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commedia dell'arte

(Encyclopedia)commedia dell'arte kōm-māˈdēä dĕl-lärˈtā [key], popular form of comedy employing improvised dialogue and masked characters that flourished in Italy from the 16th to the 18th cent. The impac...

Neptune, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolut...

Scorsese, Martin

(Encyclopedia)Scorsese, Martin skôrsāˈzē, –sĕzˈē [key], 1942–, American film director; b...

Venus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Venus, in astronomy, 2d planet from the sun; it is often called the evening star or morning star and is brighter than any object in the sky except the sun and the moon. Because its orbit lies between ...

Vikings

(Encyclopedia)Vikings, Scandinavian warriors who raided the coasts of Europe and the British Isles from the 9th cent. to the 11th cent. In their language, the word “viking” originally meant a journey, as for tr...

stroboscope

(Encyclopedia)stroboscope strŏbˈəskōp [key], optical instrument for making a moving object appear to be slowed down or stationary. This effect is created by interrupting the observer's view so that the object i...

Hezir

(Encyclopedia)Hezir hēˈzĭr [key], in the Bible. 1 Chief priest in the time of David. 2 Signer of the covenant. ...

Gimzo

(Encyclopedia)Gimzo gĭmˈzō [key], town, SW ancient Palestine, N of Gezer. Second Chronicles reports that it was conquered by the Philistines in Ahaz's time. ...

coherence

(Encyclopedia)coherence, constant phase difference in two or more Waves over time. Two waves are said to be in phase if their crests and troughs meet at the same place at the same time, and the waves are out of pha...

Cleomenes I

(Encyclopedia)Cleomenes I klēŏmˈĭnēz [key], d. c.489 b.c., king of Sparta after 518 b.c. In accordance with Sparta's policy of helping oligarchies in other states at the expense of the tyrants or the people, C...