Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Shop

0-9

wasp ... Waters, Muddy

wasp: any stinging member (formerly called Aculeata) of the insect suborder Apocrita (order Hymenoptera), other than bees and ants, as well as certain nonstinging insects of the suborder Symphyta: wood wasps, ...
wassail bowl: vessel generally made of wood and often mounted in silver, used on ceremonial occasions for drinking toasts. The word wassail derives from Old Norse ves heill, meaning "be well, and ...
Wassermann, August von: German bacteriologist whose discovery of a universal blood-serum test for syphilis helped extend the basic tenets of immunology to diagnosis. "The Wassermann reaction," in combination with other diagnostic procedures, is ...
Wassermann,Jakob: German novelist who is frequently compared to Fyodor Dostoyevsky in both his moral fervour and his tendency toward sensationalism; his popularity was greatest in the 1920s and '30s.
Wasserstein, Wendy: American playwright whose work probes, with humour and sensibility, the predicament facing educated women who came of age in the second half of the 20th century. Her drama
Wassukkani: capital of the Mitannian empire (c. 1500-c. 1340 BC), possibly located near the head of the Khabur River in northern Mesopotamia. Wassukkani was for many years the centre of a ...
Wast, Hugo: Argentine novelist and short-story writer, probably his country's most popular and most widely translated novelist.
waste disposal: the collection, processing, and recycling or deposition of the waste materials of human society. The term "waste" covers both solid wastes (refuse, or garbage) and sewage (wastewater). See materials salvage; ...
Watanabe Kazan: original name Watanabe Sadayasu Japanese scholar and painter noted for his character-revealing portraits and his pioneering efforts in adapting Western perspective to Japanese art.
Watanabe Osamu: Japanese freestyle featherweight wrestler who was the undefeated world champion in 1962 and 1963 and an Olympic gold medalist in 1964. He competed in more than 300 matches and never ...
watch: portable timepiece that has a movement driven in any of several ways and is designed to be worn (as on the wrist) or carried in the pocket. There can be ...
watch fob: short ribbon or chain attached to a watch and hanging out of the pocket in which the watch is kept; the term can also refer to ornaments hung at the ...
water: a substance composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and oxygen and existing in gaseous, liquid, and solid states. Water is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. It ...
water beetle: any of several thousand species of aquatic beetles (order Coleoptera), including members of the families Haliplidae (crawling water beetles), Amphizoidae (trout-stream beetles), Hygrobiidae (screech beetles), Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles), Noteridae (burrowing ...
water bloom: dense aquatic population of microscopic organisms produced by an abundance of nutrient salts in surface water, coupled with adequate sunlight for photosynthesis. The microorganisms or the toxic substances that they ...
water boatman: any insect of the family Corixidae (order Heteroptera), with over 300 species. The water boatman has a flat, boat-shaped body and long, fringed, oarlike hindlegs. Members of this cosmopolitan family, ...
water buffalo: either of two forms, wild and domestic, of Asian mammal similar to the ox. There are 74 breeds of domestic water buffalo numbering some 150 million animals, but only small ...
water chestnut: any of several perennial water plants of the genus Trapa (family Trapaceae, order Myrtales), native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. The name is also applied to their edible, nutlike fruit.
water cock: (Gallicrex cinerea), marsh bird of the rail family, Rallidae (order Gruiformes). It occurs from India to Japan and throughout Southeast Asia to the Philippines. The male is blue-black with red ...
water flea: any member of the crustacean order Anomopoda (class Branchiopoda), a large group containing about 450 species distributed worldwide. Most forms are found in freshwater habitats, but a few occur in ...
water glass: crystal-like lumps that range from colourless to white or grayish white and resemble glass but can be dissolved in water to form a syrupy liquid. Some forms are slightly soluble, ...
water hemlock: any of about 10 species of poisonous plants of the genus Cicuta, in the parsley family (Apiaceae), common throughout the North Temperate Zone. In Europe, Cicuta virosa is the commonly ...
water hen: bird species also called common gallinule. See gallinule.
water hyacinth: any aquatic plant of the genus Eichhornia of the pickerelweed family (Pontederiaceae), consisting of about five species, native primarily to tropical America. Some species float in shallow water; others are ...
water lily: any of the freshwater plants of the family Nymphaeaceae, comprising eight genera native to the temperate and tropical parts of the world. All members of the family are perennial except ...
water mass: body of ocean water with a distinctive narrow range of temperature and salinity and a particular density resulting from these two parameters. Water masses are formed as the result of ...
water milfoil: any member of the genus Myriophyllum (family Haloragaceae), about 45 widely distributed species of submerged freshwater plants with whorls of feathery leaves and emergent, wind-pollinated flowers. Some species are cultivated ...
water mold: any of about 150 species of fungi belonging to the order Saprolegniales within the class Oomycetes. Many of them live in fresh or brackish water or wet soils. Most species ...
water moss: (Fontinalis), genus of mosses belonging to the order Bryales, found in flowing freshwater streams and ponds in temperate regions. About 25 species are native to North America. A brook moss ...
water net: any algae that is a member of the genus Hydrodictyon. A water net is a green algae found as a free-floating network of multinucleate cell masses arranged ...
water parsnip: any of several aromatic herbs of the genus Sium, especially S. latifolium, belonging to the parsley family (Apiaceae), distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. They grow in moist areas, ...
water plantain: any freshwater perennial herb of the genus Alisma, commonly found in lakes, ponds, and ditches. The three or four species are widely distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and Australia. ...
water polo: sport played in a swimming pool by teams of seven with a buoyant ball resembling an association football (soccer ball). The game was originally called "football-in-the-water," and indeed it is ...
water purification: treatment of water to make it safe and acceptable for human use. Such treatment has grown vastly in importance in the 20th century because of the growth of cities and ...
water rail: (Rallus aquaticus), slender marsh bird of the family Rallidae (order Gruiformes), native to most of Europe and Asia. Its length is about 28 cm (11 inches), and it has a ...
water rat: any of 18 species of amphibious carnivorous rodents. They exhibit many adaptations associated with hunting in water for food and burrowing along streams, rivers, and lakes. The eyes are small, ...
water resource: any of the entire range of natural waters that occur on the Earth, regardless of their state (i.e., vapour, liquid, or solid) and that are of potential use to humans. ...
water scavenger beetle: any of the approximately 2,000 species of the predominately aquatic insect family Hydrophilidae (order Coleoptera). These beetles are found swimming in marshy freshwater ponds throughout the world, especially in warm ...
water scorpion: any of the approximately 150 species of aquatic invertebrates of the family Nepidae (order Hemiptera). The water scorpion resembles a land scorpion in certain ways: it has scythelike front legs ...
water shield: (Brasenia schreberi), small, purple-flowered aquatic plant of the fanwort family (Cabombaceae), found in northern ponds and still waters throughout the world, except in Europe. "Water shield" also refers to fanwort ...
water shrew: any of 12 species of amphibious shrews that have a broad, fleshy muzzle, large chest, and long hind legs and digits. Most water shrews live in montane habitats and forage ...
water snake: any member of the genus Natrix, family Colubridae, and similar snakes. The 65 to 80 species of Natrix occur on all continents except South America. Some authorities place the New ...
water softener: device for removing calcium and magnesium from water; water so treated will not form insoluble scale in pipes and tanks and will not form a precipitate with soaps or interfere ...
water strider: any insect of the family Gerridae (order Heteroptera), which numbers about 350 species. Water striders, often seen running or skating in groups over the surface of a pond or stream, ...
water supply: available water provided to fulfill a particular need; if the need is domestic, industrial, or agricultural, the water must fulfill both quality and quantity requirements. Water supplies can be obtained ...
water table: upper level of an underground surface in which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water. The water table separates the groundwater zone that lies below it from the ...
water treader: any insect of the approximately 30 species of the family Mesoveliidae (order Heteroptera). These small, slender insects are yellowish or greenish in colour and are 5 millimetres (0.2 inch) or ...
Water Witch incident: (1855), brief military skirmish near the Paraguayan Ft. Itapiru, involving the USS "Water Witch," commanded by Lt. Thomas J. Page, and Paraguayan troops who fired as the vessel was exploring ...
water-supply system: arrangement for transporting water from areas of abundance to an area of shortage. This includes works for the collection, transmission, treatment, storage, and distribution of water for homes, commercial establishments, ...
Waterberg Series: major division of rocks in southern Africa. The age of the Waterberg is in doubt; it is possible that the Waterberg is late Precambrian or Early Paleozoic (older or younger ...
waterbuck: antelope species of the genus Kobus (q.v.).
Waterbury: city, coextensive with the town (township) of Waterbury, New Haven county, west-central Connecticut, U.S., on the Naugatuck River. Mattatuck Plantation, settled in 1674 as part of Farmington, was incorporated (1686) ...
watercolour: pigment ground in gum, usually gum arabic, and applied with brush and water to a painting surface, usually paper; the term also denotes a work of art executed in this ...
watercress: (Nasturtium officinale), perennial plant, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout North America in cool, flowing streams where it grows submerged, floating on the water, or ...
waterfall: area where flowing river water drops abruptly and nearly vertically (see ). Waterfalls represent major interruptions in river flow. Under most circumstances rivers tend to smooth out irregularities in their ...
Waterford: county in the province of Munster, southern Ireland. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the south and from west to east by Counties Cork, Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Wexford. ...
Waterford: city, port, county borough of County Waterford, and the major town of southeastern Ireland. It is on the south bank of the River Suir, 4 miles (6 km) above its ...
Waterford: town (township), New London county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound just west of the city of New London. The area, settled about 1653, was separated from New London ...
Waterford glass: heavy cut glassware produced in Waterford, Ire., from 1729. Waterford glass, particularly the early variety, is characterized by thick walls, deeply incised geometric cutting, and brilliant polish. The smoky, bluish ...
waterfowl: in the United States, all varieties of ducks, geese, and swans; the term is sometimes expanded to include some unrelated aquatic birds such as coots, grebes (see ), and loons. ...
Watergate Scandal: (1972-75), U.S. political scandal surrounding the revelation of illegal activities on the part of the incumbent Republican administration of President Richard M. Nixon during and after the 1972 presidential election ...
Waterhouse, Alfred: English architect who worked in the style of High Victorian medieval eclecticism. He is remembered principally for his elaborately planned complexes of educational and civic buildings.
Waterhouse, Benjamin: American physician and scientist, a pioneer in smallpox vaccination.
Waterhouse, George Marsden: businessman, politician, prime minister of South Australia (1861-63) and prime minister of New Zealand (1872-73), the only man ever to be premier of two British colonies.
Waterhouse, Keith: English novelist, playwright, and screenwriter noted for his ability to create comedy and satire out of depressing human predicaments.
Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome: a rare type of septicemia (blood poisoning) of rapid and severe onset, marked by fever, collapse and sometimes coma, hemorrhage from skin and mucous membranes, and severe bilateral hemorrhage of ...
waterleaf: any of about eight species of herbaceous plants constituting a genus (Hydrophyllum) in the waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae) and native to damp woodlands of North America. Light-greenish mottling on the leaves, ...
Waterloo: city, seat (1855) of Black Hawk county, northeastern Iowa, U.S., along both sides of the Cedar River, adjacent to Cedar Falls on the west. The site was first settled in ...
Waterloo: city, regional municipality of Waterloo, southeastern Ontario, Canada. Its settlement dates from the early 1800s, when a group of Pennsylvania Mennonites led by Abraham Erb settled along the Grand River. ...
Waterloo Station: railway station in the borough of Lambeth, London, England. It is one of the largest stations in the United Kingdom. Part of the station serves as a terminus for the ...
Waterloo, Battle of: (June 18, 1815), Napoleon's final defeat, ending 23 years of recurrent warfare between France and the other powers of Europe. It was fought during the Hundred Days of Napoleon's restoration, ...
watermark: design produced by creating a variation in the thickness of paper fibre during the wet-paper phase of papermaking. This design is clearly visible when the paper is held up to ...
watermelon: (Citrullus lanatus, formerly C. vulgaris), succulent fruit of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to tropical Africa, but under cultivation on every continent except Antarctica. Its vines grow prostrate, with branched ...
waterpower: power produced by a stream of water as it turns a wheel or similar device. The waterwheel was probably invented in the 1st century BC, and it was widely used ...
Waters, Ethel: American blues and jazz singer and dramatic actress whose singing, based in the blues tradition, featured her full-bodied voice, wide range, and slow vibrato.
Waters, Muddy: dynamic American blues guitarist and singer who played a major role in creating the post-World War II ensemble blues style.