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Maccabees, Jewish family

(Encyclopedia)Maccabees or Machabees both: măkˈəbēz [key], Jewish family of the 2d and 1st cent. b.c. that brought about a restoration of Jewish political and religious life. They are also called Hasmoneans or ...

Medici, Italian family

(Encyclopedia)Medici mĕˈdĭchē, Ital. māˈdēchē [key], Italian family that directed the destinies of Florence from the 15th cent. until 1737. Of obscure origin, they rose to immense wealth as merchants and ba...

Condé, French family

(Encyclopedia)Condé kôNdāˈ [key], family name of a cadet branch of the French royal house of Bourbon. The name was first borne by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, 1530–69, Protestant leader and general. ...

family, in taxonomy

(Encyclopedia)family, in taxonomy: see classification. ...

family, in sociology

(Encyclopedia)family, a basic unit of social structure, the exact definition of which can vary greatly from time to time and from culture to culture. How a society defines family as a primary group, and the functio...

Ypsilanti, Greek family

(Encyclopedia)Ypsilanti or Hypsilanti both: ĭpˌsĭlănˈtē [key], prominent Greek family of Phanariots (see under Phanar). An early distinguished member, Alexander Ypsilanti, c.1725–c.1807, was dragoman (minis...

Mars, family of American food manufacturers

(Encyclopedia)Mars, family of American food manufacturers. Franklin Clarence Mars, 1882–1934, b. Hancock, Minn., was a chocolate manufacturer who produced candy at home before opening a candy factory (1911) in Ta...

Anchises

(Encyclopedia)Anchises ănkīˈsēz [key], in Greek mythology, member of the ruling family of Troy; father of Aeneas by Aphrodite. When Anchises boasted of the goddess's love, Zeus crippled or, in some versions of ...

plein-air

(Encyclopedia)plein-air plān-ârˈ, Fr. plĕn-ĕrˈ [key] [Fr.,=open-air], term used for paintings or drawings made directly from nature and infused with a feeling of the open air. Painting outdoors is a relativel...

Cossa, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Cossa, Francesco, or Francesco del Cossa fränchĕsˈkō dĕl kôsˈsä [key], c.1435–1477?, Italian painter. He was a leading representative of the Ferrarese school and was regarded, with Ercole de...