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Bridget, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Bridget, Saint, 453?–523?, Irish holy woman. She is often called St. Brigid, St. Bride, or St. Bridget of Kildare. Little is known of her, but she did found a great monastery at Kildare. She is buri...

Brooks, Phillips

(Encyclopedia)Brooks, Phillips, 1835–93, American Episcopal bishop, b. Boston. In 1869 he began his ministry at Trinity Church, Boston, where he became one of the most influential ministers of his time. In 1891 h...

Wilkie, Sir David

(Encyclopedia)Wilkie, Sir David, 1785–1841, Scottish genre painter. He studied in Edinburgh and at the Royal Academy and won early popularity with his admirable little scenes of everyday life. Anecdotal painting ...

Windermere

(Encyclopedia)Windermere wĭnˈdərmēr [key], lake, 10.5 mi (17 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, in the Lake District, Cumbria, NW England. It is c.210 ft (60 m) deep and lies among wooded hills near Scafell and o...

Belli, Giuseppe Gioacchino

(Encyclopedia)Belli, Giuseppe Gioacchino jo͞ozĕpˈpā jōäk-kēˈnō bĕlˈlē [key], 1791–1863, Italian poet. Born in Rome into poverty, Belli earned his living as a government clerk. He drew from his knowled...

vestal

(Encyclopedia)vestal vĕsˈtəl [key], in Roman religion, priestess of Vesta. The vestals were first two, then four, then six in number. While still little girls, they were chosen from prominent Roman families to s...

Oregon Trail

(Encyclopedia)Oregon Trail, overland emigrant route in the United States from the Missouri River to the Columbia River country (all of which was then called Oregon). The pioneers by wagon train did not, however, fo...

sneeze

(Encyclopedia)sneeze, involuntary violent expiration of air through the nose and mouth. It results from stimulation of the nervous system in the nose, causing sudden contraction of the muscles of expiration. The st...

Dahlberg, Erik Jönsson, Count

(Encyclopedia)Dahlberg, Erik Jönsson, Count āˈrēk yönˈsən dälˈbĕrg [key], 1625–1703, Swedish military engineer, field marshal, and architect. In 1658 he conveyed the army of Charles X of Sweden across t...

Ajman

(Encyclopedia)Ajman äjmänˈ [key], sheikhdom, c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates, SE Arabia, primarily on the Persian Gulf. The smallest me...