Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Humboldt, river, United States

(Encyclopedia)Humboldt, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in several branches in the mountains of NE Nev. It meanders generally west to disappear in Humboldt Sink, W Nevada. Along with its tributaries, the Humb...

Hot Springs National Park

(Encyclopedia)Hot Springs National Park, 5,549 acres (2,247 hectares), W central Ark.; est. 1921; nearly surrounded by the city of Hot Springs. Visited by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1541, the springs, lon...

cork, in botany

(Encyclopedia)cork, protective, waterproof outer covering of the stems and roots of woody plants. Cork is a specialized secondary tissue produced by the cork cambium of the plant (see meristem, bark). The regularly...

Chicago, river, United States

(Encyclopedia)Chicago, river, formed in Chicago by the junction of its North Branch (24 mi/39 km long) and South Branch (10 mi/16 km long), and flowing southeast via a canal into the Des Plaines River at Lockport, ...

excretion

(Encyclopedia)excretion, process of eliminating from an organism waste products of metabolism and other materials that are of no use. It is an essential process in all forms of life. In one-celled organisms wastes ...

feather star

(Encyclopedia)feather star, common name of a class of echinoderms that, as juveniles, are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk with rootlike branches; the mouth side faces upward. In the adult stage they break awa...

sea lily

(Encyclopedia)sea lily, stalked echinoderm of the class Crinoidea. Sea lilies are ancient, having reached their peak in the Middle Mississippian period; about 5,000 fossil species are known. About 80 modern species...

Poyang

(Encyclopedia)Poyang or P'o-yang both: pô-yäng [key], shallow lake, c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), N Jiangxi prov., SE China; one of China's largest lakes. It serves as a natural overflow reservoir for the Chang (Y...

pickle

(Encyclopedia)pickle, general term for fruits or vegetables preserved in vinegar or brine, usually with spices or sugar or both. Vegetables commonly pickled include the beet, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, olive, ...

tidal wave

(Encyclopedia)tidal wave, term properly applied to the crest of a tide as it moves around the earth. The wavelike upstream rush of water caused by the incoming tide in some locations is known as a tidal bore. In po...