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Pepin the Short

(Encyclopedia)Pepin the Short (Pepin III), c.714–768, first Carolingian king of the Franks (751–68), son of Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne. Succeeding his father as mayor of the palace (741), he ruled...

Pepin I

(Encyclopedia)Pepin I pĕpˈĭn [key], d. 838, king of Aquitaine (817–38), son of Louis I, emperor of the West. He joined in the uprisings of 830 and 833 against Louis, but each time helped to restore him shortly...

Pepin, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Pepin, Lake pĕpˈĭn, pĭpˈ– [key], a widening of the Mississippi River, 21 mi (34 km) long and c.3 mi (5 km) wide, SE Minn., between Wabasha and Red Wing; formed by a natural dam of silt dropped ...

Pepin of Heristal

(Encyclopedia)Pepin of Heristal (Pepin II) pĕpˈĭn [key], d. 714, mayor of the palace (680–714) of the Frankish territory of Austrasia; grandson of Pepin of Landen and father of Charles Martel. After defeating...

Pepin of Landen

(Encyclopedia)Pepin of Landen (Pepin I), d. 639?, mayor of the palace of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia. With Arnulf, bishop of Metz, he called in King Clotaire II of Neustria to overthrow (613) Queen Brunhilda ...

short waves

(Encyclopedia)short waves, radio waves whose frequencies range from about 3 to 25 megahertz (Mhz), corresponding roughly to the high-frequency band (see radio frequency). When they impinge on certain layers of the ...

short story

(Encyclopedia)short story, brief prose fiction. The term covers a wide variety of narratives—from stories in which the main focus is on the course of events to studies of character, from the “short short” sto...

short circuit

(Encyclopedia)short circuit, abnormal connection of low resistance between two points of a circuit that usually causes a high, potentially damaging current to flow. To protect against damage, devices such as a fuse...

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