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bodhisattva

(Encyclopedia)bodhisattva bōˌdĭsätˈwə [key] [Sanskrit,=enlightenment-being], in early Buddhism the term used to refer to the Buddha before he attained supreme enlightenment; more generally, any being destined...

mammal

(Encyclopedia)mammal, an animal of the highest class of vertebrates, the Mammalia. The female has mammary glands, which secrete milk for the nourishment of the young after birth. In the majority of mammals the body...

infancy

(Encyclopedia)infancy, stage of human development lasting from birth to approximately two years of age. The hallmarks of infancy are physical growth, motor development, vocal development, and cognitive and social d...

Erichthonius

(Encyclopedia)Erichthonius ĕrĕkthōˈnēəs [key], in Greek mythology, son of Hephaestus and Athena, half man and half serpent. After his birth Athena concealed him in a chest that she gave to the daughters of Ce...

intrauterine device

(Encyclopedia)intrauterine device (IUD), variously shaped birth control device, usually of plastic, which is inserted into the uterus by a physician. The IUD may contain copper or levonorgestrel, a progestin (a hor...

assembly line

(Encyclopedia)assembly line, manufacturing technique in which a product is carried by some form of mechanized conveyor among stations at which the various operations necessary to its assembly are performed. It is u...

Smith, Dean Edwards

(Encyclopedia)Smith, Dean Edwards, 1931–2015, American college basketball coach, b. Emporia, Kans. After playing basketball at the Univ. of Kansas (grad. 1953), Smith joined (1954) the Air Force and became an ass...

Babiš, Andrej

(Encyclopedia)Babiš, Andrej, 1954–, Czech political leader and business executive, b. Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now in Slovakia), grad. Univ. of Economics, Bratislava. He was a petrochemical executive for Chem...

Bologna, Giovanni

(Encyclopedia)Bologna, Giovanni, or Giambologna jōvänˈnē bōlōˈnyä, jämˌbōlōˈnyä [key], 1524–1608, Flemish sculptor, whose real name was Jean Bologne or Boulogne. Though born in Douai, France, he tra...

Levi

(Encyclopedia)Levi lēˈvī [key], in the Bible. 1 Son of Jacob and Leah and eponymous ancestor of the Levites. His name appears infrequently—at his birth, when he and Simeon massacred the Shechemites out of reve...