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tenrec

(Encyclopedia)tenrec tĕnˈrĕk [key], any of the small insectivorous mammals of the family Tenrecidae, also called tendrecs or tanrecs. These animals are found on the island of Madagascar. In that closed environme...

Chateaubriand, François René, vicomte de

(Encyclopedia)Chateaubriand, François René, vicomte de fräNswäˈ rənāˈ vēkôNtˈ də shätōbrēäNˈ [key], 1768–1848, French writer. Chateaubriand was a founder of romanticism in French literature. Of n...

Diocletian

(Encyclopedia)Diocletian (Caius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus) dīˈəklēˈshən [key], 245–313, Roman emperor (284–305), b. near Salona, Dalmatia (the modern Split, Croatia). Of humble birth, he obtained hig...

fetus

(Encyclopedia)fetus, term used to describe the unborn offspring in the uterus of vertebrate animals after the embryonic stage (see embryo). In humans, the fetal stage begins seven to eight weeks after fertilization...

Oe, Kenzaburo

(Encyclopedia)Oe, Kenzaburo kĕnˌzäbo͝orˈō ōˈā [key], 1935–2023, Japanese writer, b. Ose,...

Hoover, J. Edgar

(Encyclopedia)Hoover, J. Edgar (John Edgar Hoover), 1895–1972, American administrator, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), b. Washington, D.C. Shortly after he was admitted to the bar, he enter...

Domino, Fats

(Encyclopedia)Domino, Fats (Antoine Dominique Domino, Jr.), 1928–2017, American rhythm-and-blues singer, pianist, and songwriter of Creole descent, b. New Orleans, ...

Griffith, D. W.

(Encyclopedia)Griffith, D. W. (David Llewelyn Wark Griffith), 1875–1948, American movie director and producer, b. La Grange, Ky. Griffith was the first major American film director. He began his film career as an...

sunyata

(Encyclopedia)sunyata sho͞onˈyətə [key] [Skt.,=emptiness], one of the main tenets of Mahayana Buddhism, first presented by the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna-paramita) scriptures (1st cent. b.c. on) and later sys...

skull

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Bones of skull skull, the skeletal structure of the head, composed of the facial and cranial bones. The skull houses and protects the brain and most of the chief sense organs; i.e., the eyes, ...