Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Bodley, George Frederick bŏdˈlē [key], 1827–1907, English architect. One of the most prominent and prolific ecclesiastical architects, Bodley was a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott. A friend of ...

(Encyclopedia) capacitance, in electricity, capability of a body, system, circuit, or device for storing electric charge. Capacitance is expressed as the ratio of stored charge in coulombs to the impressed potential...

(Encyclopedia) fonio, annual plant, genus Digitaria, of the grass family (Poaceoe). Native to Senegal, it is a type of millet grown as a staple grain throughout the Sahel region of West Africa, where it has been cul...

(Encyclopedia) John II (John the Perfect), 1455–95, king of Portugal (1481–95), son and successor of Alfonso V. He was an astute politician and statesman and a patron of Renaissance art and learning. He reduced ...

(Encyclopedia) Abuja äbo͞oˈjə [key], city and federal capital territory (2021 metropolitan area est. pop. 3,278,000), central Nigeria. Plans to move the capital from Lagos were appro...

(Encyclopedia) Karakul sheep kărˈəkəl [key], breed native to central Asia. The newborn lambs usually have tightly curled black fur and are skinned before they are three days old to provide the commercial lambski...

(Encyclopedia) prairie schooner, wagon covered with white canvas, made famous by its almost universal use in the migration across the Western prairies and plains, and so called in allusion to the white-topped schoon...

(Encyclopedia) Valentino, Rudolph văləntēˈnō [key], 1895–1926, American film actor, b. Italy as Rodolfo Guglielmi. He emigrated to the United States in 1913 and, after a brief career as a dancer and bit playe...

(Encyclopedia) Popper-Lynkeus, Josef yōˈzĕf pôpˈər-lünˈkāo͝os [key], 1838–1921, Austrian philosopher, social reformer, and inventor. His unpopular views kept him from any academic position, so he worked ...

(Encyclopedia) Port Angeles ănˈjələs [key], city (1990 pop. 17,710), seat of Clallam co., NW Wash., on Juan de Fuca Strait opposite Victoria, British Columbia; inc. 1890. A port of entry with a good harbor, Port...