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barograph

(Encyclopedia)barograph, instrument used to make a continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. The pressure-sensitive element, a partially evacuated metal cylinder, is linked to a pen arm in such a way that the v...

Rosenthal, Moriz

(Encyclopedia)Rosenthal, Moriz mōˈrĭts rōˈzəntäl [key], 1862–1946, Polish pianist; pupil of Liszt. He made his debut in Vienna in 1876, and later made many tours of the United States, settling there in 193...

Celsus, Aulus Cornelius

(Encyclopedia)Celsus, Aulus Cornelius, fl. a.d. 14, Latin encyclopedist. His only extant work, De re medicina, consists of eight books on medicine believed to have been written c.a.d. 30. He was not esteemed as a s...

carbuncle

(Encyclopedia)carbuncle, acute inflammatory nodule of the skin caused by bacterial invasion into the hair follicles or sebaceous gland ducts. It is actually a boil, but one that has more than one focus of infection...

Puttenham, George

(Encyclopedia)Puttenham, George pŭtˈənəm [key], d. 1590, English author. The Arte of English Poesie (1589), generally considered the best treatise on English versification of its time, has been attributed to hi...

Port Glasgow

(Encyclopedia)Port Glasgow, town (1991 pop. 22,636), Inverclyde, W Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde. Its dry dock, built in 1762, was one of the first of its kind in Scotland. It was founded in 1668 as a port for Gl...

polka

(Encyclopedia)polka, ballroom dance for couples in 2/4 time. Originated by Bohemian peasants about 1830 from steps of the schottische and other dances, the polka by 1835 reached the drawing rooms of Prague, from wh...

pontifex maximus

(Encyclopedia)pontifex maximus pŏnˈtĭfĕks măkˈsĭməs [key], highest priest of Roman religion and official head of the college of pontifices. As the chief administrator of religious affairs he regulated the c...

Viète, François

(Encyclopedia)Viète or Vieta, François fräNswäˈ vyĕt, vyātäˈ, vīēˈtə [key], 1540–1603, French mathematician. As a founder of modern algebra, he introduced the use of letters as algebraic symbols and ...

echo sounder

(Encyclopedia)echo sounder, an older instrumentation system for indirectly determining ocean floor depth. Echo sounding is based on the principle that water is an excellent medium for the transmission of sound wave...