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amphibian, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)amphibian, in zoology, cold-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia. There are three living orders of amphibians: the frogs and toads (order Anura, or Salientia), the salamanders and newts (or...

cork, in botany

(Encyclopedia)cork, protective, waterproof outer covering of the stems and roots of woody plants. Cork is a specialized secondary tissue produced by the cork cambium of the plant (see meristem, bark). The regularly...

elevator, in machinery

(Encyclopedia)elevator, in machinery, device for transporting people or goods from one level to another. The term is applied to the enclosed structures as well as the open platforms used to provide vertical transpo...

Stamford, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Stamford, city (1990 pop. 108,056), Fairfield co., SW Conn., on Long Island Sound; settled 1641, inc. 1893 as a city within the town of Stamford (the two were consolidated in 1949). A variety of light...

canon, in Christianity

(Encyclopedia)canon, in Christianity, in the Roman Catholic Church, decrees of church councils are usually called canons; since the Council of Trent the expression has been especially reserved to dogmatic pronounce...

gall, in botany

(Encyclopedia)gall, abnormal growth, or hypertrophy, of plant tissue produced by chemical or mechanical (e.g., the rubbing together of two branches) irritants or hormones. Chemical irritants are released by parasit...

heart, in anatomy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Cross section of heart, with arrows indicating direction of blood flow heart, muscular organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The rhythmic beating of the heart is a ceaseless activit...

Malibran, Maria Felicità

(Encyclopedia)Malibran, Maria Felicità märēˈä fālēsētäˈ mälēbräNˈ [key], 1808–36, French-Spanish contralto. Malibran was the daughter of the tenor Manuel García and the sister of the mezzo Pauline ...

figure

(Encyclopedia)figure, in music, short melodic or rhythmic pattern, the smallest grouping of notes that will produce a single distinct impression. In this sense figure is synonymous with motive. In music before the ...

Peck, Gregory

(Encyclopedia)Peck, Gregory, 1916–2003, American movie actor, b. La Jolla, Calif., as Eldred Gregory Peck. Peck studied at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and debuted on Broadway in The Morning Star (1942) and ...