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McDonagh, Martin

(Encyclopedia)McDonagh, Martin məkdŭnˈə [key], 1970–, Anglo-Irish playwright, b. London to Irish parents. During summer visits he became acquainted with W Ireland, and without any formal training he wrote a s...

midwifery

(Encyclopedia)midwifery mĭdˈwīˌfərē [key], art of assisting at childbirth. The term midwife for centuries referred to a woman who was an overseer during the process of delivery. In ancient Greece and Rome, th...

Mulroney, Brian

(Encyclopedia)Mulroney, Brian (Martin Brian Mulroney) mŭlrōˈnē, –ro͞oˈnē [key], 1939–, Canadian prime minister (1984–93). Raised in Quebec in a working class family, Mulroney was a successful bilingual...

Kuczynski Godard, Pedro Pablo

(Encyclopedia)Kuczynski Godard, Pedro Pablo, 1938–, Peruvian economist and political leader, president of Peru (2016–18), grad. Oxford (B.A. 1960), Princeton (M.A., 1961). He was an economist with the World Ban...

Martial

(Encyclopedia)Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis) märˈshəl [key], c.a.d. 40–c.a.d. 104, Roman epigrammatic poet, b. Bilbilis, Spain. After a.d. 64 he lived in Rome for many years, winning fame by his wit and p...

Antonioni, Michelangelo

(Encyclopedia)Antonioni, Michelangelo mëkālänˈjālō äntōnyôˈnē [key], 1912–2007, Italian film director and scriptwriter, b. Ferrara, Italy. In the 1940s he made documentaries that contributed to the dev...

verb

(Encyclopedia)verb, part of speech typically used to indicate an action. English verbs are inflected for person, number, tense and partially for mood; compound verbs formed with auxiliaries (e.g., be, can, have, do...

Council of Europe

(Encyclopedia)Council of Europe, international organization founded in 1949 to promote greater unity within Europe and to safeguard its political and cultural heritage by promoting human rights and democracy. The c...

Clement V, pope

(Encyclopedia)Clement V, 1264–1314, pope (1305–14), a Frenchman named Bertrand de Got; successor of Benedict XI. He was made archbishop of Bordeaux by Boniface VIII, who trusted him; surprisingly, he was also i...

Goldsmith, Oliver

(Encyclopedia)Goldsmith, Oliver, 1730?–1774, Anglo-Irish author. The son of an Irish clergyman, he was graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1749. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leiden, but his career ...

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