flamingo: ruber ruber) and the Old World flamingo (P. ruber roseus) of Africa and southern Europe and Asia. The Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) is primarily an inland species. Two smaller species that live high in the Andes Mountains of South America are the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) and the puna,…

tyrant flycatcher: Like the Old World flycatchers of the family Muscicapidae, the fly-catching tyrannids dart from a perch to seize insects on the wing. The bills of such forms of flycatcher are broad, flattened, and slightly hooked, with bristles at the base that appear to serve as aids in…

Old World fruit bat, (family Pteropodidae), any of more than 180 species of large-eyed fruit-eating or flower-feeding bats widely distributed from Africa to Southeast Asia and Australia. Some species are solitary, some gregarious. Most roost in the open in trees, but some inhabit caves, rocks, or

harvest mouse: Old World harvest mouse: The single species of Old World harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) lives from Great Britain and Europe westward to Siberia and Korea, southern China, Assam, and Japan. As suggested by its scientific name, it is among the smallest of rodents, weighing less…

kestrel: The common kestrel (F. tinnunculus), ranging over most of the Old World and sometimes called the Old World, Eurasian, or European kestrel, is slightly larger than the American kestrel but less colourful. It is the only kestrel in Britain, where it is called “windhover” from its…

Hipposiderinae, subfamily of insect-eating bats, suborder Microchiroptera, family Rhinolophidae, with 9 genera and approximately 66 species. Known as roundleaf bats, hipposiderine bats are characterized by a round nose leaf (fleshy appendage on the muzzle), consisting of an anterior

primate: The brain: …sulci are well marked in Old World monkeys and in the apes, the complexity of the pattern closely approximating the tortuous mazelike pattern seen in humans.

painted snipe: The Old World painted snipe (Rostratula benghalensis) ranges from Africa to Australia and Japan and has yellowish “spectacles” around the eyes. The South American painted snipe (Nycticryphes semicollaris) is a darker bird with a yellow-striped back.

pitcher plant: Nepenthaceae: The family Nepenthaceae consists of a single genus, Nepenthes, with some 140 species of tropical pitcher plants native to Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Most of these species are perennials that grow in very acidic soil, though some are epiphytic and live on the…

porcupine: Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair. No porcupine can throw its quills, but they detach easily and will remain embedded in an attacker. Base coloration ranges from…

lagomorph: Natural history: …commonly recognized forms are the European rabbit (O. cuniculus) and the cottontail rabbits of the Western Hemisphere (genus Sylvilagus).

fox: …which lives in both the Old World and the New World. Several other foxes belong to genera other than Vulpes, including the North American gray fox, five species of South American fox, the Arctic fox (including the blue fox), the bat-eared fox, and the crab-eating fox.

Asia: The Palearctic region: A distinction can be made between the animal life of the tundra in the north and that of the adjacent taiga farther south. The taiga in turn merges into the steppes, which have their own distinctive forms of animal life. Finally, the faunas…

bat: Annotated classification: Family Myzopodidae (Old World sucker-footed bat) 1 species in 1 genus (Myzopoda) endemic to Madagascar. Small, plain muzzle; large ears with peculiar mushroom-shaped lobe. Thumb and sole with adhesive disks; vestigial thumb claw; tail extends free beyond interfemoral membrane. Probably insectivorous; biology unknown. Suborder Megachiroptera

community ecology: Specialization in parasites: …Old World swallowtail group (Papilio machaon). In the Old World swallowtail group are several species that feed on plants in the carrot family Apiaceae (also called Umbelliferae), with different populations feeding on different plant species. However, one species within this group, the Oregon swallowtail (Papilio oregonius), has become specialized…

viper: …pit vipers (subfamily Crotalinae) and Old World vipers (subfamily Viperinae), which are considered separate families by some authorities. They eat small animals and hunt by striking and envenomating their prey. Vipers are characterized by a pair of long, hollow, venom-injecting fangs attached to movable bones of the upper jaw (the…

vulture: Old World vultures: The cinereous vulture, sometimes called the black vulture (Aegypius monachus), is one of the largest flying birds. Many scientists consider this bird to be the largest vulture and the largest bird of prey. It is about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long and…

Sylviidae, songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of numerous species of small dull-coloured active birds found in a variety of habitats. The group includes some species of Old World warblers and parrotbills. Members range in size from 9 to 26 cm (3.5 to 10 inches) long. They have thin

water shrew: …Chimarrogale) and three species of Old World water shrews (genus Neomys). All are classified in the family Soricidae of the order Soricimorpha, which belongs to a larger group of mammals referred to as insectivores.

Waukesha: Old World Wisconsin, a 600-acre (240-hectare) historical site about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Waukesha, contains restored buildings and re-creations of the pioneer life of the different ethnic groups that settled the state in the 19th century. Waukesha is the birthplace of Les Paul,…

Xiang language: …Xiang are New Xiang and Old Xiang. New Xiang, which is spoken predominantly around Changsha, the capital of Hunan, has been strongly influenced by Mandarin Chinese. Old Xiang, which is spoken in other areas of the province, including Shuangfeng, is similar in several respects to the Wu language. Old Xiang…

Robert Stevenson: Films for Disney: Later in 1957 came Old Yeller, a heartbreaking drama based on Fred Gipson’s book about a boy (Tommy Kirk) and his dog in 1850s Texas; his parents were played by Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker. Also successful was Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), a whimsical fantasy centring…

Toggenburg Succession: …this settlement led to the Old Zürich War, in which Schwyz, and later other members of the confederation, successfully opposed Zürich.

Louisa May Alcott: …drawn from her early experiences: An Old-Fashioned Girl (1870); Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag, 6 vol. (1872–82); Eight Cousins (1875); and Rose in Bloom (1876).

Elsie Clews Parsons: …books, Religious Chastity (1913) and The Old Fashioned Woman (1913), the latter of which is a sharp and witty analysis of the genesis of traditional sex roles and behaviour and the cultural codes that sustain them. Fear and Conventionality (1914), Social Freedom (1915), and Social Rule (1916) appeared under her…

toadflax: …in the genus Nuttallanthus, including blue, or old-field, toadflax (N. canadensis, formerly L. canadensis), a delicate light blue flowering plant found throughout North America.

old-growth forest, a climax forest in the late stages of stand development containing large, old trees and a complex stand structure that has been generally undisturbed by human activities. The definition of an old-growth forest varies from country to country, but most definitions share an

beard lichen: Major species: Old-man’s-beard (Usnea barbata) was first described in 300 bce as a hair-growth stimulant, and extracts of various species are still sold as herbal medicines to facilitate hair growth. Hanging moss (U. longissima) looks like gray threads about 1.5 metres (5 feet) long hanging from tree…

echeveria: Many are popularly called hen-and-chicks because of the way new plantlets, or offsets, develop in a cluster around the parent plant. The usually broad fleshy leaves have waxy, velvety, or powdery surfaces and are often iridescent and sometimes red-edged when in bright sunlight. Echeverias are popular with collectors of…

Jerry Falwell: …on a radio program, the Old-Time Gospel Hour. Six months later the program began appearing on a local television network, and eventually it went into national and even international syndication and claimed more than 50 million regular viewers.

old man cactus: …golden old man (Pilosocereus chrysacanthus); old woman (Mammillaria hahniana); Chilean old lady (Eriosyce senilis); and old man of the mountain (Cleistocactus trollii).

Spike Lee: Oldboy (2013) was a violent revenge drama based on a Japanese manga (which had previously been adapted as a South Korean film). Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) was a reinterpretation of the 1973 horror film Ganja & Hess.

Sir John Falstaff, one of the most famous comic characters in all English literature, who appears in four of William Shakespeare’s plays. Entirely the creation of Shakespeare, Falstaff is said to have been partly modeled on Sir John Oldcastle, a soldier and the martyred leader of the Lollard sect.

Sir John Oldcastle was a distinguished soldier and martyred leader of the Lollards, a late medieval English sect derived from the teachings of John Wycliffe. He was an approximate model for 16th-century English dramatic characters, including Shakespeare’s Falstaff. The son of Sir Richard Oldcastle,

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was a lawyer, statesman, and, after William I the Silent, the second founding father of an independent Netherlands. He mobilized Dutch forces under William’s son Maurice and devised the anti-Spanish triple alliance with France and England (1596). In the Twelve Years’ Truce

Oldenburg, city, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. Situated at the junction of the Hunte River and the Küsten Canal, which links the Hunte and Ems rivers, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Bremen, Oldenburg lies at the eastern approach to the North Sea coastal district of Leer, East

Oldenburg, former German state, successively a countship, a duchy, a grand duchy, and a Land (state) before it became a Regierungsbezirk (administrative district) of Lower Saxony Land in West Germany in 1946. As a result of the administrative reorganization in 1977, Oldenburg became part of the

Denmark: Margaret I and the Kalmar Union: Christian I, founder of the Oldenburg dynasty, succeeded to the Danish and Norwegian thrones, but efforts to bring Sweden back into the union were only intermittently successful, and when Christian died in 1481, he did not rule that country. He was succeeded by his son John (Hans), whose coronation charter…

Christopher, count of Oldenburg was a professional soldier after whom the Count’s War, Denmark’s 1533–36 civil conflict, was named. A leader of mercenary forces, Christopher’s greatest opportunity for fame and power came in 1534, when he was given command over Danish and Lübeck forces favouring the

Claes Oldenburg was a Swedish-born American Pop-art sculptor, best known for his giant soft sculptures of everyday objects. Much of Oldenburg’s early life was spent in the United States, Sweden, and Norway, a result of moves his father made as a Swedish consular official. He was educated at Yale

Claes Oldenburg was a Swedish-born American Pop-art sculptor, best known for his giant soft sculptures of everyday objects. Much of Oldenburg’s early life was spent in the United States, Sweden, and Norway, a result of moves his father made as a Swedish consular official. He was educated at Yale

Benedict de Spinoza: Rijnsburg and The Hague: …Rijnsburg, he was visited by Henry Oldenburg, who later became secretary of the Royal Society. Oldenburg had probably heard of Spinoza through Peter Serrarius, a millenarian merchant in Amsterdam who handled Spinoza’s dealings with the outside world. Oldenburg subsequently put Spinoza into contact with the eminent British scientist and theologian…

Lutheran Church of Oldenburg, independent Lutheran church in Oldenburg, Ger. Pastors who had accepted the Lutheran faith were established in Oldenburg during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, and in 1573 an order for church government and the Lutheran confessions were accepted for the church.

George Michael: Solo career and personal life: In 1996 he released Older, his most personal and autobiographical collection of songs, including “Jesus to a Child” and “You Have Been Loved,” both of which were inspired by his former partner, Anselmo Feleppa, who had died in 1993. Six of the singles from Older reached the top 10…

social service: Administration of services in the United States: Amendments to the Older Americans Act of 1965 have led to the establishment of a network of more than 600 Area Agencies on Aging, which are area-wide planning and coordinating agencies. Locally sponsored senior citizen centres provide group meals and counseling, homemaker, information, referral, transportation, educational, legal, and…

Milky Way Galaxy: Principal population types: …variables fell into the “older Population I” category. As dynamical properties were more thoroughly investigated, many astronomers divided the Galaxy’s stellar populations into a "thin disk," a "thick disk," and a "halo."

Anne Bancroft: Cage (1992) and CBS’s Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) earned her Emmy Award nominations.

gray birch, (Betula populifolia), slender ornamental tree of the family Betulaceae, found in clusters on moist sites in northeastern North America. See also birch. Rarely 12 metres (40 feet) tall, it is covered almost to the ground with flexible branches that form a narrow pyramidal crown. The

Barney Oldfield was an American automobile-racing driver whose name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century. A bicycle racer from 1894, Oldfield in 1902 became the driver of the 999 racing car designed by Henry Ford and owned by champion cyclist Tom Cooper, with whom

Barney Oldfield was an American automobile-racing driver whose name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century. A bicycle racer from 1894, Oldfield in 1902 became the driver of the 999 racing car designed by Henry Ford and owned by champion cyclist Tom Cooper, with whom

athletics: The shot put: …shot, a technique developed by Brian Oldfield (U.S.).

Sir Maurice Oldfield was a British military intelligence chief who was head of MI6, Britain’s secret intelligence service, from 1973 to 1978. Oldfield graduated in 1938 from Manchester University, where he took first-class honours in medieval history. He joined the secret service while serving in

Oldham, urban area and metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, northwestern England. The historic town of Oldham and the western part of the borough lie in the historic county of Lancashire, and the eastern part of the borough, including such areas as Uppermill,

Oldham: Oldham, urban area and metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, northwestern England.

William Faulkner: The major novels: In 1929 he married Estelle Oldham—whose previous marriage, now terminated, had helped drive him into the RAF in 1918. One year later he bought Rowan Oak, a handsome but run-down pre-Civil War house on the outskirts of Oxford, restoration work on the house becoming, along with hunting, an important…

John Oldham was a pioneer of the imitation of classical satire in English. Oldham was the son of a scholarly vicar who was responsible for much of his education; he also studied at Tetbury Grammar School for two years. From 1670 to 1674 he attended St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, and in 1676 he became an

Richard Dixon Oldham was a British geologist and seismologist who discovered evidence for the existence of the Earth’s core. After training at the Royal School of Mines, Oldham joined the Geological Survey of India in 1879, eventually serving as superintendent (until 1903). His study of the Assam

meteorite: Achondrites: …calcium as the sulfide mineral oldhamite (CaS) rather than in its more usual silicate and carbonate forms.

Oldman River, river in southern Alberta, Canada, one of the major headstreams of the South Saskatchewan River. Rising in the Canadian Rocky Mountains from several sources, it flows eastward through Lethbridge, past Taber Provincial Park, and joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River,

Gary Oldman is an English film actor known for his chameleonic ability to evince characters ranging from nebbishes to snarling villains. His notable films include Sid and Nancy (1986), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), and several Harry Potter movies. For his portrayal of Winston Churchill in

Gary Oldman is an English film actor known for his chameleonic ability to evince characters ranging from nebbishes to snarling villains. His notable films include Sid and Nancy (1986), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), and several Harry Potter movies. For his portrayal of Winston Churchill in

Oldowan industry, toolmaking tradition characterized by crudely worked pebble (chopping) tools from the early Paleolithic, dating to about 2 million years ago and not formed after a standardized pattern. The tools are made of pebbles of quartz, quartzite, or basalt and are chipped in two directions

Czechoslovak history: The Hussite preponderance: …determined by the efforts of Oldřich of Rožmberk, the most powerful Bohemian magnate, and his allies, who undermined George’s plans.

mechanics of solids: Viscoelasticity: …after the British applied mathematician James Gardner Oldroyd showed in 1950 how viscoelastic stress-strain relations of a memory type could be generalized to a flowing fluid. This requires that the constitutive relation, or rheological relation, between the stress history and the deformation history at a material “point” be properly invariant…

human nervous system: Reward and punishment: …made in 1954, Canadian researchers James Olds and Peter Milner found that stimulation of certain regions of the brain of the rat acted as a reward in teaching the animals to run mazes and solve problems. The conclusion from such experiments is that stimulation gives the animals pleasure. The discovery…

Ransom Eli Olds was an American inventor and automobile manufacturer, designer of the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile. This was the first commercially successful American-made automobile and the first to use a progressive assembly system, which foreshadowed modern mass-production methods.

Sharon Olds is an American poet best known for her powerful, often erotic, imagery of the body and her examination of the family. Olds grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of an abusive alcoholic father and a weak compliant mother; her anger at her parents would influence her poetry. She studied

Ransom Eli Olds: …designer of the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile. This was the first commercially successful American-made automobile and the first to use a progressive assembly system, which foreshadowed modern mass-production methods.

Olduvai Gorge: The Olduvai fossil beds accumulated in a lake basin between 4 and 9 miles (7 and 15 km) in diameter. The lake is underlain by volcanic rocks of the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago) and, farther below, by metamorphic deposits of Precambrian…

Olduvai Gorge, paleoanthropological site in the eastern Serengeti Plain, within the boundaries of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania. It is a steep-sided ravine consisting of two branches that have a combined length of about 30 miles (48 km) and are 295 feet (90 metres) deep.

Homo habilis: The fossil evidence: Those two skulls are called OH 13 and OH 16.

Homo habilis: The fossil evidence: …are called OH 13 and OH 16.

Homo habilis: The fossil evidence: One intriguing specimen is OH 24, which was also from Olduvai and dated to about 1.8 mya. This cranium is more complete than others from Olduvai. Because some of the bones are crushed and distorted, however, the face and braincase are warped. OH 24 may differ from Australopithecus in…

Mary Douglas Leakey: …lineage) that her husband named Zinjanthropus, or “eastern man,” though it is now regarded as Paranthropus, a type of australopith, or “southern ape.”

Homo habilis: The fossil evidence: 8 mya and called OH 62. Although the skull is shattered, enough of the face is preserved to suggest similarities to early Homo. The find is especially important because of the limbs, which show that OH 62 was a very small hominin. The arm is long relative to the…

Homo habilis: The fossil evidence: … from a juvenile individual called Olduvai Hominid 7 (OH 7), additional fossils from Olduvai have been ascribed to H. habilis. Pieces of another thin-walled cranium along with upper and lower jaws and teeth came to light in 1963. Just a month later a third skull was found, but the bones…

Homo erectus: African fossils: This fossil, catalogued as OH 9, was excavated by Louis S.B. Leakey and is probably about 1.2 million years old. Olduvai Gorge has since yielded additional cranial remains, jaws, and limb bones of H. erectus. Much of this material is fragmentary, but gaps in our knowledge of East African…

Olduvai Gorge, paleoanthropological site in the eastern Serengeti Plain, within the boundaries of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania. It is a steep-sided ravine consisting of two branches that have a combined length of about 30 miles (48 km) and are 295 feet (90 metres) deep.

perciform: Annotated classification: Family Enoplosidae (oldwives) Eocene to present. Body laterally compressed; spinous and soft dorsal fins elevated anteriorly, as is anal fin; general appearance gives impression in side view of 2 separate bodies joined together at midpoint; pelvic fins large. 1 species (Enoplosus armatus) in rocky areas of Australian…

German literature: The post-1945 period: Stunde Null: Ole Bienkopp), a novel about an old man who establishes a peasant commune, and Christa Wolf’s Der geteilte Himmel (1963; Divided Heaven), in which a young woman decides to return to East Germany after having experienced the lures of the West, are good examples of…

University of Mississippi, public, coeducational institution of higher learning based in Oxford, Mississippi, U.S., with its Medical Center in Jackson and regional campuses at Tupelo and Southaven. Academically divided into one college and eight schools (including the Medical Center), it offers

olive, (Olea europaea), subtropical broad-leaved evergreen tree (family Oleaceae) and its edible fruit. The olive fruit and its oil are key elements in the cuisine of the Mediterranean and are popular outside the region. The tree’s beauty has been extolled for thousands of years. The edible olive

Oleaceae, the olive family, belonging to the order Lamiales and named for the economically important olive tree (species Olea europaea). A number of plants in the family are of economic or aesthetic importance: the olive tree is the source of olives and olive oil; the ashes (genus Fraxinus) are

gastropod: Classification: Superfamily Oleacinacea Carnivorous (Oleaciniidae) and herbivorous (Sagdidae) snails of the Neotropical region. Superfamily Helicacea Land snails without (Oreohelicidae and Camaenidae) or with (Bradybaenidae,

gastropod: Classification: Oleacinacea Carnivorous (Oleaciniidae) and herbivorous (Sagdidae) snails of the Neotropical region. Superfamily Helicacea Land snails without (Oreohelicidae and Camaenidae) or with (Bradybaenidae, Helminthoglyptidae, and Helicidae

Olean, city, Cattaraugus county, western New York, U.S. It lies along the Allegheny River at the mouth of Olean Creek, 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Buffalo. First settled in 1804 as a lumber camp, its name is derived from the word oleum (i.e., oil) for the oil deposits found in the vicinity; the

Potter: violinist Ole Bornemann Bull founded Oleona (located south of present-day Carter Camp) for Norwegian colonists in 1852, but the settlement foundered as a result of financial and legal problems. To the east of Coudersport (the county seat) is the Coudersport Ice Mine (discovered 1894), a cave in Ice Mountain that…

oleander, any of the ornamental evergreen shrubs of the genus Nerium, belonging to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) and having a poisonous milky juice. The best known is the common oleander (N. oleander), often called rosebay. A native of the Mediterranean region, this plant is characterized by its

fern: Annotated classification: Family Oleandraceae Plants in soil, on rock, or climbing (hemiepiphytic); rhizomes long-creeping, sometimes with elongate, ascending, or climbing branches, scaly; leaves undivided, the petioles jointed to short, persistent stubs (phyllopodia) along the rhizomes, the blades scaly; sori round, the indusia kidney-shaped to nearly U-shaped; sporangia mixed…

American literature: The Off-Broadway ascendancy: …through their language, and in Oleanna (1992) he fired a major salvo in the gender wars over sexual harassment.

oleaster, small deciduous tree of Eurasia, about 4.5 to 6 m (15 to 20 feet) high. It has smooth, dark brown branches that often bear spines and narrow, light green leaves that are silvery on the undersides from a covering of minute scales. The flowers are small, greenish, fragrant, and

Elaeagnaceae, the oleaster family of flowering plants (order Rosales), comprising 45–60 species in 3 genera. The oleaster family is largely composed of shrubs and small trees of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in steppe and coastal regions. The plants have a characteristic silvery or

ulna: …this notch is called the olecranon process; it articulates behind the humerus in the olecranon fossa and may be felt as the point of the elbow. The projection that forms the lower border of the trochlear notch, the coronoid process, enters the coronoid fossa of the humerus when the elbow…

humerus: The two depressions—the olecranon fossa, behind and above the trochlea, and the coronoid fossa, in front and above—receive projections of the ulna as the elbow is alternately straightened and flexed. The epicondyles, one on either side of the bone, provide attachment for muscles concerned with movements of the…

ulna: …this notch is called the olecranon process; it articulates behind the humerus in the olecranon fossa and may be felt as the point of the elbow. The projection that forms the lower border of the trochlear notch, the coronoid process, enters the coronoid fossa of the humerus when the elbow…

olefin, compound made up of hydrogen and carbon that contains one or more pairs of carbon atoms linked by a double bond. Olefins are examples of unsaturated hydrocarbons (compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon and at least one double or triple bond). They are classified in either or both

Oleg was a semilegendary Viking (Varangian) leader who became prince of Kiev and is considered to be the founder of the Kievan Rus state. According to The Russian Primary Chronicle of the 12th century, Oleg, after succeeding his kinsman Rurik as ruler of Novgorod (c. 879), went down the Dnieper

Oleg was a semilegendary Viking (Varangian) leader who became prince of Kiev and is considered to be the founder of the Kievan Rus state. According to The Russian Primary Chronicle of the 12th century, Oleg, after succeeding his kinsman Rurik as ruler of Novgorod (c. 879), went down the Dnieper

oleic acid, the most widely distributed of all the fatty acids, apparently occurring to some extent in all oils and fats. In oils such as olive, palm, peanut, and sunflower, it is the principal acid obtained by saponification. Oleic acid, CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7CO2H, like other fatty acids, does not

Lena River: Physiography: …after the junction with the Olyokma River, and the width of the river reaches 1 mile (1.6 km). From the mouth of the Vitim to the Olyokma, the river skirts the Patom Plateau, on the right bank, forming an enormous bend; the width of the valley increases in places to…