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winter cress

(Encyclopedia)winter cress or upland cress, species of Barbarea, herbs of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family). The pungent leaves of several species have been used for salads or garnishes, and t...

finch

(Encyclopedia)finch, common name for members of the Fringillidae, the largest family of birds (including over half the known species), found in most parts of the world except Australia. The true finches are charact...

Riga

(Encyclopedia)Riga rēˈgə [key], city (2011 provisional pop. 657,424), capital of Latvia, on the Daugava (Western Dvina) River near its entry into the Gulf of Riga. A major Baltic port, it is also a rail junction...

castle

(Encyclopedia)castle, type of fortified dwelling characteristic of the Middle Ages. Fortification of towns had been in practice since antiquity, but in the 9th cent. feudal lords began to develop the private fortre...

Appleton, Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Appleton, Daniel, 1785–1849, American publisher, b. Haverhill, Mass. The owner of a general store in Boston, he moved to New York in 1826, where he established one of the largest publishing houses i...

Saint John's University

(Encyclopedia)Saint John's University, main campus at Jamaica, New York City; Roman Catholic; coeducational; established 1870 as St. John's College. Its present name was adopted in 1954. It is the largest Catholic ...

Bacolod

(Encyclopedia)Bacolod bäkōˈlōd, –lōᵺ [key], city, capital of Negros Occidental prov., NW Negros island, the ...

Perizzite

(Encyclopedia)Perizzite pĕrˈĭzīt, pērĭzˈ– [key], pre-Israelite inhabitants of ancient Palestine. According to the Book of Joshua, the Perizzites were located in the hill country. They were enslaved by Solo...

Uphaz

(Encyclopedia)Uphaz yo͞oˈfăz [key], in the Bible, country known for its gold. It is perhaps a variant of Ophir. ...

Mongkut

(Encyclopedia)Mongkut rämˈə [key], 1804–68, king of Siam, now Thailand (1851–68). A devout Buddhist monk, he was displaced in succession to the throne by his brother, who ascended as Rama III. Mongkut became...