change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics

fossilisation, fossilization - becoming inflexible or out of date

text, textual matter - the words of something written; "there were more than a thousand words of text"; "they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech"; "he wants to reconstruct the original text"

section, subdivision - a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical); "he always turns first to the business section"; "the history of this work is discussed in the next section"

excerpt, extract, selection - a passage selected from a larger work; "he presented excerpts from William James' philosophical writings"

locus classicus - an authoritative and often-quoted passage

place - the passage that is being read; "he lost his place on the page"

purple passage - a passage full of ornate and flowery language

transition - a passage that connects a topic to one that follows

text - a passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon; "the preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon"

adit - a nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine

aisle - a long narrow passage (as in a cave or woods)

channel - a passage for water (or other fluids) to flow through; "the fields were crossed with irrigation channels"; "gutters carried off the rainwater into a series of channels under the street"

conduit - a passage (a pipe or tunnel) through which water or electric wires can pass; "the computers were connected through a system of conduits"

cul, cul de sac, dead end - a passage with access only at one end

fish ladder - a series of ascending pools providing a passage for salmon to swim upstream past a dam

passageway - a passage between rooms or between buildings

right of way - the passage consisting of a path or strip of land over which someone has the legal right to pass

shaft - a vertical passage into a mine

throat - a passage resembling a throat in shape or function; "the throat of the vase"; "the throat of a chimney";

way - any artifact consisting of a road or path affording passage from one place to another; "he said he was looking for the way out"

lawmaking, legislating, legislation - the act of making or enacting laws

jurisprudence, law - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

journey, journeying - the act of traveling from one place to another

lockage - passage through a lock in a canal or waterway

musical composition, opus, piece of music, composition, piece - a musical work that has been created; "the composition is written in four movements"

allegro - a musical composition or passage performed quickly in a brisk lively manner

intro - a brief introductory passage to a piece of popular music

musical phrase, phrase - a short musical passage

cadence - the close of a musical section

cadenza - a brilliant solo passage occuring near the end of a piece of music

largo - (music) a composition or passage that is to be performed in a slow and dignified manner

adagio - (music) a composition played in adagio tempo (slowly and gracefully); "they played the adagio too quickly"

recitative - a vocal passage of narrative text that a singer delivers with natural rhythms of speech

modulation, transition - a musical passage moving from one key to another

impromptu - a short musical passage that seems to have been made spontaneously without advance preparation

anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical structure; "he has good bone structure"

birth canal - a passage in the uterus and vagina through which a fetus passes during vaginal birth

meatus - a natural body passageway

orifice, porta, opening - an aperture or hole opening into a bodily cavity; "the orifice into the aorta from the lower left chamber of the heart"

duct, epithelial duct, canal, channel - a bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance; "the tear duct was obstructed"; "the alimentary canal"; "poison is released through a channel in the snake's fangs"

sinusoid - tiny endothelium-lined passages for blood in the tissue of an organ

root canal - the passage in the root of a tooth through which its nerve and blood vessels enter the pulp cavity

esophagus, gullet, oesophagus, gorge - the passage between the pharynx and the stomach

epicardia - the short part of the esophagus extending downward from the diaphragm to the stomach

fauces - the passage between the back of the mouth and the pharynx

sinus, fistula - an abnormal passage leading from a suppurating cavity to the body surface

shunt - a passage by which a bodily fluid (especially blood) is diverted from one channel to another; "an arteriovenus shunt"

reaction, response - a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some foregoing stimulus or agent; "a bad reaction to the medicine"; "his responses have slowed with age"

motion, movement - a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something

bringing, delivery - the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail); "his reluctant delivery of bad news"

relay - the act of relaying something