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basset hound

(Encyclopedia)basset hound, breed of short-legged, long-bodied hound developed centuries ago in France. It stands from 12 to 15 in. (30.1–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 25 to 50 lb (11.3–22.7 kg)...

capacitance

(Encyclopedia)capacitance, in electricity, capability of a body, system, circuit, or device for storing electric charge. Capacitance is expressed as the ratio of stored charge in coulombs to the impressed potential...

Cuomo, Mario Matthew

(Encyclopedia)Cuomo, Mario Matthew kwōˈmō [key], 1932–2014, American politician, b. New York City. The son of an immigrant grocer, Cuomo attended St. John's Univ., was admitted to the New York bar in 1956, and...

proletariat

(Encyclopedia)proletariat prōlətârˈēət [key], in Marxian theory, the class of exploited workers and wage earners who depend on the sale of their labor for their means of existence. In ancient Rome, the prolet...

liberalism

(Encyclopedia)liberalism, philosophy or movement that has as its aim the development of individual freedom. Because the concepts of liberty or freedom change in different historical periods the specific programs of...

sentence

(Encyclopedia)sentence, in criminal law, punishment that a court orders, imposed on a person convicted of criminal activity. Sentences typically consist of fines, corporal punishment, imprisonment for varying perio...

bourgeoisie

(Encyclopedia)bourgeoisie bo͝orzhwäzēˈ [key], originally the name for the inhabitants of walled towns in medieval France; as artisans and craftsmen, the bourgeoisie occupied a socioeconomic position between the...

Halsted, William Stewart

(Encyclopedia)Halsted, William Stewart hôlˈstĭd [key], 1852–1922, American surgeon, b. New York City, M.D. College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1877. He practiced in New York and in 1886 became the first profes...

Jansky, Karl Guthe

(Encyclopedia)Jansky, Karl Guthe, 1905–50, American radio engineer; b. Norman, Okla. After graduating (1927) from the Univ. of Wisconson, he joined the Bell Telephone Laboratories. While trying to determine the c...

Mira

(Encyclopedia)Mira mīˈrə [key], [Lat.,=marvelous], variable star in the constellation Cetus; Bayer designation Omicron Ceti; 1992 position R.A. 2h19.0m, Dec. −3°05′. The most famous long-period variable, Mi...