Columbia Encyclopedia
Search results
472 results found
air
(Encyclopedia)air: see atmosphere; liquid air; ventilation. ...Greek fire
(Encyclopedia)Greek fire, a flammable composition believed to have consisted of sulfur, naphtha, and quicklime. Although known in antiquity, it was first employed on a large scale by the Byzantines. Bronze tubes th...methanol
(Encyclopedia)methanol, methyl alcohol, or wood alcohol, CH3OH, a colorless, flammable liquid that is miscible with water in all proportions. Methanol is a monohydric alcohol. It melts at −97.8℃ and boils at 6...symmetry
(Encyclopedia)symmetry, generally speaking, a balance or correspondence between various parts of an object; the term symmetry is used both in the arts and in the sciences. In art and design, it is often used in a s...liniment
(Encyclopedia)liniment, liquid preparation rubbed on skin, used to relieve muscular aches and pains. It contains some substance that when rubbed over the affected part causes mild irritation and often brings more b...carbon disulfide
(Encyclopedia)carbon disulfide, CS2, liquid organic compound; it is colorless, foul-smelling, flammable, and poisonous. It can be prepared by direct reaction of carbon, e.g., as charcoal, with sulfur. It is a widel...soman
(Encyclopedia)soman, colorless liquid used as a nerve gas. It boils at 167℃, evolving an odorless vapor. It is rapidly absorbed through the skin; death may result within 15 min of exposure. In nonfatal concentrat...liter
(Encyclopedia)liter, abbr. l, unit of volume in the metric system, defined since 1964 as equal to 0.001 cubic meters, or 1 cubic decimeter. A cube that has each of its edges equal to 10 centimeters has a volume of ...Valparaiso, city, United States
(Encyclopedia)Valparaiso vălpərāˈzō [key], city (1990 pop. 24,414), seat of Porter co., NW Ind.; inc. 1850. There is popcorn processing, tool and die making, and the manufacture of metal products, liquid ferti...Rochelle salt
(Encyclopedia)Rochelle salt, colorless to blue-white orthorhombic crystalline salt with a saline, cooling taste. It is also called Seignette salt after Pierre Seignette, an apothecary of La Rochelle, France, who wa...Browse by Subject
- Earth and the Environment +-
- History +-
- Literature and the Arts +-
- Medicine +-
- People +-
- Philosophy and Religion +-
-
Places
+-
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia and Oceania
- Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries
- Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic Nations
- Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Oceans, Continents, and Polar Regions
- Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans
- United States, Canada, and Greenland
- Plants and Animals +-
- Science and Technology +-
- Social Sciences and the Law +-
- Sports and Everyday Life +-