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Otter, Peaks of

(Encyclopedia)Otter, Peaks of, two peaks, W central Va., in the Blue Ridge, W of Lynchburg. The one, Flat Top, is 4,004 ft (1,220 m) high; the other, Sharp Top, 3,875 ft (1,181 m). They are on national parkland adm...

Prussian blue

(Encyclopedia)Prussian blue, pigment widely used for laundry bluing, in dyeing compounds, and in the manufacture of inks and paints. Several varieties are known, one of which consists of the chemical compound ferri...

blue baby

(Encyclopedia)blue baby, infant born with a congenital heart defect that causes a bluish coloration of the skin as a result of cyanosis (deoxygenated blood). The color is most noticeable around the lips and at the ...

blue crab

(Encyclopedia)blue crab, common name for a crustacean, Callinectes sapidus, found on the S Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. The blue crab is a member of the family of swimming crabs known as the Portunida...

Blue Island

(Encyclopedia)Blue Island, city (2020 pop. 22,549), Cook co., NE Ill., a residential and industrial suburb of Chicago, on the Little Calumet River; inc. 1843. It has ...

blue jay

(Encyclopedia)blue jay, common name for a familiar bird (Cyanocitta cristata) of central and E North America, allied to the crow, the raven, and the magpie, belonging to the family Corvidae. Almost a foot (30 cm) l...

blue laws

(Encyclopedia)blue laws, legislation regulating public and private conduct, especially laws relating to Sabbath observance. The term was originally applied to the 17th-century laws of the theocratic New Haven colon...

Blue Nile

(Encyclopedia)Blue Nile, Arab. Bahr el Azraq, river, c.1,000 mi (1,600 km) long, the chief headstream of the Nile, rising in Lake Tana, NW Ethiopia, at an altitude of c.6,000 ft (1,800 m). It flows generally S from...

Blue Rider

(Encyclopedia)Blue Rider: see Blaue Reiter, der. ...

blue shift

(Encyclopedia)blue shift or blueshift, in astronomy, the systematic displacement of individual lines in the spectrum of a celestial object toward the blue, or shorter wavelength, end of the visible spectrum. The am...