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frog's-bit

(Encyclopedia) frog's-bit, common name for members of the Hydrocharitaceae, a family of aquatic herbs found in warm fresh- and saltwaters throughout the world. Most species grow partially or…

Hercules'-club

(Encyclopedia) Hercules'-club, common name for several small, thorny trees, chiefly the devil's-walking-stick of the family Aralaceae (ginseng family) and the prickly ash of the family Rutaceae (…

herpesvirus

(Encyclopedia) herpesvirus, any of the family (Herpesviridae) of common DNA-containing viruses, many of which are associated with human disease. See cytomegalovirus; Epstein-Barr virus; herpes…

Bohemian Forest

(Encyclopedia) Bohemian Forest, Czech Český Les, Ger. Böhmerwald, mountain range, extending c.150 mi (240 km) along the S Czech-German border and extending into Austria. The Czech name for its…

castanets

(Encyclopedia) castanetscastanetskăsˌtənĕtsˈ [key], percussion instruments known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, possibly of Middle Eastern origin, now used primarily in Spanish dance music or…

saxifrage

(Encyclopedia) saxifragesaxifragesăkˈsĭfrĭj [key], common name for several members of the Saxifragaceae, a family of widely varying herbs, shrubs, and small trees of cosmopolitan distribution. They…

muskrat

(Encyclopedia) muskrat, North American aquatic rodent. The common muskrats, species of the genus Ondatra, are sometimes called by their Native American name, musquash. They are found in marshes,…

aster

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Cross section of a sunflower, a member of the aster family aster [Gr.,=star], common name for the Asteraceae (Compositae), the aster family, in North America, name for plants…

Stresa

(Encyclopedia) StresaStresastrāˈzä [key], town (1991 pop. 4,684), Piedmont, N Italy, on the western shore of Lake Maggiore. Its lovely gardens and villas and the scenic Borromean Islands nearby have…

Stevin, Simon

(Encyclopedia) Stevin, SimonStevin, Simonsēˈmôn stəvīnˈ [key], 1548–1620, Dutch engineer and mathematician. His experiments in hydrostatics showed that the pressure exerted by a liquid is dependent…