Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

corona, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)corona, luminous envelope surrounding the sun, outside the chromosphere. Its density is less than one billionth that of the earth's atmosphere. The corona is visible only at the time of totality durin...

cypress, in botany

(Encyclopedia)cypress, common name for members of the Cupressaceae, a widely distributed family of coniferous shrubs and trees, several yielding valuable timber. The major genera are Juniperus (juniper), Thuja (arb...

contraction, in physics

(Encyclopedia)contraction, in physics: see expansion. ...

contraction, in grammar

(Encyclopedia)contraction, in writing: see abbreviation. ...

colon, in anatomy

(Encyclopedia)colon, in anatomy: see intestine. ...

colon, in punctuation

(Encyclopedia)colon, in writing: see punctuation. ...

columbine, in botany

(Encyclopedia)columbine kŏlˈəmbīn [key], any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. Columbines...

coma, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)coma, in astronomy: see comet.

coma, in medicine

(Encyclopedia)coma, in medicine, deep state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be aroused even by painful stimuli. The patient cannot speak and does not respond to command. Coma is the result of damage t...

combination, in business

(Encyclopedia)combination, in business: see trust. ...