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key, in mechanics

(Encyclopedia)key, in mechanics: see lock and key. ...

(Encyclopedia)key. 1 In music, term used to indicate the scale from which the tonal material of a given composition is derived. To say, for example, that a composition is in the key of C major means that it uses as...

Mars, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Mars, in astronomy, 4th planet from the sun, with an orbit next in order beyond that of the earth. Mars has two natural satellites, discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877. The innermost of these, Phobos...

milo, in botany

(Encyclopedia)milo or milo maize: see sorghum. ...

Mimosa, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Mimosa or Beta Crucis bāˈtə kro͞oˈsĭs [key], bright star in the constellation Crux (Southern Cross); 1992 position R.A. 12h47.3m, Dec. −59°39′. It is sometimes called Becrux, from its Bayer...

mimosa, in botany

(Encyclopedia)mimosa mĭmōˈsə [key], any tree, shrub, or herb of the genus Mimosa of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), chiefly tropical plants. They usually have feathery foliage and rounded clusters of fra...

mine, in industry

(Encyclopedia)mine, in industry: see mining.

mine, in warfare

(Encyclopedia)mine, in warfare, term formerly applied to a system of tunnels dug under an army fortification and ending in a chamber where either explosives were placed to be detonated at a chosen moment or the sup...

minister, in diplomacy

(Encyclopedia)minister, in diplomacy: see diplomatic service; extraterritoriality. ...

mint, in finance

(Encyclopedia)mint, place where legal coinage is manufactured. The name is derived from the temple of Juno Moneta, Rome, where silver coins were made as early as 269 b.c. Mints existed earlier elsewhere, as in Lydi...