Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Kielce

(Encyclopedia)Kielce kyĕlˈtsĕ [key], city (1993 est. pop. 215,300), capital of Świętokrzyskie prov., S central Poland. It is a railway junction and manufacturing center where metals, machinery, and foodstuffs ...

calcium-channel blocker

(Encyclopedia)calcium-channel blocker, any of a class of drugs used in treating hypertension, angina pectoris, and certain arrhythmias. They prevent the calcium ions needed for muscle contraction from entering the ...

Bédié, Henri Konan

(Encyclopedia)Bédié, Henri Konan, 1934–, Ivoirian political leader. A member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire–African Democratic Rally (PDCI), Bédié was the country's ambassador to the United State...

Cavaco Silva, Aníbal António

(Encyclopedia)Cavaco Silva, Aníbal António änēˈbäl äntōˈnēō kəväˈko͞o sēlˈvä [key], 1939–, Portuguese economist and political leader, prime minsiter (1985–95) and president (2006–16) of Port...

Putrajaya

(Encyclopedia)Putrajaya, administrative capital of Malaysia and federal territory, 111,313 acres (4,580 hectares), S Malay Peninsula. Construction on the planned city located 25 mi (40 km) south of Kuala Lumpur was...

Mithra

(Encyclopedia)Mithra mĭthˈrə [key], ancient god of Persia and India (where he was called Mitra). Until the 6th cent. b.c., Mithra was apparently a minor figure in the Zoroastrian system. Under the Achaemenids, M...

magnolia, in botany

(Encyclopedia)magnolia, common name for plants of the genus Magnolia, and for the Magnoliaceae, a family of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, often with showy flowers. They are principally of north temperate...

Port-Royal

(Encyclopedia)Port-Royal Fr. pôr-rwäyälˈ [key], former abbey of women, c.17 mi (27 km) W of Paris, founded in 1204. It was at first Benedictine, later Cistercian. In 1608 the abbess, Angélique Arnauld (see Arn...

casino

(Encyclopedia)casino or cassino both: kəsēˈnō [key]. 1 Card game played with a full deck by two to four players. Its origins are obscure though it probably traces back to the Italian game of Scopa. It is a very...

Duterte, Rodrigo Roa

(Encyclopedia)Duterte, Rodrigo Roa rōdrēˈgō rōˈä do͞otârˈtā [key], 1945–, Philippine lawyer and political leader. He joined the prosecutor's office in Davao, Mindanao, in 1977, served as mayor of the c...