Glossary A

Glossary A

Asymptomatic means without recognizable symptoms or having no symptoms.

Asymptote refers to the imaginary line that a negatively accelerated function approaches as it flattens out.

Asynchronous growth means imbalanced growth, such as the growth that occurs during the early part of adolescence and causes many adolescents to appear gawky.

At risk refers to a state of vulnerability to a particular health problem by virtue of heredity, health practices, or family environment.

Atavism refers to a concept used by Cesare Lombroso to suggest that criminals are physiological throwbacks to earlier stages of human evolution. This is a term derived from the Latin term

Deutsch: Atavistische Stigmata / Español: Estigmas Atávicos / Português: Estigmas Atavísticos / Français: Stigmates Ataviques / Italiano: Stigmi Atavici /

Atavistic Stigmata refers to a key element in early biological theories of criminality; physical characteristics, believed to represent an earlier stage of human evolution, which could be used to differentiate the criminal from normal people.

Ataxia refers to the inability to maintain normal postures and perform normal movements. Movements are jerky and uncoordinated, without the smooth flow of normal motion.

Atharva-Veda refers to the 700 B.C. Indian text that proposed that the soul was non-material and never died.