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shrub

(Encyclopedia)shrub, any woody, perennial, bushy plant that branches into several stems or trunks at the base and is smaller than a tree. Shrubs are an important feature of permanent landscape planting, being used ...

gerrymander

(Encyclopedia)gerrymander jĕrˈēmănˌdər, gĕr– [key], in politics, rearrangement of voting districts so as to favor the party in power. The objective is to create as many districts as possible in areas of kn...

Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of ĕks-lä-shäpĕlˈ [key]. 1 Compact of May 2, 1668, that ended the French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands (see Devolution, War of). France kept most of its conquests in...

bobwhite

(Encyclopedia)bobwhite, common name for an American henlike bird of the family Phasianidae, which also includes the pheasant and the partridge. The eastern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is about 10 in. (25 c...

Moog, Robert Arthur

(Encyclopedia)Moog, Robert Arthur mōg [key], 1934–2005, American electronic engineer, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, b. New York City, grad. Queens College (B.S, 1957), Columbia (B.S., 1957), Cornell (Ph.D., ...

Choiseul, Étienne François, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Choiseul, Étienne François, duc de dük də shwäzölˈ [key], 1719–85, French statesman. After successful service in the army he entered the diplomatic service and gained support from Mme de Pom...

scientific notation

(Encyclopedia)scientific notation, means of expressing very large or very small numbers in a compact form that is easy to use in computations. In this notation, any number is expressed as a number between 1 and 10 ...

lettuce

(Encyclopedia)lettuce, annual garden plant (Lactuca sativa and varieties) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), probably native to the East Indies or Asia Minor, possibly as a derivative of the widespread weed c...

Mayflower, ship

(Encyclopedia)Mayflower, ship that in 1620 brought the Pilgrims from England to New England. She set out from Southampton in company with the Speedwell, the vessel that had borne some of the English separatists fro...

Delaware, river, United States

(Encyclopedia)Delaware dĕlˈəwâr, –wər [key], river, c.280 mi (450 km) long, rising in the Catskill Mts., SE N.Y., in east and west branches, which meet at Hancock. It flows SE along the New York–Pennsylvan...