Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

306 results found

Bhubaneswar

(Encyclopedia)Bhubaneswar bo͞obänĕˈswär [key], city, capital of Odisha (Orissa) state, E central India, on a ...

rake

(Encyclopedia)rake, farm implement consisting of a row of straight or curved teeth of metal or wood attached to a bar or frame. It is used for gathering hay or grain into piles; for clearing fields, lawns, and yard...

epigram

(Encyclopedia)epigram, a short, polished, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with a satiric or paradoxical twist at the end. The term was originally applied by the Greeks to the inscriptions on stones. The epigr...

Lewis and Harris

(Encyclopedia)Lewis and Harris, island (1985 est. pop. 23,500), 825 sq mi (2,137 sq km), largest and northernmost of the Outer Hebrides, Western Isles council area, NW Scotland, 24 mi (35 km) from the mainland acro...

cameo

(Encyclopedia)cameo kămˈēō [key], small relief carving, usually on striated precious or semiprecious stones or on shell. The design, often a portrait head, is commonly cut in the light-colored vein, and the dar...

Buell, Abel

(Encyclopedia)Buell, Abel byo͞oˈəl [key], 1742–1822, American silversmith, engraver, and type founder, b. Killingworth, Conn. He engraved a number of maps, including maps of the Florida coast and a large wall ...

Tavernier, Jean Baptiste

(Encyclopedia)Tavernier, Jean Baptiste zhäN bätēstˈ tävĕrnyāˈ [key], 1605–89, French traveler in Asia. He undertook six voyages, which took him as far as the East Indies and Java, and he acquired a fortun...

ureter

(Encyclopedia)ureter yo͝orēˈtər [key], thick-walled tube that conveys urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. It is approximately 10 in. (25.4 cm) long, with the upper half located in the abdomen and the ...

beryl

(Encyclopedia)beryl bĕrˈĭl [key], mineral, a silicate of beryllium and aluminum, Be3Al2Si6O18, extremely hard, occurring in hexagonal crystals that may be of enormous size and are usually white, yellow, green, b...

Anglesey

(Encyclopedia)Anglesey or Anglesea both: ăngˈgəlsē [key], island and county (1985 est. pop. 68,800), 278 sq mi (719 sq km), NW Wales. Beaumaris is the chief town. It is a region of low, rolling hills. The princ...