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Arabian Sea

(Encyclopedia)Arabian Sea, ancient Mare Erythraeum, northwest part of the Indian Ocean, lying between Arabia and India. The Gulf of Aden, extended by the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Oman, extended by the Persian Gulf,...

Oreopithecus

(Encyclopedia)Oreopithecus ôrˌēōpĭthˈəkəs, –pĭthēˈkəs [key], extinct genus of apes whose fossils have been found in E Africa and Italy. It is best known through specimens preserved in coal deposits. I...

ceremony

(Encyclopedia)ceremony, expression of shared feelings and attitudes through more or less formally ordered actions of an essentially symbolic nature performed on appropriate occasions. A ceremony involves stereotype...

Kalam, A. P. J. Abdul

(Encyclopedia)Kalam, A. P. J. Abdul (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam), 1921–2015, Indian scientist and political leader, studied St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli (grad. 1954), Madras Institute of Technol...

obsidian

(Encyclopedia)obsidian ŏbsĭdˈēən [key], a volcanic glass, homogeneous in texture and having a low water content, with a vitreous luster and a conchoidal fracture. The color is commonly black, but may be some s...

Lucerne, Lake of

(Encyclopedia)Lucerne, Lake of, Ger. Vierwaldstätter See, irregular-shaped lake, 44 sq mi (114 sq km), central Switzerland. It has a maximum depth of c.700 ft (210 m). The lake is fed and drained by the Reuss Rive...

Meghna

(Encyclopedia)Meghna mĕgˈnə [key], river, c.130 mi (210 km) long, formed at the outlet of the Surma valley, NE Bangladesh, by the branches of the Surma River. It flows south, receiving arms of the Ganges and Bra...

Melankomas of Caria

(Encyclopedia)Melankomas of Caria, d. c. a.d. 70, ancient Greek boxer. Known for his exceptional beauty, conditioning, and endurance, he is said to have always held his arms up high in defense, thus protecting his ...

fasces

(Encyclopedia)fasces făsˈēz [key] [Lat.,=bundles], ancient Roman symbol of the regal and later the magisterial authority. The fasces were cylindrical bundles of wooden rods, tied tightly together, from which an ...

Wrong, George MacKinnon

(Encyclopedia)Wrong, George MacKinnon, 1860–1948, Canadian historian. He was professor of history at the Univ. of Toronto from 1894 until his retirement in 1927. He was the author of many works on early colonial ...