Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Concini, Concino kōnchēˈnō kōnchēˈnē [key], d. 1617, Florentine adventurer, favorite of Marie de' Medici, queen of France, who exerted great influence after the assassination of Marie's husban...

(Encyclopedia) Carnot, Hippolyte ēpôlētˈ kärnōˈ [key], 1801–88, French statesman; son of Lazare Carnot. He shared his father's exile after 1815 and returned to France in 1823. A follower of Claude Henri de ...

(Encyclopedia) Jean zhäN [key], 1921–2019, grand duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000); son of Charlotte, grand duchess of Luxembourg, and Felix, prince of Bourbon-Parma. He fought with Great Britain's Irish Guards in...

(Encyclopedia) Anguier, François fräNswäˈ äNgyāˈ [key], 1604–69, French sculptor. He is noted for the monuments of the Longuevilles and of Jacques Souvré (Louvre). His most ambitious work is probably the m...

(Encyclopedia) silicon carbide, chemical compound, SiC, that forms extremely hard, dark, iridescent crystals that are insoluble in water and other common solvents. Widely used as an abrasive, it is marketed under su...

(Encyclopedia) pseudonym so͞oˈdənĭm [key] [Gr.,=false name], name assumed, particularly by writers, to conceal identity. A writer's pseudonym is also referred to as a nom de plume (pen name). Famous examples in ...

(Encyclopedia) Loubet, Émile François āmēlˈ fräNswäˈ lo͞obāˈ [key], 1838–1929, president of the French republic (1899–1906). As a member of the chamber of deputies, he advocated secular education. Aft...

(Encyclopedia) Caillaux, Joseph zhôzĕfˈ kāyōˈ [key], 1863–1944, French statesman. Son of a former cabinet minister, he entered the French civil service as inspector of finance. He later became finance minist...

(Encyclopedia) Sturm und Drang shto͝orm o͝ont dräng [key] or Storm and Stress, movement in German literature that flourished from c.1770 to c.1784. It takes its name from a play by F. M. von Klinger, Wirrwarr; od...

(Encyclopedia) Houdon, Jean-Antoine zhäN-äNtwänˈ o͞odôNˈ [key], 1741–1828, French neoclassical sculptor. He studied with Michel Ange Slodtz, Lemoyne, and Pigalle, took the Prix de Rome at the age of 20, and...