Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

267 results found

Reformed churches

(Encyclopedia)Reformed churches, in a general sense, all Protestant churches that claim a beginning in the Reformation. In more restricted and more usual historical usage, Reformed churches are those Protestant chu...

topography

(Encyclopedia)topography təpŏgˈrəfē [key], description or representation of the features and configuration of land surfaces. Topographic maps use symbols and coloring, with particular attention given to the sh...

cofferdam

(Encyclopedia)cofferdam, temporary barrier for excluding water from an area that is normally submerged. Made commonly of wood, steel, or concrete sheet piling (see pile), cofferdams are used in constructing the fou...

Greeley

(Encyclopedia)Greeley, city (2020 pop. 108,795), seat of Weld co., N Colo., at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mts.; inc. 1885. It is a rail and trade center...

Brooklyn Bridge

(Encyclopedia)Brooklyn Bridge, vehicular suspension bridge, New York City, southernmost of the bridges across the East River, between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn; built 1869–83. The achievement of J. A. Roebling...

cantilever

(Encyclopedia)cantilever kănˈtəlēvər [key], beam supported rigidly at one end to carry a load along the free arm or at the free end. A slanting beam fixed at the base is often used to support the free end, as ...

East River

(Encyclopedia)East River, tidal strait, 16 mi (26 km) long and 600–4,000 ft (183–1,219 m) wide, connecting Upper New York Bay and Long Island Sound, New York City, and separating the boroughs of Manhattan and t...

ferry

(Encyclopedia)ferry, vessel providing passage over a river, lake, or other body of water for passengers, vehicles, or freight; the term is also applied to the place where the crossing is made and, by extension, to ...

Kittery

(Encyclopedia)Kittery kĭtˈərē [key], town (1990 pop. 9,372), York co., extreme SW Maine, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River opposite Portsmouth, N.H.; inc. 1647. Its economy centers around tourism and the Por...

koto

(Encyclopedia)koto kōˈtō [key], a Japanese string instrument related in structure to the zither. It consists of an elongated rectangular wooden body, strung lengthwise with 7 to 13 silk strings. The uniformly lo...

Browse by Subject