Acanthus
(family Acanthaceae)A genus of shrubs and perennial herbs, most of which are xeromorphic and have spiny leaves. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals. The upper lip of the corolla is lacking. ...
John of Salisbury
(1115/20–1180)English churchman and diplomat. A student of Abelard, John was one of the most learned of early medieval writers on moral and political matters. He was secretary to Theobald, archbishop ...
eel
A long thin fish, Anguilla spp.; the European eel is A. anguilla, the conger eel is Conger myriaster. Eels live in rivers but go to sea to breed; to date, although elvers (young eels) have been ...
Pacific Islands
Oceania, or the Pacific Islands region, includes Melanesia (the islands of black peoples), Polynesia (many islands), and Micronesia (small islands) over a vast area covering one third of the globe ...
academies
Are societies or institutions for the cultivation and promotion of literature, the arts or science, or of some particular branch of science such as medicine, for example, the Académie de ...
Darwinism
The theory of evolution by natural selection, often used incorrectly as a synonym for the theory of evolution itself. The term ‘neo-Darwinism’ is often used to denote the ‘new synthesis’ (i.e. ...
progress
The idea of progress, conceived as the increasing sophistication of knowledge and the improving quality of life, has been the driving force of Western civilization for at least three hundred years. ...
adoption
In the heroic monomyth, the divine child is often adopted by menials or animals after being abandoned or threatened in some way. Oedipus, Sigurd (Siegfried), Krishna, Cybele, and Romulus and Remus ...
reciprocity
The principle that one will treat someone in a particular way if one is so treated by them. This is relevant under European Union law in relation to agreements that the EU has with non‐EU countries, ...
sharecropping
A farming type where the tenant pays his rent in produce rather than in cash. In the USA, lack of capital left the cropper dependent upon others for subsistence until market time. Storekeepers ...
abortion
There is no actual prohibition in the Bible against aborting a foetus. Nevertheless, in the unanimously accepted Jewish consensus, abortion is a very serious offence, though foeticide is not treated ...
Lester Frank Ward
(1841–1913)One of the pioneers of American sociology, founder of a psychological evolutionism, which (contrary to Herbert Spencer) ascribed an important role in evolution to human mentality. ...
disability
(dis-ă-bil-iti)a loss or restriction of functional ability or activity as a result of impairment of the body or mind. See also handicap.—disabled(dis-ay-bŭld) adj.
archive
A historical document. The plural form is also applied to the place where such documents are housed, e.g. a county record office.
Spain
Spain is now accommodating its dissident regions and making rapid economic stridesSpain, Western Europe's second largest country, is dominated by the Meseta, the vast and often barren central plain ...
food
Any material containing nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, which are required by living organisms in order to obtain energy for growth and maintenance. Heterotrophic organisms, such ...
salt
Sodium chloride. Sodium is an essential dietary ingredient. Daily sodium requirements can be met by the amount normally present in food. Substantial extra salt is used in traditional methods of food ...
debt
Debt of honour a debt that is not legally recoverable, especially a sum lost in gambling.See also death pays all debts, national debt, out of debt, out of danger.
Herbert Spencer
(1820–1903)British philosopher and sociologist. He was an early adherent of evolutionary theory, which he set down in his Principles of Psychology (1855). Spencer embraced Darwin's theory of natural ...
