Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Sodom

(Encyclopedia)Sodom sŏdˈōmə [key], in the Bible, the principal of the Cities of the Plain (the others being Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar, which was spared) destroyed by fire from heaven because of their w...

Poseidon

(Encyclopedia)Poseidon pōsīˈdən [key], in Greek religion and mythology, god of the sea, protector of all waters. After the fall of the Titans, Poseidon was allotted the sea. He was worshiped especially in conne...

jaeger

(Encyclopedia)jaeger yāˈgər [key], common name for several members of the family Stercorariidae, member of a family of hawklike sea birds closely related to the gull and the tern. The skua is also a member of th...

navy

(Encyclopedia)navy, originally, all ships of a nation, whether for war or commerce; the term navy now designates only such vessels as are built and maintained specifically for war. There have been three major devel...

hemorrhagic fever

(Encyclopedia)hemorrhagic fever hĕmˌərăjˈĭk [key], any of a group of viral diseases characterized by sudden onset, muscle and joint pain, fever, bleeding, and shock from loss of blood. Bleeding occurs in the ...

halogen

(Encyclopedia)halogen hălˈəjĕn [key] [Gr.,=salt-bearing], any of the chemically active elements found in Group 17 of the periodic table; the name applies especially to fluorine (symbol F), chlorine (Cl), bromin...

Scarborough

(Encyclopedia)Scarborough, town (1991 pop. 36,665), and borough and district, North Yorkshire, NE England, on the North Sea. The town, primarily a resort, is also an important conference and retirement center. The ...

Scutari, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Scutari, Lake sko͞oˈtərē [key], Albanian Ligeni i Shkodrës, Serbo-Croatian Skadarsko Jezero, c.25 mi (40 km) long and from 4 to 8 mi (6.4–12.9 km) wide, SE Europe, on the Montenegro-Albania bor...

Corinth, Gulf of

(Encyclopedia)Corinth, Gulf of, inlet of the Ionian Sea, c.80 mi (130 km) long and from 3 to 20 mi (4.8–32 km) wide, indenting central Greece and separating the Peloponnesus from the Greek mainland. It is connect...

Delano, Amasa

(Encyclopedia)Delano, Amasa ămˈəsə dĕlˈənō [key], 1763–1823, American sea captain, b. Duxbury, Mass. At 15, he served as a soldier in the American Revolution and later as a privateersman. His experiences ...