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peri

(Encyclopedia)peri pērˈē [key], in Persian mythology, supernatural being. Peris were said to be fallen angels who were denied paradise until they did penance. Originally agents of evil, in later mythology they w...

Wayne, Anthony

(Encyclopedia)Wayne, Anthony, 1745–96, American Revolutionary general, b. Chester co., Pa. Impetuous and hot-headed, Wayne was sometimes known as “mad Anthony,” but he was an able general. In 1783 he return...

Philoxenus

(Encyclopedia)Philoxenus fĭlŏkˈsənəs [key], c.436–c.380 b.c., Greek dithyrambic poet, b. Cythera. Having fallen out of grace with the emperor Dionysius, he was imprisoned in Syracuse. There he wrote his Cycl...

shoring

(Encyclopedia)shoring, placing of props or braces, called shores, against or beneath a structure for support. Shoring is often used to stabilize a building when it is to undergo structural modification or repair. C...

Reed, Sir Carol

(Encyclopedia)Reed, Sir Carol, 1906–76, English film director, b. London. He acted and directed on the stage before turning to films in the mid-1930s. Reed powerfully portrayed characters at the end of their teth...

Battle of the Spurs

(Encyclopedia)Battle of the Spurs. 1 Fought in 1302 near Courtrai, Belgium, between the rebellious Flemish towns, led by Bruges, and an army sent by Philip IV of France, who had annexed Flanders in 1301. The French...

incubus

(Encyclopedia)incubus ĭngˈkyo͝obəs [key], lascivious male demon said to possess mortal women as they sleep and to be responsible for the birth of demons, witches, and deformed children. According to one legend ...

Cephalus

(Encyclopedia)Cephalus sĕˈfäləs [key], in Greek mythology, husband of Procris. The two swore eternal fidelity, but Eos, who had fallen in love with Cephalus, persuaded him to test his wife. Cephalus disguised h...

quebracho

(Encyclopedia)quebracho kābräˈchō [key], name for a tanning substance and for the trees from which it comes, chiefly the red quebracho, or quebracho colorado (Schinopsis lorentzii), of the family Anacardiaceae ...

lumber

(Encyclopedia)lumber, term for timber that has been cut into boards for use as a building material. The major steps in producing lumber involve logging (the felling and preparation of timber for shipment to sawmill...