Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

472 results found

Viète, François

(Encyclopedia)Viète or Vieta, François fräNswäˈ vyĕt, vyātäˈ, vīēˈtə [key], 1540–1603, French mathematician. As a founder of modern algebra, he introduced the use of letters as algebraic symbols and ...

York, Frederick Augustus, duke of

(Encyclopedia)York, Frederick Augustus, duke of, 1763–1827, second son of George III of England. In the French Revolutionary Wars he commanded (1793–95) the unsuccessful English forces in Flanders. Despite his ...

Nijmegen

(Encyclopedia)Nijmegen nīˈmāˌgən [key], city (1994 pop. 147,018), Gelderland prov., E Netherlands, on the Waal River, near the German border. It is a rail and water transportation point and an industrial cente...

Ambon

(Encyclopedia)Ambon ämˈbōn [key], island, c.300 sq mi (775 sq km), E Indonesia, one of the Moluccas, in the Banda Sea. It is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Corn and sago are...

tulip

(Encyclopedia)tulip [Pers.,=turban], any plant of the large genus Tulipa, hardy, bulbous-rooted members of the family Liliaceae (lily family), indigenous to north temperate regions of the Old World from the Mediter...

Zeeland

(Encyclopedia)Zeeland zēˈlənd, Dutch zāˈlänt [key], province (1994 pop. 363,900), c.650 sq mi (1,680 sq km), SW Netherlands, bordering on Belgium in the south and the North Sea in the west. The main cities ar...

Mrauk U

(Encyclopedia)Mrauk U, archaeological site and capital of the former Arakan kingdom, Rakhine State, central W Myanmar. The kingdom flourished in the 15th to 18th cent., and Mrauk U was an important trading city, wi...

Leeuwarden

(Encyclopedia)Leeuwarden lāˈvärˌdən [key], Frisian Ljouwert, city (1994 est. pop. 87,500), capital of Friesland prov., N Netherlands. It is the center of an agricultural and dairying region and has a noted cat...

Ross, Robert

(Encyclopedia)Ross, Robert, 1766–1814, British general. He served against the French in the Netherlands, in Egypt, and in the Peninsular War. In the War of 1812 he defeated a U.S. force at Bladensburg, and on the...

Zwolle

(Encyclopedia)Zwolle zwôlˈə [key], city (1994 pop. 99,139), capital of Overijssel prov., N central Netherlands, on the Zwartewater River. It is an administrative, transportation, and industrial center. Shipbuild...

Browse by Subject