Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) oolite ōˈəlīt, ōˈō– [key], rock composed of small concretions, usually of calcium carbonate, containing a nucleus and clearly defined concentric shells. In the British Isles oolitic limestone...

(Encyclopedia) crowberry, evergreen alpine and arctic shrub of the genus Empetrum (or, sometimes, other related species), bearing black, red, or purple berrylike fruits. Some are cultivated in rock gardens. Crowberr...

(Encyclopedia) Rhode Island Red chicken, American breed of poultry, no longer raised commercially, but still maintained for use in breeding programs. See Red Rock chicken. ...

(Encyclopedia) Paul, Les, 1915–2009, American guitarist and inventor, b. Waukesha, Wis., as Lester William Polsfuss (later Polfuss). He began playing country music a...

(Encyclopedia) Blades, Rubén ro͞obānˈ bläˈᵺās [key], 1948–, Panamanian singer, songwriter, band leader, and actor. He is a graduate (1972) of the Univ. of Panama law school and holds a masters degree (198...

(Encyclopedia) Charles, Ray (Ray Charles Robinson), 1930–2004, African-American musician and composer, b. Albany, Ga. Blinded at age seven, he was raised in Florida and at 16 began singing in a local hillbilly gro...

(Encyclopedia) schist shĭst [key], metamorphic rock having a foliated, or plated, structure called schistosity in which the component flaky minerals are visible to the naked eye. Schists are distinguished from the ...

(Encyclopedia) Gwalior gwäˈlēôr [key], city and former princely state, central India. Part of Madhya Pra...

(Encyclopedia) Dambulla dämbo͝olˈə [key], town, central Sri Lanka. A place of Buddhist pilgrimage, it has a well-preserved cave temple complex at Dambulla Rock that dates to the 1st cent. b.c. There is a recumbe...

(Encyclopedia) Ipoh ēˈpō [key], city, capital of Perak state, Malaysia, central Malay Peninsula, in the K...