Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

modacrylic

(Encyclopedia)modacrylic, synthetic copolymer fiber. Modacrylics are soft, strong, resilient, and dimensionally stable. They can be easily dyed, show good press and shape retention, and are quick to dry. They have ...

Malheur

(Encyclopedia)Malheur məlo͝orˈ [key], river, c.165 mi (270 km) long, rising in several branches in the Strawberry Mts., E Oregon. The united stream flows generally NE to the Snake River at Ontario. There are flo...

pump

(Encyclopedia)pump, device to lift, transfer, or increase the pressure of a fluid (gas or liquid) or to create a vacuum in an enclosed space by the removal of a gas (see vacuum pumps under vacuum). The centrifugal ...

Magendie, François

(Encyclopedia)Magendie, François fräNswäˈ mäzhäNdēˈ [key], 1783–1855, French physician. He taught at the Collège de France and is considered a founder of experimental physiology. He distinguished the mot...

terrace

(Encyclopedia)terrace, a level field built on top of a hillslope into the floor of a deep valley to improve cultivation of crops. Terracing uses the runoff from the hill to increase soil retentiveness and arability...

evaporimeter

(Encyclopedia)evaporimeter ĭvăpˌərĭmˈətər [key], instrument that measures the rate of evaporation of water into the atmosphere, sometimes called an atmometer. Evaporimeters are of two types, those that meas...

crusher

(Encyclopedia)crusher, machine used to reduce materials such as ore, coal, stone, and slag to particle sizes that are convenient for their intended uses. Crushers operate by slowly applying a large force to the mat...

Nizhni Tagil

(Encyclopedia)Nizhni Tagil nyēzhˈnyē təgēlˈ [key], city (1989 pop. 440,000), E European Russia, in the central Urals, on the Tagil River. A leading metallurgical and heavy industry center, it uses the ore fro...

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton

(Encyclopedia)Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890–1973, American artist, b. Charlottsville, Va. Macdonald-Wright was among the first Americans to paint in a totally abstract mode. Together with Morgan Russell, he fou...

Torroja y Miret, Eduardo

(Encyclopedia)Torroja y Miret, Eduardo āˌdwärˈᵺō tō-rōˈhä ē mērĕtˈ [key], 1900–1961, Spanish structural architect. With José Maria Aguirre he founded (1934) an experimental institute to develop ne...