Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Aceldama

(Encyclopedia)Aceldama əkĕlˈdəmə [key] [Aram.,=field of blood], according to the Gospel of St. Matthew, the chief priests bought the potter's field with Judas' 30 pieces of silver as a place to bury foreigners...

Příbram

(Encyclopedia)Příbram pərzhĭbˈräm [key], town (1991 pop. 36,898), SW Czech Republic, in Bohemia. It is one of the oldest gold- and silver-mining centers of Bohemia, with mine shafts more than 3,000 ft (914 m)...

antioxidant

(Encyclopedia)antioxidant, substance that prevents or slows the breakdown of another substance by oxygen. Synthetic and natural antioxidants are used to slow the deterioration of gasoline and rubber, and such antio...

Omagh

(Encyclopedia)Omagh ōˈmä [key], town (1991 pop. 14,627), Omagh dist., W Northern Ireland, on the Strule River. The town is a farm market. Dairy products are processed and shirts are manufactured. The discovery i...

Babbitt metal

(Encyclopedia)Babbitt metal, an antifriction metal first produced by Isaac Babbitt in 1839. In present-day usage the term is applied to a whole class of silver-white bearing metals, or “white metals.” These all...

Sikhote-Alin

(Encyclopedia)Sikhote-Alin sēkhətĕ-əlyēnˈyə [key], mountain range, c.625 mi (990 km) long, S Russian Far East. It is composed of a series of ridges lying between the Sea of Japan and the Ussuri and Amur rive...

Čáslavská, Věra

(Encyclopedia)Čáslavská, Věra, 1942–2016, Czechoslovak gymnast, b. Prague. Čáslavská revolutionized a formerly dance-based sport with her athleticism and panache, winning 22 international titles (seven Oly...

pulley

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Pulleys: The mechanical advantage (MA) of a system of pulleys is equal to the number of supporting strands: in A MA=1 and in B MA=2. pulley, simple machine consisting of a wheel over which a r...

Huancayo

(Encyclopedia)Huancayo wänkīˈō [key], city, alt. 10,731 ft (3,721 m), capital of Huancayn prov. and Jun...

malleability

(Encyclopedia)malleability, property of a metal describing the ease with which it can be hammered, forged, pressed, or rolled into thin sheets. Metals vary in this respect; pure gold is the most malleable. Silver, ...

Browse by Subject