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West Island

(Encyclopedia)West Island, island (2016 pop. 140), capital of the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory. One of three inhabited islands in the group, its population is mainly Australians of European descent. The i...

West Springfield

(Encyclopedia)West Springfield, town (1990 pop. 27,537), Hampden co., SW Mass., on the Connecticut River opposite Springfield; settled 1654, set off from Springfield and inc. 1774. Light manufactures include paper,...

West, Jessamyn

(Encyclopedia)West, Jessamyn, 1907–84, American novelist, b. Indiana. A Quaker herself, her most famous novel is The Friendly Persuasion (1945), about the conflicts felt by a Quaker farm family during the Civil W...

key, in music

(Encyclopedia)key. 1 In music, term used to indicate the scale from which the tonal material of a given composition is derived. To say, for example, that a composition is in the key of C major means that it uses as...

Key, Francis Scott

(Encyclopedia)Key, Francis Scott kē [key], 1779–1843, American poet, author of the Star-Spangled Banner, b. present Carroll co., Md. A lawyer, he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia (1833–41). His w...

key, in mechanics

(Encyclopedia)key, in mechanics: see lock and key. ...

Key, David McKendree

(Encyclopedia)Key, David McKendree, 1824–1900, American politician and jurist, b. Greene co., Tenn. He practiced law in Chattanooga, Tenn., from 1853 to 1870, except during the Civil War, when he was an officer i...

lock and key

(Encyclopedia)lock and key, fastening fitted to an entryway, such as a gate or door, or a container, such as a cabinet, drawer or safe, to keep it closed and/or prevent unauthorized access or use. Locks typically c...

West Orange

(Encyclopedia)West Orange, town (1990 pop. 39,103), Essex co., NE N.J., a residential suburb of Newark; set off from Orange 1862, inc. 1900. “Glenmont,” Thomas Edison's home in Llewellyn Park, and his laborator...

West Yorkshire

(Encyclopedia)West Yorkshire, former metropolitan county, N central England. Created in the 1974 local government reorganization, the county largely embraced the Leeds conurbation and comprised five metropolitan di...