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phosphorus

(Encyclopedia)phosphorus fŏsˈfərəs [key] [Gr.,=light-bearing], nonmetallic chemical element; symbol P; at. no. 15; at. wt. 30.97376; m.p. 44.1℃; b.p. about 280℃; sp. gr. 1.82 at 20℃; valence −3, +3, or ...

sun grebe

(Encyclopedia)sun grebe, common name for a tropical, mainly aquatic bird of the family Heliornithidae. Sun grebes, also called finfoots, are remarkable for their colorful, puffy-toed, webbed feet, which may serve a...

Martin, Joseph William

(Encyclopedia)Martin, Joseph William, 1884–1968, American politician, Speaker of the House of Representatives (1947–49, 1953–55), b. North Attleboro, Mass. He was a reporter (1902–8) for several newspapers ...

Newburyport

(Encyclopedia)Newburyport, city (1990 pop. 16,317), a seat of Essex co., NE Mass., at the mouth of the Merrimack River; settled 1635, set off from Newbury and inc. 1764. Its silverware industry dates from colonial ...

muslin

(Encyclopedia)muslin, general name for plain woven fine white cottons for domestic use. It is believed that muslins were first made at Mosul (now a city of Iraq). They were widely made in India, from where they wer...

porcelain

(Encyclopedia)porcelain [Ital. porcellana], white, hard, permanent, nonporous pottery having translucence which is resonant when struck. Porcelain was first made by the Chinese to withstand the great heat generated...

peccary

(Encyclopedia)peccary pĕkˈərē [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 of their own becau...

Simkhovitch, Mary Kingsbury

(Encyclopedia)Simkhovitch, Mary Kingsbury sĭmkōˈvĭch [key], 1867–1951, American social worker, b. Chestnut Hill, Mass., grad. Boston Univ., 1890. After further study at Radcliffe, Columbia, and the Univ. of B...

Rangel, Charles Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Rangel, Charles Bernard răngˈgəl [key], 1930–, U.S. congressman, b. New York City. Receiving his law degree from St. John's Univ. in 1960, Rangel served in the New York state assembly (1966–70)...

Fauquier, Francis

(Encyclopedia)Fauquier, Francis fôkērˈ [key], c.1704–1768, acting royal governor of Virginia (1758–68). He came to the colony as lieutenant governor in 1758, and in the absence of the governors—the earl of...
 

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