Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

coral

(Encyclopedia)coral, small, sedentary marine animal, related to the sea anemone but characterized by a skeleton of horny or calcareous material. The skeleton itself is also called coral. Although most corals form c...

clam

(Encyclopedia)clam, common name for certain bivalve mollusks, especially for marine species that live buried in mud or sand and have valves (the two pieces of the shell) of equal size. The oval valves, which cover ...

molecular weight

(Encyclopedia)molecular weight, weight of a molecule of a substance expressed in atomic mass units (amu). The molecular weight may be calculated from the molecular formula of the substance; it is the sum of the ato...

plague

(Encyclopedia)plague, any contagious, malignant, epidemic disease, in particular the bubonic plague and the black plague (or Black Death), both forms of the same infection. These acute febrile diseases are caused b...

copper sulfate

(Encyclopedia)copper sulfate, common name for the blue crystalline heptahydrate of cupric sulfate, in which copper has valence +2. It may also refer to cuprous sulfate (Cu2SO4), in which copper has valence +1. ...

Ambarvalia

(Encyclopedia)Ambarvalia ămbərvālˈyə [key], in Roman religion, yearly agricultural rite held at the end of May. To insure fertility and disperse evil, each farmer led members of his household and a sacrificial...

Gibbar

(Encyclopedia)Gibbar gĭbˈär [key], in the Book of Ezra, family that returned with Zerubbabel. In a similar list in the Book of Nehemiah, Gibeon appears instead; therefore, Gibbar may stand for Gibeon, and the ch...

ford

(Encyclopedia)ford, shallow place in a body of water, especially a river, that may be crossed by wading. Around the crossings habitually forded, cities sprang up; hence fords came to be the sites of numerous river ...

Metheg-ammah

(Encyclopedia)Metheg-ammah mēˈthĕg-ămˈə [key], in the Bible, place conquered by David from the Philistines. It is identified by some with Gath. There is some doubt whether it was an actual place; the spelling...

Norton Sound

(Encyclopedia)Norton Sound, inlet of the Bering Sea, c.150 mi (240 km) long and 125 mi (200 km) across at its widest point, W Alaska, S of the Seward Peninsula. Norton Bay is its northeast arm. Nome is on the north...