(Encyclopedia) defoliant, any one of several chemical compounds that, when applied to plants, can alter their metabolism, causing the leaves to drop off. In agriculture defoliants are used to…
(Encyclopedia) diarrheadiarrheadīərēˈə [key], frequent discharge of watery feces from the intestines, sometimes containing blood and mucus. It can be caused by excessive indulgence in alcohol or…
(Encyclopedia) Erdös, PaulErdös, Paulĕrˈdös [key], 1913–96, Hungarian mathematician, b. Budapest. A child prodigy, he was mostly home-schooled by his parents—both teachers of mathematics—until he…
(Encyclopedia) trumpet, brass wind musical instrument of part cylindrical, part conical bore, in the shape of a flattened loop and having three piston valves to regulate the pitch. Its origin is…
(Encyclopedia) vendettavendettavĕndĕtˈə [key] [Ital.,=vengeance], feud between members of two kinship groups to avenge a wrong done to a relative. Although the term originated in Corsica, the custom…
(Encyclopedia) pontoon, one of a number of floats used chiefly to support a bridge, to raise a sunken ship, or to float a hydroplane or a floating dock. Pontoons have been built of wood, of hides…
(Encyclopedia) poodle, popular breed of dog probably originating in Germany but generally associated with France, where it has been raised for centuries. There are three varieties, differing in size…
(Encyclopedia) quietism, a heretical form of religious mysticism founded by Miguel de Molinos, a 17th-century Spanish priest. Molinism, or quietism, developed within the Roman Catholic Church in…
(Encyclopedia) Ortega y Gasset, JoséOrtega y Gasset, Joséhōsāˈ ôrtāˈgä ē gäsĕtˈ [key], 1883–1955, Spanish essayist and philosopher. He studied in Germany and was influenced by neo-Kantian thought. He…
(Encyclopedia) Frederick VI, 1768–1839, king of Denmark (1808–39) and Norway (1808–14), son and successor of Christian VII. After the court party had executed Struensee, expelled Frederick's mother,…
