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Mars, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Mars, in astronomy, 4th planet from the sun, with an orbit next in order beyond that of the earth. Mars has two natural satellites, discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877. The innermost of these, Phobos...

ordeal

(Encyclopedia)ordeal, ancient legal custom whereby an accused person was required to perform a test, the outcome of which decided the person's guilt or innocence. By an ordeal, appeal was made to divine authority t...

nix

(Encyclopedia)nix or nixie, in Germanic mythology, water sprite. The nixes could assume various shapes, most frequently as half human and half fish. They could do favors for humans, particularly in teaching them be...

sudden oak death

(Encyclopedia)sudden oak death: see diseases of plants; water mold. ...

Hydra, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Hydra, in Greek mythology, many-headed water serpent; offspring of Typhon and Echidna. When one of its heads was cut off, two new heads appeared. The second labor of Hercules was to kill the monster. ...

De Wint, Peter

(Encyclopedia)De Wint, Peter, 1784–1849, English landscape painter. He was a leading watercolorist. Most of De Wint's landscapes are distinctly English in subject and treatment, Lincolnshire scenes being favorite...

Evans, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Evans, Sir John, 1823–1908, English archaeologist, geologist, and numismatist. A president of the Royal Numismatic Society and of the Society of Antiquaries, he was active also in public welfare and...

Naugatuck, river, United States

(Encyclopedia)Naugatuck, river, 65 mi (105 km) long, rising in NW Conn. and flowing S, past Waterbury, to the Housatonic River at Derby. It furnishes water power for the remaining industrial plants along its shores...

Taylor, John, English writer

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, John, 1578?–1653, English writer. He was a boatman on the Thames and hence is often called the Water Poet. A traveler throughout England and the Continent, he recorded his observations in bo...

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