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indigestion

(Encyclopedia)indigestion or dyspepsia, discomfort during or after eating caused by some interference with the normal digestive process. Symptoms include nausea, heartburn, abdominal pain, gas distress, and a feeli...

dyslexia

(Encyclopedia)dyslexia dĭslĕkˈsēə [key], in psychology, a developmental disability in reading or spelling, generally becoming evident in early schooling. To a dyslexic, letters and words may appear reversed, e...

Dou, Gerard

(Encyclopedia)Dou, Dow, or Douw, Gerard or Gerrit all: gāˈrärt, gĕrˈĭt dou [key], 1613–1675, Dutch genre and portrait painter of Leiden. The son of a glass painter, he was apprenticed to an engraver and wor...

damascening

(Encyclopedia)damascening –skēnˈ– [key], the art of decorating iron, steel, or bronze with inlaid threads of gold or silver, or producing a watered effect in forging, as in sword blades, gun barrels, and vari...

charter

(Encyclopedia)charter, document granting certain rights, powers, or functions. It may be issued by the sovereign body of a state to a local governing body, university, or other corporation or by the constituted aut...

scar

(Encyclopedia)scar, fibrous connective tissue that forms at the site of injury or disease in any tissue of the body. Scar tissue may replace injured skin and underlying muscle, damaged heart muscle, or diseased are...

topiary work

(Encyclopedia)topiary work tōˈpēĕrˌē [key], pruning and training of shrubs and trees into ornamental shapes, used in landscape gardening. Elaborate topiary work in which trees and shrubs are clipped to resemb...

style, in printing

(Encyclopedia)style, in printing, arbitrary rule or collection of rules governing the practice of a printer or a publisher in doubtful or disputed matters to obtain consistency. Correct spelling is a matter of lite...

watershed

(Encyclopedia)watershed, elevation or divide separating the catchment area, or drainage basin, of one river system or group of river systems from another system or group of systems. The term is also often used syno...

kitchen

(Encyclopedia)kitchen, separate room or other space set aside for the cooking or preparation of meals. When cooking first moved indoors, it was performed, with other domestic labors, in the common room, where the f...