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Oak Ridge

(Encyclopedia)Oak Ridge, city (1990 pop. 27,310), Anderson and Roane counties, E Tenn., on Black Oak Ridge and the Clinch River; founded by the U.S. government 1942, inc. as an independent city 1959. For years Oak ...

oath

(Encyclopedia)oath, vocal affirmation of the truth of one's statements, generally made by appealing to a deity. From the earliest days of human history, calling upon the gods of a community to witness the truth of ...

Ob

(Encyclopedia)Ob ôp [key], river, c.2,300 mi (3,700 km) long, W Siberian Russia. With the Irtysh River, its chief tributary, it is c.3,460 mi (5,600 km) long and is the world's fourth longest river. Formed by the ...

Oban

(Encyclopedia)Oban ōˈbən [key], town (1991 pop. 8,000), Argyll and Bute, W Scotland, on the Firth of Lorn. A port and seaside resort, its circular bay makes a fine yacht basin. Highland Games are held there each...

Oberlin College

(Encyclopedia)Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio; coeducational; opened 1833 as Oberlin Collegiate Institute, became Oberlin College in 1850. It includes a college of arts and sciences and a well-known conservatory ...

obesity

(Encyclopedia)obesity, condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity is now usually defined using a formula known as the body mass index (BMI), in which weight (in kilograms) is divided by ...

oboe

(Encyclopedia)oboe ōˈboi, hōˈ– [key], woodwind instrument of conical bore, its mouthpiece having a double reed. The instruments possessing these general characteristics may be referred to as the oboe family, ...

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria

(Encyclopedia) Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria, 1989- , American political activist and member of Congress, b. Bronx, N.Y., Boston College (B.A., 2011). Born to Puerto Ric...

occupational disease

(Encyclopedia)occupational disease, illness incurred because of the conditions or environment of employment. Unlike with accidents, some time usually elapses between exposure to the cause and development of symptom...

ocean

(Encyclopedia)ocean, interconnected mass of saltwater covering 70.78% of the surface of the earth, often called the world ocean. It is subdivided into four (or five) major units that are separated from each other i...