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spermaceti

(Encyclopedia)spermaceti spûrˈməsēˈtē [key], solid waxy substance, white, odorless, and tasteless, separated from the oils obtained from the sperm whale (see sperm oil) and other marine mammals. A mixture of ...

petunia

(Encyclopedia)petunia, any plant of the genus Petunia, South American herbs of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). The common garden petunias, planted also in window boxes, are all considered hybrids of whit...

pipestone

(Encyclopedia)pipestone, hard, dull red or mottled pink-and-white clay stone, carved by Native Americans into pipes. Called calumets (see calumet) the pipes were used extensively in ceremonials. Native Americans he...

Plymouth Rock chicken

(Encyclopedia)Plymouth Rock chicken, one of the most popular early breeds of poultry. The Barred Plymouth Rock was a favorite farm chicken since it was both a good egg producer and also developed a large quantity o...

Carrara

(Encyclopedia)Carrara kär-räˈrä [key], city, Tuscany, N central Italy, near the Ligurian Sea. It is the ...

catechu

(Encyclopedia)catechu kătˈəcho͞o [key] or cutch, extract from the heartwood of Acacia catechu, a leguminous tree of the pulse family, native to India and Myanmar. Catechu is a fast brown dye used for various sh...

Berkshire swine

(Encyclopedia)Berkshire swine bûrkˈshər, bärkˈ–, –shĭr [key], one of the oldest of the improved breeds of swine, originating in the county of Berkshire in S central England. The breed was imported to the ...

Bilbo, Theodore Gilmore

(Encyclopedia)Bilbo, Theodore Gilmore, 1877–1947, U.S. senator (1935–47), b. near Poplarville, Pearl River co., Miss. After study at the Univ. of Nashville (1897–1900) and Vanderbilt Univ. law school (1905–...

cerussite

(Encyclopedia)cerussite sērˈəsīt [key], colorless to white or gray mineral, sometimes yellowish or greenish, transparent to opaque, very brittle, crystallizing in the orthorhombic system and occurring also in g...

blazing star

(Encyclopedia)blazing star or button snakeroot, any plant of the genus Liatris, showy North American perennials of the family Asteraceae (aster family). The blossoms, rosy purple or white, are in somewhat feathery ...