Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Cecilia, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Cecilia, Saint səsĭlˈyə, –sēl– [key], 2d or 3d cent., Roman virgin martyr. An ancient and famous account of her life is factually valueless. As patron of music, she is represented at the orga...

Kurosawa, Akira

(Encyclopedia)Kurosawa, Akira äkēˈrä ko͞orōˈsäwä [key], 1910–98, Japanese film director, scriptwriter, and producer, b. Tokyo. He is regarded as one of the world's greatest directors. In Rashomon (1950),...

Coubertin, Pierre Frédy, baron de

(Encyclopedia)Coubertin, Pierre Frédy, baron de pyĕr frādēˈ, də co͞obĕrtăNˈ [key], 1863–1937, French founder of the modern Olympic games. Born into an aristocratic family, he pursued a career as an educ...

Elway, John

(Encyclopedia)Elway, John, 1960–, American football player, b. Port Angeles, Wash. An All-American quarterback at Stanford, he played his entire National Football League career (1983–99) with the Denver Broncos...

Huaráz

(Encyclopedia)Huaráz or Huarás both: wäräsˈ [key], city, capital of Huaráz prov. and Ancash dept....

Autun

(Encyclopedia)Autun ōtöNˈ [key], town, Saône-et-Loire dept., E central France, on the Arroux River. It is an industrial center producing metals, machinery, leather, cloth, timber, a...

overture

(Encyclopedia)overture, instrumental musical composition written as an introduction to an opera, ballet, oratorio, musical, or play. The earliest Italian opera overtures were simply pieces of orchestral music and w...

Pechenga

(Encyclopedia)Pechenga pyĕˈchĭn-gə [key], Finnish Petsamo, town, NW European Russia, an ice-free port at the head of Pechenga Fjord on the Barents Sea and near the Norwegian border. It is also the northern term...

rood

(Encyclopedia)rood ro͞od [key], crucifix mounted above the entrance to the chancel and flanked by large figures of the Virgin and St. John, an almost invariable feature in the 14th- and 15th-century European churc...

Ripon

(Encyclopedia)Ripon, town (1991 pop. 11,952), North Yorkshire, N England, on the Ure River. It is a market town with foundries, varnish and paint factories, tanneries, and breweries. Ripon is famous as an old cathe...

Browse by Subject