Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Lucy, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Lucy, Saint, d. 304?, Sicilian virgin martyr. According to legend, at an early age she vowed herself to God. She rejected a pagan suitor, who then denounced her during the persecutions under Diocletia...

ukulele

(Encyclopedia)ukulele yo͞okəlāˈlē [key], Hawaiian musical instrument developed from the Portuguese guitar. It has a fretted fingerboard and four strings that are plucked or strummed. Patented in 1917, the ukul...

Afanasyev, Aleksandr Nikolayevich

(Encyclopedia)Afanasyev, Aleksandr Nikolayevich əlyĭksänˈdər nyĭkəlīˈəvĭch əfənäˈsyəf [key], 1826–71, Russian folklorist. His collections, published from 1866 on, were instrumental in introducing ...

Berwald, Franz

(Encyclopedia)Berwald, Franz fränts bĕrˈväld [key], 1796–1868, Swedish composer. His music, which is highly original in its use of rhythm, harmony, and orchestration, had little popular success. Best known fo...

Zermatt

(Encyclopedia)Zermatt tsĕrmätˈ [key], village (1989 est. pop. 4,000), Valais canton, S Switzerland. Near the Matterhorn, Zermatt is a popular resort for mountain-climbing and winter sports. ...

Terschelling

(Encyclopedia)Terschelling tərskĕlˈĭng [key], island, c.40 sq mi (100 sq km), Friesland prov., N Netherlands, in the North Sea, one of the West Frisian Islands. West-Terschelling is the main town. Farming and f...

Tlaquepaque

(Encyclopedia)Tlaquepaque tläkāpäˈkā [key], city (1990 pop. 328,031), Jalisco state, SW Mexico, in the Guadalajara valley. Its folklore and local artisanry, as well as its proximity to Guadalajara, make Tlaque...

Scafell

(Encyclopedia)Scafell skôˈfĕlˈ [key] or Scawfell, mountain group, Cumbria, NW England, in the Lake District, in the Cumbrian Mts. It includes the peaks Scafell Pike (3,210 ft/978 m; highest in England), Scafell...

seltzer water

(Encyclopedia)seltzer water, mineral water containing free carbon dioxide, obtained originally from springs at Niederselters, Germany. Reputed to have curative value in treating several diseases, it became very pop...

Cartouche

(Encyclopedia)Cartouche kärto͞oshˈ [key], 1693–1721, nickname of Louis Dominique Bourguignon, French highwayman. His band terrorized the Paris area until his capture. He was broken on the wheel. Cartouche's da...