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Perez Esquivel, Adolfo ... Permalloy

Perez Esquivel, Adolfo: Argentine sculptor and architect, who became a champion of human rights and nonviolent reform in Latin America. His work as secretary-general of Peace and Justice (Paz y Justicia), an ecumenical ...
Perez Galdos, Benito: writer who was regarded as the greatest Spanish novelist since Miguel de Cervantes. His enormous output of short novels chronicling the history and society of 19th-century Spain earned him comparison ...
Perez Jimenez, Marcos: professional soldier and president (1952-58) of Venezuela whose regime was marked by extravagance, corruption, police oppression, and mounting unemployment.
Perez, Antonio: Spanish courtier who was secretary to King Philip II of Spain and later became a fugitive from Philip's court.
Perez, Carlos Andres: president of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and from 1989 to 1993.
Perez, Tony: professional baseball player in the United States for 23 years with the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League and the Boston Red Sox of the ...
perfect gas: a gas that conforms, in physical behaviour, to a particular, idealized relation between pressure, volume, and temperature called the general gas law. This law is a generalization containing both Boyle's ...
perfect number: a positive integer that is equal to the sum of its proper divisors. The smallest perfect number is 6, which is the sum of 1, 2, and 3. Other perfect ...
performance: in law, act of doing that which is required by a contract. The effect of successful performance is to discharge the person bound to do the act from any future ...
perfume: fragrant product that results from the artful blending of certain odoriferous substances in appropriate proportions. The word is derived from the Latin per fumum, meaning "through smoke." The art of ...
perfume bottle: a vessel made to hold scent. The earliest example is Egyptian and dates to around 1000 BC. The Egyptians used scents lavishly, especially in religious rites; as a result, when ...
Perga: ancient city of Pamphylia, (in modern Antalya il [province], Turkey). It was a centre of native culture and was a seat of the worship of "Queen" Artemis, a purely Anatolian ...
Pergamino: city of northern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Located within the Pampa, it is about 135 mi (220 km) northwest of the ciy of Buenos Aires. It was first mentioned in ...
Pergamum: ancient Greek city in Mysia, situated 16 miles from the Aegean Sea on a lofty isolated hill on the northern side of the broad valley of the Caicus (modern Bakir) ...
pergola: garden walk or terrace, roofed with an open framework over which plants are trained. Its purpose is to provide a foundation on which climbing plants can be seen to advantage ...
Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista: Italian composer whose intermezzo La serva padrona ("The Maid Turned Mistress") was one of the most celebrated stage works of the 18th century.
Perhimpunan Indonesia: an Indonesian students' organization in The Netherlands, formed in the early 1920s, which provided a source of intellectual leadership for the Indonesian nationalist movement. This association originated in 1908 as ...
Peri Rossi, Cristina: short-story writer, novelist, and poet who is considered one of the leading Latin American writers to have published in the period after the "boom of the Latin American novel" (when ...
Peri, Jacopo: Italian composer noted for his contribution to the development of dramatic vocal style in early Baroque opera.
periaktos: ancient theatrical device by which a scene or change of scene was indicated. It was described by Vitruvius in his De architectura (c. 14 BC) as a revolving triangular prism ...
Periander: second tyrant of Corinth (c. 628-588), a firm and effective ruler who exploited his city's commercial and cultural potential. Much of the ancient Greek representation of Periander as a cruel ...
Peribsen: Egyptian king of the 2nd dynasty (c. 2775-c. 2650 BC), who promoted the cult of the god Seth over that of Horus, the god favoured by his predecessors. His tomb ...
pericarditis: inflammation of the pericardium, the membranous sac that encloses the heart. Acute pericarditis may be associated with any of a number of diseases and conditions, including myocardial infarction (death of ...
periclase: magnesium oxide mineral (MgO) that occurs as colourless to grayish, glassy, rounded grains in marble and in some dolomitic limestones, where it formed by the metamorphosis of dolomite at high ...
Pericles: play in five acts by William Shakespeare, written about 1606-08 and published in a quarto edition in 1609, a defective and at times nearly unintelligible text that shows signs of ...
Pericles: Athenian statesman largely responsible for the full development, in the later 5th century BC, of both the Athenian democracy and the Athenian empire, making Athens the political and cultural focus ...
peridot: gem-quality, transparent green olivine in the forsterite-fayalite series (q.v.). Gem-quality olivine has been valued for centuries; the deposit on Jazirat Zabarjad (Saint Johns Island), Egypt, in the Red Sea that ...
peridotite: a coarse-grained, dark-coloured, heavy, intrusive igneous rock that contains at least 10 percent olivine, other iron- and magnesia-rich minerals (generally pyroxenes), and not more than 10 percent feldspar. It occurs ...
Perier, Casimir: French banker and statesman who exercised a decisive influence on the political orientation of the reign of King Louis-Philippe.
periglaciology: study of the large areas of the Earth that were adjacent to but not covered by ice during the glacial periods. Modern representatives of these areas are the sub-Arctic tundra ...
Perignon, Dominique-Catherine, marquis de: general and marshal of France, active during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Perigord: historic and cultural region encompassing the southern French departement of Dordogne and part of Lot-et-Garonne and roughly coextensive with the former county of Perigord. The area was originally inhabited by ...
Perigordian industry: tool tradition of prehistoric men in Upper Paleolithic Europe that followed the Mousterian industry, was contemporary in part with the Aurignacian, and was succeeded by the Solutrean. Perigordian tools included ...
Perigueux: town, departement of Dordogne, Aquitaine region, southwestern France. An episcopal see, it lies on the right bank of the Isle River, east-northeast of Bordeaux and southwest of Paris. Originally settled ...
Perija, Mountains of: mountain chain, the northward extension of the Andean Cordillera Oriental, forming part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The range extends for 190 miles (306 km) from the vicinity ...
perilla oil: drying oil obtained from the seeds of Asiatic mint plants of the genus Perilla. Perilla oil is used along with synthetic resins in the production of varnishes. Perilla oil dries ...
Perim Island: island in the Strait of Mandeb off the southwestern coast of Yemen, to which it belongs. A rocky volcanic island, lying just off the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, ...
period: in geology, the basic unit of the geologic time scale; during these spans of time specific systems of rocks were formed. Originally, the sequential nature of defining periods was a ...
period: in music, unit of melodic organization made up of several related consecutive phrases. Often the period has two phrases, typically of 8 or, in some cases, 16 measures each. The ...
periodic law: in chemistry, the generalization that there is a recurring pattern in the properties of the elements when they are arranged in order of increasing atomic number-i.e., the ...
periodic motion: in physics, motion repeated in equal intervals of time, the time of each interval being called the period. Periodic motion is performed, for example, by a rocking chair, a bouncing ...
periodical: a journal or other publication whose issues appear at fixed or regular intervals. See magazine; newspaper.
periodontal membrane: fleshy tissue between tooth and tooth socket that holds the tooth in place, attaches it to the adjacent teeth, and enables it to resist the stresses of chewing. It develops ...
periodontics: dental specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of functional and structural diseases of the periodontal membrane and related tissues that surround and support the teeth. Degeneration or inflammation ...
periodontitis: inflammation of the soft tissues around the teeth, characterized by swollen, tender gums and eventual loss of teeth. Periodontitis begins with the deposition of bacterial plaque on the teeth below ...
periosteum: dense fibrous membrane covering the surfaces of bones, consisting of an outer, fibrous layer and an inner, cellular layer. The outer layer is composed mostly of collagen and contains nerve ...
peripeteia: the turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement. It is discussed by Aristotle in the Poetics as the shift of the tragic protagonist's ...
periphrasis: the use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression; a roundabout or indirect manner of writing or speaking. In literature periphrasis is sometimes used ...
periscope: optical instrument used in land and sea warfare, submarine navigation, and elsewhere to enable an observer to see his surroundings while remaining under cover, behind armour, or submerged.
perissodactyl: any member of the order Perissodactyla, a group of herbivorous mammals characterized by the possession of either one or three hoofed toes on each hindfoot. They include the horses, asses, ...
peristalsis: involuntary movements of the longitudinal and circular muscles, primarily in the digestive tract but occasionally in other hollow tubes of the body, that occur in progressive wavelike contractions. Peristaltic waves ...
peristerite: iridescent gemstone in the plagioclase (q.v.) series of feldspar minerals. The name (from Greek peristera, "pigeon") refers to the resemblance of fine specimens such as those from Ontario and Quebec ...
peritoneum: large membrane in the abdominal cavity that connects and supports internal organs. It is composed of many folds that pass between or around the various organs. Two folds are of ...
peritonitis: inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal wall and then folds in to enclose the abdominal organs. The condition is marked by an accumulation of cells, pus, ...
peritrich: any ciliated vase-shaped protozoan of the order Peritrichida (more than 1,000 species), found in both fresh and salt water. Usually nonmotile (sessile), they attach themselves to underwater objects, but a ...
periwinkle: in botany, any of various plants of the genus Vinca of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). The name periwinkle is possibly taken from pervinka, the Russian name of the flower, which ...
periwinkle: in zoology, any small marine snail belonging to the family Littorinidae. Periwinkles are widely distributed shore (littoral) snails, chiefly herbivorous, usually found on rocks, stones, or pilings between high- and ...
Periyar: river and lake in southern Kerala state, southwestern India. The river, 140 mi (225 km) long, rises in the Western Ghats range near the border with Tamil Nadu state and ...
Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary: wildlife preserve in Idukki district, Kerala state, southern India. The sanctuary is noted for herds of elephants, sometimes numbering 50 members. In addition, bonnet monkey, nilgai, langur, porcupine, sloth bear, ...
perjury: willful, knowing, and corrupt giving under oath of false testimony regarded as material to the issue or point of inquiry. All elements of the crime are essential for conviction. Criminal ...
Perkin, Sir William Henry: British chemist who discovered aniline dyes.
Perkins, Anthony: American actor who was best remembered for his portrayal of murderous motel owner Norman Bates in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho (1960); he reprised this role in three sequels (1983, ...
Perkins, Carl: American singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose song "Blue Suede Shoes" was a touchstone of the rockabilly musical movement of the 1950s. A "triple threat" performer-a strong singer, a prolific and ...
Perkins, Frances: U.S. secretary of labor during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Besides being the first woman to be appointed to a cabinet post, she also served one of the longest ...
Perkins, George Walbridge: U.S. insurance executive and financier who organized the health insurance agency system and the corporate structures of several large companies. He also served as chairman of Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party, ...
Perkins, Jacob: American inventor who produced successful innovations in many fields.
Perkins, Lucy Fitch: American writer of children's books, best remembered for her Twins series of storybooks that ranged in setting among different cultures and times.
Perkins, Maxwell: influential American editor who discovered many of the most prominent American writers of the first half of the 20th century.
Perkons: sky deity of Baltic religion, renowned as the guardian of law and order and as a fertility god. The oak, as the tree most often struck by lightning, is sacred ...
Perl, Martin Lewis: American physicist who received the 1995 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering a subatomic particle that he named the tau, a massive lepton with a negative charge. The tau, which ...
perlite: a natural glass with concentric cracks such that the rock breaks into small, pearllike bodies. It is formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava or magma. Perlite has a ...
Perlman, Itzhak: Israeli-born violinist known for a brilliant virtuoso technique. His refinement of detail led many to regard him as one of the finest performers of the major violin repertoire of his ...
Perm: oblast (province), western Russia. It occupies an area on the western flank of the central Ural Mountains, extending from the crestline in the east across the broad basin of the ...
Perm: city and administrative centre of Perm oblast (province), western Russia. The city stands on both banks of the Kama River below its confluence with the Chusovaya.
permafrost: perennially frozen ground, a naturally occurring material with a temperature colder than 0° C (32° F) continuously for two or more years. Such a layer of frozen ground is designated ...
Permalloy: trademark of the Western Electric Company for nickel-iron alloys having much higher magnetic permeability than iron alone. It is widely used for fabricating the thin pieces that are laminated to ...