Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) swan, common name for a large aquatic bird of both hemispheres, related to ducks and geese. It has a long, gracefully curved neck and an extremely long, convoluted trachea which makes possible its far...

(Encyclopedia) thyme tīm [key], any species of the genus Thymus, aromatic herbs or shrubby plants of the family Labiatae (mint family). The common thyme, which is used as a seasoning herb and yields a medicinal ess...

(Encyclopedia) onion, plant of the family Liliaceae (lily family), of the same genus (Allium) as the chive (A. schoenoprasum), garlic (A. sativum), leek (A. porrum), and shallot (A. ascalonium). These plants are cha...

(Encyclopedia) Dressler, Marie, 1869–1934, American actress, b. Coburg, Ont., Canada. She appeared on stage and in vaudeville before making her first film, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914). Although she gained fa...

(Encyclopedia) Pownall, Thomas pouˈnəl [key], 1722–1805, English colonial governor in North America. In 1753 he went to New York as secretary to Sir Danvers Osborn, newly appointed governor. Following Osborn's s...

(Encyclopedia) Cybele sĭbˈəlē [key], in ancient Asian religion, the Great Mother Goddess. The chief centers of her early worship were Phrygia and Lydia. In the 5th cent. b.c. her cult was introduced into Greece,...

(Encyclopedia) jungle fowl, common name for small, terrestrial wild fowl comprising four species in the genus Gallus. Most important of these is the red jungle fowl, which Charles Darwin determined to be the ancesto...

(Encyclopedia) amphitheater ămˈfəthēˌətər, ămˈpə– [key], open structure used for the exhibition of gladiatorial contests, struggles of wild beasts, sham sea battles, and similar spectacles. There is no G...

(Encyclopedia) Border, the, region surrounding the boundary between England and Scotland. From the coast near Berwick along the Tweed River through the Cheviot Hills and on to Solway Firth, the narrow, rugged countr...

(Encyclopedia) Dane, Clemence, pseud. of Winifred Ashton, 1888–1965, English novelist and playwright. She was an artist, teacher, and actress before she turned to writing. Her first novel, A Regiment of Women (191...