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Harrington, James
(Encyclopedia)Harrington, James, 1611–77, English political writer. His Commonwealth of Oceana (1656) pictured a utopian society in which political authority rested entirely with the landed gentry. Harrington adv...John of Ávila, Saint
(Encyclopedia)John of Ávila, Saint, c.1500–1569, Spanish Catholic preacher, author, clerical reformer, and spiritual leader, Doctor of the Church. After studying law, philosophy, and theology in Salamanca and Al...quack grass
(Encyclopedia)quack grass or couch grass, Old World perennial grass (Agropyron repens), now widely distributed and in the United States a troublesome weed. It somewhat resembles a beardless wheat and has creeping, ...quaking grass
(Encyclopedia)quaking grass, any plant of the genus Briza, annuals or perennials of the Poaceae (grass family), cultivated for the graceful clusters of seeds, which vibrate in a breeze and are used in everlasting b...shepherd's-purse
(Encyclopedia)shepherd's-purse, annual herb (Capsella bursa-pastoris) of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family), indigenous to Europe but now a nearly cosmopolitan weed in temperate regions. It is ...self-heal
(Encyclopedia)self-heal or heal-all, weedy perennial (Prunella vulgaris) with the typical angular stems and bluish flowers of the family Labiatae (mint family). Although it probably originated in the Old World, sel...raven
(Encyclopedia)raven, common name for the largest members of the family Corvidae (crow family), ranging throughout the arctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The common raven, Corvus corax, is a gl...Pullman, George Mortimer
(Encyclopedia)Pullman, George Mortimer, 1831–97, American industrialist and developer of the railroad sleeping car, b. Brocton, N.Y. As a young man he became a cabinetmaker, and after he moved (1858) to Chicago h...pampas grass
(Encyclopedia)pampas grass, any species of the genus Cortaderia, tall South American plants of the family Poaceae (grass family) cultivated in warm climates for ornament. The common pampas grass (C. argentea or sel...avocado
(Encyclopedia)avocado äˈvəkäˈdo, ăvˈ– [key], tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). The fruit, called avocado, alligator pear, or, in Spa...Browse by Subject
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