Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Hepplewhite, George

(Encyclopedia)Hepplewhite, George hĕpˈəlhwīt [key], d. 1786, English cabinetmaker and furniture designer. His style is characterized by light, curvilinear forms, painted or inlaid decoration, and distinctive de...

gallic acid

(Encyclopedia)gallic acid or 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid trīˌhīdrŏkˈsēbĕnzōˈĭk [key], C6H2(OH)3CO2H, colorless crystalline organic acid found in gallnuts, sumach, tea leaves, oak bark, and many other pla...

Kellogg, John Harvey

(Encyclopedia)Kellogg, John Harvey, 1852–1943, American physician, health-food advocate, and breakfast cereal developer, b. Tyrone, N.Y., grad. New York Univ. (M.D., 1875) and continued his medical studies in Eur...

Kollam

(Encyclopedia)Kollam kwēˈlôn [key], city (1991 pop. 362,572), Kerala state, SW India, on the Arabian Sea. It is a market for coconut products, spices, tea, coffee, and rice. Mineral processing and other manufact...

tannin

(Encyclopedia)tannin, tannic acid, or gallotannic acid, astringent vegetable product found in a wide variety of plants. Sources include the bark of oak, hemlock, chestnut, and mangrove; the leaves of certain sumac...

tansy

(Encyclopedia)tansy tănˈzē [key], perennial herb (Tanacetum vulgare) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), native to Europe but naturalized in North America. It was long cultivated for its ornamental foliage ...

Tuke, William

(Encyclopedia)Tuke, William, 1732–1822, English merchant and philanthropist. He succeeded at an early age to the family business at York in wholesale tea and coffee. He is remembered as the chief founder of the Y...

Bogor

(Encyclopedia)Bogor boiˈtənzôrkh [key] [Du.,=free from care], city, W Java, Indonesia. At the foot of tw...

Rodgers, Bill

(Encyclopedia)Rodgers, Bill, 1947–, American distance runner, b. Hartford, Conn. He helped to popularize distance running in the U.S. He won the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon four times each betw...

Sargent, John Singer

(Encyclopedia)Sargent, John Singer, 1856–1925, American painter, b. Florence, Italy, of American parents, educated in Italy, France, and Germany. In 1874 he went to Paris, where he studied under Carolus-Duran. He...