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jettison

(Encyclopedia)jettison jĕtˈəsən, –zən [key] [O.Fr.,=throwing], in maritime law, casting all or part of a ship's cargo overboard to lighten the vessel or to meet some danger, such as fire. Such cargo, when fo...

Parsons, Talcott

(Encyclopedia)Parsons, Talcott, 1902–79, American sociologist, b. Colorado Springs, Colo., educated at Amherst College (B.A., 1924), London School of Economics, and Univ. of Heidelberg (Ph.D., 1927). He was on th...

Pérez Jiménez, Marcos

(Encyclopedia)Pérez Jiménez, Marcos märˈkōs pāˈrās hēmāˈnās [key], 1914–2001, president of Venezuela (1952–58). As an army captain he took part in the coup that installed (1945) the Democratic Actio...

Malone, Dumas

(Encyclopedia)Malone, Dumas do͞omäˈ məlōnˈ [key], 1892–1986, American historian and editor, b. Coldwater, Miss. He received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1923 and was an instructor of history at Yale (1919–23) a...

Lee Hsien Loong

(Encyclopedia)Lee Hsien Loong lē shyĕn lo͞ong [key], 1952–, prime minister of Singapore (2004–). The eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, Lee was educated at Cambridge and Harvard wh...

Lerma, Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, duque de

(Encyclopedia)Lerma, Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, duque de fränthēsˈkō gōˈmāth dā sändōvälˈ ē rōˈhäs do͞oˈkā dā lārˈmä [key], 1553–1625, Spanish statesman, favorite of King Philip ...

Langdon, John

(Encyclopedia)Langdon, John, 1741–1819, American political leader, b. Portsmouth, N.H. A prosperous merchant, Langdon was active in pre-Revolutionary activities. In 1775 he became a delegate to the Continental Co...

kite, in aviation and recreation

(Encyclopedia)kite, in aviation, aircraft restrained by a towline and deriving its lift from the aerodynamic action of the wind flowing across it. Commonly the kite consists of a light framework upon which paper, s...

Laibach, Congress of

(Encyclopedia)Laibach, Congress of līˈbäkh [key], conference of European powers in 1821, held in what is now Ljubljana, Slovenia. The chief powers at the congress were Russia, Austria, Prussia, France, and Great...

prejudice

(Encyclopedia)prejudice, unsubstantiated prejudgment of an individual or group, favorable or unfavorable in character, tending to action in a consonant direction. The hostility that prejudice can engender and the d...