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Ragnarok

(Encyclopedia)Ragnarok rägˈnərŏkˌ [key], in Norse mythology, the doom of the gods. According to prophecy the end of the world would follow a severe ice age, in which human civilization would be destroyed. Then...

Hecate

(Encyclopedia)Hecate hĕkˈətē, hĕkˈĭt [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of ghosts and witchcraft. Originally she seems to have been an extremely powerful and benevolent goddess, identified with ...

Elysian fields

(Encyclopedia)Elysian fields ĭlĭzhˈēəm [key], in Greek religion and mythology, happy otherworld for heroes favored by the gods. Identified with the Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, Elysium was situated i...

mace, in botany and cooking

(Encyclopedia)mace, in botany and cooking: see nutmeg. ...

man, in anthropology and biology

(Encyclopedia)man: see anthropology; human evolution; race. ...

kite, in aviation and recreation

(Encyclopedia)kite, in aviation, aircraft restrained by a towline and deriving its lift from the aerodynamic action of the wind flowing across it. Commonly the kite consists of a light framework upon which paper, s...

grain, in weights and measures

(Encyclopedia)grain, in weights and measures: see English units of measurement. ...

gill, in weights and measures

(Encyclopedia)gill, in weights and measures: see English units of measurement. ...

formula, in mathematics and physics

(Encyclopedia)formula, in mathematics and physics, equation expressing a definite fixed relationship between certain quantities. The quantities are usually expressed by letters, and their relationship is indicated ...

functionalism, in anthropology and sociology

(Encyclopedia)functionalism, in anthropology and sociology, a theory stressing the importance of interdependence among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system to its long-term survival. It was...