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saga, in Old Norse Literature

(Encyclopedia)saga, in Old Norse literature, especially Icelandic and Norwegian, narrative in prose or verse, centering on a legendary or historical figure or family. Sagas may be divided into sagas of the kings, m...

rubidium

(Encyclopedia)rubidium ro͞obĭdˈēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Rb; at. no. 37; at. wt. 85.4678; m.p. 38.89℃; b.p. 686℃; sp. gr. 1.53 at 20℃; valence +1. Rubidium is a very soft silver-white ...

Lermontov, Mikhail Yurevich

(Encyclopedia)Lermontov, Mikhail Yurevich mēkhəyēlˈ yo͞orˈyĭvĭch lyĕrˈməntŭf [key], 1814–41, Russian poet and novelist. Given an extensive private education by his wealthy grandmother, Lermontov began...

Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique

(Encyclopedia)Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique zhäN ōgüstˈ dômēnēkˈ ăNˈgrə [key], 1780–1867, French painter, b. Montauban; son of a sculptor. He studied with J. L. David in Paris and in 1801 won the Prix...

argon

(Encyclopedia)argon ärˈgŏn [key] [Gr.,=inert], gaseous chemical element; symbol Ar; at. no. 18; at. wt. 39.948; m.p. −189.2℃; b.p. −185.7℃; density 1.784 grams per liter at STP; valence 0. Argon is a col...

frost

(Encyclopedia)frost or hoarfrost, ice formed by the condensation of atmospheric water vapor on a surface when the temperature of the surface is below 32℉ (0℃). In the formation of frost, a gas (water vapor) is ...

Bosch, Hieronymus

(Encyclopedia)Bosch, Hieronymus, or Jerom Bos hērônˈĭməs, yāˈrôm bôs [key], c.1450–1516, Flemish painter. His surname was originally van Aeken; Bosch refers to 's-Hertogenbosch (popularly called Den Bosc...

metal

(Encyclopedia)metal, chemical element displaying certain properties by which it is normally distinguished from a nonmetal, notably its metallic luster, the capacity to lose electrons and form a positive ion, and th...

iron

(Encyclopedia)iron, metallic chemical element; symbol Fe [Lat. ferrum]; at. no. 26; at. wt. 55.845; m.p. about 1,535℃; b.p. about 2,750℃; sp. gr. 7.87 at 20℃; valence +2, +3, +4, or +6. Iron is biologically s...

isomer

(Encyclopedia)isomer īˈsəmər [key], in chemistry, one of two or more compounds having the same molecular formula but different structures (arrangements of atoms in the molecule). Isomerism is the occurrence of ...