Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Alexander of Pherae

(Encyclopedia)Alexander of Pherae fērˈē [key], d. 358 b.c., tyrant of the city of Pherae in Thessaly after 369 b.c. He was opposed by other Thessalian cities and by the Thebans. Pelopidas failed (368 b.c.) in on...

dance of death

(Encyclopedia)dance of death: see Death, Dance of. ...

Alexandretta, sanjak of

(Encyclopedia)Alexandretta, sanjak of: see Hatay, Turkey. ...

cracking of petroleum

(Encyclopedia)cracking of petroleum: see petroleum. ...

Cradle of Humankind

(Encyclopedia)Cradle of Humankind, extensive archaeological site, c.180 sq mi (470 sq km), encompassing dolomitic limestone caves containing numerous hominin fossils, Gauteng and North West prov., South Africa, c.3...

cream of tartar

(Encyclopedia)cream of tartar, white crystalline powder. Chemically it is potassium hydrogen tartrate, KC4H5O6, the acidic potassium salt of tartaric acid. It is used as the leavening agent in baking powders. An im...

credit, letter of

(Encyclopedia)credit, letter of, commercial instrument through which a bank or other financial institution instructs a correspondent institution to advance a specified sum of money to the bearer. The document is ca...

Crépy, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Crépy, Treaty of krāpēˈ [key], 1544, concluded by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France at Crépy-en-Laonnois (formerly spelled Crespy), Aisne dept., N France. The emperor reno...

Crespy, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Crespy, Treaty of: see Crépy, Treaty of. ...

cost of living

(Encyclopedia)cost of living, amount of money needed to buy the goods and services necessary to maintain a specified standard of living. The cost of living is closely tied to rates of inflation and deflation. In es...