Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

rue

(Encyclopedia)rue, common name for various members of the family Rutaceae, a large group of plants distributed throughout temperate and tropical regions and most abundant in S Africa and Australia. Most species are...

laxative

(Encyclopedia)laxative, drug or other substance used to stimulate the action of the intestines in eliminating waste from the body. The term laxative usually refers to a mild-acting substance; substances of increasi...

Mosul

(Encyclopedia)Mosul mōˈsəl, mōso͞olˈ [key], Arab. al Mawsil, city (1987 pop. 664,221), provincial capital, N Iraq, on the Tigris River, opposite the ruins of Nineveh. It is the largest city in N Iraq and the ...

almond

(Encyclopedia)almond, name for a small tree (Prunus amygdalus) of the family Rosaceae (rose family) and for the nutlike, edible seed of its drupe fruit. The “nuts” of sweet-almond varieties are eaten raw or roa...

Dominica

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Dominica dŏmĭnēˈkə [key], officially Commonwealth of Dominica, republic (2015 est. pop. 73,000) consisting of the island of Dominica (290 sq mi/750 sq km), located in the Windward Islands,...

Matanzas, city, Cuba

(Encyclopedia)Matanzas, city (1994 est. pop. 115,000), capital of Matanzas prov., W central Cuba. A port with a large, deep harbor, it exports sugar, fruits, and sisal. Industries in the city include sugar refineri...

Alberta

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Alberta ălbûrˈtə [key], province, 255,285 sq mi (661,188 sq km), including 6,485 sq mi (16,796 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Alberta was originally part...

Ecuador

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Ecuador ĕkˈwədôr [key] [Span., = equator], officially Republic of Ecuador, rep...

Ashton-under-Lyne

(Encyclopedia)Ashton-under-Lyne, town, Tameside metropolitan district, NW England, in the Greater Manchester metropolitan area on the Tame River. Its industries include engineering, leather, plastics, t...

Taylorville

(Encyclopedia)Taylorville, city (1990 pop. 11,133), seat of Christian co., central Ill., in a farm, coal, and oil area; inc. 1882. There is agriculture (wheat, corn, soybeans, and sorghum), as well as soybean proce...