Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Darcy, Thomas Darcy, Baron därˈsē [key], 1467–1537, English nobleman. He served in a number of military expeditions for Henry VII and for the young Henry VIII. He disapproved of Henry VIII's divo...

(Encyclopedia) bracken or brake, common name for a tall fern (Pteridium aquilinum) with large triangular fronds, widespread throughout the world, often as a weed. It is considered poisonous to livestock when eaten i...

(Encyclopedia) Chodorow, Nancy chōdˈərōˌ [key], 1944–, American psychologist. A professor at the Univ. of California at Berkeley, Chodorow has extensively pursued the question of why women desire motherhood. ...

(Encyclopedia) Albéniz, Isaac ēsäkˈ älbāˈnēth [key], 1860–1909, Spanish pianist and composer. He made his debut as a pianist at the age of four. When still young, he ran away from home and traveled in Nort...

(Encyclopedia) convulsion, sudden, violent, involuntary contraction of the muscles of the body, often accompanied by loss of consciousness. It is not known what causes the abnormal impulses from the brain that resul...

(Encyclopedia) creosote krēˈəsōt [key], volatile, heavy, oily liquid obtained by the distillation of coal tar or wood tar. Creosote derived from beechwood tar has been used medicinally as an antiseptic and in th...

(Encyclopedia) Ansley, Clarke Fisher ănzˈlē [key], 1869–1939, American teacher and editor, b. Swedona, near Springfield, Ill., grad. Univ. of Nebraska, 1890. After teaching English at Nebraska, he was professor...

(Encyclopedia) Klinger, Friedrich Maximilian von frēˈdrĭkh mäkˌsēmēˈlyän fən klĭngˈər [key], 1752–1831, German dramatist. A friend of the young Goethe, he was a playwright for a theatrical troupe and ...

(Encyclopedia) white alder, deciduous shrub or small tree (Clethra alnifolia) native to the Appalachians, named for the resemblance of its leaves to those of the unrelated true alders. It is cultivated as an ornamen...

(Encyclopedia) Richardson, Henry Handel, pseud. of Ethel Richardson Robertson, 1870–1946, Australian novelist, b. Melbourne. Her years of study at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne, were reflected in her...