Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

mother-of-pearl

(Encyclopedia)mother-of-pearl or nacre nāˈkər [key], the iridescent substance that forms the lining of the shells of some fresh-water and some salt-water mollusks. Like the pearl it is a secretion of the mantle,...

museums of art

(Encyclopedia)museums of art, institutions or buildings where works of art are kept for display or safekeeping. The word museum derives from the Greek mouseion, meaning temple to the works of the Muses. This articl...

museums of science

(Encyclopedia)museums of science, institutions or buildings where collections relevant to science and technology are preserved and displayed to promote education and research. While the preponderance of these museu...

Muhammad of Ghor

(Encyclopedia)Muhammad of Ghor, d. 1206, Afghan conqueror of N India. A brother of the sultan of Ghor, he was made governor of Ghazni in 1173 and from there launched a series of invasions of India. By 1186 he had c...

Mull of Galloway

(Encyclopedia)Mull of Galloway gălˈəwā [key], headland, 239 ft (73 m) high, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland, the southernmost extremity of Scotland, on the southern tip of the Rhinns of Galloway. ...

Anne of Austria

(Encyclopedia)Anne of Austria, 1601–66, queen of France, daughter of King Philip III of Spain. Married to the French king Louis XIII (1615), she was neglected by her husband and sought the society of the court in...

Browse by Subject