Tanzania: German East Africa: …administration, the outbreak of the Maji Maji uprising in 1905. Although there was little organization behind it, the uprising spread over a considerable portion of southeastern Tanganyika and was not finally suppressed until 1907. It led to a reappraisal of German policy in East Africa. The imperial government had attempted…

Niger: Relief: …the rocky Adar Doutchi and Majia areas; it is the region of the gulbi (dried-up valleys of former tributaries of the Sokoto River) and the Tegama—a tableland of sandstone, ending, toward the Aïr, at the Tiguidit scarp. To the east the underlying rock reappears in the Damagarim, Mounio, and Koutous…

China: 5th millennium bce: …Hemudu culture was that of Majiabang, which had close ties with the Qingliangang culture in southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, and Shanghai. In southeastern China a cord-marked pottery horizon, represented by the site of Fuguodun on the island of Quemoy (Kinmen), existed by at least the early 5th millennium. The suggestion…

China: 4th and 3rd millennia bce: …succeeded by a variety of Majiayao cultures (late 4th to early 3rd millennium) in eastern Gansu, eastern Qinghai, and northern Sichuan. About one-third of Majiayao vessels were decorated on the upper two-thirds of the body with a variety of designs in black pigment; multiarmed radial spirals, painted with calligraphic ease,…

spider crab, any species of the decapod family Majidae (or Maiidae; class Crustacea). Spider crabs, which have thick, rather rounded bodies and long, spindly legs, are generally slow-moving and sluggish. Most are scavengers, especially of dead flesh. Majids, a widely distributed marine group, are

Sir John Kirk: …the interests of Zanzibar’s Sultan Mājid and his successor, Barghash, with whom he concluded an antislavery treaty in 1873. Although he induced the British government to discourage Egyptian expansion along the East African coast (1875), he could not persuade the British government to defend the sultan when the Germans began…

spider crab, any species of the decapod family Majidae (or Maiidae; class Crustacea). Spider crabs, which have thick, rather rounded bodies and long, spindly legs, are generally slow-moving and sluggish. Most are scavengers, especially of dead flesh. Majids, a widely distributed marine group, are

History of film: Iran: Circle), and Offside (2006), and Majid Majidi, director of Bachela-Ya aseman (1997; Children of Heaven),Rang-e khoda (1999; The Color of Heaven),Bid-e majnun (2005; The Willow Tree), and Mohammed Rasulollah (2015; Muhammad: The Messenger of God).

Korea: The emergence of provincial magnates: …the Later Baekje (892) and Later Goguryeo (also called Majin or Taebong; 901) kingdoms. Together with Silla, they are commonly referred to as the Later Three Kingdoms. In this period Seon (Zen) Buddhism was most popular, with its emphasis on the importance of realizing, through contemplation, the inborn Buddha nature…

Sutta Pitaka: Majjhima Nikaya (“Medium [Length] Collection”; Sanskrit Madhyamagama), 152 suttas, some of them attributed to disciples, covering nearly all aspects of Buddhism. Included are texts dealing with monastic life, the excesses of asceticism, the evils of caste, Buddha’s debates with the Jains, and meditation, together with…

Middle Way, in Buddhism, complement of general and specific ethical practices and philosophical views that are said to facilitate enlightenment by avoiding the extremes of self-gratification on one hand and self-mortification on the other. See Eightfold

Council of Guardians: …Council and appointed by the Majles (parliament). The Council of Guardians reviews all legislation passed by the Majles to determine its constitutionality. If a majority of the council does not find a piece of legislation in compliance with the constitution or if a majority of the council’s Islamic canon lawyers…

Council of Guardians: …Council and appointed by the Majles (parliament). The Council of Guardians reviews all legislation passed by the Majles to determine its constitutionality. If a majority of the council does not find a piece of legislation in compliance with the constitution or if a majority of the council’s Islamic canon lawyers…

Maldives: Constitutional framework: The unicameral legislature, called the People’s Majlis, meets at least three times per year. Its members are elected to five-year terms from Male island and from each of the 20 atoll groups into which the country is divided for administrative purposes. The number of representatives from each administrative division is…

Bahrain: Constitutional framework: …and Islamic system of a majlis (council), through which citizens and other residents presented petitions directly to the emir. In 1993 the emir created the Consultative Council, to which the first women were appointed in 2000.

Iraq: Constitutional framework: …on the issue of the Council of Union, the structure, duties, and powers of which apparently will be left to later legislation. The constitution only notes that this body will include representatives of the regions and governorates, suggesting that it will likely take the form of an upper house.

Iraq: Constitutional framework: …for two deliberative bodies, the Council of Representatives (Majlis al-Nawwāb) and the Council of Union (Majlis al-Ittiḥād). The judiciary is free and independent of the executive and the legislature.

Oman: Constitutional framework: …replaced in 1991 by a Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shūrā), members of which were at first appointed and later elected from several dozen districts (wilāyāt); women from a few constituencies were given the right to serve on the council. In 1996 the sultan announced the establishment of the Basic Law of…

Qatar: Constitutional framework: …ruled in consultation with a Council of Ministers (Majlis al-Wuzarāʾ) and an advisory Shura Council (Majlis al-Shūrā) whose members were appointed. A new constitution, which was approved by referendum in 2003 and enacted in 2005, provided for the popular election of two-thirds of the members of the Shura Council. Elections…

Kuwait: Early settlers: …of the uprising, called the Majlis Movement, Iraq continued to put forth a claim to at least part of Kuwait, notably the strategic islands of Būbiyān and Al-Warbah.

Indian philosophy: Mughal philosophy: In his Majmaʿ al-baḥrayn (“The Mingling of the Two Oceans”) he worked out correlations between Sufi and Upanishadic cosmologies, beliefs, and practices. During this time, the Muslim elite of India virtually identified Vedanta with Sufism. Later, Shāh Walī Allāh’s son, Shāh ʿAbd-ul-ʿAzīz, regarded Krishna among the awliyāʾ…

Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū: His Majmaʿ al-tavārīkh (“The Compendium of History”) is a world history divided into four volumes (arbāʿ, “quarters”) that cover the pre-Islāmic prophets and ancient Iran, a history of Muḥammad and the caliphate up to 1258, Iran during the Seljuq and the Mongol periods, and, finally, Iran…

encyclopaedia: The Arab world: The Majmaʿ multaqā al-zuhūr bī rawḍah min al-manẓūm wa al manthūr (1524; “Collection of Tangled Flowers in the Garden of Poetry and Prose”) of al-Ḥanafī comprised an encyclopaedic survey and description of the various branches of knowledge, with an appendix containing an alphabetical list of the…

Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū: …his major works is the Majmūʿa (“Collected Work”), which was commissioned by Shāh Rokh; it is mainly a collection of three older well-known historical works with continuations and an introduction and index by Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū. His Majmaʿ al-tavārīkh (“The Compendium of History”) is a world history divided into four volumes…

Islamic arts: Umayyad dynasty: …and was afterward known as Majnūn (the “Demented One”). His story is cherished by later Persian, Turkish, and Urdu poets; as a symbol of complete surrender to the force of love, he is dear both to religious mystics and to secular poets.

Arabic literature: Poetry: … and the hapless love poet Majnūn Laylā (literally, “He Who Was Driven Crazy by Love for Laylā”). Such was the status of the poet as spokesman for the virtues of the tribal community that a kind of anticommunal persona was developed in reaction by the so-called ṣuʿlūk (“brigand”) poets, who…

Marshall Islands, country in the central Pacific Ocean. It consists of some of the easternmost islands of Micronesia. The Marshalls are composed of more than 1,200 islands and islets in two parallel chains of coral atolls—the Ratak, or Sunrise, to the east and the Ralik, or Sunset, to the west. The

Martina Hingis: …when she was upset by Iva Majoli in the French Open final, but she rebounded to win at Wimbledon and at the United States Open. Over the next several years, she often advanced to the finals at the Grand Slam tournaments and won the Australian Open in 1998 and 1999.…

majolica, tin-glazed earthenware produced from the 15th century at such Italian centres as Faenza, Deruta, Urbino, Orvieto, Gubbio, Florence, and Savona. Tin-glazed earthenware—also made in other countries, where it is called faience or delft—was introduced into Italy from Moorish Spain by way of

major, a military rank standing above captain. It is the lowest field-grade rank. The term was originally used adjectivally in the title sergeant major, the third principal officer in a regiment. In the 16th and 17th centuries there was a similarity between the duties of the sergeant, sergeant

Billy Wilder: Films of the 1940s: …their subsequent projects, beginning with The Major and the Minor (1942), a clever farce in which a woman (Ginger Rogers) who masquerades as a 12-year-old to avoid paying full fare on a train becomes involved with an army officer (Ray Milland) who cannot quite figure why he is so attracted…

tarot: …divided into two groups: the major arcana, which has 22 cards, also known as trumps, and the minor arcana, which has 56 cards.

ellipse: …is the major diameter (or major axis) of the ellipse. Perpendicular to the major axis through the centre, at the point on the major axis equidistant from the foci, is the minor axis. A line drawn through either focus parallel to the minor axis is a latus rectum (literally, “straight…

Major Barbara, social satire in three acts by George Bernard Shaw, performed in 1905 and published in 1907, in which Shaw mocked religious hypocrisy and the complicity of society in its own ills. Barbara Undershaft, a major in the Salvation Army, is estranged from her wealthy father, Andrew

Edward Bowes: …the theatre, he launched the “Major Bowes Capitol Family,” a forerunner of the famous and long-running “Amateur Hour.” Artists introduced on the Major’s radio show included the comedian Bob Hope and the singer Frank Sinatra, who was appearing with a group called the Hoboken Four. After Bowes died, the program…

renal system: Internal configuration: …of the cavity called the major calyxes. The major calyxes are divided in turn into four to 12 smaller cuplike cavities, the minor calyxes, into which the renal papillae project. The renal pelvis serves as the initial reservoir for urine, which flows into the sinus through the urinary collecting tubules,…

renal system: Internal configuration: …of the cavity called the major calyxes. The major calyxes are divided in turn into four to 12 smaller cuplike cavities, the minor calyxes, into which the renal papillae project. The renal pelvis serves as the initial reservoir for urine, which flows into the sinus through the urinary collecting tubules,…

renal system: Internal configuration: …of the cavity called the major calyxes. The major calyxes are divided in turn into four to 12 smaller cuplike cavities, the minor calyxes, into which the renal papillae project. The renal pelvis serves as the initial reservoir for urine, which flows into the sinus through the urinary collecting tubules,…

John Cartwright was an advocate of radical reform of the British Parliament and of various constitutional changes that were later incorporated into the People’s Charter (1838), the basic document of the working class movement known as Chartism. His younger brother Edmund was the inventor of the

major depressive disorder, mental disorder characterized by persistent hopelessness, disinterest in and lack of enjoyment of normal activities, and prolonged sadness. Major depressive disorder affects people on a daily basis in isolated or recurring episodes lasting several weeks. Symptoms of major

major depressive disorder, mental disorder characterized by persistent hopelessness, disinterest in and lack of enjoyment of normal activities, and prolonged sadness. Major depressive disorder affects people on a daily basis in isolated or recurring episodes lasting several weeks. Symptoms of major

mayor of the palace: …Roman Empire had employed a major domus (mayor, or supervisor, of the household) to superintend the administration of numerous, often scattered, estates. The Merovingians appointed a major palatii (mayor of the palace) to perform a similar function. The mayor gradually acquired further duties and powers: he obtained authority over court…

Sam Peckinpah: First films: Major Dundee (1965), which was set during the American Civil War, starred Charlton Heston as a Union soldier in charge of a POW camp in New Mexico who enlists the help of prisoners (Richard Harris, among others) to catch Apache raiders.

U.S. Pres. Donald Trump signed 26 executive orders on January 20, 2025, a record number for the first day of a presidential term. The orders issued on that day and during the following weeks were not only numerous but also wide-ranging and assertive of Trump’s bold campaign promises of significant

major figures in Greek mythology, the significant characters, including gods, goddesses, heroes, and other legendary figures, of Greek mythology. The personalities are known primarily from ancient Greek literature, including such classic works as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Hesiod’s Works and Days

major figures in Roman mythology, the significant characters—including gods and goddesses as well as heroes and other legendary figures—of Roman religion from ancient times until its eventual eclipse by Christianity. The beginnings of Roman mythology come from the traditions of peoples from the

William Makepeace Thackeray: Early writings: …his own vocabulary and style; Major Gahagan (1838–39), a fantasy of soldiering in India; Catherine (1839–40), a burlesque of the popular “Newgate novels” of romanticized crime and low life, and itself a good realistic crime story; The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond (1841), which was an…

military unit: …and is commanded by a major general. A division contains all the arms and services needed for the independent conduct of military operations. Two to seven divisions and various support units make up an army corps, or a corps, which has 50,000 to 300,000 troops and is commanded by a…

major gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt, the significant deities in ancient Egyptian religion. During its more than 3,000 years of development, Egyptian religion underwent significant changes of emphasis and practice. Its pantheon of gods and goddesses was large—with some 1,500 named deities—and

human leukocyte antigen (HLA), any of the numerous antigens (substances capable of stimulating an immune response) involved in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in humans. The HLA genes encode the cell-surface proteins that are part of the MHC. HLA antigens are programmed by a highly

major histocompatibility complex (MHC), group of genes that code for proteins found on the surfaces of cells that help the immune system recognize foreign substances. MHC proteins are found in all higher vertebrates. In human beings the complex is also called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)

human leukocyte antigen (HLA), any of the numerous antigens (substances capable of stimulating an immune response) involved in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in humans. The HLA genes encode the cell-surface proteins that are part of the MHC. HLA antigens are programmed by a highly

William Tappan Thompson: …were collected in 1843 as Major Jones’s Courtship, which achieved nationwide popularity. Other volumes followed.

Charlie Sheen: Acting stardom in the 1980s and ’90s: …film hit with the comedy Major League, in which he played Ricky Vaughn, a young pitcher nicknamed “Wild Thing” for his incredibly fast but out-of-control pitches and rebellious demeanor.

Major League Baseball (MLB), North American professional baseball organization that was formed in 1903 with the merger of the two U.S. professional baseball leagues—the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The NL and the AL acted as independent organizations from their founding in the

Marvin Miller: …who, as head of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Players Association, drove successful efforts to improve ballplayers’ labour rights, revolutionizing the business of professional sports as a result.

Charlie Sheen: Acting stardom in the 1980s and ’90s: …his role as Vaughn in Major League II.

Major League Soccer (MLS), North American professional football (soccer) league that is the highest level of soccer competition on that continent. Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996. The creation of the league was part of a successful bid by the United States to host the 1994 World Cup,

biome, the largest geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions. It includes various communities and is named for the dominant type of vegetation, such as grassland or coniferous forest. Several similar biomes constitute a

health insurance: …insurance coverage; another type is major medical expense protection, which provides protection against large medical costs but avoids the financial and administrative burdens involved in insuring small costs.

cockatoo: The 38-cm (15-inch) Major Mitchell’s cockatoo (C. leadbeateri), which inhabits much of interior Australia, is also awash in pink, with a yellow-and-red band crossing its forward-sweeping crest. It is among the most beautiful of the cockatoos and the hardest to train.

mayor of the palace, official of the western European kingdoms of the 6th–8th century, whose status developed under the Merovingian Franks from that of an officer of the household to that of regent or viceroy. The Merovingian kings adopted the system by which great landowners of the Roman Empire

history of logic: Syllogisms: …it occurs is called the major premise. The subject of the conclusion is called the minor term and the premise in which it occurs is called the minor premise. This way of describing major and minor terms conforms to Aristotle’s actual practice and was proposed as a definition by the…

fallacy: Formal fallacies: …be cited, that of the fallacy of illicit major (or minor) premise, which violates the rules for “distribution.” (A term is said to be distributed when reference is made to all members of the class. For example, in “Some crows are not friendly,” reference is made to all friendly things…

Rogation Days: They comprise the Major Rogation (Major Litany) on April 25 and the Minor Rogations (Minor Litany) on the three days before the feast of the Ascension (40th day after Easter).

During its long history, France has gone through numerous types of government. Under the Fifth Republic, France’s current system, the head of state is the president, who is elected by direct universal suffrage. The table provides a list of the major rulers of

history of Europe: Ecclesiastical organization: Ordination to the major orders—subdeacon (elevated to a major order by Pope Innocent III in 1215), deacon, and priest—entailed vows of chastity and conferred sacramental powers on the recipient.

major scale, in music, stepped arrangement of notes following the classical Greek Ionian mode (though mistaken nomenclature in the 16th century has since caused it to be referred to as the Lydian mode). In a major scale the intervals between successive notes after the first are tone, tone,

The United States Supreme Court issued a number of significant decisions in cases argued before the Court in its 2023–24 term, which began on October 2, 2023, and ended on July 1, 2024. The issues presented in the cases include the constitutionality of the system used to fund the Consumer Financial

The United States Supreme Court will issue a number of significant decisions in its 2024–25 term, which begins on October 7, 2024, and is likely to end in late June or early July 2025. By July 26, 2024, the Court had added fewer than 30 cases to the term, though it added more cases on October 4 and

The United States Supreme Court will have reached decisions in a number of significant cases by the end of its 2022–23 term in late June or early July. Important issues to be addressed by the Court include the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory authority, voting rights, tribal or Native

history of logic: Syllogisms: …the conclusion is called the major term, and the premise in which it occurs is called the major premise. The subject of the conclusion is called the minor term and the premise in which it occurs is called the minor premise. This way of describing major and minor terms conforms…

antipsychotic drug, any agent used in the treatment of psychosis, a form of mental illness. Psychoses can affect cognitive processes such as judgment and frequently cause delusions and hallucinations. The most widely known psychosis is schizophrenia. Effective treatments for some forms of

triad: …root, the triad is a major triad; if a minor third and a perfect fifth, it is a minor triad. These are defined as consonant triads. If the third is major and the fifth is augmented, the triad is called an augmented triad; if the third is minor and the…

Pollination is essential to the perpetuation of the vast majority of the world’s wild plants—and thus the perpetuation of nearly all terrestrial ecosystems—as well as to the production of most of the fruit and seed crops that feed humanity. The importance of this seemingly simple movement of

Canadian literature: The Quiet Revolution: …André Brochu, Paul Chamberland, and André Major, founded the magazine Parti pris (1963–68; “Position Taken”) and a publishing house of the same name to press their demands for a secular, socialist, and independent Quebec. The Parti pris writers politicized joual, the Quebec working-class dialect, by using it to express their…

Marseille: The city layout: …de la Major, the old cathedral of la Major, built on the ruins of a temple of Diana, dates from the 11th century; it was partially dismantled to make way for the eight-domed structure that in 1852 replaced it as the city’s cathedral. The dome and supporting arches of the…

John Major is a British politician and public official who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. The son of a former circus performer and vaudeville manager, Major left school at age 16 to help support his family. He worked as a bank accountant for some years and eventually

Léo Major was a decorated Canadian hero of World War II and the Korean War, known for being the only Canadian to win the Distinguished Conduct Medal in two separate wars. Major was born to French-Canadian parents (while his father was working for the American Railroad Company) in the U.S. but moved

Major Major, commander of the 256th Squadron of the U.S. Air Force in Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22 (1961). Major’s name was a practical joke by his father. Major Major was promoted to the rank of major in the air force by a

John Major is a British politician and public official who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. The son of a former circus performer and vaudeville manager, Major left school at age 16 to help support his family. He worked as a bank accountant for some years and eventually

marjoram, (Origanum majorana), perennial plant of the mint family (Lamiaceae), grown as a culinary herb. Its fresh or dried leaves and flowering tops are used to season many foods, imparting a warm, aromatic, slightly sharp, and bitterish flavour. Marjoram is particularly appreciated for the taste

marjoram: Pot marjoram (O. onites) is also cultivated for its aromatic leaves and is used to flavour food. Oregano, or wild marjoram (O. vulgare), is a popular culinary herb native to Europe and Asia.

Majorca, island, Balearic Islands provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), Spain. Majorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which lie in the western Mediterranean Sea. It contains two mountainous regions, each about 50 miles (80 km) in length and occupying the

Louis Majorelle was a French artist, cabinetmaker, furniture designer, and ironworker who was one of the leading exponents of the Art Nouveau style. The son of a cabinetmaker, Majorelle was trained as a painter and went in 1877 to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under

Majorian was the Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461, the only man to hold that office in the 5th century who had some claim to greatness. Born of a distinguished military family, he served under the master of soldiers Aetius and helped overthrow the emperor Avitus (reigned 455–456). The real

Majorian was the Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461, the only man to hold that office in the 5th century who had some claim to greatness. Born of a distinguished military family, he served under the master of soldiers Aetius and helped overthrow the emperor Avitus (reigned 455–456). The real

Majorca, island, Balearic Islands provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), Spain. Majorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which lie in the western Mediterranean Sea. It contains two mountainous regions, each about 50 miles (80 km) in length and occupying the

Donatist: …then appointed a reader (lector), Majorinus, to replace Caecilian.

Italian literature: Poetry after World War II: …concerns of the linea lombarda; Giancarlo Majorino, who progressed from Neorealism to Sperimentalismo (“Experimentalism”); Giampiero Neri (pseudonym of Giampiero Pontiggia), influenced in his descriptive narratives by Vittorio Sereni; Giorgio Cesarano, another poetic narrator who abandoned poetry in 1969, before his subsequent suicide (1975); and Tiziano Rossi, whose dominant moral concern…

majoritarianism, the idea that the numerical majority of a population should have the final say in determining the outcome of a decision. From the time of classical Greek philosophers through the 18th century, including the founders of the United States such as James Madison, majoritarianism has

semiconductor device: The p-n junction: …carriers and so are called majority carriers. A few thermally generated electrons will also exist in the p side; these are termed minority carriers. On the n side the electrons are the majority carriers, while the holes are the minority carriers. Near the junction is a region having no free-charge…

United States: The legislative branch: …two main parties are the majority floor leader and the minority floor leader. The floor leaders are assisted by party whips, who are responsible for maintaining contact between the leadership and the members of the House. Bills introduced by members in the House of Representatives are received by standing committees,…

Mervyn LeRoy: Return to Warner Brothers: Mister Roberts, The Bad Seed, and Gypsy: …after a volcano erupts, and A Majority of One (1962) was a lengthy adaptation of the Broadway success, with the unusual casting of Rosalind Russell as a Jewish divorcée and Alec Guinness as a Japanese diplomat. Russell was better served in Gypsy (1962) as Rose Hovick, the frightening stage mother…

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), national political party in India. It was formed in 1984. The BSP states that it represents the people at the lowest levels of the Hindu social system—those officially designated as members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes—as well as

plurality system: It is distinguished from the majority system, in which, to win, a candidate must receive more votes than all other candidates combined. Election by a plurality is the most common method of selecting candidates for public office.

plurality system: It is distinguished from the majority system, in which, to win, a candidate must receive more votes than all other candidates combined. Election by a plurality is the most common method of selecting candidates for public office.

democracy: Majority rule, minority rights, majority tyranny: The fear of “majority tyranny” was a common theme in the 17th century and later, even among those who were sympathetic to democracy. Given the opportunity, it was argued, a majority would surely trample on the fundamental rights of minorities. Property rights were…

minor, person below the legal age of majority or adulthood. The age of majority varies in different countries, and even in different jurisdictions within a country. It also differs with the type of activity concerned, such as marrying, purchasing alcohol, or driving an automobile. Twenty-one years

Alexander Majors was an American businessman and co-proprietor of Russell, Majors and Waddell, the most prominent freight, mail, and passenger transportation company in the United States in the mid-19th century. The company founded and operated the Pony Express (1860–61). Majors grew up on the