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whale shark

(Encyclopedia)whale shark, large, plankton-eating shark, Rhincodon typus, found in all tropical seas of the world. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. A female typically reaches about 46 ft (14 m) in le...

salsify

(Encyclopedia)salsify, common name for a tall, narrow-leaved biennial (Tragopogon porrifolius) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), native to S Europe but now naturalized and sometimes growing as a weed in Nort...

diverticulosis

(Encyclopedia)diverticulosis, a disorder characterized by the presence of diverticula, which are small, usually multiple saclike protrusions through the wall of the colon (large intestine). Diverticula usually do n...

convulsion

(Encyclopedia)convulsion, sudden, violent, involuntary contraction of the muscles of the body, often accompanied by loss of consciousness. It is not known what causes the abnormal impulses from the brain that resul...

Louis, titular duke of Burgundy

(Encyclopedia)Louis, 1682–1712, titular duke of Burgundy; grandson of King Louis XIV of France. He became heir to the throne on the death (1711) of his father, Louis the Great Dauphin. François de Fénelon was h...

Schick, Béla

(Encyclopedia)Schick, Béla bāˈlə shĭk [key], 1877–1967, American pediatrician, b. Hungary, M.D. Karl Franz Univ., Graz, 1900. After having taught at the Univ. of Vienna (1902–23), he came to the United Sta...

vaccination

(Encyclopedia)vaccination, means of producing immunity against pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, by the introduction of an killed or weakened microorganism, a harmless piece of a microorganism, or the like t...

potato beetle

(Encyclopedia)potato beetle, name for two beetles of the leaf beetle family and for two of the blister beetle family, all destructive to the potato plant and its relatives. Most notorious is the Colorado potato bee...

lanolin

(Encyclopedia)lanolin, greasy, yellow substance extracted from wool. When purified, it is used as a base for ointments and creams, as a lubricant, and in finishing and preserving leather. It is also a constituent o...

butter-and-eggs

(Encyclopedia)butter-and-eggs, common name for a plant of the family Scrophulariaceae (figwort family) and sometimes for other yellow-and-orange flowers. Butter-and-eggs plants are classified in the division Magnol...