Hu Yaobang
Hu Yaobang (1915–089), general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1981–87).
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Humber, River to Indus Valley civilization
River Humber
Humber, River, river in Humberside county, England, flowing eastward into the North Sea.
Humboldt Current
Humboldt Current See: Peru Current.
Friedrich Heinrich Alexander Humboldt Baron von
Humboldt, Friedrich Heinrich Alexander, Baron von (1769–1859), German naturalist.
David Hume
Hume, David (1711–76), Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, economist, and historian.
Humidity
Humidity, amount of water vapor in the air.
Hummingbird
Hummingbird, tiny nectar-feeding bird of the family Trochilidae.
Hummingbird moth
Hummingbird moth See: Hawk moth.
Humor
Humor, according to the ancients, any of the 4 bodily elements: phlegm, blood, choler, and black bile, corresponding to the 4 natural elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
Engelbert Humperdinck
Humperdinck, Engelbert (1854–1921), German composer.
Doris Humphrey
Humphrey, Doris (1895–1958), U.S. modern dancer and choreographer.
Hubert Horatio Humphrey
Humphrey, Hubert Horatio (1911–78), U.S. political leader, vice president from 1965 to 1969.
Humus
Humus, organic substance formed in soil when microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi decompose plant and animal material.
Hun
Hun, nomadic, probably Mongolian, race that invaded southeastern Europe during the 4th and 5th centuries.
Hunchback
Hunchback, or kyphosis, deformity of the spine causing bent posture with or without twisting (scoliosis) and abnormal bony prominences.
Hundred Days
Hundred Days, in French history, period between Napoleon's return to Paris from exile on Elba and the second Bourbon restoration (Mar. 20-June 28, 1815).
Hundred Years War
Hundred Years War, sporadic series of wars fought mainly between England and France from 1337 to 1453. They originated in disputes over English possessions in France, and the claims of Edward III of England to the throne of France. In 1337 he invaded Gascony and won the battles of Sluis (1340), Crécy (1346), and Poitiers (1356), and seized Calais, gaining important concessions at the Treaty…
Hungarian
Hungarian, or Magyar, one of the Ungro-Finnic languages in the Uralic group.
Hungarian pointer
Hungarian pointer See: Vizsla.
Hungary
Hungary, country in east-central Europe, bordered by Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and Austria. The capital is Budapest, where nearly 20% of the population lives. Hungary is basically a fertile plain, drained by the Danube River, which forms part of the border with Slovakia and then turns south through the country. The Dráva, which…
Hunger
Hunger, appetite (impulse, drive) for food, often referring also to the mass of uneasy sensations from the gut and particularly from hunger contractions in the stomach, which accompany the appetite; also used to describe sexual appetite.
H(aroldson) L(afayette) Hunt
Hunt, H(aroldson) L(afayette) (1889–1974), U.S. oil magnate.
(James Henry) Leigh Hunt
Hunt, (James Henry) Leigh (1784–1859), English critic, journalist, and poet.
Richard Morris Hunt
Hunt, Richard Morris (1828–95), U.S. architect.
William Holman Hunt
Hunt, William Holman (1827–1910), English painter who helped found the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Hunting
Hunting, pursuit and killing of wild animals for subsistence, profit, or sport. In Western Europe hunting means the pursuit and capture of a wild animal with the aid of hounds. In the United States and elsewhere the term means the field sport of shooting large and small game. Hunting was an important source of food, clothing, and sometimes shelter for primitive people. Cave paintings in France and…
Huntington
Huntington (pop. 312,529), largest city in West Virginia, located on the Ohio River.
Collis Potter Huntington
Huntington, Collis Potter (1821–1900), U.S. railroad tycoon.
Henry Edwards Huntington
Huntington, Henry Edwards (1850–1927), U.S. financier; nephew and heir of Collis P.
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease (Huntington's chorea), disease marked by progressive degeneration of the central nervous system.
Samuel Huntington
Huntington, Samuel (1731–96), Connecticut political figure who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Huntsman's-cup
Huntsman's-cup See: Pitcher plant.
Huntsville
Huntsville (pop. 238,912), city in northeastern Alabama.
Hunza
Hunza, district in northern Kashmir controlled by Pakistan.
Hurdling
Hurdling, track and field sport in which runners jump over obstacles called hurdles, which stand at specific heights and are set equal distances apart on the track.
Huron
Huron, league of 4 Native North American tribes, approximately 20,000 strong, who lived in South Ontario in the 1600s.
Hurricane
Hurricane, tropical cyclone of great intensity.
Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston, Zora Neale (1901–60), U.S. author known for her literary interpretations of African-American folklore of the southern United States and the Caribbean.
Jan Hus
Hus, Jan (1370–1415), Bohemian religious reformer and Czech national hero.
Gustav Husák
Husák, Gustav (1913–91), Czechoslovakian Communist leader.
Husein Ibn Ali
Husein Ibn Ali (1854–1931), sharif of Mecca (1908–16) and king of Hejaz (1916–24).
Husky
Husky See: Siberian husky.
Hussar
Hussar, European soldier who was a member of light cavalry units used for scouting.
Hussein I
Hussein I (1935– ), king of Jordan since 1953.
Saddam Hussein
Hussein, Saddam (1937– ), Arab nationalist leader, president and dictator of Iraq from 1979. As chair of the Revolutionary Command Council of the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party, a pan-Arab organization that controls all facets of Iraqi society, he established a regime marked by widespread repression, imprisonment, and fear. At the same time, the government made significant progress in i…
Edmund Husserl
Husserl, Edmund (1859–1938), Czech-born German philosopher who founded phenomenology.
Huston
Huston, name of 3 film personalities.
Robert Maynard Hutchins
Hutchins, Robert Maynard (1899–1977), U.S. educator, president (1929–45) and chancellor (1945–51) of the University of Chicago.
Anne Marbury Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Anne Marbury (1591–1643), English Puritan religious leader, one of the founders of Rhode Island.
Thomas Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Thomas (1711–80), American colonial governor of Massachusetts, 1770–74.
Hutterites
Hutterites, or Hutterlan Brethren, Protestant sect found primarily in South Dakota, and Canada.
James Hutton
Hutton, James (1726–97), Scottish geologist who proposed, in Theory of the Earth (1795), that the earth's natural features result from continual processes, occurring now at the same rate as they have in the past.
Huxley
Huxley, British family of writers and scientists. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95), biologist, is best known for his support of Darwin's theory of evolution, without which acceptance of the theory might have been long delayed. Most of his own contributions to paleontology and zoology (especially taxonomy), botany, geology, and anthropology were related to this. He also coined the word &…
Christiaan Huygens
Huygens, Christiaan (1629–95), Dutch scientist.
Hyacinth
Hyacinth, plant (genus Hyacinthus, especially H. orientalis) of the lily family grown from a bulb that produces a head of beautifully colored and perfumed flowers.
Hyaline membrane disease
Hyaline membrane disease, or respiratory distress syndrome, lung condition that is a common cause of death in premature babies.
Hybrid
Hybrid, crossbred animal or plant; an offspring of 2 different breeds, genera, or varieties.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad (pop. 751,500), third largest city in Pakistan, located on the Indus River in Sind province.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad (pop. 3,145,900), capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and historically of the region also called Hyderabad.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad, region on the Deccan plateau that was once a state of south central India.
Hydra
Hydra, in Greek mythology, serpent with many heads, also known as Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna.
Hydra
Hydra, genus of freshwater animal of the phylum Coelenterata, perhaps the most familiar of the class Hydrozoa.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea, genus of ornamental shrub of the saxifrage family originally from China and Japan, widely grown in pots and gardens.
Hydrate
Hydrate, any of various chemical compounds composed of water and some other substance.
Hydraulic brake
Hydraulic brake See: Brake.
Hydraulic engine
Hydraulic engine, or fluidic engine, machine that uses the motion or pressure of fluids (like oil, silicone, gas, and sometimes water) to produce power.
Hydraulics
Hydraulics, branch of science concerned with the application of the properties of liquids (particularly water), at rest and in motion, to engineering problems.
Hydrazine
Hydrazine, chemical compound (H2NNH2), used in jet and rocket fuels, explosives, and corrosion inhibitors.
Hydriodic acid
Hydriodic acid See: Hydrogen iodide.
Hydrobromic acid
Hydrobromic acid See: Hydrogen bromide.
Hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon, any organic compound of hydrogen and carbon.
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid, chemical compound (HCL) with many industrial uses.
Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric power See: Electric power; Water power.
Hydrofluoric acid
Hydrofluoric acid, inorganic chemical compound (HF), also called hydrogen fluoride, formed when hydrofluoric gas is dissolved in water.
Hydrofoil
Hydrofoil, structure that, when moved rapidly through water, generates lift in exactly the same way and for the same reasons as does the airfoil.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen, chemical element, symbol H; for physical constants see Periodic Table. Hydrogen was prepared for many years before it was recognized as a distinct substance by Henry Cavendish in 1766. It is the most abundant element in the universe, making up about three quarters of the mass of the universe. On earth hydrogen occurs chiefly in combination with oxygen in water. Hydrogen is prepared comme…
Hydrogen bomb
Hydrogen bomb, or thermonuclear bomb, very powerful bomb whose explosive energy is produced by nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes, as of 2 deuterium atoms or of a deuterium and a tritium atom.
Hydrogen bromide
Hydrogen bromide, chemical compound (HBr) that is a colorless, corrosive gas.
Hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride See: Hydrofluoric acid.
Hydrogen iodide
Hydrogen iodide, chemical compound (HI) that is a colorless gas with a sharp odor.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), unstable chemical compound that acts as an oxidizing agent that may cause poisoning.
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide, colorless, poisonous, flammable gas (H2S) with an odor of rotting eggs.
Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation, chemical process that adds hydrogen to some other substance.
Hydrology
Hydrology, branch of geophysics concerned with the hydrosphere (all the waters of the earth), with particular reference to water on and within the land.
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis, in chemistry, double decomposition effected by water, according to the general equation XY + H2O → XOH + YH.
Hydrometer
Hydrometer, device that measures the specific gravity of a liquid (its density relative to that of water).
Hydrophobia
Hydrophobia See: Rabies.
Hydroplane
Hydroplane, speedboat designed so that the hull rides above the surface of the water.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics, or soil-less culture, technique by which plants are grown without soil.
Hydrosphere
Hydrosphere, all the waters of the earth, in whatever form: solid, liquid, gaseous.
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, external application of water for therapeutic purposes.
Hydroxide
Hydroxide, chemical compound containing the negatively charged hydroxyl ion (OH-), used in the manufacture of detergents and medicines.
Hyena
Hyena, 3 species of carnivorous mammals, family Hyaenidae, native to Asia and Africa.
Hygiene
Hygiene See: Health.
Hygrometer
Hygrometer, device to measure humidity (the amount of water vapor the air holds). Usually, hygrometers measure relative humidity, the amount of moisture as a percentage of the saturation level at that temperature. In the hair hygrometer, which is of limited accuracy, the length of a hair (usually human) increases with increase in relative humidity. This length change is amplified by a lever and re…
Hyksos
Hyksos, Asian group who invaded Egypt in the 18th century B.C. and formed the 15th and 16th dynasties of Egypt.
Hymn
Hymn, sacred song in praise of gods or heroes, found in almost all cultures, ancient and modern.
Hyperactive child
Hyperactive child, excessively active child who cannot concentrate on any one task for more than a few minutes.
Hyperbola
Hyperbola, in geometry, curve consisting of 2 separate branches opening out in opposite directions.
Hyperkinesis
Hyperkinesis See: Hyperactive child.
Hyperopia
Hyperopia See: Farsightedness.
Hypertension
Hypertension, abnormally high blood pressure.
Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation, abnormal, deep and rapid breathing, frequently caused by anxiety.
Hypnos
Hypnos, in Greek mythology, the god of sleep.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis, artificially induced mental state characterized by an individual's loss of critical powers and consequent openness to suggestion. It may be induced by an external agency or self-induced (autohypnosis). Hypnotism has been widely used in medicine (usually to induce analgesia) and especially in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Here, the particular value of hypnosis is that while in tran…
Hypochlorous acid
Hypochlorous acid, weak inorganic acid (HOC1) used in bleaches and disinfectants.
Hypochondria
Hypochondria, or hypochondriasis, mental condition involving undue anxiety about real or supposed ailments, usually in the belief that these are incurable.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia, abnormally low level of glucose in the blood.
Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus, central part of the base of the brain, closely related to the pituitary gland.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia, subnormal temperature of the body. Initial symptoms are weakness, slurred speech, confusion, shivering, and clumsiness. If the condition progresses, the weakness is replaced by stiff muscles, the person feels unable to move, and drowsiness and sleepiness occur. The body is no longer able to conserve heat, and the body temperature falls rapidly. Eventually, if nothing is done to return…
Hyrax
Hyrax, or cony, rabbit-sized mammal of Africa and South Asia, of the order Hyracoidea, closely related to the elephant.
Hyssop
Hyssop, herb (Hyssopus officinalis) of the mint family.
Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy, surgical removal of the womb, with or without the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Hysteria
Hysteria, or conversion disorder, medical diagnostic term for illness characterized by physical complaints without physical cause.
I
I, ninth letter of the English alphabet.
Ching I
I Ching, or Book of Changes, ancient Chinese philosophical and literary classic dating to c.12th century B.C.
Lee Iacocca
Iacocca, Lee (1924– ), U.S. businessman and automobile executive; chairman and chief executive of the Chrysler Corporation.
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Ibáñez, Vicente Blasco See: Blasco Ibáñez, Vicente.
Ibadan
Ibadan (pop. 1,060,000), second largest city in Nigeria.
Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula, landmass in southwestern Europe, occupied by Spain and Portugal.
Jacques Ibert
Ibert, Jacques (1890–1962), French composer of piano pieces, orchestral works, symphonic poems, and operas.
Sieur d' Iberville
Iberville, Sieur d' (1661–1706), French-Canadian fur trader and explorer, founder of Louisiana.
Ibex
Ibex, 7 species of wild goats (genus Capra) of the Eastern Hemisphere that differ from true goats in their flattened foreheads and usually broad-fronted horns.
Ibis
Ibis, heronlike wading bird (family Threskiornithidae) of moderate size, characterized by a long, thin, downward-curving bill.
Ibizan hound
Ibizan hound, rare dog breed from Ibiza, an island off the eastern coast of Spain.
Ibn Batuta
Ibn Batuta (1304?–78?), greatest Arab traveler of the Middle Ages.
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), Arab historian and sociologist.
Ibn Saud
Ibn Saud (1880–1953), creator of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ibn-Sina
Ibn-Sina See: Avicenna.
Ibo
Ibo See: Igbo.
Henrik Ibsen
Ibsen, Henrik (1828–1906), Norwegian playwright and poet.
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen, drug used for the relief of headaches, muscle aches, pain, and for the reduction of fever.
Icarus
Icarus, in Greek mythology, son of Daedalus, with whom he was imprisoned in the labyrinth by King Minos of Crete.
ICBM
ICBM See: Guided missile.
Ice
Ice, frozen water; colorless crystalline solid in which the strong, directional hydrogen bonding produces a structure with much space between the molecules.
Ice age
Ice age, any of several periods in geologic time when thick ice caps and glaciers covered large areas of the earth that now have temperate or warm climates. In 1837 Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-U.S. naturalist, was one of the first to argue that a great ice age in the past explained land features associated with glaciation hundreds of miles from permanent ice. Geologists later established that there hav…
Ice cream
Ice cream, frozen dairy food whose main ingredients are sugar, cream or butterfat, water, flavorings, and air.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey See: Hockey.
Ice skating
Ice skating, winter sport in the United States, Canada, and the countries of northern Europe. Originally confined to natural settings and conditions, such as frozen lakes and rivers, the sport has been widely popularized by the introduction of artificial rinks. Competitive skating, which requires many years of intensive practice, consists of figure skating and speed skating. Figure skating is a hi…
Iceberg
Iceberg, large floating mass of ice.
Icebreaker
Icebreaker, vessel designed to break channels through ice for other ships, chiefly in harbors and rivers. They are of special importance in Canada, the former USSR, and Scandinavia. An icebreaker has a very strong reinforced hull and is equipped with high-powered engines that transmit power to the rugged propeller by electrical means. This enables the vessel to develop maximum power from a standin…
Icecap
Icecap, extensive perennial cover of ice and snow, covering huge sections of the earth's polar regions.
Iceland
Iceland (Icelandic: Island), nation located on second-largest island of Europe, situated in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle, 200 mi (320 km) southeast of Greenland, 650 mi (1,050 km) west of Norway, and 500 mi (800 km) northwest of Scotland. Iceland has more than 100 volcanic peaks with varying degrees of activity. Enormous ice explosions sometimes take place due to erupti…
Ichneumon wasp
Ichneumon wasp, parasitic wasp (family Ichneumonidae) equipped with a long egg-laying organ, the ovipositor, like a hypodermic needle.
Harold Le Claire Ickes
Ickes, Harold Le Claire (1874–1952), U.S. government official.
Icon
Icon (Greek, “image”), religious image in the Eastern and Russian Orthodox churches.
Iconoclast
Iconoclast (Greek eikon, “image” + klastes, “breaker”), person who practices iconoclasm, opposition to the religious use of images.
Id
Id See: Psychoanalysis.
Idaho
Idaho, state in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States; bordered on the east by Montana and Wyoming, on the south by Utah and Nevada, on the west by Oregon and Washington, and on the north by British Columbia. Idaho is dominated by the Rockies, including the Bitter-root, Salmon River, and Sawtooth ranges. About 50 of the state's peaks are over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) high. The Snake Riv…
Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls (pop. 39,734), third largest city in Idaho, located in the southeastern portion of the state, on the Snake River.
Idealism
Idealism, any one of a variety of systems of philosophical thought that would make the ultimate reality of the universe expressible or intelligible only in terms of ideas rather than in terms of matter or space.
Ideology
Ideology, set of beliefs based on related political, social, and economic assumptions.
Ides
Ides, 15th day of Mar. in the ancient Roman calendar and the day in 44 B.C. on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman senate.
Idolatry
Idolatry, in religion, worship of an image or statue representing a god or spirit.
Idyl
Idyl (Greek, “little picture”), short poem that deals with rural scenery, beauty, and tranquility.
Ife
Ife, town in the Oyo province in southwestern Nigeria.
Igbo
Igbo, or Ibo, large ethnic group in Nigeria.
Igloo
Igloo, shelter or hunting ground dwelling for the Canadian Eskimos.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch, Saint (d. c.A.D. 100), Christian bishop of Antioch, condemned to death in Trajan's reign.
Saint Ignatius Loyola
Ignatius Loyola, Saint See: Loyola, Saint Ignatius.
Igneous rock
Igneous rock, one of the 3 main classes of rocks, that whose origin is the solidification of molten material, or detrital volcanic material.
Ignition
Ignition, system used to start an engine.
Iguana
Iguana, family of lizards, the largest and most elaborately marked lizards of the New World.
Ikhnaton
Ikhnaton See: Akhenaton.
Iliad
Iliad, ancient Greek epic poem of 24 books in hexameter verse, attributed to Homer; internal references suggest it was composed in the mid-8th century B.C.
Illegal alien
Illegal alien, person living in a country where he or she is not a citizen and without the government's consent.
Illicium
Illicium, sole genus of plant belonging to the family Illiciales, of the illiciales order.
Illinois
Illinois, state in the north central United States; bordered by Lake Michigan in the northeast, Indiana in the east, Kentucky in the southeast, Missouri in the southwest, Iowa in the northwest, and Wisconsin in the north. Illinois consists almost entirely of a rolling plain that slopes gradually from north to south. Much of the north and central portions of the state are covered by dark prairie so…
Illinois
Illinois, tribal confederation of Native Americans belonging to the Algonquian linguistic group and related to Ojibwas and Miamis.
Illinois River
Illinois River, major waterway linking the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan.
Illiteracy
Illiteracy, inability to read and write at least simple messages.
Illumination
Illumination, the decoration of a handwritten text with ornamental design, letters, and paintings, often using silver and gold leaf.
Illusion
Illusion See: Optical illusion.
Illyria
Illyria, ancient country in the northwestern part of the Balkan peninsula.
Iloilo
Iloilo (pop. 309,500), major port of the Philippines located on the island of Panay, one of the Visayan Islands.
Imagists
Imagists, group of poets writing in the early 20th century in the United States and England who rebelled against the artificiality and sentimentality of much 19th-century poetry.
Imago
Imago, psychoanalytic term for the unconscious, idealized representation of oneself or of an important figure from childhood, often a parent.
Imam
Imam (Arabic, “leader”) term used in Islam to denote a religious leader.
Imhotep
Imhotep (fl.c.2980–2950 B.C.), Egyptian architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic dogma, officially defined in 1854, that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from original sin, owing to a special act of redemptive grace.
Immigration
Immigration, movement of people into a country to establish a new permanent residence. People become immigrants primarily for economic, political, or religious reasons. The United States is a nation of immigrants. It has received more immigrants from more places than any other country—about 38 million from the 1820s to the 1930s—and is thus known as a “melting pot” of t…
Immortelle
Immortelle (Xeranthemum annuun), any of several species of flower belonging to the composite family and related to the asters.
Immunity
Immunity, system of defense in animals protecting against foreign materials, specifically, infectious microorganisms, parasites, and their products. For many diseases, humoral immunity, exposure to the causative organism in disease itself or by vaccination, provides acquired resistance to that organism, making further infection with it unlikely or less severe. The antigen (foreign microorganism or…
Immunization
Immunization, process of becoming, or rendering a body, resistant to a particular disease.
Impala
Impala (Aepyceros melampus), one of the most abundant African antelopes.
Impeachment
Impeachment, formal accusation of a crime or other serious misconduct brought against a public official by a legislature. The term sometimes includes the trial by the legislature that follows. Impeachment began in England as a way of putting officials on trial who were derelict in their duties. Under U.S. constitutional procedure the House of Representatives has the power to impeach; the Senate tr…
Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley, agricultural area in the low-lying Colorado Desert of southeastern California, extending into Mexico, called the “Winter Garden” of America.
Imperialism
Imperialism, policy of one country or people, usually “developed,” to extend its control or influence over other territories or peoples, usually “underdeveloped.” There are many different kinds of imperialism—political, financial, economic, military, and cultural.
Impetigo
Impetigo, superficial skin infection, usually of the face, caused by streptococcus or staphylococcus.
Import
Import See: Exports and imports.
Impressionism
Impressionism, dominant artistic movement in France from the mid-1860s to 1890, characterized by the use of brushstrokes of contrasting colors to convey the impression of objects by the light they reflect.
Inca
Inca, Native American empire in the western region of South America which, at the time of the Spanish conquest, occupied what is now Peru, parts of Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. It extended some 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from north to south, stretching back between 150 and 250 mi (240 and 400 km) from the narrow Pacific coastal plain into the high Andes. The name “Inca” refers to…
Incandescent lamp
Incandescent lamp See: Electric light.
Inchon
Inchon (pop. 1,817,900), Yellow River port city located in the northwestern part of South Korea.
Inchworm
Inchworm See: Measuring worm.
Incisor
Incisor See: Teeth.
Income
Income, payment, whether money (pecuniary, cash, or monetary income) or as goods and services (real income), received in return for goods and services. For most people cash income takes the form of a wage or salary, usually expressed as so much per week or month. Cash income is also derived from stock dividends and from rent paid for the use of property. Many people in developing countries depend …
Income tax
Income tax, the major source of government revenue.
Incubation
Incubation, method of keeping microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses warm and in an appropriate medium to promote their growth (e.g., in identification of the organisms causing disease); also, period during which an organism is present in the body before causing disease.
Indentured servant
Indentured servant, person bound to labor for a stated period, usually 5 to 7 years.
Independence
Independence (pop. 111,806), city in Missouri, seat of Jackson County.
Independence Day
Independence Day, or Fourth of July, the principal nonreligious holiday in the United States.
Declaration of Independence
Independence, Declaration of See: Declaration of Independence.
Independence Hall
Independence Hall, old state house of Philadelphia, Pa., where the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed and the Constitutional Convention of 1787 met.
War for Independence
Independence, War for See: Revolutionary War in America.
Index
Index, reference list of the topics, subjects, or names in a printed work and where they may be found.
Index of Forbidden Books
Index of Forbidden Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum), official list of books banned by the Roman Catholic Church as being in doctrinal or moral error.
India
India, union of 25 states and 7 territories, the world's seventh-largest country, occupying most of the Indian subcontinent, the land mass of south central Asia that tapers southward from the Himalayan mountain system to Cape Comorin and Sri Lanka. India shares the subcontinent with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Himalayan states of Nepal, and Bhutan, with Sri Lanka off its coast. Only the P…
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indian Affairs, Bureau of, U.S. federal agency, part of the Department of the Interior, set up in 1824 to safeguard the welfare of Native Americans.
American Indian
Indian, American See: Native Americans.
Indian art and architecture
Indian art and architecture, classical tradition dates from the fall of the Indus Valley civilization (1500 B.C.) and the establishment of the Indo-Aryan culture based on Hinduism.
Indian bean
Indian bean See: Catalpa.
Indian Desert
Indian Desert See: Thar Desert.
Indian fig
Indian fig See: Prickly pear.
Indian hemp
Indian hemp See: Dogbane.
Indian mallow
Indian mallow (Abutilon theophrastii), weed of the mallow family, a group of dicotyledonous flowering plants.
Indian Mutiny
Indian Mutiny See: Sepoy Rebellion.
Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean, world's third largest ocean (28,350,000 sq mi/73,426,500 sq km), bounded by Antarctica to the south, Africa to the west, and Australia and Indonesia to the east.
Indian paintbrush
Indian paintbrush, any of about 200 species (genus Castilleja) of wild-flower in the figwort or snapdragon family of flowering plants.
Indian pipe
Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora), low, flowering plant of the family Ericaceae.
Indian reservation
Indian reservation, land set aside by the U.S. government for use by Native Americans.
Indian root
Indian root See: Spikenard.
Indian Territory
Indian Territory, region west of Arkansas, into which the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw tribes were forcibly moved under the 1830 Indian Removal Act.
Indian tobacco
Indian tobacco See: Lobelia.
Indian turnip
Indian turnip See: Jack-in-the-pulpit.
Indian wars
Indian wars, struggle in North America between the Native Americans and European colonizers from the earliest colonial times to the late 19th century. Despite peaceful trade under Powhatan, hostilities between Native Americans and the English settlers of Jamestown, Va., began in 1622, and by 1644 the native tribes had been crushed. In New England, war with the Pequot tribe (1636) resulted in their…
Indiana
Indiana, state of the north-central United States; bordered by Michigan and Lake Michigan (north), Ohio (east), Kentucky (south), and Illinois (west). Indiana's Great Lakes Plains are characterized by rich, black soils and many small lakes, the result of Ice Age glaciers. Along the state's Lake Michigan shorelines lie great sand dunes. The Till Plains of central Indiana are a part of…
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (pop. 746,500), capital and largest city of Indiana, located near the center of the state. The city is one of the largest in the world not situated on a navigable waterway. This deficiency made its growth slow from around 1819, when the first settlers arrived, until 1847, when the first railroad reached the town. Additional railroads and roads made it a leading transport terminus. Mod…
Indianapolis (500)
Indianapolis 500 See: Automobile racing.
Indians
Indians See: Native Americans.
Indies
Indies See: East Indies; West Indies.
Indigo bunting
Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), North American songbird of the family Emberizidae, which includes the bunting, finches, grosbeaks, and sparrows.
Indium
Indium, chemical element, symbol In; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages, large family of language spoken throughout most of Europe and much of Asia, and descended from a hypothetical common ancestor, Proto-Indo-European, extant more than 5,000 years ago.
Indochina
Indochina, political term for peninsular Southeast Asia between China and India.
Indonesia
Indonesia, republic of southeast Asia occupying most of the Malay archipelago, the world's largest archipelago, consisting of more than 13,000 islands and islets strung out along the equator from Sumatra facing the Indian Ocean in the west to New Guinea in the east. These were the Indies sought by Christopher Columbus and other explorers. The Moluccas, part of Indonesia, were the Spice Isla…
electric Induction
Induction, electric name of the phenomenon whereby an electrically charged object charges another object without touching it.
Inductive method
Inductive method, logical process which starts from the particular and goes to the general.
Indulgence
Indulgence, in the Roman Catholic Church, remission of the temporal punishment (on earth or in purgatory) that remains due for sin even after confession, absolution, and doing penance.
Indus River
Indus River, river rising in the Himalayas of western Tibet and flowing 1,800 mi (2,900 km) through Kashmir and Pakistan to its 75-mi-(121-km) long delta on the North Arabian Sea.
Indus Valley civilization
Indus Valley civilization, centered around the Indus River in India and Pakistan, the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent.
Industrial arts
Industrial arts, area of general education that includes automobile mechanics, electronics, graphic arts, industrial crafts, industrial drawing, metalworking, plastics, photography, and woodworking.
Industrial design
Industrial design, expression of the special relationship between the artist, the consumer, and the manufacturer in a developed, industrialized society.
Industrial pollution
Industrial pollution See: Environmental pollution.
Industrial relations
Industrial relations, conduct of relations between organized labor and management and the relations between individual workers and their supervisors.
Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution, period of rapid transition from an agrarian to an industrial society; specifically, the prototype of such periods, the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the United Kingdom. This period saw Britain transformed from a predominantly agricultural society into the world's first industrial nation. In the 18th century, British imperialism, technology, economic developmen…
Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), U.S. labor organization, founded in 1905 by revolutionary socialists to radicalize the labor movement.
Industrialism
Industrialism See: Industrial Revolution.
lleitis
lleitis, inflammation of the ileum, a section of the small intestine.
llmenite
llmenite, heavy black metallic oxide mineral that is a source of titanium.