Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

mandrake

(Encyclopedia)mandrake, plant of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), the source of a narcotic much used during the Middle Ages as a pain-killer and perhaps the subject of more superstition than any other pla...

totem

(Encyclopedia)totem tōˈtəm [key], an object, usually an animal or plant (or all animals or plants of that species), that is revered by members of a particular social group because of a mystical or ritual relatio...

St.-John's-wort

(Encyclopedia)St.-John's-wort, any species of the large and widespread herbaceous or shrubby genus Hypericum of the family Hypericaceae (St.-John's-wort family), usually found in moist, open places and often having...

rocket, in botany

(Encyclopedia)rocket, in botany, popular name for several plants of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family). The dame's, or damask, violet, damewort, or sweet rocket is Hesperis matronalis, a hardy,...

Roebling, John Augustus

(Encyclopedia)Roebling, John Augustus rōˈblĭng [key], 1806–69, German-American engineer, b. Mulhouse. He studied engineering in Berlin and in 1831 came to the United States. He demonstrated the practicability ...

Dothan, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Dothan dōˈthən [key], city (2020 pop. 71,072), seat of Houston co., SE Ala., near the Fla....

Coleraine

(Encyclopedia)Coleraine kōlrānˈ [key], town and district, N Northern Ireland, near the mouth of the Bann ...

Chärjew

(Encyclopedia)Chärjew chərjōˈ [key], city, capital of Lebap region, NW Turkmenistan, on the Amu Darya R...

Hitachi

(Encyclopedia)Hitachi hētäˈchē [key], city, Ibaraki prefecture, E central Honshu, Japan, on the Kashima ...

Hadera

(Encyclopedia)Hadera hədāˈrä [key], town, W Israel, on the plain of Sharon, near the Mediterranean Sea. ...