Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Carlisle, city and district, Cumbria, NW England, near the junction of the Caldew, Eden, and Petteril rivers. The city of Carlisle is an important rail ...

(Encyclopedia) interdict ĭnˈtərdĭkt [key], ecclesiastical censure notably used in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Middle Ages. When a parish, state, or nation is placed under the interdict no public...

(Encyclopedia) crypt krĭpt [key] [Gr.,=hidden], vault or chamber beneath the main level of a church, used as a meeting place or burial place. It undoubtedly developed from the catacombs used by early Christians as ...

(Encyclopedia) cymbals sĭmˈbəlz [key], percussion instruments of ancient Asian origin. They consist of a pair of slightly concave metal plates which produce a vibrant sound of indeterminate pitch. Known in Europe...

(Encyclopedia) Putnam, George Haven, 1844–1930, American publisher, b. England; son of G. P. Putnam. He served in the Civil War until he was captured by the Confederates in 1864; he retired with the rank of major....

(Encyclopedia) variation, in music, a compositional device in which certain features of a musical unit, e.g., phase, are altered while others are retained in a subsequent statement of the unit. Modifications include...

(Encyclopedia) Schmalkalden shmälˈkälˌdən [key], town (1994 pop. 16,096), Thuringia, central Germany. It has been a metalworking center since the Middle Ages, and its manufactures include tools, kitchen utensil...

(Encyclopedia) Gasquet, Francis Aidan găsˈkĭt [key], 1846–1929, English prelate and scholar, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, a Benedictine. In historical studies of English religious and social life in t...

(Encyclopedia) mast, large metal or timber pole secured vertically or nearly vertically in a ship, used primarily for supporting sails and rigging. The mast is as old as sailing vessels, and the oldest sailboats dep...

(Encyclopedia) Minden mĭnˈdən [key], city (1994 pop. 80,423), North Rhine–Westphalia, NW Germany, a port on the Weser River and the Midland Canal. It is an industrial center and rail junction. Manufactures incl...