Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

gibbon

(Encyclopedia)gibbon, small ape, family Hylobatidae, found in the forests of SE Asia. The gibbons are known as the small, or lesser, apes; they are the most highly adapted of the apes to arboreal life. They are hig...

gun

(Encyclopedia)gun, in general, any weapon that discharges shot, shells, or bullets by the explosion of gunpowder or some other explosive from a straight tube. See firearm; artillery; small arms. ...

adaptive radiation

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Adaptive radiation in Hawaiian honey-creepers adaptive radiation, in biology, the evolution of an ancestral species, which was adapted to a particular way of life, into many diverse species, e...

Shrapnel, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Shrapnel, Henry shrăpˈnəl [key], 1761–1842, British general, inventor of the shrapnel shell. The shell, consisting of a steel case filled with bullets and an explosive charge, is fired in midair ...

Hythe

(Encyclopedia)Hythe hīᵺ [key], town, Kent, SE England. A summer resort and market town, it was one of th...

Failly, Pierre Louis Charles de

(Encyclopedia)Failly, Pierre Louis Charles de pyĕr lwē shärl də fāyēˈ [key], 1810–92, French general. He fought in Algeria, in the Crimean War, and at Magenta and Solferino (1859) in the Italian War. Headi...

nonlinear dynamics

(Encyclopedia)nonlinear dynamics, study of systems governed by equations in which a small change in one variable can induce a large systematic change; the discipline is more popularly known as chaos (see chaos theo...

Oakley, Annie

(Encyclopedia)Oakley, Annie, 1860–1926, American theatrical performer, b. Darke co., Ohio. Her original name was Phoebe Anne Oakley Mozee. From childhood on she was a “dead shot” with a rifle. She defeated in...

Court of Justice of the European Union

(Encyclopedia)Court of Justice of the European Union, judicial institution of the European Union (EU). Located in Luxembourg, it was founded in 1958 as the joint court for the three treaty organizations that were c...

New York, University of the State of

(Encyclopedia)New York, University of the State of, chartered 1784. It consists of all secondary and higher educational institutions incorporated in the state and other institutions, organizations, and agencies for...

Browse by Subject