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Thomas, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Thomas, Saint, one of the Twelve Apostles, called Didymus. According to John, he refused to believe in the resurrection until he saw Jesus' wounds; hence the expression “doubting Thomas.” John 11....

Constantine VI, Byzantine emperor

(Encyclopedia)Constantine VI, b. c.770, Byzantine emperor (780–97), son and successor of Leo IV. His mother, Irene, was regent until 790, when she was deposed by a military revolt. Constantine recalled her in 792...

Grey, Charles Grey, 2d Earl

(Encyclopedia)Grey, Charles Grey, 2d Earl, 1764–1845, British statesman. Elected to Parliament in 1786, he was one of those appointed to manage the impeachment of Warren Hastings. From 1792 he was a leader of the...

ayahuasca

(Encyclopedia)ayahuasca or yagé, drink made by boiling various South American plants, used for centuries by shamans of traditional societies in the Amazon region in religious and healing ceremonies. It is usually ...

ombudsman

(Encyclopedia)ombudsman ämˈbədzmən [key] [Swed.,=agent or representative], public official appointed to deal with individual complaints against government acts. The office originated in Sweden in 1809 when the ...

Hamann, Johann Georg

(Encyclopedia)Hamann, Johann Georg yōˈhän gāˈôrk häˈmən [key], 1730–88, German Protestant theologian, b. Königsberg (now Kaliningrad). Although opposed to the rationalism of Kant and the German Enlighte...

ketoprofen

(Encyclopedia)ketoprofen kēˌtəprōˈfĭn [key], nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and fever-reducing effects, used to relieve the symptoms of headaches, arthritis, an...

stamp tax

(Encyclopedia)stamp tax, method of collecting duties on certain transactions by means of a validating stamp attached to the taxable instrument, which may be a judicial act, a commercial document, a transfer of prop...

Brentano, Franz

(Encyclopedia)Brentano, Franz brĕntäˈnō [key], 1838–1917, German philosopher and psychologist. He was a teacher (1866–73) at Würzburg, and in 1874 he became professor of philosophy at Vienna. In 1880 he r...

biennial

(Encyclopedia)biennial, plant requiring two years to complete its life cycle, as distinguished from an annual or a perennial. In the first year a biennial usually produces a rosette of leaves (e.g., the cabbage) an...