Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

458 results found

Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich

(Encyclopedia)Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich, 1896–1934, Russian psychologist. His most productive years were at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow (1924–34), where he expanded his ideas on cognitive development,...

belt

(Encyclopedia)belt, girdle or band worn around the body, originally to confine loose garments. Later the girdle became a decorative accessory and was used to carry belongings. The Greeks and Romans wore ornamental ...

veil

(Encyclopedia)veil, a feature of female costume from antiquity, especially in the East, where it was worn primarily to conceal the features. In modern times it is worn to enhance the face. The Egyptian woman of ran...

Ribeirão Prêto

(Encyclopedia)Ribeirão Prêto rēbārouNˈ prāˈtō [key], city (1996 pop. 452,804), São Paulo state, SE Brazil. The former “coffee capital” of Brazil, the city grew during the late 19th cent., with railroad...

Ogbomosho

(Encyclopedia)Ogbomosho ōbo͞oˈmôshô, ŏgbōmōˈshō [key], city (1991 pop. 644,000), SW Nigeria. It is the trade center for a farming region. Yams, cassava, corn, and tobacco are grown. Cotton is grown and us...

Jihlava

(Encyclopedia)Jihlava yēkhˈlävä [key], Ger. Iglau, city (1991 pop. 51,831), central Czech Republic, in Moravia, on the Jihlava River. Jihlava is a railway junction and has industries manufacturing linen and woo...

splint

(Encyclopedia)splint, rigid or semiflexible device for the immobilization of displaced or fractured parts of the body. Most commonly employed for fractures of bones, a splint may be a first-aid measure that allows ...

canvas

(Encyclopedia)canvas, strong, coarse cloth of cotton, flax, hemp, or other fibers, early used as sailcloth. Left in its natural color, bleached, or dyed, it has a wide variety of uses, as for game, duffel, sport, m...

Segantini, Giovanni

(Encyclopedia)Segantini, Giovanni jōvänˈnē sāgäntēˈnē [key], 1858–99, Italian painter, b. in the Tyrol. A herder in his youth, he is known for his portrayal of Alpine peasant scenes. Although his early w...

Barry, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Barry, Philip, 1896–1949, American dramatist, b. Rochester, N.Y., grad. Yale, 1919, and studied under George Pierce Baker at Harvard. He is primarily known for his satirical, somewhat unconventional...

Browse by Subject