Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

496 results found

Hampton, part of Greater London, England

(Encyclopedia)Hampton, since 1965 part of the Greater London outer borough of Richmond upon Thames, SE England, on the Thames River. It is the site of Hampton Court Palace, which occupies about eight acres (3.25 he...

Gwalior

(Encyclopedia)Gwalior gwäˈlēôr [key], city and former princely state, central India. Part of Madhya Pra...

Niles

(Encyclopedia)Niles. 1 Village (1990 pop. 28,284), Cook co., NE Ill., a residential suburb adjacent to Chicago, on the Chicago River; settled 1832, inc. 1899. The village has a replica (half size) of the Leaning To...

aconite

(Encyclopedia)aconite ăkˈənīt [key], monkshood, or wolfsbane, any of several species of the genus Aconitum of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), hardy perennial plants of the north temperate zone, gro...

peony

(Encyclopedia)peony pēˈənē [key], any plant of the genus Paeonia of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family, although placed in the order Dilleniales as a separate family, the Paeoniaceae, by many modern bot...

azalea

(Encyclopedia)azalea əzālˈyə [key] [Gr.,=dry], any species of the genus Rhododendron, North American and Asian shrubs of the family Ericaceae (heath family) that are distinguished by the usually deciduous leave...

caryatid

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Caryatid caryatid kărˌēătˈĭd, kărˈēətĭdˌ [key], a sculptured female figure serving as an ornamental support in place of a column or pilaster. It was a frequently used motif in arch...

Sutherland, Dame Joan

(Encyclopedia)Sutherland, Dame Joan, 1926–2010, Australian coloratura soprano and one of the most famous singers of the 20th cent. Sutherland studied in her hometown of Sydney, where she made her concert debut (1...

bee balm

(Encyclopedia)bee balm, name for several herbs, especially Melissa officinalis and Monarda didyma, both typical perennials of the family Labiatae (mint family) named for their fragrance, attractive to bees and humm...

Beecham, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Beecham, Sir Thomas bēˈchəm [key], 1879–1961, English conductor. Beecham was educated at Oxford but did not attend any formal music school. Early in his career as a conductor and producer, he int...