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lobbying

(Encyclopedia)lobbying, practice and profession of influencing governmental decisions, carried out by agents who present the concerns of special interests to legislators and administrators. The term originated in t...

pneumatic tool

(Encyclopedia)pneumatic tool no͝omătˈĭk [key], instrument activated by air pressure. Pneumatic tools are designed around three basic devices: the air cylinder, the vane motor, and the sprayer. The air cylinder ...

Murad II

(Encyclopedia)Murad II, 1403–51, Ottoman sultan (1421–51), son and successor of Muhammad I to the throne of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). He was opposed at his accession by a pretender, Mustafa, who rapidly gain...

La Bourdonnais, Bertrand François, comte Mahé de

(Encyclopedia)La Bourdonnais, Bertrand François, comte Mahé de bĕrträNˈ fräNswäˈ, kôNt mäāˈ də lä bo͝ordônāˈ [key], 1699–1753, French naval officer. He entered the service of the French India Co...

Maricopa

(Encyclopedia)Maricopa märĭkōˈpə, mâr– [key], Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Yuman branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). At some time in the past...

Ter-Petrossian, Levon

(Encyclopedia)Ter-Petrossian, Levon, 1945–, Armenian political leader, president of Armenia (1991–98), b. Aleppo, Syria, grad. Yerevan State Univ. (1971), Leningrad Oriental Studies Institute (Ph.D., 1987). A s...

toxic shock syndrome

(Encyclopedia)toxic shock syndrome (TSS). acute, sometimes fatal, disease characterized by high fever, nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, blotchy rash, and sudden drop in blood pressure. It is caused by Staphylococcus aur...

Rickover, Hyman George

(Encyclopedia)Rickover, Hyman George, 1900–1986, American admiral, b. Russia. In World War II he served as head of the electrical section of the navy's Bureau of Ships. After the war he was assigned (1946) to the...

Verdun, battle of

(Encyclopedia)Verdun, battle of, the longest and one of the bloodiest engagements of World War I. Two million men were engaged. It began on Feb. 21, 1916, when the Germans, commanded by Crown Prince Frederick Willi...

bellows

(Encyclopedia)bellows, expansible, gas-tight chamber used to pump or store a gas. One of the simplest and most familiar types of bellows is the manual one used for providing a forced draft to a fire. The expansible...