Polygynia
an order in Linnæus' artifical classification, containing plants with many pistils.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: P (85)
These 18 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Polygynia, Polyhymnia, Polymorphism.
Polyhymnia
one of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, who presided over singing and rhetoric, and was deemed the inventress of harmony.
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Polymorphism
the property possessed by certain bodies of crystallizing in two or more forms not derivable one from the other.
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Polyp
a name usually applied to an animal like the fresh-water hydra or like the sea anemone, having a tubular body and a wreath of many tentacles around applithe mouth. The name is equally cable to an isolated individual or to a member (zooid or "person") of a colony. individuals which make up a Thus, the zoöphyte or a coral colony are called polyps, and the term is seldom used ex- . cept in reference to cœlentrate animals
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Polyphemus
pol-i-fe'mus, in Greek legend, one of the Cyclops, a race of one-eyed giants. Ulysses' adventure with Polyphemus is told in the Odyssey. Polyphemus is also described in Virgil's Aeneid. See Ulysses ; Cyclops
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Polyphemus
in mythology, the king of all the Cyclops in Sicily, and son of Neptune and Thoosa. He is repmonster of immense resented as a strength, and with one eye in the middle on human flesh, of the forehead. He fed and kept his flocks on the coasts of Sicily, the when Ulysses, at his return from Trojan War, was driven there.
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Polyphone
a musical instrument of the music-box type, used principally in Also connection with the graphophone. a character or vocal sign which represents more than one sound.
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Polyphonic
having, or consisting of many sounds or voices. In music, consisting of several tone series or parts, progressing simultaneously according to rules of counterpoint; contrapuntal. the
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Polyplectron
or POLYPLEC- TRUM, in music, a musical instrument in which the tones were produced by the actfriction of numerous slips of leather ing on strings, and moved by pressing or striking keys, as in the pianoforte. In ornithology, a genus of Phasianinæ, from the Oriental region. Bill compressed, tip rather slender, sides curved, nostrils nos lateral; longitudinal . opening partly hidden by a membrane Wings rounded, tail long, rounded. Tarsi long, those of the male with two or more spurs. Toes long and slender. There are five species. POLYPODIACEÆ, in botany, ferns proper; an order of acrogens, alliance , species Filicales. Known genera 183 2,000.
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Polypus
a morbid growth attached to the interior of any of the mucous cawith nals. It is generally a fleshy tumor many branches. Polypi sometimes grow rectum, uterus in the nose, larynx, heart, , and vagina. In zoology, in the plural a as havclass of radiated animals defined ing many prehensile organs radiating from around the mouth only.
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Polytechnic Institute
an eduin Brookcational non-sectarian institute lyn, N. Y.; founded in 1854; reported at and inthe close of 1919: Professors structors, 45; students, 981; president- F. W. Atkinson, Ph. D.
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Polytechnic School
an educainstruction tional establishment in which is given in many arts and sciences, more pracespecially with reference to their tical application. The first polytechnic a decree of the school was established by French Convention, on Feb. 13, 1794, and Nuwas of great service to the country. exist in merous schools of this class now all parts of the United States, among them the Brooklyn Polytechnic, Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, etc.
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Polythalamia
a group of Protozoa occupying compound chambered cells of microscopic size.
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Polytheism
the worship of many gods. It is not necessarily the same as may be adored with- 1 idolatry, for gods out any image of them being made. In Sir John Lubbock's classification of religious beliefs, fetishism and totemism in the are polytheistic; the next stage ascending order, anthropomorphism, may or may not be so. Though some of the Greek and Roman philosophers may have risen above polytheism to conceive the unity of God, the masses of the people were polytheistic, as is the case with the ethnic nations today, though in some cases, as in that of India, pantheism underlies polytheism, and some apparent polytheists really believe all nature to be one God. POMACEÆ, Linnæus, 37th natural order, including Punica Pyeus, Ribes; also appleworts, an order of perigynous exogens, alliance Rosales. Trees or shrubs, with alternate, stipulate leaves; flowers solitary, or in terminal cymes, white or pink. Found in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Known genera 16, species 200. (Lindley.)
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Polytrix
This is almost the only example of an inauspicious stone. It caused the hair to fall off the head of anyone who had it about his person.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Polyxena
Daughter of Priam and Hecuba , who was beloved by Achilles . When the Greeks, on their voyage home, were still lingering on the coast of Thrace, the shade of Achilles appeared to them, demanding that Polyxena should be sacrificed to him. Neoptolemus accordingly slew her on the tomb of his father. 2026 Editor's Note: Though absent from the works of Homer, Polyxena is a central figure in later classical literature, including the tragedy Hecuba by Euripides. In many accounts, she is portrayed as being complicit in the death of Achilles , to whom she had been betrothed before her eventual sacrifice on his tomb. (Ed: BR 2026-07-20)
Only in 1000 Classical Characters
Pomade
perfumed or fragrant ointment or composition for dressing the hair; pomatum.
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Pomegranate Tree
Important: Safety Warning This page prescribes plants as medicine according to pre-modern medical theory. Several of the plants named are toxic, correct identification is difficult, and the doses given have no scientific basis. Do not ingest or apply any preparation described here. In addition, this page presents medical treatment from an era before modern medicine. The remedies described are ineffective against the conditions named, and some of the ingredients or doses are harmful. Do not use them to treat any illness; consult a qualified medical professional. This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon. Punica granatum, once believed to be the type of a distinct order. A tree 15 to 25 feet high, a native of W. Asia and N. Africa. It forms woods in Persia. A decoction of the bark is a powerful anthelmintic, but not so good as fern root; the flowers are tonic and astringent; the bark of the fruit is used in leucorrhea, chronic dysentery, etc., and the acrid juice in bilious fevers. The plant is sometimes used for hedges. Its bark is of use in tanning.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia