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tort

(Encyclopedia)tort, in law, the violation of some duty clearly set by law, not by a specific agreement between two parties, as in breach of contract. When such a duty is breached, the injured party has the right to...

Panamint Range

(Encyclopedia)Panamint Range pănˈəmĭnt [key], rugged fault-block mountains, SE Calif., near the Nev. line. Telescope Peak (11,045 ft/3,367 m high) is the tallest peak. The range forms the western boundary of De...

joint, in geology

(Encyclopedia)joint, in geology, fracture in rocks along which no appreciable movement has occurred (see fault). Nearly vertical, or sheet, joints that result from shrinkage during cooling are commonly found in ign...

divorce

(Encyclopedia)divorce, partial or total dissolution of a marriage by the judgment of a court. Partial dissolution is a divorce “from bed and board,” a decree of judicial separation, leaving the parties official...

Achard, Franz Karl

(Encyclopedia)Achard, Franz Karl fränts kärl äkhˈärt [key], 1753–1821, German chemist. He made pioneering use of the discovery by his countryman Andreas Marggraf of sugar in beet...

Fallopius

(Encyclopedia)Fallopius gäbrēĕlˈlō, gäbrēāˈlā fäl-lōˈpyō [key], 1523–62, Italian anatomist; pupil and successor of Andreas Vesalius and teacher of Hieronymous Fabricius at Padua. His important disco...

Strathmore

(Encyclopedia)Strathmore străthmôrˈ [key], valley, c.55 mi (90 km) long and 5 to 10 mi (8–16 km) wide, Angus and Perth and Kinross, E central Scotland, running from northeast to southwest between the Grampians...

Lascaris, Constantine

(Encyclopedia)Lascaris, Constantine kŏnˈstəntēn lăsˈkərĭs [key], d. 1501?, Greek grammarian. After the fall of Constantinople, Lascaris went to Italy and in Milan obtained the patronage of Francesco Sforza....

Great Rift Valley

(Encyclopedia)Great Rift Valley, geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs S through Syria and Lebanon, th...

Schimper, Karl Friedric

(Encyclopedia)Schimper, Karl Friedric shĭmˈpər [key], 1803–67, German botanist. He did important work in plant morphology and originated the theory, called phyllotaxis, that there is a fixed order to the arran...