Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

268 results found

tepee

(Encyclopedia)tepee or tipi both: tēˈpē [key], typical dwelling of Native North Americans living on the Great Plains. It was usually made by arranging tent poles into a conical frame and spreading skins, usually...

Great Pyrenees

(Encyclopedia)Great Pyrenees, breed of large working dog whose fossil remains date its existence in Europe from the Bronze Age (1800–1000 b.c.). It stands from 25 to 32 in. (63.5–81.3 cm) high at the shoulder a...

Juan de Nova Island

(Encyclopedia)Juan de Nova Island hwän də nōˈvə [key], 1.7 sq mi (4.4 sq km), in the Mozambique Channel, Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and Mozambique. A possession of France administered by a high commissio...

Norwich terrier

(Encyclopedia)Norwich terrier, breed of small, sturdy terrier developed in England in the second half of the 19th cent. It stands about 10 in. (25.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 11 lb (4.9 kg). The har...

MacCready, Paul Beattie

(Encyclopedia)MacCready, Paul Beattie, 1925–2007, American engineer and inventor known for his achievements in human-powered flight, b. New Haven, Conn., Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, 1952. In 1997 he...

kohlrabi

(Encyclopedia)kohlrabi kōlˈräˈbē [key] [Ger. partly from Ital.,=turnip cabbage], plant (Brassica caulorapa, sometimes classified as var. caulorapa of the cabbage species) of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicac...

Robinson, Bill

(Encyclopedia)Robinson, Bill, 1878–1949, African-American tap dancer popularly known as “Bojangles,” b. Richmond, Va., as Luther Robinson. An influential virtuoso tap dancer, he was a tap innovator and repute...

cairn terrier

(Encyclopedia)cairn terrier, breed of small working terrier developed on the Isle of Skye in the 19th cent. It stands about 10 in. (25 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 14 lb (6.4 kg). The weather-resistant...

Sealyham terrier

(Encyclopedia)Sealyham terrier sēˈlēhămˌ [key], breed of short-legged terrier developed in Wales in the second half of the 19th cent. It stands about 10 in. (25 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 20 lb ...

Bastidas, Rodrigo de

(Encyclopedia)Bastidas, Rodrigo de rôᵺrēˈgō dā bästēˈᵺäs [key], c.1460–1526, Spanish conquistador in Colombia. In 1501, accompanied by Balboa and Juan de la Cosa, he discovered the mouths of the Magd...