Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

stellar populations

(Encyclopedia)stellar populations, two broadly contrasting distributions of star types that are characteristic of different parts of a galaxy. Population I stars are young, recently formed stars, whereas population...

ape

(Encyclopedia)ape, any primate of the superfamily Hominoidea, which includes humans; this article, however, focuses on the nonhuman apes. The small apes, the gibbons and the siamang, and the orangutans, which belon...

Rhinebeck

(Encyclopedia)Rhinebeck, village (1990 pop. 2,725), Dutchess co., SE N.Y., in the foothills of the Berkshire Mts. near the Hudson River; settled before 1700, inc. 1834. It is the site of Beekman Arms, said to be th...

détente

(Encyclopedia)détente, relaxation of tensions between nations, applied particularly to a period of improved relations between the United States and Soviet Union in the 1960s and 70s that resulted as the hostilitie...

Oxnard

(Encyclopedia)Oxnard ŏkˈsnärd [key], city (1990 pop. 142,216), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast; inc. 1903. Its economy, formerly based on agriculture, mining, and nearby military bases, has expanded ...

fencing

(Encyclopedia)fencing, sport of dueling with foil, épée, and saber. Swords have been in use since the Bronze Age, and nearly all people of antiquity practiced swordsmanship. Fencing as a contest has existed at ...

emotion

(Encyclopedia)emotion, term commonly and loosely used to denote individual, subjective feelings which dictate moods. In psychology, emotion is considered a response to stimuli that involves characteristic physiolog...

army

(Encyclopedia)army, large armed land force, under regular military control, organization, and discipline. With the advent of railroads and, later, highway systems it became possible after the mid-19th cent. to mo...

Faxaflói

(Encyclopedia)Faxaflói fäkˈsäflōˌē [key] or Faxa Bay, inlet, c.40 mi (60 km) long and c.55 mi (90 km) wide, W Iceland, between the Snaefellsnes and Reykjanes peninsulas. Most of Iceland's population live aro...

Massachusetts Bay

(Encyclopedia)Massachusetts Bay, inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay, with its arms (Boston, Cape Cod, and Plymouth bays), extends 65 mi (105 km) from Cape Ann on the north to Cape Cod on the south. Its coastline ...