- allopurinol (chemical compound)
allopurinol, drug used in the treatment of gout, a disease that is characterized by severe inflammation in one or more of the joints of the extremities. Allopurinol inhibits an enzyme that is necessary to form uric acid, a substance present in abnormally large amounts in the blood of persons with
- allosaur (dinosaur genus)
Allosaurus, (genus Allosaurus), large carnivorous dinosaurs that lived from 150 million to 144 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Period; they are best known from fossils found in the western United States, particularly from the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry in Utah and the Garden Park Quarry in
- Allosaurus (dinosaur genus)
Allosaurus, (genus Allosaurus), large carnivorous dinosaurs that lived from 150 million to 144 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Period; they are best known from fossils found in the western United States, particularly from the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry in Utah and the Garden Park Quarry in
- allosteric control (biochemistry)
allosteric control, in enzymology, inhibition or activation of an enzyme by a small regulatory molecule that interacts at a site (allosteric site) other than the active site (at which catalytic activity occurs). The interaction changes the shape of the enzyme so as to affect the formation at the
- allosteric site (biochemistry)
metabolism: Fine control: …the regulatory sites are termed allosteric sites. Allosteric effectors may be formed by enzyme-catalyzed reactions in the same pathway in which the enzyme regulated by the effectors functions. In this case a rise in the level of the allosteric effector would affect the flux of nutrients along that pathway in…
- allosteric stimulation (biochemistry)
allosteric control, in enzymology, inhibition or activation of an enzyme by a small regulatory molecule that interacts at a site (allosteric site) other than the active site (at which catalytic activity occurs). The interaction changes the shape of the enzyme so as to affect the formation at the
- allotment (Canadian and United States history)
Native American: Allotment: Within about a decade of creating the western reservations, both Canada and the United States began to abrogate their promises that reservation land would be held inviolable in perpetuity. In Canada the individual assignment, or allotment, of parcels of land within reserves began in…
- allotransplant (surgery)
allograft, in medical procedures, the transfer of tissue between genetically nonidentical members of the same species, although of a compatible blood type. Allografts are commonly used in the transplants of skin, corneas, hearts, livers, kidneys, and bone and bone marrow, although transplants of
- allotrope (chemistry)
carbon: Structure of carbon allotropes: When an element exists in more than one crystalline form, those forms are called allotropes; the two most common allotropes of carbon are diamond and graphite. The crystal structure of diamond is an infinite three-dimensional array of carbon atoms, each of which forms a…
- allotropy (chemistry)
allotropy, the existence of a chemical element in two or more forms, which may differ in the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids or in the occurrence of molecules that contain different numbers of atoms. The existence of different crystalline forms of an element is the same phenomenon that
- Allouez, Claude-Jean (Jesuit missionary)
Claude-Jean Allouez was a Jesuit missionary to New France who has been called the founder of Catholicism in the West. Allouez entered the Society of Jesus at Toulouse, was ordained priest in 1655, and sailed for Quebec in 1658. He was stationed at settlements along the St. Lawrence River until his
- allowance (taxation)
income tax: Treatment of the family: In order to provide equal tax allowances for dependents to families of the same size at different income levels, each exemption can be multiplied by the standard or basic rate of tax and so be converted into a uniform tax credit that is subtracted from liability. Inflation erodes the real…
- Alloway (Scotland, United Kingdom)
Alloway, southern suburb of the town of Ayr, South Ayrshire council area, historic county of Ayrshire, Scotland, famous as the birthplace of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. There is a museum alongside the thatched cottage where he was born in 1759 and a memorial built in 1820 in the form of
- Alloway, Lawrence (American curator and art critic)
Lawrence Alloway was an English-born American curator and art critic who wrote widely on a variety of popular art topics. He is credited with coining the now-common term Pop art, although its meaning came to be understood as “art about popular culture” rather than “the art of popular culture,” as
- allowed band (solid-state physics)
band theory: …in a solid are called allowed bands. Certain ranges of energies between two such allowed bands are called forbidden bands—i.e., electrons within the solid may not possess these energies. The band theory accounts for many of the electrical and thermal properties of solids and forms the basis of the technology…
- allowed transition (atomic physics)
transition: Allowed transitions are those that have high probability of occurring, as in the case of short-lived radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. In three-millionths of a second, for instance, half of any sample of unstable polonium-212 becomes stable lead-208 by ejecting alpha particles (helium-4 nuclei) from…
- alloy (metallurgy)
alloy, metallic substance composed of two or more elements, as either a compound or a solution. The components of alloys are ordinarily themselves metals, though carbon, a nonmetal, is an essential constituent of steel. Alloys are usually produced by melting the mixture of ingredients. The value of
- alloy 3 (zinc alloy)
zinc processing: Casting alloys: The alloys used, designated alloy 3 and alloy 5 (see table), are both based on high-purity (99.99 percent) zinc. Alloy 3 is the most commonly used, while alloy 5 is slightly harder, owing to the presence of copper in addition to aluminum and magnesium (Mg). Significant quantities of zinc…
- alloy 5 (zinc alloy)
zinc processing: Casting alloys: …used, designated alloy 3 and alloy 5 (see table), are both based on high-purity (99.99 percent) zinc. Alloy 3 is the most commonly used, while alloy 5 is slightly harder, owing to the presence of copper in addition to aluminum and magnesium (Mg). Significant quantities of zinc die castings are…
- alloy steel (metallurgy)
materials science: Steel: …less than 1 percent), and alloy steels, which derive their strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance primarily from other elements, including silicon, nickel, and manganese, added in somewhat larger amounts. Developed in the l960s and resurrected in the late 1970s to satisfy the need for weight savings through greater strength, the…
- Allport, Floyd H. (American social psychologist)
collective behaviour: Interaction theories: psychologist Floyd H. Allport’s criticism of Le Bon and William McDougall, a British-born U.S. psychologist, for their concept of “group mind,” and for their apparent assumption that collective behaviour makes people do things to which they are not predisposed. Allport insisted instead that collective behaviour involves…
- Allport, Gordon (American psychologist)
Gordon Allport was an American psychologist and educator who developed an original theory of personality. Appointed a social science instructor at Harvard University in 1924, he became professor of psychology six years later and, in the last year of his life, professor of social ethics. He
- Allport, Gordon Willard (American psychologist)
Gordon Allport was an American psychologist and educator who developed an original theory of personality. Appointed a social science instructor at Harvard University in 1924, he became professor of psychology six years later and, in the last year of his life, professor of social ethics. He
- Allred, Gloria (American attorney)
Norma McCorvey: …that same year activist lawyer Gloria Allred took McCorvey under her wing.
- allspice (tree and spice)
allspice, (Pimenta dioica), tropical evergreen tree of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and its berries, the source of a highly aromatic spice. The plant is native to the West Indies and Central America. Allspice was so named because the flavour of the dried berry resembles a combination of cloves,
- allspice jasmine (plant)
Gentianales: Gelsemiaceae: Gelsemium elegans (allspice jasmine) from Indomalesia contains powerful alkaloids that have been used in murder and suicide. The sweetly scented Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina, or yellow, jessamine) is a highly poisonous vine in the southern United States that is also cultivated and has been used medicinally…
- Allstate Corporation (American corporation)
Sears: …off its largest subsidiary, the Allstate Corporation, an insurance company founded by Sears in 1931. In addition to selling household goods, hardware, and clothing, Sears provided repair services for automobiles and for household items such as appliances, electronic equipment, and home heating and cooling systems.
- Allston, Robert (governor of South Carolina, United States)
Robert Allston was a rice planter and governor of South Carolina. Allston graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1821, and his papers, The South Carolina Rice Plantation, provide important agricultural, political, and social information about the pre-Civil War South. By scientifically
- Allston, Robert Francis Withers (governor of South Carolina, United States)
Robert Allston was a rice planter and governor of South Carolina. Allston graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1821, and his papers, The South Carolina Rice Plantation, provide important agricultural, political, and social information about the pre-Civil War South. By scientifically
- Allston, Washington (American painter and author)
Washington Allston was a painter and author, commonly held to be the first important American Romantic painter. Allston is known for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his use of light and atmospheric colour. Although his production was small, it shaped future American landscape
- Allt na Lairige Dam (dam, United Kingdom)
dam: Concrete gravity dams: …reduce the cross section of Allt na Lairige Dam in Scotland to only 60 percent of that of a conventional gravity dam of the same height. A series of vertical steel rods near the upstream water face, stressed by jacks and securely anchored into the rock foundation, resists the overturning…
- Allucingoli, Ubaldo (pope)
Lucius III was the pope from 1181 to 1185. A Cistercian monk whom Pope Innocent II had made cardinal in 1141, Lucius was bishop of Ostia (consecrated 1159) and papal counsellor when elected on Sept. 1, 1181, to succeed Alexander III. As pope, Lucius was forced to leave Rome because the Romans had
- allusion (literature)
allusion, in literature, an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text. Most allusions are based on the assumption that there is a body of knowledge that is shared by the author and the reader and that therefore the reader will understand the author’s
- alluvial deposit (geological feature)
alluvial deposit, Material deposited by rivers. It consists of silt, sand, clay, and gravel, as well as much organic matter. Alluvial deposits are usually most extensive in the lower part of a river’s course, forming floodplains and deltas, but they may form at any point where the river overflows
- alluvial fan (geological feature)
alluvial fan, unconsolidated sedimentary deposit that accumulates at the mouth of a mountain canyon because of a diminution or cessation of sediment transport by the issuing stream. The deposits, which are generally fan-shaped in plan view, can develop under a wide range of climatic conditions and
- alluvial ore deposit (mining)
placer deposit: …several varieties of placer deposits: stream, or alluvial, placers; eluvial placers; beach placers; and eolian placers. Stream placers, by far the most important, have yielded the most placer gold, cassiterite, platinum, and gemstones. Primitive mining probably began with such deposits, and their ease of mining and sometime great richness have…
- alluvial placer (mining)
placer deposit: …several varieties of placer deposits: stream, or alluvial, placers; eluvial placers; beach placers; and eolian placers. Stream placers, by far the most important, have yielded the most placer gold, cassiterite, platinum, and gemstones. Primitive mining probably began with such deposits, and their ease of mining and sometime great richness have…
- alluvial plain (geology)
floodplain, flat land area adjacent to a stream, composed of unconsolidated sedimentary deposits (alluvium) and subject to periodic inundation by the stream. Floodplains are produced by lateral movement of a stream and by overbank deposition; therefore they are absent where downcutting is dominant.
- alluvium (geology)
alluvium, material deposited by rivers. It is usually most extensively developed in the lower part of the course of a river, forming floodplains and deltas, but may be deposited at any point where the river overflows its banks or where the velocity of a river is checked—for example, where it runs
- Allworthy, Squire (fictional character)
Squire Allworthy, fictional character, a kindhearted widower who acts as a surrogate father to the foundling in Henry Fielding’s novel Tom Jones (1749). Squire Allworthy initially is misled into believing ill of Tom, but in the end his good nature wins out and he brings about a happy ending to the
- Ally Financial (American company)
John Jakob Raskob: …stimulated sales by establishing the General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC), which allowed dealers to finance their inventory of cars and offer credit and long-term financing to their customers. Raskob’s influence in the company declined, however, after the recession crisis of 1920 and the appointment that year of du Pont as…
- Ally McBeal (American television program)
David E. Kelley: His notable shows included Ally McBeal (1997–2002), The Practice (1997–2004), and Boston Legal (2004–08).
- Ally Sloper (comic strip)
comic strip: The 19th century: Though the strip Ally Sloper is often credited to the English novelist Charles Henry Ross, it was his wife, Marie Duval (pseudonym of the French actress Emilie de Tessier), Europe’s first (and still obstinately unrecognized) professional woman cartoonist, who developed the character Ally Sloper. Featured in roughly 130…
- allyl (chemical compound)
organometallic compound: Alkene and alkyne ligands: The allyl ligand, ―CH2―CH=CH2, can bind to a metal atom in either of two configurations: as an η1-ligand or an η3-ligand. Because of this versatility in bonding, η3-allyl complexes are often highly reactive. Examples of η1- and η3-allyl complexes are, respectively, shown here.
- allyl 2-propenethiosulfinate (chemical compound)
organosulfur compound: Disulfides and polysulfides and their oxidized products: …of water and heat on allicin, a biologically active thiosulfinate, or disulfide S-oxide, CH2=CHCH2S(=O)SCH2CH=CH2, in turn formed enzymatically from sulfoxide precursors in the intact garlic bulb (see below Sulfoxides and sulfones: Reactions). Sulfurized olefins are used in extreme pressure lubrication, while a highly resistant sulfur cement and
- allyl carbanion (chemical compound)
carbanion: Delocalized ions.: The allyl carbanion (formula, C3H-5), a somewhat more elaborate unit than the methide ion, serves as the prototype for the structures of delocalized carbanions. It is derived from the substance propene by loss of a proton, as shown in the equation below, and its structure is…
- allyl chloride (chemical compound)
organohalogen compound: …that bears the halogen in allyl chloride (CH2=CHCH2Cl) is singly bonded to each of its attached atoms, which makes the compound an alkyl halide even though a double bond is present elsewhere in the chain. For the same reason, benzyl chloride (C6H5CH2Cl) is an alkyl halide, not an aryl halide,…
- allyl isothiocyanate (chemical compound)
organosulfur compound: Thiocarbonyl compounds: Allyl isothiocyanate, CH2=CHCH2N=C=S, gives horseradish its distinctive flavour; related compounds are found in mustard and radish. The dithiocarbamate thiuram, R2NC(S)SSC(S)NR2 (R = CH3), is used as an antioxidant and accelerator in rubber vulcanization and is also
- allylamine (chemical compound)
antifungal drug: The allyamines: The allylamines (terbinafine and naftifine) are synthetic antifungal agents that are effective in the topical and oral treatment of dermatophytes (fungi that infect the skin and other integumentary structures). Like the azoles, the allylamines act through inhibition of fungal ergosterol biosynthesis. Oral terbinafine is…
- allylic alcohol (chemical compound)
alcohol: Structure and classification of alcohols: Alcohols are referred to as allylic or benzylic if the hydroxyl group is bonded to an allylic carbon atom (adjacent to a C=C double bond) or a benzylic carbon atom (next to a benzene ring), respectively.
- allyott (plant)
jute, either of two species of Corchorus plants—C. capsularis, or white jute, and C. olitorius, including both tossa and daisee varieties—belonging to the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae), and their fibre. The latter is a bast fibre; i.e., it is obtained from the inner bast tissue of the
- Allyson, June (American actress)
Henry Koster: Films of the 1940s: …of a musician (played by June Allyson) with José Iturbi’s orchestra. Two more musicals followed: Two Sisters from Boston (1946), with Allyson, Kathryn Grayson, and Jimmy Durante, and The Unfinished Dance (1947), starring O’Brien as a dance student who idolizes a ballerina (Cyd Charisse); the latter marked the last time…
- Alma (Michigan, United States)
Alma, city, Gratiot county, central Michigan, U.S., located on the Pine River about 50 miles (80 km) north of Lansing. Founded as Elyton by Gen. Ralph Ely in 1853, it is in the heart of an agricultural area that produces beans, corn (maize), and sugar beets. The manufacture of automobile parts,
- ALMA (telescope system, Chile)
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), radio telescope system located on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert at an altitude of 5,000 metres (16,500 feet). ALMA consists of 66 parabolic dishes, 54 of which are 12 metres (39 feet) in diameter and 12 of which are 7 metres (23 feet) in
- Alma (novel by Le Clézio)
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio: … (2008 “Ritornello of Hunger”) and Alma (2017).
- alma al aire, El (album by Sanz)
Alejandro Sanz: The eagerly anticipated El alma al aire (2000; “The Soul in the Air”) was tremendously successful; it won Latin Grammy Awards in 2001 for best album, best song, best male pop vocal album, and best record of the year. Sanz’s popularity in the world of Latin music was…
- alma castellana, El (work by Azorín)
Azorín: His book El alma castellana (1900; “The Castilian Soul”) and his essay collections La ruta de Don Quijote (1905; “The Route of Don Quixote”) and Una hora de España 1560–1590 (1924; An Hour of Spain, 1560–1590) carefully and subtly reconstruct the spirit of Spanish life, directing the…
- Alma College (college, Alma, Michigan, United States)
Alma: …city is the seat of Alma College (founded 1886) and the Michigan Masonic Home. The annual Alma Highland Festival and Games (May) features Scottish dancing, piping, and drumming and competitions in traditional Scottish athletic events. Inc. village, 1872; city, 1905. Pop. (2000) 9,275; (2010) 9,383.
- Alma redemptoris mater (work by Dufay)
paraphrase: …motet Alma redemptoris mater (Beloved Mother of the Redeemer) by Guillaume Dufay, or in all voice parts through the technique of melodic imitation, as in the Missa pange lingua (mass on the plainsong hymn “Pange lingua” [“Sing, My Tongue”]) by Josquin des Prez.
- Alma, Battle of (Crimean War [1854])
Battle of Alma, battle fought on September 20, 1854, the first major engagement of the Crimean War. The victory by the British and the French left the Russian naval base of Sevastopol vulnerable and endangered the entire Russian position in the war. Commanded by Prince Aleksandr Menshikov, the
- Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan)
Almaty, city, southeastern Kazakhstan. It was formerly the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (1929–91) and of independent Kazakhstan (1991–97). Almaty lies in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau at an elevation of 2,300–3,000 feet (700–900 metres), where the Bolshaya and
- Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence (British painter)
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a Dutch-born painter of scenes from everyday life in the ancient world whose work was immensely popular in its time. Alma-Tadema, the son of a Dutch notary, studied art at the Antwerp Academy (1852–58) under the Belgian historical painter Hendrik Leys, assisting the
- almacantar (astronomy)
almucantar, in astronomy, any circle of the celestial sphere parallel to the horizon; when two objects are on the same almucantar, they have the same altitude. The term also refers to instruments of a pattern invented by the U.S. astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler for determining latitude or time by
- Almada Negreiros, José de (Portuguese poet, novelist, caricaturist, dancer, and actor)
Portuguese literature: From monarchy to republic: …figure of Portuguese Modernism is José de Almada Negreiros, a poet, novelist, caricaturist, dancer, and actor who provoked scandal with his Manifesto anti-Dantas (1915), which ridiculed the doctor and politician Júlio Dantas, and his “Ultimatum futurista ás gerações portuguezas do Seculo XX” (1917; “Futurist Ultimatum to the Portuguese Generations of…
- Almadén (Spain)
Almadén, town, Ciudad Real provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Castile-La Mancha, west-central Spain. Almadén is located in one of the world’s richest mercury-producing regions. The town, originally Roman, then a Moorish settlement (Arabic: al-Maʿdin, “mine”),
- Almagest (work by Ptolemy)
Almagest, astronomical manual written about 150 ce by Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus of Alexandria). It served as the basic guide for Islamic and European astronomers until about the beginning of the 17th century. Its original name was Mathematike Syntaxis (“The Mathematical Arrangement”); Almagest
- Almagro, Diego de (Spanish conquistador)
Diego de Almagro was a Spanish soldier who played a leading role in the Spanish conquest of Peru. Following service in the Spanish navy, Almagro arrived in South America in 1524 and, with his intimate friend Francisco Pizarro, led the expedition that conquered the Inca empire in what is now Peru.
- Almagro, Luis (Uruguayan politician)
Juan Guaidó: Opposition to Chávez and Maduro: …Brazil’s new right-wing president, and Luis Almagro, the head of the Organization of American States, all but recognized him as Venezuela’s acting president.
- Almalyk (Uzbekistan)
Olmaliq, city, eastern Uzbekistan. It is situated 35 miles (55 km) southeast of the city of Tashkent on the northern slopes of the Qurama Mountains and on the left bank of the Ohangaron River. Olmaliq was founded in 1951 from several settlements exploiting the rich nonferrous-metal resources of the
- almanac (book)
almanac, book or table containing a calendar of the days, weeks, and months of the year; a record of various astronomical phenomena, often with climate information and seasonal suggestions for farmers; and miscellaneous other data. An almanac provides data on the rising and setting times of the Sun
- Almanac for New England for the Year 1639, An (almanac by Pierce)
almanac: …in colonial North America was An Almanac for New England for the Year 1639, compiled by William Pierce and printed in Cambridge, Mass., under the supervision of Harvard College. This was followed by many other American almanacs, one of the best of which, the Astronomical Diary and Almanack, was begun…
- Almanac of the Dead (work by Silko)
Leslie Marmon Silko: Silko’s second novel, Almanac of the Dead (1991), explores themes similar to those found in Ceremony, this time through the lives of two Native American women. Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit (1996) is a collection of essays on contemporary Native American life. In 1999 Silko…
- Almanac Singers (American music group)
Woody Guthrie: New York City, political songs, and first recordings: …the principal songwriters for the Almanac Singers, a group of activist performers—including Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and Cisco Houston—who used their music to attack fascism and support humanitarian and leftist causes.
- almandine (mineral)
almandine, either of two semiprecious gemstones: a violet-coloured variety of ruby spinel (q.v.) or iron aluminum garnet, which is most abundant of the garnets. Specimens of the garnet, frequently crystals, contain up to 25 percent grossular or andradite and are commonly brownish red; gem-quality
- almandite (mineral)
almandine, either of two semiprecious gemstones: a violet-coloured variety of ruby spinel (q.v.) or iron aluminum garnet, which is most abundant of the garnets. Specimens of the garnet, frequently crystals, contain up to 25 percent grossular or andradite and are commonly brownish red; gem-quality
- Almanräder, Karl (German musician)
wind instrument: The Romantic period: …the bassoon in 1825 by Karl Almenräder, a chamber musician of Biebrich, Germany. Because the improvements were accompanied by deficiencies in tone, the French preferred to develop the classic bassoon. Although the Heckel family (Johann Adam Heckel and Wilhelm, his son and successor), also of Biebrich, eventually corrected the faults,…
- Almansa Dam (dam, Spain)
Almansa Dam, dam on the Vega de Belén River, in Albacete province, Castile-La Mancha autonomous community, Spain. It is said to be the oldest masonry gravity dam still in use. Probably built in the 16th century, the slender structure has cut-stone facing and a rubble masonry interior. It is 82 feet
- Almánzar Cephus, Belcalis Marlenis (American rapper)
Cardi B is an American rapper who vaulted onto the music scene in the late 2010s with the release of the hit single “Bodak Yellow” (2017). With her spirited and unapologetic personality and empowering lyrics, she was especially popular among young women. In 2019 she became the first solo female
- Almánzar, Belcalis Marlenis (American rapper)
Cardi B is an American rapper who vaulted onto the music scene in the late 2010s with the release of the hit single “Bodak Yellow” (2017). With her spirited and unapologetic personality and empowering lyrics, she was especially popular among young women. In 2019 she became the first solo female
- Almanzor (Spanish Umayyad caliph)
Abū ʿĀmir al-Manṣūr was the chief minister and virtual ruler of the Umayyad caliphate of Córdoba for 24 years (978–1002). Manṣūr was descended from a member of the Arab army that conquered Spain. He began his career as a professional letter writer, becoming the protégé (and supposedly the lover) of
- Almanzor Peak (mountain, Spain)
Spain: Relief: …7,972 feet (2,430 metres) and Almanzor Peak at 8,497 feet (2,590 metres)—rise well above the plains of the central plateau. In contrast, the granitic Galician mountains, at the northwestern end of the Hercynian block, have an average elevation of only 1,640 feet (500 metres), decreasing toward the deeply indented (ria)…
- Almaqah (Arabian deity)
Arabian religion: South Arabia: …Sabaʾ the national god was Almaqah (or Ilmuqah), a protector of artificial irrigation, lord of the temple of the Sabaean federation of tribes, near the capital, Maʾrib. Until recently, Almaqah was considered to be a moon god, under the influence of a now generally rejected conception of a South Arabian…
- Almarikh (China)
Kuldja, city, western Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China. It is the chief city, agricultural market, and commercial centre of the Ili River valley, which is a principal route from the Xinjiang region into Central Asia. The valley is far wetter than any other part of Xinjiang and has rich
- Almas (legendary creature)
Sasquatch: Description: …and his Siberian counterpart, the Almas, could be a remnant of Neanderthals, but most scientists do not recognize the creature’s existence. Instead, it is thought to be a hoax or an animal, possibly a bear.
- Almas Peak (mountain, Brazil)
Brazil: Brazilian Highlands: …Gerais into southern Bahia, where Almas Peak reaches 6,070 feet (1,850 metres). The Serra Geral de Goiás separates the states of Goiás and Tocantins to the west from Bahia to the east. Goiás state also includes some of the more elevated parts of the Planalto Central, the Serra dos Pirineus,…
- Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Almaty, city, southeastern Kazakhstan. It was formerly the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (1929–91) and of independent Kazakhstan (1991–97). Almaty lies in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau at an elevation of 2,300–3,000 feet (700–900 metres), where the Bolshaya and
- Almaviva o sia l’inutile precauzione (opera by Rossini)
The Barber of Seville, comic opera in two acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (libretto in Italian by Cesare Sterbini) that was first performed under the title Almaviva o sia l’inutile precauzione (Almaviva; or, The Useless Precaution) at the Teatro Argentina in Rome on February 20, 1816.
- Almaviva, Count (fictional character)
Count Almaviva, character in two plays, Le Barbier de Séville (1775; The Barber of Seville) and Le Mariage de Figaro (1784; The Marriage of Figaro), by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Almaviva is introduced in The Barber of Seville as a young count in love with the heroine, Rosine. With the
- Almaviva, or The Useless Precaution (opera by Rossini)
The Barber of Seville, comic opera in two acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (libretto in Italian by Cesare Sterbini) that was first performed under the title Almaviva o sia l’inutile precauzione (Almaviva; or, The Useless Precaution) at the Teatro Argentina in Rome on February 20, 1816.
- Almayer’s Folly (novel by Conrad)
Joseph Conrad: Writing career: notable works, themes, and style of Joseph Conrad: …a command, began to write Almayer’s Folly. The task was interrupted by the strangest and probably the most important of his adventures. As a child in Poland, he had stuck his finger on the centre of the map of Africa and said, “When I grow up I shall go there.”…
- Almeida de Portugal, Leonor de (Portuguese poet)
Leonor de Almeida de Portugal was a Portuguese poet whose work forms a bridge between the literary periods of Arcádia and Romanticism in Portugal; her style leans toward the Romantic, but she favoured such classical forms as the ode and epithet and made many allusions to mythology and the classics.
- Almeida Garrett, João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, visconde de (Portuguese writer)
João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, viscount de Almeida Garrett was a writer, orator, and statesman who was one of Portugal’s finest prose writers, an important playwright, and chief of the country’s Romantic poets. Garrett graduated in law from the University of Coimbra in 1820,
- Almeida, Belmiro de, Jr. (Brazilian painter)
Brazil: Visual arts: In the late 19th century Belmiro de Almeida painted scenes of Brazilian daily life, influencing a trend toward realism. In the 20th century the painter Cândido Portinari was a major proponent of a uniquely Brazilian style, which blended abstract European techniques with realistic portrayals of the people and landscapes of…
- Almeida, Francisco de (viceroy of India)
Francisco de Almeida was a soldier, explorer, and the first viceroy of Portuguese India. After Almeida had achieved fame in the wars against the Moors, the Portuguese king Manuel I made him viceroy of the newly conquered territories of India in March 1505. Setting forth with a powerful fleet of 21
- Almeida, Joaquim de (Portuguese actor)
Portugal: Theatre and motion pictures: The actor Joaquim de Almeida gained an international following and appeared in many Hollywood films as well as in Maria de Medeiros’s Capitães de Abril (2000; Captains of April), which chronicles the April 1974 revolution. There are performances of both serious plays and witty musicals at the…
- Almeida, José Américo de (Brazilian novelist)
José Américo de Almeida was a novelist whose works marked the beginning of a major Brazilian generation of northeastern regional writers. Their fiction presents a largely socioeconomic interpretation of life in Brazil’s most impoverished and drought-stricken region and is filled with local colour
- Almeida, Lourenço de (Portuguese explorer)
Lourenço de Almeida was a Portuguese sea captain and leader of a 1505 expedition to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), probably the first Portuguese voyage to that island. The son of Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India (1505–09), Lourenço de Almeida had been sent by his father to
- Almeida, Manuel Antônio de (Brazilian novelist)
Manuel Antônio de Almeida was the author of what is now considered to have been the first great novel in Brazilian literature, Memórias de um sargento de milícias (anonymously in parts, 1852–53; as a novel, 1854–55; Memoirs of a Militia Sergeant), his only fictional work. Its realism was not only
- Almeida-Cavalcanti, Alberto de (Brazilian director)
Alberto Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born director-producer, screenwriter, and art director of motion pictures in the mid-20th century who spent much of his career in Europe. Cavalcanti established his reputation as a documentary filmmaker in Britain during the 1930s and went on to produce some
- Almelo (municipality, Netherlands)
Almelo, gemeente (municipality), eastern Netherlands, at the junction of the Overijssel Canal and the Almelo-Nordhorn branch of the Twente Canal; it comprises the former municipalities of Ambt-Almelo, Stad-Almelo, and Vriezenveen. An independent barony belonging to the van Rechteren family, Almelo