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Pleiad

(Encyclopedia)Pleiad plēˈăd [key] [from Pleiades], group of seven tragic poets of Alexandria who flourished c.280 b.c. under Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Of the works of the men usually given in lists of the Pleiad ...

sacrament

(Encyclopedia)sacrament [Lat.,=something holy], an outward sign of something sacred. In Christianity, a sacrament is commonly defined as having been instituted by Jesus and consisting of a visible sign of invisible...

Condé, French family

(Encyclopedia)Condé kôNdāˈ [key], family name of a cadet branch of the French royal house of Bourbon. The name was first borne by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, 1530–69, Protestant leader and general. ...

Mencken, H. L.

(Encyclopedia)Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis Mencken) mĕngˈkən, mĕnˈ– [key], 1880–1956, American editor, author, and critic, b. Baltimore, studied at the Baltimore Polytechnic. Probably America's most influen...

Lazarus

(Encyclopedia)Lazarus lăzˈərəs [key] [Gr.,=Heb., Eleazar], in the New Testament. 1 Brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany who, after four days in the tomb, was brought back to life by Jesus. 2 Beggar in the para...

Lee, George Washington Custis

(Encyclopedia)Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832–1913, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. Fort Monroe, Va.; eldest son of Robert E. Lee. He served in the Corps of Engineers until May, 1861, when h...

Harrison, Rex

(Encyclopedia)Harrison, Rex, 1908–90, English actor. Born Reginald Carey, he entered repertory theater at 16 as an apprentice. Harrison, noted for his suave, insouciant style, has appeared in many plays, includin...

Haggard, Sir Henry Rider

(Encyclopedia)Haggard, Sir Henry Rider, 1856–1925, English novelist. From 1875 to 1881 he served in the government of South Africa, which was the scene of many of his highly popular romances. King Solomon's Mines...

Grouchy, Emmanuel, marquis de

(Encyclopedia)Grouchy, Emmanuel, marquis de ĕmänüĕlˈ märkēˈ də gro͞oshēˈ [key], 1766–1847, French general in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He was made a marshal after Napoleon's return...

Garshin, Vsevolod Mikhailovich

(Encyclopedia)Garshin, Vsevolod Mikhailovich fəsyĕˈvələt mēkhīˈləvĭch gärˈshĭn [key], 1855–88, Russian short-story writer. “Four Days” (1877), his story of a wounded soldier's ordeal in battle, f...