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Possible definitions for letch

leech
Any annelid of the class Hirudinea (about 300 known species), with a small sucker containing the mouth at the front end and a large sucker at the back end. Species range from tiny to about 8 in. (20 cm) long. Leeches live primarily in freshwater or on land. Some species are predators, some eat organic debris, and others are parasitic. Aquatic leeches may feed on the blood of fishes, amphibians, birds, and mammals, or they may eat snails, insect larvae, and worms. True land leeches feed only on the blood of mammals. Substances in the leech's saliva anesthetize the wound area, dilate the blood vessels, and prevent the blood from clotting. Some species have been used by doctors to drain off blood for centuries. Hirudin, extracted from the European medical leech, is used medically as an anticoagulant.


litchi
Fruit of the tree Litchi chinensis (family Sapindaceae), believed to be native to S China and adjacent regions, but now also cultivated elsewhere. It has been a favorite fruit of the Cantonese Chinese since ancient times and is a popular dessert in U.S. Chinese restaurants. The fresh pulp tastes musky; when dried, it is acidic and very sweet. The handsome tree develops a compact crown of foliage, with compound leaves that are bright green year-round. Clusters of small, inconspicuous flowers form small, oval red fruits.


vetch
Any of about 150 species of herbaceous plants in the genus Vicia of the pea family (see legume). A few species are cultivated as important fodder and cover crops and as green manure. Trailing or climbing stems grow 1-4 ft (0.3-1.2 m) tall, bearing compound leaves with several pairs of leaflets. Magenta, bluish-white, white, or yellow flowers are borne singly or in clusters. The pods contain 2-10 seeds. Like other legumes, vetches add nitrogen to the soil through nitrogen fixation. See also crown vetch.


catch
English round, or simple vocal canon, for three or more unaccompanied voices. Catches were sung by men as a popular pastime in the 16th-19th cent. The increasingly intricate and clever interaction of the voices often produced comic and off-color verbal effects, especially in the late-17th-cent. Restoration period.


Cech
U.S. biochemist, molecular biologist, and Nobel laureate. Born in Chicago, he received his PhD from UC-Berkeley in 1975. In 1982 he became the first to show that an RNA molecule could catalyze a chemical reaction. He and S. Altman were awarded a 1989 Nobel Prize for their independent discoveries that RNA, previously thought to be only a messenger of genetic information, can also catalyze cellular chemical reactions essential to life.


etching
Method of engraving in which lines or textures are bitten, or etched, into a metal plate, usually copper, with acid. The image produced has a spontaneity of line that comes from drawing on the plate in the same direct way as with pen or pencil on ...

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