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pondweed

(Encyclopedia)pondweed, common name for the family Potamogetonaceae, and for weedy aquatic herbs of the genus Potamogeton, of which about 50 known species inhabit North American ponds and slow streams. They have sl...

Oskaloosa

(Encyclopedia)Oskaloosa ŏskəlo͞oˈ sə [key], city (1990 pop. 10,632), seat of Mahaska co., SE Iowa, on the North and South Skunk rivers; inc. 1852. It is the trade and processing center of a rich farm and lives...

damalisk

(Encyclopedia)damalisk dămˈəlĭskˌ [key], name for African antelopes of the genus Damaliscus, closely related to the hartebeest. Damalisks are slenderly built and rather horselike in form; they are common grazi...

Daumier, Honoré

(Encyclopedia)Daumier, Honoré ônôrāˈ dōmyāˈ [key], 1808–79, French caricaturist, painter, and sculptor. Daumier was the greatest social satirist of his day. Son of a Marseilles glazier, he accompanied his...

Death Valley

(Encyclopedia)Death Valley, SE Calif. and SW Nev., a deep, arid basin, 140 mi (225 km) long, bordered on the W by the Panamint Range and on the E by the Amargosa Range. In summer the valley has recorded some of the...

commando

(Encyclopedia)commando, small, elite military raiding and assault unit or soldier. Although the word was coined in the Boer War (1899–1902), the role is as old as battles themselves. In 1940, when the British org...

marsh antelope

(Encyclopedia)marsh antelope, name for members of a group of deerlike African antelopes, usually found in reeds or tall grasses near water. The males of this group have horns that curve back, up, and forward; femal...

loan

(Encyclopedia)loan, in business, sum of money borrowed at a particular interest rate. More generally, it refers to anything given on condition of its return or repayment of its equivalent. A loan may be acknowledge...

lancelet

(Encyclopedia)lancelet, name for small, fishlike lower chordate (see Chordata), also called amphioxus; it shows many affinities with the vertebrates. There are about 30 lancelet species, most belonging to the genus...

pancreas

(Encyclopedia)pancreas pănˈkrēəs [key], glandular organ that secretes digestive enzymes and hormones. In humans, the pancreas is a yellowish organ about 7 in. (17.8 cm) long and 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) wide. It lies b...