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guardian and ward

(Encyclopedia)guardian and ward, in law. A guardian is someone who by appointment or by relationship has the care of a person or that person's property, or both. The protected individual, known as the ward, is cons...

population I and II

(Encyclopedia)population I and II, in astronomy: see stellar populations. ...

Aholah and Aholibah

(Encyclopedia)Aholah əhōˈlə [key], in the Bible, the sisters in an allegory on Israel's idolatry. ...

leptospirosis

(Encyclopedia)leptospirosis lĕpˌtəspīrōˈsĭs [key], febrile disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospirae. The disease may affect dogs, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and horses and is also transmissible t...

ratchet and pawl

(Encyclopedia)ratchet and pawl, mechanical device that permits motion in one direction only. The ratchet is usually a wheel with slanting teeth. The pawl is a lever tangential to the wheel with one end resting on t...

Permian period

(Encyclopedia)Permian period pûrˈmēən [key] [from Perm, Russia], sixth and last period of the Paleozoic era (see Geologic Timescale, tablegeologic timescale, table) from 250 to 290 million years ago. Many ma...

Bozez and Seneh

(Encyclopedia)Bozez sēˈnə, –nĕ [key], two cliffs at the entrance to the ravine of Michmash (now the Wadi Suweinet); they are mentioned in the First Book of Samuel. ...

Schleswig, former duchy, Germany and Denmark

(Encyclopedia)Schleswig shlĕsˈvĭkh [key], Dan. Slesvig, former duchy, N Germany and S Denmark, occupying the southern part of Jutland. The Eider River separates it from Holstein. German Schleswig forms part of S...

Meuse, river, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands

(Encyclopedia)Meuse myo͞oz, Fr. möz [key], Du. Maas, river, c.560 mi (900 km) long, rising in the Langres Plateau, NE France and flowing N past Sedan (the head of navigation) and Charleville-Mézières into S Bel...

barrel organ

(Encyclopedia)barrel organ, mechanical musical instrument requiring nothing but the regular rotary motion of a handle to keep it going. It probably originated at the beginning of the 18th cent., and was once used e...