Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

tanager

(Encyclopedia)tanager tănˈəjər [key], any of the small, migratory perching birds of the family Thraupidae, chiefly of the tropical New World. Only five species migrate to North America; of these the scarlet tan...

squill

(Encyclopedia)squill, common name for two genera of Old World bulbous plants of the family Liliaceae (lily family). The horticulturists' squill is any plant of the genus Scilla, mostly spring-blooming low herbs wit...

Leif Ericsson

(Encyclopedia)Leif Ericsson lēf ĕrˈĭksən [key], Old Norse Leifr Eiriksson, fl. a.d. 999–1000, Norse discoverer of America, b. probably in Iceland; son of Eric the Red. He spent his youth in Greenland and in ...

selenium

(Encyclopedia)selenium səlēˈnēəm [key], nonmetallic chemical element; symbol Se; at. no. 34; at. wt. 78.96; m.p. 217℃; b.p. about 685℃; sp. gr. 4.81 at 20℃; valence −2, +4, or +6. Selenium is directly ...

redstart

(Encyclopedia)redstart, common name for an Old World thrush of the genus Phoenicurus, family Turdidae. A small, slender-legged songbird, it is found in woodlands, parks, and heaths. The European redstart, P. phoeni...

Kempener, Pieter de

(Encyclopedia)Kempener, Pieter de pēˈtər də kĕmˈpənər [key], c.1503–1580, Flemish painter, b. Brussels. He studied and painted for 10 years in Italy and about 1537 settled in Seville, Spain, where he was ...

Llangollen

(Encyclopedia)Llangollen hlän-gôhlˈĕn, lăn-gôthˈlĭn [key], town (1991 pop. 3,058), Denbighshire, NE Wales, at the head of the Vale of Llangollen on the Dee River. It is a resort for anglers and tourists int...

Haile Gebrselassie

(Encyclopedia)Haile Gebrselassie, 1973–, Ethiopian track athlete. Adept at both indoor and outdoor distance events as well as long-distance cross-country and marathon running, Haile won major races in distances r...

Oost, Jacob van

(Encyclopedia)Oost, Jacob van yäˈkōp vän ōst [key], the elder, 1601–71, Flemish portrait and religious painter, b. Bruges. He spent most of his life in Bruges, with the exception of several years in Rome, wh...

Volterra, Daniele da

(Encyclopedia)Volterra, Daniele da dänyāˈlā dä vōltĕrˈrä [key], 1509–66, Italian mannerist painter and sculptor. His family name was Ricciarelli, but he was known by the name of his birthplace. He was ac...