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coca

(Encyclopedia)coca kōˈkə [key], common name for shrubs of the genus Erythroxylum, particularly E. coca, of the family Erythroxylaceae, and found abundantly in upland regions and on mountain slopes of South Ameri...

Glen Canyon Dam

(Encyclopedia)Glen Canyon Dam, 710 ft (216 m) high, 1,560 ft (475 m) long, NE Ariz., on the Colorado River. The key unit of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River storage project, it is one of the world's ...

glycol

(Encyclopedia)glycol glīˈkōl [key], dihydric alcohol in which the two hydroxyl groups are bonded to different carbon atoms; the general formula for a glycol is (CH2)n(OH)2. The most important glycol is the simpl...

ephedrine

(Encyclopedia)ephedrine ĭfĕdˈrĭn, ĕfˈĭdrēnˌ [key], drug derived from plants of the genus Ephedra (see Pinophyta), most commonly used to prevent mild or moderate attacks of bronchial asthma. Unlike epinephr...

grapefruit

(Encyclopedia)grapefruit, pomelo pumˈməlō [key], citrus fruit (Citrus paradisi) of the family Rutaceae (orange family). The grapefruit is so named because it grows in grapelike bunches. The large globular fruit...

acne

(Encyclopedia)acne, common inflammatory disease of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands characterized by blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, nodules and, in the more severe forms, by cysts and scarring. The lesion...

Friel, Brian

(Encyclopedia)Friel, Brian frēl [key], 1929–2015, Irish playwright, b. Killyglogher, Northern Ireland. Treating themes that enmesh both Irelands, he became the most acclaimed Irish dramatist of the late 20th cen...

Hiroshima

(Encyclopedia)Hiroshima hĭrˌōshēˈmə, hērōˈshmä [key], city, capital of Hiroshima prefectu...

antidepressant

(Encyclopedia)antidepressant, any of a wide range of drugs used to treat psychic depression. They are given to elevate mood, counter suicidal thoughts, and increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Before the in...

antioxidant

(Encyclopedia)antioxidant, substance that prevents or slows the breakdown of another substance by oxygen. Synthetic and natural antioxidants are used to slow the deterioration of gasoline and rubber, and such antio...