Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) lemures lĕmˈərāsˌ, –yərēzˌ [key], in Roman religion, vampirelike ghosts of the dead; also called larvae. To exorcise these malevolent spirits from the home, the Romans held rites, the Lemuri...

(Encyclopedia) Mercury, in Roman religion, god of commerce and messenger of the gods; identified with the Greek Hermes. He was honored at the Mercuralia, a festival held in May and attended primarily by traders and ...

(Encyclopedia) bight, broad bend or curve in a coastline, forming a large open bay. The New York bight, for example, is the curve in the coast described by the southern shore of Long Island and the eastern shore of ...

(Encyclopedia) Chub kŭb [key], in the Bible, an African people. This may be a textual error for Lub (i.e., Lubim). ...

(Encyclopedia) Cortizo Cohen, Laurentino, 1953–, Panamanian rancher and political leader. A member of the Democratic Revolutionary party, he studied business administration in the United States and served in the n...

(Encyclopedia) Timna or Timnah both: tĭmˈnə [key], in the Bible. 1 Concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz. 2 Daughter of Seir. She may be the same as 1. 3 Duke of Edom. ...

(Encyclopedia) Ennis, city (2020 pop. 20,159), Ellis co., N Tex.; inc. 1872. It is a trading, financial, rail, and processing center in a fertile blackland area that p...

(Encyclopedia) Grosvenor Gallery, founded in London (1877) by Sir Coutts Lindsay (1839–1913), for the independent exhibition (opening May 1 annually) of paintings and sculpture by established artists, both Academi...

(Encyclopedia) arteriosclerosis ärtĭrˌēōsklərōˈsis [key], general term for a condition characterized by thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of the blood vessels. These changes are freq...

(Encyclopedia) Phaeophyta fēŏfˈətə [key], phylum (division) of the kingdom Protista consisting of those organisms commonly called brown algae. Many of the world's familiar seaweeds are members of Phaeophyta. Th...