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Couperus, Louis Marie Anne

(Encyclopedia)Couperus, Louis Marie Anne lwē märēˈ än ko͞opāˈro͝os [key], 1863–1923, Dutch novelist. In his early works he emphasized with graceful irony the determining forces of human history and envir...

polyvinyl chloride

(Encyclopedia)polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic that is a polymer of vinyl chloride. Resins of polyvinyl chloride are hard, but with the addition of plasticizers a flexible, elastic plastic can be made. This ...

Barry, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Barry, Philip, 1896–1949, American dramatist, b. Rochester, N.Y., grad. Yale, 1919, and studied under George Pierce Baker at Harvard. He is primarily known for his satirical, somewhat unconventional...

Ambala

(Encyclopedia)Ambala əmbäˈlə [key], city, Haryana state, NW India. It is a district administrative headquarters, a military station, and a transportation center, with an airport and...

Blow, Susan Elizabeth

(Encyclopedia)Blow, Susan Elizabeth, 1843–1916, American educator, b. St. Louis. After study in New York City under a disciple of Froebel, she opened in Carondelet (now in St. Louis) the first successful public k...

square

(Encyclopedia)square, closed plane figure bounded by four straight line segments of equal length and meeting at right angles. The points of intersection of the lines, or sides, are called vertices. The diagonals of...

Nostradamus

(Encyclopedia)Nostradamus nŏsˌtrədāˈməs [key], 1503–66, French astrologer and physician, whose real name was Michel de Nostredame. He is reputed to have effected remarkable cures during outbreaks of the pla...

Copeau, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Copeau, Jacques zhäk kôpōˈ [key], 1879–1949, French theatrical producer and critic. A founder (1909) and editor (1912–14) of the Nouvelle Revue française, he established the experimental Thé...

canvas

(Encyclopedia)canvas, strong, coarse cloth of cotton, flax, hemp, or other fibers, early used as sailcloth. Left in its natural color, bleached, or dyed, it has a wide variety of uses, as for game, duffel, sport, m...

Philomela and Procne

(Encyclopedia)Philomela and Procne fĭlōmēˈlə, prŏkˈnē [key], in Greek mythology, daughters of King Pandion of Attica. Procne married Tereus, king of Thrace, and bore him a son, Itys (or Itylus). Tereus late...