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greenback

(Encyclopedia)greenback, in U.S. history, legal tender notes unsecured by specie (coin). In 1862, under the exigencies of the Civil War, the U.S. government first issued legal tender notes (popularly called greenba...

apple

(Encyclopedia)apple, any tree (and its fruit) of the genus Malus of the family Rosaceae (rose family). Apples were formerly considered species of the pear genus Pyrus, with which they share the characteristic pome ...

Babbitt metal

(Encyclopedia)Babbitt metal, an antifriction metal first produced by Isaac Babbitt in 1839. In present-day usage the term is applied to a whole class of silver-white bearing metals, or “white metals.” These all...

Louis the Younger

(Encyclopedia)Louis the Younger, c.830–882, German king, ruler (876–82) over Saxony, Franconia, and Thuringia, son of Louis the German. He shared the succession to his father's lands with his brothers Carloman ...

Richmond and Lennox, Frances Teresa Stuart, duchess of

(Encyclopedia)Richmond and Lennox, Frances Teresa Stuart or Stewart, duchess of, 1647–1702, mistress of Charles II of England. The daughter of an exiled Scottish physician, she was educated in France and returned...

Aberystwyth

(Encyclopedia)Aberystwyth ăbˌərĭstˈwĭth [key], town, Ceredigion, W Wales, on Cardigan Bay. It is a summer resort and cultural center. Before the construction of railroads, Aberyst...

Thomson, Peter William

(Encyclopedia)Thomson, Peter William, 1929–2018, Australian golfer. A leading player in European tournaments at a time when Australians had not yet emerged as top golfers, Thomson had a compact swing and efficien...

electrophorus

(Encyclopedia)electrophorus, device used to generate static electric charges. It has two parts: a nonconducting plate (e.g., of hard rubber) that is negatively charged and a metal plate with an insulated handle. A ...

hardpan

(Encyclopedia)hardpan, condition of the soil or subsoil in which the soil grains become cemented together by such bonding agents as iron oxide and calcium carbonate, forming a hard, impervious mass. It is disadvant...

jargon

(Encyclopedia)jargon, pejorative term applied to speech or writing that is considered meaningless, unintelligible, or ugly. In one sense the term is applied to the special language of a profession, which may be unn...