gerenuk, (Litocranius walleri), the longest-necked member of the gazelle tribe (Antilopini, family Bovidae), a browsing antelope of the lowland arid thornbush of the Horn of Africa. The gerenuk’s shoulder height is 80–105 cm (31–41 inches), and the animal weighs 28–52 kg (62–114 pounds). It has a

Gerês Mountains, short range of mountains, less than 20 mi (32 km) long, with a maximum width of about 11 mi, reaching an elevation of nearly 5,000 ft (1,507 m). They run east-northeast from Portugal’s northwestern interior into Spanish Galicia. The area is known for its Roman ruins, including the

Gerês Mountains, short range of mountains, less than 20 mi (32 km) long, with a maximum width of about 11 mi, reaching an elevation of nearly 5,000 ft (1,507 m). They run east-northeast from Portugal’s northwestern interior into Spanish Galicia. The area is known for its Roman ruins, including the

Gereshk, town, southwestern Afghanistan. It lies along the Helmand River, 75 miles (120 km) west-northwest of Kandahār, with which it is linked by road. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural area; the Kajakī dam upriver diverts water to the Boghrā irrigation canal. The town was originally

Aladár Gerevich was a Hungarian fencer, who played a leading role in the Hungarian team’s 36-year dominance of the Olympic sabre competition. Gerevich won seven gold medals in fencing, and he was the only person to have won a gold medal in the same sport at six different Olympics. Gerevich was a

African art: Personal decoration: …its height in the annual gerewol, a beauty contest between men whose faces are painted and who wear metal bracelets, bead necklaces, and head ornaments. The women regularly wear elaborate hairstyles (often featuring golden rings around separate locks of hair) together with a profusion of jewelry. The varieties of dress…

Valery Gergiev is a Russian conductor, known for his charismatic stage presence and passionate performances, who became artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theatre (previously called Kirov Theatre) in St. Petersburg in 1996. Gergiev was the son of Ossetian parents and spent much of his

history of logic: Other 18th-century logicians: …developed by the French mathematician Joseph-Diez Gergonne in 1816–17, although Gergonne retreated from two-dimensional graphs to linear formulas that could be more easily printed and manipulated. For complicated reasons, almost all German formal logic came from the Protestant areas of the German-speaking world.

Nikolaus Gerhaert von Leyden was a master sculptor who was one of the most significant artists of his time in the Upper Rhine country. Gerhaert had myriad followers, and the expressive realism of his style influenced many of his contemporaries. Sandstone and limestone were his most frequent

Nikolaus Gerhaert von Leyden was a master sculptor who was one of the most significant artists of his time in the Upper Rhine country. Gerhaert had myriad followers, and the expressive realism of his style influenced many of his contemporaries. Sandstone and limestone were his most frequent

classical scholarship: Developments in archaeology and art history: Eduard Gerhard (1795–1867) founded the study of Greek vase painting as a scientific discipline; his report on the numerous Greek vases excavated from the Etruscan necropolis of Vulci (1831) was epoch-making. In Bonn, Welcker built up the first large collection of plaster casts of Greek…

Johann Gerhard was a leading German Protestant theologian, biblical scholar, renowned polemicist, author of the standard Lutheran dogmatic treatise Loci Theologici, and spearhead of every major Lutheran theological gathering of his time. Gerhard was deeply influenced as a youth by the Lutheran

Josef Mengele: …friends with an old-time Nazi, Wolfgang Gerhard, and living in a succession of houses owned by a Hungarian couple. In 1985 a team of Brazilian, West German, and American forensic experts determined that Mengele had taken Gerhard’s identity, died in 1979 of a stroke while swimming, and was buried under…

Einar Gerhardsen was a four-time prime minister of Norway (1945, 1945–51, 1955–63, 1963–65) and leader of the Norwegian Labour Party, who led his nation’s postwar economic recovery program. The son of a Labour Party member, Gerhardsen joined the party during World War I and sided with its radical

Einar Gerhardsen was a four-time prime minister of Norway (1945, 1945–51, 1955–63, 1963–65) and leader of the Norwegian Labour Party, who led his nation’s postwar economic recovery program. The son of a Labour Party member, Gerhardsen joined the party during World War I and sided with its radical

Charles Gerhardt was a French chemist who was an important precursor of the German chemist August Kekule and his structural organic chemistry. Gerhardt’s Swiss-born father, Samuel Gerhardt, initially worked in a bank. In 1825 Samuel Gerhardt became a manufacturer of white lead but had little

Charles Gerhardt was a French chemist who was an important precursor of the German chemist August Kekule and his structural organic chemistry. Gerhardt’s Swiss-born father, Samuel Gerhardt, initially worked in a bank. In 1825 Samuel Gerhardt became a manufacturer of white lead but had little

Elena Gerhardt was a mezzo-soprano, one of the most accomplished singers of German lieder of her time. Gerhardt studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and made her debut at Leipzig in 1903. Having early decided against an operatic career, she made an international reputation as an exponent of German

dentistry: Geriatric dentistry: Geriatric dentistry is concerned with the oral health of elderly persons, who usually have significant medical problems and are taking multiple medications. In addition, they may have psychological and socioeconomic problems that require sophisticated dental management. A basic premise of geriatric dentistry is…

gerontology and geriatrics: geriatrics, scientific and medical disciplines, respectively, that are concerned with all aspects of health and disease in the elderly, and with the normal aging process. Gerontology is the scientific study of the phenomena of aging, by which is meant the progressive changes that take place…

Théodore Géricault was a painter who exerted a seminal influence on the development of Romantic art in France. Géricault was a dandy and an avid horseman whose dramatic paintings reflect his flamboyant and passionate personality. As a student, Géricault learned the traditions of English sporting

Théodore Géricault was a painter who exerted a seminal influence on the development of Romantic art in France. Géricault was a dandy and an avid horseman whose dramatic paintings reflect his flamboyant and passionate personality. As a student, Géricault learned the traditions of English sporting

Jenin, town in the West Bank. Originally administered as part of the British mandate of Palestine (1920–48), Jenin was in the area annexed by Jordan in 1950 following the first of the Arab-Israeli wars (1948–49). After the Six-Day War of 1967, it was part of the West Bank territory under Israeli

Antoine Gérin-Lajoie was a writer, librarian, and leader in the early literary movement of French Canada. During his college years, Gérin-Lajoie composed “Un Canadien errant” (“A Wandering Canadian”), a song that invoked those exiled after the rebellions of 1837–38. He also wrote an early French

Indonesia: Indonesia after Suharto: …Party (Partai Gerkan Indonesia Raya; Gerindra) in the July 2014 presidential election. Jokowi faced a legislative challenge, however, because Gerindra, led by Prabowo, was able to form a large-majority coalition in the parliament that included the PD, Golkar, and the Muslim PPP. In 2015 Indonesia’s economic performance was solid but…

Mount Gerizim, mountain located in the West Bank just south of Nāblus, near the site of biblical Shechem. In modern times it was incorporated as part of the British mandate of Palestine (1920–48) and subsequently as part of Jordan (1950–67). After 1967 it became part of the West Bank (territory

Modest Mussorgsky: Life and career: …father entrusted the boys to Anton Gerke, future professor of music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Arctic: Conquest of the Northeast Passage: Rusanov, the expedition vessel, Gerkules, entered the Kara Sea around the north end of Novaya Zemlya late in the season in 1912. None of the 11 members of the expedition survived, and remains have been found along the southeastern shores of the Kara Sea.

Gerlach Peak, highest peak (8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) of the Carpathian Mountains and of Slovakia. It is in the High Tatra range near the Polish

Ludwig von Gerlach was a Prussian judge, politician, and editor who helped found the conservative newspaper Kreuzzeitung (1848), which became the voice of the Conservative Party, and which opposed Bismarck’s unification plans for Germany during the 1860s and ’70s. Like his brother Leopold, Ludwig

Helmut von Gerlach was a German pacifist journalist and politician, a consistent opponent of German nationalism, whose writings exercised a significant influence on public opinion during the latter part of the reign of William II and during the Weimar Republic. Originally a conservative, Gerlach

Helmut von Gerlach was a German pacifist journalist and politician, a consistent opponent of German nationalism, whose writings exercised a significant influence on public opinion during the latter part of the reign of William II and during the Weimar Republic. Originally a conservative, Gerlach

Otto von Gerlach was a Prussian Lutheran theologian and educator, younger brother of Leopold and Ludwig von Gerlach. Educated at Berlin, Heidelberg, and Göttingen, he began lecturing at the University of Berlin in 1828; in 1834 he became pastor at the new St. Elisabeth Church in Berlin’s

Leopold von Gerlach was the eldest of three brothers prominent in German conservatism during the first half of the 19th century. A Prussian general and adjutant and political adviser to King Frederick William IV, he consistently pursued a conservative policy defending the old order, especially

Leopold von Gerlach was the eldest of three brothers prominent in German conservatism during the first half of the 19th century. A Prussian general and adjutant and political adviser to King Frederick William IV, he consistently pursued a conservative policy defending the old order, especially

Ludwig von Gerlach was a Prussian judge, politician, and editor who helped found the conservative newspaper Kreuzzeitung (1848), which became the voice of the Conservative Party, and which opposed Bismarck’s unification plans for Germany during the 1860s and ’70s. Like his brother Leopold, Ludwig

Otto von Gerlach was a Prussian Lutheran theologian and educator, younger brother of Leopold and Ludwig von Gerlach. Educated at Berlin, Heidelberg, and Göttingen, he began lecturing at the University of Berlin in 1828; in 1834 he became pastor at the new St. Elisabeth Church in Berlin’s

Walther Gerlach was a German physicist noted especially for his work with Otto Stern on the deflections of atoms in a nonhomogeneous magnetic field. Educated at the University of Tübingen, he became a lecturer there in 1916; after periods at Göttingen and Frankfurt, he returned to Tübingen as

Adrien-Victor-Joseph, baron de Gerlache de Gomery was a Belgian naval officer who led the first Antarctic expedition concentrating on scientific observation (1897–99). Sailing with him as mate on the Belgica was Roald Amundsen, who on a subsequent expedition of his own was the first to reach the

Nathaniel Palmer: …subsequent voyages Palmer discovered the Gerlache Strait and Orleans Channel in Antarctica as well as the South Orkney Islands.

Étienne-Constantin, baron de Gerlache was a Belgian Catholic statesman and historian and a parliamentary leader in the first years of the Belgian kingdom established in 1830. He helped Leopold of Saxe-Coburg become the first king of the Belgians as Leopold I in 1831. After practicing law in Paris

Gerlach Peak, highest peak (8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) of the Carpathian Mountains and of Slovakia. It is in the High Tatra range near the Polish

Gerlach Peak, highest peak (8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) of the Carpathian Mountains and of Slovakia. It is in the High Tatra range near the Polish

Gerlach Peak, highest peak (8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) of the Carpathian Mountains and of Slovakia. It is in the High Tatra range near the Polish

soma: …between the soma and the germ cells was propounded by the 19th-century German biologist August Weismann in the “germ plasm” theory that emphasized the role of the immortal, heredity-carrying genes and chromosomes, which are transmitted through successive generations of each species and determine the character of each individual in the…

teratoma: Epidemiology and pathology: Teratomas are a type of germ cell tumor and are often also considered to be a type of congenital tumor (a tumor present at birth), since they may originate during embryonic development, even though many are not apparent until childhood or adulthood. They commonly occur in the ovaries or testes…

germ layer, any of three primary cell layers, formed in the earliest stages of embryonic development, consisting of the endoderm (inner layer), the ectoderm (outer layer), and the mesoderm (middle layer). The germ layers form during the process of gastrulation, when the hollow ball of cells that

biological development: The scope of development: …19th century, as the “germ plasm” and the “soma.” The germ plasm consists of the essential elements, or genes, passed on from one generation to the next, and the soma consists of the body that may be produced as the organism develops. In more modern terms, Weismann’s germ plasm…

germ theory, in medicine, the theory that certain diseases are caused by the invasion of the body by microorganisms, organisms too small to be seen except through a microscope. The French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, the English surgeon Joseph Lister, and the German physician Robert

fungus: Asexual reproduction: …to a structure called a germ tube, which develops into a new hypha.

Feodosiya: …the earliest documented use of biological warfare.

biological weapon, any of a number of disease-producing agents—such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agents—that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants. The direct use of infectious agents and poisons against enemy personnel is an ancient

germ-plasm theory, concept of the physical basis of heredity expressed by the 19th-century biologist August Weismann (q.v.). According to his theory, germ plasm, which is independent from all other cells of the body (somatoplasm), is the essential element of germ cells (eggs and sperm) and is the

Saint Germanus of Paris ; feast day May 28) was an abbot, bishop, and one of France’s most revered saints, who was an important, though unsuccessful, mediator in the fratricidal conflicts among several Merovingian kings. Ordained a priest in 530 at Autun, Germanus was made abbot of the Monastery of

Saint Germanus of Auxerre ; feast day: Wales, August 3; elsewhere, July 31) was a Gallic prelate who was twice sent on crucial missions to England that helped effect the consolidation of the British church. After practicing law at Rome, Germanus was made a provincial governor in Armorica (ancient

François-Thomas Germain was the last of the distinguished Germain family of Parisian silversmiths. He took over the family workshop on the death of his father, Thomas Germain (q.v.), in 1748. At the same time he was granted apartments in the Louvre and was made the royal silversmith. He continued

George Sackville-Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville was an English soldier and politician. He was dismissed from the British army for his failure to obey orders in the Battle of Minden (1759) during the Seven Years’ War. As colonial secretary he was partly responsible for the British defeat at

Sophie Germain was a French mathematician who contributed notably to the study of acoustics, elasticity, and the theory of numbers. As a girl Germain read widely in her father’s library and then later, using the pseudonym of M. Le Blanc, managed to obtain lecture notes for courses from the newly

Pierre Germain was the first notable member of a distinguished family of Parisian silversmiths. Germain was the son of a silversmith and at the age of 17 was presented to Louis XIV. He was admitted as a master in the guild in 1669. In 1677 he made an ornate frame for a portrait of the king, notable

Sophie Germain was a French mathematician who contributed notably to the study of acoustics, elasticity, and the theory of numbers. As a girl Germain read widely in her father’s library and then later, using the pseudonym of M. Le Blanc, managed to obtain lecture notes for courses from the newly

French literature: Prose fiction: Sylvie Germain’s magic realism works on landscapes steeped in history, where the past painfully but also productively encloses the present. Her novel La Pleurante des rues de Prague (1992; The Weeping Woman on the Streets of Prague) is a dreamlike, surreal evocation of a city…

Thomas Germain was a French silversmith, perhaps the best-known member of a distinguished family of silversmiths. The son of Pierre Germain, he studied painting as a boy under Louis Boullogne the Younger. About 1688 he was sent to Rome, where in 1691 he became apprenticed to an Italian silversmith.

Germany: People of Germany: The German people appear to have originated on the coastal region of the Baltic Sea and in the Baltic islands in the Bronze and early Iron ages. From about 500 bce they began to move southward, crushing and absorbing the existing Celtic kingdoms; from 58 bce…

German 88, versatile 88-millimetre (3.46-inch) multirole artillery piece, developed from 1917 by Germany. It was tested in the Spanish Civil War and was used extensively by the Germans in World War II as a field-artillery piece and as an antiaircraft and antitank gun. It was in fact the most

Luftwaffe, component of the German armed forces tasked with the air defense of Germany and fulfillment of the country’s airpower commitments abroad. The Luftwaffe was formally created in 1935, but military aviation had existed in the shadows in Germany since the end of World War I. The Treaty of

Antarctica: National rivalries and claims: The German Antarctic Expedition of 1939 aerially photographed an extensive segment of Princess Astrid and Princess Martha coasts of western Queen Maud Land and, dropping metal swastikas over the region, claimed it for Nazi Germany (the area is now claimed by Norway). Other claims were transferred,…

World War II: German strategy, 1939–42: …and the heads of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH, or German Army High Command), namely the army commander in chief Walther von Brauchitsch and the army general staff chief Franz Halder, were convinced that the Red Army could be defeated in two or three months, and that, by the end…

Deutscher Werkbund, important organization of artists influential in its attempts to inspire good design and craftsmanship for mass-produced goods and architecture. The Werkbund, which was founded in Munich in 1907, was composed of artists, artisans, and architects who designed industrial,

Georg Wüst: …as chief oceanographer on the German Atlantic (1925–27) expedition. He was also in charge of the International Gulf Stream (1938) expedition. The Atlantic expedition, conducted from the research vessel “Meteor,” was the first study of an entire ocean, and it remains one of the most extensive oceanographic surveys ever undertaken.…

wind instrument: The Romantic period: …between the French and the German bassoon still remains, the former having a reedier, more individual tone and the latter, with its comparative richness, blending better. First the Americans and finally the British accepted the German instrument.

brown trout, prized and wary European game fish favoured for the table. The brown trout, which includes several varieties such as the Loch Leven trout of Great Britain, is of the family Salmonidae. It has been introduced to many other areas of the world and is recognized by the light-ringed black

Friedrich Meinecke: …work, Die deutsche Katastrophe (1946; The German Catastrophe), Meinecke criticized forces and entities such as the Prussian state for preparing the groundwork for Hitler and the Nazis. After World War II he became the first president of the Free University of Berlin. In his later years he wrote a number…

cello, bass musical instrument of the violin group, with four strings, pitched C–G–D–A upward from two octaves below middle C. The cello, about 27.5 inches (70 cm) long (47 inches [119 cm] with the neck), has proportionally deeper ribs and a shorter neck than the violin. The earliest cellos were

The military command structure of German forces in Europe in mid-1944 reflected the growing megalomania of the Führer and supreme commander of the armed forces, Adolf Hitler, as well as the rigidity of the Nazi state. All military operations in the western theater were placed under the direction of

chamomile: …Roman, chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) or German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). Several species are cultivated as garden ornamentals, especially golden marguerite, or yellow chamomile (Cota tinctoria).

German Christian, any of the Protestants who attempted to subordinate church policy to the political initiatives of the Nazi Party. The German Christian Faith Movement, organized in 1932, was nationalistic and so anti-Semitic that extremists wished to repudiate the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and

Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German centre-right political party that supports a free-market economy and social welfare programs but is conservative on social issues. The CDU has also been a strong advocate of European integration and has cultivated close relations with the United States while

German Christian: The German Christian Faith Movement, organized in 1932, was nationalistic and so anti-Semitic that extremists wished to repudiate the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the Pauline Letters because of their Jewish authorship. With anti-Semitism as its theological centre, Christianity was reframed as an Aryan religion at…

Lutheranism: European Lutheranism: This controversy, known as the German Church Struggle, led a minority of Lutheran church leaders, such as Martin Niemöller, a decorated World War I submarine captain, to question the legitimacy of the Nazi regime; some, including the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, even became active in the anti-Nazi opposition.

German Civil Code, the body of codified private law that went into effect in the German empire in 1900. Though it has been modified, it remains in effect. The code grew out of a desire for a truly national law that would override the often conflicting customs and codes of the various German

Germany: Hohenstaufen cooperation and conflict with the papacy, 1152–1215: During the war for the crown, much hard-won demesne and useful rights over the church had to be sacrificed by the rivals to bribe their supporters.

Germany: The civil war against Henry IV: Although he intended to cooperate with Henry IV at the outset of his papacy, Gregory VII was drawn into a terrible conflict with the king because of Henry’s refusal to obey papal commands. Emboldened by his success in 1075 against…

Germany: Rupert of Germany: …the drooping power of the German monarchy. His title was not beyond dispute while Wenceslas lived, and the territorial princes and cities were therefore slow to acknowledge him. Pope Boniface IX, maintaining that only a pope might legally depose a German monarch, withheld his approbation of Rupert. An expedition against…

Germany: Constitutional conflicts in the 14th century: …a disputed election and a civil war in Germany. The electors’ impulse to choose another lesser count as king was checked by the houses of Habsburg and Luxembourg, which pressured the prince-electors to choose between their candidates. The pro-Habsburg majority elected Frederick the Handsome, duke of Austria. The minority withdrew…

cockroach: Family Ectobiidae: The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common household pest, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female produces an ootheca 3 days after mating and carries it for about 20 days. Three or more generations may occur yearly. Because it is…

procedural law: Pretrial conference: …the 1976 reforms to the German Code of Civil Procedure, the parties may be directed, through a preliminary written or oral procedure, to prepare the main hearing in such a manner that it can lead to an immediate decision of the case.

Friedrich Ebert: …the SPD to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). The leftists who had withdrawn from the SPD sought a social revolution, while Ebert and his party wanted to establish a German parliamentary democracy. Even in the midst of the war, the Catholic Centre Party, the Democratic Party (previously the…

German Confederation, organization of 39 German states, established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to replace the destroyed Holy Roman Empire. It was a loose political association, formed for mutual defense, with no central executive or judiciary. Delegates met in a federal assembly dominated by

Junker: The German Conservative Party in the Reichstag, or Imperial Assembly, and the extraparliamentary Agrarian League (q.v.) represented Junker interests throughout the imperial era. Because the Junkers staffed the Prussian army, which had brought about Germany’s unification, they were accorded great influence, particularly in Prussia, where a…

Eisstockschiessen, a game played on ice in the winter and on asphalt or other surfaces during the rest of the year, similar to curling and shuffleboard. The game became popular in Bavaria and Austria by the late 19th century. Teams consist of four players and one substitute. The rink is 28 metres

Weimar Republic: The Weimar constitution: …the Centre Party and the German Democratic Party (DDP).

East Germany, former country (1949–90) that constitutes the northeastern section of present-day

Deutsches Wörterbuch, the first German dictionary conceived on scientific lines; initiated by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The dictionary was designed to give the etymology and history, illustrated by quotations, of all the words in the (New) High German literary language from the time of Martin Luther

German E. coli outbreak of 2011, bacterial disease outbreak that began in Germany in late April 2011 and that was caused by a previously rare strain of E. coli (Escherichia coli) known as O104:H4. The 2011 E. coli outbreak was the deadliest and the second largest on record—the largest was the Japan

German E. coli outbreak of 2011, bacterial disease outbreak that began in Germany in late April 2011 and that was caused by a previously rare strain of E. coli (Escherichia coli) known as O104:H4. The 2011 E. coli outbreak was the deadliest and the second largest on record—the largest was the Japan

German East Africa, former dependency of imperial Germany, corresponding to present-day Rwanda and Burundi, the continental portion of Tanzania, and a small section of Mozambique. Penetration of the area was begun in 1884 by German commercial agents, and German claims were recognized by the other

Bagamoyo: …the first capital of the German East Africa Company (1887–91). Pop. (2002) 28,368.

DESY, the largest centre for high-energy particle-physics research in Germany. DESY, founded in 1959, is located in Hamburg and is funded jointly by the German federal government and the city of Hamburg. Its particle-accelerator facilities are an international resource, serving thousands of

German Empire, historical empire founded on January 18, 1871, in the wake of three short, successful wars by the North German state of Prussia. Within a seven-year span, Denmark, the Habsburg monarchy, and France had been vanquished. The empire had its origin not in an upwelling of nationalist

German E. coli outbreak of 2011, bacterial disease outbreak that began in Germany in late April 2011 and that was caused by a previously rare strain of E. coli (Escherichia coli) known as O104:H4. The 2011 E. coli outbreak was the deadliest and the second largest on record—the largest was the Japan