Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

physician assistant

(Encyclopedia)physician assistant (PA), health-care professional who provides patient services ranging from taking medical histories and doing physical examinations to performing minor surgical procedures; often ca...

Patara

(Encyclopedia)Patara pătˈərə [key], ancient Mediterranean port of Lycia, S Asia Minor (now Turkey). It was a Dorian colony, and became the seat of the Lycian League (167 b.c.–a.d. 43). According to the Acts o...

Tôrres Vedras

(Encyclopedia)Tôrres Vedras tōˈrəsh vāˈdrəsh [key], town (1991 pop. 13,300), Lisboa dist., W central Portugal, in Estremadura. Located in an agricultural center, it produces wine and minor manufactures. The ...

Pamphylia

(Encyclopedia)Pamphylia pămfĭlˈēə [key], ancient region of S Asia Minor, on the coast between Lycia and Cilicia, in present S Turkey. Its chief cities were Attalia, Side, and Perga. Pamphylia was not a politic...

Caesarea Mazaca

(Encyclopedia)Caesarea Mazaca sĕsərēˈə măˈzəkə [key], ancient city of Asia Minor, also called Caesarea of Cappadocia. As Mazaca it was the residence of the Cappadocian kings. The city was renamed (c.10 b.c...

Zela

(Encyclopedia)Zela zēˈlə [key], ancient city of Pontus, NE Asia Minor. There Mithradates VI defeated Triarius c.67 b.c., and in 47 b.c. Julius Caesar defeated Pharnaces, king of Pontus, recording the victory in ...

bluestone

(Encyclopedia)bluestone, common name for the blue, crystalline heptahydrate of cupric sulfate called chalcanthite, a minor ore of copper. It also refers to a fine-grained, light to dark colored blue-gray sandstone....

Nicaea, empire of

(Encyclopedia)Nicaea, empire of, 1204–61. In 1204 the armies of the Fourth Crusade set up the Latin Empire of Constantinople, but the Crusaders' influence did not extend over the entire Byzantine Empire. Several ...

Vishnu

(Encyclopedia)Vishnu vĭshˈno͞o [key], one of the greatest gods of Hinduism, also called Narayana. First mentioned in the Veda as a minor deity, his theistic cults, known as Vaishnavism, or Vishnuism, grew steadi...

Cappadocia

(Encyclopedia)Cappadocia kăpədōˈshə [key], ancient region of Asia Minor, watered by the Halys River (the modern Kizil Irmak), in present E central Turkey. The name was applied at different times to territories...