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affenpinscher

(Encyclopedia)affenpinscher ăfˈənpĭnˌshər [key], breed of toy dog perfected in Europe at the end of the 19th cent. It stands from 8 to 10 in. (20.3–25.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 8 lb (3.6 k...

blue jay

(Encyclopedia)blue jay, common name for a familiar bird (Cyanocitta cristata) of central and E North America, allied to the crow, the raven, and the magpie, belonging to the family Corvidae. Almost a foot (30 cm) l...

Skye terrier

(Encyclopedia)Skye terrier, breed of sturdy, short-legged terrier developed in the northwestern islands of Scotland more than four centuries ago. It takes its name from the principal island in the group. The Skye t...

verdigris

(Encyclopedia)verdigris vûrˈdəgrēsˌ [key], one of three copper acetates: blue verdigris, Cu(CH3COO)2·CuO·6H2O; green verdigris, 2Cu(CH3COO)2·CuO·6H2O; or neutral verdigris, Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O; or a mixture o...

Fourier, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Fourier, Charles shärl fo͞oryāˈ [key], 1772–1837, French social philosopher. From a bourgeois family, he condemned existing institutions and evolved a kind of utopian socialism. In Théorie des ...

Livingstone, David

(Encyclopedia)Livingstone, David lĭvˈĭngstən, –stōnˌ [key], 1813–73, Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa, the first European to cross the African continent. From 1841 to 1852, while a medical missi...

Vondel, Joost van den

(Encyclopedia)Vondel, Joost van den yōst vän dĕn vônˈdəl [key], 1587–1679, Dutch poet and dramatist, b. Cologne. He is generally considered the greatest Dutch writer. During the emergence of the Dutch natio...

mongoose

(Encyclopedia)mongoose, name for a large number of small, carnivorous, terrestrial Old World mammals of the civet family. They are found in S Asia and in Africa, with one species extending into S Spain. Mongooses a...

leopard

(Encyclopedia)leopard, large carnivore of the cat family, Panthera pardus, widely distributed in Africa and Asia. It is commonly yellow, buff, or gray, patterned with black spots and rings. The rings, unlike those ...

tin

(Encyclopedia)tin, metallic chemical element; symbol Sn [Lat. stannum]; at. no. 50; at. wt. 118.710; m.p. 231.9681℃; b.p. 2,270℃; sp. gr. 5.75 (gray), 7.3 (white); valence +2 or +4. Tin exhibits allotropy; abov...