Hippodrome
the Greek name for the public place where the horse and chariot races were held. The name is sometimes applied to a modern circus.
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Single-source entries: H (52)
These 17 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Hippodrome, Hippolyte, Hippomancy.
Hippolyte
in classical mythology, a queen of the Amazons, given in marriage to Theseus by Hercules, who had conquered her, and taken away her girdle by order of Eurystheus. She had a son by Theseus, called HIP- POLYTUS (q. v.).
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Hippomancy
A method of divination practised by the ancient Celts , who kept certain white horses in consecrated groves. These were made to walk immediately after the sacred car, and auguries were drawn from their movements. The ancient Germans kept similar steeds in their temples. If on leaving these on the outbreak of hostilities they crossed the threshold with the left forefoot first, the presage was regarded as an evil one, and the war was abandoned.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Hippomane
a genus of plants, order Euphorbiaceæ. The species H. mancinella is the famous Manchineel tree, which is asserted to be so poisonous that persons have died from merely sleeping in its shade. It flourishes in the Antilles and on the American continent, near the sea, and forms a very handsome tree, with foliage not unlike that of the pear tree. The juice which fills the tree is of a pure white color, and when dropped on the hand it burns like fire, forming an ulcer very difficult to heal. The fruit, which resembles a very beautiful apple in appearance, contains a similar juice, but of a milder character. The timber is beautifully variegated, and susceptible of a high polish.
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Hipponax
A Greek poet born at Ephesus, 540 years before the Christian era. He cultivated satirical poetry, which was marked by its beauty and vigor. Hispania (Spain). A peninsula in the southwest of Europe, connected with the land only on the northeast, where the Pyrenees form its boundary, and surrounded on all other sides by the sea, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea. 2026 Editor's Note: Hipponax flourished in the late 6th century BCE, not 540 BCE as stated. He was an iambic poet celebrated for his malicious wit, particularly his attacks on the sculptors Bupalus and Athenis, and his verses depicting the vulgar side of life. (Ed: BR 2026-06-28)
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Hippopotamus
in ordinary language, the river horse, H. amphibius. It inhabits the great rivers and lakes of Africa. Anciently it was found in the lower part of the Nile: now it does not occur there. It is at home in the water, diving beneath it when danger arises, but at intervals raising its head above the surface to breathe. It feeds chiefly on the roots and bark of water trees and plants. It lands during the night to look for pasture, and is destructive to crops. Its tusks furnish the best ivory; its flesh is eaten. In zoölogy, the typical and mitted genus of the family Hippopoonly adtamidæ. The hippopotamus is now found only where the water never freezes, but is of nearly uniform temperature throughout the year.
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Hippuris
in botany, mare's tai tail, a genus of Haloragaceæ, tribe Halorageæ. The perianth is single, superior, forming a very indistinct rim to the germen; stamen one; style one; fruit one-celled, one-seeded. Known species one or two.
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Hippurites
a genus of fossil bivalves, having the under shell of great depth and of a conical form, with a flat lid or operculum, occurring in the lower chalk. They are allied to the living Chama, or gaping cockle.
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Hiram
a king of Tyre, who sent to congratulate David on his accession to the throne, and aided him in building his palace (II Sam. v: 11; I Chr. xiv: 1). He was the father of Abibaal of secular (1913); "The Political Economy of history. Also a king of Tyre, a grandson of the former (II Chr. ii: 14), and like him a friend of David. He congratulated Solomon at the commencement of his reign, and furnished essential aid in building the Temple.
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Hiram College
a coeducational institution in Hiram, O.; founded in 1850 under the auspices of the Christian Church; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 22; students, 357; president, M. L. Bates, A.M.
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Hirosaki
a town of Japan in the northern part of the island of Hondo. The chief industry is the manufacture of lacquered ware. Pop. about 40,000.
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Hiroshima
a city of Japan, the capital of the Province of Aki. It is in the southwestern part of the island of Hondo. It is an important commercial city, and is the center of the trade in lacquered ware, bronze, and other objects of art. Pop. about 145,000.
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Hirsch
MAURICE, BARON DE, an Austrian Jewish philanthropist and financier. He inherited a considerable fortune from his father in 1869 and greatly increased this by marriage. He also made enormous sums from building railways in Rumania and Turkey. His fortune was estimated at $200,000,000. During his life he gave away about $100,000,000, chiefly for the alleviation of conditions among the Jews. A large part of these sums was given to the Jewish Colonization Association for the establishment of colonies in Argentina. na. He also endowed schools in Galicia and he gave $2,500,000 to establish a fund in New York for the education and Americanization of Russian and Rumanian Jews. His wife on her death in 1899 bequeathed $1,200,000 to this fund. Baron de Hirsch died in 1896.
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Hirschberg
a city of Silesia, Germany. Prior to the World War it had important manufactures of linen, lace, cotton goods, cement, etc. Pop. about 21,000.
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Hirst
FRANCIS W., a British author. He was born in 1873, and was educated at Clifton College and Oxford. He became a barrister in 1899 and from 1907 to 1916 was editor of "The Economist." His works include: "Essays in Liberalism"; "Local Government in England" (with J. Redlich, 2 vols. 1903); "The Manchester School"; "Adam Smith" (English Men of Letters, 1904); "Trusts and Cartels" (1905); "The Arbiter in Council" (1906); "The Stock Exchange" (1911); "The Six Panics" War" (1915).
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Hispania
an old Latin name for Spain. It is used often in poetry.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Hissar (Capital of a district)
the capital of a district of that name in the Punjab, on the Western Jumna canal, 102 miles W. of Delhi. Pop. about 20,000. The district of Hissar, lying on the W. verge of the Bikanir desert, has an area of 3,540 square miles, and its fertile soil produces rice, millet, barley, grain, wheat, etc.; but the crops are entirely dependent upon the rainfall. Pop. about 500,000. Area of Hissar division, 8,355 square miles; pop. about 1,400,000.
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