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Sikorski, Władysław

(Encyclopedia)Sikorski, Władysław vlädĭˈswäf shēkôrˈskē [key], 1881–1943, Polish general and politician. He fought in World War I and later (1922–25) held various cabinet posts. Premier Piłsudski dis...

Agnus Dei

(Encyclopedia)Agnus Dei ăgˈnəs dēˈī, änˈyo͝os dāˈē [key] [Lat.], the Lamb of God, i.e., Jesus. The lamb of the Passover sacrifice is said to prefigure the crucifixion. Isaiah calls the expected Messiah ...

Calvary

(Encyclopedia)Calvary gŏlˈgəthə [key] [Heb.,=a skull], in the Gospels, place where Jesus was crucified, outside what was then the wall of Jerusalem. Its location is not certainly known. The traditional identifi...

Young's modulus

(Encyclopedia)Young's modulus [for Thomas Young], number representing (in pounds per square inch or dynes per square centimeter) the ratio of stress to strain for a wire or bar of a given substance. According to Ho...

Zinsser, Hans

(Encyclopedia)Zinsser, Hans zĭnsˈər [key], 1878–1940, American bacteriologist, b. New York City, grad. Columbia (B.A., 1899; M.D., 1903). He was professor of bacteriology at Stanford (1911–13), Columbia (191...

Beskids

(Encyclopedia)Beskids bĕskēˈdē [key], mountain range of the Carpathians, extending c.200 mi (320 km) along Poland's border with the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The highest peak, Babia Góra (Slovak Babí Hora)...

Bjørgen, Marit

(Encyclopedia)Bjørgen, Marit, 1980–, Norwegian cross-country skier, b. Trondheim. The most decorated winter Olympian of all time, with 15 medals, she initially excelled as a sprinter, but later became accomplish...

viscose process

(Encyclopedia)viscose process vĭsˈkōs [key], method widely used for the commercial preparation of rayon. Cellulose, prepared from either wood pulp or, less commonly, cotton linters, is treated with sodium hydrox...

Central Valley project

(Encyclopedia)Central Valley project, central Calif., long-term general scheme for the utilization of the water of the Sacramento River basin in the north for the benefit of the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley ...

Mithradates VI

(Encyclopedia)Mithradates VI (Mithradates Eupator) mĭthrəkdāˈtēz [key], c.131 b.c.–63 b.c., king of Pontus, sometimes called Mithradates the Great. He extended his empire until, in addition to Pontus, he hel...