• Châlet, Le (ballet by Adam)

    theatre music: Romantic expansion: …the otherwise conventional comedy of Le Châlet (1834), Adam stimulated a popular taste for what became the mainstream of operetta. Its source was in Paris, and it flowed in turn principally to Vienna, to London and thence to North America, submerging the German singspiel and its Scandinavian offshoots but leaving…

  • Chaleur Bay (bay, Canada)

    Chaleur Bay, inlet of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, extending between Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula and northern New Brunswick, Canada, and called by the Indians the “sea of fish.” It is a submerged valley of the Restigouche River and is 90 miles (145 km) long and 15 to 25 miles (24 to 40 km) wide. The bay

  • Chalfie, Martin (American chemist)

    Martin Chalfie is an American chemist who was a corecipient, with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien, of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Chalfie received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Harvard University in 1977. In 1982 he became a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University in New

  • Chalfont St. Giles (England, United Kingdom)

    Chalfont St. Giles, town (parish), Chiltern district, administrative and historic county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated just northeast of Beaconsfield and 24 miles (39 km) northwest of central London. Much frequented by visitors because of its Quaker associations as well as its

  • Chalgrin, Jean-François-Thérèse (French architect)

    Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin was a French architect, developer of an influential Neoclassical architectural style and designer of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Chalgrin was trained by the celebrated architect E.-L. Boullée and in the office of Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni. He took the Academy of

  • Chalhoub, Michel Demitri (Egyptian actor)

    Omar Sharif was an Egyptian actor of international acclaim, known for his dashing good looks and for iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved

  • Chaliapin, Feodor (Russian musician)

    Feodor Chaliapin was a Russian operatic basso profundo whose vivid declamation, great resonance, and dynamic acting made him the best-known singer-actor of his time. Chaliapin was born to a poor family. He worked as an apprentice to a shoemaker, a sales clerk, a carpenter, and a lowly clerk in a

  • Chaliapin, Feodor Ivanovich (Russian musician)

    Feodor Chaliapin was a Russian operatic basso profundo whose vivid declamation, great resonance, and dynamic acting made him the best-known singer-actor of his time. Chaliapin was born to a poor family. He worked as an apprentice to a shoemaker, a sales clerk, a carpenter, and a lowly clerk in a

  • chalice (liturgical vessel)

    chalice, a cup used in the celebration of the Christian Eucharist. Both the statement of St. Paul about “the cup of blessing which we bless” (1 Corinthians 10:16) and the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist in the first three Gospels indicate that special rites of consecration attended the

  • Chalicotherium (fossil mammal genus)

    Chalicotherium, genus of extinct perissodactyls, the order including the horse and rhinoceros. Fossil remains of the genus are common in deposits of Asia, Europe, and Africa from the Miocene Epoch (23 to 5.3 million years ago). The genus persisted into the following Pliocene Epoch, and remains of a

  • Chalillo Dam (dam, Belize)

    Belize: Resources and power: …the early 21st century the Chalillo hydroelectric dam, covering about 3 square miles (8 square km), was built on the Macal River in western Belize, despite the safety and environmental concerns of certain groups. The Chalillo Dam’s reservoir has enough water storage capacity to power its own hydroelectric plant and…

  • chalk (rock)

    chalk, soft, fine-grained, easily pulverized, white-to-grayish variety of limestone. Chalk is composed of the shells of such minute marine organisms as foraminifera, coccoliths, and rhabdoliths. The purest varieties contain up to 99 percent calcium carbonate in the form of the mineral calcite. The

  • chalk brood (insect disease)

    beekeeping: Diseases: Chalk brood is caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis. The larvae victims of this disease have a chalky white appearance. Stonebrood, which affects both brood and adults, is also caused by a fungus, Aspergillus flavus, which can usually be isolated from bees that have stonebrood.

  • Chalk Circle, The (Chinese drama)

    Chinese performing arts: The Yuan period: Huilan ji (The Chalk Circle), demonstrating the cleverness of a famous judge, Bao, is known in the West, having been adapted (1948) by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The class of bandit dramas are mostly based on the novel Shuihu zhuan (The…

  • chalk crayon (art)

    crayon: …the colouring crayon and the chalk crayon.

  • chalk drawing (art)

    chalk drawing, in the visual arts, technique of drawing with chalk, a prepared natural stone or earth substance that is usually available in black (made either from soft black stone or from a composition including lampblack), white (made from various types of limestone), and red, or sanguine (made

  • chalk line (tool)

    hand tool: Chalk line: “Snapping a line,” a technique familiar in ancient Egypt, is employed in modern building construction. The procedure uses a taut chalk-covered cord that is stretched between two points: the cord deposits a straight line of chalk when it is plucked and snapped onto…

  • chalk maple (plant)

    maple: The chalk maple, with whitish bark, is sometimes classified as A. leucoderme, although some authorities consider it a subspecies of sugar maple.

  • Chalk River (Ontario, Canada)

    Laurentian Hills, town, Renfrew county, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies along the Chalk River near its mouth on the Ottawa River, 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Ottawa. The town was formed in 2000 by the amalgamation of Chalk River and several other adjacent communities and was renamed

  • chalk-manner (art)

    printmaking: Crayon manner and stipple engraving: Invented in the 18th century, crayon manner was purely a reproduction technique; its aim was the imitation of chalk drawings. The process started with a plate covered with hard ground (see below Etching). The design was created using a great…

  • chalkbrood disease

    colony collapse disorder: Suspected causes: …paralysis virus, Ascosphaera apis (chalkbrood disease), black queen cell virus, chronic bee paralysis virus, deformed wing virus, invertebrate iridescent virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus, Nosema species, Paenibacillus larvae (

  • Chalke, Sarah (Canadian actress)

    Scrubs: …love interest, Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke); his college buddy, Christopher Duncan Turk (Donald Faison); his overbearing mentor, Dr. Percival Cox (John C. McGinley); and his unlikely adversary, a hospital janitor (Neil Flynn). Most episodes ended with a music-driven visual sequence in which J.D. reflects on the show’s theme and…

  • Chalkhill, John (English poet)

    John Chalkhill was an English poet whose Thealma and Clearchus was published posthumously in 1683 by Izaak Walton, and who was identified in the third edition of Walton’s Compleat Angler as the author of two songs which appeared there from the first edition (1653). Because little was known of

  • Chalkída (Greece)

    Chalcis, city and dímos (municipality) on the island of Euboea (Évvoia), periféreia (region) of Central Greece (Modern Greek: Stereá Elláda), western Greece. It lies at the narrowest point (measured only in yards) of the Euripus (Evrípos) channel, which separates Euboea from the Greek mainland and

  • Chalkokondyles, Laonikos (Byzantine historian)

    Laonicus Chalcocondyles was a Byzantine historian, the author of the valuable work Historiarum demonstrationes (“Demonstrations of History”). Chalcocondyles came of a distinguished Athenian family and was educated at the Palaeologan court at Mistra in the Peloponnese. His history is prefaced by a

  • chalkos (Greek musical instrument)

    percussion instrument: Idiophones: …simply called “the bronze” (chalkos), probably a metal percussion disk. When the Egyptian cult of Isis spread to Greece and Rome, her sistrum followed, always in the hands of a priest or—rarely—priestess.

  • challah (bread)

    challah, traditional Jewish yeast-leavened bread that is made with eggs and is known for its rich flavor. Challah is usually braided and is served on the Sabbath (Shabbat), the day of holiness and rest observed by Jews from sunset on Friday to nightfall of the following day. It is also served on

  • Challans, Mary (British author)

    Mary Renault was a British-born South African novelist, best known for her scholarship and her skill in re-creating classical history and legend. Renault graduated from St. Hugh’s College and Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, completing her training as a nurse in 1937. She had begun to write novels but

  • Challcuchima (Incan general)

    pre-Columbian civilizations: Civil war on the eve of the Spanish conquest: …able generals Quisquis (Kizkiz) and Challcuchima (Challku-chima), marched south and won a series of decisive victories at Cajamarca, Bombon, and Ayacucho. As they moved southward, Huascar formed another army to defend Cuzco from the invaders. His forces were defeated, and he was captured a few miles from Cuzco in April…

  • challenge (law)

    voir dire, in law, process of questioning by which members of a jury are selected from a large panel, or venire, of prospective jurors. The veniremen are questioned by the judge or by the attorneys for the respective parties. The voir dire attempts to detect bias or preconceived notions of guilt or

  • Challenge Cup (British sports)

    Football Association: …for national competitions, including the Challenge Cup series that culminates in the traditional Cup Final at Wembley.

  • Challenge for Africa, The (work by Maathai)

    Wangari Maathai: Another volume, The Challenge for Africa (2009), criticized Africa’s leadership as ineffectual and urged Africans to try to solve their problems without Western assistance. Maathai was a frequent contributor to international publications such as the Los Angeles Times and the Guardian.

  • Challenger (British tank)

    tank: Gun calibre: The British Challenger, introduced in the 1980s, was also armed with 120-mm guns, but these were still of the rifle type.

  • Challenger (space shuttle)

    Vance Brand: …Brand was commander of the Challenger space shuttle (STS-41-B; February 3–11, 1984). Although this trip was plagued by several malfunctions and two communications satellites were misdirected, Bruce McCandless’s performance of the first space walk without a lifeline and the successful return of the shuttle to its home base were regarded…

  • Challenger Deep (submarine feature, Pacific Ocean)

    Challenger Deep, series of three seafloor basins located at the bottom of a steep-walled submarine valley in the Mariana Trench of the western Pacific Ocean, at 11°22′ N 142°35′ E. The Challenger Deep is the lowest point of the oceans and Earth’s lowest point with respect to surface elevation,

  • Challenger Deep (novel by Shusterman)

    Neal Shusterman: …People’s Literature for the novel Challenger Deep (2015), and his novel Scythe (2016) was a Michael L. Printz Honor book.

  • Challenger disaster (United States history [1986])

    Challenger disaster, explosion of the U.S. space shuttle orbiter Challenger, shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986. The disaster claimed the lives of seven astronauts. The primary goal of shuttle mission 51-L was to launch the second Tracking and Data Relay

  • Challenger Expedition (oceanography)

    Challenger Expedition, prolonged oceanographic exploration cruise from Dec. 7, 1872, to May 26, 1876, covering 127,600 km (68,890 nautical miles) and carried out through cooperation of the British Admiralty and the Royal Society. HMS Challenger, a wooden corvette of 2,306 tons, was commanded by

  • Challengers (film by Guadagnino [2024])

    Luca Guadagnino: His next feature was Challengers (2024). A collaboration with novelist and playwright Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers stars Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, and Zendaya as champion tennis players navigating a love triangle. The film received somewhat positive critical reviews. Also in 2024, Guadagnino and Kuritzkes collaborated on Queer, an adaptation of…

  • challenges to democracy

    challenges to democracy, in contemporary political science and international relations, the problems and threats faced by democratic governments throughout the world in the 21st century. Contemporary democracy is faced with new and growing challenges. The stability of democratic governments has

  • Challes, Robert (French author)

    French literature: The novel: …is now seen to be Robert Challes, whose Illustres françaises (1713; The Illustrious French Lovers), a collection of seven tales intertwined, commands attention for its serious realism and a disabused candor anticipating Stendhal. As the bourgeoisie acquired a more prominent place in society and the focus switched to exploring the…

  • Challis National Park (park, Idaho, United States)

    Borah Peak: …from Idaho, is located in Challis National Forest, 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Hailey. The peak lies in a tectonically active district, and in 1983 it was the epicentre of an earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale.

  • Challis, James (British astronomer)

    James Challis was a British clergyman and astronomer, famous in the history of astronomy for his failure to discover the planet Neptune. Elected a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1826 and ordained in 1830, Challis became Plumian professor of astronomy and director of the Cambridge

  • Challku-chima (Incan general)

    pre-Columbian civilizations: Civil war on the eve of the Spanish conquest: …able generals Quisquis (Kizkiz) and Challcuchima (Challku-chima), marched south and won a series of decisive victories at Cajamarca, Bombon, and Ayacucho. As they moved southward, Huascar formed another army to defend Cuzco from the invaders. His forces were defeated, and he was captured a few miles from Cuzco in April…

  • Challoner, Richard (English scholar)

    Richard Challoner was a leader of English Roman Catholics whose revision of the Douai-Reims version of the Bible became the authorized edition for English Catholics. Challoner was educated at the English College at Douai, France, where he was ordained (1716) and appointed vice president and

  • Chalmers, Alexander (Scottish author and editor)

    Alexander Chalmers was a Scottish editor and biographer best known for his General Biographical Dictionary (1812–17), a 32-volume revision of work first published in 11 volumes (1761). Chalmers’ Glossary to Shakespeare (1797) was followed by The Works of the English Poets from Chaucer to Cowper

  • Chalmers, James (Scottish missionary)

    James Chalmers was a Scottish Congregationalist missionary who explored the southwest Pacific, where he became known as “the Livingstone of New Guinea.” Ordained in 1865, Chalmers was sent by the London Missionary Society to Rarotonga in 1866. Having facilitated the establishment of British rule in

  • Chalmers, Thomas (Scottish minister)

    Thomas Chalmers was a Presbyterian minister, theologian, author, and social reformer who was the first moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. Chalmers was ordained as minister of Kilmeny parish, Fife, in 1803. After reading William Wilberforce’s Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System

  • Chalna Port (Bangladesh)

    Mongla, port city, southwestern Bangladesh. Formerly located at Chalna, about 11 miles (18 km) upstream on the Pusur River, the port is the main seaport for the country’s western region. Mongla lies about 60 miles (100 km) north of the Bay of Bengal and is connected to the major inland river ports

  • Chalon-sur-Saône (France)

    Chalon-sur-Saône, town, Saône-et-Loire département, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté région, east-central France, south of Dijon. Chalon’s fine quays border the Saône River at its junction with the Canal du Centre. An important town of the Gallic tribe of Aedui, it was called Cabillonum by the Romans. In

  • Châlons-en-Champagne (France)

    Châlons-en-Champagne, town, capital of Marne département, Grand Est région, northeastern France. It lies along the right bank of the Marne River, in the heart of the rolling Champagne country. Small branches of the Marne River flow through the town. Chief town of a Gallic tribe, the Catalauni, it

  • Châlons-sur-Marne (France)

    Châlons-en-Champagne, town, capital of Marne département, Grand Est région, northeastern France. It lies along the right bank of the Marne River, in the heart of the rolling Champagne country. Small branches of the Marne River flow through the town. Chief town of a Gallic tribe, the Catalauni, it

  • Chalossian tool complex (archaeological record)

    Stone Age: Egypt: …triangular section known as the Chalossian type. These are associated with early flake implements. In the 15-meter (49-foot) terrace, developed Acheulean has been recorded, while the nine-meter (29.5-foot) terrace yields large flakes and cores of Levalloisian type. In the low terrace, which occurs at a height of three meters (10…

  • Chalotais, Louis-René de Caradeuc de La (French magistrate)

    Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais was a French magistrate who led the Breton Parlement (high court of justice) in a protracted legal battle against the authority of the government of King Louis XV. The struggle resulted in the purging and suspensions (1771–74) of the Parlements. La Chalotais

  • Chaltel, Mount (mountain, Argentina)

    Los Glaciares National Park: Mount Fitz Roy (11,073 feet [3,375 meters]) is the highest point in the park. Wildlife includes guanacos, chinchillas, pudu and guemal (two species of small deer), condors, and rheas. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

  • Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (film [1958])

    Madhubala: Rising popularity and stardom: …modern woman in the comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958; “That Which Runs Is a Car”), opposite Kishore Kumar; and a cabaret artist in the thriller Howrah Bridge (1958), costarring Ashok Kumar. These films were all commercial successes and significantly contributed to Madhubala’s popularity and mass appeal.

  • Chaltibhasa (language)

    Bengali language: Varieties: …or genteel speech) and the Chaltibhasa (current or colloquial speech). The former was largely shaped by the language of early Bengali poetical works. In the 19th century it became standardized as the literary language and also as the appropriate vehicle for business and personal exchanges. Although it was at times…

  • Chalukya dynasty (Indian dynasties)

    Chalukya dynasty, either of two ancient Indian dynasties. The Western Chalukyas ruled as emperors in the Deccan (i.e., peninsular India) from 543 to 757 ce and again from about 975 to about 1189. The Eastern Chalukyas ruled in Vengi (in eastern Andhra Pradesh state) from about 624 to about 1070.

  • chalumeau (musical instrument)

    chalumeau, single-reed wind instrument, forerunner of the clarinet. Chalumeau referred to various folk reed pipes and bagpipes, especially reed pipes of cylindrical bore sounded by a single reed, which was either tied on or cut in the pipe wall. Soon after this type of chalumeau became fashionable

  • chalvar (garment)

    Saudi Arabia: Daily life and social customs: …of slacks known as a sirwāl. In public women are expected to be fully veiled, and a long black cloak known as an ʿabāyah is worn. A veil called a hijab covers the head, and another known as a niqāb covers the face. Among Bedouin, women’s clothing is often quite…

  • chalwar (garment)

    Saudi Arabia: Daily life and social customs: …of slacks known as a sirwāl. In public women are expected to be fully veiled, and a long black cloak known as an ʿabāyah is worn. A veil called a hijab covers the head, and another known as a niqāb covers the face. Among Bedouin, women’s clothing is often quite…

  • chalybite (mineral)

    siderite, iron carbonate (FeCO3), a widespread mineral that is an ore of iron. The mineral commonly occurs in thin beds with shales, clay, or coal seams (as sedimentary deposits) and in hydrothermal metallic veins (as gangue, or waste rock). Manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), and calcium generally

  • Cham (novel by Orzeszkowa)

    Eliza Orzeszkowa: …superstition of poor farmers, and Cham (1888; “The Boor”), the tragic story of a humble fisherman’s love for a neurotic and sophisticated city girl. Considered Orzeszkowa’s masterpiece, Nad Niemnen (1888; “On the Banks of the Niemen,” filmed 1987) depicts Polish society in Lithuania. Bene nati (1892; “Wellborn”) describes the impoverished…

  • cham (title)

    khan, historically, the ruler or monarch of a Mongol tribe (ulus). At the time of Genghis Khan (early 13th century) a distinction was made between the title of khan and that of khākān, which was the title Genghis assumed as Great Khan, or supreme ruler of the Mongols. The term khan was subsequently

  • ’cham (Tibetan religious dance)

    Central Asian arts: Tibetan music: …festival time, when the great ’cham (dance) dramas, which may last several days, are performed for the public’s entertainment and edification. These plays, which generally show the triumph of Buddhism over Bon, the earlier shamanistic religion of Tibet, may involve hundreds of musicians in the guise of masked dancers with…

  • Cham inscription (writing system)

    Indic writing systems: The ancient Cham inscriptions of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) speakers who formerly inhabited southern Vietnam are also written in a script of South Indic origin.

  • Cham language

    Austronesian languages: Pre-16th century: The earliest dated inscription in Cham, the language of the Indianized kingdom of Champa in central Vietnam, bears a date of 829 ce, although some undated inscriptions may be older. An Old Malay stone inscription from central Java is dated to 832 ce and attests to the high prestige of…

  • Cham-Malay (people)

    Cambodia: Ethnic groups: …early 21st century was the Cham-Malay group. Known in Cambodia as Khmer Islam or Western Cham, the Cham-Malay group also maintained a high degree of ethnic homogeneity and was discriminated against under the regime of Democratic Kampuchea. Receiving only slightly better treatment than the Khmer Islam during that period were…

  • chama (mammal, Vulpes species)

    fox: Classification: chama (Cape fox, South African silver fox, or chama) Long-eared fox inhabiting dry areas of Southern Africa, particularly in the Kalahari desert region; weight 4 kg, body length usually less than 60 cm; coat gray. V. corsac (corsac, or steppe, fox) Small and social steppe-dwelling fox

  • Chama Cha Mapinduzi (political party, Tanzania)

    Tanzania: Tanzania under Nyerere: …ASP under the title of Revolutionary Party (Chama cha Mapinduzi; CCM) early in 1977 was a hopeful sign but was followed by demands for greater autonomy for Zanzibar. This trend was checked for a short while when Ali Hassan Mwinyi succeeded Jumbe in 1984 and became president of the joint…

  • Chamaea fasciata (bird)

    wrentit, (species Chamaea fasciata), bird of the Pacific coast of North America belonging to family Timaliidae. A fluffy brown bird about 16 cm (6.5 inches) long with a long tail, the wrentit calls harshly and sings loudly in thick brush, where pairs forage for fruit and

  • Chamaecyparis (tree)

    false cypress, (genus Chamaecyparis), any of some seven or eight species of ornamental and timber evergreen conifers (family Cupressaceae) native to North America and eastern Asia. The trees differ from the true cypresses in having smaller, rounded cones with fewer seeds. A young tree is pyramidal

  • Chamaecyparis formosensis (tree)

    false cypress: The wood of the Formosan cypress (C. formosensis), a tree more than 58 metres (190 feet) tall, is used locally for construction; it is not fragrant like the wood of other cypresses.

  • Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (plant)

    false cypress: …species of false cypress, the Lawson cypress, Port Orford cedar, or ginger pine (C. lawsoniana), may be more than 60 metres (200 feet) tall and 6 metres (about 20 feet) in diameter. It is a very hardy tree; over 200 forms are cultivated as ornamentals in North America and Great…

  • Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (plant)

    false cypress: The Nootka cypress, yellow cypress, or Alaska cedar (C. nootkatensis), also called yellow cedar, canoe cedar, Sitka cypress, and Alaska cypress, is a valuable timber tree of northwestern North America. Its pale yellow hard wood is used for boats, furniture, and paneling. Some varieties are cultivated…

  • Chamaecyparis obtusa (plant)

    false cypress: The hinoki cypress (C. obtusa), a bright-green tree 25 to 35 metres (80 to 115 feet) high, with reddish brown bark, is one of Japan’s most valuable timber trees. Its wood is used for construction, furniture, and interior work. Many varieties are cultivated for decoration and…

  • Chamaecyparis pisifera (plant)

    false cypress: The Sarawa cypress (C. pisifera) of Japan, 27 to 36 metres (90 to 120 feet) tall, has been in cultivation for centuries. It has sharp-pointed leaves, small cones, and fragrant white wood used for boxes and doors. Many horticultural varieties have been developed, most of which…

  • Chamaecyparis thyoides (plant)

    false cypress: The white cypress (C. thyoides) of North America, 21 to 27 metres (70 to 90 feet) tall, an economically important timber tree, also has many cultivated varieties. Its reddish brown fragrant wood is used for mine timbers, fence posts, and other supporting structures.

  • Chamaedaphne calyculata (plant)

    leatherleaf, (Chamaedaphne calyculata), evergreen shrub of the heath family (Ericaceae). The name is also sometimes applied to a stiff-leaved fern. C. calyculata occurs in Arctic regions and in North America as far south as Georgia. It forms large beds at the edges of swamps and boggy meadows. The

  • Chamaedorea (plant)

    palm: Characteristic morphological features: …of regular branching (in Allagoptera, Chamaedorea, Hyphaene, Nannorrhops, Nypa, Vonitra) appear to involve equal or subequal division at the apex that results in a forking habit. The two newly formed branches may continue equally, or one may be overtopped by the other (Nannorrhops). When thickening occurs, as in the royal…

  • Chamaeleon (constellation)

    Chamaeleon, constellation in the southern sky at about 11 hours right ascension and 80° south in declination. Its brightest star is Alpha Chamaeleontis, with a magnitude of 4. This constellation was invented by Pieter Dircksz Keyser, a navigator who joined the first Dutch expedition to the East

  • Chamaeleonidae (reptile)

    chameleon, (family Chamaeleonidae), any of a group of primarily arboreal (tree-dwelling) Old World lizards best known for their ability to change body colour. Other characteristics of chameleons include zygodactylous feet (with toes fused into opposed bundles of two and three), acrodont dentition

  • Chamaemelum nobile (plant)

    chamomile: …English, or Roman, chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) or German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). Several species are cultivated as garden ornamentals, especially golden marguerite, or yellow chamomile (Cota tinctoria).

  • Chamaepsila rosae (insect)

    rust fly: The carrot rust fly (Psila rosae; also known as Chamaepsila rosae) often damages carrots, celery, and related plants.

  • Chamaerops (plant genus)

    palm: Distribution: …genera transcending continental bounds are Chamaerops in Europe and Africa, Elaeis (oil palm) and Raphia (raffia palm, or jupati) in Africa and America, and Borassus (palmyra palm), Calamus (rattan palm), Hyphaene (doum palm), and Phoenix (date palm) in Africa and Asia. Numbers of

  • Chamaerops humilis (plant)

    palm: Distribution: The northernmost palm is the European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), which grows about the Mediterranean in Europe and North Africa; the southernmost is the nikau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida), of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. Although there are species with extensive ranges, especially in America, most are restricted in range,…

  • Chamar (Hindu caste)

    Chamar, widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word charmakara (“skin worker”). The Chamars are divided into more than 150 subcastes, all of which are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils).

  • Chamba (India)

    Chamba, town, northwestern Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. The town lies on the Ravi River between two mountain ridges. The independent princely state of Chamba was founded in the 6th century ce and fell under Kashmir, Mughal, and Sikh rule before becoming part of British India in 1846.

  • Chambal River (river, India)

    Chambal River, river, northern India. The Chambal is the chief tributary of the Yamuna River and rises in the Vindhya Range just south of Mhow, western Madhya Pradesh state. From its source it flows north into southeastern Rajasthan state. Turning northeast, it flows past Kota and along the

  • Chambal Valley (valley, India)

    Chambal River: The Chambal’s lower course is lined by a 10-mile (16-km) belt of badland gullies resulting from accelerated soil erosion and is the site of a major project in soil conservation.

  • chamber (heart)

    cardiovascular disease: Abnormalities of individual heart chambers: Abnormalities of the heart chambers may be serious and even life-threatening. In hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left-sided heart chambers, including the aorta, are underdeveloped. Infants born with this condition rarely survive more than two or three days. In other cases, only one chamber…

  • Chamber Concerto (work by Berg)

    Alban Berg: His Chamber Concerto for violin, piano, and 13 wind instruments was written in 1925, in honour of Schoenberg’s 50th birthday.

  • chamber jazz (music)

    Benny Goodman: Working with others: …the small group, or “chamber jazz” ensemble, Goodman made perhaps his most lasting contribution to jazz history. In 2024 the U.S. Library of Congress added a 1939 recording of “Rose Room,” by the Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian to the National Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings…

  • chamber music

    chamber music, music composed for small ensembles of instrumentalists. In its original sense, chamber music referred to music composed for the home, as opposed to that written for the theatre or church. Since the “home”—whether it be drawing room, reception hall, or palace chamber—may be assumed to

  • Chamber Music (poetry by Joyce)

    James Joyce: Legacy of James Joyce: Joyce’s other works—some verse (Chamber Music, 1907; Pomes Penyeach, 1927; Collected Poems, 1936) and a play, Exiles (1918)—though competently written, added little to his international stature.

  • Chamber Music Society (album by Spalding)

    Esperanza Spalding: In 2010 Spalding released Chamber Music Society, on which she combined jazz, folk, and world music components with classical chamber music traditions. The album notably featured a guest appearance by famed Brazilian singer and guitarist Milton Nascimento. Early the following year Spalding was honoured with the Grammy Award for…

  • Chamber of Commerce of the United States, The (American business organization)

    chamber of commerce: National chambers of commerce.: The Chamber of Commerce of the United States, “a national federation working for good citizenship, good government and good business,” was founded in 1912. In the late 20th century its membership comprised more than 40,000 business members and more than 4,000 organization members including trade…

  • Chamber of Deputies (French government [1815–1848])

    France: Louis XVIII, 1815–24: When a new Chamber of Deputies was elected in August 1815, the ultras scored a sweeping victory; the surprised king, who had feared a surge of antimonarchical sentiment, greeted the legislature as la chambre introuvable (“the incomparable chamber”). But the political honeymoon was short-lived. Louis was shrewd enough,…

  • Chamber of Rhetoric (Dutch dramatic society)

    rederijkerskamer, (Dutch: “chamber of rhetoric”), medieval Dutch dramatic society. Modelled after contemporary French dramatic societies (puys), such chambers spread rapidly across the French border into Flanders and Holland in the 15th century. At first they were organized democratically; later

  • chamber of the heart (heart)

    cardiovascular disease: Abnormalities of individual heart chambers: Abnormalities of the heart chambers may be serious and even life-threatening. In hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left-sided heart chambers, including the aorta, are underdeveloped. Infants born with this condition rarely survive more than two or three days. In other cases, only one chamber…