Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Weelkes, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Weelkes, Thomas, c.1575–1623, English composer. His four books of madrigals (1597–1600) mark Weelkes as one of the great English madrigalists. His music is remarkable for melodic characterization ...

Ratnapura

(Encyclopedia)Ratnapura rŭtˈnəpo͝orə [key] [Sinhalese,=city of gems], town (1995 est. pop. 46,000), SW Sri Lanka. Located in a rubber- and rice-producing area, Ratnapura is Sri Lanka's major precious-stone cen...

Dambulla

(Encyclopedia)Dambulla dämbo͝olˈə [key], town, central Sri Lanka. A place of Buddhist pilgrimage, it has a well-preserved cave temple complex at Dambulla Rock that dates to the 1st cent. b.c. There is a recumbe...

Ipoh

(Encyclopedia)Ipoh ēˈpō [key], city, capital of Perak state, Malaysia, central Malay Peninsula, in the K...

Shapur III

(Encyclopedia)Shapur III or Sapor III, d. 388, king of Persia (383–88), of the Sassanid, or Sassanian, dynasty; son of Shapur II; successor of his uncle, Ardashir II. He made a new attempt to settle the long-last...

forum

(Encyclopedia)forum, market and meeting place in ancient Roman towns in Italy and later in the provinces, corresponding to the Greek agora. By extension the word forum often indicates the meeting itself in modern u...

Granada, city, Spain

(Encyclopedia)Granada, city, capital of Granada prov., S Spain, in Andalusia, at the confluence of the Darro and Genil rivers. Formerly (17th cent.) a silk center, Gr...

superphosphate

(Encyclopedia)superphosphate or superphosphate of lime, Ca(H2PO4)2, is a compound produced by treating rock phosphate with sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid, or a mixture of the two. It is the principal carrier of p...

Blasket Islands

(Encyclopedia)Blasket Islands, group of rock islets, Co. Kerry, SW Republic of Ireland; a lighthouse is on one of the islets. Most of the inhabitants of the islands were moved to the mainland in 1953. Great Blasket...

cuesta

(Encyclopedia)cuesta kwĕsˈtə [key], asymmetric ridge characterized by a short, steep escarpment on one side, and a long, gentle slope on the other. The steep side exposes the edge of erosion-resistant rock layer...