Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

stomach

(Encyclopedia)stomach, saclike dilation in the gastrointestinal tract between the esophagus and the intestines, forming an organ of digestion. The stomach is present in virtually all vertebrate animals and in many ...

cave

(Encyclopedia)cave, a cavity in the earth's surface usually large enough for a person to enter. Caves may be formed by the chemical and mechanical action of a stream upon soluble or soft rock, of rainwater seeping ...

Lerma, Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, duque de

(Encyclopedia)Lerma, Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, duque de fränthēsˈkō gōˈmāth dā sändōvälˈ ē rōˈhäs do͞oˈkā dā lārˈmä [key], 1553–1625, Spanish statesman, favorite of King Philip ...

Laibach, Congress of

(Encyclopedia)Laibach, Congress of līˈbäkh [key], conference of European powers in 1821, held in what is now Ljubljana, Slovenia. The chief powers at the congress were Russia, Austria, Prussia, France, and Great...

Langdon, John

(Encyclopedia)Langdon, John, 1741–1819, American political leader, b. Portsmouth, N.H. A prosperous merchant, Langdon was active in pre-Revolutionary activities. In 1775 he became a delegate to the Continental Co...

Lee Hsien Loong

(Encyclopedia)Lee Hsien Loong lē shyĕn lo͞ong [key], 1952–, prime minister of Singapore (2004–). The eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, Lee was educated at Cambridge and Harvard wh...

Malone, Dumas

(Encyclopedia)Malone, Dumas do͞omäˈ məlōnˈ [key], 1892–1986, American historian and editor, b. Coldwater, Miss. He received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1923 and was an instructor of history at Yale (1919–23) a...

kite, in aviation and recreation

(Encyclopedia)kite, in aviation, aircraft restrained by a towline and deriving its lift from the aerodynamic action of the wind flowing across it. Commonly the kite consists of a light framework upon which paper, s...

Tewfik Pasha

(Encyclopedia)Tewfik Pasha (Muhammad Tewfik) toufēkˈ päshäˈ [key], 1852–92, khedive of Egypt (1879–92). He acceded to office when his father, Ismail Pasha, was deposed. In 1880, Tewfik accepted joint Frenc...

verdigris

(Encyclopedia)verdigris vûrˈdəgrēsˌ [key], one of three copper acetates: blue verdigris, Cu(CH3COO)2·CuO·6H2O; green verdigris, 2Cu(CH3COO)2·CuO·6H2O; or neutral verdigris, Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O; or a mixture o...