(Encyclopedia) farofarofârˈō [key] [for Pharaoh, from an old French card design], gambling game played with a pack of 52 cards. First played in France and England, faro was especially popular in U.S…
(Encyclopedia) European Investment Bank, nonprofit bank created in 1958 by the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (now part of the European Union [EU]). The bank makes or…
(Encyclopedia) enamelware, utensils having a metal foundation and a coating of special glass, called porcelain enamel, applied by fusion. The porcelain enamel, or vitreous enamel, is applied to make…
(Encyclopedia) siphonsiphonsīˈfən, –fŏn [key], tube or other enclosed conduit through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation and then emptied at a lower level. The movement of the liquid is…
(Encyclopedia) budding, type of grafting in which a plant bud is inserted under the bark of the stock (usually not more than a year old). It is best done when the bark will peel easily and the buds…
(Encyclopedia) blink microscope, in astronomy, device for determining a change in position or magnitude (brightness) of a star relative to other stars in the background. Two photographs of the same…
(Encyclopedia) fireproofing, method of making normally combustible materials as nearly noncombustible as possible. Fireproofing generally applies to textiles and construction materials that are…
(Encyclopedia) state of emergency, situation in which a government or a government body is empowered to act with enhanced powers in order to respond to a crisis. The enhanced or emergency powers, and…
(Encyclopedia) obbligatoobbligatoŏbləgäˈtō [key] [Ital.,=obligatory], in music, originally a term by which a composer indicated that a certain part was indispensable to the music. Obbligato was thus…
(Encyclopedia) millennium [Lat.,=1,000 years], the period of 1,000 years in which, according to some schools of Christian eschatology, Christ will reign again gloriously on earth. Belief in the…
