A.F. Huxley's term, following all the dates in the modern era ("After Ford").
abjection a state of misery and degradation.
agaves plants of the agave family, such as the century plant.
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.
anthrax an infectious disease of wild and domesticated animals, especially cattle and sheep, which is caused by a bacillus and can be transmitted to people.
Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury Huxley's term describing the dystopia's equivalent for the Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of the Church of England.
Ariel a character from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Shakespeare describes him as a "airy spirit," with magical powers.
arpeggios the playing of notes of a chord in quick succession instead of simultaneously. Here, again, the musical term is used to describe the scent organ.
asafoetida a bad-smelling gum resin. It was formerly used to treat some illnesses, or, in folk medicine, to repel disease.
auto-eroticism masturbation.
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.
boskage a natural growth of trees or shrubs.
brachycephalic having a relatively short or broad head.
bursar a treasurer, as of a college or similar institution. Here, Huxley's term for the person who holds and distributes soma at the Park Lane Hospital.
caffeine solution Huxley's phrase for a tea-like drink in the brave new world.
Capriccio a musical composition in various forms, usually lively and whimsical in spirit. Here, the term is used in describing the scent organ.
carapace the horny, protective covering over all or part of the back of certain animals, as the upper shell of a turtle, armadillo, crab, etc.
Cardinal Newman (1801-90) John Henry Newman, English theologian and writer.
Charing-T Tower Huxley's re-creation of a London train station, Charing Cross Station.
chary careful or cautious; not given freely.
civet a yellowish, fatty substance with a musklike scent, secreted by a gland near the genitals of the civet cat and used in making some perfumes. Here, John quotes Shakespeare's sarcastic use of the term to mean a sweet scent. Pure civet is foul-smelling.
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.
