| | - 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 and Moon, the ... [9 Related Articles]
- Almanac Singers
- (from the article "Seeger, Pete") ...hitchhiked and rode freight trains around the country, gathering country ballads, work songs, and hymns and developing a remarkable virtuosity on the five-string banjo. In 1940 he organized the Almanac Singers, a quartet that also featured the folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie, and appeared at union halls, farm meetings, ...
- 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 stone is deep red and slightly purple. ...
- Almanrader, Carl
- (from the article "wind instrument") ...and his son modified the oboe, finally adding some features from the Boehm flute to produce the "conservatory system." Certain improvements were made in the bassoon in 1825 by Carl Almanrader, a chamber musician of Biebrich. Since the improvements were accompanied by deficiencies in tone, the French preferred to develop ...
- Almansa Dam
- dam on the Vega de Belen 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 (25 ...
- Almanzor Peak
- (from the article "Spain") ...the northern and southern Mesetas are the Central Sierras, one of the outstanding features of the Iberian massif. Their highest points-Penalara Peak at 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 ...
- Almas
- (from the article "Sasquatch") ...cry. Footprints have measured up to 24 inches (60 cm) in length and 8 inches (20 cm) in width. A Soviet scientist, Boris Porshnev, suggested that Sasquatch and his Siberian counterpart, the Almas, could be a remnant of Neanderthal man, but most scientists do not recognize the creature's existence.
- Almas Peak
- (from the article "Brazil") ...Upland (Chapado Araripe) in Pernambuco state; and the Diamantina Upland (Chapada Diamantina) in Bahia. The Serra do Espinhaco extends from central Minas Gerais into southern Bahia, where Almas Peak reaches 6,070 feet (1,850 metres). The Serra Geral de Goias separates the states of Goias and Tocantins to the west from ...
- Almaty
- city, southeastern Kazakhstan. It was formerly the capital of the Kazakh S.S.R. (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 m), where the Bolshaya and Malaya Almaatinka rivers emerge into the plain. The modern city ... [2 Related Articles]
- Almeida de Portugal, Leonor de
- Portuguese poet whose work forms a bridge between the literary periods of Arcadia 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. Her influential verse, translations, and letters are ...
- Almeida, Belmiro de, Jr.
- (from the article "Brazil") Western styles of painting began developing in Brazil in the 18th century, and in the 19th century Belmiro de Almeida, Jr., introduced an original Brazilian art style, influencing a trend toward realism. In the 20th century the painter Candido Portinari was a major proponent of another uniquely Brazilian style, which ...
- Almeida, Damiao Vaz d'
- (from the article "Sao Tome and Principe") Area: 1,001 sq km (386 sq mi) | Population (2005 est.): 157,000 | Capital: Sao Tome | Chief of state: President Fradique de Menezes | Head of government: Prime Ministers Damiao Vaz d'Almeida and, from June 8, Maria do Carmo Silveira | BRITANNICA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2005Sao ...
- Almeida, Francisco de
- soldier, explorer, and the first viceroy of Portuguese India. [4 Related Articles]
- Almeida, Joaquim de
- (from the article "Portugal") ...O convento (1995; The Convent), and Porto da minha infancia (2001; Porto of My Childhood). The actor Joaquim de Almeida gained an international following and appeared in many Hollywood films as well as in Maria de Medeiros's Capitaes ...
- Almeida, Jose Americo de
- 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 and appeals for justice and concern.
- Almeida, Laurindo
- Brazilian virtuoso classical and jazz guitarist who helped popularize the bossa nova in the U.S. and who, as a guitarist and a composer of film sound-track music, notably The Godfather, won five Grammy awards (b. Sept. 2, 1917--d. July 26, 1995).
- Almeida, Lourenco de
- Portuguese sea captain and leader of a 1505 expedition to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), probably the first Portuguese voyage to that island. [1 Related Articles]
- Almeida, Manuel Antonio de
- author of what is now considered to have been the first great novel in Brazilian literature, Memorias de um sargento de milicias (anonymously in parts, 1852-53; as a novel, 1854-55; Memoirs of a Militia Sergeant), his only fictional work. Its realism was not only far in advance of the Romanticism ... [1 Related Articles]
- 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.
- Almendares River
- river of western Cuba, rising at about 740 ft (225 m) in the Alturas (heights) de Bejucal and flowing in a semicircle north and west, then northward across the Cuban coastal plain through the city of Havana, forming the boundary between the neighbourhoods of Vedado and Miramar. It empties into ... [1 Related Articles]
- almendro
- tree of the Central American tropical forest canopy whose trunk forks repeatedly, resulting in a graceful, rounded crown. Bunches of flowers are produced at the end of the tree's branches after the onset of the rainy season, so that, within a month or two, the forest canopy is speckled with ... [2 Related Articles]
- Almendros, Nestor
- cinematographer and recipient of an Oscar from the U.S. Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences for the best cinematography for his work on Days of Heaven (1978). [1 Related Articles]
- Almeria
- port city and capital of Almeria provincia (province), in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Mediterranean Gulf of Almeria. Known to the Romans as Portus Magnus and to the Moors as Al-Mariyah ("Mirror of the Sea"), it was captured ... [2 Related Articles]
- Almeria
- provincia (province) in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southeastern Spain, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It was formed in 1833. Primarily mountainous, Almeria is crossed by sierras in which terminate successive zones of the Baetic Cordillera. The intervening valleys of the Adra, Almanzora, ...
- Almeria culture
- (from the article "Spain") ...regions developed unequally, and centres of innovation are known all around the southern and southwestern coasts of Spain and Portugal. Particularly impressive is the settlement at Los Millares (Almeria), which extends over five acres (two hectares) and is protected by triple walls of stone reinforced with towers at regular intervals. ...
- Almetyevsk
- city, Tatarstan republic, Russia, on the left bank of the Stepnoy (Steppe) Zay River. It was founded in 1950 in connection with the discovery of petroleum in the area. Crude oil is sent from Almetyevsk to refineries at Perm and Kstovo (near Nizhny Novgorod) through pipelines completed in 1957. Almetyevsk ...
- Almirante Brown
- cabecera (county seat) and partido (county) of Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Argentina, south of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia (province). The county was founded in 1873, and the county seat is often referred to as Adroque, the ...
- Almirante, Giorgio
- (from the article "fascism") ...Europe in the 1990s was the Italian Social Movement (Movimento Sociale Italiano [MSI]; renamed the National Alliance [Alleanza Nazionale] in 1994). Founded in 1946, it was led at various times by Giorgio Almirante, Augusto De Marsanich, Arturo Michelini, and Gianfranco Fini. As an official in Mussolini's Italian Social Republic, a ...
- Almodovar, Pedro
- (from the article "Performing Arts") Spanish director Pedro Almodovar generated the year's biggest international hit with Volver, the story of a Madrid airport cleaner (Penelope Cruz) who finds herself living with the ghost of her dead mother (Carmen Maura). Almodovar's stylistic mannerisms were gentler than usual, though the mix of comedy, melodrama, childhood memories, and ...
- Almohads
- Berber confederation that created an Islamic empire in North Africa and Spain (1130-1269), founded on the religious teachings of Ibn Tumart (died 1130). [22 Related Articles]
- Almon, John
- parliamentary reporter and political writer, who took part in the struggle between press and Parliament for the right to publish reports of debates.
- almond
- (Prunus dulcis), tree native to southwestern Asia and its edible seed, or nut. The nuts are of two types, sweet and bitter. Sweet almonds are the familiar edible type consumed as nuts and used in cooking or as a source of almond oil or almond meal. [2 Related Articles]
- almond oil
- (from the article "Rosales") ...Peach pits, bitter almonds, and several kinds of wild cherry are poisonous to animals and humans. Almonds, which come from the pits of Prunus amygdalus, are of two kinds, bitter and sweet. Almond oil, used for flavouring, is extracted from the bitter almond. The crude oil contains considerable amygdalin and ...
- Almond, Gabriel Abraham
- American political scientist noted for his comparative studies of political systems and his analysis of political development. [1 Related Articles]
- almoner
- originally, an officer responsible for distributing alms to the poor, usually connected with a religious house or other institution but also a position with some governments. In the 13th century, almoners were attached to the French court to distribute the royal alms, and in 1486 the office of grand almoner ...
- almonry school
- medieval English monastic charity school supported by a portion of the funds allocated to the almoner (q.v.). The practice began in the early 14th century when a form of scholarship was established that provided attendance at the cathedral school, housing, and food for boys at least 10 years old who ... [1 Related Articles]
- Almora
- town, Uttaranchal state, northern India. It lies on a ridge of the Himalayan foothills about 170 miles (275 km) northeast of New Delhi. After the Gurkhas captured Almora in 1790, they built a fort on the ridge's eastern end; another fort stands on the western end. The Gurkhas suffered a ...
- Almoravids
- confederation of Berber tribes-Lamtunah, Gudalah, Massufah-of the Sanhajah clan, whose religious zeal and military enterprise built an empire in northwestern Africa and Muslim Spain in the 11th and 12th centuries. These Saharan Berbers were inspired to improve their knowledge of Islamic doctrine by their leader Yahya ibn Ibrahim and the ... [24 Related Articles]
- almost everywhere
- (from the article "metalogic") ...The intuitive idea in this method is to establish that a sentence is true in the ultraproduct if and only if it is true in "almost all" of the given structures (i.e., "almost everywhere"-an idea that was present in a different form in Skolem's construction of a nonstandard model of ...
- Almqvist, Carl Jonas Love
- writer whose vast literary output, ranging from bizarre romanticism to bold realism, greatly influenced the development of Swedish literature. Although his work is uneven, he is a master of Swedish prose. [1 Related Articles]
- alms bowl
- (from the article "relic") ...is the left canine tooth, honoured at the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, Sri Lanka. Other shrines reportedly have housed certain personal possessions of the Buddha, such as his staff or alms bowl. The alms bowl (patra), particularly, is associated with a romantic tradition of wanderings ...
- almsgiving
- (from the article "Europe, history of") ...of Cardinal Richelieu, and Abraham Sancta Clara, preacher at the court of Leopold I, were representative figures. With the acceptance of poverty went awareness of a Christian's duty to relieve it. Alms for the poor figured largely in wills and were a duty of most religious orders. Corporate charity had ...
- almshouse
- in the United States, a locally administered public institution for homeless, aged persons without means. Such institutions radically declined in number in the second half of the 20th century, replaced by other means of subsistence and care.
- 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 observing the ... [1 Related Articles]
- almuce
- (from the article "religious dress") ...in the 12th century. Because the office (prescribed prayers) took up so much of a monk's time, his choir robes were almost as important as his day clothes. Surplices were worn in choir with an almuce over; this last was a lined shoulder cape designed to help the wearer resist ...
- Almudena Cathedral
- (from the article "Madrid") ...including the construction of a new railway station, and several cultural institutions, such as the Queen Sofia Museum, opened. Adjacent to the Royal Palace and near the Plaza de Oriente is Almudena Cathedral, now the city's main cathedral. Construction began in 1883, but its completion was long delayed by work ...
- Alness
- village, Highland council area, historic county of Ross-shire, historic region of Ross and Cromarty, northern Scotland, situated on the northern shore of the Cromarty Firth. The village was planned in the 1970s to accommodate commuters to nearby Invergordon's new industries, in particular an aluminum smelting plant (now closed) and goods ...
- alnico
- any member of a series of alloys used to make powerful permanent magnets. Primary constituents are aluminum, nickel, and cobalt in various proportions, with small amounts of one or more of the elements copper, iron, and titanium added; the titanium-containing material is sometimes referred to by the trade name Ticonal. ... [2 Related Articles]
- Alnwick
- district, administrative and historic county of Northumberland, northern England, that borders Scotland on the northwest and the North Sea on the east. The district descends eastward from the peaty moorlands of the Cheviot Hills, which reach elevations above 2,000 feet (610 metres) along the Scottish border, and extends across the ...
- Alnwick
- town, Alnwick district, administrative and historic county of Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Aln, between the Cheviot Hills and the sea. The town is dominated by the Norman castle, after 1309 the principal seat of the Percy family, who later became earls of Northumberland. The castle, ...
- Alnwick Castle
- (from the article "Alnwick") town, Alnwick district, administrative and historic county of Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Aln, between the Cheviot Hills and the sea. The town is dominated by the Norman castle, after 1309 the principal seat of the Percy family, who later became earls of Northumberland. The castle, ...
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