Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 A. Cross section of a hair shaft B. General structure of a hair hair, slender threadlike outgrowth from the skin of mammals. In some animals hair grows in dense profusion and is called fur or ...

(Encyclopedia) illustration, any type of picture or decoration used in conjunction with a text to embellish its appearance or to clarify its meaning. Illustration is as old as writing, with both originating in the p...

(Encyclopedia) Polypodiophyta pŏlˌēpōˌdēŏfˈətə [key], division of the plant kingdom consisting of the plants commonly called ferns. The ferns are vascular plants with stems, roots, and leaves. The small an...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 Bluet, Houstonia caerulea, a member of the madder family madder, common name for the Rubiaceae, a family of chiefly tropical and subtropical trees, shrubs, and herbs, especially abundant in N ...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 Carrot, Daucus carota carrot, common name for some members of the Umbelliferae, a family (also called the parsley family) of chiefly biennial or perennial herbs of north temperate regions. Mos...

(Encyclopedia) Sakha Republic yəko͞oˈshēə [key], constituent republic (1995 pop. 1,035,000), c.1,200,000 sq mi (3,108,000 sq km), NE Siberian Russia. Yakutsk is the capital. The Sakha Republic is bounded in the...

(Encyclopedia) Pinophyta pīˌnŏfˈətə [key], division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called gymnosperms. The gymnosperms, a group that includes the pine, have stems, roots and leaves...

(Encyclopedia) Unitarianism, in general, the form of Christianity that denies the doctrine of the Trinity, believing that God exists only in one person. While there were previous antitrinitarian movements in the ear...

(Encyclopedia) diffusion, in chemistry, the spontaneous migration of substances from regions where their concentration is high to regions where their concentration is low. Diffusion is important in many life process...

(Encyclopedia) coconut, fruit of the coco palm (Cocos nucifera), a tree widely distributed through tropical regions. The seed is peculiarly adapted to dispersal by water because the large pod holding the nut is buoy...