Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

negligence

(Encyclopedia)negligence, in law, especially tort law, the breach of an obligation (duty) to act with care, or the failure to act as a reasonable and prudent person would under similar circumstances. For a plaintif...

Otto I, king of Bavaria

(Encyclopedia)Otto I, 1848–1916, king of Bavaria (1886–1913). Although incurably insane after 1872, he succeeded his brother King Louis II under the regency of his uncle Luitpold (1886–1912) and Luitpold's so...

Kinross-shire

(Encyclopedia)Kinross-shire or Kinross, former county, E Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, Kinross-shire became (1975) part of the new Tayside region. In the local government reorganization of 1996,...

Banffshire

(Encyclopedia)Banffshire or Banff, former county, NE Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, Banffshire became (1975) part of the new Grampian region. In the local government reorganization of 1996, Gramp...

state of emergency

(Encyclopedia)state of emergency, situation in which a government or a government body is empowered to act with enhanced powers in order to respond to a crisis. The enhanced or emergency powers, and in many cases i...

stimulant

(Encyclopedia)stimulant, any substance that causes an increase in activity in various parts of the nervous system or directly increases muscle activity. Cerebral, or psychic, stimulants act on the central nervous s...

Dearborn, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Dearborn, Henry, 1751–1829, American general and cabinet member, b. Hampton, N.H. He was a physician and became a captain of militia. When the American Revolution broke out, he led his company in th...

Antigua Guatemala

(Encyclopedia)Antigua Guatemala ăntēˈgwə gwätəmäˈlə, Span. äntēˈgwä gwätāmäˈlä [key] [Span.,=Old Guatemala] or Antigua, town, S central Guatemala. It is the ca...

hemolysis

(Encyclopedia)hemolysis hĭmŏlˈĭsĭs [key], destruction of red blood cells in the bloodstream. Although new red blood cells, or erythrocytes, are continuously created and old ones destroyed, an excessive rate of...

Floyd, John Buchanan

(Encyclopedia)Floyd, John Buchanan, 1807–63, U.S. Secretary of War (1857–60) and Confederate general, b. Smithfield, Va. After failing as a lawyer and cotton planter in Arkansas, he returned to Virginia and pra...