Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

paper nautilus

(Encyclopedia)paper nautilus or argonaut, pelagic, surface-dwelling cephalopod mollusk of the genus Argonauta. Like the closely related octopus, the paper nautilus has a rounded body, eight tentacles, and no fins. ...

John XXII, pope

(Encyclopedia)John XXII, 1244–1334, pope (1316–34), a Frenchman (b. Cahors) named Jacques Duèse; successor of Clement V. Formerly, he was often called John XXI. He reigned at Avignon. John was celebrated as a ...

Iligan

(Encyclopedia)Iligan ēlēˈgän [key], city, capital of Lanao del Norte prov., W central Mindanao, the Phi...

Red Cross

(Encyclopedia)Red Cross, international organization concerned with the alleviation of human suffering and the promotion of public health; the world-recognized symbols of mercy and absolute neutrality are the Red Cr...

ion, in chemistry

(Encyclopedia)ion, atom or group of atoms having a net electric charge. Ionization has many applications. Vapor lamps and fluorescent lamps take advantage of the light given off when positive ions recombine with ...

minority

(Encyclopedia)minority, in international law, population group with a characteristic culture and sense of identity occupying a subordinate political status. Religious minorities were known from ancient times, but e...

Antigua and Barbuda

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Antigua and Barbuda ăntēˈgə, –gwə, bärbo͞oˈdə, –byo͞oˈ– [key], independent Commonwealth nation (2020 est. pop. 97,928), 171 sq mi (442 sq km), We...

Naruszewicz, Adam Stanislaw

(Encyclopedia)Naruszewicz, Adam Stanislaw äˈdäm stänēsˈläf näro͞oshĕˈvēch [key], 1733–96, Polish historian. A Jesuit, he became, after the suppression of his order, bishop of Smolensk (1788) and of Lu...

manifest destiny

(Encyclopedia)manifest destiny, belief held by many Americans in the 1840s that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, by force, as used against Native Americans, if necessary. The controver...

Rattigan, Sir Terence Mervyn

(Encyclopedia)Rattigan, Sir Terence Mervyn, 1911–77, British dramatist. One of England's most popular and commercially successful contemporary playwrights, he was the master of the tightly crafted “problem play...