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mesquite, in botany

(Encyclopedia) mesquitemesquitemĭskētˈ, mĕsˈkēt [key], any plant of the genus Prosopis, leguminous spiny trees or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and subtropical…

Hohokam

(Encyclopedia) HohokamHohokamhōˈhōkămˌ, hōhōˈkəm [key], term denoting the culture of the ancient agricultural populations inhabiting the Salt and Gila river valleys of S Arizona (a.d. 300–1200). They…

purslane

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Purslane, Portulaca oleraceae purslane, common name for some plants of the Portulaceae, a family of herbs and a few small shrubs, chiefly of the Americas. The portulacas or…

spear

(Encyclopedia) spear, primitive weapon consisting of a wooden shaft tipped with a sharp point, usually 8 to 9 ft (2.4–2.7 m) in length. The point may be carved from the shaft and hardened in a fire,…

emperor

(Encyclopedia) emperor [Lat. imperator=one holding supreme power, especially applied to generals], the sovereign head of an empire. In the Roman republic the term imperator referred to the chief…

folk art

(Encyclopedia) folk art, the art works of a culturally homogeneous people produced by artists without formal training. The forms of such works are generally developed into a tradition that is either…

Diaspora

(Encyclopedia) DiasporaDiasporadīăsˈpərə [key] [Gr.,=dispersion], term used today to denote the Jewish communities living outside the Holy Land. It was originally used to designate the dispersal of…

peccary

(Encyclopedia) peccarypeccarypĕkˈərē [key], small wild pig, genus Tayassu, the only pig native to the Americas. Although similar in appearance to Old World pigs, peccaries are classified in a family…

creole

(Encyclopedia) creolecreolecrēˈōl [key], Span. criollocreolecrēōlˈyō [key] [probably from crío=child], term originally applied in West Indies to the native-born descendants of the Spanish conquerors…

Bering Strait

(Encyclopedia) Bering Strait, c.55 mi (90 km) wide, between extreme NE Asia and extreme NW North America, connecting the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea. It is usually completely frozen over from…