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Ogilvy, David Mackenzie

(Encyclopedia)Ogilvy, David Mackenzie, 1911–99, British-American advertising executive. He was a chef in Paris and a door-to-door salesman before entering advertising, becoming an account executive in Britain and...

Malpighi, Marcello

(Encyclopedia)Malpighi, Marcello märchĕlˈlō mälpēˈgē [key], 1628–94, Italian anatomist. A pioneer in the use of the microscope, he made many valuable observations on the structure of plants and animals. H...

lycanthropy

(Encyclopedia)lycanthropy līkănˈthrəpē [key], in folklore, assumption by a human of the appearance and characteristics of an animal. Ancient belief in lycanthropy was widespread, and it still exists in parts o...

Masai

(Encyclopedia)Masai or Maasai mäsīˈ [key], a largely nomadic pastoral people of E Africa, chiefly in Kenya and Tanzania. Cattle and sheep form the basis of the economy that they have maintained in resistance to ...

pit bull

(Encyclopedia)pit bull, dog having a smooth coat, a stocky build, and a blocky head, originally bred for fighting from bulldog and terrier breeds. Pit bulls were used in bull- and bearbaiting for centuries and as g...

Pretorius, Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus

(Encyclopedia)Pretorius, Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus prĭtôrˈēəs, Du. änˈdrēs vĭlhĕlˈməs yäkōˈbəs prātôrˈēəs [key], 1799–1853, Boer (Afrikaner) leader. He was elected (1838) commandant general o...

phenylketonuria

(Encyclopedia)phenylketonuria fĕnˌəlkētˌəno͝orˈēə [key] (PKU), inherited metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency in a specific enzyme (phenylalanine hydroxylase). The absence of this enzyme, a recessive...

Philby, Kim

(Encyclopedia)Philby, Kim (Harold Adrian Russell Philby), 1912–88, British double agent, son of Harry St. John Bridger Philby, studied Trinity College, Cambridge. A longtime high-ranking member of Britain's MI6 i...

Swammerdam, Jan

(Encyclopedia)Swammerdam, Jan yän väˈmərdäm [key], 1637–80, Dutch naturalist. He was a pioneer in the use of the microscope. Before he turned to religious contemplation his chief interest was the study of in...

swim bladder

(Encyclopedia)swim bladder, large, thin-walled sac in some fishes that may function in several ways, e.g., as a buoyant float, a sound producer and receptor, and a respiratory organ. The swim bladder, or air bladde...