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Cimarosa, Domenico

(Encyclopedia)Cimarosa, Domenico dōmĕˈnēkō chēmärôˈzä [key], 1749–1801, Italian operatic composer. He wrote almost 80 operas, which were successfully produced in Rome, Naples, Vienna, and St. Petersburg...

charm

(Encyclopedia)charm, magical formula or incantation, spoken or sung, for the purpose of securing blessing, good fortune, or immunity from evil. It presupposes a belief in demons or malignant spirits. The formula wa...

Oberlin, Jean Frédéric

(Encyclopedia)Oberlin, Jean Frédéric zhäN frādārēkˈ ôbĕrlăNˈ [key], 1740–1826, Alsatian Lutheran clergyman. He was appointed in 1767 to a pastorate in Ban-de-la-Roche, Bas-Rhin dept., France. Oberlin i...

value-added tax

(Encyclopedia)value-added tax (VAT), levy imposed on business at all levels of the manufacture and production of a good or service and based on the increase in price, or value, provided by each level. Because the c...

Varley, John

(Encyclopedia)Varley, John, 1778–1842, English painter in watercolor; one of the founders of the Old Water Colour Society. He is best known for his paintings of Welsh mountain country. He was also an influential ...

Bouvet Island

(Encyclopedia)Bouvet Island bo͞ovāˈ [key], uninhabited volcanic island, c.58 sq mi (150 sq km), S Atlantic Ocean, about 1,600 mi (2,576 km) SW of the Cape of Good Hope. A Norwegian possession since 1928, Bouvet ...

Bates, H. E.

(Encyclopedia)Bates, H. E. (Herbert Ernest Bates), 1905–74, English author, b. Rushden, Northamptonshire. During World War II he served with the Royal Air Force. A good storyteller, Bates had the ability to rende...

evil

(Encyclopedia)evil, antithesis of good. The philosophical problem of evil is most simply stated in the question, why does evil exist in the world? Death, disease, and sin are often included in the problem. Traditio...

Moore, George Edward

(Encyclopedia)Moore, George Edward, 1873–1958, English philosopher, b. Upper Norwood. He was educated at Cambridge, where he was a fellow (1898–1904) and then a lecturer (1911–25) in the department of moral s...

Plato

(Encyclopedia)Plato plāˈtō [key], 427?–347 b.c., Greek philosopher. Plato's teachings have been among the most influential in the history of Western civilization. Many of the late dialogues are devoted to te...