Missy Elliott is an American rapper and music producer who made a mark on the male-dominated hip-hop world with her talents for writing, rapping, singing, and music production. From an early age, Elliott demonstrated a knack for performance, and her big break came in 1991 when Jodeci band member

African Americans: Reconstruction and after: Among the ablest were Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina and John R. Lynch of Mississippi. Both were speakers of their state House of Representatives and were members of the U.S. Congress. Pinckney B.S. Pinchback was elected lieutenant governor of Louisiana and served briefly as the state’s acting governor.…

Faith Hill: …costarred with her husband and Sam Elliott in the TV series 1883 (2021– ), a western drama that was a prequel to the hit show Yellowstone.

Ulster Unionist Party: History: He was succeeded by Tom Elliott, who tried to rebuild and redefine the party within the changing unionist landscape. Although the UUP won just 16 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May 2011—down two from its 2007 total—the party’s performance was better than expected. Elliott stepped down…

ellipse, a closed curve, the intersection of a right circular cone (see cone) and a plane that is not parallel to the base, the axis, or an element of the cone. It may be defined as the path of a point moving in a plane so that the ratio of its distances from a fixed point (the focus) and a fixed

ellipsis, figure of speech characterized by the deliberate omission of a word or words that are, however, understood in light of the grammatical context. The device is exemplified in W.H. Auden’s poem “This Lunar

ellipsis, figure of speech characterized by the deliberate omission of a word or words that are, however, understood in light of the grammatical context. The device is exemplified in W.H. Auden’s poem “This Lunar

ellipsoid, closed surface of which all plane cross sections are either ellipses or circles. An ellipsoid is symmetrical about three mutually perpendicular axes that intersect at the centre. If a, b, and c are the principal semiaxes, the general equation of such an ellipsoid is x2/a2 + y2/b2 + z2/c2

joint: Ellipsoid joint: The ellipsoid joint also has two types of movement but allows opposition movement only to a small degree. Its surfaces are ovoid and vary in both length and curvature as they are traced from front to back or from side to side, just…

linear programming: However, Khachiyan’s algorithm (called the ellipsoid method) was slower than the simplex method when practically applied. In 1984 Indian mathematician Narendra Karmarkar discovered another polynomial-time algorithm, the interior point method, that proved competitive with the simplex method.

ellipsoid: …then the ellipsoid is an ellipsoid of revolution, or spheroid (see the figure), the figure formed by revolving an ellipse about one of its axes. If a and b are greater than c, the spheroid is oblate; if less, the surface is a prolate spheroid.

Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture: …mathematics, the conjecture that an elliptic curve (a type of cubic curve, or algebraic curve of order 3, confined to a region known as a torus) has either an infinite number of rational points (solutions) or a finite number of rational points, according to whether an associated function is equal…

Sir Michael Francis Atiyah: …number of solutions for an elliptic differential equation. (Atiyah and Singer were jointly recognized for this work with the 2004 Abel Prize.) His early work in topology and algebra was followed by work in a number of different fields, a phenomenon regularly observed in Fields medalists. He contributed, along with…

elliptic equation, any of a class of partial differential equations describing phenomena that do not change from moment to moment, as when a flow of heat or fluid takes place within a medium with no accumulations. The Laplace equation, uxx + uyy = 0, is the simplest such equation describing this

mathematics: Elliptic functions: The theory of functions of a complex variable was also being decisively reformulated. At the start of the 19th century, complex numbers were discussed from a quasi-philosophical standpoint by several French writers, notably Jean-Robert Argand. A consensus emerged that complex numbers should be…

Riemannian geometry, one of the non-Euclidean geometries that completely rejects the validity of Euclid’s fifth postulate and modifies his second postulate. Simply stated, Euclid’s fifth postulate is: through a point not on a given line there is only one line parallel to the given line. In

mathematics: Elliptic functions: Elliptic integrals were intensively studied for many years by the French mathematician Adrien-Marie Legendre, who was able to calculate tables of values for such expressions as functions of their upper endpoint, x. But the topic was completely transformed in the late 1820s by the independent…

Sir Michael Francis Atiyah: …number of solutions for an elliptic differential equation. (Atiyah and Singer were jointly recognized for this work with the 2004 Abel Prize.) His early work in topology and algebra was followed by work in a number of different fields, a phenomenon regularly observed in Fields medalists. He contributed, along with…

elliptic equation, any of a class of partial differential equations describing phenomena that do not change from moment to moment, as when a flow of heat or fluid takes place within a medium with no accumulations. The Laplace equation, uxx + uyy = 0, is the simplest such equation describing this

radiation: Double refraction: In the case of elliptic polarization, the field vector generates an ellipse in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction as the wave proceeds. Circular polarization is a special case of elliptic polarization in which the so-described ellipse degenerates into a circle.

galaxy: Elliptical galaxies: These systems exhibit certain characteristic properties. They have complete rotational symmetry; i.e., they are figures of revolution with two equal principal axes. They have a third smaller axis that is the presumed axis of rotation. The surface brightness of ellipticals at optical wavelengths…

comet: Ancient Greece to the 19th century: …Any less-eccentric orbits are closed ellipses, which means a comet would return.

Ellis Island, island in Upper New York Bay, formerly the United States’ principal immigration reception centre. Often referred to as the Gateway to the New World, the island lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Manhattan Island, New York City, and about 1,300 feet (400 metres) east of the New

Homer Fordyce Swift: …collaboration with an English colleague, Arthur W.M. Ellis, discovered the Swift-Ellis treatment for cerebrospinal syphilis (paresis), widely used until superseded by more effective forms of therapy.

After his debut in 1985 with the novel Less Than Zero, American writer Bret Easton Ellis was declared by many critics as the “voice of a generation.” Ellis’s darkly sardonic first novel captured the jaded nihilism of the emerging Generation X, and he soon became famous as a member of the so-called

Dravidian languages: Dravidian studies: In 1816, Englishman Francis Whyte Ellis of the Indian Civil Service (at the time a division of the East India Company) introduced the notion of a Dravidian family. His Dissertation of the Telugu Language was initially published as “Note to the Introduction” of British linguist A.D. Campbell’s A…

Harvey Ellis was an American architect and painter, one of the notable architectural renderers of his time. Ellis, the son of a prominent Rochester, N.Y., family, was dismissed from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1872. Little is known about his activities during the next five

Harvey Ellis was an American architect and painter, one of the notable architectural renderers of his time. Ellis, the son of a prominent Rochester, N.Y., family, was dismissed from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1872. Little is known about his activities during the next five

Havelock Ellis was an English essayist and physician who studied human sexual behaviour and challenged Victorian taboos against public discussion of the subject. Ellis was the son of a sea captain, and he was educated at private schools in South London. After spending four years in Australia as a

Havelock Ellis was an English essayist and physician who studied human sexual behaviour and challenged Victorian taboos against public discussion of the subject. Ellis was the son of a sea captain, and he was educated at private schools in South London. After spending four years in Australia as a

public-key cryptography: …earlier, having been discovered by James Ellis, Clifford Cocks, and Malcolm Williamson at the British Government Code Headquarters (GCHQ).

Angelo Dundee: …by Dundee includes George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Luis Rodriguez, Sugar Ramos, Ralph Dupas, and Willie Pastrano. In his candid autobiography, My View from the Corner (2008), Dundee disclosed some of his boxing strategies. He confessed, for example, that he had tightened the ring ropes prior to Ali’s “Rumble in the…

PJ Harvey: …22, 1962, Wolverhampton) and drummer Robert Ellis (b. February 13, 1962, Bristol). Under the engineering supervision of Steve Albini (whose reputation as a sonic extremist was based on his own bands, Big Black and Shellac, and on his production of groups such as the Pixies and Nirvana), they recorded Harvey’s…

rugby: …the sport’s lore, in 1823 William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, defied the conventions of the day (that the ball may only be kicked forward) to pick up the ball and run with it in a game, thus creating the distinct handling game of rugby football. This “historical”…

dysplasia: Chondroectodermal dysplasia (Ellis–van Creveld syndrome) is a rare congenital disorder; it is hereditary (autosomal recessive). Affected individuals exhibit heart abnormalities (which may cause early death), extra digits, defective dentition, poorly formed nails, dwarfing, and often knock-knees and fusion of hand bones. The disorder is most…

Harlan Ellison was an American writer of short stories, novels, essays, and television and film scripts. Though he eschewed genre categorization himself, his work was most frequently labeled science fiction. Ellison briefly attended the Ohio State University and later became a prolific contributor

Harlan Ellison was an American writer of short stories, novels, essays, and television and film scripts. Though he eschewed genre categorization himself, his work was most frequently labeled science fiction. Ellison briefly attended the Ohio State University and later became a prolific contributor

Minnesota: Constitutional framework: …Party ticket, as well as Keith Ellison, who in 2006 became the first African American to represent the state in the U.S. Congress and the first Muslim ever elected to the House of Representatives.

Larry Ellison is an American businessman and entrepreneur who was cofounder and chief executive officer (1977–2014) of the software company Oracle Corporation. His mother, Florence Spellman, was a 19-year-old single parent. After he had a bout of pneumonia at the age of nine months, she sent him to

Larry Ellison is an American businessman and entrepreneur who was cofounder and chief executive officer (1977–2014) of the software company Oracle Corporation. His mother, Florence Spellman, was a 19-year-old single parent. After he had a bout of pneumonia at the age of nine months, she sent him to

Ralph Ellison was an American writer who won eminence with his first novel (and the only one published during his lifetime), Invisible Man (1952). Ellison left Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1936 after three years’ study of music and moved to New York City.

Ralph Ellison was an American writer who won eminence with his first novel (and the only one published during his lifetime), Invisible Man (1952). Ellison left Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1936 after three years’ study of music and moved to New York City.

Richard Ellmann was an American literary critic and scholar, an expert on the life and works of James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and other modern British and Irish writers. Ellmann graduated from Yale University (Ph.D., 1947) and taught at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois,

Richard Ellmann was an American literary critic and scholar, an expert on the life and works of James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and other modern British and Irish writers. Ellmann graduated from Yale University (Ph.D., 1947) and taught at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois,

gastropod: Classification: Superfamily Ellobiacea Conical shells; pulmonary chamber; in tidal zone or salt flats, under rocks in spray zone, or completely terrestrial; 2 families. Superfamily Lymnaeacea Small to large, spiral-shelled snails of ponds, lakes, and rivers; 1 limpet group (Lancidae) and larger typical group (Lymnaeidae

Ellora Caves, a series of 34 magnificent rock-cut temples in northwest-central Maharashtra state, western India. They are located near the village of Ellora, 19 miles (30 km) northwest of Aurangabad and 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the Ajanta Caves. Spread over a distance of 1.2 miles (2 km), the

Eluru, city, northeast-central Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. It is located on a low-lying plain at the junction of the canal systems of the Godavari and Krishna rivers. The name of the city was changed to its present form in 1949. Mainly a manufacturing city, Eluru produces textiles and

James Ellroy is an American author known for his best-selling crime and detective novels that examine sinister eras of modern American history, especially police corruption in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Ellroy’s parents divorced in 1954, and he moved with his mother to El Monte, California, a suburb

James Ellroy is an American author known for his best-selling crime and detective novels that examine sinister eras of modern American history, especially police corruption in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Ellroy’s parents divorced in 1954, and he moved with his mother to El Monte, California, a suburb

Daniel Ellsberg was an American military analyst and researcher who, in 1971, leaked portions of a classified 7,000-page report that detailed the history of U.S. intervention in Indochina from World War II until 1968. Dubbed the Pentagon Papers, the document appeared to undercut the publicly stated

Ellsworth, city, seat (1789) of Hancock county, southern Maine, U.S. It lies at the falls of the Union River just south of Graham Lake, 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Bangor. It was settled in 1763, and its early development as a centre of lumber operations and shipbuilding was spurred by cheap

Ellsworth Land, region in Antarctica at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, between the Ronne Ice Shelf and the Bellingshausen Sea, east of Marie Byrd Land. It embraces several mountain ranges, including the Ellsworth Mountains, the tallest peak of which, Vinson Massif (16,050 feet [4,892 metres]

Ellsworth Land, region in Antarctica at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, between the Ronne Ice Shelf and the Bellingshausen Sea, east of Marie Byrd Land. It embraces several mountain ranges, including the Ellsworth Mountains, the tallest peak of which, Vinson Massif (16,050 feet [4,892 metres]

Ellsworth Land: …several mountain ranges, including the Ellsworth Mountains, the tallest peak of which, Vinson Massif (16,050 feet [4,892 metres] above sea level), is the highest in Antarctica. The rugged ice-covered area was discovered in 1935 by the American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth and his pilot Herbert Hollick-Kenyon during their aerial crossing of…

Lincoln Ellsworth was an American explorer, engineer, and scientist who led the first trans-Arctic (1926) and trans-Antarctic (1935) air crossings. A wealthy adventurer, Ellsworth was a surveyor and engineer in Canada for five years (1903–08), worked for three years with the U.S. Biological Survey,

Oliver Ellsworth was an American statesman and jurist, chief author of the 1789 act establishing the U.S. federal court system. He was the third chief justice of the United States. (Read Britannica’s biography of this author, President John Kennedy.) Ellsworth attended Yale and the College of New

Lincoln Ellsworth was an American explorer, engineer, and scientist who led the first trans-Arctic (1926) and trans-Antarctic (1935) air crossings. A wealthy adventurer, Ellsworth was a surveyor and engineer in Canada for five years (1903–08), worked for three years with the U.S. Biological Survey,

Jacques Ellul was a French political and social scientist, Protestant theologian, and philosopher of technology, best known for his critical analysis of what he called “technique,” which he defined (in La Technique: ou, l’enjeu du siècle [1954; The Technological Society]) as “the totality of

Jacques Ellul was a French political and social scientist, Protestant theologian, and philosopher of technology, best known for his critical analysis of what he called “technique,” which he defined (in La Technique: ou, l’enjeu du siècle [1954; The Technological Society]) as “the totality of

John Milton: Paradise Regained: …of Paradise Regained derives from Thomas Ellwood, a Quaker who read to the blind Milton and was tutored by him. Ellwood recounts that Milton gave him the manuscript of Paradise Lost for examination, and, upon returning it to the poet, who was then residing at Chalfont St. Giles, he commented,…

elm, (genus Ulmus), genus of about 35 species of forest and ornamental shade trees of the family Ulmaceae, native primarily to north temperate areas. Many are cultivated for their height and attractive foliage. Elm wood is used in constructing boats and farm buildings because it is durable

elm bark beetle, any of several species of insect pests in the subfamily Scolytinae (order Coleoptera). See bark

Ulmaceae, the elm family (order Rosales), with 6–7 genera of about 45 species of trees and shrubs, distributed primarily throughout temperate regions. Several members of the family are cultivated as ornamental plants, and some are important for their wood. Members of the family are deciduous or

sawfly: The elm leaf miner (Fenusa ulmi) is sometimes a serious pest of elm trees.

elm: Pests and diseases: …species are also vulnerable to elm phloem necrosis. Resistant strains are preferred for planting.

sawfly: …North American species is the elm sawfly (Cimbex americana), a dark blue insect about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. The larvae feed on elm and willow. In Europe the larvae of Clavellaria amerinae feed on willow and poplar.

Mischa Elman was a Russian-born American violin virtuoso in the Romantic tradition, one of the foremost violinists of the 20th century. A celebrated child prodigy, Elman studied violin from age four. In 1902 he became a tuition-free pupil of the famed violinist and teacher Leopold Auer at the St.

Harry James: …that band he joined trumpeters Ziggy Elman and Chris Griffin to form the “powerhouse trio,” one of the most celebrated big band trumpet sections in jazz history. James was the primary soloist in the section and soared to fame with his solo turns on such songs as “Ridin’ High,” “Sing,…

Elmbridge, district and borough, administrative and historic county of Surrey, southeastern England. The borough comprises the former urban districts of Esher and of Walton and Weybridge. Elmbridge is situated at the southwestern edge of the Greater London metropolitan area and is largely

Gustav Waldemar Elmen was an American electrical engineer and metallurgist who developed permalloys, metallic alloys with a high magnetic permeability. This property enables the alloy to be easily magnetized and demagnetized, and such alloys are important for use in electrical equipment. Elmen

East African lakes: Plant and animal life: …saline lakes, such as Nakuru, Elmenteita, Manyara, and, above all, Magadi and Natron, have a severely limited fish life. Lake Kivu also has a fish population that is neither varied nor abundant. Although fish are present in enormous quantities in Lake Rukwa, the number of species is not large, and…

Bugs Bunny: …his most frequent nemeses are Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. Classic Bugs cartoons include Hare Tonic (1945), The Big Snooze (1946), Hair-Raising Hare (1946), Buccaneer Bunny (1948), Mississippi Hare (1949), Mutiny on the Bunny (1950), What’s Up, Doc? (1950), The Rabbit of Seville (1950), and the Oscar-winning Knighty-Knight Bugs (1958).…

Elmer Gantry, American film drama, released in 1960, that was an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s novel of the same name and featured Academy Award-winning performances by Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones. Lancaster portrayed the title character, a charlatan evangelist who joins a ministry headed by

Elmer Gantry, novel by Sinclair Lewis, a satiric indictment of fundamentalist religion that caused an uproar upon its publication in 1927. The title character of Elmer Gantry starts out as a greedy, shallow, philandering Baptist minister, turns to evangelism, and eventually becomes the leader of a

polyvinyl acetate: …common household adhesive known as white glue or Elmer’s glue.

Elmhurst, city, DuPage county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It is a suburb of Chicago, lying 16 miles (26 km) west of downtown. Potawatomi Indians were early inhabitants of the area. Settled in 1836, it was originally called Cottage Hill for the Hill Cottage, an inn built in 1843 midway between

coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Elmidae (riffle beetles) Varied habitat; several hundred widely distributed species. Family Eulichadidae A few species in Asia, North America. Family Heteroceridae (variegated mud-loving beetles) About 500 widely distributed species;

Elmina Castle: Elmina, Ghana, that is thought to be the oldest surviving European building in Africa south of the Sahara. Built in 1482 by the Portuguese to protect the gold trade, Elmina Castle later became a major center of the transatlantic slave trade.

Elmina Castle, fortified castle in Elmina, Ghana, that is thought to be the oldest surviving European building in Africa south of the Sahara. Built in 1482 by the Portuguese to protect the gold trade, Elmina Castle later became a major center of the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese had

Elmira, city, seat (1836) of Chemung county, southern New York, U.S. It lies on the Chemung River, near the Pennsylvania border, 60 miles (97 km) west of Binghamton. The first European settlement (1787) was incorporated as the village of Newtown in 1815. Renamed Elmira in 1828 for the daughter of

Elmira College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Elmira, New York, U.S. It is a liberal arts college dedicated to undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. A master’s degree program in education is also available. The college sponsors several study-abroad programs,

Ernie Davis was an American collegiate gridiron football player who was the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. As a student at Elmira (N.Y.) Free Academy, Davis was a high-school All-American in football and basketball. Widely recruited to play running back in collegiate football, he

Elmira system, American penal system named after Elmira Reformatory, in New York. In 1876 Zebulon R. Brockway became an innovator in the reformatory movement by establishing Elmira Reformatory for young felons. Brockway was much influenced by the mark system, developed in Australia by Alexander

St. Erasmus ; feast day June 2) was an early Christian bishop and martyr. He is one of the patron saints of sailors and is associated with Saint Elmo’s fire (the glow accompanying the brushlike discharges of atmospheric electricity that appears as a tip of light on the masts of ships during stormy

Francis Edward and Alexander Stanley Elmore: …brought into use by his brother. In this process the ore was ground, suspended in water, and brought in contact with oil. As the oil floated up through the slurry, it wetted the particles of the mineral in preference to those of the gangue and carried them out of the…

Francis Edward and Alexander Stanley Elmore: …commercially employed, was invented by Francis, patented in 1898, and brought into use by his brother. In this process the ore was ground, suspended in water, and brought in contact with oil. As the oil floated up through the slurry, it wetted the particles of the mineral in preference to…

Francis Edward and Alexander Stanley Elmore were British technologists, joint developers of flotation processes by which valuable ore, such as that of copper, is separated from the worthless material (gangue) with which it is usually extracted from the Earth. In their early days the brothers, with

George Grant Elmslie was an architect whose importance in the Prairie school of U.S. architecture in the first two decades of the 20th century was second only to that of Frank Lloyd Wright. Elmslie was apprenticed to Adler and Sullivan during Wright’s tenure with that Chicago firm and was

Colombia: La Violencia, dictatorship, and democratic restoration: The first was the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional; ELN), which was created by a group of Colombian students who had studied in Cuba. Founded in 1964, the ELN followed strategies espoused by Che Guevara. Another guerrilla group, which followed two years later, was the Colombian Revolutionary…

African art: Nupe: …masks are made for the elo, a purely secular performance intended only to entertain (nowadays held on the Prophet’s birthday). The elo mask has a human face with a motif (sometimes a human figure) rising above it, flanked with stylized horns. The gugu masquerader wears a cloth mask decorated with…

art rock: …such British groups as the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), Gentle Giant, the Moody Blues, and Procol Harum or the fusion of progressive rock and English folk music created by such groups as Jethro Tull and the

Elohim, (Hebrew: God), the God of Israel in the Old Testament. A plural of majesty, the term Elohim—though sometimes used for other deities, such as the Moabite god Chemosh, the Sidonian goddess Astarte, and also for other majestic beings such as angels, kings, judges (the Old Testament shofeṭim),

Marcus Cornelius Fronto: The resulting elocutio novella (“new elocution”) was often artificial and pedantic, but it had widespread influence and gave new vitality to Latin prose writing.

rhetoric: The Renaissance and after: Elocution and pronunciation were considered the only two offices proper to rhetoric, and these fell under peculiar opprobrium.

rhetoric: The Renaissance and after: …or action came in the elocutionary movement of the 18th century, which was the first large-scale, systematic effort to teach reading aloud (oral interpretation). The elocutionists named their study for the third office of rhetoric partly because “pronunciation” was coming to refer solely to correct English phonation and partly because…

Elodea, genus of five or six species of submerged aquatic plants in the frog’s-bit family (Hydrocharitaceae), useful in aquariums and in laboratory demonstrations of cellular activities. Elodea plants are native to the New World, though a number of species have established themselves as invasive

Elodea: Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis), for example, has naturalized in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe and is an obstacle to lake navigation in many areas.

Elodea: Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa; formerly Elodea densa) and Canadian waterweed are commonly used in schools as an experimental plant for demonstrating cellular structures, such as chloroplasts and nuclei, and oxygen production during photosynthesis. Those and other species are also economically important as aquarium plants, where…

Michel Mayor: …using a new spectrograph called ELODIE that would provide accurate measurements of a star’s radial velocity (that is, its velocity toward or away from the observer). When a planet orbits a star, the planet and the star orbit around their common centre of mass, and the star’s motion around the…

Jean-Luc Godard: Later work and awards of Jean-Luc Godard: Éloge de l’amour (2001; In Praise of Love), a narrative film that examined the nature of love and a life in film, stirred controversy over its harsh criticism of Hollywood filmmaking. Later movies included Notre musique (2004; “Our Music”), a meditation on war; the experimental collage Film socialisme (2010;…