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zedoary

(Encyclopedia)zedoary zĕdˈōĕrˌē [key], name for a perennial herb (Curcuma zedoaria) of the Zingiberaceae (ginger family) and for a spice consisting of its dried and pulverized aromatic rhizome. The plant, rel...

Abbe, Ernst

(Encyclopedia)Abbe, Ernst ĕrnst äˈbə [key], 1840–1905, German physicist. He was appointed professor at the Univ. of Jena in 1870 and director of its astronomical and meteorological observatories in 1878. From...

animal

(Encyclopedia)animal, any member of the animal kingdom (kingdom Animalia), as distinguished from organisms of the plant kingdom (kingdom Plantae) and the kingdoms Fungi, Protista, and Monera in the five-kingdom sys...

Pinophyta

(Encyclopedia)Pinophyta pīˌnŏfˈətə [key], division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called gymnosperms. The gymnosperms, a group that includes the pine, have stems, roots and leaves...

Laon

(Encyclopedia)Laon läN [key], commercial town (1990 pop. 28,670), capital of Aisne dept., N France. It has forges, a printing plant, and factories that make heating equipment and metal goods. Situated on a rocky h...

Mohl, Hugo von

(Encyclopedia)Mohl, Hugo von ho͞oˈgō fən mōl [key], 1805–72, German botanist. He is noted for his research on the nature of protoplasm and chlorophyll and on the physiology of higher plant forms. Mohl was pr...

arnica

(Encyclopedia)arnica ärˈnəkə [key], any plant of the genus Arnica, yellow-flowered perennials of the family Asteraceae (aster family), native to north temperate and arctic regions. In North America, arnicas gro...

manna

(Encyclopedia)manna mănˈə [key], in the Bible, edible substance provided by God for the people of Israel in the wilderness. In the Book of Exodus it is compared to coriander seed and described as fine, white, an...

Goudy, Frederic William

(Encyclopedia)Goudy, Frederic William gouˈdē [key], 1865–1947, American type designer, b. Bloomington, Ill. Goudy is celebrated as one of the finest and most prolific type designers in history. In 1905, Goudy e...

fleabane

(Encyclopedia)fleabane, any plant of the genus Erigeron, widely distributed herbs of the family Asteraceae (aster family), especially abundant in temperate and mountainous regions of North America. The flowers, ran...