Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

sainfoin

(Encyclopedia)sainfoin sānˈfoin [key] [Fr.,=holy hay], leguminous perennial herb (Onobrychis viciaefolia) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) indigenous in S Europe and in temperate W Asia. Sainfoin has for ...

finch

(Encyclopedia)finch, common name for members of the Fringillidae, the largest family of birds (including over half the known species), found in most parts of the world except Australia. The true finches are charact...

castle

(Encyclopedia)castle, type of fortified dwelling characteristic of the Middle Ages. Fortification of towns had been in practice since antiquity, but in the 9th cent. feudal lords began to develop the private fortre...

Riga

(Encyclopedia)Riga rēˈgə [key], city (2011 provisional pop. 657,424), capital of Latvia, on the Daugava (Western Dvina) River near its entry into the Gulf of Riga. A major Baltic port, it is also a rail junction...

Appleton, Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Appleton, Daniel, 1785–1849, American publisher, b. Haverhill, Mass. The owner of a general store in Boston, he moved to New York in 1826, where he established one of the largest publishing houses i...

Uphaz

(Encyclopedia)Uphaz yo͞oˈfăz [key], in the Bible, country known for its gold. It is perhaps a variant of Ophir. ...

Saint John's University

(Encyclopedia)Saint John's University, main campus at Jamaica, New York City; Roman Catholic; coeducational; established 1870 as St. John's College. Its present name was adopted in 1954. It is the largest Catholic ...

Bacolod

(Encyclopedia)Bacolod bäkōˈlōd, –lōᵺ [key], city, capital of Negros Occidental prov., NW Negros island, the ...

Perizzite

(Encyclopedia)Perizzite pĕrˈĭzīt, pērĭzˈ– [key], pre-Israelite inhabitants of ancient Palestine. According to the Book of Joshua, the Perizzites were located in the hill country. They were enslaved by Solo...

Essebsi, Beji Caid

(Encyclopedia)Essebsi, Beji Caid bäˈzhē cäˈĭd əsĕbˈsē [key], 1926–2019, Tunisian political leader. A lawyer and ally of President Bourguiba, he held several posts in his and President and Ben Ali's gove...