• Abraham, Spencer (United States senator)

    Ann Coulter: …New York to work for Spencer Abraham, a Republican U.S. senator representing Michigan, in Washington, D.C.

  • Abrahamic Forum Council (international organization)

    International Council of Christians and Jews: …founding in 1995 of the Abrahamic Forum Council, the ICCJ added to its core mission of encouraging Jewish-Christian dialogue the goal of promoting dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The ICCJ’s Women’s Council, founded in 1998, was an outgrowth of women’s seminars held regularly from 1988. The youth branch of…

  • Abrahamic religions

    Abrahamic religions, classification of religions that includes Judaism, Christianity, and Islam based on their common reverence for the biblical figure Abraham. More expansive lists include religious communities such as Bahāʾī, the Druze, and Rastafari. The category of Abrahamic religions has

  • Abrahams Deras, Peter Henry (South African-born author)

    Peter Abrahams was a South African-born writer who penned perceptive and powerful novels about the injustices and complexities of racial politics. His early work Mine Boy (1946) was the first to depict the dehumanizing effect of racism in South Africa on black and mixed-race people and was perhaps

  • Abrahams, Harold (British athlete)

    Harold Abrahams was a British athlete who won a gold medal in the 100-metre dash at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Abrahams was born into an athletic family; his older brother Sidney represented Great Britain in the Olympics in 1912. Abrahams participated in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp but

  • Abrahams, Harold Maurice (British athlete)

    Harold Abrahams was a British athlete who won a gold medal in the 100-metre dash at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Abrahams was born into an athletic family; his older brother Sidney represented Great Britain in the Olympics in 1912. Abrahams participated in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp but

  • Abrahams, Israel (British scholar)

    Israel Abrahams was one of the most distinguished Jewish scholars of his time, who wrote a number of enduring works on Judaism, particularly Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (1896). In 1902, after teaching for several years at Jews’ College, London, Abrahams was appointed reader in Talmudics

  • Abrahams, Lionel (South African editor)

    Herman Charles Bosman: …Bosman (1981) were edited by Lionel Abrahams, who in large measure is responsible for Bosman’s emergent reputation. Bosman also wrote several books of poems and two complete novels, Jacaranda in the Night (1947) and Willemsdorp (1977).

  • Abrahams, Peter (South African-born author)

    Peter Abrahams was a South African-born writer who penned perceptive and powerful novels about the injustices and complexities of racial politics. His early work Mine Boy (1946) was the first to depict the dehumanizing effect of racism in South Africa on black and mixed-race people and was perhaps

  • Abrahams, Peter Henry (South African-born author)

    Peter Abrahams was a South African-born writer who penned perceptive and powerful novels about the injustices and complexities of racial politics. His early work Mine Boy (1946) was the first to depict the dehumanizing effect of racism in South Africa on black and mixed-race people and was perhaps

  • Abrāj al-Bait (skyscraper complex, Mecca, Saudi Arabia)

    Abrāj al-Bayt, multitowered skyscraper complex adjacent to the Great Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Completed in 2012, it is the world’s fourth tallest building (as of 2024). The central clock tower (including its spire) rises to a height of 1,972 feet (601 meters). The Abrāj al-Bayt complex has

  • Abrāj al-Bayt (skyscraper complex, Mecca, Saudi Arabia)

    Abrāj al-Bayt, multitowered skyscraper complex adjacent to the Great Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Completed in 2012, it is the world’s fourth tallest building (as of 2024). The central clock tower (including its spire) rises to a height of 1,972 feet (601 meters). The Abrāj al-Bayt complex has

  • Abram (Hebrew patriarch)

    Abraham was the first of the Hebrew patriarchs and a figure revered by the three great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. According to the biblical book of Genesis, Abraham left Ur, in Mesopotamia, because God called him to found a new nation in an undesignated land that he

  • Abramis brama (fish)

    bream, (Abramis brama), common European food and game fish of the carp family, Cyprinidae, found in lakes and slow rivers. The bream lives in schools and eats worms, mollusks, and other small animals. It is deep bodied, with flat sides and a small head, and is silvery with a bluish or brown back.

  • Abramov, Fyodor (Russian writer)

    Fyodor Abramov was a Russian writer, academic, and literary critic whose work, which frequently ran afoul of the official Soviet party line, focused on the difficulties and discrimination faced by Russian peasants. Of peasant ancestry, Abramov studied at Leningrad State University, interrupting his

  • Abramov, Fyodor Aleksandrovich (Russian writer)

    Fyodor Abramov was a Russian writer, academic, and literary critic whose work, which frequently ran afoul of the official Soviet party line, focused on the difficulties and discrimination faced by Russian peasants. Of peasant ancestry, Abramov studied at Leningrad State University, interrupting his

  • Abramović, Marina (Serbian performance artist)

    Marina Abramović is a Yugoslav-born performance artist known for works that dramatically tested the endurance and limitations of her own body and mind. Abramović was raised in Yugoslavia by parents who fought as Partisans in World War II and were later employed in the communist government of Josip

  • Abramovich, Roman (Russian businessman)

    Boris Berezovsky: …in a London court against Roman Abramovich, a former business partner and the owner of the Chelsea Football Club. Berezovsky accused Abramovich of coercing him into selling his shares in the Russian oil company Sibneft. At the time, the multibillion-dollar legal battle was the biggest private court case in British…

  • Abramovitsh, S. Y. (Russian-Jewish author)

    Mendele Moykher Sforim was a Jewish author, founder of both modern Yiddish and modern Hebrew narrative literature and the creator of modern literary Yiddish. He adopted his pseudonym, which means “Mendele the Itinerant Bookseller,” in 1879. Mendele published his first article, on the reform of

  • Abramovitsh, Sholem Yankev (Russian-Jewish author)

    Mendele Moykher Sforim was a Jewish author, founder of both modern Yiddish and modern Hebrew narrative literature and the creator of modern literary Yiddish. He adopted his pseudonym, which means “Mendele the Itinerant Bookseller,” in 1879. Mendele published his first article, on the reform of

  • Abrams tank (armored vehicle)

    Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr.: Army’s main battle tank, the M-1 Abrams, was named in his honour.

  • Abrams, Creighton Williams, Jr. (United States general)

    Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. was an American army officer who was one of the most aggressive and effective tank commanders during World War II. He commanded (1968–72) all U.S. forces in Vietnam during the latter stages of the Vietnam War and served as U.S. Army chief of staff (1972–74). He was

  • Abrams, Georgie (American boxer)

    Tony Zale: …by judges’ scoring) over American Georgie Abrams for the vacant world middleweight title. Zale lost a 12-round decision in a nontitle bout with American Billy Conn on Feb. 13, 1942. Following this loss, his only fight in 1942, Zale enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

  • Abrams, Harriet Elizabeth (American actress)

    Irene Worth was an American actress noted for her versatility and aristocratic bearing. Although she had her greatest success on the stages of London’s West End, she also earned three Tony awards for her work on Broadway. Worth trained as a teacher at the University of California, Los Angeles

  • Abrams, J.J. (American writer, director, and producer)

    J.J. Abrams is an American writer, director, and producer who was known for his role in creating several hit television series, including Lost (2004–10), and for his blockbuster action and science-fiction movies, notably Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay

  • Abrams, Jeffrey Jacob (American writer, director, and producer)

    J.J. Abrams is an American writer, director, and producer who was known for his role in creating several hit television series, including Lost (2004–10), and for his blockbuster action and science-fiction movies, notably Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay

  • Abrams, M.H. (American literary critic)

    M.H. Abrams was an American literary critic who revolutionized the study of the Romantic period in English literature through groundbreaking analysis. He also served as general editor (1962–2000) for the first seven editions of The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Following his graduation

  • Abrams, Meyer Howard (American literary critic)

    M.H. Abrams was an American literary critic who revolutionized the study of the Romantic period in English literature through groundbreaking analysis. He also served as general editor (1962–2000) for the first seven editions of The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Following his graduation

  • Abrams, Muhal Richard (American musician and educator)

    Henry Threadgill: …also recorded with Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, and others.

  • Abrams, Stacey (American politician, lawyer, activist, and writer)

    Stacey Abrams is an American politician, lawyer, activist, and writer who is an influential figure in the Democratic Party, especially known for her work involving voter rights. She gained national prominence in 2018 when she ran unsuccessfully for governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black

  • Abrams, Stacey Yvonne (American politician, lawyer, activist, and writer)

    Stacey Abrams is an American politician, lawyer, activist, and writer who is an influential figure in the Democratic Party, especially known for her work involving voter rights. She gained national prominence in 2018 when she ran unsuccessfully for governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black

  • Abramson, Herb (American entrepreneur)

    Atlantic Records: …of a Turkish diplomat, and Herb Abramson, formerly the artists-and-repertoire director for National Records, Atlantic became the most consistently successful New York City-based independent label of the 1950s, with an incomparable roster including Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, the Clovers, Ray Charles, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, and

  • Abramson, Jill (American journalist)

    Jill Abramson is an American journalist who was the first female executive editor (2011–14) of The New York Times. Abramson was raised in Manhattan, the daughter of a textile importer and his wife. She attended Harvard University, graduating in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in history and

  • Abramson, Jill Ellen (American journalist)

    Jill Abramson is an American journalist who was the first female executive editor (2011–14) of The New York Times. Abramson was raised in Manhattan, the daughter of a textile importer and his wife. She attended Harvard University, graduating in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in history and

  • Abramtsevo (artists’ colony, Russia)

    Abramtsevo, artists’ colony on an estate approximately 30 miles (48 km) outside of Moscow that became known in the 19th century for fostering the revival of Russian folk art and traditional crafts. Abramtsevo had been inhabited for more than two centuries before Slavophile Sergey Aksakov bought it

  • Abrantès, Andoche Junot, Duke d’ (French general)

    Andoche Junot, duke d’Abrantès was one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s generals and his first aide-de-camp. Junot, the son of a prosperous farmer, joined the volunteers of the Côte d’Or district in Burgundy during the French Revolution in 1792 and served with exemplary courage, being nicknamed La Tempête

  • Abrantès, Laure Junot, Duchess d’ (French author)

    Laure Junot, duchess d’Abrantès was a French author of a volume of famous memoirs. After her father died in 1795, Laure lived with her mother, Madame Permon, who established a distinguished Parisian salon that was frequented by Napoleon Bonaparte. It was Napoleon who arranged the marriage in 1800

  • abrasax (sequence of Greek letters)

    abraxas, sequence of Greek letters considered as a word and formerly inscribed on charms, amulets, and gems in the belief that it possessed magical qualities. In the 2nd century ad, some Gnostic and other dualistic sects, which viewed matter as evil and the spirit as good and held that salvation

  • abrasion (physics)

    glacial landform: Small-scale features of glacial erosion: …caused by two different processes: abrasion and plucking (see above). Nearly all glacially scoured erosional landforms bear the tool-marks of glacial abrasion provided that they have not been removed by subsequent weathering. Even though these marks are not large enough to be called landforms, they constitute an integral part of…

  • abrasion (injury)

    abrasion, damage to the epidermis of the skin. Abrasions are caused primarily by friction against a rough surface, which removes the superficial skin layers. Although most abrasions are simply scrapes and are easily treated, large, very painful, or infected abrasions may require medical attention

  • abrasion platform (coastal feature)

    wave-cut platform, gently sloping rock ledge that extends from the high-tide level at the steep-cliff base to below the low-tide level. It develops as a result of wave abrasion; beaches protect the shore from abrasion and therefore prevent the formation of platforms. A platform is broadened as

  • abrasive (material)

    abrasive, sharp, hard material used to wear away the surface of softer, less resistant materials. Included within the term are both natural and synthetic substances, ranging from the relatively soft particles used in household cleansers and jeweler’s polish to the hardest known material, the

  • abrasive machining (industry)

    abrasive: Grinding: Abrasive machining, the use of abrasives rather than high-speed steel or tungsten carbide cutting tools, makes use of the self-sharpening grinding wheel and eliminates tool sharpening costs. The ability to grind hardened materials without the previously necessary prehardening machining saves intermediate part-handling operations.

  • Abravanel, Judah (Portuguese-Jewish author)

    Benedict de Spinoza: The period of the Ethics of Benedict de Spinoza: …the Dialogues on Love by Leone Ebreo (also known as Judah Abravanel), written in the early 16th century. Spinoza had a copy in Spanish in his library. This text is the source of the key phrases that Spinoza uses at the end of Part V to describe the culmination of…

  • abraxas (sequence of Greek letters)

    abraxas, sequence of Greek letters considered as a word and formerly inscribed on charms, amulets, and gems in the belief that it possessed magical qualities. In the 2nd century ad, some Gnostic and other dualistic sects, which viewed matter as evil and the spirit as good and held that salvation

  • Abraxas (album by Santana)

    Santana: Santana’s second album, Abraxas (1970), went to number one while spawning the hit singles “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va,” and Santana III (1971), featuring new guitarist Neal Schon, followed. With Caravanserai (1972) the group shifted toward jazz. Musicians began leaving the band—most notably Rolie and Schon,…

  • Abraxas (ballet by Egk)

    Werner Egk: His ballets, such as Abraxas (1948) and Casanova in London (1969), also attracted wide attention. Abraxas was banned, after five sold-out performances, on grounds of obscenity. Egk also wrote instrumental music.

  • abrazos rotos, Los (film by Almodóvar [2009])

    Pedro Almodóvar: All About My Mother and Talk to Her: …and Los abrazos rotos (2009; Broken Embraces), a stylish exercise in film noir. The latter two films starred Cruz.

  • Abrechnung, Die (work by Hitler)

    Mein Kampf: The first volume, entitled Die Abrechnung (“The Settlement [of Accounts],” or “Revenge”), was written in 1924 in the Bavarian fortress of Landsberg am Lech, where Hitler was imprisoned after the abortive Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. It treats the world of Hitler’s youth, the First World War, and the…

  • Ábrego García, Kilmar Armando (Salvadoran immigrant)

    Kilmar Armando Ábrego García’s story involves the U.S. government’s extraordinary pursuit of a rather ordinary man—a Salvadoran immigrant who had lived quietly in Maryland, working and raising his family far from the politics that would later engulf him. His wrongful deportation from the United

  • Abreha (viceroy of Yemen)

    Abraha was an Ethiopian Christian viceroy of Yemen in southern Arabia during the 6th century AD. Abraha was viceroy of the principality of Sabaʾ in Yemen for the (Christian) emperors of Ethiopia. A zealous Christian himself, he is said to have built a great church at Sanaa and to have repaired the

  • Abreu Freire Egas Moniz, António Caetano de (Portuguese neurologist)

    António Egas Moniz was a Portuguese neurologist and statesman who was the founder of modern psychosurgery. With Walter Hess he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the development of prefrontal leucotomy (lobotomy) as a radical therapy for certain psychoses, or mental

  • Abreu, Capistrano de (Brazilian historian)

    Capistrano de Abreu was a Brazilian historian best known for his large-scale interpretive work on Brazil’s colonial history. After serving at the National Library of Rio de Janeiro (1875–83), Abreu became professor of history at the Colégio Dom Pedro II in 1883. Influenced by the sociology of

  • Abreu, João Capistrano de (Brazilian historian)

    Capistrano de Abreu was a Brazilian historian best known for his large-scale interpretive work on Brazil’s colonial history. After serving at the National Library of Rio de Janeiro (1875–83), Abreu became professor of history at the Colégio Dom Pedro II in 1883. Influenced by the sociology of

  • Abrikosov, Alexey A. (Russian physicist)

    Alexey A. Abrikosov was a Russian physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2003 for his pioneering contribution to the theory of superconductivity. He shared the award with Vitaly L. Ginzburg of Russia and Anthony J. Leggett of Great Britain. Abrikosov received doctorates in physics from

  • Abrikosov, Alexey Alexeevich (Russian physicist)

    Alexey A. Abrikosov was a Russian physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2003 for his pioneering contribution to the theory of superconductivity. He shared the award with Vitaly L. Ginzburg of Russia and Anthony J. Leggett of Great Britain. Abrikosov received doctorates in physics from

  • abrin (toxin)

    jequirity bean: The seeds contain the toxin abrin and are highly poisonous; the consumption of a single chewed seed can be fatal to an adult human.

  • ABRO (research center, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom)

    Dolly: …Wilmut and colleagues of the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, Scotland. The announcement in February 1997 of Dolly’s birth marked a milestone in science, dispelling decades of presumption that adult mammals could not be cloned and igniting a debate concerning the many possible uses and misuses of mammalian cloning technology.

  • Abrocoma (rodent genus)

    chinchilla rat: Abrocoma species have small claws, but claws are large and curved in Cuscomys; the second digits of both genera are hollowed out underneath. Stiff hairs, possibly used as grooming combs, project over the middle three toes. Abrocoma species are medium-sized rodents weighing up to 350…

  • Abrocoma boliviensis (rodent)

    chinchilla rat: A. boliviensis inhabits rocky, shrubby areas at altitudes of about 2,500 metres in central Bolivia. The ashy chinchilla rat (A. cinerea) lives only in the Altiplano, between 3,700 and 5,000 metres, from southeastern Peru to northern Chile and Argentina. A. vaccarum is known from rocky…

  • Abrocoma cinerea (rodent)

    chinchilla rat: The ashy chinchilla rat (A. cinerea) lives only in the Altiplano, between 3,700 and 5,000 metres, from southeastern Peru to northern Chile and Argentina. A. vaccarum is known from rocky cliff faces at 1,880 metres above sea level in west-central Argentina.

  • Abrocoma vaccarum (rodent)

    chinchilla rat: A. vaccarum is known from rocky cliff faces at 1,880 metres above sea level in west-central Argentina.

  • abrogative referendum (government)

    Italy: The participation of the citizen: …referenda or petitions designed to abrogate a law or an executive order; such a petition must be signed by 500,000 members of the electorate or sponsored by five regional councils. Abrogative referenda have been used extensively since the 1970s to make possible a wide range of institutional and civic reforms.…

  • Abron (historical kingdom, Africa)

    Côte d’Ivoire: Precolonial kingdoms: …the states established was the Abron kingdom of Gyaman founded by Tan Daté. It was conquered by the Asante in the 1730s, and, despite numerous revolts, remained subject to it until 1875. In much the same circumstances the Anyi kingdoms of Indénié (Ndenye) and Sanwi were founded. Following the death…

  • Abron language (African language)

    Akan languages: are Asante (Ashanti), Fante (Fanti), Brong (Abron), and Akuapem. The Akan cluster is located primarily in southern Ghana, although many Brong speakers live in eastern Côte d’Ivoire. Altogether speakers of Akan dialects and languages number more than seven million. Written forms of Asante and Akuapem (both formerly considered to be…

  • abrupt climate change (climatology)

    climate change: Abrupt climate changes in Earth history: …important new area of research, abrupt climate change, has developed since the 1980s. This research has been inspired by the discovery, in the ice core records of Greenland and Antarctica, of evidence for abrupt shifts in regional and global climates of the past. These events, which have also been documented…

  • abruptio placentiae (pathology)

    placental abruption, premature separation of the placenta from its normal implantation site in the uterus. The placenta is the temporary organ that develops during pregnancy to nourish the fetus and carry away its wastes. Placental abruption occurs in the latter half of pregnancy and may be partial

  • Abrus precatorius (plant)

    jequirity bean, (Abrus precatorius), plant of the pea family, known for its decorative and highly poisonous seeds. Originally from India and parts of tropical Asia, the plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental and is considered an invasive species in some areas outside its native range. The hard

  • Abruzzi (region, Italy)

    Abruzzi, regione, central Italy, fronting the Adriatic Sea and comprising the provincie of L’Aquila, Chieti, Pescara, and Teramo. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, except for such intermontane basins as those of L’Aquila, Sulmona, and Fucino. The Apennines, the dominant physical feature,

  • Abruzzi Apennines (mountains, Italy)

    Europe: Elevations: …feet [2,912 metres]) in the Abruzzi Apennines, Bobotov Kuk (8,274 feet [2,522 metres]) in the Dinaric Alps, Mount Botev (7,795 feet [2,376 metres]) in the Balkan Mountains, Gerlachovský Peak (Gerlach; 8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) in the Western Carpathians, and Mount

  • Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, Duke d’ (Spanish mountaineer)

    Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, duke d’Abruzzi was a Spanish mountaineer and explorer whose ventures ranged from Africa to the Arctic. The son of King Amadeus of Spain (who was also the Duke d’Aosta in Italy), Abruzzi was the first to ascend Mount St. Elias in Alaska (1897). His

  • Abruzzo (region, Italy)

    Abruzzi, regione, central Italy, fronting the Adriatic Sea and comprising the provincie of L’Aquila, Chieti, Pescara, and Teramo. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, except for such intermontane basins as those of L’Aquila, Sulmona, and Fucino. The Apennines, the dominant physical feature,

  • Abruzzo, Ben L. (American balloonist)

    Ben L. Abruzzo was an American balloonist who, with three crewmates, made the first transpacific balloon flight and the longest nonstop balloon flight, in the Double Eagle V. Abruzzo graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1952 and served two years in the U.S. Air Force at

  • Abruzzo, Richard (American balloonist)

    Ben L. Abruzzo: Richard Abruzzo and ballooning partner Carol Rymer Davis, a prominent Denver radiologist, won the 2004 Gordon Bennett race, but both were killed in September 2010, during that year’s Bennett race, when their balloon crashed into the Adriatic Sea.

  • ABS (mechanics)

    computer science: Platform-based development: …requires real-time action is the antilock braking system (ABS) on an automobile; because it is critical that the ABS instantly reacts to brake-pedal pressure and begins a program of pumping the brakes, such an application is said to have a hard deadline. Other real-time systems are said to have soft…

  • ABS (international agency)

    American Bible Society (ABS), international agency under lay control, formed in New York in 1816 as a union of 28 local Bible societies “to encourage the wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures throughout the world, without note or comment, through translation, publication, distribution, and

  • ABS (finance)

    securitization: …generally referred to as an asset-backed security (ABS) or collateralized debt obligation (CDO). If the pool of debt instruments consists primarily of mortgages, the bond is referred to as a mortgage-backed security (MBS). The holders of such securities are entitled to the receipt of principal and interest payments on the…

  • ABS (chemical compound)

    acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), a hard, tough, heat-resistant engineering plastic that is widely used in appliance housings, luggage, pipe fittings, and automotive interior parts. Essentially a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer modified by butadiene rubber, ABS combines the

  • Abs, Hermann J. (German banker)

    Hermann J. Abs was a German banker and a leading figure in the West German “economic miracle” following World War II. Abs studied law for one year before joining a merchant bank in Cologne. After World War I, he obtained a series of posts, in Germany and abroad, learning the business of

  • Abs, Hermann Josef (German banker)

    Hermann J. Abs was a German banker and a leading figure in the West German “economic miracle” following World War II. Abs studied law for one year before joining a merchant bank in Cologne. After World War I, he obtained a series of posts, in Germany and abroad, learning the business of

  • Absa (South African bank)

    Maria Ramos: …Transnet to become CEO of Absa, a subsidiary of Barclays and one of South Africa’s “big four” banks. During her first five years in the post, she drew criticism as Absa lost market share in retail banking, which had been its strongest segment. In 2017 she oversaw Absa’s separation from…

  • Absalom (biblical figure)

    Absalom was the third and favourite son of David, king of Israel and Judah. The picture of Absalom that is presented in 2 Samuel 13–19 suggests that he was the Alcibiades of the Old Testament, alike in his personal attractiveness, his lawless insolence, and his tragic fate. He is first mentioned as

  • Absalom and Achitophel (poetry by Dryden and Tate)

    Absalom and Achitophel, verse satire by English poet John Dryden published in 1681. The poem, which is written in heroic couplets, is about the Exclusion crisis, a contemporary episode in which anti-Catholics, notably the earl of Shaftesbury, sought to bar James, duke of York, a Roman Catholic

  • Absalom, Absalom! (novel by Faulkner)

    Absalom, Absalom!, novel by American writer William Faulkner, published in 1936. The principal narrative, set in 19th-century Mississippi, involves Thomas Sutpen, a poor white man from the mountains of western Virginia who rebels against his family and his alcoholic father, suffers a life-changing

  • Absalon (Danish archbishop)

    Absalon was an archbishop, statesman, and close adviser of the Danish kings Valdemar I and Canute VI. Scion of a powerful Zealand family, Absalon helped his childhood friend gain the Danish throne as Valdemar I (1156–57) and was named bishop of Roskilde in 1158. As the king’s closest adviser, he

  • Absaroka (people)

    Crow, North American Indians of Siouan linguistic stock, historically affiliated with the village-dwelling Hidatsa of the upper Missouri River. They occupied the area around the Yellowstone River and its tributaries, particularly the valleys of the Powder, Wind, and Bighorn rivers in what is now

  • Absaroka Range (mountains, Montana-Wyoming, United States)

    Absaroka Range, segment of the northern Rocky Mountains, in northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana, U.S. Extending in a northwest-southeast direction, the range is 170 miles (270 km) long and 50 miles (80 km) wide. A large plateau, the result of volcanic action, was uplifted in the area, and

  • Absaroka Sequence (geology)

    epeirogeny: …million years ago), and the Absaroka Sequence (Late Carboniferous to mid-Jurassic; about 320 to 176 million years ago).

  • Abscam (United States history)

    Abscam, undercover criminal investigation (1978–80) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), whose most prominent targets were U.S. elected officials. Although some saw the investigators’ methods as excessive—critics characterized them as entrapment—the convictions of one U.S. senator, six

  • abscess (pathology)

    abscess, a localized collection of pus in a cavity formed from tissues that have been broken down by infectious bacteria. An abscess is caused when such bacteria as staphylococci or streptococci gain access to solid tissue (e.g., by means of a small wound on the skin). The toxins released by these

  • Abschwung (aerial maneuver)

    air warfare: Air superiority: …diving maneuver called the split-S, half-roll, or Abschwung was frequently executed against bombers. Heavily armed fighters such as the British Hurricane or the German Fw-190, instead of approaching from the side or from below and to the rear, would attack head-on, firing until the last moment and then rolling just…

  • abscisic acid (chemical compound)

    hormone: Growth inhibitors: The best characterized one is abscisic acid, which is chemically related to the cytokinins. It is probably universally distributed in higher plants and has a variety of actions; for example, it promotes abscission (leaf fall), the development of dormancy in buds, and the formation of potato tubers. The mode of…

  • abscission (botany)

    hormone: Auxins: …and in leaf fall (abscission). In experimental conditions, auxins tend to inhibit the progress of plant aging, perhaps because of their stimulating effect upon protein synthesis.

  • abscission layer (plant anatomy)

    temperate forest: Population and community development and structure: …layer of tissue called the abscission layer develops at the base of each leaf stalk, and at this point the stalk breaks and the leaf is shed. The massive leaf drop that ensues during autumn has earned the season its alternate designation, fall.

  • Abse, Dannie (Welsh poet, playwright, essayist, and novelist)

    Dannie Abse was a Welsh poet, playwright, essayist, and novelist, known for his unique blend of Welsh and Jewish sensibilities. Abse was reared in Cardiff. He trained as a physician at King’s College, London, and qualified as a doctor at Westminster Hospital in 1950. From 1949 to 1954 he edited a

  • Absence of Eden, The (film by Perego [2023])

    Zoe Saldaña: …undocumented immigrant in the drama The Absence of Eden, directed and cowritten by Marco Perego; she and Perego have been married since 2013 and have three sons.

  • Absence of Malice (film by Pollack [1981])

    Sydney Pollack: Film directing: Absence of Malice (1981) was considerably more weighty, a well-plotted exploration of the boundaries of journalistic ethics, with Sally Field as an ambitious newspaper reporter duped into writing a story that implicates an innocent businessman (Paul Newman) in a murder. The measured pace of the…

  • Absence of War, The (play by Hare)

    David Hare: …about the legal profession; and The Absence of War (1993), about politicians. The Blue Room (1998) was an adaptation of Merry-Go-Round by the Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler. It follows the partnering of 10 pairs of lovers, each vignette featuring one character who appeared in the last.

  • absence seizure (pathology)

    epilepsy: Generalized-onset seizures: …to by the older term petit mal. Minor movements such as blinking may be associated with absence seizures. After the short interruption of consciousness, the individual is mentally clear and able to resume previous activity. Absence seizures occur mainly in children and do not appear initially after age 20; they…

  • Absence, The (film by Handke [1992])

    Peter Handke: …feature films, including L’Absence (1992; The Absence), which he also wrote.