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Orff, Carl ... Orlov, Aleksey Fyodorovich, Prince
Orff, Carl
German composer known particularly for his operas and dramatic works and for his innovations in music education.
Orfila, Alejandro
Argentine diplomat who served as secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS) from 1975 to 1984.
organ
in music, a keyboard instrument, operated by the player's hands and feet, in which pressurized air produces notes through a series of pipes organized in scalelike rows. The term organ ...
organ
in biology, a group of tissues in a living organism that have been adapted to perform a specific function. In higher animals, organs are grouped into organ systems; e.g., the ...
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
desert area in southwestern Arizona, U.S., at the Mexican border 12 miles (19 km) south of Ajo. Established in 1937 with an area of 517 square miles (1,339 square km), ...
organ-pipe cactus
(species Lemairocereus, or Cereus, thurberi), plant belonging to the family Cactaceae, native to southern Arizona in the United States. Related species occur from Mexico to Venezuela and Peru and the ...
organ-pipe coral
(genus Tubipora), any of a genus of marine animals of the class Anthozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The single known species, Tubipora musica, occurs on reefs in shallow waters of the Indian ...
organic compound
any of a large class of chemical compounds in which one or more atoms of carbon are covalently linked to atoms of other elements, most commonly hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen. ...
organic farming
system of crop cultivation employing biological methods of fertilization and pest control as substitutes for chemical fertilizers and pesticides; the latter products are regarded by proponents of organic methods as ...
organic form
the structure of a work that has grown naturally from the author's subject and materials as opposed to that of a work shaped by and conforming to artificial rules. The ...
organic unity
in literature, a structural principle, first discussed by Plato (in Phaedrus, Gorgias, and The Republic) and later described and defined by Aristotle. The principle calls for internally consistent thematic and ...
Organization of Pan Asian American Women
oldest public-policy organization devoted to concerns of Asian Pacific-American women, founded in 1976 to increase participation of Asian women in policy-making and leadership roles. It also serves as a national ...
organized crime
complex of highly centralized enterprises set up for the purpose of engaging in illegal activities. Although Europe and Asia have historically had their international rings of smugglers, jewel thieves, and ...
organized labour
association and activities of workers in a trade or industry for the purpose of obtaining or assuring improvements in working conditions through their collective action.
organogenesis
in embryology, the series of organized integrated processes that transforms an amorphous mass of cells into a complete organ in the developing embryo. The cells of an organ-forming region undergo ...
organometallic compound
any of a class of substances in which the molecules contain at least one metal-to-carbon bond in which the carbon is part of an organic group. The class includes such ...
organum
originally, any musical instrument (later in particular an organ); the term attained its lasting sense, however, during the Middle Ages in reference to a polyphonic (many-voiced) setting, in certain specific ...
orgasm
climactic physiological state of heightened sexual excitement and gratification that is followed by relaxation of sexual tensions and the body's muscles.
Orgueil meteorite
object involved in the controversy about whether the organic matter in meteorites is evidence of extraterrestrial life. From a meteoric fall on the village of Orgueil, near Toulouse, France, on ...
Orhan
the second ruler of the Ottoman dynasty, which had been founded by his father, Osman I. Orhan's reign (1324-60) marked the beginning of Ottoman expansion into the Balkans.
Orhon inscriptions
oldest extant Turkish writings, discovered in the valley of the Orhon River, northern Mongolia, in 1889 and deciphered in 1893 by the Danish philologist Vilhelm Thomsen. They are on two ...
Orhon River
river in north-central Mongolia. The river lies entirely within Mongolia and rises from the heavily forested slopes of the Hangayn Mountains. It flows east out of the mountains and then ...
Oribe ware
type of Japanese ceramics, usually glazed in blue or green and first appearing during the Keicho and Genna eras (1596-1624). The name Oribe is derived from Furuta Oribe, a pupil ...
Oribe, Manuel Ceferino
second president of Uruguay (1835-38), a member of the Treinta y Tres Orientales, the legendary 33 nationalists who successfully fought for Uruguayan independence in the Cisplatine War (1825-28).
oribi
(Ourebia ourebia), swift African antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), living on sub-Saharan grasslands in pairs or small herds. The oribi is a graceful animal with a silky coat, large ears, ...
oriel
in architecture, a bay window in an upper story, supported from below by projecting corbels, or brackets of stone or wood. Usually semihexagonal or rectangular in plan, oriels first became ...
Orient-Express
luxury train that ran from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul) for more than 80 years (1883-1977). Europe's first transcontinental express, it initially covered a route of more than 1,700 miles (about ...
Oriental Jews
the approximately 1,500,000 Diaspora Jews who lived for several centuries in North Africa and the Middle East and whose ancestors did not reside in either Germany or Spain. They are ...
Oriental lacquer
varnish resin derived from a tree indigenous to China, species Rhus vernicifera, commonly known as the varnish tree (q.v.). The manufacturing process was introduced into Japan and remained secret for ...
Oriental sore
infectious disease that is a type of leishmaniasis (q.v.).
orientation
(from Latin oriens, orientum, "the rising sun"), in architecture, the position of a building in relation to an east-west axis. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as in pre-Columbian Central ...
orienteering
outdoor competitive sport that is similar to cross-country running, but with emphasis on map-reading and direction-finding skills. Through woods and over hills or rough plains, contestants plot courses between isolated ...
Origen
the most important theologian and biblical scholar of the early Greek church. His greatest work is the Hexapla, which is a synopsis of six versions of the Old Testament.
original sin
in Christian doctrine, the condition or state of sin into which each human being is born; also, the origin (i.e., the cause, or source) of this state. Traditionally, the origin ...
Origins of the Olympic Winter Games
The first organized international competition involving winter sports was introduced just five years after the birth of the modern Olympics in 1896. This competition, the Nordic Games, included only athletes ...
Orihuela
town, Alicante provincia, in the comunidad autonoma ("autonomous community") of Valencia, southeastern Spain. Orihuela lies in the fertile Vega (flat lowland) del Segura, just northeast of Murcia city. A pre-Roman ...
Orillia
city, Simcoe county, southeastern Ontario, Canada, 60 miles (100 km) north of Toronto, between Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe. The name, probably derived from the Spanish orilla ("border," "shore," or "bank"), ...
Orinoco River
major river of South America that flows in a giant arc for some 1,700 miles (2,740 kilometres) from its source in the Guiana Highlands to its mouth on the Atlantic ...
oriole
any of 24 species of birds of the Old World genus Oriolus, family Oriolidae, or, in the New World, any of the 30 species of Icterus, family Icteridae. Both are ...
Orioles, the
American vocal group of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The members were Sonny Til (byname of Earlington Carl Tilghman; b. Aug. 18, 1925, Baltimore, Md., U.S., -d. Dec. ...
Orion
in Greek mythology, a giant and very handsome hunter who was identified as early as Homer with the constellation known by his name.
Orion
in astronomy, major constellation lying at about 5 hours 30 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and zero declination (at the ...
Orion Nebula
(catalog numbers NGC 1976 and M 42), bright diffuse nebula, faintly visible to the unaided eye in the sword of the hunter's figure in the constellation Orion. The nebula lies ...
Oriskany, Battle of
(August 6, 1777), in the American Revolution, battle between British troops and American defenders of the Mohawk Valley, which contributed to the failure of the British campaign in the North. ...
Orissa
state of India. It is located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east and by the states of West ...
orissi
one of the principal classical dance styles of India; others include bharata-natya, kuchipudi, kathak, kathakali, and manipuri. It is indigenous to Orissa, eastern India, and follows the principles of the ...
Oristano
town and archiepiscopal see, Oristano provincia, western Sardinia, Italy, near the mouth of the Tirso River, northwest of the city of Cagliari. It was founded in the 11th century BC ...
Oriya language
Indo-Aryan language of the eastern group spoken mainly in the state of Orissa, India. Oriya is one of the 14 regional languages recognized by the Indian constitution. A direct descendant ...
Orizaba
city, west-central Veracruz estado ("state"), east-central Mexico. It lies in a fertile, well-drained, and temperate valley of the Sierra Madre Oriental, over which towers Citlaltepetl (also called Pico de Orizaba), ...
Orjasaeter, Tore
Norwegian regional poet who worked in the tradition of the ballad and of folk and nature lyrics.
Orkan, Wladyslaw
Polish poet and writer who eloquently portrayed the people of the Tatra Mountains.
Orkney Islands
group of more than 70 islands and islets-only about 20 of which are inhabited-in Scotland, lying about 20 miles (32 km) north of the Scottish mainland, across the strait known ...
Orlando
city, seat (1856) of Orange county, central Florida, U.S. It is situated in a region dotted by lakes, about 60 miles (95 km) northwest of Melbourne and 85 miles (135 ...
Orlando, Vittorio Emanuele
Italian statesman and prime minister during the concluding years of World War I and head of his country's delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference.
Orleanais
one of the generalites ("generalities") into which France was divided before the Revolution of 1789. It comprised not only the territory of the original countship and the ...
Orleanist
any of the constitutional monarchists in 18th- and 19th-century France who favoured the Orleans branch of the house of Bourbon (the descendants of Philippe, duke d'Orleans, younger brother of Louis ...
Orleans
county, northern Vermont, U.S., bordered to the north by Quebec, Can., and to the west by the Green Mountains. It consists mostly of a piedmont region that rises in the ...
Orleans
county, northwestern New York state, U.S., comprising a lowland region that is bordered by Lake Ontario to the north. It is intersected by the New York State Canal System (and ...
Orleans
capital of Loiret departement and of the Centre region, north-central France, south-southwest of Paris. The city stands on the banks of the Loire River in a fertile valley on the ...
Orleans, Charles, duc d'
King Francis I's favourite son and a noted campaigner, who twice took Luxembourg from the Holy Roman emperor Charles V's forces (1542 and 1543). There were plans for marrying him ...
Orleans, Charles, duc d'
last, and one of the greatest, of the courtly poets of France, who during exile in England also earned a reputation for his poems in English. He was the son ...
Orleans, Ferdinand-Louis-Philippe-Charles-Henri, duc d'
son of Louis-Philippe of France, who succeeded to the title of duc d'Orleans when his father became king (1830).
Orleans, Gaston, duc d', duc d'Anjou
prince who readily lent his prestige to several unsuccessful conspiracies and revolts against the ministerial governments during the reign of his brother, King Louis XIII (ruled 1610-43), and the minority ...
Orleans, Louis I, duc d'
younger brother of King Charles VI and first in the second dynasty of dukes of Orleans. He initiated the power struggle with the dukes of Burgundy that became the dominating ...
Orleans, Louis, duc d'
son of Philippe II, duc d'Orleans; he became governor of Dauphine (1719), commander of infantry (1721), and chief of the Conseil d'Etat. The death of his wife, Auguste-Marie-Jeanne, princess of ...
Orleans, Louis-Philippe, duc d'
son of Duke Louis; he was appointed lieutenant general (1744) and governor of Dauphine (1747).
Orleans, Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc d'
Bourbon prince who became a supporter of popular democracy during the Revolution of 1789.
Orleans, Louis-Philippe-Robert, duc d'
pretender to the French throne during the Third Republic.
Orleans, Philippe I de France, duc d'
first of the last Bourbon dynasty of dukes of Orleans; he was the younger brother of King Louis XIV (reigned 1643-1715), who prevented him from exercising political influence but tolerated ...
Orleans, Philippe I, duc d'
the only member of the first dynasty of dukes of Orleans.
Orleans, Philippe II, duc d'
regent of France for the young King Louis XV from 1715 to 1723.
Orleans, Siege of
(Oct. 12, 1428-May 8, 1429), siege of the French city of Orleans by English forces, the military turning point of the Hundred Years' War between France and England.
Orley, Bernard van
Flemish painter of religious subjects and portraits and designer of tapestries.
Orlice Mountains
mountain range, a subgroup of the Sudeten mountains in northeastern Bohemia, Czech Republic, forming part of the frontier with Poland for a distance of 25 miles (40 km). The mountains ...
Orlov diamond
rose-cut gem from India, one of the Romanov crown jewels; it is shaped like half an egg, with facets covering its domed surface, and the underside is nearly flat. It ...
Orlov, Aleksey Fyodorovich, Prince
military officer and statesman who was an influential adviser to the Russian emperors Nicholas I (reigned 1825-55) and Alexander II (reigned 1855-81) in both domestic and foreign affairs.