which is fourfold; unity of interest, unity of title, unity of time, and unity of possession; in other words, joint tenants have one and the same interest, accruing by one and the same conveyance, commencing at the same time, and held by one and the same undivided possession. Unity of possession is also a joint possession of two rights in the same thing by several titles, as when a man, having a lease of land, afterward buys the fee simple, or, having an easement in the land of another, buys the servient estate. At unity, at one. Unity of type. (Biol.) See under Type. Syn: Union; oneness; junction; concord; harmony. See Union.
Work\, n. [OE. work, werk, weork, AS. weorc, worc; akin to OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah, Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. v[ae]rk, Goth. gawa['u]rki, Gr. ?, ?, work, ? to do, ? an instrument, ? secret rites, Zend verez to work. ????. Cf. Bulwark, Energy, Erg, Georgic, Liturgy, Metallurgy, Organ, Surgeon, Wright.]1. Exertion of strength or faculties; physical or intellectual effort directed to an end; industrial activity; toil; employment; sometimes, specifically, physically labor. Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed. --Milton. 2. The matter on which one is at work; that upon which one spends labor; material for working upon; subject of exertion; the thing occupying one; business; duty; as, to take up one's work; to drop one's work. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand That you yet know not of. --Shak. In every work that he began . . . he did it with all his heart, and prospered. --2 Chron. xxxi. 21. 3. That which is produced as the result of labor; anything accomplished by exertion or toil; product; performance; fabric; manufacture; in a more general sense, act, deed, service, effect, result, achievement, feat. To leave no rubs or blotches in the work. --Shak. The work some praise, And some the architect. --Milton. Fancy . . . Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams. --Milton. The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies . . . is the chief work of elements. --Sir K. Digby. 4. Specifically: (a) That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as, a work, or the works, of Addison. (b) Flowers, figures, or the like, wrought with the needle; embroidery. I am glad I have found this napkin; . . . I'll have the work ta'en out, And give 't Iago. --Shak. (c) pl. Structures in civil, military, or naval engineering, as docks, bridges, embankments, trenches, fortifications, and the like; also, the structures and grounds of a manufacturing establishment; as, iron works; locomotive works; gas works. (d) pl. The moving parts of a mechanism; as, the works of a watch. 5. Manner of working; management; treatment; as, unskillful work spoiled the effect. --Bp. Stillingfleet. 6. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force. The amount of work is proportioned to, and is measured by, the product of the force into the amount of motion along the direction of the force. See Conservation of energy, under Conservation, Unit of work, under Unit, also Foot pound, Horse power, Poundal, and Erg. Energy is the capacity of doing work . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another. --Clerk Maxwell. 7. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed. --Raymond. 8. pl. (Script.) Performance of moral duties; righteous conduct. He shall reward every man according to his works. --Matt. xvi. 27. Faith, if it hath not works, is dead. --James ii. 17. Muscular work (Physiol.), the work done by a muscle through the power of contraction. To go to work, to begin laboring; to commence operations; to contrive; to manage. "I 'll go another way to work with him." --Shak. To set on work, to cause to begin laboring; to set to work. [Obs.] --Hooker. To set to work, to employ; to cause to engage in any business or labor.
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