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harvest moon

(Encyclopedia)harvest moon, full moon occurring nearest to the autumnal equinox, about Sept. 23. During harvest moon the retardation (later rising each night) of the moon is at a minimum because of the relation of ...

W and Z particles

(Encyclopedia)W and Z particles, elementary particles that mediate, or carry, the fundamental force associated with weak interactions. The discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland, in the...

Bing, Rudolf

(Encyclopedia)Bing, Rudolf ro͞oˈdŏlf bĭng [key], 1902–97, Austrian operatic manager. Naturalized a British subject in 1946, he was general manager of the Glyndebourne operatic festivals (1934–49) and artist...

polybrominated biphenyl

(Encyclopedia)polybrominated biphenyl or PBB, any of a group of organic compounds used as a fire retardant. In 1973 several thousand pounds of PBB were accidentally mixed with livestock feed that was later distribu...

Xenophon

(Encyclopedia)Xenophon zĕnˈəfən [key], c.430 b.c.–c.355 b.c., Greek historian, b. Athens. He was one of the well-to-do young disciples of Socrates before leaving Athens to join the Greek force (the Ten Thousa...

Flemish language

(Encyclopedia)Flemish language, member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Generally regarded as the Belgian variant of Dutch (see...

Pisemsky, Aleksey Feofilaktovich

(Encyclopedia)Pisemsky, Aleksey Feofilaktovich əlyĭksyāˈ fāˌəfēläkˈtəvĭch pēˈsyĭmskē [key], 1821–81, Russian novelist and playwright. In his realistic descriptions of country life he portrayed the...

Cagney, James

(Encyclopedia)Cagney, James, 1899–1986, American movie actor, b. New York City. He worked on Broadway as an actor and dancer before appearing in films. He is best remembered as a brash, sadistic, tough guy in suc...

Coffin, Charles Carleton

(Encyclopedia)Coffin, Charles Carleton, 1823–96, American journalist, b. Boscawen, N.H. During the Civil War, he was a correspondent in the field for the Boston Journal, and he served in the same capacity in the ...

Shawn, Ted

(Encyclopedia)Shawn, Ted (Edwin Myers Shawn), 1891–1972, American modern dancer and choreographer, b. Kansas City, Mo. Introduced to dance as physical therapy, he taught ballroom dancing, then married (1914) the ...