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brazilwood

(Encyclopedia)brazilwood, common name for several trees of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) whose wood yields a red dye. The dye has largely been replaced by synthetic dyes for fabrics, but it is still used in...

Willamette

(Encyclopedia)Willamette wĭlămˈət [key], river, 294 mi (473 km) long, rising in several headstreams in the Cascade Range, W Oregon. It flows N past Eugene, Salem, and Portland to the Columbia River just NW of P...

Westminster, Statutes of

(Encyclopedia)Westminster, Statutes of, in medieval English history, legislative promulgations made by Edward I in Parliament at Westminster. Westminster I (1275) practically constitutes a code of law; it covers a ...

Caruso, Enrico

(Encyclopedia)Caruso, Enrico kəro͞oˈsō, Ital. änrēˈkō käro͞oˈzō [key], 1873–1921, Italian operatic tenor, b. Naples. The natural beauty, range, and power of his voice made him one of the greatest sing...

blue jay

(Encyclopedia)blue jay, common name for a familiar bird (Cyanocitta cristata) of central and E North America, allied to the crow, the raven, and the magpie, belonging to the family Corvidae. Almost a foot (30 cm) l...

Arrow Lakes

(Encyclopedia)Arrow Lakes, two expansions of the Columbia River, S British Columbia, Canada. Both lie in narrow valleys bounded by mountain ranges and are noted for their beauty. Upper Arrow Lake has an area of 88 ...

Illimani

(Encyclopedia)Illimani ēyēmäˈnē [key], mountain, 21,184 ft (6,457 m) high, E Bolivia. One of the highest peaks of the Cordillera Real of the Bolivian Andes, it is permanently snowcapped. Illimani was first cli...

Transantarctic Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Transantarctic Mountains, mountain chain stretching across Antarctica from Victoria Land to Coats Land; separating the E Antarctic and W Antarctic subcontinents. Mt. Markham (14,275 ft/4,351 m high), ...

Transfiguration

(Encyclopedia)Transfiguration, in the New Testament, manifestation wherein Jesus appeared “shining” before Peter, James, and John. The traditional explanation is that in it Jesus' divine glory shone in his eart...

Semeru

(Encyclopedia)Semeru səmĕrˈo͞o [key], volcanic peak, 12,060 ft (3,676 m) high, E Java, Indonesia. Formerly called Mt. Mahameru, it is the island's highest point. The mountain has experienced frequent eruptions ...