Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

evergreen

(Encyclopedia)evergreen, term commonly used as synonymous with conifer and applied also to all those broad-leaved plants that bear green leaves throughout the year. Of the latter, most are plants of the tropics, su...

savanna

(Encyclopedia)savanna or savannah both: səvănˈə [key], tropical or subtropical grassland lying on the margin of the trade wind belts. The climate of a savanna is characterized by a rainy period during the summe...

Robinson, Sir John Beverley

(Encyclopedia)Robinson, Sir John Beverley, 1791–1863, Canadian jurist, b. Lower Canada (Quebec). After holding many important offices, he entered upon his long career (1829–62) as chief justice of Upper Canada;...

Shih-T'ao

(Encyclopedia)Shih-T'ao shûr-tou [key], 1641–c.1670, Chinese painter of the late Ming–early Ch'ing period, one of the major figures in 17th-century painting. A descendant of the imperial Ming family, he escape...

Barton, Elizabeth

(Encyclopedia)Barton, Elizabeth, 1506?–1534, English prophet, called the Maid of Kent or the Nun of Kent. She was a domestic servant who, after a period of illness, began (c.1525) to go into trances and to utter ...

Sakkara

(Encyclopedia)Sakkara or Saqqara säkäˈrä [key], necropolis (burial place) of ancient Memphis, Egypt, 3 mi (5 km) from the Nile and on the border of the Libyan desert. Djoser (Zoser) had his famous step-pyramid,...

Timaeus , Greek historian

(Encyclopedia)Timaeus tīmēˈəs [key], c.356–c.260 b.c., Greek historian of Tauromenium (now Taormina), Sicily. Son of the tyrant of the city, he was banished by Agathocles either in 317 or 312 b.c. and lived f...

Trevelyan, Sir Charles Edward

(Encyclopedia)Trevelyan, Sir Charles Edward trĭvĕlˈyən [key], 1807–86, British colonial administrator. After a period of service in India, he returned (1838) to England and was (1840–59) assistant secretary...

Nikko

(Encyclopedia)Nikko nēkˈkō [key], town (2011 est. pop. 91,000), Tochigi prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, partially in Nikko National Park. Mergers with surrounding municipalities, including Imaichi, have made ...

Pallas, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pallas pălˈəs [key], in astronomy, 2d asteroid to be discovered. It was found in 1802 by H. Olbers. The second largest asteroid, it has a diameter of c.300 mi (480 km). Its orbit has a semimajor ax...