Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) hellebore hĕlˈəbôr [key], name usually for plants of the genus Helleborus of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), Eurasian perennials with attractive palmately divided leaves and flowers o...

(Encyclopedia) kosher [Heb.,=proper, i.e., fit for use], in Judaism, term used in rabbinic literature to mean what is ritually correct, but most widely applied to food that is in accordance with dietary laws based o...

(Encyclopedia) bergamot bûrˈgəmŏtˌ [key] [from Bergamo, Italy], citrus tree (Citrus bergamia) grown chiefly in Italy, belonging to the family Rutaceae (rue family). From the rind of the bergamot orange is extra...

(Encyclopedia) Wildsmith, Brian Lawrence, 1930–2016, English children's book author and illustrator. He attended the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London (1949–52), and served in the army before b...

(Encyclopedia) sago sāˈgō [key] [Malay], edible starch extracted from the pithlike center of several E Asian palms (chiefly Metroxylon sagu) or sometimes of cycads. The starch is an important item in the diet in ...

(Encyclopedia) sarsaparilla särsˌpərĭlˈə, săsˌ– [key], common name for various plants belonging to two different classes and also for an extract from their roots, formerly much used in medicine and in beve...

(Encyclopedia) squill, common name for two genera of Old World bulbous plants of the family Liliaceae (lily family). The horticulturists' squill is any plant of the genus Scilla, mostly spring-blooming low herbs wit...

(Encyclopedia) Freneau, Philip frēnōˈ [key], 1752–1832, American poet and journalist, b. New York City, grad. Princeton, 1771. During the American Revolution he served as soldier and privateer. His experiences ...

(Encyclopedia) Clinton, Hillary Rodham rŏdˈəm [key], 1947–, U.S. senator and secretary of state, wife of President Bill Clinton, b. Chicago, grad. Wellesley College (B.A. 1969), Yale Law School (LL.B., 1973). A...

(Encyclopedia) Salisbury, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3d marquess of sôlzˈbərē [key], 1830–1903, British statesman. He entered Parliament in 1853 as a Conservative and devoted himself for 50 years to ...