These 12 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Aviary, Avicennia, Avienus.
a building or inclosure for keeping, breeding and rearing birds. Aviaries appear to have been used by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, and are highly prized in China. In England they were in use at least as early as 1577, when William Harrison refers to "our costlie and curious aviaries." An aviary may be simply a kind of very large ge cage; but the term usually has a wider scope than this. or WHITE MAN-
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
GROVE, a genus of verbenaceæ, consists of trees or large shrubs resembling mangroves, and, like them, growing in tidal estuaries and salt marshes. Their creeping roots, often standing six feet above the mud in crowded pyramidal masses, and the naked asparagus-like suckers which they throw up, have a singular ap- The bark of A. tomentosa, pearance. the white mangrove of Brazil, is much used for tanning. A green, resinous substance exuding from A. resinifera is eaten by the New Zealanders. The genus is named in memory of the Arabian physician Avicenna.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
RUFUS FESTUS (av-een'us), a Latin descriptive poet, who flourished about the end of the 4th century after Christ, and wrote "Descriptio Orbis Terræ," a general description of the earth; "Ora Maritima," an account of the Mediterranean coasts, etc. AVIGNON (av-en-yôn') (ancient Avenio), a city of France, capital of the department of Vaucluse, on the left bank of the Rhone, 76 miles N. N. W. of Marseilles, on the railway to Paris. Avignon was for a long time time the residence of the Popes. It is situated in a fine plain, and is surrounded by high walls, flanked with numerous towers. The ancient palace of the Popes stands on the declivity of a rock. It is a Gothic building of different periods, and of vast extent, and now serves as a prison, military depot, and barracks. The Cathedral Church of Notre Dame des Dons is very ancient, as is also the spire of the Church of the Cordeliers. The latter church contained the tomb of Laura, immortalized by Petrarch. Avignon existed before the Roman invasion, and afterward became a Roman colony. In 1309, Clement V. transferred thither the abode of the Popes, who continued to reside here till 1377, when they returned to Rome; but two schismatical Popes, or Popes elected by the French cardinals, resided in Avignon till 1409. Avignon and its territory remained the property of the Holy See until 1797, when it was incorporated with France. Pop. about 50,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
a town of Spain, capital of the province of Avila, a modern division of Old Castile. It is the see of the bishop suffragan of Santiago, with a fine cathedral, and was once one of the richest towns of Spain. Principal employment in the town, spinning; in the province, breeding sheep and cattle. Pop. (province) about 200,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
MARCUS MÆCILIUS, an Emperor of the West. He was of a Gaulish family in Auvergne, and gained the favor of Constantius, the colleague of Honorius, and of Theodoric, King of the Visigoths. He served with distinction under Ætius, became Prefect of Gaul, and concluded a favorable treaty with the Goths. He afterward retired into private life until the invasion of Attila, when he induced the Goths to join the Romans against the common enemy. Avitus was proclaimed Emperor in 455, took for his colleague Marcianus, and died the year following.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
or VALONA, the chief seaport in Albania, in the province of Janina, on an eminence near the Gulf of Avlona, an inlet of the Adriatic, protected by the island of Sasseno, the ancient Saso. The independence of Albania was proclaimed here in 1912. Pop. about 6,000. See ALBANIA.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
or OVOCA, a beautiful valley and river of Ireland, near Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow, and celebrated as being the scene which gave rise to one of the finest of Moore's "Irish Melodies."
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
a West Indian fruit, called also avocado pear, alligator pear, subaltern's butter tree, avigato, and sabacca. It belongs to the order lauraceӕ (laurels), and is the persea gratissima. It is found in tropical America. The fruit is about the size and shape of a large pear. A considerable part of it is believed to consist of a fixed oil. It is highly esteemed. The fruit itself is very insipid, on which account it is generally eaten with the juice of lemons and sugar to give it poignancy.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
in physics, asserts that equal volumes of different gases at the same pressure and temperature contain an equal number of mole cules.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Amadeo (1776-1856), a noted professor of physics at Turin. Remembered as the discoverer of what is known as Avogadro's Law: "Equal volumes of all gases, under the same conditions as to temperature and pressure, contain the same number of molecules." Avoirdupois (French, to have weight), a system of weights based on a pound of sixteen ounces or 7,000 Troy grains. It was introduced into England from Bayonne, France, about 1300 A. D. It has been inherited by the colonies of England. It is used chiefly for the weighing of coarse commodities. The principal denominations are the ounce, pound, hundredweight, and ton,--the latter consisting of twenty hundredweight. See Ton 2026 Editor's Note: Avogadro was ignored in his lifetime, but his law made him immortal in chemistry: ' Avogadro's number ,' about 6.022 followed by 23 zeros, is the count of molecules in a mole — a cornerstone of the science, so exact it was used in 2019 to help redefine the kilogram itself. Students still celebrate 'Mole Day' each October 23rd. (Ed: BR 2026-06-17)
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
a system of weights used for all goods except precious metals, gems, and medicines, and in which a pound contains 16 ounces, or 7,000 grains, while a pound troy contains 12 ounces, or 5,760 grains. A hundredweight contains 112 pounds avoirdupois.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
The system of weights and measures for all goods except precious metals and gems, the grain being the foundation of this as in the case of Troy weight. The weight of one cubic inch of water is 252.458 grains, and 7000 of these grains make one pound avoirdupois, and 5.760 a pound troy. The pound is divided into 16 ounces, and the ounce into 16 drachms. The hundred-weight is, in most parts of the United States, simply 100 pounds avoirdupois, and the ton 20 of such hundredths, or 2000 pounds. Axis is the straight line about which a plane figure revolves so as to produce or generate a solid; or, it is a straight line drawn from the vertex of a figure to the middle of the base. The axis of a sphere or circle is a straight line passing through the centre and terminating at the circumference on the opposite sides. In founding, the spindle is an axis around or upon which a sweep-board revolves to produce a solid, as a core by using the sweep's inner edge. When the outer edge of the sweep is used it forms an inclosing surface, or cope. See SPINDLE.
Only in The Encyclopedia of Founding