random vocab quiz from the depths of biobabbler's psyche

 
For those of you who've followed this blog somewhat closely, you may recall that occasionally biobabbler's brain flings words up from the recesses, requesting a definition, with the implied threat of "tell us what this is or it's going in the trash."

Today, mine came to me about 2 seconds after getting out of bed this morning, shuffling in my slippers, in the process of feeding the cats, squinting and trying not to run into walls.

The vocab-crew in my brain was very much awake. Today was a two-fer (don't know if I've ever had a two-fer before).

So I've decided to make this an occasional quiz, frequency and content dictated by the filing crew (data managers) in my brain.

WITHOUT looking it up, can any of you offer up definitions for these words?

1. propitiate (not bio word)

2. fistula (definitely bio word)

And please, even wild guesses are more welcome than thinly disguised re-wordings of Merriam-Webster. Take a stab at it! =)

biobabbler

This is your brain, on bio: gonadotropin.

One LAST post (mid-laundry loads and packing). Here's the word stuck in my head this a.m.: gonadotropin.

This seems to be how my brain works. I learn a word (many specifically in college relating to biology). Then I don't use the word for years.

Then my brain spits it up, repeating it over and over, apropos of NOTHING, and seems to indicate: Look this up or I'm pitching it. We no longer have the definition, and it's covered in dust, so dust it off, or it's GONE.

Today's word repeating itself is gonadotropin. Apparently they are protein hormones produced by the pituitary gland in vertebrates, and included among them are hormones involved in human reproduction (lutinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone).

Now that I've looked it up, perchance it will return to the shelf?

If I DON'T look it up, I firmly believe my brain chucks it, and it's no longer part of me. And that's a waste of educational time and $, yes?

So, thank you wikipedia for the quick definition as I fly through the a.m. Hopefully gonadotropin is now in the "keep" pile.


Does your brain ever do this? (the process, not the specific word, of course) Do tell.

biobabbler