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A This letter of ours corresponds to the first symbol in the Phoenician alphabet and in almost all its descendants. In Phoenician, a , like the symbols for e and for o , did not represent a vowel, but a breathing; the vowels originally were not represented by any symbol. When the alphabet was adopted by the Greeks it w... |
AA, the name of a large number of small European rivers. The word is derived from the Old German aha , cognate to the Latin aqua , water (cf. Ger. -ach ; Scand. å , aa , pronounced ō ). The following are the more important streams of this name:—Two rivers in the west of Russia, both falling into the Gulf of Riga, near ... |
AAGESEN, ANDREW (1826–1879), Danish jurist, was educated for the law at Kristianshavn and Copenhagen, and interrupted his studies in 1848 to take part in the first Schleswig war, in which he served as the leader of a reserve battalion. In 1855 he became professor of jurisprudence at the university of Copenhagen. In 187... |
AAL, also known as A’l, Ach , or Aich , the Hindustani names for the Morinda tinctoria and Morinda citrifolia , plants extensively cultivated in India on account of the reddish dye-stuff which their roots contain. The name is also applied to the dye, but the common trade name is Suranji . Its properties are due to the ... |
AALBORG, a city and seaport of Denmark, the seat of a bishop, and chief town of the amt (county) of its name, on the south bank of the Limfjord, which connects the North Sea and the Cattegat. Pop. (1901) 31,457. The situation is typical of the north of Jutland. To the west the Limfjord broadens into an irregular lake, ... |
AALEN, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Württemberg, pleasantly situated on the Kocher, at the foot of the Swabian Alps, about 50 m. E. of Stuttgart, and with direct railway communication with Ulm and Cannstatt. Pop. 10,000. Woollen and linen goods are manufactured, and there are ribbon looms and tanneries in the t... |
AALESUND, a seaport of Norway, in Romsdal amt (county), 145 m. N. by E. from Bergen. Pop. (1900) 11,672. It occupies two of the outer islands of the west coast, Aspö and Nörvö, which enclose the picturesque harbour. Founded in 1824, it is the principal shipping-place of Söndmöre district, and one of the chief stations ... |
AALI, MEHEMET, Pasha (1815–1871), Turkish statesman, was born at Constantinople in 1815, the son of a government official. Entering the diplomatic service of his country soon after reaching manhood, he became successively secretary of the Embassy in Vienna, minister in London, and foreign minister under Reshid Pasha. I... |
AAR, or Aare , the most considerable river which both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length (including all bends) from its source to its junction with the Rhine is about 181 m., during which distance it descends 5135 ft., while its drainage area is 6804 sq. m. It rises in the great Aar glaciers... |
AARAU, the capital of the Swiss canton of Aargau. In 1900 it had 7831 inhabitants, mostly German-speaking, and mainly Protestants. It is situated in the valley of the Aar, on the right bank of that river, and at the southern foot of the range of the Jura. It is about 50 m. by rail N.E. of Bern, and 31 m. N.W. of Zürich... |
AARD-VARK (meaning “earth-pig”), the Dutch name for the mammals of genus Orycteropus , confined to Africa (see Edentata ). Several species have been named. Among them is the typical form, O. capensis , or Cape ant-bear from South Africa, and the northern aard-vark ( O. aethiopicus ) of north-eastern Africa, extending i... |
AARD-WOLF (earth-wolf), a South and East African carnivorous mammal ( Proteles cristatus ), in general appearance like a small striped hyena, but with a more pointed muzzle, sharper ears, and a long erectile mane down the middle line of the neck and back. It is of nocturnal and burrowing habits, and feeds on decomposed... |
AARGAU (Fr. Argovie ), one of the more northerly Swiss cantons, comprising the lower course of the river Aar ( q.v. ), whence its name. Its total area is 541·9 sq. m., of which 517·9 sq. m. are classed as “productive” (forests covering 172 sq. m. and vineyards 8·2 sq. m.). It is one of the least mountainous Swiss canto... |
AARHUS, a seaport and bishop’s see of Denmark, on the east coast of Jutland, of which it is the principal port; the second largest town in the kingdom, and capital of the amt (county) of Aarhus. Pop. (1901) 51,814. The district is low-lying, fertile and well wooded. The town is the junction of railways from all parts... |
AARON, the traditional founder and head of the Jewish priesthood, who, in company with Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt (see Exodus ; Moses ). The greater part of his life-history is preserved in late Biblical narratives, which carry back existing conditions and beliefs to the time of the Exodus, and find a prece... |
AARON’S ROD, the popular name given to various tall flowering plants (“hag taper,” “golden rod,” &c.). In architecture the term is given to an ornamental rod with sprouting leaves, or sometimes with a serpent entwined round it (from the Biblical references in Exodus vii. 10 and Numbers xvii. 8 ). |
AARSSENS, or Aarssen , FRANCIS VAN (1572–1641), a celebrated diplomatist and statesman of the United Provinces. His talents commended him to the notice of Advocate Johan van Oldenbarneveldt, who sent him, at the age of 26 years, as a diplomatic agent of the states-general to the court of France. He took a considerable ... |
AASEN, IVAR (1813–1896), Norwegian philologist and lexicographer, was born at Aasen i Örsten, in Söndmöre, Norway, on the 5th of August 1813. His father, a small peasant-farmer named Ivar Jonssön, died in 1826. He was brought up to farmwork, but he assiduously cultivated all his leisure in reading, and when he was eigh... |
AB, the fifth month of the ecclesiastical and the eleventh of the civil year of the Jews. It approximately corresponds to the period of the 15th of July to the 15th of August. The word is of Babylonian origin, adopted by the Jews with other calendar names after the Babylonian exile. Tradition ascribes the death of Aaro... |
ABA. (1) A form of altazimuth instrument, invented by, and called after, Antoine d’Abbadie; (2) a rough homespun manufactured in Bulgaria; (3) a long coarse shirt worn by the Bedouin Arabs. |
ABACA, or Abaka , a native name for the plant Musa textilis , which produces the fibre called Manila Hemp ( q.v. ). |
ABACUS (Gr. ἄβαξ , a slab; Fr. abaque , tailloir ), in architecture, the upper member of the capital of a column. Its chief function is to provide a larger supporting surface for the architrave or arch it has to carry. In the Greek Doric order the abacus is a plain square slab. In the Roman and Renaissance Doric orders... |
ABADDON, a Hebrew word meaning “destruction.” In poetry it comes to mean “place of destruction,” and so the underworld or Sheol (cf. Job xxvi. 6 ; Prov. xv. 11 ). In Rev. ix. 11 Abaddon ( Ἀβαδδών ) is used of hell personified, the prince of the underworld. The term is here explained as Apollyon ( q.v. ), the “destroyer... |
ABADEH, a small walled town of Persia, in the province of Fars, situated at an elevation of 6200 ft. in a fertile plain on the high road between Isfahan and Shiraz, 140 m. from the former and 170 m. from the latter place. Pop. 4000. It is the chief place of the Abadeh-Iklid district, which has 30 villages; it has teleg... |
ABAE ( Ἄβαι ), a town in the N.E. corner of Phocis, in Greece, famous in early times for its oracle of Apollo, one of those consulted by Croesus (Herod. i. 46). It was rich in treasures (Herod. viii. 33), but was sacked by the Persians, and the temple remained in a ruined state. The oracle was, however, still consulted... |
ABAKANSK, a fortified town of Siberia, in the Russian government of Yeniseisk, on the river Yenisei, 144 m. S.S.W. of Krasnoyarsk, in lat. 54° 20′ N., long. 91° 40′ E. This is considered the mildest and most salubrious place in Siberia, and is remarkable for certain tumuli (of the Li Kitai) and statues of men from seve... |
ABALONE, the Spanish name used in California for various species of the shell-fish of the Haliotidae family, with a richly coloured shell yielding mother-of-pearl. This kind of Haliotis is also commonly called “ear-shell”, and in Guernsey “ormer” (Fr. ormier , for oreille de mer ). The abalone shell is found especially... |
ABANA (or Amanah , classical Chrysorrhoas ) and PHARPAR, the “rivers of Damascus” ( 2 Kings v. 12 ), now generally identified with the Barada ( i.e. “cold”) and the Aʽwaj ( i.e. “crooked”) respectively, though if the reference to Damascus be limited to the city, as in the Arabic version of the Old Testament, Pharpar wo... |
ABANCOURT, CHARLES XAVIER JOSEPH DE FRANQUEVILLE D’, (1758–1792), French statesman, and nephew of Calonne. He was Louis XVI.’s last minister of war (July 1792), and organized the defence of the Tuileries for the 10th of August. Commanded by the Legislative Assembly to send away the Swiss guards, he refused, and was arr... |
ABANDONMENT (Fr. abandonnement , from abandonner , to abandon, relinquish; abandonner was originally equivalent to mettre à bandon , to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another, bandon being from Low Latin bandum , bannum , order, decree, “ban”), in law, the relinquishment of an interest, claim, privilege or possessi... |
ABANO BAGNI, a town of Venetia, Italy, in the province of Padua, on the E. slope of the Monti Euganei; it is 6 m. S.W. by rail from Padua. Pop. (1901) 4556. Its hot springs and mud baths are much resorted to, and were known to the Romans as Aponi fons or Aquae Patavinae . Some remains of the ancient baths have been dis... |
ABANO, PIETRO D’ (1250–1316), known also as Petrus de Apano or Aponensis , Italian physician and philosopher, was born at the Italian town from which he takes his name in 1250, or, according to others, in 1246. After studying medicine and philosophy at Paris he settled at Padua, where he speedily gained a great reputat... |
ABARIS, a Scythian or Hyperborean, priest and prophet of Apollo, who is said to have visited Greece about 770 B.C. , or two or three centuries later. According to the legend, he travelled throughout the country, living without food and riding on a golden arrow, the gift of the god; he healed the sick, foretold the futu... |
ABATED, an ancient technical term applied in masonry and metal work to those portions which are sunk beneath the surface, as in inscriptions where the ground is sunk round the letters so as to leave the letters or ornament in relief. |
ABATEMENT (derived through the French abattre , from the Late Latin battere , to beat), a beating down or diminishing or doing away with; a term used especially in various legal phrases. Abatement of a nuisance is the remedy allowed by law to a person or public authority injured by a public nuisance of destroying or re... |
ABATI, or Dell’ Abbato , NICCOLO (1512–1571), a celebrated fresco-painter of Modena, whose best works are there and at Bologna. He accompanied Primaticcio to France, and assisted in decorating the palace at Fontainebleau (1552–1571). His pictures exhibit a combination of skill in drawing, grace and natural colouring. S... |
ABATIS, Abattis or Abbattis (a French word meaning a heap of material thrown), a term in field fortification for an obstacle formed of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the tops directed towards the enemy and interlaced or tied with wire. The abatis is used alone or in combination with wire-entanglements and ... |
ABATTOIR (from abattre , to strike down), a French word often employed in English as an equivalent of “ slaughter-house ” ( q.v. ), the place where animals intended for food are killed. |
ABAUZIT, FIRMIN (1679–1767), a learned Frenchman, was born of Protestant parents at Uzès, in Languedoc. His father died when he was but two years of age; and when, on the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, the authorities took steps to have him educated in the Roman Catholic faith, his mother contrived his esca... |
ʼABAYE, the name of a Babylonian ʼamora ( q.v. ), born in the middle of the 3rd century. He died in 339. |
ʼABBA ʼARIKA, the name of the Babylonian ʼamora ( q.v. ) of the 3rd century, who established at Sura the systematic study of the Rabbinic traditions which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud. He is commonly known as Rab. |
ABBA MARI (in full, Abba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph), French rabbi, was born at Lunel, near Montpellier, towards the end of the 13th century. He is also known as Yarhi from his birthplace (Heb. Yerah, i.e. moon, lune ), and he further took the name Astruc, Don Astruc or En Astruc of Lunel. The descendant of men learned ... |
ABBADIDES, a Mahommedan dynasty which arose in Spain on the downfall of the western caliphate. It lasted from about 1023 till 1091, but during the short period of its existence was singularly active and typical of its time. The founder of the house was Abd-ul-Qāsim Mahommed, the cadi of Seville in 1023. He was the chie... |
ABBADIE, ANTOINE THOMSON D’ (1810–1897), and ARNAUD MICHEL D’ (1815–1893), two brothers notable for their travels in Abyssinia during the first half of the 19th century. They were both born in Dublin, of a French father and an Irish mother, Antoine in 1810 and Arnaud in 1815. The parents removed to France in 1818, and ... |
ABBADIE, JAKOB (1654?–1727), Swiss Protestant divine, was born at Nay in Bern. He studied at Sedan, Saumur and Puylaurens, with such success that he received the degree of doctor in theology at the age of seventeen. After spending some years in Berlin as minister of a French Protestant church, where he had great succes... |
ʼABBAHU, the name of a Palestinian ʼamora ( q.v. ) who flourished c . 279–320. ʼAbbahu encouraged the study of Greek by Jews. He was famous as a collector of traditional lore, and is very often cited in the Talmud. |
ABBAS I . ( c . 1557–1628 or 1629), shah of Persia, called the Great, was the son of shah Mahommed (d. 1586). In the midst of general anarchy in Persia, he was proclaimed ruler of Khorasan, and obtained possession of the Persian throne in 1586. Determined to raise the fallen fortunes of his country, he first directed h... |
ABBAS I . (1813–1854), pasha of Egypt, was a son of Tusun Pasha and grandson of Mehemet Ali, founder of the reigning dynasty. As a young man he fought in Syria under Ibrahim Pasha ( q.v. ), his real or supposed uncle. The death of Ibrahim in November 1848 made Abbas regent of Egypt, and in August following, on the deat... |
ABBAS II. (1874– ), khedive of Egypt. Abbas Hilmi Pasha, great-great-grandson of Mehemet Ali, born on the 14th of July 1874, succeeded his father, Tewfik Pasha, as khedive of Egypt on the 8th of January 1892. When a boy he visited England, and he had an English tutor for some time in Cairo. He then went to school in ... |
ABBAS MIRZA ( c . 1783–1833), prince of Persia, was a younger son of the shah, Feth Ali, but on account of his mother’s royal birth was destined by his father to succeed him. Entrusted with the government of a part of Persia, he sought to rule it in European fashion, and employed officers to reorganize his army. He was... |
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