mastication See chewing
mastiff Breed of powerful but gentle dog of Europe and Asia dating to 3000 bc. Mastiffs fought bears, lions, tigers, bulls, and gladiators in Roman arenas and were used in English bull- and bear-baiting rings.
The mastiff stands 28-30 in. (70-75 cm) tall and weighs 165-185 lbs (75-85 kg). It has a broad head, short dark muzzle, and dark drooping ears.
Its short coat is apricot, silver fawn, or brindled. The bullmastifif, a BULLDOG-mastiff crossbreed standing 24-27 in. (61-69 cm) tall and weigh¬ ing 100-130 lbs (45-59 kg), is used as a police and guard dog.
mastitis \ma-'stl-t3s\ Inflammation of the breast. Acute mastitis, usually caused by bacteria, begins almost exclusively in the first three weeks of nursing and can be cured with anti¬ biotics without stopping nursing. The breasts may become swollen, red, hard, and tender; without treatment abscesses may occur. Mastitis can be localized or widespread, and the breast’s lymphatic system may be involved. Girls may have brief hormone-induced breast inflammation soon after birth and during puberty. Chronic mastitis usually occurs in systemic dis¬ eases (e.g., tuberculosis, syphilis). One rare type is seen mostly in older women with a history of difficult nursing. Some mastitis cases resemble certain cancers.
mastodon Vmas-to-.danV Any of several extinct elephant species (genus Mastodon) that lived worldwide 23.7 million-10,000 years ago or later
Mastiff
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in North America, where they were contemporaneous with historic Ameri¬ can Indian groups. Well-preserved remains are quite common. Mastodons ate leaves and had small grinding teeth and long, parallel, upward-curving upper tusks; males also had short lower tusks. Shorter than modem elephants, they had long, heavily built bodies and short, pillarlike legs. Their long hair was reddish brown. The skull was similar to that of mod¬ ern elephants but lower and flatter, and the ears were small. Human hunt¬ ing may have played a role in the mastodon’s extinction. See also MAMMOTH.
mastoiditis \ l mas- l toid- , I-t9s\ Inflammation of the mastoid process, a bony projection just behind the ear, almost always due to OTITIS media. It may spread into small cavities in the bone, blocking their drainage. Very severe cases infect the whole middle ear cleft. It causes pain behind the ear and on the side of the head. Temperature and pulse rate may rise. Tis¬ sues over the bone may swell until an abscess develops, indicating destruc¬ tion of the bone’s outer layer. Complications of inward spread include abscess inside the skull, thrombosis, and inner-ear infection; meningitis is a serious danger. Now rare with treatment of otitis media, mastoiditis usually responds to early antibiotic treatment; if not, surgical drainage with removal of all diseased bone is necessary.
Mastroianni \mas-troy-'a-ne\, Marcello (b. Sept. 28, 1924, Fontana Liri, Italy—d. Dec. 19, 1996, Paris, France) Italian film actor. He made his film debut in 1947 and was a well-known actor in Italy by the mid- 1950s. Darkly handsome, with a screen persona alternately winning and morose, he won international fame in films such as Luchino Visconti’s White Nights (1957) and Federico Fellini’s La dolce vita (1960). He acted in more than 100 movies, including 8 V 2 (1963), Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (1963), We All Loved Each Other So Much (1975), Dark Eyes (1987), and Voyage to the Beginning of the World (1997).
masturbation Erotic stimulation of one’s own genital organs, usually to achieve orgasm. Masturbatory behavior is common in infants and ado¬ lescents, and is indulged in by many adults as well. Studies indicate that over 90% of U.S. males and 60-80% of U.S. females have masturbated at one time or another. Christian moral teaching condemned masturbation as the sin of Onan, who in the Old Testament was censured for spilling his seed, and the Roman Catholic Church still officially condemns it.
Masurian Nmo-'zur-e-onV Lakeland Lake district, northeastern Poland, containing more than 2,000 lakes. It extends 180 mi (290 km) eastward from the lower Vistula River to the Poland-Belarus border and occupies an area of 20,000 sq mi (52,000 sq km). It was the scene of Russian defeats in 1914-15 during World War I. It came under Russian control in January 1945 but was later granted to Poland by the Potsdam Conference.
Mata Hari orig. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (b. Aug. 7, 1876, Leeuwarden, Neth.—d. Oct. 15,
1917, Vincennes, near Paris, France)
Dutch courtesan and alleged spy in World War I. In 1895 she married Campbell MacLeod, a Scottish officer, and lived in Java and Sumatra (1897-1902), after which they returned to Europe and sepa¬ rated. In 1905 she began to dance in Paris, calling herself Mata Hari (a Malay expression for the sun). Beau¬ tiful and exotic and willing to dance virtually nude, she soon had numer¬ ous lovers, including military offic¬ ers. Details of her spying activities are unclear, but she apparently spied for Germany from 1916. She was arrested by the French in 1917, tried by a military court, and shot by fir¬ ing squad.
Matabele See Ndebele
matador In bullfighting, the principal performer, who works the capes and attempts to dispatch the bull with a sword thrust between the shoul¬ der blades. Most of the techniques used by modern matadors were estab¬ lished in the 1910s by Juan Belmonte (b. 1894-d. 1962) of Spain. The matador’s traditional costume, which offers no protection, is known as
the “suit of lights.” The audience judges the matador according to his skill, grace, and daring. Almost every matador is gored at least once a season with varying degrees of severity, and many have received fatal wounds in the ring.
Matamba \ma-'tam-b3\ Historic African kingdom of the Mbundu people, located northeast of Luanda, Angola. A strong state in the early 16th century, it came into conflict with the Portuguese colonists of Angola. About 1630 it was conquered by Nzinga, ex-ruler of Ndongo, who strengthened it and stopped Angola’s eastward expansion in the 1670s. A 1684 treaty remained in effect until the Portuguese seized part of Mata¬ mba’s territory in 1744. The rest of it, assigned to Angola by European treaties of 1870-1900, remained a self-governing kingdom until it was occupied by Portuguese troops in the early 20th century.
Matamoros City (pop., 2000: 376,279), northern Tamaulipas state, Mexico. It is situated on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, across from Brownsville, Texas, U.S. Founded in 1824, it was the scene of bitter fight¬ ing in the Mexican War and was occupied by U.S. troops in 1846. It is now one of Mexico’s chief ports of entry for tourists and a trade centre.
Matapedia X.ma-to-'pe-de-oX Valley Valley of the Notre Dame Moun¬ tains, Gaspe Peninsula, eastern Quebec province, Canada. Extending for some 60 mi (100 km), it forms a direct lowland route through the moun¬ tains from the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic coast. It serves as an important transportation route between the Maritime Provinces and the Canadian mainland. It is drained by the Matapedia River, which flows 50 mi (80 km) to join the Restigouche River.
Mata ram Xmo-'ta-ronA Historic kingdom, Java. Originally a vassal state of Pajang, it became powerful under Senapati, who became its first king in the late 16th century. Its territory expanded in the early 17th century, but the kingdom later began to decline. In the mid-18th century it lost both power and territory to the Dutch East India Co., and was a vassal state of the company by 1749. Wars of succession in 1755 led to its divi¬ sion into the regions of Surakarta and Yogyakarta.