Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Middle Kingdom

(Encyclopedia)Middle Kingdom or Middle Country, Mandarin Zhongguo, Chinese name for China. It dates from c.1000 b.c., when it designated the Chou empire situated on the North China Plain. The Chou people, unaware o...

Middle River

(Encyclopedia)Middle River, uninc. town (1990 pop. 24,616), Baltimore co., N Md. It is an industrial and residential suburb of Baltimore.

Middle Temple

(Encyclopedia)Middle Temple: see Inns of Court; Temple, the. ...

middle voice

(Encyclopedia)middle voice, in grammar: see voice. ...

serf

(Encyclopedia)serf, under feudalism, peasant laborer who can be generally characterized as hereditarily attached to the manor in a state of semibondage, performing the servile duties of the lord (see also manorial ...

Kindi, al-

(Encyclopedia)Kindi, al- (Abu Yusuf Yakub ibn Ishak al-Kindi) äˈbo͞o yo͞oso͝ofˈ yäko͞obˈ ĭbˈən ēshäkˈ ăl-kĭnˈdē [key], 9th cent. Arab philosopher, b. Basra (now in Iraq). He studied at Basra and ...

Middle English literature

(Encyclopedia)Middle English literature, English literature of the medieval period, c.1100 to c.1500. See also English literature and Anglo-Saxon literature. The 15th cent. is not distinguished in English let...

Mardi Gras

(Encyclopedia)Mardi Gras märˈdē grä [key], last day before the fasting season of Lent. It is the French name for Shrove Tuesday. Literally translated, the term means “fat Tuesday” and was so called because ...

Niš

(Encyclopedia)Niš or Nish both: nēsh [key], city (1991 pop. 175,391), SE Serbia, on the Nišava River. An important railway and industrial center, it has industries that textiles, cigarettes, electronics, and spi...
 

Browse by Subject