Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Herbert, Victor

(Encyclopedia)Herbert, Victor, 1859–1924, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, studied at the Stuttgart Conservatory. In 1886 the Metropolitan Opera Company engaged his wife, Therese Herbert-Föster, ...

Hercules, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Hercules hûrˈkyəlēzˌ [key], in astronomy, northern constellation located between Lyra and Corona Borealis. It is traditionally depicted as the hero Hercules in a kneeling position. There are no v...

gingivitis

(Encyclopedia)gingivitis jĭnˌjəvīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of the gums. It may be acute, subacute, chronic, or recurrent. The gums usually become red, swollen, and spongy, and bleed easily. Chronic gingivitis ...

hue and cry

(Encyclopedia)hue and cry, formerly, in English law, pursuit of a criminal immediately after he had committed a felony. Whoever witnessed or discovered the crime was required to raise the hue and cry against the pe...

Apalachee

(Encyclopedia)Apalachee ăpˌəlăchˈē [key], tribe of Native North Americans once centered about Apalachee Bay, NW Florida, belonging to the Muskogean branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native Amer...

logwood

(Encyclopedia)logwood, small, thorny tree (Haematoxylon campechianum) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) native to tropical America and introduced into other tropical regions. The brown-red heartwood is the s...

McDougall, William, Canadian statesman

(Encyclopedia)McDougall, William, 1822–1905, Canadian leader in the movement for Canadian confederation, b. Ontario. He was elected (1858) to the Legislative Assembly, and in 1864 he entered the “great coalitio...

litmus

(Encyclopedia)litmus, organic dye usually used in the laboratory as an indicator of acidity or alkalinity (see acids and bases). Naturally pink in color, it turns blue in alkali solutions and red in acids. Commonly...

Chelsea ware

(Encyclopedia)Chelsea ware, chinaware made in the mid-18th cent. at a factory in Chelsea, London. The earliest specimens extant are dated 1745 and have the potter's mark of a triangle and the word Chelsea. Nicholas...
 

Browse by Subject