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muskrat

(Encyclopedia)muskrat, North American aquatic rodent. The common muskrats, species of the genus Ondatra, are sometimes called by their Native American name, musquash. They are found in marshes, quiet streams, and p...

Saint Augustine

(Encyclopedia)Saint Augustine mətănˈzəs [key], also a national monument, was built by Spain in 1742. Other places of interest in the city are the old schoolhouse, the house reputed to be the oldest in the Unite...

Man, Isle of

(Encyclopedia)Man, Isle of, island and dependency of the British crown (2015 est. pop. 83,000), 227 sq mi (588 sq km), off Great Britain, in the Irish Sea. The coast is rocky with precipitous cliffs; the Calf of Ma...

ring, piece of jewelry

(Encyclopedia)ring, small ornamental hoop usually worn on finger or thumb, but it may be attached to the ear or the nose. Finger rings made of bronze, gold, and silver from the period c.2600–1500 b.c. have been f...

Narváez, Pánfilo de

(Encyclopedia)Narváez, Pánfilo de pänˈfēlō ᵺā närväˈĕth [key], c.1470–1528, Spanish conquistador. After service in Jamaica, he aided Diego de Velázquez in conquering Cuba and was sent (1520) to Mexi...

La Russa, Tony

(Encyclopedia)La Russa, Tony (Anthony La Russa, Jr.) lə ro͞oˈsə [key], 1944–, American baseball player and manager, b. Tampa, Fla. An infielder, he spent years in the minors but also played parts of six seaso...

chicle

(Encyclopedia)chicle chĭkˈəl [key], name for the gum obtained from the latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American evergreen. The sapodilla (known also by many other common names) is wide...

Dohnányi, Ernst von

(Encyclopedia)Dohnányi, Ernst von ĕrˈnö [key], 1877–1960, Hungarian composer, pianist, and conductor. He studied at the Royal Academy, Budapest (1894–97), and later became its director. As a pianist he tour...

equine encephalitis

(Encyclopedia)equine encephalitis ēˈkwīn ĕnsĕfˌəlīˈtĭs [key], infectious disease of horses caused by any of several viruses, three of which—the Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan viruses—can also infect...

state flowers

(Encyclopedia)state flowers. Each state of the United States has designated, usually by legislative action, one flower as its floral emblem; the rose has been designated by Congress as the national flower of the Un...