Heshbon
a celebrated city of the Amorites, 20 miles E. of the mouth of the Jordan (Josh. ix:10; xiii:17). Its ruins are now called Hesban, and cover the sides of a hill 7 miles N. of Medeba.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: H (41)
These 13 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Heshbon, Hesiodus, Hesione.
Hesiodus
A celebrated poet, born at Ascra in Boeotia . He lived in the age of Homer, and obtained a poetical prize in competition with him, according to Varro and Plutarch. Quintilian, Philostratus , and others maintain that Hesiod lived before the age of Homer. Hesiod, without possessing the sublimity of Homer, is admired for the elegance of his diction. 2026 Editor's Note: While ancient authors like Varro and Plutarch debated whether Hesiod lived before or during the time of Homer, modern scholars generally place his activity between 750 and 650 BC, roughly contemporaneous with the Homeric epics. He is credited with establishing Greek religious customs through works like the Theogony , which details the origins of the gods and Zeus's rise to power. Hesiod is also recognized as the first poet in the Western tradition to present himself as an individual persona with an active role in his subject matter. (Ed: BR 2026-06-23)
Only in 1000 Classical Characters
Hesione
A daughter of Laodemon, king of Troy. It was her fate to be exposed to a sea monster, to whom the Trojans presented yearly a young girl to appease the resentment of Apollo and Neptune, whom Laodemon had offended. Hercules undertook to rescue her, and, attacking the monster just as he was about to devour her, killed him with his club. Hesperia (The Western Land). The name given by the Greek poets to Italy, because it lay west of Greece. In imitation of them the Roman poets gave the name Hesperia to Spain.
Only in 1000 Classical Characters
Hesperetic Acid
in chemistry, C10H10O4, obtained by the action of alkalis on hesperidin. It melts at 225°. Fused with caustic potash, it is decomposed into acetic and protocatechuic acids, hydrogen being liberated.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesperetin
in chemistry, C6H5O2-C10H2O3. It is obtained along with glucose by the action of dilute acids on hesperidin. It is recrystallized from ether; the crystals are white, and melt at 223°. Hesperetin is really insoluble in alcohol. Heated to 100° with caustic potash, it yields hesperetic acid and phloro-glucin.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesperia
hes-pe'ri-a, the western land. Italy was so called by the ancient Greeks. Later the Romans gave the name Hesperia to Spain, because it was to them the western land.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Hesperia
in astronomy, an asteroid, the 69th found; discovered by Schiaparelli, April 29, 1861. In entomology, the typical genus of the family Hesperidæ. The species fly with extreme rapidity.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesperidin
or HESPERIDINE, in chemistry, C22H26012, a glucoside extracted from dry, unripe bitter oranges.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesse
or HESSEN, GRAND DUCHY OF, formerly known as Hessen- Darmstadt, an independent state of south Germany, consisting of sundry distinct portions; area, 2,966 square miles; pop. about 1,350,000. Of the two main portions, one (forming the provinces of Rheinhessen on the left, and Starkenburg on the right bank of the Rhine) lies immediately to the N. of Baden, the other, Oberhessen (Upper Hesse), is entirely inclosed by the Prussian province of Hessen-Nassau. Much of the soil, particularly in the provinces of Starkenburg and Rheinhessen, is remarkably fertile. The vine forms a most important object object of culture, and fruit is very abundant. Principal towns, Darmstadt, the capital (pop. about 88,000); Mainz, Giessen, Bingen, and Worms. About two-thirds of the inhabitants are Protestants. The grand-duchy of Hesse originated in the division of the landgraviate of Hesse in 1567 (see HESSE). In 1806 the landgraviate was erected by Napoleon into a grand-duchy with an enlarged territory. It was reduced to its present limits in 1866, as the result of the Austro-Prussian War in which Hessen was on the side of Austria. In 1871 Hessen became part of the German Empire. In the fall of 1918 the then reigning grand-duke, Ernst Ludwig, was, together with all the other German ness, 2-3.5; sp. gr. 8.3-8.6. Composirulers, dethroned and Hessen became a republic.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesse (HESSEN hes'sen anciently)
or HESSEN (hes'sen), anciently a territory of Germany; mainly between the Neckar, Rhine, Main, Lahn, and Fulda rivers. tunes it was ruled by the landgrave Philip I., who succeeded in 1509, and at his death in 1567 divided his dominions among his four sons. The death of two of these, however, reunited the territories in part, so that there remained only the two main divisions of Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, the latter now known simply as Hesse.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesse-Cassel
till 1866 a German electorate, since then forming the government district of Cassel in the Prussian province of HESSE-NASSAU (q. v.); area, 3,700 square miles. The landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel was formed by William IV., eldest son of Philip the Magnanimous, who died in 1567. Constituted an electorate in 1803, it was occupied by the French in 1806, incorporated with Westphalia in 1807, and constituted an electorate in 1813. The elector having joined Austria in 1866, Hesse-Cassel was incorporated with Prussia, as part of the province of Hesse-Nassau.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesse-Homburg
a former landgraviate of Germany; consisted of the provinces of Homburg and Meisenheim. The male line of Hesse-Homburg became extinct by the death of the landgrave Ferdinand, March 24, 1866; the state was incorporated with Hesse-Darmstadt, but later that year was ceded to Prussia and since then forms part of Prussian Hesse-Nassau.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Hesse-Nassau
a province of Prussia, incorporated by decree of Dec. 7, 1868, by the union of the province of Upper Hesse (formerly a portion of the grand-duchy of Hesse) with the former duchy of Nassau; area, 6,060 square miles; pop. about 2,500,000. The most important city of the province is FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN (q. v.). The province is also known throughout the world for its numerous mineral springs and health resorts, among which the most important are Homburg, Wiesbaden, Ems, and Selters. Its mineral deposits, especially iron ore and coal, are important. HESSIAN FLY (Cecidomyia destructor), a fly of the family Tipulidæ, of the order Diptera (two-winged flies), the larva of which is very destructive to wheat, barley, and rye crops (it does not attack oats). It is so named from the belief that it was brought over to America by the Hessian mercenaries during the Revolutionary War. The female flies usually lay their eggs on the young plants twice in the year, in May and September, out of which the maggots hatch in from 4 to 14 days. It has long been a pest in the United States and Germany, but did not appear in Great Britain till the summer of 1886.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia