Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Céline, Louis-Ferdinand (Louis-Ferdinand Destouches, 1849–1961), French novelist.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Catherine de' Medici to Children's home
Paul Cézanne
Cézanne, Paul (1839–1906), French painter.
Cat's eye
Cat's eye, any of several gemstones that, when cut to form a convex surface, resemble the eye of a cat.
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536), first wife of Henry VIII of England.
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), Portuguese wife of King Charles II of England.
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici (1519–89), daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino; wife of King Henry II of France; and mother of 3 kings of France.
Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great See: Catherine.
Saint Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena, Saint (1347–80), Italian religious and mystic known for her visions, charity, and diplomatic skill.
Cathode ray
Cathode ray, stream of electrons that flows from a cathode (negative electrode) to an anode (positive electrode) in a vacuum tube when a potential of 4,000–10,000 volts is applied across them.
Roman Catholic Church
Catholic Church, Roman See: Roman Catholic Church.
Catholic Emancipation Act
Catholic Emancipation Act , British law enacted on Apr. 13, 1829, removing most of the civil disabilities imposed on British Roman Catholics from the time of Henry VIII.
Catiline
Catiline (c.108–62 B.C.), Roman aristocrat who tried to seize power in 63 B.C.
Catkin
Catkin, reproductive organ of many common trees.
George Catlin
Catlin, George (1796–1872), U.S. artist, noted for his paintings of U.S.
Catnip
Catnip, or catmint (Nepeta cataria), Eurasian mint naturalized in North America.
Cato
Cato, name of 2 Roman statesman.
Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains, group of mountains west of the Hudson River in the southeastern region of New York, part of the Appalachian system.
Carrie Lane Chapman Catt
Catt, Carrie Lane Chapman (1859–1947), U.S. feminist, suffragist, and founder of the League of Women Voters.
Cattail
Cattail, wild plant (genus Typha) that grows in marshes and other wetland areas.
Cattle
Cattle, large ruminant mammal of the family Bovidae, most of which have been domesticated, including bison, buffalo, yak, zebu, and European cattle.
Cattle tick
Cattle tick, brown parasitic insect (Boophilus annulatus) that lives on cattle.
Bruce Catton
Catton, Bruce (1899–1978), U.S. journalist and Civil War historian.
Gaius Valerius Catullus
Catullus, Gaius Valerius (c.84–54 B.C.), Roman lyric poet influenced by Hellenistic Greek poetry.
Caucasia
Caucasia, oil-rich region that straddles the Caucasus Mountains in the southwest of the Russian Federation.
Caucasus
Caucasus, mountain range in the Russian Federation between the Caspian and Black seas, 700 mi (1,127 km) long and up to 120 mi (193 km) wide, including the highest mountain in Europe, Mt.
Caucus
Caucus, closed party meetings to decide on policy or select candidates for public office.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower, (Brassica oleracea), variety of cabbage similar to broccoli, in which the edible portion consists of a large mass of unopened flowers.
Caustic
Caustic, general name for chemicals that burn or corrode other materials such as metal, plastics, and organic substances.
Cavalry
Cavalry, military force that fights on horseback.
Lauro Fred Cavazos
Cavazos, Lauro Fred (1927– ), named secretary of education in 1988, first Mexican American to hold a cabinet post.
Cave
Cave, natural hollow or cavern found in rock.
Cavefish
Cavefish, common name of several varieties of small, blind, cave-dwelling fish of the family Amblyopsidae.
Edith Louise Cavell
Cavell, Edith Louise (1865–1915), British nurse who became a World War I heroine.
Henry Cavendish
Cavendish, Henry (1731–1810), English chemist and physicist who showed hydrogen to be a distinct gas, water to be a compound—not an elementary substance, and the composition of the atmosphere to be constant.
Count Camillo Benso of Cavour
Cavour, Count Camillo Benso of (1810–61), Italian statesman largely responsible for the unification of Italy.
Cavy
Cavy, any of a number of related South American rodents (family Caviidae), of which the guinea pig is the best known.
William Caxton
Caxton, William (c.1422–91), English printer, trained in Cologne.
Cayenne
Cayenne (pop. 41,100), capital of French Guiana, situated on an island in the Cayenne River.
Sir George Cayley
Cayley, Sir George (1773–1857), British inventor who pioneered the science of aerodynamics.
Cayman
Cayman, crocodilian of South America, notably of the Amazon basin.
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands, British dependency in the Caribbean Sea, about 200 mi (320 km) northwest of Jamaica, consisting of 3 islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac.
Cayuga
Cayuga, Native American tribe, member of the Iroquois League.
CB radio
CB radio See: Citizens band radio.
CD
CD See: Compact disc (CD).
Nicolae Ceausescu
Ceausescu, Nicolae (1918–89), president of Romania from 1967 until 1989, when he was overthrown and executed.
Cebu
Cebu, densely populated Philippine island with a narrow coastal plain and interior mountains.
Saint Cecilia
Cecilia, Saint, early martyr of the Christian church, in 2nd or 3rd century Rome.
Cedar
Cedar (genus Cedrus), evergreen, cone-bearing tree with fragrant wood.
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids (pop. 168,767), city in east central Iowa, seat of Linn County.
Celandine
Celandine (Chelidonium majus), low-growing biennial of the poppy family with yellow flowers that are open for most of the spring and summer.
Celery
Celery, biennial vegetable (Apium graveolens) related to parsley and carrots, eaten either raw or cooked.
Celery cabbage
Celery cabbage See: Chinese cabbage.
Celesta
Celesta, keyboard musical instrument that looks like a miniature upright piano.
Celibacy
Celibacy, voluntary abstinence from marriage and sexual intercourse.
Cell
Cell, in biology, smallest unit that possesses all the essential properties of a living organism: metabolism, reproduction, differentiation, regeneration, and excitability (response to stimulus). A living cell can also be described as having a flow of matter: Chemicals come into the cell; they are broken down or transformed into other chemicals that then leave the cell. There is also a flow of ene…
Benvenuto Cellini
Cellini, Benvenuto (1500–71), Italian metalsmith, sculptor, and writer.
Cello
Cello, or violoncello, second largest instrument of the violin family, with 4 strings and a range starting 2 octaves below middle C.
Cellophane
Cellophane, transparent, nonpenetrable film of cellulose used in packaging, first developed by J.
Celluloid
Celluloid, first commercial synthetic plastic, developed by J.
Cellulose
Cellulose, main constituent of the cell walls of plants.
Celsius scale
Celsius scale, system for measuring temperature in which the interval between the freezing point and boiling point of water is divided into 100 equal degrees.
Celts
Celts, prehistoric people speaking Indo-European dialects, whose numerous tribes occupied much of Europe between 2000 and 100 B.C.
Cement
Cement, most important modern construction material, notably as a constituent of concrete.
Cenozoic Era
Cenozoic Era, third and current geologic era.
Censorship
Censorship, supervision or control exercised by authority over public communication, conduct, or morals.
Census
Census, enumeration of persons, property, and other items within a community, state, or country.
Centaur
Centaur, in Greek mythology, a creature with the torso, arms, and head of a man and the body of a horse.
International Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition, International, world's fair held in Philadelphia from May to Nov. 1876, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Centipede
Centipede, long-bodied member of the class Chilopoda, phylum Arthropoda with 2 legs to each of their 15 to 100 segments.
Central African Republic
Central African Republic, landlocked country in equatorial Africa, bordered by Chad, Sudan, Zaire, Congo and Cameroon. The republic lies north of the equator and is a rolling plateau at about 2,500 ft (763 m). In the east the Fertit Hills rise to 4,200 ft (1,280 m), and in the northeast the Ouanda-Djale Hills reach 3,750 ft (1,143 m). A dense tropical rainforest covers the southern part of the cou…
Central America
Central America, North America southeast of Mexico, land bridge to South America, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), U.S. government agency established in 1947 by the National Security Act to coordinate, evaluate, and disseminate intelligence from other U.S. agencies and to advise the president and the National Security Council on security matters.
Central Park
Central Park See: New York City.
Central Powers
Central Powers See: World War I.
Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces
Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces, forces acting on a body as it moves along a curved path.
Centrifuge
Centrifuge, machine for separating mixtures of different densities by rotating them in a container at high speed.
Century plant
Century plant, any of several desert plants (genus Agave) native to warm climates in the Americas.
Century of Progress Exposition
Century of Progress Exposition, international exhibition celebrating Chicago's centenary, held on the shores of Lake Michigan, 1933–34.
Cephalopoda
Cephalopoda, class of predatory mollusks including the cuttlefish, octopus, and squid.
Cephalosporins
Cephalosporins, group of broad-spectrum antibiotics, most of which are derived from the penicillinlike cephalosporin C that was discovered in sewage in Sardinia.
Cepheid variables
Cepheid variables, yellow giant stars whose brightness varies regularly with a period of 1 to 50 days.
Ceram
Ceram See: Indonesia.
Ceramics
Ceramics, materials produced by treating nonmetallic, inorganic substances (originally clay) at high temperatures.
Cerberus
Cerberus, in Greek mythology, huge multiheaded dog, with a mane and tail of snakes, that guarded the entrance to Hades.
Cereal
Cereal, generic name for annual plants of the grass family, including wheat, rice, corn, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and rye.
Cerebellum
Cerebellum See: Brain.
Cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding from a broken blood vessel in the brain, with damage to or destruction of surrounding tissues.
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy, diverse group of conditions caused by brain damage around the time of birth and resulting in a variable degree of nonprogressive physical and mental handicap.
Cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid, serum-like fluid produced in the lateral ventricles of the brain; it bathes the brain and spinal cord.
Cerebrum
Cerebrum See: Brain.
Ceres
Ceres, in Roman mythology, goddess of grain, agriculture, and the harvest.
Ceres
Ceres, largest and first discovered (1801) of thousands of asteroids, or minor planets, that orbit the sun between Jupiter and Mars.
Cerium
Cerium, chemical element, symbol Ce; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Cermet
Cermet, or ceramal, composite material made from mixed metals and ceramics.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de (1547–1616), Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright, a major figure of Spanish literature.
Cesarean section
Cesarean section, surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus, performed to deliver a baby.
Cesium
Cesium, chemical element, symbol Cs; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
CETA
CETA (Comprehensive Training and Employment Act of 1973), federally funded system for training unemployed people and providing them with jobs and job- related services.
Cetacean
Cetacean, any of the mammalian order (Cetacea) comprised of whales, porpoises, and dolphins.
Cetewayo
Cetewayo, or Cetshwayo (1826–84), fourth and last Zulu king (1873–79).
Ceylon
Ceylon See: Sri Lanka.
André Marie de Chénier
Chénier, André Marie de (1762–94), French poet.
Château
Château, French term for castle, often applied to any stately mansion; originally a well-fortified medieval castle with a moat, used for defense rather than residence.
Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier
Chabrier, Alexis Emmanuel (1841–94), French composer best remembered for orchestral works such as España (1883) and various piano pieces.
Chad
Chad (Republic of), landlocked state in north-central Africa bordered by 6 states, including Libya to the north and the Central African Republic to the south. N'Djamena is the capital. Its northern part extends into the Sahara desert, where the Tibesti highlands rise to 11,000 ft (3,353 m). The southern part consists largely of semiarid steppe with wooded grasslands (savannas) near Lake Cha…
Sir James Chadwick
Chadwick, Sir James (1891–1974), English physicist who was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in 1932 for his discovery of the neutron.
Marc Chagall
Chagall, Marc (1887–1985), Russian painter.
Chagres
Chagres, river in eastern Panama that was dammed during construction of the Panama Canal, thus forming Gatun Lake.
Peter Ilic Chaikovsky
Chaikovsky, Peter Ilich See: Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich.
Chain reaction
Chain reaction See: Nuclear energy.
Sir Ernst Boris Chain
Chain, Sir Ernst Boris (1906–79), German-born English biochemist who helped develop penicillin for clinical use.
Chair
Chair, everyday piece of furniture that in early civilizations was reserved for persons in high authority.
Chalcedony
Chalcedony, mineral consisting of microcrystalline silica (silicon dioxide) with a glassy or waxy luster, sometimes translucent.
Chalcocite
Chalcocite, sulfide mineral (Cu2S) that is an important ore of copper.
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite, most important copper ore.
Chaldea
Chaldea, name for southern Babylonia after its occupation by the Chaldeans in the 10th century B.C.
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin
Chaliapin, Feodor Ivanovich (1873–1938), Russian operatic bass.
Chalk
Chalk, soft, white rock composed of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, a type of fine-grained, porous limestone containing the shells of minute marine animals.
Challenger
Challenger, one of the 4 space shuttles of the NASA space program.
Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce, association of businesspeople set up to improve business conditions and practices, and to protect business interests.
Chamber music
Chamber music, musical composition intended for a small ensemble.
Chamberlain
Chamberlain, family name of 3 prominent British statesmen, Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914) entered Parliament in 1876 as a Liberal.
Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain, Wilt (1936- ), U.S. basketball player.
Whittaker Chambers
Chambers, Whittaker (1901–61), U.S. journalist and main witness in perjury trial of State Department official Alger Hiss.
Chameleon
Chameleon, lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae, found in Africa and Madagascar, that is well adapted to living in trees.
Chamois
Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), goatlike mammal of the family Bovidae found in the mountain forests of Europe and Asia Minor.
Chamomile
Chamomile See: Camomile.
Champagne
Champagne, historic province in northwestern France, famous for the effervescent sparkling white wines from vineyards between Reims and Epernay.
Samuel de Champlain
Champlain, Samuel de (1567–1635), French explorer, first governor of French Canada.
Jean François Champollion
Champollion, Jean François (1790–1832), French linguist and historian.
Champs Élysées
Champs Élysées See: Paris (city).
Battle of Chancellorsville
Chancellorsville, Battle of, U.S.
Raymond Thornton Chandler
Chandler, Raymond Thornton (1888–1959), U.S. detective novelist whose works combine wit and pace with strong characterization, particularly of their hero, Philip Marlowe, a tough but honest private detective.
Zachariah Chandler
Chandler, Zachariah (1813–79), U.S. politician, a founder of the Republican Party.
Maurya Chandragupta
Chandragupta, Maurya (4th century B.C.), Indian emperor c.321–297 B.C., founder of the Maurya dynasty.
Changamire Empire
Changamire Empire See: Zimbabwe.
Channel bass
Channel bass See: Redfish.
Channel Islands
Channel Islands, archipelago totaling 75 sq mi (194 sq km) in area, in the English Channel off northwestern France.
Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park (est. 1980), 8 islands off South California, extending over 150 mi (241 k) in the Pacific Ocean.
William Ellery Channing
Channing, William Ellery (1780–1842), U.S. theologian, writer, and philanthropist, leader of the Unitarian movement in New England.
Chansons de Geste
Chansons de Geste, medieval French epic poems written from the 11th through the 13th centuries.
Chanukah
Chanukah See: Hanukkah.
Chaos
Chaos, in Greek mythology, first being to be created, represented as a living creature made up of all the world's components.
Chaparral
Chaparral, area of plant growth dominated by shrubs, evergreen oaks (including the mountain mahogany and scrub oak), and the chamiso scrub.
Chapel
Chapel, place of Christian worship, usually located in a chamber within a church.
Charlie Chaplin
Chaplin, Charlie (Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin; 1889–1977), English film actor and director, great comedian of the silent cinema.
George Chapman
Chapman, George, (1559?–1634), English poet and dramatist.
John Chapman
Chapman, John See: Appleseed, Johnny.
Chapultepec
Chapultepec, historic hill near Mexico City, site of an Aztec royal residence and religious center in the 14th century.
Char
Char, or brook trout, North American member of the trout family, (genus Salvelinus) prized for its flesh.
Charcoal
Charcoal, form of amorphous carbon produced when wood, peat, bones, cellulose, or other carbonaceous substances are heated with little or no air present.
Jean Martin Charcot
Charcot, Jean Martin (1825–93), French neurologist whose researches advanced knowledge of hysteria, multiple sclerosis, locomotor ataxia, asthma, and aging.
Chard
Chard See: Swiss chard.
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin
Chardin, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon (1699–1779), French painter.
Hilaire Chardonnet
Chardonnet, Hilaire (1839–1924), French chemist, industrialist, and physiologist who did pioneering work on synthetic fiber, developing what later became known as rayon, first shown to the public at the Paris Exposition of 1889.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (Charles the Great; 742?–814), King of the Franks, founder of the Holy Roman Empire.
Charles
Charles, name of 7 rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, starting with Charlemagne.
Charles
Charles, name of 10 kings of France. Charles I was Charlemagne. Charles II (the Bald; 823–77) reigned as king of the West Franks from 843 and as emperor of the West from 875. Numerous revolts and invasions troubled his reign, culturally the last flowering of the Carolingian renaissance. Charles III (the Simple; 879–929), grandson of Charles II, reigned (893–923). Charles IV (t…
Charles
Charles, Stuart kings of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Charles the Great
Charles the Great See: Charlemagne.
Charles I
Charles I (1887–1922), last emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (1916–18).
Charles Martel
Charles Martel (A.D. 688–741), Frankish ruler who, as mayor of the palace (chief minister) from 714, ruled in place of the weak Merovingian kings.
Philip Arthur George Charles
Charles, Philip Arthur George (1948– ), Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, heir apparent to the British throne.
Ray Charles
Charles, Ray ( Ray Charles Robinson; 1930– ), U.S. singer, composer, and pianist, credited with synthesizing aspects of gospel, blues and country, and jazz to create a new form of music known as soul.
Charleston
Charleston (pop. 506,875), capital of South Carolina and major regional port.
Charlotte
Charlotte (pop. 1,162,093), largest city in North Carolina, seat of Mecklenburg County.
Charlotte Amalie
Charlotte Amalie (pop. 11,800), capital of the U.S.
Charlottestown
Charlottestown (pop. 15,800), capital of Prince Edward Island, Canada, on an estuary of the Hillsborough River.
Charlottesville
Charlottesville (pop. 131,107), city in Virginia situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains; seat of Albemarle County.
Charon
Charon, in Greek mythology, son of Erebus (the belt of darkness between Earth and Hades) and Nyx (night).
Charter Oak
Charter Oak, celebrated oak tree in which the Connecticut colonial charter was hidden in 1687 to prevent its surrender to the royal governor of New England.
Chartism
Chartism, radical and unsuccessful attempt by voteless British laborers to gain economic and social equality, 1838–48.
Chartres
Chartres (pop. 37,100), historic city in northwestern France, capital of Eure-et-Loire department and commercial center of the Beauce region.
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral See: Chartres.
Charybdis
Charybdis See: Scylla and Charybdis.
Salmon Portland Chase
Chase, Salmon Portland (1808–73), U.S. senator (1849–55, 1860–61), governor of Ohio (1855–59), secretary of the treasury (1861–64), and chief justice of the U.S.
Samuel Chase
Chase, Samuel (1741–1811), U.S.
William Merritt Chase
Chase, William Merritt (1849–1916), U.S. painter and art teacher known for his portraits and still lifes.
Chat
Chat, any of several singing birds.
François René Chateaubriand Vicomte de
Chateaubriand, François René, Vicomte de (1768–1848), French writer and diplomat, a founder of the Romantic movement in 19th-century French literature.
Earl of Chatham
Chatham, Earl of See: Pitt.
Chattanooga
Chattanooga (pop. 162,000), city in southern Tennessee, on the Tennessee River near the Georgia border.
Battle of Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Battle of See: Civil War, U.S.
Thomas Chatteron
Chatteron, Thomas (1752–70), English poet who at the age of 12 wrote poems in pseudomedieval English that he presented as the work of a 15th-century monk, Thomas Rowley.
Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1340–1400), English poet. His early writing, including an incomplete translation of Le Roman de la Rose, shows strong French influence. In the 1370s, growing familiarity with Boccaccio and Dante influenced The Parliament of Fowls and Troilus and Criseyde, a powerful love poem. His masterpiece was The Canterbury Tales, a 17,000-line poem, in which pilgrims on their way t…
Charles Chauncy
Chauncy, Charles (1705–87), influential American Congregationalist minister, a critic of the Great Awakening religious revivalists.
Chautauqua Movement
Chautauqua Movement, U.S. adult education movement that began at Lake Chautauqua, N.Y., in 1874, as a course for Sunday school teachers.
Carlos Chavez
Chavez, Carlos (1899–1978), Mexican composer who founded the Symphony Orchestra of Mexico (1928), which he conducted until 1949.
Cesar Estrada Chavez
Chavez, Cesar Estrada (1927– ), Chicano (Mexican-American) labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
Chayote
Chayote, climbing vine of the gourd family cultivated chiefly for its pear-shaped, round fruit, which is used in puddings, pies, and salads.
Checkers
Checkers, or draughts, game played by two people on a board of 64 alternating light and dark squares.
Checks and balances
Checks and balances, term that describes the powers of the 3 branches of government: the legislature, which makes laws; the executive, which enforces them; and the judiciary, which interprets them.
Cheese
Cheese, food made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats, with a high content of protein, calcium, and vitamins.
Cheetah
Cheetah, tawny-coated, black-spotted cat (Acinonyx jubatus), native to Africa and southwest Asia, the fastest land animal, capable of running at speeds of up to 70 mi (113 k) per hr.
John Cheever
Cheever, John (1912–82), U.S. author.
Cheka
Cheka, Russian abbreviation of “Extraordinary Commission for Combatting Counter-Revolution, Speculation, Sabotage, and Misuse of Authority,” the secret police set up by the Bolsheviks in 1917 to eliminate their opponents.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich (1860–1904), Russian dramatist and short story writer.
Chemical and biological warfare
Chemical and biological warfare, military use of chemical poisons or disease-causing agents against enemy troops, civilians, animals, and plants.
Chemical bond
Chemical bond See: Chemistry; Mineral.
Chemical element
Chemical element See: Element.
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering See: Engineering.
Chemical reaction
Chemical reaction, process whereby 1 substance is changed chemically into another through the formation or destruction of bonds between atoms.
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare See: Chemical and biological warfare.
Chemistry
Chemistry, science dealing with the composition of substances and the changes that occur when they react with one another. All chemical changes take place by the linking-up of atoms into molecules, a molecule being the smallest particle of a chemical compound that has that compound's characteristic properties. Chemical reactions may involve elements themselves, elements and compounds, or co…
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, use of nonantibiotic chemical substances to treat disease, most often cancer.
Claire Lee Chennault
Chennault, Claire Lee (1890–1958), U.S. pilot.
Cheops
Cheops See: Khufu.
Cherbourg
Cherbourg (pop. 28,400), seaport and naval station in France, on the English Channel.
Cherimoya
Cherimoya (Annona cherimola), tropical tree native to Peru and Ecuador.
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko
Chernenko, Konstantin Ustinovich (1911–85), leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1984–85).
Cherokees
Cherokees, once the largest Native American tribe in the southeast United States.
Cherry
Cherry, any of several trees (genus Prunus) best known for their red, fleshy fruits with hard pits.
Cherry laurel
Cherry laurel (family Rosaceae, genus Prunus), any of various evergreen shrubs native to southeastern Europe and the Orient.
Maria Luigi Cherubini
Cherubini, Maria Luigi (1760–1842), Italian composer who spent most of his life in France.
Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay, large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States, an important trade route for oceangoing vessels.
Chesapeake Bay retriever
Chesapeake Bay retriever, medium-sized breed of water-loving hunting dogs of the sporting group.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, waterway along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Md.
Charles Waddell Chesnutt
Chesnutt, Charles Waddell (1858–1932), African-American educator, lawyer, and fiction author.
Chess
Chess, sophisticated board game for 2 players probably invented in India in ancient times.
Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield h Earl of (4t)
Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of (1694–1773), English politician and author chiefly remembered for his posthumously published Letters to His Son (1774), which offer vivid, amusing insights into the morality of the age.
G(ilbert) K(eith) Chesterton
Chesterton, G(ilbert) K(eith) (1874–1936), English author and critic, noted for his lyrical style and delight in paradox.
Chestnut
Chestnut, any of various deciduous trees (genus Castanea) of the beech family, with edible nuts.
Maurice Chevalier
Chevalier, Maurice (1888–1972), French singer and film star.
Louis Chevrolet
Chevrolet, Louis (1879–1941), Swiss-born U.S. automobile racer and designer; in 1911 he designed and built (with William C.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum, confection made from chicle, other resins and waxes, sugar, and corn syrup.
Cheyenne
Cheyenne (pop. 73,142), capital of Wyoming and center of its agriculture.
Cheyenne
Cheyenne, North American tribe speaking an Algonquian language.
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo (1910–88), leader of the Nationalist Chinese government on Taiwan (1975–88).
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (1887–1975), Chinese Nationalist leader.
Chibcha
Chibcha, inhabitants of the plateau of Bogota in central Colombia.
Chicago
Chicago (pop. 2,768,500), third-largest city in the United States, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, hub of the U.S. road, rail, and air systems.
University of Chicago
Chicago, University of, private, nondenominational, coeducational institution in Chicago, Ill, incorporated in 1890.
Chicano
Chicano, person of Mexican-American descent.
Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá, archeological remains of a Maya city in Yucatan, Mexico.
Chickadee
Chickadee, any of various common small songbirds of the family Paridae (genus Penthestes or Parus), with dark caps and bibs and white faces.
Battle of Chickamauga
Chickamauga, Battle of, bloodiest single battle of the U.S.
Chickasaw
Chickasaw, Native American tribe speaking a Muskogean language of the Hokan-Sioux grouping.
Chicken
Chicken, domesticated bird raised for its meat and eggs, originating in northern Asia from the jungle fowl.
Chickenpox
Chickenpox, or varicella, contagious disease caused by a virus and affecting mainly children, usually in epidemics.
Chickpea
Chickpea, or garbanzo bean (Cicer arietinum), bushy annual legume cultivated from antiquity in southern Europe, India, and the Middle East, and grown for its edible seeds.
Chicle
Chicle, latex of the sapodilla tree, a tropical American evergreen, and the raw material of chewing gum.
Chicory
Chicory, blue-flowered perennial herb (Cichorium intybus) of the Composite family, native to the Mediterranean and now grown in the United States.
Chigger
Chigger, larva of the harvest mite, a small arachnid.
Chihuahua
Chihuahua, small terrierlike dog.
Chihuahua
Chihuahua (pop. 530,500), capital of the Mexican state of the same name.
Chihuahua
Chihuahua, geographically largest state 95,376 sq mi (247,086 sq km) in Mexico, bordering both Texas and New Mexico.
Chilblain
Chilblain, reaction to cold with pain and itching that can lead to the formation of blisters and ulcers.
Child abuse
Child abuse, physical, emotional, or sexual injury caused to a child under age 16 by an adult.
Child labor
Child labor, employment of children in industrial or agricultural work, a practice common in the United States in the 19th century.
Children's home
Children's home, or orphanage, place where foundlings and homeless children live.