Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Gneisenau, August, Graf Neithardt von

(Encyclopedia)Gneisenau, August, Graf Neithardt von ouˈgo͝ost gräf nītˈhärt fən gənīˈzənou [key], 1760–1831, Prussian field marshal. In the Napoleonic Wars he fought at Jena (1806) and, as a major, won...

irredentism

(Encyclopedia)irredentism ĭrĭdenˈtĭzəm [key], originally, the Italian nationalist movement for the annexation to Italy of territories—Italia irredenta [unredeemed Italy]—inhabited by an Italian majority bu...

Thorez, Maurice

(Encyclopedia)Thorez, Maurice mōrēsˈ tôrĕzˈ [key], 1900–1964, French Communist leader. The son of a coal miner, Thorez himself worked in the mines. He early joined the Socialist party and in 1920 became one...

Zea, Francisco Antonio

(Encyclopedia)Zea, Francisco Antonio fränsēsˈkō äntōˈnyō sāˈä [key], 1770–1882, Colombian botanist and revolutionist. He was associated with Mutis in botanical studies. Zea, like Antonio Nariño, was a...

Jezreel

(Encyclopedia)Jezreel jĕzˈrēĕl [key] [Heb.,=God sows]. 1 City, ancient Palestine, in the plain of Esdraelon, halfway from Megiddo to the Jordan, and mentioned in the Bible. Situated on land allotted to Issachar...

Mapu, Abraham

(Encyclopedia)Mapu, Abraham mäˈpo͞o [key], 1808–67, Lithuanian novelist who wrote in Hebrew. For many years an impoverished, itinerant schoolmaster, Mapu gained financial security when he was appointed teacher...

Hillel, Jewish scholar

(Encyclopedia)Hillel, fl. c.30 b.c.–a.d. 10, Jewish scholar, regarded as the forebear of the later patriarchs who led the Jews of Palestine until c.a.d. 400. The Jerusalem Talmud calls him the president of the Sa...

Hazael

(Encyclopedia)Hazael hăzˈāĕl, həzāˈəl [key], fl. 840 b.c., king of Damascus; successor and murderer of Benhadad. In the Bible he appears as the ally of the party of Elisha in Israel and later as the conquer...

Hess, Moses

(Encyclopedia)Hess, Moses, 1812–75, German socialist. He was responsible for converting Engels to Communism, and he early introduced Marx to social and economic problems. Hess played a prominent role in transform...

Habima Theater

(Encyclopedia)Habima Theater häbēˈmä [key], [Heb.,=the stage], the national theater of Israel. Founded in 1917 in Moscow by Nahum Zemach and at first affiliated with the Moscow Art Theatre, it was one of the fi...