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Ouse

(Encyclopedia)Ouse o͞oz [key]. 1 Also Great Ouse, river, c.155 mi (250 km) long, rising in the Northampton Highlands, Northamptonshire, S central England. The Great Ouse flows generally NE past Bedford and Ely to ...

Ordos

(Encyclopedia)Ordos ôrˈdōs [key], Mandarin Erdesi, sandy desert plateau region, c.35,000 sq mi (90,650 sq km), Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, N China; almost encircled by the great northern bend of the Huang...

manor house

(Encyclopedia)manor house, dwelling house of the feudal lord of a manor, occupied by him only on occasional visits if he held many manors. Although not built specifically for fortification as castles were, many man...

Ur-Nammu

(Encyclopedia)Ur-Nammu ŭr-nämˈo͞o [key], fl. 2060 b.c., king of the ancient city of Ur, sometimes called Zur-Nammu or Ur-Engur. He founded a new Sumerian dynasty, the third dynasty of Ur, that lasted a century....

soprano

(Encyclopedia)soprano [Ital.,=above], female voice of highest pitch. The three basic types of solo soprano are coloratura, lyric, and dramatic. The coloratura has a great range and impressive vocal agility; the lyr...

Berkhamstead

(Encyclopedia)Berkhamstead, formerly also Great Berkhampstead both: bûrkˈəmstĕd, bärkˈ– ...

Schlüter, Andreas

(Encyclopedia)Schlüter, Andreas ändrāˈäs shlüˈtər [key], 1664–1714, German sculptor. After studying in France and Italy, he became architect and sculptor to the Hohenzollern at Berlin, where the principal...

Saint Bernard, two Alpine passes

(Encyclopedia)Saint Bernard, two Alpine passes, both used since antiquity. The Great Saint Bernard (alt. 8,110 ft/2,472 m), on the Italian-Swiss border, links Valais canton, Switzerland, with Valle d'Aosta, Italy. ...

Shamyl

(Encyclopedia)Shamyl or Shamil both: shäˈmĭl [key], 1798?–1871, imam (religious and political leader) of the E Caucasus. From 1834 to 1859 he led the Muslim tribes of the E Caucasus in their holy war to resist...

Smith, Goldwin

(Encyclopedia)Smith, Goldwin, 1823–1910, English educator, historian, and journalist. Educated at Oxford, he took a prominent part in executing reforms at the university and became (1858) professor of modern hist...