Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Semele

(Encyclopedia)Semele sĕmˈĭlē [key], in Greek mythology, mother of Dionysus, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia. Zeus, who loved her, appeared to her as a man. Semele asked him to come to her in his divine form, bu...

Shipton, Mother

(Encyclopedia)Shipton, Mother, legendary English prophetess. She was first mentioned in an anonymous pamphlet, published in 1641, which described her as having prophesied various events of the reign of Henry VIII a...

Peter Gonzalez, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Peter Gonzalez, Saint gŏnzāˈlĭs [key], 1190–1246, Spanish Dominican priest. He worked first among the Moors, then among the mariners of NW Spain. As a patron of sailors he acquired the name St. ...

Vaasa

(Encyclopedia)Vaasa väˈsä [key], Swed. Vasa, city (1998 pop. 56,587), Western Finland prov., W Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia. It is a port and agricultural market. Timber, iron, and steel are produced. Charter...

spontaneous combustion

(Encyclopedia)spontaneous combustion, phenomenon in which a substance unexpectedly bursts into flame without apparent cause. In ordinary combustion, a substance is deliberately heated to its ignition point to make ...

burning bush

(Encyclopedia)burning bush, name for a North American plant of the family Celastraceae (staff tree family). The scriptural burning bush not consumed by fire (Ex. 3.2) is sometimes associated with a bramble or thorn...

Weston-super-Mare

(Encyclopedia)Weston-super-Mare wĕstˈən-so͞oˈpər-mâr [key], city (1991 pop. 60,821), North Somerset, SW England, on the Bristol Channel. It is a seaside resort with attractions that include Worlebury Hill, w...

vestal

(Encyclopedia)vestal vĕsˈtəl [key], in Roman religion, priestess of Vesta. The vestals were first two, then four, then six in number. While still little girls, they were chosen from prominent Roman families to s...

Armagh, district, Northern Ireland

(Encyclopedia)Armagh ärmäˈ [key], district, 258 sq mi (668 sq km), S Northern Ireland. Armagh rises from boggy, fertile lowlands in the north to barren hills in the south. It is the ...

Erode

(Encyclopedia)Erode ĕrōdˈ [key], city (1991 urban agglomeration pop. 361,755), Tamil Nadu state, S India, on the Kaveri River. The city is located in a cotton-growing region, and its industries include cotton gi...