Columbia Encyclopedia

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parent and child

(Encyclopedia)parent and child, legal relationship, created by biological (birth) relationship or by adoption, that confers certain rights and duties on parent and child; in some states the courts have given the no...

stroke

(Encyclopedia)stroke, destruction of brain tissue as a result of intracerebral hemorrhage or infarction caused by thrombosis (clotting) or embolus (obstruction in a blood vessel caused by clotted blood or other for...

whooping cough

(Encyclopedia)whooping cough or pertussis, highly communicable infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The early or catarrhal stage of whooping cough is manifested by the usual symptoms of ...

veto

(Encyclopedia)veto [Lat.,=I forbid], power of one functionary (e.g., the president) of a government, or of one member of a group or coalition, to block the operation of laws or agreements passed or entered into by ...

mutation

(Encyclopedia)mutation, in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene, or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delica...

lemures

(Encyclopedia)lemures lĕmˈərāsˌ, –yərēzˌ [key], in Roman religion, vampirelike ghosts of the dead; also called larvae. To exorcise these malevolent spirits from the home, the Romans held rites, the Lemuri...

Mercury, in Roman religion

(Encyclopedia)Mercury, in Roman religion, god of commerce and messenger of the gods; identified with the Greek Hermes. He was honored at the Mercuralia, a festival held in May and attended primarily by traders and ...

Grosvenor Gallery

(Encyclopedia)Grosvenor Gallery, founded in London (1877) by Sir Coutts Lindsay (1839–1913), for the independent exhibition (opening May 1 annually) of paintings and sculpture by established artists, both Academi...

Cortizo Cohen, Laurentino

(Encyclopedia)Cortizo Cohen, Laurentino, 1953–, Panamanian rancher and political leader. A member of the Democratic Revolutionary party, he studied business administration in the United States and served in the n...

Chub, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Chub kŭb [key], in the Bible, an African people. This may be a textual error for Lub (i.e., Lubim). ...