lauda, a type of Italian poetry or a nonliturgical devotional song in praise of the Virgin Mary, Christ, or the saints. The poetic lauda was of liturgical origin, and it was popular from about the mid-13th to the 16th century in Italy, where it was used particularly in confraternal groups and for

Niki Lauda was an Austrian race-car driver who won three Formula One (F1) Grand Prix world championships (1975, 1977, and 1984), the last two of which came after his remarkable comeback from a horrific crash in 1976 that had left him severely burned and near death. Lauda was born into a wealthy

Niki Lauda was an Austrian race-car driver who won three Formula One (F1) Grand Prix world championships (1975, 1977, and 1984), the last two of which came after his remarkable comeback from a horrific crash in 1976 that had left him severely burned and near death. Lauda was born into a wealthy

Adrian IV: …Canterbury, and granted him the Donation of Ireland (known as the bull Laudabiliter), which supposedly gave Ireland to Henry II of England. Attacked for false representation, the bull was subsequently refuted. (Even if Laudabiliter is authentic, which is doubtful, it does not grant hereditary possession of Ireland to the English…

philosophy of science: The antirealism of van Fraassen, Laudan, and Fine: …different antirealist argument, presented by Laudan, attacks directly the “ultimate argument” for realism. Laudan reflected on the history of science and considered all the past theories that were once counted as outstandingly successful. He offered a list of outmoded theories, claiming that all enjoyed successes and noting that not only…

laudanum, originally, the name given by Paracelsus to a famous medical preparation of his own, composed of gold, pearls, and other items but containing opium as its chief ingredient. The name either was invented by Paracelsus from the Latin laudare (“to praise”) or was a corrupted form of ladanum

Laudato si’, papal encyclical issued by Pope Francis on May 24, 2015. It was the second encyclical of Francis’s papacy (2013– ) and his first social encyclical (i.e., it specifically addresses moral issues). Also known as “On Care for Our Common Home,” Laudato si’ (“Praise Be to You”) is the first

lauda, a type of Italian poetry or a nonliturgical devotional song in praise of the Virgin Mary, Christ, or the saints. The poetic lauda was of liturgical origin, and it was popular from about the mid-13th to the 16th century in Italy, where it was used particularly in confraternal groups and for

Pierre Fresnay was a versatile French actor who abandoned a career with the Comédie-Française for the challenge of the cinema. Groomed for the stage by his uncle, the actor Claude Garry, Fresnay made his first stage appearance in 1912 before entering the Paris Conservatory. Admitted to the

Estée Lauder was an American businesswoman who cofounded (1946) Estée Lauder, Inc., a large fragrance and cosmetics company. She learned her first marketing lessons as a child in her father’s hardware store: assertive selling, perfectionism, promotion of quality products, and, above all, attention

Estée Lauder: She married Joseph Lauter (last name later changed to Lauder), whom she divorced in 1939 and remarried in 1942. Together they founded Estée Lauder, Inc., in 1946. Their first six beauty products included skin treatments, a rouge, and a makeup base. When no agency would handle their…

Sir Harry Lauder was a Scottish music-hall comedian who excited enthusiasm throughout the English-speaking world as a singer and composer of simplehearted Scottish songs. While a child half-timer in a flax mill he won singing competitions but worked in a coal mine for 10 years before joining a

Sir Harry Lauder was a Scottish music-hall comedian who excited enthusiasm throughout the English-speaking world as a singer and composer of simplehearted Scottish songs. While a child half-timer in a flax mill he won singing competitions but worked in a coal mine for 10 years before joining a

William Lauder was a Scottish literary forger, known for his fraudulent attempt to prove Milton a plagiarist. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Lauder was a competent classical scholar. He was, however, embittered by a series of failures, and, seeking public recognition, he published in 1747

James Maitland, 8th earl of Lauderdale was a Scottish politician and economic writer. Lauderdale was educated at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was elected to the House of Commons (1780, 1784) where, in spite of his abilities, he ran into difficulties due to his volatile temper. He

James Maitland, 8th earl of Lauderdale was a Scottish politician and economic writer. Lauderdale was educated at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was elected to the House of Commons (1780, 1784) where, in spite of his abilities, he ran into difficulties due to his volatile temper. He

John Maitland, duke of Lauderdale was one of the chief ministers of King Charles II of England (reigned 1660–85); he earned notoriety for his repressive rule in Scotland during Charles II’s reign. The son of a Scottish lord, Maitland signed the Solemn League and Covenant (1643), pledging to protect

lauda: …work that has been called Laudes creaturarum o Cantico del Sole (“Praises of God’s Creatures or the Canticle of the Sun”). Another outstanding early master of the lauda was the gifted 13th-century Franciscan poet Jacopone da Todi, who wrote many highly emotional and mystical laudi spirituali (“spiritual canticles”) in the…

lauda, a type of Italian poetry or a nonliturgical devotional song in praise of the Virgin Mary, Christ, or the saints. The poetic lauda was of liturgical origin, and it was popular from about the mid-13th to the 16th century in Italy, where it was used particularly in confraternal groups and for

Gabriele D’Annunzio: …work is the lyrical collection Laudi del cielo del mare della terra e degli eroi (1899; “In Praise of Sky, Sea, Earth, and Heroes”). The third book in this series, Alcyone (1904), a re-creation of the smells, tastes, sounds, and experiences of a Tuscan summer, is considered by many his…

lauda, a type of Italian poetry or a nonliturgical devotional song in praise of the Virgin Mary, Christ, or the saints. The poetic lauda was of liturgical origin, and it was popular from about the mid-13th to the 16th century in Italy, where it was used particularly in confraternal groups and for

Limoges painted enamel: The Laudin family dominated the production of the ware in the 17th century and were the last major enamellers at Limoges. See also Limosin, Léonard; Pénicaud family.

Gideon Ernest, baron von Laudon was an Austrian field marshal who was one of the most successful Habsburg commanders during the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) and the Austro-Turkish War of 1787–91. The son of a Swedish officer of Scottish descent, Laudon entered the Russian Army as a cadet in 1732.

divine office: Lauds and vespers are the solemn morning and evening prayers of the church. Terce, sext, and none correspond to the mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon hours. Compline, a night prayer, is of monastic origin, as was prime, recited in the early morning before

Laon, town, capital of Aisne département, Hauts-de-France région, northern France. It lies northwest of Reims and northeast of Paris. The picturesque old town, situated on the summit of a scarped hill, stands high above the new town, which spreads out over the surrounding plain about 330 feet (100

Laue diffraction, in X-rays, a regular array of spots on a photographic emulsion resulting from X-rays scattered by certain groups of parallel atomic planes within a crystal. When a thin, pencil-like beam of X-rays is allowed to impinge on a crystal, those of certain wavelengths will be oriented at

Laue diffraction, in X-rays, a regular array of spots on a photographic emulsion resulting from X-rays scattered by certain groups of parallel atomic planes within a crystal. When a thin, pencil-like beam of X-rays is allowed to impinge on a crystal, those of certain wavelengths will be oriented at

Georges Friedel: …of symmetry are known as Friedel classes (or Laue symmetry groups).

Max von Laue was a German recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1914 for his discovery of the diffraction of X rays in crystals. This enabled scientists to study the structure of crystals and hence marked the origin of solid-state physics, an important field in the development of modern

Max von Laue was a German recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1914 for his discovery of the diffraction of X rays in crystals. This enabled scientists to study the structure of crystals and hence marked the origin of solid-state physics, an important field in the development of modern

Lauenburg, former duchy of northern Germany, stretching from south of Lübeck to the Elbe and bounded on the west and east, respectively, by the former duchies of Holstein and Mecklenburg, an area that since 1946 has been part of the federal Land (state) of Schleswig-Holstein. A duchy under the

Otto von Bismarck was the prime minister of Prussia (1862–73, 1873–90) and founder and first chancellor (1871–90) of the German Empire. Once the empire was established, he actively and skillfully pursued pacific policies in foreign affairs, succeeding in preserving the peace in Europe for about two

Matt Lauer is an American journalist and television host best known as the cohost (1997–2017) of Today, a weekday morning news and talk show airing on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) television network. He was fired from his job amid allegations of inappropriate behavior that became public

Matt Lauer is an American journalist and television host best known as the cohost (1997–2017) of Today, a weekday morning news and talk show airing on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) television network. He was fired from his job amid allegations of inappropriate behavior that became public

Berthold Laufer was a U.S. scholar who, for 35 years, was virtually the only sinologist working in the United States. Laufer took his doctorate at the University of Leipzig under men in the forefront of Far Eastern studies. He made four major expeditions to the Himalayas and was curator of Asiatic

medal: The Baroque period: Caspar Gottlieb Lauffer of Nürnberg from 1679 issued a large number of medals engraved by numerous artists and commemorating contemporary events. He eventually published a catalog, in 1742, entitled Das Laufferische Medaillen-Cabinet.

bicycle: Draisiennes, hobby-horses, and other velocipedes: The first two-wheeled rider-propelled machine for which there is indisputable evidence was the draisienne, invented by Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun of Germany. In 1817 he rode it for 14 km (9 miles), and the following year he exhibited…

Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García was the president of Guatemala (1974–78), minister of defense and chief of the armed forces (1970–74). Born to a Norwegian father and a Guatemalan mother, Laugerud attended the Escuela Politécnica, Guatemala’s military academy. He was elected president of Guatemala in

Tiffany Haddish: …to point her toward the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp, a free summer program offered by the comedy club chain Laugh Factory to teach underprivileged children how to perform stand-up comedy. The camp proved to be a transformative experience for Haddish.

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in, American television comedy and variety show that aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network for six seasons (1968–73). The series won several Emmy and Golden Globe awards, including the 1969 Golden Globe for best television show, and in its first two seasons

Harry Warren: …Dixon and Joe Young on The Laugh Parade (1931), which included “You’re My Everything,” and with Dixon and Billy Rose on “I Found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store” for Crazy Quilt (1931). In 1932 he moved to Hollywood, entering into a major collaboration with lyricist Al Dubin…

Television in the United States: Sitcoms: …way of an added “laugh track”) usually featured prominently in these shows, most of which were built around families. The situation comedy had been an enormously popular program type on radio, but it had a comparatively slow start on TV. Some of the most popular early sitcoms included Mama…

Paul Bunyan: …to a general audience by W.B. Laughead, a Minnesota advertising man, in a series of pamphlets (1914–44) used to publicize the products of the Red River Lumber Company. These influenced Esther Shephard, who wrote of the mythic hero in Paul Bunyan (1924). James Stevens, also a lumber publicist, mixed tradition…

Will Rogers: …starred in his first film, Laughing Bill Hyde. Though Rogers would never admit to being anything but an amateur actor, critics appreciated his natural charm and appealingly plain face. For the next few years, he appeared in silent features for producer Sam Goldwyn, as well as several comedies he produced…

Oliver La Farge: His first novel, Laughing Boy (1929; film version 1934), is a poetic but realistic story of the clash of two cultures; it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1929. La Farge’s novels have been called lyrical, yet they are always based on social awareness. Sparks Fly…

Hotei, in Japanese mythology, one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (“Seven Gods of Luck”). This popular figure is depicted frequently in contemporary crafts as a cheerful, contented Buddhist monk with a large exposed belly, often accompanied by children. Tradition relates him to a Chinese monk called Pu-tai,

laughing dove, (Streptopelia senegalensis), bird of the pigeon family, Columbidae (order Columbiformes), a native of African and southwest Asian scrublands that has been successfully introduced into Australia. The reddish-brown bird has blue markings on its wings, a white edge on its long tail,

falcon: The laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) of the wooded lowlands of Central and South America is a noisy brown bird that eats snakes. The prairie falcon (F. mexicanus), a desert falcon, inhabits canyon and scrub country in western North America.

nitrous oxide (N2O), one of several oxides of nitrogen, a colourless gas with pleasant, sweetish odour and taste, which when inhaled produces insensibility to pain preceded by mild hysteria, sometimes laughter. (Because inhalation of small amounts provides a brief euphoric effect and nitrous oxide

white-fronted goose, (species Anser albifrons), rather small, dark-bodied goose with white forehead, yellow bill, and irregular black patches on the belly; it is classified in the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Breeding in the Arctic, the white-fronted goose, which

laughing gull, common name for the bird species Larus atricilla. See

laughing hyena, African species of hyena

Louis Adamic: …the American melting pot in Laughing in the Jungle (1932). He traveled to Yugoslavia on a Guggenheim fellowship and wrote about the experience in The Native’s Return (1934), the story of a man who finds he cannot slip comfortably into his former life as a peasant. Two successful sequels, Grandsons…

kookaburra, (species Dacelo novaeguineae), eastern Australian bird of the kingfisher family (Alcedinidae), whose call sounds like fiendish laughter. This gray-brown, woodland-dwelling bird reaches a length of 43 cm (17 inches), with an 8- to 10-cm (3.2- to 4-inch) beak. In its native habitat it

kookaburra, (species Dacelo novaeguineae), eastern Australian bird of the kingfisher family (Alcedinidae), whose call sounds like fiendish laughter. This gray-brown, woodland-dwelling bird reaches a length of 43 cm (17 inches), with an 8- to 10-cm (3.2- to 4-inch) beak. In its native habitat it

William Saroyan: …as Rock Wagram (1951) and The Laughing Matter (1953), were inspired by his own experiences of marriage, fatherhood, and divorce.

laughing owl, (Sceloglaux albifacies), an extinct bird of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes) that was native to New Zealand. It was last seen in the early 1900s. Laughing owls nested on the ground, where they fell prey to cats, rats, goats, and weasels. About 40 cm (1.3 feet) long and

Stuart Rosenberg: Films of the 1970s: The Laughing Policeman (1973) was a police procedural with Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern as partners investigating a mass slaying on a bus. Rosenberg reteamed with Newman on The Drowning Pool (1975), a sequel to the hit crime drama Harper (1966). Newman reprised the role…

Louis Dudek: …Sea (1956), love poems; and Laughing Stalks (1958), a social satire that includes parodies of Canadian poets and critics. Dudek’s poems reflect his power of observation of people, places, and objects. The influence of Ezra Pound is evident in Europe (1954; rev. ed. 1991), a travelogue poem in 99 cantos…

Carl Spitteler: …stimulating essays, Lachende Wahrheiten (1898; Laughing Truths), and biographical works of charm, including Meine frühesten Erlebnisse (1914; “My Earliest Experiences”). In 1914 he published a politically influential tract, “Unser Schweizer Standpunkt,” directed against a one-sided pro-German view of World War I. An English translation of his Selected Poems appeared in…

eugenics: Eugenics organizations and legislation: …activities were directly superintended by Harry H. Laughlin, a professor from Kirksville, Missouri. The ERO was organized around a series of missions. These missions included serving as the national repository and clearinghouse for eugenics information, compiling an index of traits in American families, training fieldworkers to gather data throughout the…

James Laughlin was an American publisher and poet, founder of the New Directions press. The son of a steel manufacturer, Laughlin attended Choate School in Connecticut and Harvard University (B.A., 1939). In the mid-1930s Laughlin lived in Italy with Ezra Pound, a major influence on his life and

Robert B. Laughlin is an American physicist who, with Daniel C. Tsui and Horst Störmer, received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1998 for the discovery that electrons in an extremely powerful magnetic field can form a quantum fluid in which “portions” of electrons can be identified. This effect is

Pere Ubu: June 14, 1953), Peter Laughner (b. c. 1953—d. June 22, 1977), Tom Herman (b. April 19, 1949), Allen Ravenstine (b. May 9, 1950), Scott Krauss (b. November 19, 1950), and Tim Wright (b. 1952, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—d. August 4, 2013). Later members included Tony Maimone (b. September 27,…

humor: …that tends to elicit the laughter reflex. Spontaneous laughter is a motor reflex produced by the coordinated contraction of 15 facial muscles in a stereotyped pattern and accompanied by altered breathing. Electrical stimulation of the main lifting muscle of the upper lip, the zygomatic major, with currents of varying intensity…

comedy: Bergson’s and Meredith’s theories: …comedy in his essay “Laughter,” which deals directly with the spirit of contradiction that is basic both to comedy and to life. Bergson’s central concern is with the opposition of the mechanical and the living; stated in its most general terms, his thesis holds that the comic consists of…

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, novel by Milan Kundera, written in Czech as Kniha smíchu a zapomnění but originally published in French as Le Livre du rire et de l’oubli (1979). The political situation in the former country of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), where history

Paul Durcan: …poetry, in collections such as The Laughter of Mothers (2007), recalls his mother’s past in a less-conflicted fashion. Life Is a Dream (2009) is a wide-ranging collection of poems that Durcan published between 1967 and 2007. His 22nd volume of poetry, Praise in Which I Live and Move and Have…

Nathan Lane: Early career: …in the Neil Simon comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor received rave reviews.

Charles Laughton was a British actor and director who defied the Hollywood typecasting system to emerge as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. The son of a Yorkshire hotel keeper, Laughton was expected to go into the family business after graduating from Stonyhurst School at age

Western architecture: Origins and development: …popularized by a French Jesuit, Marc-Antoine Laugier, whose Essai sur l’architecture appeared in French in 1753 and in English in 1755. Advocating a return to rationalism and simplicity in building and taking the “primitive hut” as his example of the fundamental expression of human needs, Laugier was both reacting against…

Lugano, largest town in Ticino canton, southern Switzerland. It lies along Lake Lugano, northwest of Como,.; to the south is Mount San Salvatore (2,992 feet [912 meters]), and to the east is Mount Brè (3,035 feet [925 meters]). First mentioned in the 6th century, Lugano was occupied in 1499 by t

chronology: Eras based on astronomical speculation: …pole was the Saptarṣi, or Laukika, era (3076 bc), formerly used in Kashmir and the Punjab. The alleged movement of this constellation has been used in Purāṇa compilations and even by astronomers for indicating the centuries.

Orinoco River: Animal life: …the electric eel, and the laulao, a catfish that often attains a weight of more than 200 pounds. The Orinoco crocodile is one of the longest of its kind in the world, reaching a length of more than 20 feet. Among other inhabitants of the rivers are caimans (an alligator-like…

lauma, in Baltic folklore, a fairy who appears as a beautiful naked maiden with long fair hair. Laumas dwell in the forest near water or stones. Yearning for children but being unable to give birth, they often kidnap babies to raise as their own. Sometimes they marry young men and become excellent

lauma, in Baltic folklore, a fairy who appears as a beautiful naked maiden with long fair hair. Laumas dwell in the forest near water or stones. Yearning for children but being unable to give birth, they often kidnap babies to raise as their own. Sometimes they marry young men and become excellent

laumontite, common hydrated calcium and sodium aluminosilicate mineral in the zeolite family, formulated CaAl2Si4O12·4H2O. Its white to yellow or gray prismatic crystals typically occur filling veins and vesicles in igneous rocks. It is one of the more abundant zeolites present in sedimentary rocks

Lancelot, one of the greatest knights in Arthurian romance; he was the lover of Arthur’s queen, Guinevere, and was the father of the pure knight Sir Galahad. (Read Sir Walter Scott’s 1824 Britannica essay on chivalry.) Lancelot’s name first appeared as one of Arthur’s knights in Chrétien de

Launceston, chief city and port of northern Tasmania, Australia, lying where the North and South Esk rivers meet to form the River Tamar, a navigable tidal estuary that winds 40 miles (65 km) to Bass Strait. In 1804 Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson established George Town at the mouth of the

Launceston, town (parish), Cornwall unitary authority, southwestern England. Launceston, the ancient capital of Cornwall, is situated on the River Kensey (a tributary of the River Tamar), just west of the Devon county border. Historically the town has been known as Dunheved and Lanstephan, and it

launch, largest of a ship’s boats, at one time sloop-rigged and often armed, such as those used in the Mediterranean Sea during the 18th and 19th centuries. Although present-day launches can travel under sail or by oar, most are power-driven. Because of their weight, they are seldom used by

launch on warning (LOW), military strategy that allows high-level commanders to launch a retaliatory nuclear-weapons strike against an opponent as soon as satellites and other warning sensors detect an incoming enemy missile. Though the United States had considered the possibility of adopting LOW

launch vehicle, in spaceflight, a rocket-powered vehicle used to transport a spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere, either into orbit around Earth or to some other destination in outer space. Practical launch vehicles have been used to send crewed spacecraft, uncrewed space probes, and satellites

rocket and missile system: Design principles: …well) are generally expressed as launch-point errors, guidance/en-route errors, or aim-point errors. Both launch- and aim-point errors can be corrected by surveying the launch and target areas more accurately. Guidance/en-route errors, on the other hand, must be corrected by improving the missile’s design—particularly its guidance. Guidance/en-route errors are usually measured…

Steven Soderbergh: Later credits: …High Flying Bird (2019) and The Laundromat (2019), a farce about the Panama Papers scandal that featured Meryl Streep. He reunited with the actress for Let Them All Talk (2020), about an award-winning author who goes on a cruise with several old friends. Soderbergh’s next film, No Sudden Move (2021),…

soap and detergent: Finishing operations: For laundry soap, the soap mass is cooled in frames or cooling presses, cut to size, and stamped. If soap flakes, usually transparent and very thin, are to be the final product, the soap mass is extruded into ribbons, dried, and cut to size. For bath…

aulos: …modern instruments include the Sardinian launeddas, a triple pipe sounded by single reeds, as well as hosts of double clarinets—such as the arghūl, mizmār, and zamr—that are played in the Mediterranean littoral and the Middle East. The performer’s cheeks often look bulged because the two single reeds vibrate continuously inside…

Cyndi Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, and actress whose flamboyant style and catchy songs, most notably “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983), helped make her a pop icon. Lauper grew up in Queens, New York. An indifferent student, she eventually dropped out of high school, and for the next

Cyndi Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, and actress whose flamboyant style and catchy songs, most notably “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983), helped make her a pop icon. Lauper grew up in Queens, New York. An indifferent student, she eventually dropped out of high school, and for the next

Kazimierz Wierzyński: …1927 a collection of poems, Laur Olimpijski (“Olympic Laurel”), for which he won a special gold medal at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. When World War II started he left Poland for Paris but in 1940 moved to Rio de Janeiro and later to Sag Harbor on Long Island,…

Marshall Islands: History of the Marshall Islands: …samples that were excavated in Laura village on Majuro yielded dates of about 30 bce and 50 ce. The early Marshall Islanders were skilled navigators and made long canoe voyages among the atolls.

monasticism: Quasi-eremitic: The lauras (communities of anchorites) of early Christianity in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Greece, and Cyrenaica—perpetuated today in the Mount Athos (a monastic complex founded in Greece in the 10th century) tradition—as well as the small-scale ashrams (religious retreats) of monastic Hinduism since at least 300 bce…

Laura, the beloved of the Italian poet Petrarch and the subject of his love lyrics, written over a period of about 20 years, most of which were included in his Canzoniere, or Rime. Laura has traditionally been identified as Laura de Noves of Avignon (now in France), a married woman and a mother;

Laura, American film noir, released in 1944, that is considered a classic of the genre. The movie, which was directed by Otto Preminger, is notable as both a suspenseful mystery and a compelling account of obsession. Hard-boiled police detective Mark McPherson (played by Dana Andrews) is

Canadian literature: Drama: … (1886) and Sarah Anne Curzon’s Laura Secord, the Heroine of 1812 (1887), both based on the War of 1812, were in verse. In the 1920s and ’30s Merrill Denison, Gwen Pharis Ringwood, and Herman Voaden struggled to establish Canadian drama, relying on the amateur little theatres for support. By the…

Laura Spelman Rockefeller: …later her husband created the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, which was involved in education and social welfare, among other issues. It later became part of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Lauraceae, the laurel family of flowering plants (order Laurales), comprising some 50 genera and more than 2,500 species of mostly evergreen shrubs and trees. Lauraceae is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions; principally Southeast Asia and tropical America, particularly Brazil.

Siemianowice Śląskie, city, Śląskie województwo (province), south-central Poland. It is a northern suburb of Katowice and is situated in the Upper Silesia coalfield and industrial district. Incorporated in 1932, it developed as a centre of coal mining, ironworking, and steelworking. Though heavy

Laurales, the laurel order of flowering plants, containing 7 families, 91 genera, and about 2,900 species. Members of Laurales are trees, shrubs, or woody vines. Most are found in tropical or warm temperate climates, and they are especially abundant in regions with moist equable climates. Lumber,

Francesco Laurana was an early Italian Renaissance sculptor and medalist, especially distinguished for his severely elegant portrait busts of women and as an early disseminator of the Renaissance style in France. Laurana’s early career is obscure, the first notice of him, in 1453, being when he was