Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

dragon's blood

(Encyclopedia)dragon's blood, name for a red resin obtained from a number of different plants. It was held by early Greeks, Romans, and Arabs to have medicinal properties; Dioscorides and other early writers descri...

central bank

(Encyclopedia)central bank, financial institution designed to regulate and control the money supply of a nation, with the goal of fostering economic growth without inflation. Although central banking systems have v...

West Bank

(Encyclopedia)West Bank, territory, formerly part of Palestine, after 1949 administered by Jordan, since 1967 largely occupied by Israel (2005 est. pop. 2,386,000), 2,165 sq mi (5,607 sq km), west of the Jordan Riv...

World Bank

(Encyclopedia)World Bank: see International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. ...

eye bank

(Encyclopedia)eye bank, site for the collection, processing, and assignment of donated eyes. A donor's eyes are removed as soon as possible after death, sealed in a sterile container, and sent to the eye bank. Ther...

Blood Blackfoot

(Encyclopedia)Blood Blackfoot: see Blackfoot.

blood feud

(Encyclopedia)blood feud: see vendetta.

blood poisoning

(Encyclopedia)blood poisoning: see septicemia. ...

savings bank

(Encyclopedia)savings bank, financial institution that, until recently, performed only the following functions: receiving savings deposits of individuals, investing them, and providing a modest return to its deposi...

Dogger Bank

(Encyclopedia)Dogger Bank dôˈgər, dŏˈ– [key], extensive sandbank, c.6,800 sq mi (17,610 sq km), central North Sea, between Great Britain and Denmark. Covered by shallow water (c.55–120 ft/17–36 m deep), ...