Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Vizcaíno, Sebastián

(Encyclopedia)Vizcaíno, Sebastián sāvästyänˈ vēthkäēˈnō [key], c.1550–c.1628, Spanish explorer and merchant. After an unsuccessful attempt to plant a colony in Lower California (1596), he sailed (1602)...

Biysk

(Encyclopedia)Biysk bēsk [key], city, S central Siberian Russia, on the Biya River. A port and the terminu...

Zomba

(Encyclopedia)Zomba zŏmˈbə [key], town (1994 est. pop. 62,700), S Malawi, in the Shire Highlands. Until 1973 it was the national capital. European planters founded the town c.1880. It is the commercial center fo...

abattoir

(Encyclopedia)abattoir ăbˌətwärˈ [key] [Fr.], building for butchering. The abattoir houses facilities to slaughter animals; dress, cut and inspect meats; and refrigerate, cure, and manufacture byproducts. The ...

Du Pont, Eleuthère Irénée

(Encyclopedia)Du Pont, Eleuthère Irénée do͞o pŏnt, Fr. ālötĕrˈ ērānāˈ dü pôN [key], 1772–1834, American gunpowder manufacturer, b. Paris, France; son of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours. At the age...

defoliant

(Encyclopedia)defoliant, any one of several chemical compounds that, when applied to plants, can alter their metabolism, causing the leaves to drop off. In agriculture defoliants are used to eliminate the leaves of...

corn borer

(Encyclopedia)corn borer or European corn borer, common name for the larva of a moth of the family Pyralidae, introduced from S Europe into the Boston area in 1917. The corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, has steadily ...

eukaryote

(Encyclopedia)eukaryote yo͞okârˈē-ōtˌ [key], a cell or organism composed of cells that have a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts; see cell, in biology) and genetic material orga...

eutrophication

(Encyclopedia)eutrophication yo͞otrōˌfĭkāˈshən [key], aging of a lake by biological enrichment of its water. In a young lake the water is cold and clear, supporting little life. With time, streams draining i...

anise

(Encyclopedia)anise ănˈĭs [key], annual plant (Pimpinella anisum) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Mediterranean region but long cultivated elsewhere for its aromatic and medicinal qual...