Ankh

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph signifying �life,� a cross surmounted by a loop and known in Latin as a crux ansata (ansate, or handle-shaped, cross). It is found in ancient tomb inscriptions, including those of the king Tutankhamen, and gods and pharaohs are often depicted holding it. The ankh forms part of hieroglyphs for such concepts as health and happiness. The form of the

Janissary

Also spelled �Janizary, �Turkish �Yeni�eri� (New Soldier, or Troop), member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1826. Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state. The Janissary corps was originally staffed by Christian

La Romana

City and port, southeastern Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean Sea opposite Catalina Island. Founded near the end of the 19th century, La Romana grew rapidly after the establishment of a large sugar mill in 1911. In addition to sugarcane, the surrounding region produces coffee, tobacco, beeswax, cattle, and hides. The city has food-processing and soap, shoe, and furniture plants.

Epididyme

Either of a pair of elongated crescent-shaped structures attached to each of the two male reproductive organs, the testes (see testis). Sperm cells produced in the testes are transported to the epididymes, where they mature and are stored. Each epididymis has three regions, called, respectively, the head, body, and tail. The head is the

Catalexis And Acatalexis

In prosody, an omission or incompleteness in the last foot of a line or other unit in metrical verse and, conversely, the metrical completeness of such a unit.

W Particle

The existence of intermediate vector bosons and their properties were predicted in the late

Ushpizin

(Aramaic: �visitors�), according to the Jewish Kabbalistic book the Sefer ha-zohar (�Book of Splendour�), seven ancient worthies who take turns visiting the homes of all pious Jews to share their dinner on the festival of Sukkoth. A custom developed of reciting a fixed formula of invitation to the seven: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. Poor scholars are sometimes

Mardi Gras

(French: Fat Tuesday), festive day celebrated in France on the Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday; q.v.) before Ash Wednesday, which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. In the United States the festival is most elaborately celebrated in New Orleans. See carnival.

Lip Fern

Ferns of the genus Cheilanthes (family Adiantaceae), about 180 species of tropical and temperate regions. Most are small, sturdy, often evergreen plants that thrive in dry and rocky areas. The leaves arise directly from the rootstocks and are often covered with dense hairs. Spore-bearing structures (sporangia) occur at the ends of veins and are protected by the leaf margins,

Military Aircraft, Transonic flight

As the first generation of jet fighters entered service, many aerodynamicists and engineers believed supersonic flight a practical impossibility, owing to transonic drag rise or compressibility, which threatened to tear an aircraft apart. Nevertheless, on Oct. 14, 1947, U.S. Air Force Captain Charles Yeager, flying a rocket-powered Bell X-1 launched from the bomb bay of a B-29,

Wahat Al-kharijah, Al-

Also spelled �Kharga, or El-kharga, � oasis in the Libyan (Western) Desert, part of Al-Wadi al-Jadid (�New Valley�) muhafazah (governorate), in south-central Egypt. It is situated about 110 miles (180 km) west-southwest of Naj' Hammadi, to which it is linked by railroad. The name Wahat al-Kharijah means �outer oasis.� The oasis consists of two fertile zones, extending about 100 miles (160 km) north-south and from 12 to 50 miles (19 to 80 km) east-west, with an area of more

Tigre

The partido is bordered to the north by an important branch of the Paran� River, the

Williams, Hank

Williams began playing the guitar at the age of 8, made his radio debut at 13, and formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14. His series of recordings in 1947 on the M-G-M label won

Williams, Hank

Williams began playing the guitar at the age of 8, made his radio debut at 13, and formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14. His series of recordings in 1947 on the M-G-M label won

Visconti, Louis-tullius-joachim

Visconti's father, a celebrated Italian archaeologist, fled Rome with the boy in 1798. Visconti studied architecture with Charles Percier at the �cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was awarded a second grand prix d'architecture and the prix d�partemental by the Academy and in 1825 was appointed architect

Metamorphic Rock

The word metamorphism is taken

Biblical Literature, Hodayot

One of the most important Essene works is the Hodayot (�Praises�) - a modern Hebrew name for the Thanksgiving Psalms. This scroll contains sectarian hymns of praise to God. In its view of the fleshly nature of man, who can be justified only by God's undeserved grace, it resembles St. Paul's approach to the same problem. Some scholars think that the work, or a part of it, was written

Barcelona, Archaeological Museum Of

In full� Archaeological Museum Of Barcelona And Institute Of Prehistory And Archaeology, �Spanish �Museo Arqueol�gica De Barcelona E Instituto De Prehistoria Y Arqueolog�a,� institution in Barcelona, Spain, notable for its collection of prehistoric objects and for its collection of ancient Greek and Roman art and examples illustrating Iberian archaeology. Exhibits include a scale model of a part of the excavation at Ampurias (Emporiae) and displays of Greek vases, glass, and sculpture. There is a fine statue of Asclepius of the 4th century

Melchite

Also spelled �Melkite, � any of the Christians of Syria and Egypt who accepted the ruling of the Council of Chalcedon (451) affirming the two natures - divine and human - of Christ. Because they shared the theological position of the Byzantine emperor, they were derisively termed Melchites - that is, Royalists or Emperor's Men (from Syriac malka: �king�) - by those who rejected the Chalcedonian definition

Antarctica

Lying almost concentrically around the South Pole, Antarctica - the name of which means �opposite to the Arctic� - is the southernmost continent, a circumstance that has had momentous consequences for all aspects of its character. It covers about 5.5 million square miles

Binney, Horace

Binney graduated from Harvard in 1797 and was admitted to the bar in 1800. He became an expert on marine-insurance and land-title law, and from 1809 to 1814 he published six volumes of authoritative court reports of cases heard in the state

Haedo Range

Also called �Haedo Ridge,� or �Haedo Hills,� Spanish �Cuchilla de Haedo,� range of hills, north-central Uruguay. With the Grande Range (Cuchilla Grande) to the east, it defines the basin of the Negro River, Uruguay's major river. The range extends southward from a rugged highland area near the Brazilian border for approximately 125 miles (200 km) and terminates at the confluence of the Negro and Uruguay rivers, the Rinc�n de las Gallinas. It separates

Improvisation

Many of

Alkali Feldspar

Any of several common silicate minerals that often occur as variously coloured, glassy crystals. They are used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics; transparent, highly coloured, or iridescent varieties are sometimes used as gemstones. The alkali feldspars are primarily important as constituents of rocks; they are very widespread and abundant in alkali and

Slaughter, Enos Bradsher

American baseball player (b. April 27, 1916, Roxboro, N.C. - d. Aug. 12, 2002, Durham, N.C.), had a lifetime .300 batting average and was a hero of the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he played 13 of his 19 major league seasons. He was a hard-hitting outfielder who led the National League in hits in 1942 and in runs batted in 1946; played in 10 All-Star games, and was elected in 1985 to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was most renowned for his

Balanopales

Order of dicotyledonous flowering plants comprising the family Balanopaceae, with a single genus (Balanops) and 12 species of trees and shrubs that have simple, alternately positioned or somewhat whorled leaves. The plants are further characterized by flowers that lack showy parts (sepals and petals). The male and female flowers occur on separate plants (i.e., the plants

Star, Classification

(1) Pulsating variables - i.e., stars whose variations in light and colour are thought to arise

China, Drainage

The three principal rivers of

Leaf Cactus

Common names are leaf cactus - for the mostly flattened, nonspiny stems that function as leaves - or orchid cactus - for the spectacular large flowers

World War I, The Western Front, January - May 1917

The western Allies had good reason to be profoundly dissatisfied with the poor results of their enterprises of 1916, and this dissatisfaction was signalized by two major changes made at the end of the year. In Great Britain, the government of H.H. Asquith, already turned into a coalition in May 1915, was replaced in December 1916 by a coalition under David Lloyd George; and that same

Florence

Town, seat (1875) of Pinal county, central Arizona, U.S., 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Phoenix. It lies on the Gila River in a farming area (mainly cotton) that is irrigated by means of the Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam. One of the oldest white settlements in the state, Florence was founded in 1866 and named for the sister of Governor Richard McCormick. The community developed as a copper-mining