deferent

& s. [Lat. deferens, pr. par. of defero to bear down.] A. As adj .: Carrying or conveying. B. As substantive : I. Ord. Lang .: Anything which carries or conveys; a conveyer, a carrier. sounds may be created without air, though air IMG:content-2020.png:[ocr errors] be the most favorable deferent of sounds."- Bacon. II. Technically : 1. Astron.: A circle or oval curve, on which the center of another oval moves, while a planet is supposed to move round the latter. The term belongs to the Ptolemaic system. [EPICYCLE.] 2. Anat . ( pl .): Certain ve els in the human body appointed for the conveyance of humors from one place to another.