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tonsure

(Encyclopedia) tonsuretonsuretŏnˈshər [key] [Lat.,=to shave], formerly, practice in some Christian churches of cutting some of the hair from the scalp of clerics. In the West the tonsure consisted of…

tourniquet

(Encyclopedia) tourniquettourniquett&oobreve;rˈnĭkĕt, –kā, tûrˈ– [key], compression device used to cut off the flow of blood to a part of the body, most often an arm or leg. It may be a special…

thermostat

(Encyclopedia) thermostat, automatic device that regulates temperature in an enclosed area by controlling heating or refrigerating systems. It is commonly connected to one of these systems, turning…

Armada, Spanish

(Encyclopedia) Armada, SpanishArmada, Spanishärmäˈdə [key], 1588, fleet launched by Philip II of Spain for the invasion of England, to overthrow the Protestant Elizabeth I and establish Philip on the…

coke

(Encyclopedia) coke, substance obtained by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal. Coke bears the same relation to coal as does charcoal to wood. A hard, gray, massive, porous fuel, coke is…

Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

(Encyclopedia) Sable Island, low, sandy island, c.25 mi (40 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, off N.S., Canada, ESE of Halifax, near the edge of the continental shelf. The crescent-shaped island is…

Bahía, Islas de la

(Encyclopedia) Bahía, Islas de laBahía, Islas de laēzˈläs ᵺā lä bäēˈə [key], or Bay Islands, archipelago (1996 est. pop. 28,448), 144 sq mi (373 sq km), off the north coast of Honduras, in the…

Steinman, Ralph Marvin

(Encyclopedia) Steinman, Ralph Marvin, 1943–2011, Canadian biologist, M.D. Harvard Medical School, 1968. He was a researcher and professor at Rockefeller Univ., New York City, from 1970 until his…

short takeoff and landing aircraft

(Encyclopedia) short takeoff and landing aircraft (STOL), heavier-than-air craft, capable of rising from and descending to the ground with only a short length of runway, but incapable of doing so…

Poniatowski, Józef Anton, Prince

(Encyclopedia) Poniatowski, Józef Anton, PrincePoniatowski, Józef Anton, Princey&oomacr;ˈzĕf änˈtôn pônyätôfˈskē [key], 1763–1813, Polish general and marshal of France; nephew of Stanislaus II.…