The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.

DEFINITION:

waste

1. Gradual loss, decay, or diminution of bulk.

2. Useless and effete material, unfit for further use within the organism.

3. To pine away or dwindle.

4. A sparsely settled or barren region, desert; also, uncultivated land.

5. Material left over, rejected, or thrown away; also, an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing or chemical process.

6. Refuse (as garbage) that accumulates about habitations.

7. To devastate.

8. To wear away or diminish gradually; consume.

9. To spend or use carelessly or uselessly; squander.

10. To lose or cause to lose weight, strength, or energy.

11. Being wild and uninhabited; barren, desolate; also, uncultivated.

12. Being in a ruined condition.

13. Discarded as worthless after being used (such as waste water).

14. Excreted from or stored in inert form in a living organism as a by-product of vital activity.