Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

German silver

(Encyclopedia)German silver, name for various alloys of copper, zinc, and nickel, sometimes also containing lead and tin. They were originally named for their silver-white color, but use of the term silver is now p...

Dufy, Raoul

(Encyclopedia)Dufy, Raoul räo͞olˈ düfēˈ [key], 1877–1953, French painter, illustrator, and decorator, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. After meeting Matisse he abandoned his early impressionist style a...

Cullen, Countee

(Encyclopedia)Cullen, Countee kounˈtēˈ [key], 1903–46, American poet, b. New York City, grad. New York Univ. 1925, M.A. Harvard, 1926. A major writer of the Harlem Renaissance—a flowering of black artistic a...

cochineal

(Encyclopedia)cochineal kŏchĭnēlˈ, kŏchˈĭnēl [key], natural dye obtained from an extract of the bodies of the females of the cochineal bug (Dactylopius confusus) found on certain species of cactus, especial...

Chesapeake Bay retriever

(Encyclopedia)Chesapeake Bay retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed in the United States. It stands about 24 in. (61 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 65 lb (29.5 kg). Its thick, short double coat...

silky terrier

(Encyclopedia)silky terrier, breed of agile, spirited toy dog originated in Australia in the early 20th cent. It stands about 10 in. (25 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 8 to 10 lb (3.6.–4.5 kg). Its silk...

Purkinje, Johannes Evangelista

(Encyclopedia)Purkinje, Johannes Evangelista yōhänˈəs āˌväng-gālĭsˈtä po͝orˈkĭnyā [key], 1787–1869, Czech physiologist. While professor (1823–50) at the Univ. of Breslau he pioneered in establish...

obsidian

(Encyclopedia)obsidian ŏbsĭdˈēən [key], a volcanic glass, homogeneous in texture and having a low water content, with a vitreous luster and a conchoidal fracture. The color is commonly black, but may be some s...

Page, William

(Encyclopedia)Page, William, 1811–85, American historical and portrait painter, b. Albany, N.Y., studied with S. F. B. Morse and at the National Academy of Design. Among his best-known works are Farragut's Triump...

Negro, Río, river, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil

(Encyclopedia)Negro, Río rēˈō nāˈgrō [key], river, c.1,400 mi (2,250 km) long, rising as the Guainía River in E Colombia where it flows NE before turning south to form part of the Colombia-Venezuela border....