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Lake, Kirsopp

(Encyclopedia)Lake, Kirsopp kûrˈsəp [key], 1872–1946, noted English biblical scholar. He was curate of St. Mary the Virgin (Oxford) until 1904, when he became a professor at the Univ. of Leiden (until 1913). A...

Maltese

(Encyclopedia)Maltese môltēzˈ [key], breed of very small toy dog of obscure origin that was widely popular in Europe by the beginning of the 19th cent. It stands about 5 in. (12.7 cm) high at the shoulder and we...

Barbarossa

(Encyclopedia)Barbarossa bärˌbərŏsˈə [key] [Ital.,=red-beard], surname of the Turkish corsair Khayr ad-Din (c.1483–1546). Barbarossa and his brother Aruj, having seized (1518) Algiers from the Spanish, plac...

repoussé

(Encyclopedia)repoussé rəpo͞osāˈ [key], the process or the product of ornamenting metallic surfaces with designs in relief hammered out from the back by hand. Gold and silver are most commonly used today for f...

Coubertin, Pierre Frédy, baron de

(Encyclopedia)Coubertin, Pierre Frédy, baron de pyĕr frādēˈ, də co͞obĕrtăNˈ [key], 1863–1937, French founder of the modern Olympic games. Born into an aristocratic family, he pursued a career as an educ...

closet drama

(Encyclopedia)closet drama, a play that is meant to be read rather than performed. Precursors of the form existed in classical times. Plato's Apology is often regarded as tragic drama rather than philosophic dialog...

cockfighting

(Encyclopedia)cockfighting, sport of pitting gamecocks against one other. Though popular in ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome, cockfighting has been long opposed by clergy and humane groups. Massachusetts passed (18...

Ermoupolis

(Encyclopedia)Ermoupolis, Hermoupolis sēˈrôs [key], city, capital of Cyclades prefecture, SE Greece, on the east coast ...

Pylos

(Encyclopedia)Pylos pīˈlŏs [key], ancient harbor, Messenia, SW Greece, on a bay of the Ionian Sea. Excavations have revealed a great Mycenaean palace of the 13th cent. b.c., perhaps the dwelling of King Nestor. ...

Gabii

(Encyclopedia)Gabii gāˈbēī [key], ancient town of Latium, 12 mi (19.3 km) E of Rome on the road to Praeneste (modern Palestrina). According to legend, Romulus was reared there. One of the most important of the ...