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| a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S. |
| the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language). |
| palynology (pāl'ə-nŏl'ə-jē) Pronunciation Key
The scientific study of spores and pollen, both living and fossilized. Palynology helps improve knowledge of ecosystems in both the recent and distant past, since pollen and spores are extremely durable, unlike many other plant parts. |
palynology
scientific discipline concerned with the study of plant pollen and spores and certain microscopic planktonic organisms, in both living and fossil form. The field is associated with the plant sciences as well as with the geologic sciences, notably those aspects dealing with stratigraphy, historical geology, and paleontology. Accordingly, the scope of palynologic research is extremely broad, ranging from the analysis of pollen morphology with electron microscopes to the study of organic microfossils (palynomorphs) extracted from ancient coals.
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