Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Seneffe

(Encyclopedia)Seneffe or Seneff both: sənĕfˈ [key], small town, Hainaut prov., S central Belgium, near Charleroi. At Seneffe, the French under Louis II de Condé defeated (1674) the Dutch, and the French under M...

Sepik

(Encyclopedia)Sepik, river, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, N Papua New Guinea, rising near the border of Indonesia's Papua prov. and Papua New Guinea. It flows east through a large swampy basin to the Bismarck Sea. The ...

goblin

(Encyclopedia)goblin or hobgoblin, in French folklore, small household spirit, similar to the Celtic brownie. Goblins perform household tasks but also can make mischief, such as pulling the covers off sleepers. The...

Greenwood, John

(Encyclopedia)Greenwood, John, 1727–92, American artist, b. Boston, Mass. An engraver and painter, Greenwood executed some of the first genre paintings in America. He is also noted for his satirical works peopled...

Pactolus

(Encyclopedia)Pactolus păktōˈləs [key], small river of ancient Lydia, W central Asia Minor (now Turkey), joining the Hermus (modern Gediz) after passing Sardis. It was famous for the gold washed from its sands,...

Simcoe, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Simcoe, Lake, 539 sq mi (1,396 sq km), S Ont., Canada, between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario. Cook Bay, Kempenfelt Bay, and Lake Couchiching are arms of the lake. Lake Simcoe drains N through the Seve...

Soule

(Encyclopedia)Soule so͞ol [key], small region, in Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept., SW France, bordering on Spain. Mauléon-Licharre is the traditional capital. An ancient province of the Basque Country, it was annexe...

Pilatus

(Encyclopedia)Pilatus pēläˈto͝os [key], mountain, 6,800 ft (2,073 m) high, in the Alps of the Four Forest Cantons, central Switzerland. According to medieval legend, the corpse of Pontius Pilate was thrown into...

pimple

(Encyclopedia)pimple, small pointed elevation of the skin that may or may not contain pus. The formation of pimples is frequently associated with infection, irritation, or overactivity of the sebaceous and sweat gl...

Bled

(Encyclopedia)Bled blĕt [key], town, NW Slovenia. Situated in the Julian Alps and on the small Lake of Bled, it is a popular summer and winter resort town. In the vicinity are a medieval castle, a former royal vil...

Browse by Subject