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Thor

(Encyclopedia)Thor dōˈnär [key], Norse god of thunder. An ancient and highly revered divinity, Thor was the patron and protector of peasants and warriors. As a god of might and war he was represented as extremel...

Thrale, Hester Lynch

(Encyclopedia)Thrale, Hester Lynch, later Mrs. Piozzi pēŏzˈē, pēôtˈtsē [key], 1741–1821, Englishwoman, noted for her intimate friendship with Samuel Johnson. Daughter of John Salusbury, she married (1763)...

Bartolommeo di Pagholo del Fattorino, Fra

(Encyclopedia)Bartolommeo di Pagholo del Fattorino, Fra frä bärtōlōmĕˈō dē päˈgōlō dĕl fätˌtōrēˈnō [key], 1475–1517, Italian painter, also called Baccio della Porta. Under the influence of Savo...

Beatrix

(Encyclopedia)Beatrix bēˈətrĭks, bē-ăˈtrĭks [key], 1938–, queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013). The oldest daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, she rece...

cryptogam

(Encyclopedia)cryptogam, in botany, term used to denote a plant that produces spores, as in algae, fungi, mosses, and ferns, but not seeds. The term cryptogam, from the Greek kryptos, meaning “hidden,” and gamo...

Christian VII

(Encyclopedia)Christian VII, 1749–1808, king of Denmark and Norway (1766–1808), son and successor of Frederick V. Shortly after his accession his mental illness made him dependent on his physician, Struensee, w...

Danaüs

(Encyclopedia)Danaüs dănˈāəs [key], in Greek mythology, son of Belus and Anchinoe and twin of Aegyptus. Danaüs, who had 50 daughters, the Danaïds, and Aegyptus, who had 50 sons, ruled Libya and Arabia. When ...

gens

(Encyclopedia)gens jĕnz [key], ancient Roman kinship group. It was the counterpart of what is known in other societies as a patrilineal clan or sib, and the word has been used in social science as a generic term f...

Erskine, John, 1509–91, Scottish reformer

(Encyclopedia)Erskine, John, 1509–91, Scottish reformer, called Erskine of Dun. After several years on the Continent he returned to Scotland, where he introduced the study of Greek in Scottish schools. He was the...

Andersson, Bibi

(Encyclopedia)Andersson, Bibi, 1935–2019, Swedish actress best known for her work with director Ingmar Bergman, b. Berit Elizabeth Andersson. Her films with Bergman included The Seventh Seal (1957); Wild Strawber...