Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

alder

(Encyclopedia)alder ôlˈdər [key], name for deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Alnus of the family Betulaceae (birch family), widely distributed, especially in mountainous and moist areas of the north temper...

Council Bluffs

(Encyclopedia)Council Bluffs, city (2020 pop. 62,799), seat of Pottawattamie co., SW Iowa, on and below bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, opposite Omaha, Nebr.; ...

coffin

(Encyclopedia)coffin, closed receptacle for a corpse. Its purpose is usually to protect and to aid preservation of the body, although in the past some have believed that it may confine the spirit of the deceased. B...

fetish

(Encyclopedia)fetish fĕtˈĭsh [key], inanimate object believed to possess some magical power. The fetish may be a natural thing, such as a stone, a feather, a shell, or the claw of an animal, or it may be artific...

Tübingen

(Encyclopedia)Tübingen tüˈbĭng–ən [key], city (1994 pop. 83,553), Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany, on the Neckar River. It is a cultural and industrial center; manufactures include textiles, machinery, metal ...

Port Angeles

(Encyclopedia)Port Angeles ănˈjələs [key], city (1990 pop. 17,710), seat of Clallam co., NW Wash., on Juan de Fuca Strait opposite Victoria, British Columbia; inc. 1890. A port of entry with a good harbor, Port...

Puryear, Martin

(Encyclopedia)Puryear, Martin, 1941–2019, American sculptor, b. Washington, D.C. An African American, he served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, and became interested in African crafts and in the themes of cap...

Frankfort

(Encyclopedia)Frankfort, city (2020 pop. 28,602), state capital and seat of Franklin co., N central Ky., on both sides of the Kentucky River, in the heart of the blue...

Kaohsiung

(Encyclopedia)Kaohsiung or Kao-hsiung both: gouˈshyo͞ongˈ [key], special municipality (2010 pop. 2,777,384), 1,140 sq mi (2,952 sq km), S Taiwan. The economic center of S Taiwan, it is Taiwan's leading port but ...

Kent, Rockwell

(Encyclopedia)Kent, Rockwell, 1882–1971, American painter, muralist, wood engraver, lithographer, book and magazine illustrator, and writer, b. Tarrytown, N.Y. Kent studied with William Merritt Chase and Robert H...

Browse by Subject