meridian.noun
one of the imaginary lines joining the north and south poles at right angles to the equator, designated by degrees of longitude from 0º at Greenwich, England to 180º.

militate, militating, militated.verbs
to bring about an effect or a change

millipede.noun
a segmented myriapod (having numerous legs); an arthropods; any articulate animal

mitigate.transitive verb
inflected form(s).mitigated; mitigating
to militate to become less harsh or hostile; mollify (aggressiveness may be mitigated); to make less severe or painful; alleviate; extenuate
mitigation, mitigator.noun
mitigative.adjective
mitigatory.adjective
usage: mitigate is sometimes used as an intransitive.(followed by against) where militate might be expected-
synonym.relieve

misconstrue, misconstrued, misconstruing.transitive verbs
to mistake the meaning of; misinterpret

modus operandi.noun,.plural.modi operandi
abbreviations-m.o., M.O.-– a method of operating or functioning; a person's manner of working

myelin.noun
a white fatty material, composed chiefly of lipids and lipoproteins, that encloses certain axons and nerve fibers; also called medulla
myelinic.adjective

magnitude.noun
greatness of rank or position (the magnitude of the flood was impossible to comprehend); greatness in significance or influence (was shocked by the magnitude of the crisis)
Astronomy - the degree of brightness of a celestial body designated on a numerical scale, on which the brightest star has magnitude –1.4 and the faintest visible star has magnitude 6, with the scale rule such that a decrease of one unit represents an increase in apparent brightness by a factor of 2.512
Geology - a measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter Scale
important derivatives are: much, magnate, magnitude, magnum, magnanimous, magnificent, magnify, major, majority, mayor, majesty, maestro, magistrate, master, mister, mistress, maximum, May, mega-, maharajah
Mathematics - a number assigned to a quantity so that it may be compared with other quantities, a property that can be quantitatively described, such as the volume of a sphere or the length of a vector

meanly.adverb
in a poor, lowly, or base manner

microwave.noun
a high frequency electromagnetic wave, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength, intermediate between infrared and short wave radio wavelengths

Mass.noun
celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches; the sacrament of the Eucharist

mere, merest.adjectives
small; slight (could detect only the merest whisper); being nothing more than what is specified (a mere child; a mere 50 cents an hour); considered apart from anything else (shocked by the mere idea)
merely.adverb
and nothing else or more; only: merely a flesh wound

microquasars.noun
smaller than quasars, microquasars are extremely bright, giving off a brilliant display of x-ray radiation caused by matter and anti matter in collision; like quasars, they appear star like

Microquasars thrust forth electrons at such high velocity that they are natural particle accelerators, yet so much more powerful. The mystery is why they emit these swift far reaching protrusions, and why are they generated in the first place. 

Commenting on microquasars in New Scientist Magazine April 1, 2000, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Donald Smith – "We saw the most dramatic rapid X-ray intensity changes ever seen from one star. This behaviour is new. We've never seen anything like it."

Madagascar.noun
an island country in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa comprising the island of Madagascar and several small islands; Antananarivo is the capital and the largest city Population, 9,230,000

malfeasance.noun
misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official
malfeasant.adjective.&.noun

mot juste.noun,.plural.mots justes
exactly the right word or expression

mandible.noun
the lower jaw of a vertebrate animal; any of various mouth organs of invertebrates used for seizing and biting food, especially either of a pair of such organs in insects and other arthropods
mandibular.adjective

mite.noun
any of various small or minute arachnids of the order Acarina that are often parasitic on animals and plants, infest stored food products, and in some species transmit disease. More on mites http://micscape.simplenet.com (the home of microscopy on the web; close ups of copulating mites) and want to get up close?

Mithraism.noun
a religious cult of Persian origin, especially popular among the Roman military, that flourished in the late Roman Empire, rivaling Christianity
Mithraic.adjective
Mithraist.noun

morose.adjective
sullenly.melancholy; gloomy; glum
morosely.adverb
moroseness.noun
synonyms.dismal; somber; grim; long faced; solemn; mournful; lugubrious
antonyms.cheerful, joyful, happy, festive

manner.noun
a way of doing something or the way in which a thing is done or happens; method; a way of acting; bearing or behavior; kind; sort (what manner of person is she?); kinds; sorts (saw all manner of people at the mall)
in a manner of speaking.idiom
in a way; so to speak

manners.also called etiquette; the socially correct way of conducting oneself so as not to be offensive to others and in order to fit in with the commonly accepted ways of doing things in a specific society 

mar, marred, marring, mars.transitive verbs
to inflict damage, especially disfiguring damage, on; to impair the soundness, perfection, or integrity of; spoil; injure
mar.noun
a disfiguring mark; a blemish

mien.noun.(pronounced 'meen')
bearing or manner; an appearance or aspect

Meech Lake Accord
an agreement for amendment of the Trudeau constitution to further please the Province of Quebec, negotiated by Provincial Premiers with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at his villa in Meech Lake, Quebec, and signed on June 3, 1987. It was never ratified. Mulroney increased efforts on this matter, leading to the Charlottetown Accord of 1992.

Mesopotamia
an ancient region of southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern day Iraq. Probably settled before 5000 B.C., the area was the home of numerous early civilizations, including Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria. It declined in importance after Mongol invaders destroyed its extensive irrigation system in A.D. 1258..Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.