Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

West Siberian Plain

(Encyclopedia)West Siberian Plain, an extensive region of continuous flatland, N Asia, comprising the western third of Siberia, Russia. It is bounded on the east by the Yenisei River, on the north by the Arctic Oce...

Hemichordata

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Dorsal view of an acorn worm, Saccoglossus, representative of the phylum Hemichordata Hemichordata hĕmĭkôrˌdāˈtə [key], small phylum of marine invertebrates closely related to both the ...

paraplegia

(Encyclopedia)paraplegia pârˌəplēˈjēə [key], paralysis of the lower part of the body, commonly affecting both legs and often internal organs below the waist. When both legs and arms are affected, the conditi...

streptomycin

(Encyclopedia)streptomycin strĕpˌtōmīˈsĭn [key], antibiotic produced by soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces and active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (see Gram's stain), including s...

burn

(Encyclopedia)burn, injury resulting from exposure to heat, electricity, radiation, or caustic chemicals. Three degrees of burn are commonly recognized. In first-degree burns the outer layer of skin, called epiderm...

formaldehyde

(Encyclopedia)formaldehyde fôrmălˈdəhīdˌ [key], HCHO, the simplest aldehyde. It melts at −92℃, boils at −21℃, and is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether; at STP, it is a flammable, poisonous, colorle...

vapor pressure

(Encyclopedia)vapor pressure, pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its liquid. A liquid standing in a sealed beaker is actually a dynamic system: some molecules of the liquid are evaporating to f...

Morgan City

(Encyclopedia)Morgan City, city (1990 pop. 14,531), St. Mary parish, S La., a fishing port on the Atchafalaya River (connected to the Intracoastal Waterway); inc. 1860 as Brasher, renamed 1876. The city is headquar...

Helmont, Jan Baptista van

(Encyclopedia)Helmont, Jan Baptista van yän bäptĭsˈtä vän hĕlˈmônt [key], 1577–1644, Flemish physician, chemist, and physicist. He attributed physiological changes to chemical causes, but his conclusions...

Edinburg

(Encyclopedia)Edinburg ĕdˈənbûrgˌ [key], city (2020 pop. 100,243), seat of Hidalgo co., extreme S Tex.; inc. ...

Browse by Subject