Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

xenon

(Encyclopedia)xenon zēˈnŏn [key] [Gr.,=strange], gaseous chemical element; symbol Xe; at. no. 54; at. wt. 131.293; m.p. −111.9℃; b.p. −107.1℃; density 5.86 grams per liter at STP; valence usually 0. Xeno...

Chapultepec

(Encyclopedia)Chapultepec chäpo͞olˌtāpĕkˈ [key] [Nahuatl,=grasshopper hill], 1,600 acres (650 hectares), park in Mexico City. It was originally developed as a residence for Aztec rulers. A castle built on a h...

gender

(Encyclopedia)gender [Lat. genus=kind], in grammar, subclassification of nouns or nounlike words in which the members of the subclass have characteristic features of agreement with other words. The term gender is n...

Mencius

(Encyclopedia)Mencius mĕnˈshəs [key], Mandarin Meng-tzu, 371?–288? b.c., Chinese Confucian philosopher. The principal source for Mencius' life is his own writings. He was born in the ancient state of Ch'ao, in...

Victoria, Tomás Luis de

(Encyclopedia)Victoria, Tomás Luis de tōmäsˈ lo͞oēsˈ dā vēktōˈryä [key], c.1548–1611, Spanish composer. He went to Rome in 1565 to study for the priesthood at the German Jesuit College. In 1571 he bec...

Ayacucho

(Encyclopedia)Ayacucho äyäko͞oˈchō [key], city, capital of Ayacucho dept., S central Peru. It is a commercial center in a rich mining region that produces gold, silver, and nickel....

vital statistics

(Encyclopedia)vital statistics, primarily records of the number of births and deaths in a population. Other factors, such as number of marriages and causes of death, by age groups, are regularly included. From thes...

caviar

(Encyclopedia)caviar or caviare kăvˈēär [key], the roe (eggs) of various species of sturgeon prepared as a piquant table delicacy. The ovaries of the fish are beaten to loosen the eggs, which are then freed fro...

pasha

(Encyclopedia)pasha päshˈə, păshˈə, pəshäˈ [key], highest honorary title in official usage in the Ottoman Empire and with slight variation in the states formed from its territories, where it is sometimes s...

Aba

(Encyclopedia)Aba äˈbä [key], city (1991 est. pop. 264,000), SE Nigeria. It is an important regional market, a road and rail hub, and a manufacturing center for cement, textiles, pharmaceuticals, processed palm ...