Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Charles XV, king of Sweden and Norway

(Encyclopedia)Charles XV, 1826–72, king of Sweden and Norway (1859–72), son and successor of Oscar I. A liberal and popular ruler, he consented to many reforms, including the creation of a bicameral parliament....

Mayweather, Floyd, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Mayweather, Floyd, Jr., 1977–, American boxer, b. Grand Rapids, Mich., as Floyd Joy Sinclair. He began boxing at an early age, coached by his father, a welterweight boxer whose name he subsequently ...

Brasília

(Encyclopedia)Brasília bräzēlˈyä [key], capital city and federal district of Brazil (2,264 sq mi/5,864 sq ...

Wertmüller, Lina

(Encyclopedia)Wertmüller, Lina, 1928–2021, Italian film director, b. Archangela as Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spañol von Braucich. In the 1970s she becam...

decadents

(Encyclopedia)decadents, in literature, name loosely applied to those 19th-century, fin-de-siècle European authors who sought inspiration, both in their lives and in their writings, in aestheticism and in all the ...

Belo Horizonte

(Encyclopedia)Belo Horizonte bəlˌo͝orēzôNˈtĭ [key] [Port.,=beautiful horizon], city, capital of Minas Gerais ...

Gustavus V

(Encyclopedia)Gustavus V, 1858–1950, king of Sweden (1907–50), son and successor of Oscar II. During his reign Sweden evolved toward political equality and economic prosperity and avoided military involvement i...

paradox

(Encyclopedia)paradox, statement that appears self-contradictory but actually has a basis in truth, e.g., Oscar Wilde's “Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.” Many New Critics mai...

operetta

(Encyclopedia)operetta ŏpərĕtˈə [key], type of light opera with a frivolous, sentimental story, often employing parody and satire and containing both spoken dialogue and much light, pleasant music. In the earl...

flamenco

(Encyclopedia)flamenco, Spanish music and dance typical of the Romani (Gypsy), or gitano. Flamenco dancing is characterized by colorful costumes, intense and erotic movements, stamping of the feet (zapateado), and ...