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John of the Cross, Saint

(Encyclopedia)John of the Cross, Saint, Span. Juan de la Cruz, 1542–91, Spanish mystic and poet, Doctor of the Church. His name was originally Juan de Yepes. He was a founder of the Discalced Carmelites and a clo...

Alfonso III, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso III, 1210–79, king of Portugal (1248–79), son of Alfonso II, brother and successor of Sancho II. By his marriage with Matilda, countess of Boulogne, he became count of Boulogne and thus wa...

levitation

(Encyclopedia)levitation lĕvĭtāˈshən [key], the raising of a human or other body in the air without mechanical aid. The idea is ancient; holy men, both pagan and Christian, were reputed to have had the power o...

Nottingham, Heneage Finch, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Nottingham, Heneage Finch, 1st earl of , nŏtˈĭngəm [key], 1621–82, lord chancellor of England. He took no part in the politics of the English civil war, but in 1660 he entered Parliament and bec...

Jouvet, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Jouvet, Louis lwē zho͞ovāˈ [key], 1887–1951, French actor, producer, and director. A member of Copeau's Théâtre du Vieux Colombier after 1913, he left in 1922 to organize his own theater. He w...

Sheboygan

(Encyclopedia)Sheboygan shĭboiˈgən [key], city (1990 pop. 49,676), seat of Sheboygan co., E Wis., a port of entry on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Sheboygan River; inc. 1853. Plastics, stainless-steel items,...

Santa Clarita

(Encyclopedia)Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby ...

thyristor

(Encyclopedia)thyristor, semiconductor switch used chiefly in power-control applications. Also called a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR; see rectifier), it is a variation of the transistor. A thyristor is capable...

Alfonso V, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso V, 1432–81, king of Portugal (1438–81), son of Duarte and Queen Leonor. During his minority there was a struggle for the regency between the queen mother and Alfonso's uncle, Dom Pedro, du...

neon

(Encyclopedia)neon nēˈŏn [key] [Gr.,=new], gaseous chemical element; symbol Ne; at. no. 10; at. wt. 20.1797; m.p. −248.67℃; b.p. −246.048℃; density 0.8999 grams per liter at STP; valence 0. Neon is a col...