Search

Search results

Displaying 1 - 10

atavism

(Encyclopedia) atavismatavismătˈəvizəm [key], the appearance in an individual of a characteristic not apparent in the preceding generation. At one time it was believed that such a phenomenon was…

Vulcan, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia) Vulcan, in astronomy, hypothetical planet whose existence was proposed by Le Verrier to explain part of the advance of the perihelion of Mercury, not all of which could be accounted…

absolute

(Encyclopedia) absolute, in philosophy, the opposite of relative. The term has acquired numerous widely variant connotations in different philosophical systems. It means unlimited, unconditioned, or…

Luke, Gospel according to Saint

(Encyclopedia) Luke, Gospel according to Saint, third book of the New Testament. It was composed in the second half of the 1st cent. Since the 2d cent. it and the Acts of the Apostles have been…

syllogism

(Encyclopedia) CE5 Categorical syllogism: Venn diagram syllogism, a mode of argument that forms the core of the body of Western logical thought. Aristotle defined syllogistic logic, and his…

ether, in physics and astronomy

(Encyclopedia) ether or aether, in physics and astronomy, a hypothetical medium for transmitting light and heat (radiation), filling all unoccupied space; it is also called luminiferous ether. In…

Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich

(Encyclopedia) Haeckel, Ernst HeinrichHaeckel, Ernst Heinrichĕrnst hīnˈrĭkh hĕˈkəl [key], 1834–1919, German biologist and philosopher. He taught (1862–1909) at the Univ. of Jena. An early exponent of…

case

(Encyclopedia) case, in language, one of the several possible forms of a given noun, pronoun, or adjective that indicates its grammatical function (see inflection); in inflected languages it is…

kinship

(Encyclopedia) kinship, relationship by blood (consanguinity) or marriage (affinity) between persons; also, in anthropology and sociology, a system of rules, based on such relationships, governing…

tachyon

(Encyclopedia) tachyontachyontăkˈēŏnˌ [key], hypothetical elementary particle that travels only at speeds exceeding that of light. According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the…