Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

exorcism

(Encyclopedia)exorcism ĕkˈsôrsĭzˌəm [key], ritual act of driving out evil demons or spirits from places, persons, or things in which they are thought to dwell. It occurs both in primitive societies and in the...

assault

(Encyclopedia)assault, in law, an attempt or threat, going beyond mere words, to use violence, with the intent and the apparent ability to do harm to another. If violent contact actually occurs, the offense of batt...

mordant

(Encyclopedia)mordant môrˈdənt [key] [Fr.,=biting], substance used in dyeing to fix certain dyes (mordant dyes) in cloth. Either the mordant (if it is colloidal) or a colloid produced by the mordant adheres to t...

necrotizing fasciitis

(Encyclopedia)necrotizing fasciitis, a quickly progressing infection of the skin that spreads along the fascia, the tissue that covers the muscles. (Necrotizing infections that spread along the outer skin layers ar...

plaster casting

(Encyclopedia)plaster casting, as a sculpture process, is of three kinds. One employs a waste mold, another a piece mold (both plaster of paris), and the third a gelatin mold; all reproduce the original clay or wax...

phlebitis

(Encyclopedia)phlebitis fləbīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of a vein. Phlebitis is almost always accompanied by a blood clot, or thrombus, in the affected vein, a condition known as thrombophlebitis (see thrombosis)...

sudden infant death syndrome

(Encyclopedia)sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or crib death, sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age (usually between two weeks and eight months old). SID...

title

(Encyclopedia)title, in law, the means by which the owner has just and legal possession of his or her property. It is distinct from the document (e.g., a deed) that is evidence of the title. Title can be lost or ac...

Saluki

(Encyclopedia)Saluki səlo͞oˈkē [key], breed of tall, slender hound whose origins may be traced back to the Sumerian empire of 6000 b.c. It stands between 23 and 28 in. (58.4–71.1 cm) high at the shoulder, alt...

arrhythmia

(Encyclopedia)arrhythmia ārĭᵺˈmēə [key], disturbance in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. Various arrhythmias can be symptoms of serious heart disorders; however, they are usually of no medical significan...