Les Indes galantes, opéra-ballet composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau that premiered in Paris on August 23, 1735. Active in France during the Baroque era, Rameau composed both for the entertainment of King Louis XV and for the public. Les Indes galantes was written for public entertainment, integrating

West Indies, crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north. From the peninsula of Florida on the mainland of the United States, the islands stretch

French East India Company, any of the French trading companies established in the 17th and 18th centuries to oversee French commerce with India, eastern Africa, and other territories of the Indian Ocean and the East Indies. The Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales was established by

French East India Company, any of the French trading companies established in the 17th and 18th centuries to oversee French commerce with India, eastern Africa, and other territories of the Indian Ocean and the East Indies. The Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales was established by

French East India Company, any of the French trading companies established in the 17th and 18th centuries to oversee French commerce with India, eastern Africa, and other territories of the Indian Ocean and the East Indies. The Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales was established by

indeterminacy, in literature, the multiplicity of possible interpretations of given textual elements. The term was given its literary meaning by deconstruction theorists. Indeterminacy is similar to ambiguity as described by the New Critics, but it is applied by its practitioners not only to

uncertainty principle, statement, articulated (1927) by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg, that the position and the velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory. The very concepts of exact position and exact velocity together, in fact, have no

Speusippus: …called “the One” and “the indeterminate dyad,” terms meant to explain the presence of both unity and multiplicity in the universe. His colleagues, however, viewed “the One” and “the dyad” as principles of good and evil, respectively, but Speusippus denied the attachment of moral qualities. Using numerical labels, he also…

mammal: Skin and hair: Continuous growth of hair (indeterminate), as seen on the heads of humans, is rare among mammals. Hairs with determinate growth are subject to wear and must be replaced periodically—a process termed molt. The first coat of a young mammal is referred to as the juvenal pelage, which typically is…

inflorescence: Indeterminate inflorescence.: In indeterminate inflorescences, the youngest flowers are at the top of an elongated axis or on the centre of a truncated axis. An indeterminate inflorescence may be a raceme, panicle, spike, catkin, corymb, umbel, spadix, or head.

indeterminate sentence, in law, term of imprisonment with no definite duration within a prescribed maximum. Eligibility for parole is determined by the parole authority. In this respect, an indeterminate sentence differs from a definite one in that statutes prescribing the latter usually provide

aleatory music, (aleatory from Latin alea, “dice”), 20th-century music in which chance or indeterminate elements are left for the performer to realize. The term is a loose one, describing compositions with strictly demarcated areas for improvisation according to specific directions and also

determinism: …extreme alternative to determinism is indeterminism, the view that at least some events have no deterministic cause but occur randomly, or by chance. Indeterminism is supported to some extent by research in quantum mechanics, which suggests that some events at the quantum level are in principle unpredictable (and therefore random).…

stochastic process: …a family of random variables indexed against some other variable or set of variables. It is one of the most general objects of study in probability. Some basic types of stochastic processes include Markov processes, Poisson processes (such as radioactive decay), and time series, with the index variable referring to…

semiotics: …for falling rocks); (2) an index, which is associated with its referent (as smoke is a sign of fire); and (3) a symbol, which is related to its referent only by convention (as with words or traffic signals). Peirce also demonstrated that a sign can never have a definite meaning,…

Encyclopædia Britannica: Fifteenth edition: …of hundreds of articles; the index function was taken from the Micropædia and placed in a separate two-volume Index; and both the Micropædia and the Propædia were redesigned, reorganized, and revised. The entire set consisted of 32 volumes. Printings of the 15th edition continued into the 21st century, though at…

indexation, in fiscal policy, a means of offsetting the effect of inflation or deflation on social security payments and taxes by measuring the “real value” of money from a fixed point of reference, usually a price index. Without indexing, recipients of social security benefits, for example, would

William Frederick Poole: …bibliographer and library administrator whose indexing of periodicals became authoritative.

Index Librorum Prohibitorum, list of books once forbidden by Roman Catholic Church authority as dangerous to the faith or morals of Roman Catholics. Publication of the list ceased in 1966, and it was relegated to the status of a historical document. Compiled by official censors, the Index was an

Index Librorum Prohibitorum, list of books once forbidden by Roman Catholic Church authority as dangerous to the faith or morals of Roman Catholics. Publication of the list ceased in 1966, and it was relegated to the status of a historical document. Compiled by official censors, the Index was an

John Bale: Bateson as Index Britanniae Scriptorum Quos Collegit J. Baleus (“Index of Britain’s Writers Collected by J. Bale”). Though not always accurate, this early literary history is invaluable to students of the medieval and early Tudor periods.

index case, in public health, the first case of a disease or other condition that is noticed by health authorities. Index cases may be reported in relation to infectious disease outbreaks or to occurrences of noninfectious diseases or health conditions. They may also be reported within a region or

John Shaw Billings: …the first edition of the Index Catalogue, 16 vol. (1880–95). The first of their kind, both indexes long remained predominant medical references, and the Index Medicus is still regarded as one of the primary medical bibliographies in the United States.

nebula: The work of the Herschels: …it was supplemented by two Index Catalogues (IC) of 5,386 additional objects. The list still included galaxies as well as true nebulae, for they were often at this time still indistinguishable. Most of the brighter galaxies are still identified by their NGC or IC numbers according to their listing in…

index fossil, any animal or plant preserved in the rock record of the Earth that is characteristic of a particular span of geologic time or environment. A useful index fossil must be distinctive or easily recognizable, abundant, and have a wide geographic distribution and a short range through

Kew Gardens: The Index Kewensis, which is edited at Kew, maintains a record of all described higher plant species of the world from the time of Linnaeus.

Index Librorum Prohibitorum, list of books once forbidden by Roman Catholic Church authority as dangerous to the faith or morals of Roman Catholics. Publication of the list ceased in 1966, and it was relegated to the status of a historical document. Compiled by official censors, the Index was an

John Shaw Billings: …in his founding of the Index Medicus (1879), a monthly guide to current medical literature, and publication of the first edition of the Index Catalogue, 16 vol. (1880–95). The first of their kind, both indexes long remained predominant medical references, and the Index Medicus is still regarded as one of…

William F. Friedman and Elizebeth S. Friedman: William Friedman wrote The Index of Coincidence and Its Applications in Cryptography (1922), one of the standard works in the nomenclature and classification of ciphers. Together, the Friedmans wrote The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined (1957), in which they denied Francis Bacon’s purported authorship of the William Shakespeare plays and…

refractive index, measure of the bending of a ray of light when passing from one medium into another. If i is the angle of incidence of a ray in vacuum (angle between the incoming ray and the perpendicular to the surface of a medium, called the normal) and r is the angle of refraction (angle

indexation, in fiscal policy, a means of offsetting the effect of inflation or deflation on social security payments and taxes by measuring the “real value” of money from a fixed point of reference, usually a price index. Without indexing, recipients of social security benefits, for example, would

plant disease: Control: …plants as a result of indexing and certification programs. Indexing is a procedure to determine the presence or absence of viruses not readily transmitted mechanically. Material from a “test” plant is grafted to an “indicator” plant that develops characteristic symptoms if affected by the viral disease in question. In addition,…

William Frederick Poole: …bibliographer and library administrator whose indexing of periodicals became authoritative.

India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is made up of 28 states and eight union territories, and its national capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India’s administrative center. Its government is a

Government of India Acts: Pitt’s India Act (1784), named for the British prime minister William Pitt the Younger, established the dual system of control by the British government and the East India Company, by which the company retained control of commerce and day-to-day administration but important political matters were reserved…

India: The company and the state: …transfer the control of British India to seven commissioners was defeated by the influence of King George III in the House of Lords, but the next year the matter was settled for more than 70 years by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger’s India Act of 1784. Its essence was…

India Gate, monumental sandstone arch in New Delhi, dedicated to the troops of British India who died in wars fought between 1914 and 1919. India Gate, which is located at the eastern end of the Rajpath (formerly called the Kingsway), is about 138 feet (42 metres) in height. India Gate is one of

India ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon

narra: …especially to Pterocarpus indicus, or India padauk, noted for the ability of its wood to take a high polish.

India pale ale (IPA), type of beer that features strong flavours from hops and typically has more fruity notes than other types of beer. Brewed industrially or on a small scale, India pale ales (IPAs) differ from standard pale ales in that they generally have a higher amount of alcohol by volume

India rubber plant, (Ficus elastica), large tree of the family Moraceae, once an important source of an inferior natural rubber. It was largely replaced as a source of rubber by the unrelated rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in the early 20th century. The India rubber plant is native to Southeast

India rubber plant, (Ficus elastica), large tree of the family Moraceae, once an important source of an inferior natural rubber. It was largely replaced as a source of rubber by the unrelated rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in the early 20th century. The India rubber plant is native to Southeast

Delphine Seyrig: …femme fatale in Marguerite Duras’s India Song and the title character in Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles—she usually worked with women directors. Despite her many films, Seyrig considered herself to be primarily a stage actress. She performed in both classic and contemporary plays, often with…

House of India, 15th-century Portuguese establishment that managed the trade in products from overseas colonies. It was called House of Guinea because it began by processing products from Guinea. Originally housed in a warehouse at Lagos in southern Portugal, it was reestablished in Lisbon with the

Council of India, supervisory body established in 1604 by Philip III of Spain, who also ruled Portugal. It oversaw Portuguese colonial affairs along the lines of the Spanish Council of the Indies. After the reestablishment of Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640, the Council of India was

Constitution of India, the supreme law that defines the organizing principles of the Republic of India, the structure and functions of the government, and the rights of citizens. It was framed after India achieved independence from British rule in 1947, and it went into effect on January 26,

Council of India, supervisory body established in 1604 by Philip III of Spain, who also ruled Portugal. It oversaw Portuguese colonial affairs along the lines of the Spanish Council of the Indies. After the reestablishment of Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640, the Council of India was

India’s economy has undergone profound shifts since the country gained independence in 1947, evolving from a largely agrarian system to a high-tech economic powerhouse. Initially shaped by state-led industrialization, the country later embraced free market reforms that opened avenues for private

horizontally striped deep saffron (muted orange)–white–green national flag with a 24-spoked blue chakra (wheel) in the centre. The flag’s width-to-length ratio is 2 to 3.For decades the All-India Congress under the leadership of Mohandas K. Gandhi struggled to rally the millions of British-ruled

Government of India, political authority by which the Republic of India is administered on the basis of the principles of democracy and federalism. The functions of the government are to enact and enforce legislation, formulate and implement policies, and maintain law and order. The Constitution of

India: History of India: The Indian subcontinent, the great landmass of South Asia, is the home of one of the world’s oldest and most influential civilizations. In this article, the subcontinent, which for historical purposes is usually called simply “India,” is understood to comprise the areas of…

House of India, 15th-century Portuguese establishment that managed the trade in products from overseas colonies. It was called House of Guinea because it began by processing products from Guinea. Originally housed in a warehouse at Lagos in southern Portugal, it was reestablished in Lisbon with the

partition of India, division of British India into the independent countries of India and Pakistan according to the Indian Independence Act passed by the British Parliament on July 18, 1947. Set to take effect on August 15, the rapid partition led to a population transfer of unprecedented

India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is made up of 28 states and eight union territories, and its national capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India’s administrative center. Its government is a

Himalayas: Study and exploration: In the mid-19th century the Survey of India organized a systematic program to measure correctly the heights of the Himalayan peaks. The Nepal and Uttarakhand peaks were observed and mapped between 1849 and 1855. Nanga Parbat, as well as the peaks of the Karakoram Range to the north, were surveyed…

India-Pakistan heat wave of 2015, extended period of extreme heat that spanned the Indian subcontinent during April, May, and June 2015 and resulted in more than 2,500 deaths in India and more than 1,100 deaths in Pakistan. Heat waves are common in India between March and June, and the country’s

Indigenous American peoples, any of the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Inuit, Yupik/Yupiit, and Unangan (Aleuts) are sometimes excluded from this category, because their closest genetic and cultural relations were and are with other Arctic peoples rather than with the groups to their

Mauritius: Early history and colonial administration: …replaced by indentured laborers from India. The country’s modern-day Indo-Pakistani population stems from this program of replacing slavery with indentured servitude (deemed Britain’s “Great Experiment”); by the time it ended in the 1920s, almost a half million indentured laborers had come from India to work on the sugar plantations. The…

Canada: Indigenous peoples: …legal definition given in the Indian Act of 1876. People legally defined as Indians are known as status Indians. First Nations people who have chosen to give up their status rights or who have lost them through intermarriage with people of European ancestry are called nonstatus Indians. (Beginning in 1985,…

Native American: The outplacement and adoption of indigenous children: …of America in launching the Indian Adoption Project (IAP), the country’s first large-scale transracial adoption program. The IAP eventually moved between 25 and 35 percent of the native children in the United States into interstate adoptions and interstate foster care placements. Essentially all of these children were placed with Euro-American…

Larry Woiwode: …an out-of-work television actor, and Indian Affairs (1992) is a sequel to What I’m Going to Do.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that serves as the principal link between federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native populations and the U.S. government. It is responsible for administering about 66 million acres (27 million hectares) of

Pakistan: The government of Imran Khan: …credit for the attack, the Indian Air Force conducted air strikes in Pakistan for the first time in five decades. Though India claimed it had destroyed a large training camp belonging to the militant group, Pakistan denied that any such camp had existed and said that India had struck an…

Indian Airlines, former domestic and regional airline of India that merged with Air India in 2007, thereafter operating as Air India. Indian Airlines was founded in 1953. The airline was headquartered in New Delhi and served the Indian subcontinent—India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh,

Indian Airlines, former domestic and regional airline of India that merged with Air India in 2007, thereafter operating as Air India. Indian Airlines was founded in 1953. The airline was headquartered in New Delhi and served the Indian subcontinent—India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh,

albizia: Indian albizia, or siris (A. lebbek), native to tropical Asia and Australia, grows about 24 metres tall and bears pods 23–30 cm long. Both species are common ornamental trees.

Terminalia: catappa, the Indian, or tropical, almond, is commonly cultivated for ornament, particularly along streets in the tropics.

Myrtales: Family distributions and abundance: Combretaceae, the white mangrove or Indian almond family, has about 500 species in 14 genera of mostly trees and shrubs. The family is especially important along tropical seacoasts, in African savannas, and in Asiatic monsoon forests. It comprises mangrove species of muddy shores or estuaries,…

Indic writing systems, writing systems that include the syllabic Kharosthi and semialphabetic Brahmi scripts of ancient India. No systems of writing subsequently developed from the Kharosthi script. Brahmi, however, is thought to be the forerunner of all of the scripts used for writing the

Northwest Territories: Constitutional framework: …territories’ natural resources through the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Paul Manship: …early compositions, including the popular Indian and Pronghorn Antelope (1914). Among his other large decorative works—mostly in bronze—are Dancer and Gazelles (1916), of which there are versions in several museums, and Prometheus (1934), a fountain sculpture at Rockefeller Center in New York. He executed many portraits in marble; most striking…

Max Pechstein: …colours, as in his painting Indian and Woman (1910). He frequently painted with Heckel and fellow Die Brücke member Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Native American: The conquest of the western United States: …with the passage of the Indian Appropriation Act (1871), which declared that “hereafter no Indian nation or tribe” would be recognized “as an independent power with whom the United States may contract by treaty.” Indian affairs were thus brought under the legislative control of the Congress to a much greater…

Sir John Hubert Marshall: …English director general of the Indian Archaeological Survey (1902–31) who in the 1920s was responsible for the large-scale excavations that revealed Harappā and Mohenjo-daro, the two largest cities of the previously unknown Indus Valley Civilization.

India: Architecture: Architecture is perhaps India’s greatest glory. Among the most-renowned monuments are many cave temples hewn from rock (of which those at Ajanta and Ellora are most noteworthy); the Sun Temple at Konarak (Konarka); the vast temple complexes at Bhubaneshwar, Khajuraho, and

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

Native American art: Arts of the American Indian peoples in the contemporary world: …by means of which the Indian Arts and Crafts Board came into existence. Sparked by John Collier, then commissioner of Indian affairs, this body is one of the few governmental organizations set up specifically to promote, encourage, and revive native arts and crafts. While intended largely as an economic device…

Indian Association, nationalist political group in India that favored local self-government and served as a forerunner to the more truly national Indian National Congress (Congress Party). The association was founded in Bengal in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose. It was supported

bel fruit, (Aegle marmelos), tree of the family Rutaceae, cultivated for its fruit. The plant is native to India and Bangladesh and has naturalized throughout much of Southeast Asia. The unripe fruit, sliced and sun-dried, is traditionally used as a remedy for dysentery and other digestive

banyan, (Ficus benghalensis), unusually shaped tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to the Indian subcontinent. The banyan reaches a height up to 30 metres (100 feet) and spreads laterally indefinitely. Aerial roots that develop from its branches descend and take root in the soil to become

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

Lethbridge: …with the Indians, stands in Indian Battle Park on the Oldman River. The park marks the site of the last great encounter (1870) between the Cree and the Blackfoot Indians prior to a peace treaty (1871). In July the city holds the annual Whoop-Up Days exhibition and rodeo. The park…

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

vulture: Old World vultures: …(Sarcogyps calvus), often called the Pondicherry vulture or the Indian (black) vulture, is an Old World vulture ranging from Pakistan to Malaysia. It is about 75 cm (30 inches) long and has a wingspan of about 2.7 metres (8.9 feet). It is black with white down on the breast and…

Indian Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Haora (Howrah), West Bengal, India, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). In 2009 it was renamed to honour Indian plant physiologist and physicist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. It is

Bridgetown, capital and port of the island-state of Barbados, in the West Indies, southeastern Caribbean Sea. It is on the southwestern end of the island, on the wide curve of Carlisle Bay. A built-up coastal strip stretches for several miles on each side of the town. The town, which was founded in

water buffalo, (Bubalus bubalis), either of two forms, wild and domestic, of Asian mammal similar to the ox. There are 74 breeds of domestic water buffalo numbering some 165 million animals, but only small numbers of wild water buffalo remain. Both forms are gray to black with off-white “socks” and

Real Quiet: …started at Churchill Downs, with Indian Charlie as the favourite. Real Quiet stayed close to the favourite, and, when Indian Charlie made his move, his “bargain-basement” competitor passed not only Indian Charlie but Victory Gallop, winning the Derby by half a length. The win was worth $700,000 for Real Quiet…

adoption: In 1978 the federal Indian Child Welfare Act required that placements of Native American children living on reservations give preference to applicants from within the child’s tribe or extended family. Another federal law, the 1994 Multiethnic Placement Act, prevented child-welfare agencies that receive federal assistance from denying or delaying…

British Empire: Dominance and dominions: …tried, ranging from the sophisticated Indian Civil Service, with its largely effective adoption of native practices in civil law and administration, to the very loose and indirect supervision exercised in a number of African territories, where settlers and commercial interests were left much to themselves while native Africans were segregated…

Native American: Reorganization: A special Indian Claims Commission, created by an act of Congress on August 13, 1946, received petitions for land claims against the United States. Many land claims resulted in significant compensation, including nearly $14,800,000 to the Cherokee nation, $10,250,000 to the Muscogee tribe, $12,300,000 to the Seminoles,…

Indian cobra, (Naja naja), species of highly venomous snake in the cobra family (Elapidae). It is one of the so-called “big four” species of snakes that inflict the majority of snakebites in India, the other three being the common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), the saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus),

United States: Indian policy: …Congress to establish a nonpolitical Board of Indian Commissioners to supervise the administration of relations between the government and the Indians. The board, however, encountered so much political opposition that it accomplished little. The reformers then proposed legislation to grant title for specific acreages of land to the head of…

Indian cuisine, the foods and methods of their preparation traditional to India. India does not have a single cuisine. Due to its wide variety of climates, soil types, cultures, and religions, as well as influences from other countries, India has a diverse range of cuisines. As a whole, Indian

corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as human food, livestock feed, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. Taxonomy

India: Government organization: The Indian Councils Act of 1861 transformed the viceroy’s Executive Council into a miniature cabinet run on the portfolio system, and each of the five ordinary members was placed in charge of a distinct department of Calcutta’s government—home, revenue, military, finance, and law. The military commander…

India: Government organization: The act of 1892 further expanded the council’s permissible additional membership to 16, of whom 10 could be nonofficial, and increased their powers, though only to the extent of allowing them to ask questions of government and to criticize formally the official budget during one day…

Indian Councils Act of 1909, series of reform measures enacted in 1909 by the British Parliament, the main component of which directly introduced the elective principle to membership in the imperial and local legislative councils in India. The act was formulated by John Morley, secretary of state

courser: The Indian courser (C. coromandelicus) is brown with a strong face pattern. The bronze-winged courser (Rhinoptilus chalcopterus), largest of several species in sub-Saharan Africa, frequents woodlands and is chiefly nocturnal. It is about 30 cm (12 inches) long.

India: Birds: …birds in India include the Indian crane, commonly known as the sarus (Grus antigone); a large gray bird with crimson legs, the sarus stands as tall as a human. Bustards inhabit India’s grasslands. The great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), now confined to central and western India, is an endangered species…