(Encyclopedia) Penderecki, KrzysztofPenderecki, Krzysztofkshĭshˈtôf pändĕrĕtsˈkē [key], 1933–2020, Polish composer. His music is characterized by unusual sonorities, and he devised his own system of…
(Encyclopedia) yam, common name for some members of the Dioscoreaceae, a family of tropical and subtropical climbing herbs or shrubs with starchy rhizomes often cultivated for food. The largest genus…
(Encyclopedia) yarrow, a plant of the genus Achillea, perennial herbs of the family Asteraceae (aster family), native to north temperate regions. Several species are cultivated as ornamentals for…
(Encyclopedia) waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to…
(Encyclopedia) water moccasin or cottonmouth, highly venomous snake, Ancistrodon piscivorus, of the swamps and bayous of the S United States. Like the closely related copperhead, it is a pit viper…
(Encyclopedia) White, E. B. (Elwyn Brooks White), 1899–1985, American writer, b. Mt. Vernon, N.Y., grad. Cornell, 1921. A witty, satiric observer of contemporary society, White was a member of the…
(Encyclopedia) Casement, Sir Roger David, 1864–1916, Irish revolutionary. While in British consular service, he exposed (1904) the atrocious exploitation of wild-rubber gatherers in the Congo (thus…
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From Mount Everest as the highest mountain above sea level to Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain on Earth, there are peaks and summits all around us. Mountains used to be seen as the…
Fall Poetry Wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being . . .—Percy Bysshe Shelley compiled by David Johnson No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace As I have seen in…
