Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon the names of the castes of the dystopia. They are the first five letters of the Greek alphabet, used most commonly in British schools and universities as grades, equivalent to A, B, C, D, and F.
Bokanovsky’s Process Huxley’s phrase. A method for producing many identical eggs from a single egg. It is the basis for producing identical human beings.
Podsnap’s Technique Huxley’s phrase. A method for speeding up the ripening of mature eggs. The process makes possible the production of many identical human beings at roughly the same time.
decanting pouring from one container into another. Here, Huxley’s term for birth.
freemartin an imperfectly developed female calf, usually sterile. Here, Huxley’s term for a sterile woman. Most of the women of the dystopia are freemartins.
surrogate a substitute.
lupus any of various diseases with skin lesions.
demijohn a large bottle of glass or earthenware, with a narrow neck and a wicker casing.
A.F. Huxley’s term, following all the dates in the modern era (“After Ford”).
Henry Ford (1863-1947) U.S. automobile manufacturer credited with developing interchangeable parts and the assembly-line process. Here, the god-like figure of the dystopia.
lift British word for elevator.
corpus luteum a mass of yellow tissue formed in the ovary by a ruptured graafian follicle that has discharged its ovum; if the ovum is fertilized, this tissue secretes the hormone progesterone, needed to maintain pregnancy.
thyroxin the active hormone of the thyroid gland.
