oil cake, coarse residue obtained after oil is removed from various oilseeds, rich in protein and minerals and valuable as poultry and other animal feed. It may be broken up and sold or be ground into oil meal. Oil cakes from certain seeds such as castor beans and tung nuts are toxic and are used

magnoliid clade: Vegetative structures: Most magnoliids contain ethereal oil cells, commonly with isoquinoline alkaloids, in their leaves and often in other aerial parts as well. Such ethereal oil cells are not found in other subclasses. It has been suggested that they form a chemical defense mechanism against predators and pathogens.

Oil City, city, Venango county, northwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., on a bend of the Allegheny River at the mouth of Oil Creek, 70 miles (113 km) north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1860 on the site of a Seneca Indian village, it burgeoned as an oil centre after the drilling of the world’s first oil well

oil crisis, a sudden rise in the price of oil that is often accompanied by decreased supply. Since oil provides the main source of energy for advanced industrial economies, an oil crisis can endanger economic and political stability throughout the global economy. In the post-World War II period

oil extraction, isolation of oil from animal by-products, fleshy fruits such as the olive and palm, and oilseeds such as cottonseed, sesame seed, soybeans, and peanuts. Oil is extracted by three general methods: rendering, used with animal products and oleaginous fruits; mechanical pressing, for

Arctic: Environmental concerns: Oil and gas fields have been particularly bad offenders in this respect. When work on them started—in the 1950s in Siberia and in the 1970s in North America—the reaction of frozen ground to heavy vehicle traffic was not yet widely known, so that many areas…

gasoline engine: Lubrication system: Oil filters, if regularly serviced, can remove solid contaminants from crankcase oil, but chemical reactions may form liquids that are corrosive and damaging. Depletion of the additives also limits the useful life of lubricating oils.

oil gland, any of a variety of skin structures that secrete oily or greasy substances of various functions. In birds, the preen gland, or uropygial gland, located on the back at the base of the tail, supplies oil that is spread upon the feathers during preening. In mammals, sebaceous glands provide

preen gland, in birds, an organ located on the back near the base of the tail. Paired or in two united halves, it is found in most birds. Absent in ostrich, emu, cassowary, bustard, frogmouth, and a few other birds, the oil gland is best-developed in aquatic species, notably petrels and pelicans,

painting: Oil: An oil glaze is a transparent wash of pigment, traditionally thinned with an oleoresin or with stand oil (a concentrate of linseed oil). Glazes can be used to create deep, glowing shadows and to bring contrasted colors into closer harmony beneath a unifying tinted film. Scumbling…

oil grass, (genus Cymbopogon), genus of about 70 species of aromatic oil-containing grasses in the family Poaceae. Oil grasses are native to the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and Australia and have been introduced to tropical America. Several species have a strong citrus scent and are

crude oil: Chemical and physical properties: The petroleum industry, however, uses the American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity scale, in which pure water has been arbitrarily assigned an API gravity of 10°. Liquids lighter than water, such as oil, have API gravities numerically greater than 10. On the basis of their API gravity,…

lighthouse: Lighthouses of antiquity: …1st century ce, candles or oil lamps were used in lanterns with panes of glass or horn.

John Munonye: Munonye’s later novels include Oil Man of Obange (1971) and A Wreath for the Maidens (1973). His novel A Dancer of Fortune (1974) is a satire of modern Nigerian business. Munonye returned to the family of his first two novels in Bridge to a Wedding (1978). Thereafter he published…

Santalaceae: Major genera and species: …oil, or buffalo, nut (Pyrularia pubera), the oil-filled pear-shaped fruit of a North American parasite, are other commonly known members of the family.

bay tree: …twigs that, when distilled, yieldoil of bay, which is used in perfumery and in the preparation of bay rum; it is a member of the family Myrtaceae.

Betulaceae: Major genera and species: Oil of betula, obtained from birch twigs, smells and tastes like wintergreen and is used in tanning Russian leather. A number of species are valued as ornamentals.

cassia: …contains 1 to 2 percent oil of cassia, a volatile oil the principal component of which is cinnamic aldehyde. Cassia bark is used as a flavouring in cooking and particularly in liqueurs and chocolate. Southern Europeans generally prefer it to true cinnamon, and in North America ground cinnamon is commonly…

peppermint: Oil of peppermint, a volatile essential oil distilled with steam from the herb, is widely used for flavouring confectionery, chewing gum, dentifrices, and medicines. Pure oil of peppermint is nearly colourless. It consists principally of menthol and menthone. Menthol, also called mint camphor or peppermint…

attar of roses, fragrant, colourless or pale-yellow liquid essential oil distilled from fresh petals of Rosa damascena and R. gallica and other species of the rose family Rosaceae. Rose oils are a valuable ingredient of fine perfumes and liqueurs. They are also used for flavouring lozenges and

Laurales: Lauraceae: Oil of sassafras, as much as 80 percent composed of the compound safrole, was previously distilled in large quantities from the bark enclosing the roots of Sassafras albidum (also called S. officinale), a plant native to Canada and the United States. This oil once served…

lavender: Essential oil: Spike oil, or spike lavender oil, is distilled from a somewhat inferior grade of lavender. Oil of spike is used in painting on porcelain, in soap manufacture, and to scent other products.

turpentine: …called oil (or spirit) of turpentine and a nonvolatile portion called rosin. Although the term turpentine originally referred to the whole oleoresinous exudate, it now commonly refers to its volatile turpentine fraction only, which has various uses in industry and the visual arts.

sulfuric acid, dense, colourless, oily, corrosive liquid; one of the most commercially important of all chemicals. Sulfuric acid is prepared industrially by the reaction of water with sulfur trioxide (see sulfur oxide), which in turn is made by chemical combination of sulfur dioxide and oxygen

essential oil: Chemical composition: …a few components predominate: thus oil of wintergreen contains about 98 percent of methyl salicylate; orange oil, about 90 percent of d-limonene; bois de rose, 90 percent of linalool; and cassia, up to 95 percent of cinnamaldehyde. In most oils there is a mixture of anywhere from a few dozen…

oil painting, painting in oil colours, a medium consisting of pigments suspended in drying oils. The outstanding facility with which fusion of tones or colour is achieved makes it unique among fluid painting mediums; at the same time, satisfactory linear treatment and crisp effects are easily

oil palm, (Elaeis guineensis), African tree in the palm family (Arecaceae), cultivated as a source of oil. The oil palm is grown extensively in its native West and Central Africa, as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia. Palm oil, obtained from the fruits, is used in making soaps, cosmetics, candles,

gasoline engine: Cylinder block: …the cylinder head, main bearings, oil pan, and other units. The crankcase is formed by the portion of the cylinder block below the cylinder bores and the stamped or cast metal oil pan that forms the lower enclosure of the engine and also serves as a lubricating oil reservoir, or…

painting: Oil pastels: Oil pastels are pigments ground in mastic with a variety of oils and waxes. They are used in a similar way to that of French pastels but are already fixed and harder, producing a permanent, waxy finish. Oil-pastel paintings are generally executed on…

oil plant, any of the numerous plants, either under cultivation or growing wild, used as sources of oil. Oil plants include trees such as palm, herbaceous plants such as flax, and even fungi (Fusarium). Vegetable oils are used principally for food (mostly as shortening, margarines, and salad and

materials science: Oil platforms: An important example of dealing with old problems by modern methods is provided by the prevention of crack growth in offshore oil-drilling platforms. The primary structure consists of welded steel tubing that is subject to continually varying stress from ocean waves. Since the…

environmental law: Command-and-control legislation: …stored, and the United States Oil Pollution Act (1990) mandates that all oil tankers of a certain size and age operating in U.S. waters be double-hulled.

fat and oil processing: oil processing, method by which fatty animal and plant substances are prepared for eating by humans.

petroleum refining: Processing configurations: Each petroleum refinery is uniquely configured to process a specific raw material into a desired slate of products. In order to determine which configuration is most economical, engineers and planners survey the local market for petroleum products and assess the available raw materials. Since about half…

Teapot Dome Scandal, in American history, scandal of the early 1920s surrounding the secret leasing of federal oil reserves by the secretary of the interior, Albert Bacon Fall. After U.S. Pres. Warren G. Harding transferred supervision of the naval oil-reserve lands from the navy to the Department

derrick: In the petroleum industry, a derrick consisting of a framework or tower of wood or steel is erected over the deep drill holes of oil wells to support the tackle for boring, to raise and lower the drilling tools in the well, and to insert and remove the well casing…

Oil Rivers, area comprising the delta of the Niger River in modern Nigeria, western Africa. The Oil Rivers Protectorate was established by the British in 1885. It was renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate in 1893 and in 1900 was joined to the Nigerian territories administered by the British

tar sand, deposit of loose sand or partially consolidated sandstone that is saturated with highly viscous bitumen. Oil recovered from tar sands is commonly referred to as synthetic crude and is a potentially significant form of fossil fuel. A brief treatment of tar sands follows. For full

shaft seal, in machinery, a device that prevents the passage of fluids along a rotating shaft. Seals are necessary when a shaft extends from a housing (enclosure) containing oil, such as a pump or a gear box. A common type of shaft seal consists of an elastomer (elastic rubberlike) ring bonded to a

oil shale, any sedimentary rock containing various amounts of solid organic material that yields petroleum products, along with a variety of solid by-products, when subjected to pyrolysis—a treatment that consists of heating the rock to above 300 °C (about 575 °F) in the absence of oxygen. The

painting: Techniques and methods: …a small oil sketch, or modella, for his client’s approval before carrying out a large-scale commission. Siting problems peculiar to mural painting, such as spectator eye level and the scale, style, and function of a building interior, had first to be solved in preparatory drawings and sometimes with the use…

oil spill, leakage of petroleum onto the surface of a large body of water. Oceanic oil spills became a major environmental problem in the 1960s, chiefly as a result of intensified petroleum exploration and production on continental shelves and the use of supertankers capable of transporting more

gasoline engine: Lubrication system: …system is fed by the oil sump that forms the lower enclosure of the engine. Oil is taken from the sump by a pump, usually of the gear type, and is passed through a filter and delivered under pressure to a system of passages or channels drilled through the engine.…

electric switch: The oil switch has its live parts immersed in oil to reduce arcing. The aggregate of switching or circuit-breaking equipment for a power station or a transforming station, frequently located in an outdoor yard (switchyard) beside the station, is usually regarded as switchgear.

Strait of Hormuz: …and economic importance, especially as oil tankers collecting from various ports on the Persian Gulf must pass through the strait. In the mid-2010s one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the strait, including about one-third of all seaborne trade. The strait also became important for the supply of liquefied…

leather: Modern leather making: Oil tanning is an old method in which fish oil or other oil and fatty substances are stocked, or pounded, into dried hide until they have replaced the natural moisture of the original skin. Oil tanning is used principally to make chamois leather, a soft…

petroleum trap, underground rock formation that blocks the movement of petroleum and causes it to accumulate in a reservoir that can be exploited. The oil is accompanied always by water and often by natural gas; all are confined in a porous and permeable reservoir rock, which is usually composed of

petroleum production: The oil well: Early oil wells were drilled with impact-type tools in a method called cable-tool drilling. A weighted chisel-shaped bit was suspended from a cable to a lever

petroleum: From kerogen to petroleum: the mature stage: …environment is called the “oil window.” In areas of higher than normal geothermal gradient (increase in temperature with depth), the oil window exists at shallower depths in younger sediments but is narrower. Maximum hydrocarbon generation occurs from depths of 2,000 to 2,900 metres (6,600 to 9,500 feet). Below 2,900…

Upton Sinclair: His novel Oil! (1927) was based on the Teapot Dome Scandal (it loosely served as the basis of the Academy Award-winning film There Will Be Blood [2007]), and Boston (1928) was inspired by the Sacco-Vanzetti case. His searing novel The Wet Parade (1931; film 1932) is about…

Karen Silkwood: Silkwood joined the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) and, shortly after starting her job, participated in a nine-week union strike. As a member of the union’s bargaining committee, Silkwood began to monitor the plant’s health and safety practices, which she found lacking; spills, falsification of records,…

essential oil, highly volatile substance isolated by a physical process from an odoriferous plant of a single botanical species. The oil bears the name of the plant from which it is derived; for example, rose oil or peppermint oil. Such oils were called essential because they were thought to

oil, any greasy substance that is liquid at room temperature and insoluble in water. There are many types, such as essential oil; orris oil; mineral oil (see petroleum); whale oil; pine oil; linseed oil; perilla oil; fish oil; tall oil; citronella oil. There is also cooking oil, such as olive,

materials science: Oil platforms: An important example of dealing with old problems by modern methods is provided by the prevention of crack growth in offshore oil-drilling platforms. The primary structure consists of welded steel tubing that is subject to continually varying stress from ocean waves. Since the…

Millikan oil-drop experiment, first direct and compelling measurement of the electric charge of a single electron. It was performed originally in 1909 by the American physicist Robert A. Millikan, who devised a straightforward method of measuring the minute electric charge that is present on many

Kofi Annan: …following an investigation into the oil-for-food program, which had allowed Iraq—under UN supervision—to sell a set amount of oil in order to purchase food, medicine, and other necessities. A report described major corruption within the program and revealed that Annan’s son was part of a Swiss business that had won…

Giovanni Battista Amici: … design and introduced (1840) the oil-immersion technique, in which the objective lens is immersed in a drop of oil placed atop the specimen under observation in order to minimize light aberrations.

pharmaceutical industry: Liquid dosage forms: Oil-in-water emulsions will mix readily with water-based liquids, while water-in-oil emulsions mix more easily with oils. Milk is a common example of an oil-in-water emulsion. In order to prevent the separation of the two liquids, most pharmaceutical emulsions contain a naturally occurring emulsifying agent such…

vacuum technology: Oil-sealed rotary pump: Capacities >are available from 12 to 1,000 cubic feet per minute, operating from atmospheric pressure down to as low as 2 × 10-2 torr for single-stage pumps and less than 5 × 10-3 torr for two-stage pumps. The pumps develop their full…

guerrilla warfare: Counterguerrilla warfare: …employed this tache d’huile, or oil-spot, strategy in Algeria, where he used the army not as an instrument of repression but, in conjunction with civil services, as a positive social force—“the organization on the march.”

cement: Types of portland cement: Oil-well cements are used for cementing work in the drilling of oil wells where they are subject to high temperatures and pressures. They usually consist of portland or pozzolanic cement (see below) with special organic retarders to prevent the cement from setting too quickly.

oilbird, (Steatornis caripensis), nocturnal bird of South America that lives in caves and feeds on fruit, mainly the nuts of oil palms. The oilbird is an aberrant member of the order Caprimulgiformes; it comprises the family Steatornithidae. About 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, with fanlike tail

Aran Islands, three limestone islands—Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer—comprising 18 square miles (47 square km) and lying across the mouth of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. They are administratively part of County Galway. The islands, whose sheer cliffs face the Atlantic Ocean, are

Astrodome: …for the National Football League’s Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1968.

fat and oil processing: General methods of extraction: …(palm and olive); and various oilseeds. Most oilseeds are grown specifically for processing to oils and protein meals, but several important vegetable oils are obtained from by-product raw materials. Cottonseed is a by-product of cotton grown for fibre, and corn oil is obtained from the corn germ that accumulates from…

Imbolc, (Middle Irish, probably literally, “milking”), ancient Celtic religious festival, celebrated on February 1 to mark the beginning of spring. The festival apparently was a feast of purification for farmers and has been compared to the Roman lustrations. Imbolc was associated with the goddess

oinochoe, wine jug from the classical period of Greek pottery. A graceful vessel with delicately curved handle and trefoil-shaped mouth, the oinochoe was revived during the Renaissance and again during the Neoclassical period of the 18th

pharmaceutical industry: Semisolid dosage forms: Semisolid dosage forms include ointments and creams. Ointments are preparations for external use, intended for application to the skin. Typically, they have an oily or greasy consistency and can appear “stiff” as they are applied to the skin. Ointments contain drug that may act on the skin or be…

Oio, region located in north-central Guinea-Bissau. It was created from the former concelhos (municipalities) of Farim, Bissorã, and Mansôa in the mid-1970s. Oio’s border with the Quinará region, its neighbour to the south, is formed by the Gêba River, which flows east-west. The Mansôa River flows

Oirat, any of the peoples speaking western dialects of the Mongol language group. In the 13th century the western Mongols were enemies of the eastern Mongols of Genghis Khan’s empire. During the following centuries the western Mongols maintained a separate existence under a confederation known as

Altaic languages: The Mongolian languages: Spoken Oirat is similar to spoken Kalmyk, though written Oirat utilizes a variant of the old Mongolian vertical script. The dialects of spoken Khalkha, Buryat, and Mongol in China are little differentiated. With the exception of such outlying languages as Moghol, Daur, and Monguor (Tu), the…

Ireland: Constitutional framework: …promulgates bills passed by the Oireachtas (Parliament) and, when so advised by the prime minister (taoiseach), summons and dissolves the Oireachtas. The president may, however, refuse to dissolve the Oireachtas on the advice of a prime minister who has ceased to command a majority in the Dáil Éireann (House of…

Altay, republic, southern Russia, in the Altai Mountains. It s bounded on the south by Mongolia and China. It embraces a complex series of ranges and high plateaus, divided by deep valleys and broad basins, that attain a maximum height of 14,783 feet (4,506 metres) in Mount Belukha. Steppe

Picardy: …encompassed the northern départements of Oise, Somme, and Aisne. In 2016 Picardy was joined with the région of Nord–Pas-de-Calais to form the new administrative entity of Hauts-de-France.

Oise River: …is a link in the canal system between the navigable waterways of the Seine system and the canals of the north of France, which connect the center of the Paris Basin with the former coal basin (the Saint-Quentin and Nord canals) and the longest canals, leading to Dunkirk and Belgium.…

Oise River, river that rises in Belgium in the Ardennes mountains, southeast of Chimay. It enters France northeast of Hirson, 9 miles (15 km) from its source, and flows generally southwestward, watering the Paris Basin, to join the Seine River at Conflans, after a course of 188 miles (302 km). It

The Blue Bird, play for children by Maurice Maeterlinck, published as L’Oiseau bleu in 1908. In a fairy-tale-like setting, Tyltyl and Mytyl, the son and daughter of a poor woodcutter, are sent out by the Fairy Bérylune to search the world for the Blue Bird of Happiness. After many adventures, they

The Firebird, ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. It was the first international success of the composer’s career. Although The Firebird was the work that elevated Stravinsky to international renown, he was offered the commission to compose the

Jean Theodore Delacour: Later he wrote his Oiseaux de l’Indochine Française (1931; “The Birds of French Indochina”), which became a standard work on the birds of that region.

Louis-Honoré Fréchette: … (1879; “The Northern Flowers”) and Les Oiseaux de neige (1879; “The Snow Birds”) were awarded the Prix Montyon in 1880, the first time the work of a Canadian had been honoured by the French Academy. A controversial representative of liberal nationalism, Fréchette then wrote La Légende d’un peuple (1887; “The…

Édouard Maunick: In his first poetry collection, Les Oiseaux du sang (1954; “The Birds of Blood”), Maunick introduced a perspective that became characteristic of his later work; he rejected the sentimental search for roots to establish his individual identity. In Les Manèges de la mer (1964; “Taming the Sea”), he lamented his…

47 rōnin: …and Asano’s retainers, headed by Ōishi Yoshio, at once met to determine their future actions. They were now rōnin, or masterless samurai, and without a clear means of support. Some favoured resisting if the castle had to be yielded; others swore an oath to disembowel themselves before the castle gate.…

Ossian, the Irish warrior-poet of the Fenian cycle of hero tales about Finn MacCumhaill (MacCool) and his war band, the Fianna Éireann. The name Ossian became known throughout Europe in 1762, when the Scottish poet James Macpherson “discovered” and published the poems of Oisín, first with the epic

David Oistrakh was a world-renowned Soviet violin virtuoso acclaimed for his exceptional technique and tone production. A violin student from age five, Oistrakh graduated from the Odessa Conservatory in 1926 and made his Moscow debut in 1929. He gave recitals throughout the Soviet Union and eastern

David Oistrakh was a world-renowned Soviet violin virtuoso acclaimed for his exceptional technique and tone production. A violin student from age five, Oistrakh graduated from the Odessa Conservatory in 1926 and made his Moscow debut in 1929. He gave recitals throughout the Soviet Union and eastern

Igor Oistrakh was a Ukrainian violinist noted for his lean, modernist interpretations. Oistrakh studied with his father, the famous violinist David Oistrakh, and also attended the Central Music School in Moscow, making his concert debut in 1948. He then studied at the Moscow Conservatory (1949–55),

Igor Oistrakh was a Ukrainian violinist noted for his lean, modernist interpretations. Oistrakh studied with his father, the famous violinist David Oistrakh, and also attended the Central Music School in Moscow, making his concert debut in 1948. He then studied at the Moscow Conservatory (1949–55),

Ōita, ken (prefecture), northeastern Kyushu, Japan, facing the Suō Sea and Bungo Strait of the Pacific Ocean. Its interior is dominated by a complex mountain system, and most human activity centres on small coastal plains. The long, irregular coastline is marked by deep-cut Beppu Bay and the

Central Greece: …a more easterly trend: the Oeta (Oíti), which reaches 7,060 feet (2,152 m); the Gióna, 8,235 feet (2,510 m); and the Parnassus (Parnassós), 8,061 feet (2,457 m). Outliers of the Parnassus are the Helicon (Elikónas), Kithairón, Párnis, and Imittós (Hymettus), the last a great ridge east of the most populous…

Ojai, city, Ventura county, southern California, U.S. Situated 12 miles (19 km) north of Ventura and about 85 miles (135 km) northwest of Los Angeles, it lies in the Ojai Valley flanked by mountains. Originally inhabited by Chumash Indians, the site under Spanish rule was an outpost ranchería of

Małopolskie: Geography: …lakes, and hundreds of caves; Ojców National Park, also known for its caves, including the 755-foot- (230-metre-) long Ciemna Cave, which bears traces of human settlement dating back more than 100,000 years; and Pieniny National Park, the site of the spectacular Dunajec River Gorge, cut by the Dunajec River, which…

Vasco Núñez de Balboa: Career in the New World: …to a colony founded by Alonso de Ojeda on the coast of Urabá, in modern Colombia. The expedition found the survivors of the colony, led by Francisco Pizarro, but Ojeda had departed. On the advice of Balboa the settlers moved across the Gulf of Urabá to Darién, on the less…

Ojibwe, Algonquian-speaking Indigenous North American group who traditionally lived in what are now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota and North Dakota, United States, from Lake Huron westward onto the Plains. Their name for themselves, Anishinaabe, means “original people.” In Canada those

biblical literature: Non-European versions: The New Testament appeared in Ojibwa in 1833, and the whole Bible was translated for the Dakota peoples in 1879. The Labrador Eskimos had a New Testament in 1826 and a complete Bible in 1871.

Ojibwe, Algonquian-speaking Indigenous North American group who traditionally lived in what are now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota and North Dakota, United States, from Lake Huron westward onto the Plains. Their name for themselves, Anishinaabe, means “original people.” In Canada those

Ojibwe, Algonquian-speaking Indigenous North American group who traditionally lived in what are now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota and North Dakota, United States, from Lake Huron westward onto the Plains. Their name for themselves, Anishinaabe, means “original people.” In Canada those

biblical literature: Non-European versions: The New Testament appeared in Ojibwa in 1833, and the whole Bible was translated for the Dakota peoples in 1879. The Labrador Eskimos had a New Testament in 1826 and a complete Bible in 1871.

Ōjin was a semilegendary 15th emperor of Japan, who according to tradition flourished in the 3rd–4th century. Ōjin is believed to have consolidated imperial power, spearheaded land reform, and actively promoted cultural exchanges with Korea and China. It is said that highly skilled weaving

Ōjin was a semilegendary 15th emperor of Japan, who according to tradition flourished in the 3rd–4th century. Ōjin is believed to have consolidated imperial power, spearheaded land reform, and actively promoted cultural exchanges with Korea and China. It is said that highly skilled weaving

Squid Game, South Korean horror thriller television series that was released on the streaming service Netflix in September 2021 and quickly became its most-watched series that year, going on to achieve global popularity and become a pop culture phenomenon. The series, created and directed by South