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Quadruple Alliance ... Queen Charlotte Sound

Quadruple Alliance: alliance formed Aug. 2, 1718, when Austria joined the Triple Alliance of Britain, the Dutch Republic (United Provinces), and France to prevent Spain from altering the terms of the Treaty ...
Quadruple Alliance: alliance formed on April 22, 1834, between Britain, France, and the more liberal claimants to the thrones of Spain and Portugal against the conservative claimants to those thrones. The alliance ...
Quadruple Alliance: alliance first formed in 1813, during the final phase of the Napoleonic Wars, by Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia, for the purpose of defeating Napoleon, but conventionally dated from Nov. ...
quaestor: the lowest ranking regular magistrate in ancient Rome, whose traditional responsibility was the treasury. During the royal period, the kings appointed quaestores parricidii (quaestors with judicial powers) to handle cases ...
quagga: African species of zebra (q.v.).
quahog: edible species of clam (q.v.).
quail: any of 130 species of small, short-tailed game birds of the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes), resembling partridges but generally smaller and less robust. The 95 species of Old World quail ...
Quaker: member of a Christian group (the Society of Friends, or Friends church) that stresses the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that rejects outward rites and an ordained ministry, and that ...
Quaker Foods and Beverages: American manufacturer and marketer of foods and beverages, formed in August 2001 when PepsiCo, Inc., acquired the original Quaker Oats Company of Chicago, Illinois. The company operates as a division ...
quaking grass: any of about 20 species of slender annual or perennial grasses making up the genus Briza (family Poaceae), named for the spikelets of open flower clusters, borne on long stalks, ...
qualitative chemical analysis: branch of chemistry that deals with the identification of elements or grouping of elements present in a sample. The techniques employed in qualitative analysis vary in complexity, depending on the ...
quandong nut: edible seed of the native peach (Santalum acuminatum), a small shrubby tree of the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), native to Australia. Unlike other members of this family, the native peach is ...
Quang Ngai: town, central Vietnam, on the South China Sea coast. It is a minor port on the south bank of the Tra Khuc River estuary, 125 miles (200 km) southeast of ...
Quang Tri: town, central Vietnam. It is on the left bank of the Thach Han River, 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Hue, on the national coastal highway. A highway from Dong ...
Quant, Mary: married name Mrs. A. Plunket Greene English dress designer of youth-oriented fashions, responsible in the 1960s for the "Chelsea look" of England and the widespread popularity of the miniskirt and ...
quantification: in logic, the attachment of signs of quantity to the predicate or subject of a proposition. The universal quantifier, symbolized by (∀-) or (-), where the blank is filled by ...
quantitative chemical analysis: branch of chemistry that deals with the determination of the amount or percentage of one or more constituents of a sample. A variety of methods is employed for quantitative analyses, ...
quantitative verse: in prosody, a metrical system based on the duration of the syllables that make up the feet, without regard for accents or stresses. Quantitative verse is made up of long ...
quantity theory of money: economic theory relating changes in the price levels to changes in the quantity of money. In its developed form, it constitutes an analysis of the factors underlying inflation and deflation. ...
Quantrill, William C.: captain of a guerrilla band irregularly attached to the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, notorious for the sacking of the free-state stronghold of Lawrence, Kan. (Aug. 21, 1863), ...
quantum: in physics, discrete natural unit, or packet, of energy, charge, angular momentum, or other physical property. Light, for example, appearing in some respects as a continuous electromagnetic wave, on the ...
quantum chromodynamics: in physics, the theory that describes the action of the strong force. QCD was constructed in analogy to quantum electrodynamics (QED), the quantum field theory of the electromagnetic force. In ...
quantum computer: device that employs properties described by quantum mechanics to enhance computations.
quantum electrodynamics: quantum field theory of the interactions of charged particles with the electromagnetic field. It describes mathematically not only all interactions of light with matter but also those of charged particles ...
quantum field theory: body of physical principles combining the elements of quantum mechanics with those of relativity to explain the behaviour of subatomic particles and their interactions via a variety of force fields. ...
quantum mechanics: science dealing with the behaviour of matter and light on the atomic and subatomic scale. It attempts to describe and account for the properties of molecules and atoms and their ...
quantum number: any of several quantities of integral or half-integral value that identify the state of a physical system such as an atom, a nucleus, or a subatomic particle. Quantum numbers refer ...
Quantz, Johann Joachim: German composer and flute virtuoso who left an important treatise on the flute and who made mechanical improvements in the instrument.
Quapaw: North American Indian people of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language stock. With the other members of this subgroup (including the Osage, Ponca, Kansa, and Omaha [qq.v.]), the Quapaw ...
quarantine: the detention or restraint of humans or other creatures that may have come into contact with communicable disease until it is deemed certain that they have escaped infection. In the ...
Quare, Daniel: English clockmaker, inventor of a repeating watch mechanism (1680) that sounded the nearest hour and quarter hour when the owner pushed or squeezed a pin protruding from the case.
Quarenghi, Giacomo Antonio Domenico: Italian Neoclassical architect and painter, best known as the builder of numerous works in Russia during and immediately after the reign of Catherine II the Great. He was named "Grand ...
quark: any member of a group of elementary subatomic particles that interact by means of the strong force and are believed to be among the fundamental ...
Quarles, Francis: religious poet remembered for his Emblemes, the most notable emblem book in English. (An emblem book is a collection of symbolic pictures, usually accompanied by mottoes and expositions in verse ...
quarry: open excavation in the Earth's crust from which stone is obtained. Quarried stone is classed either as dimension stone, meaning blocks or slabs cut to size, or as crushed and ...
quart: unit of capacity in the British Imperial and U.S. Customary systems of measurement. For both liquid and dry measure, the British system uses one standard quart, which is equal to ...
quarter sessions: formerly, in England and Wales, sessions of a court held four times a year by a justice of the peace to hear criminal charges as well as civil and criminal ...
quarter-horse racing: in the United States, the racing of horses at great speed for short distances on a straightaway course, originally a quarter of a mile, hence the name. Quarter-horse racing was ...
Quartering Act: (1765), in American colonial history, the British parliamentary provision (actually an amendment to the annual Mutiny Act) requiring colonial authorities to provide food, drink, quarters, fuel, and transportation to British ...
quartermaster: officer who superintends arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops. In Europe the office dates back at least to the 15th century. During the late 17th century, when the ...
quarterstaff: a staff of wood from 6 to 9 feet (about 2 to 3 m) long, used for attack and defense. It is probably the cudgel or sapling with which many ...
quartet: musical composition for four instruments or voices; also the group of four performers. Although any music in four parts can be performed by four individuals, the term has come to ...
quartz: widely distributed mineral of many varieties that consists primarily of silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO₂). Minor impurities such as lithium, sodium, potassium, and titanium may be present. Quartz has attracted ...
quartz monzonite: intrusive igneous rock (solidified from a liquid state) that contains plagioclase feldspar, orthoclase feldspar, and quartz. It is abundant in the large batholiths (great masses of igneous rocks mostly deep ...
quartzite: sandstone that has been converted into a solid quartz rock. Unlike sandstones, quartzites are free from pores and have a smooth fracture; when struck, they break through, not around, the ...
quasar: any of a class of rare cosmic objects of high luminosity as well as strong radio emission observed at extremely great distances. The term is also often applied to closely ...
quasicrystal: matter formed atomically in a manner somewhere between the amorphous solids of glasses (special forms of metals and other minerals, as well as common glass) and the precise pattern of ...
quasicrystal: matter formed atomically in a manner somewhere between the amorphous solids of glasses (special forms of metals and other minerals, as well as common glass) and the precise pattern of ...
Quasimodo, Salvatore: Italian poet, critic, and translator. Originally a leader of the Hermetic poets, he became, after World War II, a powerful poet commenting on modern social issues. He received the Nobel ...
quasiparticle: in physics, a disturbance, in a medium, that behaves as a particle and that may conveniently be regarded as one. A rudimentary analogy is that of a bubble in a ...
Quaternary Period: interval of geologic time, the youngest of the 11 periods in the Earth's history. The Quaternary is both the shortest and most recent period. It is the second period of ...
Quatre Bornes: town ("township") on the island of Mauritius, in the western Indian Ocean. It lies in the western highlands region of the country, about 9 miles (14 km) south of Port ...
Quattrocento: the totality of cultural and artistic events and movements that occurred in Italy during the 15th century, the major period of the Early Renaissance. Designations such as Quattrocento (1400s) and ...
Quayle, Dan: 44th vice president of the United States (1989-93) in the Republican administration of President George Bush.
Quayle, Sir Anthony: British actor and director who was well known for his roles in classic plays on the stage as well as for his motion-picture career.
Quba: city in northeastern Azerbaijan. It is situated on the eastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, on the right bank of the Kudial River. In the 18th century a khanate was ...
Quchan: town, northeastern Iran. Most of the inhabitants of Quchan are descended from a tribe of Za'faranlu Kurds resettled there by Shah 'Abbas I in the 17th century. In return for ...
Queanbeyan: city, southeastern New South Wales, Australia. It lies along the Queanbeyan River, just southeast of the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra). It originated in 1828 as a holding called Queen Bean, ...
Quebec: city and port, seat of Quebec region and capital of Quebec province, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saint-Charles rivers, about 150 miles (240 km) ...
Quebec: eastern province of Canada. With a total area of 594,860 square miles (1,540,680 square kilometres), it is the largest Canadian province in size and is second only to Ontario in ...
Quebec Act: (1774), act of the British Parliament that vested the government of Quebec in a governor and council and preserved the French Civil Code and the Roman Catholic Church. The act ...
Quebec Conference: either of two Anglo-American conferences held in the city of Quebec during World War II. The first (August 11-24, 1943), code-named Quadrant, was held to discuss plans for the forthcoming ...
Quebec, Battle of: (Sept. 13, 1759), in the French and Indian War, decisive defeat of the French under the Marquis de Montcalm by a British force led by Maj. Gen. James Wolfe.
Quebec, Battle of: (December 31, 1775), in the American Revolution, unsuccessful American attack on the British stronghold. In the winter of 1775-76, American Revolutionary leaders detached some of their forces from the Siege ...
Quechua: South American Indians living in the Andean highlands from Ecuador to Bolivia. They speak many regional varieties of Quechua, which was the language of the Inca empire (though it predates ...
Quechuan languages: the languages of the former Inca Empire in South America and the principal native languages of the central Andes today. According to archaeological and historical evidence, the original languages were ...
Quedlinburg: city, Saxony-Anhalt Land (state), central Germany. It lies on the Bode River, in the northern foothills of the Lower Harz Mountains, southwest of Magdeburg. Founded in 922 ...
Queen: British rock band whose fusion of heavy metal, glam rock, and camp theatrics made it one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. Although generally dismissed by critics, Queen ...
Queen Alexandra Range: mountain range of Antarctica, located in Ross Dependency (New Zealand) along the western edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. The range reaches an elevation of 14,856 feet (4,528 m) in ...
Queen Anne style: the period of English decorative arts during the reign (1702-14) of Queen Anne. The term applies to the style that began to evolve during the rule of King William III ...
Queen Anne's: county, eastern Maryland, U.S., bordered by the Chester River to the north, Delaware to the east, and Chesapeake Bay to the west. It consists of a coastal lowland and includes ...
Queen Anne's lace: (Daucus carota), biennial species of plant in the parsley family (Apiaceae). It is an ancestor of the cultivated carrot. It grows to 1.5 m (5 feet) tall. The bristly plant ...
Queen Anne's Men: theatrical company in Jacobean England. Formed upon the accession of James I in 1603, it was an amalgamation of Oxford's Men and Worcester's Men. Christopher Beeston served as the troupe's ...
Queen Anne's War: (1702-13), second in a series of wars fought between Great Britain and France in North America for control of the continent. It was contemporaneous with the War of the Spanish ...
Queen Charlotte Islands: archipelago of western British Columbia, Canada, south of the Alaskan Panhandle. Extending in a north-south direction for roughly 175 miles (280 km) and with a land area of 3,705 square ...
Queen Charlotte Sound: broad, deep inlet of the eastern North Pacific indenting west-central British Columbia, Canada. Bounded on the north by the Queen Charlotte Islands and on the south by Vancouver Island, the ...