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alpha particle

(Encyclopedia)alpha particle, one of the three types of radiation resulting from natural radioactivity. Alpha radiation (or alpha rays) was distinguished and named by E. R. Rutherford in 1909, who found by measurin...

Cytoxan

(Encyclopedia)Cytoxan sītŏkˈsĭn [key], trade name for the drug cyclophosphamide, used to inhibit growth of tumors and rapidly proliferating cells. It is used in the treatment of leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, and...

Littleton, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Littleton, Sir Thomas, 1422?–1481, English jurist. He became a sergeant-at-law, i.e., a barrister, in the Court of Common Pleas in 1453 and a judge in 1466. He is best known for his Tenures, a short...

taffeta

(Encyclopedia)taffeta, cloth, originally silk but now also made of synthetic fibers, supposed to have originated in Persia. The name, derived from Persian, means “twisted woven.” Taffeta is in the same class an...

igloo

(Encyclopedia)igloo ĭgˈlo͞o [key] [Inuit,=house]. The Eskimos traditionally had three types of houses. A summer house, which was basically a tent, a winter house, which was usually partially dug into the ground ...

Merino sheep

(Encyclopedia)Merino sheep mərēˈnō [key], breed intermediate in body size having fine wool, developed in Spain. These sheep are noted for their hardiness and their herding instincts and have been used as parent...

Hindu music

(Encyclopedia)Hindu music. The music of India is entirely monodic. To Westerners it is the most accessible of all Asian musical cultures. Its tonal system divides the octave into 22 segments called srutis, not all ...

Bichat, Marie François Xavier

(Encyclopedia)Bichat, Marie François Xavier märēˈ fräNswäˈ zävyāˈ bēshäˈ [key], 1771–1802, French anatomist and physiologist. He studied the tissues, giving them that name and classifying them into 2...

column

(Encyclopedia)column, vertical architectural support, circular or polygonal in plan. A column is generally at least four or five times as high as its diameter or width; stubbier freestanding masses of masonry are u...

blood count

(Encyclopedia)blood count, method for determining the number of red (erythrocytes) and white (leukocytes) blood cells in a certain volume of blood. This test can be used as a preliminary step in diagnosing some dis...