Prie-dieu

First used by the higher clergy during religious services in the early European Middle Ages, the prie-dieu became popular in the 19th century

Bachchan, Amitabh

Bachchan, the son of the renowned Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, attended Sherwood College in Nainital and the University of Delhi. He worked as a business executive in Calcutta (Kolkata) and performed in

Dissociation

In chemistry, the breaking up of a compound into simpler constituents that are usually capable of recombining under other conditions. In electrolytic, or ionic, dissociation, the addition of a solvent or of energy in the form of heat causes molecules or crystals of the substance to break up into ions (electrically charged particles). Most dissociating substances

Melatonin

In humans, melatonin seems

Frye, Northrop

Frye was educated at the University of Toronto, Emmanuel College in Toronto, and Merton College, Oxford. He taught at Victoria College from 1939, became chairman of the English department there in 1952, and served as principal (1959 - 67) and chancellor (1978 - 91) of the college.

Ambergris

A solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice; in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes. Ambergris floats and washes ashore most frequently on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas and on tropical islands such

Mormon

An excellent sociological treatment of Mormonism is Thomas F. O'Dea, The Mormons (1957, reissued 1964). Jan Shipps, Mormonism (1985), argues that Mormonism is separate from the Judeo-Christian tradition. The church's 19th-century history is treated in Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (1984); Marvin S. Hill, Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism (1989), setting the early history of Mormonism in the larger context of contemporary American religious experience; Klaus J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience (1981), analyzing the cross-influence of the early church and American culture in the formative period 1820 - 1890; and Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience, 2nd ed. (1992), a topically arranged interpretive history to the turn of the century. Thomas G. Alexander, Mormonism in Transition (1986), examines the church's changing positions on various issues during the critical period 1890 - 1930. Daniel H. Ludlow (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vol. (1992), is a well-organized reference work with numerous entries on contemporary topics; it is written primarily by Mormons.

Dace

Any of a number of small, slim, active freshwater fishes of the carp family, Cyprinidae. In England and Europe, the dace is Leuciscus leuciscus, a relative of the chub. Usually found in moderately swift streams and rivers, the European dace is a rather small-headed, silvery fish attaining a usual length and weight of 25 - 30 cm (10 - 12 inches) and 0.5 - 0.7 kg (1 - 1 1/2 pounds). It lives

Ch'i-ying

A member of the Imperial family of the Ch'ing dynasty (1644 - 1912), Ch'i-ying served in various high governmental positions before being sent to the east-central Chinese city of Nanking in 1842 to negotiate a treaty with the

Alderfly

Any insect of the megalopteran family Sialidae, characterized by long, filamentous antennae and two pairs of large wings (anterior wing length 20 to 50 mm [ 3/4 inch to 2 inches]), membranous and well-developed, with part of the hind wing folding like a fan. The adult alderfly is dark-coloured, 15 to 30 mm ( 3/5 inch to 1 1/5 inches) long, sluggish, and a weak flier. It usually inhabits shore vegetation,

Tatarstan

The Volga flows north-south across the western end of the republic, while the Kama, the Volga's largest tributary, forms a roughly east-west axis through the greater part. The Vyatka and the Belaya

Caucasian Languages

The North Caucasian languages are divided into two groups: Abkhazo-Adyghian, or the Northwest Caucasian, languages, and Nakho-Dagestanian, or the Northeast Caucasian, languages.

Cage, John

The son of an inventor, Cage briefly attended Pomona College and then traveled in Europe for a time. Returning to the United States in 1931, he studied music with Richard Buhlig, Arnold

Redford, Robert

After years of drifting and studying art in both Europe and the United States, Redford enrolled at

Yamoussoukro Basilica

In full� Our Lady Of Peace Of Yamoussoukro Basilica, � Roman Catholic basilica in Yamoussoukro, C�te d'Ivoire, that is the largest Christian church in the world. The basilica's rapid construction in 1986 - 89 was paid for by C�te d'Ivoire's president, F�lix Houphou�t-Boigny, and the building is situated in his birthplace, the city of Yamoussoukro. The basilica's form is roughly based on that of Saint Peter's in Rome, with a dome surmounting

Agricultural Economics

Agriculture is the source of livelihood for more than half of

Kamerny Theatre

Russian �Kamerny Teatr, � small, intimate theatre founded in Moscow in 1914 by the Russian director Aleksandr Tairov (q.v.) to support his experimental synthetic theatre that incorporated all theatrical arts - ballet, opera, music, mime, and drama - as an alternative to the naturalistic presentations of Konstantin Stanislavsky's realism at the Moscow Art Theatre. Instead of staging plays of everyday

Bruce Series

Division of Precambrian rocks in North America that is well-developed northeast of the Lake Huron region (the Precambrian began about 3.8 billion years ago and ended 540 million years ago). The Bruce Series is the lowermost of the three major divisions of the Huronian System; it overlies pre-Huronian schists, underlies rocks of the Cobalt Series, and consists of about 1,500 m (about

Roman Numeral

Any of the symbols used in a system of numerical notation based on the ancient Roman system. The symbols are I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, standing, respectively, for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 in the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. A symbol placed after another of equal or greater value adds its value - e.g., II = 2 and LX = 60. A symbol placed before one of greater value subtracts its value - e.g., IV = 4, XL = 40, and CD = 400.

Allenby (of Megiddo And Of Felixstowe), Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount

Educated at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Allenby joined the Inniskilling Dragoons in 1882 and saw active service in the Bechuanaland expedition (1884 - 85), in Zululand (1888), and in the South

Baldpate

Popular North American game duck, also known as the American wigeon. See wigeon.

Paedomorphosis

Classic examples include certain amphibian species in which

Priceite

Also called �Pandermite, � an earthy, white borate mineral, hydrated calcium borate (Ca4B10O19�7H2O). It has been found as masses and nodules in a hot-spring deposit near Chetco, Ore., U.S.; as nodules in shale in Death Valley, Calif., U.S.; and as very large masses (weighing up to a ton) underlying gypsum and clay beds at Susurluk in northwestern Turkey. For detailed physical properties, see borate mineral (table).

The Cavern

In the early 1960s Liverpool, England, was unique among British cities in having more than 200 active pop groups. Many played youth clubs in the suburbs, but some made the big time in cellar clubs such as the Cavern (on Mathew Street) and the Jacaranda and the Blue Angel (on opposite sides of Steel Street) in the centre of the city. Previously these clubs had featured New Orleans-style

Baarle-hertog

French �Baerle-duc, � municipality, Antwerp province, Belgium, enclave (2.7 sq mi [7 sq km]) in Noord-Brabant province, southern Netherlands, 4 mi (6 km) north of the Belgian border. It has been a separate commune since 1479, when the town of Baarle was divided into Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau for purposes of noble inheritance. The status of the enclave was confirmed after Belgian independence by the Belgium-Netherlands

End Stop

Compare enjambment.

France, History Of, Philip Augustus

Philip's outstanding achievement was to wrest control from the Plantagenets of most of the domains they held in France. Intervening in struggles between Henry II of England and his sons, Philip won preliminary concessions in 1187 and 1189. He acquired strategic lands on the Norman borders following wars with Henry's sons, King Richard and King John (1196 and 1200). And when, in 1202, John failed

Canada West

Canada West was settled primarily by English-speaking immigrants. The inhabitants nevertheless sought confederation with Canada East (which was populated largely

Computers, Invention of the modern computer

G. Pascal Zachary, Endless Frontier: Vannevar Bush, Engineer of the American Century (1997), presents a detailed account of Bush's role in transforming scientific research in the United States through government funding.