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Bollandists

(Encyclopedia)Bollandists bŏlˈəndĭsts [key], group of Jesuits in Belgium, named for their early leader, Jean Bolland, a Flemish Jesuit of the 17th cent. They were charged by the Holy See with compiling an autho...

mucopolysaccharide

(Encyclopedia)mucopolysaccharide myo͞oˌkəpŏlēsăkˈərīd [key], class of polysaccharide molecules, also known as glycosaminoglycans, composed of amino-sugars chemically linked into repeating units that give a...

genro

(Encyclopedia)genro gĕnˈrōˈ [key] [ Jap.,=elder statesmen], a group that exercised collective leadership in Japan from the end of the Meiji period until c.1932. After the Meiji restoration (1868), Westernizer...

Soka Gakkai

(Encyclopedia)Soka Gakkai sōˈkä gäkˈkī [key] [Jap.,=Value Creation Society], Japan-based independent lay Buddhist movement. A theological offshoot of Nichiren Buddhism, it was founded (1930) as the Soka Kyoik...

Caucasian languages

(Encyclopedia)Caucasian languages, family of languages spoken by about 7 million people in the Caucasus region of SE European Russia. The Caucasian languages take their name from the Caucasus Mountains, on the slop...

Saturn, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Saturn and its ring system as seen from Earth Saturn, in astronomy, 6th planet from the sun. Saturn has 82 confirmed natural satellites, many of which have not been named. Five of the discov...

leveraged buyout

(Encyclopedia)leveraged buyout, the takeover of a company, financed by borrowed funds. Often, the target company's assets are used as security for the loans acquired to finance the purchase. The acquiring company o...

methedrine

(Encyclopedia)methedrine mĕthˈədrēn [key], drug of the amphetamine group. Also known as methamphetamine, it is used as a stimulant. ...

Sabelli

(Encyclopedia)Sabelli səbĕlˈī [key], people of ancient Italy who spoke Oscan. They were a loose group and seemed to have had little or no political unity. Oscan-speaking tribes expanded over central Italy, and ...

Kawartha Lakes

(Encyclopedia)Kawartha Lakes kəwôrˈthə [key], group of 14 lakes, in a region c.50 mi (80 km) long and c.25 mi (40 km) wide, S Ont., Canada, near the towns of Lindsay and Peterborough. Balsam is the largest lake...