Columbia Encyclopedia

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Apalachee

(Encyclopedia)Apalachee ăpˌəlăchˈē [key], tribe of Native North Americans once centered about Apalachee Bay, NW Florida, belonging to the Muskogean branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native Amer...

dermatitis

(Encyclopedia)dermatitis dûrˌmətīˈtĭs [key], nonspecific irritation of the skin. The causative agent may be a bacterium, fungus, or parasite; it can also be a foreign substance, known as an allergen. Contact ...

dragon's blood

(Encyclopedia)dragon's blood, name for a red resin obtained from a number of different plants. It was held by early Greeks, Romans, and Arabs to have medicinal properties; Dioscorides and other early writers descri...

Coptos

(Encyclopedia)Coptos kŏpˈtəs [key], ancient city of Egypt, on the right bank of the Nile, c.27 mi (43 km) N of modern Luxor. Remains of the Temple of Min, patron god of Coptos, have been found there as well as r...

corns and calluses

(Encyclopedia)corns and calluses, thickenings of the outer layer of skin where there is irritation or constant pressure. Corns are cone-shaped with their points protruding into the dermis, or inner layer of skin. T...

Chelsea ware

(Encyclopedia)Chelsea ware, chinaware made in the mid-18th cent. at a factory in Chelsea, London. The earliest specimens extant are dated 1745 and have the potter's mark of a triangle and the word Chelsea. Nicholas...

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

(Encyclopedia)Rocky Mountain spotted fever, infectious disease caused by a rickettsia. The bacterium is harbored by wild rodents and other animals and is carried by infected ticks of several species that attach the...

Sender, Ramón José

(Encyclopedia)Sender, Ramón José rämōnˈhōsāˈsāndĕrˈ [key], 1902–82, Spanish novelist. A journalist, Sender fought on the side of the Loyalists in the Spanish civil war. He left Spain in 1938 and became...

Scottish deerhound

(Encyclopedia)Scottish deerhound, breed of tall hound developed in Scotland in the 16th and 17th cent. It stands from 28 to 32 in. (71.1–81.3 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 75 to 110 lb (34.0–49.9 kg)...

Shorthorn cattle

(Encyclopedia)Shorthorn cattle, breed of beef cattle developed from the native cattle of the Tees valley in NE England; formerly called Durham cattle. Systematic breeding of Shorthorns began in the latter part of t...