(Encyclopedia) monitor, any of various, mostly tropical lizards. A monitor lizard has a heavy body, long head and neck, long tail that comes to a whiplike end, and strong legs with sharp claws. Its…
(Encyclopedia) proverb, short statement of wisdom or advice that has passed into general use. More homely than aphorisms, proverbs generally refer to common experience and are often expressed in…
(Encyclopedia) psychrometerpsychrometersīkrŏmˈĭtər [key], one of many instruments used for measuring the water vapor content or relative humidity of the atmosphere. It consists of two identical…
(Encyclopedia) Roach, Hal (Harold Eugene Roach, Sr.), 1892–1992, American move producer and director, b. Elmira, N.Y. He entered (1912) the motion-picture industry as an extra, and by 1914 had…
(Encyclopedia) RolloRollorŏlˈō [key] or HrolfRollorŏlf [key], c.860–c.932, first duke of Normandy. As leader of the Norman pirates settled at the mouth of the Seine, he attacked (910) Paris and…
(Encyclopedia) Laurens, HenryLaurens, Henrylôrˈənz, lärˈ– [key], 1724–92, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Charleston, S.C. A wealthy merchant and planter, he was, in the years…
(Encyclopedia) Kukai or Kobo-DaishiKobo-Daishik&oomacr;ˈkī, kōˈbō-dīˈshē [key], 774–835, Japanese priest, scholar, and artist, founder of the Shingon or “True Word” sect of Buddhism. Of…
(Encyclopedia) anaphylaxisanaphylaxisănˌəfəlăkˈsĭs [key], hypersensitive state that may develop after introduction of a foreign protein or other antigen into the body tissues. When an anaphylactic…
(Encyclopedia) Wouk, HermanWouk, Hermanwōk [key], 1915–2019, American writer, b. New York City. In The Caine Mutiny (1951; Pulitzer Prize), he made the protagonist-antagonist Captain Queeg a popular…
(Encyclopedia) MonticelloMonticellomŏnˌtĭsĕlˈō, –chĕlˈō [key] [Ital.,=little mountain], estate, 640 acres (259 hectares), central Va., near Charlottesville; home of Thomas Jefferson for 56 years. The…
