Cynics
a sect of philosophers among the Greeks, so called from their snarling humor, and their disregard of the conventional usages of society; the name being probably derived from the kyōn, a dog. According to some authorities, however, cynic is formed from Cynesarges, the name of the gymnasium in which Antisthenes expounded his system. He taught that the true dignity of man consists in wisdom, and wisdom in independence of mind; that pain and labor, labor, and even infamy, are benefits; and that pleasure, on the contrary, is an evil. His doctrine of the supreme good is a life according to virtue, which consists in action. He condemned all civil institutions, despised the ties of kin or country, and saw in wedlock no higher or better end than the propagation of the species. The most famous of the Cynics, besides their founder, were Diogenes of Sinope, Crates of Thebes with his wife Hipparchia, and Menippus. At length the sect became so disgusting from their impudence, dirty habits, and profligacy, that they ceased to be regarded with any respect, and passed into obscurity. The great merit of this system is that it paved the way for the establishment of Stoicism.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cynosura
Ursa Minor, or Little Bear, a north polar constellation. The Greek name signifies dog's tail. Cynosura was a nymph of Mount Ida, a nurse of Zeus, who was transported to the sky and metamorphosed into the constellation. As pictured by the ancients, the tip of the tail is marked by the north star or polar star. The name of the constellation was applied to the star. As Cynosura or the polar star was the sole guide, the compass, of the ancient mariner , it was watched by all eyes. The invention of the compass has withdrawn attention from the pole star , and cynosure is now used more frequently to designate merely a center of attraction,--any object to which general attention is directed. Meadows trim with daisies pied, Shallow brooks and rivers wide; Towers and battlements it sees Bosom'd high in tufted trees, Where perhaps some beauty lies, The cynosure of neighboring eyes. --Milton, L'Allegro.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Cynthia
another name for Diana or Artemis, the moon goddess. The name is derived from Mount Cynthus, her birth place. See Diana
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Cyprian
ST., THAECIUS CÆCI- LIUS (sip're-an), Bishop of Carthage, and one of the fathers of the Church. He was probably a native of Carthage, taught rhetoric there, and about 246, wien nearly 50 years of age, was converted to the Christian faith. He adopted a rigidly ascetic manner of life, and was appointed Bishop of Carthage in 248. When the persecution under Decius fell on the Churches, Cyprian ran away and concealed himself for nearly two years. He was then received as bishop again, but during the next persecution, under Valerianus, he was arrested and banished. After a year he was recalled, but as he refused to make the required sacrifice to the gods, he was put to death, 258. His works, consisting of letters and sermons, are of great importance for the insight they give into the beliefs, modes of thought, and practices of the early Churches.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cypripedium
sip-ri-pe'di-um. See Lady'S Slipper
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Cyrenaics
or CYRENIANS, a sect of ancient philosophers, whose founder, like that of the Cynics, had disciple of Socrates, being been a Aristippus, a native of Cyrene, in Africa, after which city his followers were called. His great maxim was that a man ought to control circumstances, and not be controlled by them. According to him, the sum of life was made up of pleasure and pain; the one to be sought after as good, the other to be avoided as evil. The The chief good, according to ber of agreehim, was the greatest number able perceptions; and the true philoso- their name from him, and is probably pher was one who actively and successsure. The chief sucfully pursued pleasure . cessors of Aristippus were Theodorus, Hegesias, and nd Anniceris, each of whom became the founder of a sect known respectively as the Theodoran, Hegesian, and Annicerian schools. As cynicism was the forerunner of stoicism, so cyrenaicism likewise paved the way for epicureanism, chief merit.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cyrene
the capital of Cyrenaica was founded by Battus and his followers from Thera, 631 B. C. Seven kings of kin this race succeeded, and about 450 b. c. a republic was established. It was afterward made subject to Egypt, and passed under the dominion of Rome, 74 The ruins of this town, called B. C. Ghrennah by the Turks, still exist, in a beautiful and fertile plain, about 11 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, and attest its former magnificence. It was the birthplace of many great men, among whom were Callimachus, Eratosthenes, Carneades, and Aristippus.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cyst
a word sometimes used in the original sense as applied to hollow organs with thin walls, as the urinary bladder and gall-bladder; but commonly reserved for the designation of pathological structures or new formations within the body having the bladder form. Cysts may arise in two different ways: (1) either by the accumulation of products within cavities normally present, or (2) by the independent formation of a cavity. Of the first, wens, collections of secretion in a sebaceous gland of the skin, are the common 'st example; instances of the second are cystic tumors of the ovary, and the sacs developed in connection with certain parasites. They are either simple or compound, unilocular or multilocular; they are sometimes small; in other cases they grow to an enormous size, and are very complex.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cystitis
inflammation of the bladder.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cystoidea
an order of extinct echinoderms. They are spherodial animals. They have a mouth above; the arms are rudimentary. Von Buch first elucidated their structure and affinities at Berlin in 1845, and gave them the name of cystideæ in place of sphæronites; their original appellation. Now cystideæ has become cystoidea. They range from Upper Cambrian to the Silurian, being especially prominent in the Bala Limestone.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Cythere
a genus of entomostraca, order Ostracoda, family cytheride. The eye is single, the inferior antennæ setigerous, but without a tuft or pencil of tiny filaments; three pair pairs of feet inclosed within the shell. No heart present. CYTHEREA (from Cytherea, a name for Venus, so called because she is said to have sprung from the foam of the sea near Cythera, now Cerigo, an island on the S. E. of the Morea), a genus of conchiferous mollusks belonging to the family veneridæ. The shell is like that of the genus Venus. The cythereas are in all seas; 176 recent species are known, and 200 fossil, the latter ranging from the Oölite till now.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia