Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Chipewyan

(Encyclopedia)Chipewyan chĭpˌəwīˈən [key], Native North Americans of the Athabascan branch of the Nadene linguistic stock (see also Native American languages). Formerly the largest of the Athabascan groups, s...

chancel

(Encyclopedia)chancel, primarily that part of the church close to the altar and used by the officiating clergy. In the early churches it was separated from the nave by a low parapet or open railing (cancellus), its...

Estaing, Charles Hector, comte d'

(Encyclopedia)Estaing, Charles Hector, comte d' shärl ĕktôrˈ kôNt dĕstăNˈ [key], 1729–94, French admiral. After serving in India he was given (1778) command of a French fleet sent to aid the colonists in ...

Vendler, Helen Hennessy

(Encyclopedia)Vendler, Helen Hennessy, 1933–, American poetry critic, b. Boston, Ph.D. Harvard, 1960. One of America's most lucid critics of poetry, uniquely adept at close reading, she is also among the genre's ...

Paston Letters

(Encyclopedia)Paston Letters, collection of personal and business correspondence, mostly among members of the Paston family of Norfolk, England. The letters cover the years from 1422 to 1529, together with deeds an...

John III, Byzantine emperor of Nicaea

(Encyclopedia)John III (John Ducas Vatatzes) do͝oˈkəs vətătˈzēz [key], d. 1254, Byzantine emperor of Nicaea (1222–54), successor and son-in-law of Theodore I. He extended his territory in Asia Minor and th...

Joinville, Jean, sire de

(Encyclopedia)Joinville, Jean, sire de zhäN sēr də zhwăNvēlˈ [key], 1224?–1317?, French chronicler, biographer of Louis IX of France (St. Louis). As seneschal (governor) of Champagne, Joinville was a close ...

Jones, Jesse Holman

(Encyclopedia)Jones, Jesse Holman, 1874–1956, U.S. Secretary of Commerce (1940–45), b. Robertson co., Tenn. A lumber magnate, banker, and millionaire of Houston, Tex., Jones was appointed (1932) by President Ho...

Staffordshire terrier

(Encyclopedia)Staffordshire terrier, breed of strong, muscular terrier developed in England in the early 19th cent. It stands from 17 to 19 in. (43.1–48.3 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 35 to 50 lb (15....

Skye terrier

(Encyclopedia)Skye terrier, breed of sturdy, short-legged terrier developed in the northwestern islands of Scotland more than four centuries ago. It takes its name from the principal island in the group. The Skye t...