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dynamics

(Encyclopedia)dynamics, branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of objects; it may be further divided into kinematics, the study of motion without regard to the forces producing it, and kinetics, the study o...

Great Rift Valley

(Encyclopedia)Great Rift Valley, geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs S through Syria and Lebanon, th...

gynecology

(Encyclopedia)gynecology gīnˌəkŏlˈəjē [key], branch of medicine specializing in the disorders of the female reproductive system. Modern gynecology deals with menstrual disorders, menopause, infectious diseas...

Mohegan

(Encyclopedia)Mohegan mōhēˈgən [key], Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). Also called the Mohican,...

manakin

(Encyclopedia)manakin mănˈəkən [key], common name for stocky, tiny birds, most measuring less than 5 in. (12.5 cm) long, comprising 59 species in the family Pipridae. Manakins are found throughout the forested ...

Angevin

(Encyclopedia)Angevin ănˈjəvĭn [key] [Fr.,=of Anjou], name of two medieval dynasties originating in France. The first ruled over parts of France and over Jerusalem and England; the second ruled over parts of Fr...

Douglas, James, 9th earl of Douglas

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, James, 9th earl of Douglas, 1426–88, Scottish nobleman, last earl of Douglas. Following the murder of his brother William, the 8th earl, by James II, he led a rebellion against the king in ...

Da Lat

(Encyclopedia)Da Lat dä lät [key], city (1989 pop. 87,136), S Vietnam, in the central highlands, alt. c.5,000 ft (1,520 m). Developed by the French as a health resort and hunting center, it is a modern city surro...

Colville, indigenous people of North America

(Encyclopedia)Colville kŏlˈvĭl [key], indigenous people of North America whose language belongs to the Salishan branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). Once one of the...

absentee ownership

(Encyclopedia)absentee ownership, system under which a person (or a corporation) controls and derives income from land in a region where he does not reside. Abuses existed in absenteeism in pre-Revolutionary France...