Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

phlebitis

(Encyclopedia)phlebitis fləbīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of a vein. Phlebitis is almost always accompanied by a blood clot, or thrombus, in the affected vein, a condition known as thrombophlebitis (see thrombosis)...

Saluki

(Encyclopedia)Saluki səlo͞oˈkē [key], breed of tall, slender hound whose origins may be traced back to the Sumerian empire of 6000 b.c. It stands between 23 and 28 in. (58.4–71.1 cm) high at the shoulder, alt...

ballad

(Encyclopedia)ballad, in literature and music, short, narrative poem or song usually relating a single, dramatic event. Two forms of the ballad are often distinguished—the folk ballad, dating from about the 12th ...

arrhythmia

(Encyclopedia)arrhythmia ārĭᵺˈmēə [key], disturbance in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. Various arrhythmias can be symptoms of serious heart disorders; however, they are usually of no medical significan...

aneurysm

(Encyclopedia)aneurysm ănˈyo͝orĭzəm [key], localized dilatation of a blood vessel, particularly an artery, or the heart. Dilatation of an artery, and therefore weakness of that portion of the arterial wall, ma...

false imprisonment

(Encyclopedia)false imprisonment, complete restraint upon a person's liberty of movement without legal justification. Actual physical contact is not necessary; a show of authority or a threat of force is sufficient...

Fox, Gustavus Vasa

(Encyclopedia)Fox, Gustavus Vasa, 1821–83, American naval officer, b. Saugus, Mass. Appointed a midshipman in 1838, he resigned from the navy in 1856 but in Apr., 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, commande...

luxury tax

(Encyclopedia)luxury tax, levy on articles that are not essential to a normal standard of living. Such taxes may be imposed strictly for revenue purposes or they may be intended to discourage consumption of certain...

bed and breakfast

(Encyclopedia)bed and breakfast (B&B or BnB), small business that offers guests rooms and breakfast, usually in a private home or apartment. In a B&B, service and meal preparation is typically provided by t...

Baphomet

(Encyclopedia)Baphomet băfˈəmĕt [key], idol or mystical figure that the Knights Templars were accused of worshiping in the 14th cent. Apparently the name was unknown before that time in Western demonology. Its ...