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Burke, Kenneth Duva

(Encyclopedia)Burke, Kenneth Duva, 1897–1993, American critic, b. Pittsburgh, Pa. He was music critic for The Dial (1927–29) and The Nation (1934–36). A profound thinker whose writings have influenced other c...

belt

(Encyclopedia)belt, girdle or band worn around the body, originally to confine loose garments. Later the girdle became a decorative accessory and was used to carry belongings. The Greeks and Romans wore ornamental ...

Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich

(Encyclopedia)Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich, 1896–1934, Russian psychologist. His most productive years were at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow (1924–34), where he expanded his ideas on cognitive development,...

veil

(Encyclopedia)veil, a feature of female costume from antiquity, especially in the East, where it was worn primarily to conceal the features. In modern times it is worn to enhance the face. The Egyptian woman of ran...

polyvinyl chloride

(Encyclopedia)polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic that is a polymer of vinyl chloride. Resins of polyvinyl chloride are hard, but with the addition of plasticizers a flexible, elastic plastic can be made. This ...

Bannu

(Encyclopedia)Bannu bənˈno͞o [key], town (1981 pop. 35,170), N Pakistan. It is a district administrative center and an important road junction and market town. The major industries are cloth weaving and the manu...

Maracay

(Encyclopedia)Maracay märäkīˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 354,196), capital of Aragua state, N Venezuela, at the eastern end of Lake Valencia. It is a commercial, agricultural, and industrial city. Its products incl...

Cartwright, Edmund

(Encyclopedia)Cartwright, Edmund, 1743–1823, English inventor and clergyman. He was the inventor of an imperfect power loom that, when finally patented (1785), became the parent of the modern loom. It was the fir...

Somerville

(Encyclopedia)Somerville. 1 City (1990 pop. 76,210), Middlesex co., E Mass., a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, on the Mystic River; settled 1630, set off from Charlestown 1842, inc. as a city 1871. The...

Saint Eustatius

(Encyclopedia)Saint Eustatius sānt yo͞ostāˈshəs [key], island (1989 pop. 1,861), 8 sq mi (20.7 sq km), a special municipality of the Netherlands, one of the Leeward Islands, West Indies. Called Statia by its i...