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falsetto

(Encyclopedia)falsetto fôlsĕtˈtō [key] [Ital.,=diminutive of false], high-pitched, unnatural tones above the normal register of the male voice, produced, according to some theories, by the vibration of only the...

margin requirement

(Encyclopedia)margin requirement, that part of a security's price that a buyer must pay for in cash. The balance of the price is met by the broker, who, in effect, is supplying a client with a loan. The smaller the...

Korzybski, Alfred Habdank

(Encyclopedia)Korzybski, Alfred Habdank kôrzĭbˈskē [key], 1879–1950, Polish-American linguist, b. Warsaw. In his system, which he called General Semantics, Korzybski aimed at a distinction between the word an...

tunneling

(Encyclopedia)tunneling, quantum-mechanical effect by which a particle can penetrate a barrier into a region of space that would be forbidden by ordinary classical mechanics. Tunneling is a direct result of the wav...

Zeeman, Pieter

(Encyclopedia)Zeeman, Pieter pēˈtər zāˈmän [key], 1865–1943, Dutch physicist. He was professor of physics at the Univ. of Amsterdam from 1900 and director of the Physical Institute, Amsterdam, from 1908. In...

pulsar

(Encyclopedia)pulsar, in astronomy, a neutron star that emits brief, sharp pulses of energy instead of the steady radiation associated with other natural sources. The study of pulsars began when Antony Hewish and h...

Albright, Ivan Le Lorraine

(Encyclopedia)Albright, Ivan Le Lorraine ôlˈbrīt [key], 1897–1983, American painter, b. North Harvey, Ill. Allied with the Magic Realist group, Albright developed a style combining American scene painting with...

morocco, type of leather

(Encyclopedia)morocco, goatskin leather, dyed on the grain side and boarded by hand or machine to bring up the grain in a bird's-eye effect. It probably originated with the Arabs in North Africa as an alum-tanned p...

catnip

(Encyclopedia)catnip or catmint, strong-scented perennial herb (Nepeta cataria) of the family Labiatae (mint family), native to Europe and Asia but naturalized in the United States. A tea of the leaves and flowing ...

Beattie, James

(Encyclopedia)Beattie, James, 1735–1803, Scottish poet and essayist. Educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, he later became professor of moral philosophy there. His fame in his own lifetime rested on two works,...