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laurel, in botany

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, a member of the laurel family laurel, common name for the Lauraceae, a family of forest trees and shrubs found mainly in tropical SE Asia but also abundant in tro...

Magnoliophyta

(Encyclopedia)Magnoliophyta măgˌnōlēŏfˈətə [key], division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and ro...

plum, in botany

(Encyclopedia)plum, common name for a tree of any of many species of the genus Prunus of the family Rosaceae (rose family) and for its fruit, a drupe. The plum is generally cultivated in the temperate zones, though...

Lynch, Jack

(Encyclopedia)Lynch, Jack (John Mary Lynch), 1917–99, Irish statesman. Before he embarked on his political career, he gained nationwide fame as an athlete, captaining several winning hurling teams in the 1930s an...

Meany, George

(Encyclopedia)Meany, George, 1894–1980, American labor leader, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO; 1955–79), b. New York City. A plumber, he was elec...

Mifflin, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Mifflin, Thomas, 1744–1800, American Revolutionary general and political leader, b. Philadelphia. Turning from business to public affairs, he was a member of the Pennsylvania provincial assembly and...

Moriscos

(Encyclopedia)Moriscos môrĭsˈkōz [key] [Span.,=Moorish], Moors converted to Christianity after the Christian reconquest (11th–15th cent.) of Spain. The Moors who had become subjects of Christian kings as the ...

Rutledge, John

(Encyclopedia)Rutledge, John, 1739–1800, American jurist and political leader, 2d chief justice of the United States, b. Charleston, S.C.; brother of Edward Rutledge. After studying law in London he began practic...

Sackville, Thomas, 1st earl of Dorset

(Encyclopedia)Sackville, Thomas, 1st earl of Dorset, 1536–1608, English statesman and poet. A barrister of the Inner Temple, Sackville entered Parliament in 1558, gained favor with Elizabeth I, and was created Ba...

Rajputana

(Encyclopedia)Rajputana räjˌpo͝otäˈnə [key], historic region, NW India; roughly coextensive with the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. The name means “land of the Rajputs.” Rajput tribal power rose here b...