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Baal-zebub

(Encyclopedia)Baal-zebub bāˈəl-zēˈbəb [key] [Heb.,=lord of flies], a deliberate Hebrew distortion of the name of the god of Ekron in 2 Kings. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Beelzebul, the Greek form of the ...

Wilmington, Spencer Compton, earl of

(Encyclopedia)Wilmington, Spencer Compton, earl of, 1673?–1743, British politician. He was a member of Parliament (1695–1710, 1713–30) and served as speaker of the House of Commons (1715–27). He was paymast...

Benedictus

(Encyclopedia)Benedictus bĕnədĭkˈtəs [key], hymn of Zachary, taken from Luke 1.68–79. It begins in Latin, “Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel” [blessed be the Lord God of Israel]. It is used at funerals and ...

Te Deum laudamus

(Encyclopedia)Te Deum laudamus tē dēˈəm lôdāˈməs, tā dāˈo͝om loudäˈmo͝os [key] [Lat.,=we praise Thee, O God], early chant of the Western Church beginning, “We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge The...

Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley, 4th earl of, 1607–67, English nobleman; son of the 3d earl. At first an opponent of the court party in the events leading up to the English civil war, he later joine...

Dexter, Timothy

(Encyclopedia)Dexter, Timothy, 1747–1806, American merchant and eccentric, b. Malden, Mass. He gained a fortune from the American Revolution by buying up depreciated certificates of indebtedness that were afterwa...

Derwent Water

(Encyclopedia)Derwent Water, lake, 3 mi (4.8 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, Cumbria, NW England, formed by a widening of the River Derwent. It is surrounded by wooded hills, with the Lodore (c.90 ft/27 m) and Bar...

Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of, 1694–1773, English statesman and author. A noted wit and orator, his long public career, begun in 1715, included an ambassadorship to The Hague (17...

Granville, Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2d Earl

(Encyclopedia)Granville, Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2d Earl lo͞oˈsən-gôrˈ [key], 1815–91, British statesman. He entered Parliament as a Whig in 1836 and held various cabinet positions under Lord John Ru...

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