Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Donne, John dŭn, dŏn [key], 1572–1631, English poet and divine. He is considered the greatest of the metaphysical poets. All of Donne's verse—his love sonnets and his religious and philosophic...

(Encyclopedia) Lely, Sir Peter lēˈlē [key], 1618–80, Dutch portrait painter in England. His original name was Pieter van der Faes. He studied in Haarlem but worked in England from c.1643. After the death of Van...

(Encyclopedia) Mowat, Sir Oliver mōˈət [key], 1820–1903, Canadian statesman, b. Upper Canada (now Ontario). A lawyer, he entered (1857) the Legislative Assembly and held cabinet posts before becoming vice-chanc...

(Encyclopedia) Margai, Sir Milton märˈgī [key], 1895–1964, prime minister of Sierra Leone (1961–64). A prominent doctor, he turned to politics in 1949 and led his country to independence (1961) while serving ...

(Encyclopedia) Etherege, Sir George ĕthˈərĭj [key], 1636–1692, English dramatist. His witty, licentious comedies—The Comical Revenge; or, Love in a Tub (1664) and She Wou'd If She Cou'd (1668)—set the tone...

(Encyclopedia) Wheatstone, Sir Charles hwētˈstōn, –stən [key], 1802–75, English physicist and inventor. He was professor at King's College, London, from 1834. A pioneer in telegraphy, he was coinventor with ...

(Encyclopedia) Yeardley, Sir George yärdˈlē [key], c.1587–1627, British colonial governor of Virginia (1618–21, 1626–27). He was shipwrecked (1609) in the Bermudas but managed to reach Virginia in 1610. In ...

(Encyclopedia) King William Island, part of the Arctic Archipelago, in the Arctic Ocean, Nunavut Territory, Canada, between Boothia Peninsula and Victoria Island. The northern coast of the island was explored (1831)...

(Encyclopedia) MacEwen, Sir William məkyo͞oˈən [key], 1848–1924, Scottish surgeon. A professor of surgery at the Univ. of Glasgow, he was noted for his work on bone grafting, on the radical cure of hernia, and...

(Encyclopedia) Elyot, Sir Thomas ĕlˈyət, ĕlˈēət [key], c.1490–1546, English author. He wrote the earliest Latin-English dictionary (1538) and is remembered especially for his sensible and well-written treat...