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pimento

(Encyclopedia) pimento or allspice, common names for a tree (Pimenta dioica or P. officinalis) of the family Myrtaceae (myrtle family) cultivated in the West Indies for its dried unripe berries, used…

nut, in botany

(Encyclopedia) nut, in botany, a dry one-seeded fruit which is indehiscent (i.e., does not split open along a definite seam at maturity). Among the true nuts are the acorn, chestnut, and hazelnut.…

squill

(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-…

cowboys

(Encyclopedia) cowboys, in American history. 1 Tory marauders, adherents to the British cause in the American Revolution, who fought in the contested area of Westchester co., N.Y. Their opposite…

Freneau, Philip

(Encyclopedia) Freneau, PhilipFreneau, Philipfrēnōˈ [key], 1752–1832, American poet and journalist, b. New York City, grad. Princeton, 1771. During the American Revolution he served as soldier and…

grosbeak

(Encyclopedia) grosbeakgrosbeakgrōsˈbēk [key] [great beak], common name for various members of the family Fringillidae (finch family). Grosbeaks are characterized by their large conical bills. The…

Wildsmith, Brian Lawrence

(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…

Aesop

(Encyclopedia) AesopAesopēˈsəp, ēˈsŏp [key], legendary Greek fabulist. According to Herodotus, he was a slave who lived in Samos in the 6th cent. b.c. and eventually was freed by his master. Other…

bighorn, in zoology

(Encyclopedia) bighorn or Rocky Mountain sheep, wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of W North America, formerly plentiful in mountains from SW Canada to N Mexico. Indiscriminate hunting, disease, and…

bergamot

(Encyclopedia) bergamotbergamotbûrˈgəmŏtˌ [key] [from Bergamo, Italy], citrus tree (Citrus bergamia) grown chiefly in Italy, belonging to the family Rutaceae (rue family). From the rind of the…