Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

mahatma

(Encyclopedia)mahatma məhătˈmə, –hätˈ– [key] [Sanskrit,=great-souled], honorific title used in India among Hindus for a person of superior holiness. Mohandas Gandhi is the best-known figure to whom the ti...

Lettow-Vorbeck, Paul von

(Encyclopedia)Lettow-Vorbeck, Paul von poul fən lĕtˈō-fôrˈbĕk [key], 1870–1964, German general. In World War I he conducted a brilliant defense of German East Africa against vastly superior Allied power. ...

Benedict the Black, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Benedict the Black, Saint, d. 1589, Sicilian friar. Born a slave, he became a hermit and later a Franciscan lay brother. Although illiterate, his humility and extraordinary powers as spiritual directo...

jeep

(Encyclopedia)jeep, small, durable automotive vehicle intended for heavy-duty applications and sometimes provided with the capability of delivering driving power to all four wheels. The last feature allows superior...

elongation

(Encyclopedia)elongation, in astronomy, the angular distance between two points in the sky as measured from a third point. The elongation of a planet is usually measured as the angular distance from the sun to the ...

ethnocentrism

(Encyclopedia)ethnocentrism, the feeling that one's group has a mode of living, values, and patterns of adaptation that are superior to those of other groups. It is coupled with a generalized contempt for members o...

Rookwood pottery

(Encyclopedia)Rookwood pottery, American artware. Made in Cincinnati by one of the earliest American pottery firms (est. 1880), it achieved an international reputation. The ware exhibits a range of full, rich color...

Green Bay, arm of Lake Michigan

(Encyclopedia)Green Bay, western arm of Lake Michigan, c.100 mi (160 km) long and from 10 to 20 mi (16–32 km) wide, NE Wis. and NW Mich.; separated from the lake by the Door and Garden peninsulas. The Fox River f...

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

(Encyclopedia)Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, S Alaska. Located across Cook Inlet from Anchorage, the park (2,619,733 acres/1,060,621 hectares) and adjacent preserve (1,410,325 acres/570,982 hectares) featur...

Taschereau, Elzéar Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Taschereau, Elzéar Alexandre ĕlzāärˈ älĕksäNˈdrə täshərōˈ [key], 1820–98, Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal, b. Quebec prov. He served the Quebec seminary for nearly 30 years, as profes...