Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) essence, in philosophy, the nature of a thing. Aristotle maintained that there is a distinction between the form of a thing—its intelligible, verbally formulable character—and the essence of a thi...

(Encyclopedia) miniature painting [Ital.,=artwork, especially manuscript initial letters, done with the red lead pigment minium; the word originally had no implication as to size]. In a general sense the term denote...

(Encyclopedia) Mangin, Charles Marie Emmanuel shärl märēˈ ĕmänüĕlˈ mäNzhăNˈ [key], 1866–1925, French general. A graduate of Saint-Cyr, he served in the Sudan under Jean Marchand and in French North Afr...

(Encyclopedia) Machebeuf, Joseph Projectus zhôzĕfˈ prôzhĕktüsˈ mäshböfˈ [key], 1812–89, French missionary in the American Southwest, a Roman Catholic priest. He was a friend and associate of Jean Baptist...

(Encyclopedia) Desmarets, Nicolas nēkôläˈ dāmärāˈ [key], 1648–1721, French statesman; the nephew of Jean Baptiste Colbert. He became director of finances in 1703 and succeeded Michel Chamillart as controll...

(Encyclopedia) Boucicaut bo͞osēkōˈ [key], c.1366–1421, marshal of France and crusader against the Ottoman Turks, whose real name was Jean III le Meingre. Captured by Ottoman Sultan Beyazid I at Nikopol (1396),...

(Encyclopedia) Cambert, Robert rōbĕrˈ käNbĕrˈ [key], c.1628–1677, French composer; pupil of Chambonnières. His Pastorale d'Issy (1659) and other works are among the first real French operas. With the libret...

(Encyclopedia) Favras, Thomas de Mahy, marquis de tômäˈ də mäēˈ märkēˈ də fävräsˈ [key], 1744–90, French royalist. After the outbreak of the French Revolution, he plotted (1789) with the comte de La ...

(Encyclopedia) Viviani, René rənāˈ vēvyänēˈ [key], 1863–1925, French statesman. He entered politics as a Socialist and joined Jean Jaurès in founding the journal Humanité and in forming (1905) the united...

(Encyclopedia) Vercors vĕrkôrˈ [key], 1902–91, French writer and illustrator, whose original name was Jean Bruller. Vercors served in the French resistance movement and helped to found Les Éditions de Minuit, ...