Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Cerynean hind

(Encyclopedia)Cerynean hind sĕrĭnēˈən [key], in Greek mythology, golden-horned hind sacred to Artemis. The fourth labor of Hercules was to capture the hind. ...

rebate

(Encyclopedia)rebate, partial refund of the total price paid for goods or services. In the United States, rebates were historically given by railroads to favored shippers as a return on transportation charges. The ...

Cretan bull

(Encyclopedia)Cretan bull, in Greek mythology, giant bull that Hercules captured as his seventh labor. Some versions of the legend state that this bull was the same one that carried Europa to Crete; others claim th...

court

(Encyclopedia)court, in law, official body charged with administering justice. The term is also applied to the judge or judges who fill the office and to the courtroom itself. Courts come into existence when legal ...

Esch, John Jacob

(Encyclopedia)Esch, John Jacob ĕsh [key], 1861–1941, U.S. Congressman and federal administrator, b. Norwalk, Wis. A lawyer in La Crosse, he became a member of the House of Representatives in 1899 and served unti...

Underwood, Oscar Wilder

(Encyclopedia)Underwood, Oscar Wilder, 1862–1929, American political leader, U.S. Senator from Alabama (1915–27), b. Louisville, Ky. A lawyer in Birmingham, Ala., he became important in Democratic party politic...

Frohman, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Frohman, Charles frōˈmən [key], 1860–1915, American theatrical manager and producer, b. Sandusky, Ohio. Starting his career as a box-office clerk in Brooklyn, N.Y., Frohman became a successful pr...

Mukasey, Michael Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Mukasey, Michael Bernard myo͞okāˈzē [key], 1941–, American jurist, b. Bronx, N.Y., grad. Columbia (A.B., 1963), Yale Law School (LL.B., 1967). After being in private practice (1967–72), he was...

Paralympic games

(Encyclopedia)Paralympic games, series of international sports contests for athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments. The games grew out of a gathering of British World War II veterans organized...

Parker, Dorothy

(Encyclopedia)Parker, Dorothy (Dorothy Rothschild Parker), 1893–1967, American short-story and verse writer, b. West End, N.J. While serving as drama critic for Vanity Fair (1916–17) and book critic for the New...

Browse by Subject