Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) taboo or tabu both: tăbo͞oˈ, tə– [key], prohibition of an act or the use of an object or word under pain of punishment. Originally a Polynesian word, taboo can apply to the sacred or consecrated...

(Encyclopedia) Travis, William Barrett trăvˈĭs [key], 1809–36, hero of the Texas Revolution, b. Edgefield co., S.C. He moved to Claiborne, Ala., where he practiced law. Travis later moved (1831) to Texas and so...

(Encyclopedia) Andersson, Bibi, 1935–2019, Swedish actress best known for her work with director Ingmar Bergman, b. Berit Elizabeth Andersson. Her films with Bergman included The Seventh Seal (1957); Wild Strawber...

(Encyclopedia) instinct, term used generally to indicate an innate tendency to action, or pattern of behavior, elicited by specific stimuli and fulfilling vital needs of an organism. Examples of almost purely instin...

(Encyclopedia) Schapiro, Meyer shəpĭrˈō [key], 1904–96, American art historian, b. Siauliai, Lithuania. Schapiro came to the United States in 1907 and later attended Columbia Univ., where he began teaching in ...

(Encyclopedia) Fromm, Erich ĕrˈĭkh frōm, frŏm [key], 1900–1980, psychoanalyst and author, b. Frankfurt, Germany, Ph.D. Univ. of Heidelberg, 1922. From 1929 to 1932 he lectured at the Psychoanalytic Institute,...

(Encyclopedia) personality, in psychology, the patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion unique to an individual, and the ways they interact to help or hinder the adjustment of a person to other people and situatio...

(Encyclopedia) psychiatry səkīˈətrē, sī– [key], branch of medicine that concerns the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia, and anx...

(Encyclopedia) Lichfield, town (1991 pop. 25,408) and district, Staffordshire, W central England. Lichfield is a market town with light industries, famous for its three-spired cathedral and its close associations wi...

(Encyclopedia) Darwin, Erasmus, 1731–1802, English physician and poet. During most of his life he practiced medicine in Lichfield and cultivated a botanical garden. He was a prominent member of the Lichfield liter...