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Polk, Leonidas Lafayette

(Encyclopedia)Polk, Leonidas Lafayette, 1837–92, American agrarian leader, b. Anson co., N.C. After studying agriculture at Davidson College, he managed a plantation in North Carolina, served with the Confederate...

Gies, William John

(Encyclopedia)Gies, William John gīz [key], 1872–1956, American biological chemist, b. Reisterstown, Md., grad. Gettysburg College (B.S. 1893; Ph.D. Yale, 1897). He began teaching at Columbia in 1898 and served ...

auxin

(Encyclopedia)auxin ôkˈsĭn [key], plant hormone that regulates the amount, type, and direction of plant growth. Auxins include both naturally occurring substances and related synthetic compounds that have simila...

peat

(Encyclopedia)peat, soil material consisting of partially decomposed organic matter, found mainly in swamps and bogs in various parts of the northern temperate zone but also in some semitropical and tropical region...

Weyprecht, Karl

(Encyclopedia)Weyprecht, Karl kärl vīˈprĕkht [key], 1838–81, German arctic explorer. With Julius von Payer he made a voyage to Novaya Zemlya in 1871. Weyprecht and Payer were leaders of an Austrian expedition...

Lenox, James

(Encyclopedia)Lenox, James lĕnˈəks [key], 1800–1880, American bibliophile and philanthropist, b. New York City. Lenox was a founder of the Presbyterian Hospital, New York City. He amassed a fine collection of ...

aqua regia

(Encyclopedia)aqua regia rēˈjēə [key] [Lat.,=royal water], corrosive, fuming yellow liquid prepared by mixing one volume of concentrated nitric acid with three to four volumes of concentrated hydrochloric acid....

rigor mortis

(Encyclopedia)rigor mortis rĭˈgər môrˈtĭs [key], rigidity of the body that occurs after death. The onset may vary from about 10 min to several hours or more after death, depending on the condition of the body...

Murayama, Tomiichi

(Encyclopedia)Murayama, Tomiichi tōˌmē-ēˈchē mo͝orˌäyäˈmə [key], 1924–, Japanese politician. A long-time labor union official and member of the Socialist party, he was originally elected to parliament...

Beattie, James

(Encyclopedia)Beattie, James, 1735–1803, Scottish poet and essayist. Educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, he later became professor of moral philosophy there. His fame in his own lifetime rested on two works,...
 

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