Roman religion: Deification of functions: …them in a crisis (Aius Locutius). They multiplied functional deities of this kind to an extraordinary degree of “religious atomism,” in which countless powers or forces were identified with one phase of life or another. Their functions were sharply defined; and in approaching them it was important to use…

materials science: Materials for ground transportation: …of America (Alcoa) called the aluminum intensive vehicle (AIV), and a similar one at Reynolds Metals, were established to develop materials and processes for making automobile “space frames” consisting of aluminum-alloy rods and die-cast connectors joined by welding and adhesive bonding. Not to be outdone, another aluminum company, Alcan Aluminium…

Artturi Ilmari Virtanen: …procedure (known by his initials, AIV) for adding dilute hydrochloric or sulfuric acid to newly stored silage, thereby increasing the acidity of the fodder beyond that point. In a series of experiments (1928–29), he showed that acid treatment has no adverse effect on the nutritive value and edibility of the…

kava, nonalcoholic euphoria-producing beverage made from the root of the pepper plant, principally Piper methysticum, in most of the South Pacific islands. It is yellow-green in colour and somewhat bitter. The primary active ingredients of kava are known as kavalactones; other substances, including

South Asian arts: Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Karnataka: …and two cave temples at Aihole are early 8th century. Among structural temples built during the rule of the Cālukyas of Bāẖāmi are examples in the North Indian style; but, because the Karnataka region was more receptive to southern influences, there are a large number of examples that are basically…

All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), organization dedicated to improving women’s education and social welfare in India. The All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) is one of the oldest women’s organizations in the country. Several hundred local AIWC branches are located across India, with thousands of

Aiwel, in the indigenous religion of the Dinka people of South Sudan, the legendary ancestor and founder of the priesthood known as the spearmasters. According to legend, Aiwel was the son of a water spirit and a human mother. After his mother died during his childhood, Aiwel went to live with his

Aiwel, in the indigenous religion of the Dinka people of South Sudan, the legendary ancestor and founder of the priesthood known as the spearmasters. According to legend, Aiwel was the son of a water spirit and a human mother. After his mother died during his childhood, Aiwel went to live with his

wood duck, (Aix sponsa), small colourful North American perching duck (family Anatidae), a popular game bird. Once in danger of extinction from overhunting and habitat destruction, the species has been saved by diligent conservation efforts. Wood ducks nest in tree cavities up to 15 metres (50

Aix-en-Provence, city, Bouches-du-Rhône département, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, southern France, north of Marseille. Lying on the plain 1 mile (1.6 km) from the right bank of the Arc River, it is on the crossroads of main routes to Italy and the Alps. The conquering Roman proconsul Sextius

Aachen, city, North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. Its municipal boundaries coincide on the west with the frontiers of Belgium and the Netherlands. It was a royal residence of the emperor Charlemagne, and it served as the principal coronation site of Holy Roman emperors and of

Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, (October 1–November 15, 1818), the first of the four congresses held by Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and France to discuss and take common action on European problems following the Napoleonic Wars (1800–15). This congress (held at Aix-la-Chapelle—now Aachen,

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, (Oct. 18, 1748), treaty negotiated largely by Britain and France, with the other powers following their lead, ending the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48). The treaty was marked by the mutual restitution of conquests, including the fortress of Louisbourg on Cape

France: Foreign affairs: …Sweden, which led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668). Then, in the Dutch War that followed shortly afterward (1672–78), Louis intended to warn the Dutch that France was a serious commercial competitor and to force the Dutch to give him a free hand in the Spanish Netherlands when the issue…

Aix-les-Bains, city and Alpine spa, Savoie département, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, southeastern France, southwest of Geneva. A summer and winter resort with a beach on Bourget Lake (France’s largest lake) and an aerial cableway up fir-covered Mount Revard (5,125 feet [1,562 metres]), it is a

Aix-Marseille University, coeducational, state-financed, autonomous institution of higher learning founded under France’s 1968 Orientation Act, reforming higher education. The institution developed out of the original University of Provence, founded in 1409 as a studium generale by Louis II of

Aix-Marseille University, coeducational, state-financed, autonomous institution of higher learning founded under France’s 1968 Orientation Act, reforming higher education. The institution developed out of the original University of Provence, founded in 1409 as a studium generale by Louis II of

Aix-Marseille University, coeducational, state-financed, autonomous institution of higher learning founded under France’s 1968 Orientation Act, reforming higher education. The institution developed out of the original University of Provence, founded in 1409 as a studium generale by Louis II of

grāmadevatā: …exceptional male village deity is Aiyaṉar, who in South India is the village watchman and whose shrine is always separate from those of the female goddesses. A similar male deity, known variously as Dharma-Ṭhakur, Dharma-Rāj, and Dharma-Rāy, is found in Bengali villages.

grāmadevatā: …exceptional male village deity is Aiyaṉar, who in South India is the village watchman and whose shrine is always separate from those of the female goddesses. A similar male deity, known variously as Dharma-Ṭhakur, Dharma-Rāj, and Dharma-Rāy, is found in Bengali villages.

Mani Shankar Aiyar is an Indian diplomat, politician, and government official who, after a distinguished foreign-service career, became a senior leader in the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). Aiyar’s family migrated to India from newly formed Pakistan, following the partition of British

South Asian arts: Tamil: …Carittiram (“The Fatal Rumor”), by Rajam Aiyar, whom many judge to be the most important prose writer of 19th-century Tamil literature. In this work, the author created a series of characters that appear to have become classics; the story is a romance, yet life in rural Tamil country is treated…

Aiyetoro, utopian Christian settlement of the Nigerian Holy Apostles’ Community established in 1947. The Holy Apostles’ Community was founded by a small group of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society, itself a part of the Aladura religious movement (a Charismatic Christian movement having affinities

Aegina, island, one of the largest in the Saronic group of Greece, about 16 miles (26 km) south-southwest of Piraeus. With an area of about 32 square miles (83 square km), it is an eparkhía (eparchy) of the nomós (department) of Piraeus. The northern plains and hills are cultivated with vines and

John Heartfield: …works were created for the Arbeiter-Illustrierte Zeitung (AIZ; “Workers’ Illustrated Newspaper”), a widely circulated left-wing weekly that he worked for from 1927 to 1938. Because he was a regular contributor to journals and newspapers, his work was gaining a lot of exposure—so much so that in 1929 an entire room…

Aizawa Yasushi was a Japanese nationalist thinker whose writings helped provoke the movement that in 1868 overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate and restored power to the emperor. Aizawa’s fief of Mito, one of the branches of the great Tokugawa family, was a centre of Confucian learning and loyalty.

Aizawa Yasushi was a Japanese nationalist thinker whose writings helped provoke the movement that in 1868 overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate and restored power to the emperor. Aizawa’s fief of Mito, one of the branches of the great Tokugawa family, was a centre of Confucian learning and loyalty.

Aizawl, city, capital of Mizoram state, northeastern India. It is situated in the north-central part of the state on a ridge at an elevation of about 2,950 feet (900 metres). Aizawl was included in the territory that became part of the newly created Assam state in 1950. The tribal peoples of the

Ueno: The Aizen Temple in Ueno is dedicated to the god of love. The industry of the city includes the traditional manufacture of sake (rice wine), textiles, stoneware, and umbrellas. Ueno is connected by railway to Nara (west) and Nagoya (east). Pop. (2005) 100,623; (2010) 97,207.

Ōmoto, religious movement of Japan that had a large following in the period between World War I and World War II and that served as a model for numerous other sects in that country. The teaching of Ōmoto is based on divine oracles transmitted through a peasant woman, Deguchi Nao, whose healing

Caryophyllales: Economic importance: Aizoaceae includes ice plants, sea figs (also called beach apples), and living stones (lithops). Stem or leaf succulents in Cactaceae and Aizoaceae are commonly collected and used in rock gardens.

Aizu-wakamatsu, city, Fukushima ken (prefecture), northeast-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated in the centre of the Aizu Basin, surrounded by volcanic mountains. A castle was built on the site in 1384. Much of the present city dates from 1590, when the castle was rebuilt and named Tsuruga

RuPaul: …also cocreated the TV series AJ and the Queen (2020– ), in which he played a drag queen traveling across the United States, accompanied by a 10-year-old girl; the comedy aired on Netflix.

Steely Dan: …The Royal Scam (1976) and Aja (1977). Difficulties in completing Gaucho (1980) persuaded Becker and Fagen to give the group a rest, and they pursued separate careers for many years. Fagen’s first solo album, The Nightfly (1982), recaptured many of Steely Dan’s strengths; Becker produced albums for various artists. In…

western Africa: The southward expansion of Oyo: …country southwestward to the small Aja states on the coast in which the Europeans had established trading posts. A measure of control was also asserted more directly to the south over other Yoruba peoples and kings in the forest. Here a boundary was established with the kingdom of Benin, which…

African dance: The social context: …adolescent boys perform the lively Ajabure with ceremonial swords. The transition from one age grade to the next may be marked by rites and festivities. In initiation rites for adolescents, dances may stress sexual fertility as well as customary behaviour between the sexes. In the Otufo initiation rites for girls…

Ajaccio, town and capital of Corse-du-Sud département, Corsica région, France. It is a Mediterranean port on the west coast of the island of Corsica. Napoleon’s birthplace, Maison Bonaparte, is now a museum, as is part of the town hall. The original settlement of Ajax was founded by the Romans 2

ajaeng, large Korean bowed zither having seven strings. Its body is about 160 cm (62 inches) long and 25 cm (10 inches) wide and is made of paulownia wood. The ajaeng’s strings, made of twisted silk, are supported by separate movable bridges. The bow with which it is played, some 65 cm (25 inches)

ajaeng: The modern ajaeng sanjo is basically a smaller version of the ajaeng, about 120 cm (47 inches) long, and it has eight strings. The ajaeng sanjo is used for a variety of genres, including sanjo (virtuosic solo music), folk songs, and shaman ensembles.

spoonbill: …a rosy tinge, but the roseate spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja), of North and South America, about 80 cm long, is deep pink with a white neck and upper back. It ranges from the Gulf Coast of Texas and the West Indies to Argentina and Chile. In some places it has been…

Mozarabic language, archaic dialect of Spanish that was spoken in those parts of Spain under Arab occupation from the early 8th century until about 1300. Mozarabic retained many archaic Latin forms and borrowed many words from Arabic. Although almost completely overshadowed by Arabic during the

Ajanta Caves, Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, located near Ajanta village, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, that are celebrated for their wall paintings. The temples are hollowed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a 70-foot (20-metre) ravine in the Wagurna

Ajanta Caves, Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, located near Ajanta village, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, that are celebrated for their wall paintings. The temples are hollowed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a 70-foot (20-metre) ravine in the Wagurna

Ajaria: Geography: …Georgians, Russians, Armenians, and the Ajars themselves, a Georgian population Islamicized under Turkish rule. Although the Ajars are not a nationality distinct from other Georgians, they do represent a distinctive cultural segment of the Georgian homeland. Of the total population, less than one-half is urban and two-thirds live in the…

Ajaria: Geography: Two east-west ranges, the Ajar-Imeretinsky in the north and the Shavshetsky in the south, rise from the Black Sea coastal lowlands to more than 9,200 feet (2,800 metres). Between the ranges lies the Ajaristskali River valley, which is closed at the eastern end by a third range, the Arsiyan…

Ajaria, autonomous republic in Georgia, in the southwestern corner of that country, adjacent to the Black Sea and the Turkish frontier. It is largely mountainous with the exception of a narrow coastal strip. Batumi is the capital and largest city. Area 1,112 square miles (2,880 square km). Pop.

Patna: …the 5th century bce by Ajatashatru, king of Magadha (South Bihar). His son Udaya (Udayin) made it the capital of Magadha, which it remained until the 1st century bce. The second Magadha dynasty, the Maurya, ruled in the 3rd and early 2nd centuries bce until the city was sacked in…

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Oileus, king of Locris; he was said to be boastful, arrogant, and quarrelsome. For his crime of dragging King Priam’s daughter Cassandra from the statue of the goddess Athena and violating her, he barely escaped being stoned to death by his Greek allies. Odysseus knew

Graf Spee: …consisting of the cruisers Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles, commanded by Commodore H. Harwood. At 6:14 am Harwood’s three ships attacked, but in a little more than an hour the Graf Spee had damaged the Exeter and driven off the other two cruisers. The Graf Spee then made off in the…

Web application: History and development: …interactivity did not arrive until AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML), a new programming model named by user-experience designer Jesse James Garrett in his 2005 paper “Ajax: A New Approach to Web Application.” Programmers realized that by breaking an application into multiple tiers, they could use existing software to separate the…

Peter Sellars: His controversial production of Ajax (1986) took the form of a post-Vietnam military trial. Among his many striking opera productions, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni was staged in an urban ghetto, his Così fan tutte in a diner, and his Marriage of Figaro in a corporate high-rise. He collaborated…

Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. Ajax is the Netherlands’ most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. Ajax was promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for the first time in 1911. Under the

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, described in the Iliad as being of great stature and colossal frame, second only to the Greek hero Achilles in strength and bravery. He engaged Hector (the chief Trojan warrior) in single combat and later, with the aid of the goddess Athena,

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, described in the Iliad as being of great stature and colossal frame, second only to the Greek hero Achilles in strength and bravery. He engaged Hector (the chief Trojan warrior) in single combat and later, with the aid of the goddess Athena,

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Oileus, king of Locris; he was said to be boastful, arrogant, and quarrelsome. For his crime of dragging King Priam’s daughter Cassandra from the statue of the goddess Athena and violating her, he barely escaped being stoned to death by his Greek allies. Odysseus knew

Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz was a Polish logician and semanticist who was the chief contributor to the Warsaw school of philosophy and logic, which analyzed the relationship of language and knowledge. He is credited with developing in 1920 the first deductive theory for the study of logic based on

monosodium glutamate (MSG), white crystalline substance, a sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid, that is used to intensify the natural flavour of certain foods. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an important ingredient in the cuisines of China and Japan and is used commercially in broths, soups,

bridge: Ōsaka Harbour: …as the Konohana is the Ajigawa cable-stayed bridge, with a span of 344 metres (1,148 feet) and an elegantly thin deck just over three metres deep.

Indian philosophy: Background: …and by materialists, such as Ajita Keshakambalin, who, besides denying virtue, vice, and afterlife, resolved being into material elements. Protests were also voiced by Nigantha Nataputta, who believed in salvation by an ascetic life of self-discipline and hence in the efficacy of deeds and the possibility of omniscience, and, finally,…

ajiva, in the Jainist philosophy of India, “nonliving substance,” as opposed to jiva, “soul” or “living matter.” Ajiva is divided into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of

ajiva, in the Jainist philosophy of India, “nonliving substance,” as opposed to jiva, “soul” or “living matter.” Ajiva is divided into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of

Ajivika, an ascetic sect that emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism and Jainism and that lasted until the 14th century; the name may mean “following the ascetic way of life.” It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta), a friend of Mahavira, the 24th

Ajivika, an ascetic sect that emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism and Jainism and that lasted until the 14th century; the name may mean “following the ascetic way of life.” It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta), a friend of Mahavira, the 24th

Tall al-ʿAjjul, ancient site in southern Palestine, located at the mouth of the Ghazzah Wadi just south of the town of Gaza (modern Ghazzah). The site, often called “ancient Gaza,” was excavated between 1930 and 1934 by British archaeologists under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie. Although the

Veszprém: …in Herend and crystal in Ajka. In the aftermath of the political changes in 1989, the county’s economy became more reliant on the tourism industry centred on Lake Balaton, especially at Veszprém, Balatonfüred, and Balatonalmádi. Veszprém’s industrial legacy put it at the centre of the news in October 2010, however,…

ʿAjmān: …site of the city of ʿAjmān, the capital and major urban settlement. ʿAjmān emirate also includes two interior exclaves (noncontiguous sections) on the Musandam Peninsula, the horn of the Arabian Peninsula. They are tiny Al-Manāmah, 37 miles (60 km) east-southeast of ʿAjmān city, and Maṣfūṭ, 56 miles (90 km) southeast…

ʿAjmān, constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States, or Trucial Oman). It is the smallest emirate of the country and is composed of three sections. The principal portion, on the Persian Gulf coast, is completely surrounded by the emirate of Al-Shāriqah and is the site

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Akshay Kumar: Ajnabee (2001; “Stranger”) was a change of pace for the usually charming actor, and his turn as a philandering husband and murderer won him his first Filmfare Award, for best villain.

jnana: Its opposite, ajnana (also called avidya), is the false apprehension of reality that keeps the soul from attaining release; it is a form of mistaken knowledge, which has a large measure of validity as far as the realities of the present world are concerned but conceals the…

Ajo, town, Pima county, southwestern Arizona, U.S. Spaniards mined in the area in the 1750s, and the Ajo Copper Company (1854) was the first incorporated mining concern in the Arizona Territory. Copper and silver were the most valuable minerals mined in the area. The mines remained dormant from

organosulfur compound: Reactions: …an unsaturated sulfoxide disulfide called ajoene, which has anticlotting (antithrombotic) properties. When an onion bulb is cut or crushed, an odourless substance in the bulb, S-1-propenylcysteine S-oxide, is similarly transformed into 1-propenesulfenic acid, CH3CH=CH―S―O―H, which rearranges to (Z)-propanethial S-oxide, CH3CH2CH=S+O−, the so-called lacrimatory factor, or tear-inducing substance, of the onion.

pierced work, in metalwork, perforations created for decorative or functional effect or both; the French term for such work is ajouré. Both hand-operated and mechanical tools such as saws, drills, chisels, and punches are used. The principal present-day exponents of this ancient technique are

Endre Szemerédi: …1983 the trio devised the Ajtai-Komlós-Szemerédi (AKS) sorting network, which is an algorithm for sorting n objects in a particular order in log n time steps, the least amount of time theoretically possible.

Denisova Cave, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Anui River valley roughly 60 miles (100 km) south of Biysk in the Altai Mountains of Russia. The cave contains more than 20 layers of excavated artifacts, indicating occupation by hominins as long ago as 280,000 years before the present

bugleweed, (genus Ajuga), genus of about 40 species of Eurasian plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Bugleweeds are commonly used in landscaping, and some creeping species, used as ground covers, are widely naturalized. The plants, which can be annuals or perennials, have attractive flowers that

bugleweed: Ground pine, or yellow bugle (A. chamaepitys), is shorter and has yellow flowers and three-parted needlelike leaves that are pine-scented.

bugleweed: Carpet, or common, bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) forms colonies of rosettes of dark green oval leaves in damp meadows or woodlands. It produces short spikes of blue, or occasionally pink or white, flowers on stems up to 30 cm (12 inches) long and uses stolons (runners)…

African dance: The religious context: …similar organization is called the Ajun, whose elders deal with hysterical disorders in women by exorcising evil spirits in initiation ceremonies. During a three-month period in a house shrine, the sufferer is taught songs and dances that have a therapeutic function culminating in a ceremony in which the initiate publicly…

African dance: The religious context: …the society to perform the Ajun-Kpa dance. The female spirit mediums of the Kalabari in the Niger delta, using dance and song as an essential part of their therapy, are also credited with powers of healing.

Somaliland: Historical region: …Adal, centred at Seylac, and Ajuran, centred at Mogadishu.

Mecca: City site: …the peaks of which include Mount (Jabal) Ajyad, which rises to 1,332 feet, and Mount Abū Qubays, which attains 1,220 feet, to the east and Mount Quʿayqʿān, which reaches 1,401 feet, to the west. Mount Hirāʾ rises to 2,080 feet on the northeast and contains a cave in which Muhammad…

surah: …30 equal sections known as ajzāʾ (singular juzʾ; Persian and Urdu sipāra, or pāra). These break up the surahs arbitrarily, without regard to content, into 30 parts in order to facilitate the systematic reading of the entire Qurʾān in 30 days, or one lunar month.

Warsaw Uprising: …Polish underground, known as the Home Army, was anxious because the Soviet Union had already assumed direct control of eastern Poland and had sponsored the formation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer the remainder of Soviet-occupied Polish territory. Hoping to gain control of Warsaw before the Red…

akund floss, downy seed fibre obtained from Calotropis procera and C. gigantea, milkweed plants of the Apocynaceae family (formerly in Asclepiadaceae). Small trees or shrubs, these two species are native to southern Asia and Africa and were introduced to South America and the islands of the

Ak Koyunlu, Turkmen tribal federation that ruled northern Iraq, Azerbaijan, and eastern Anatolia from 1378 to 1508 ce. The Ak Koyunlu were present in eastern Anatolia at least from 1340, according to Byzantine chronicles, and most Ak Koyunlu leaders, including the founder of the dynasty, Kara Osman

Justice and Development Party, political party that came to power in Turkey in the general elections of 2002. In spite of the party’s nonconfessional mandate, the AKP draws significant support from nonsecular Turks and has faced objections from some segments of Turkish society that it harbours an

Justice and Development Party, political party that came to power in Turkey in the general elections of 2002. In spite of the party’s nonconfessional mandate, the AKP draws significant support from nonsecular Turks and has faced objections from some segments of Turkish society that it harbours an

Samarkand: …the 15th century belongs the Ak Saray tomb with a superb fresco of the interior. Rīgestān Square, an impressive public square in the old city, is fronted by several madrasahs (Islamic schools): that of Timur’s grandson, the astronomer Ulūgh Beg (1417–20), and those of Shirdar (1619–1635/36) and Tilakari (mid-17th century),…

Kurmanbek Bakiyev: …in December 2007, his party, Ak Zhol (Bright Path), won 71 of the 90 seats. Mismanagement of Kyrgyzstan’s hydroelectric resources led to an energy crisis in 2008, and allegations of corruption and nepotism plagued Bakiyev and his allies. As Bakiyev’s term progressed, opposition figures also accused him of intimidation and…

AK-47: …rifles from the AK family—the AK-12 and the AK-15—as eventual replacements for the AK-74M. The AK-12 retained the 5.45-mm calibre that had been introduced with the AK-74, but the AK-15 reverted to the Soviet-era 7.62-mm round. Both weapons featured a modernized chassis that allowed for the mounting of scopes, forward…

AK-47: …AK family—the AK-12 and the AK-15—as eventual replacements for the AK-74M. The AK-12 retained the 5.45-mm calibre that had been introduced with the AK-74, but the AK-15 reverted to the Soviet-era 7.62-mm round. Both weapons featured a modernized chassis that allowed for the mounting of scopes, forward grips, and other…

AK-47, Soviet assault rifle, possibly the most widely used shoulder weapon in the world. The initials AK represent Avtomat Kalashnikova, Russian for “automatic Kalashnikov,” for its designer, Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, who designed the accepted version of the weapon in 1947. Almost from the

assault rifle: 8 kg), and the AK-74 version, following later trends in the West, switched to a 5.45-mm cartridge.

AK-47: …version of the AK-74, the AK-74M, was the main infantry weapon of the Russian army into the 21st century.

Budapest: Early settlement and the emergence of medieval Buda: …became Óbuda, a settlement named Ak-Ink (“Ample Water”) was established by the Celtic Eravisci. This became Aquincum when the Romans established a military camp and civilian town there at the end of the 1st century ce. Becoming the seat of the province Pannonia Inferior (c. 106) and then acquiring the…

Qyzylorda, city, south-central Kazakhstan, on the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River). Originally founded in the early 19th century as the Kokand fort of Ak-Mechet, it was renamed Perovsk after its capture by the Russians in 1853. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the name of Ak-Mechet was

Simferopol: …to the Tatar settlement of Ak-Mechet, after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Simferopol has a wide range of food-processing industries and makes wine and tobacco products. There are also light engineering and consumer-goods industries; products have included machine tools, armatures, television sets, clothing, and footwear. The city has several…