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igloo

(Encyclopedia)igloo ĭgˈlo͞o [key] [Inuit,=house]. The Eskimos traditionally had three types of houses. A summer house, which was basically a tent, a winter house, which was usually partially dug into the ground ...

short circuit

(Encyclopedia)short circuit, abnormal connection of low resistance between two points of a circuit that usually causes a high, potentially damaging current to flow. To protect against damage, devices such as a fuse...

cryosurgery

(Encyclopedia)cryosurgery krīˈōsrˌjərē [key], bloodless surgical technique using a supercooled probe to destroy diseased or superfluous tissue. Liquid nitrogen circulating through the instrument cools it to t...

Praesepe

(Encyclopedia)Praesepe prēsēˈpē [key] [Lat.,=manger], open star cluster in the constellation Cancer; cataloged as M44 or NGC 2632. It was first recorded by Hipparchus (c.150 b.c.). The cluster is often called t...

Okefenokee Swamp

(Encyclopedia)Okefenokee Swamp ōˌkəfənōˈkē [key], c.600 sq mi (1,550 sq km), c.40 mi (60 km) long and averaging 20 mi (32 km) in width, SE Ga., extending into N Fla. It is a saucer-shaped depression with low...

Pamlico Sound

(Encyclopedia)Pamlico Sound pămˈlĭkō [key], lagoon, 80 mi (129 km) long and 15 to 30 mi (24–48 km) wide, E N.C., separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a row of low, sandy barrier islands; largest lagoon along ...

Angus cattle

(Encyclopedia)Angus cattle ăngˈgəs [key], breed of black polled (hornless) beef cattle, originated in Scotland and introduced in 1873 to the United States, where they have become well established. Often called B...

bungalow

(Encyclopedia)bungalow [Indian bangla,=house], dwelling built in a style developed from that of a form of rural house in India. The original bungalow typically has one story, few rooms, and a maximum of cross draft...

Bock, Fedor von

(Encyclopedia)Bock, Fedor von fāˈdôr fən bôk [key], 1880–1945, German field marshal. During World War II he led German armies in Poland, the Low Countries, France, and Russia. In 1941 he failed to take Mosco...

beach

(Encyclopedia)beach, a gently sloping zone where deposits of unconsolidated sediments are subject to wave action at the shore of an ocean or lake. Most of the sediment making up a beach is supplied by rivers or by ...