Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Appert, Nicolas

(Encyclopedia)Appert, Nicolas fräNswäˈ [key], 1750–1841, French originator of a method of canning. In 1795 the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food, especially for...

carob

(Encyclopedia)carob kărˈəb [key], leguminous evergreen tree (Ceratonia siliqua) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to Mediterranean regions but cultivated in other warm climates, including Florida ...

ameba

(Encyclopedia)ameba or amoeba both: əmēˈbə [key], common name for certain one-celled organisms belonging to the phylum Sarcodina of the kingdom Protista. Amebas were previously classified as members of the anim...

learning

(Encyclopedia)learning, in psychology, the process by which a relatively lasting change in potential behavior occurs as a result of practice or experience. Learning is distinguished from behavioral changes arising ...

McGovern, George Stanley

(Encyclopedia)McGovern, George Stanley məgŭvˈərn [key], 1922–2012, U.S. senator from South Dakota (1963–81), b. Avon, S.Dak. He was a decorated B-24 bomber pilot during World War II. He later obtained degre...

Vernon, city, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Vernon, city (1991 pop. 23,514), S British Columbia, Canada, near the north end of Okanagan Lake. The center of a fruit-growing and dairying area, it has packing and dehydrating plants. There are lumb...

Pescara

(Encyclopedia)Pescara, city (1991 pop. 122,236), capital of Pescara prov., in Abruzzi, central Italy, on the Adriatic Sea at the mouth of the Pescara River. It is a fishing port and a seaside resort. Cement, textil...

Khorugh

(Encyclopedia)Khorugh khərôkˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 20,318), capital of Gorno-Badakhshan, E Tajikistan, in the Pamir. Khorugh produces shoes, metal goods, building materials, and processed food. ...

Volsk

(Encyclopedia)Volsk vôlsk [key], city (1989 pop. 66,000), S central European Russia, a port on the Volga River. It has food and metal processing and cement industries. ...

Rahimyar Khan

(Encyclopedia)Rahimyar Khan rəhēmˈyər khän [key], city (1998 pop. 228,479), E central Pakistan, on the Karachi-Lahore railroad. It is a market for food grains and hides. ...