stinging nettle, (Urtica dioica), weedy perennial plant of the nettle family (Urticaceae), known for its stinging leaves. Stinging nettle is distributed nearly worldwide but is especially common in Europe, North America, North Africa, and parts of Asia. The plant is common in herbal medicine, and

stingless bee, (tribe Meliponini), tribe of more than 600 species of social honey-making bees with highly reduced stingers. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions across the globe and are particularly diverse in the Western hemisphere. Stingless bees were the primary honey producers in

bicycle: The modern bicycle: …that was typified by the Schwinn Stingray. These high-rise bicycles had small wheels, banana-shaped saddles, and long handlebars. By 1968 they made up about 75 percent of U.S. bicycle sales, and 20 million teenagers owned high-rise bicycles. Upon outgrowing them, however, the young consumers switched to 10-speeds, so named because…

stingray, any of a number of flat-bodied rays noted for the long, sharp spines on their tails. They are sometimes placed in a single family, Dasyatidae, but often separated into two families, Dasyatidae and Urolophidae. Stingrays are disk-shaped and have flexible, tapering tails armed, in most

Botany Bay, inlet of the Tasman Sea (Pacific Ocean), indenting New South Wales, Australia. Roughly circular, about 5 miles (8 km) across and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its mouth (between the La Perouse and Kurnell peninsulas), it receives the Georges and Cooks rivers. The bay was the site in 1770 of

skunk: In the 1990s stink badgers, or false badgers (genus Mydaus; see badger), became classified as members of the family Mephitidae, and they thus are now considered skunks. Found only in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, they resemble small North American hog-nosed skunks with shorter tails. Their white stripes…

love grass: Stink grass (E. cilianensis), a weedy, coarse annual, has a musty odour produced by glands on its leaves and can be poisonous to livestock if consumed in large amounts. Teff (E. tef) is a widely cultivated cereal grain in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries and has…

stinkbug, (family Pentatomidae), any of about 5,000 species of insects in the true bug order, Heteroptera, that are named for the foul-smelling secretions they produce. These odours may be transferred to the resting place of the insect, such as plants, fruits, or leaves, giving them a disagreeable

hydrogen sulfide, colourless, extremely poisonous, gaseous compound formed by sulfur with hydrogen (see

fulmar: The giant fulmar, also known as the giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), with a length of about 90 cm (3 feet) and a wingspread in excess of 200 cm (6.5 feet), is by far the largest member of the family. This species nests on islands around the…

neuropteran, (order Neuroptera), any of a group of insects commonly called lacewings because of the complex vein patterns in the wings, giving them a lacy appearance. In a strict sense, the order Neuroptera includes only the lacewings. However, two other closely related insect groups are frequently

stinkhorn, any fungus of the order Phallales (phylum Basidiomycota, kingdom Fungi), typified by a phalluslike, ill-smelling fruiting body. Stinkhorns produce odours that attract the flies and other insects that assist in dispersing the reproductive bodies (spores). Their appearance is often sudden;

stinking yew, (species Torreya taxifolia), an ornamental evergreen conifer tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), limited in distribution to western Florida and southwestern Georgia, U.S. The stinking yew, which grows to 13 metres (about 43 feet) in height in cultivation, carries an open pyramidal head

spiderflower: Rocky Mountain bee plant, or stinking clover (C. serrulata), is a summer-flowering annual of North American damp prairies and mountains. About 50 to 150 cm (20 to 60 inches) tall, it has three-parted leaves and clusters of spidery pink flowers with long stamens.

melon: Plants resembling true melons include the related watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and Chinese watermelon, or wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), as well as the unrelated tree melon, or papaya (Carica papaya, family Caricaceae), and melon…

henbane, (Hyoscyamus niger), highly toxic plant of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout much of the world. The dried leaves of henbane, and sometimes those of Egyptian henbane (H. muticus) and white henbane (H. albus), yield three medicinal

California nutmeg, (Torreya californica), ornamental evergreen conifer of the yew family (Taxaceae), found naturally only in California. Growing to a height of 24 metres (about 79 feet) or more, the tree bears spreading, slightly drooping branches. Although pyramidal in shape when young, it may be

bunt, fungal disease of wheat, rye, and other grasses. Infection by Tilletia tritici (formerly T. caries) or T. laevis (formerly T. foetida) causes normal kernels to be replaced by “smut balls” containing powdery masses of brownish black spores characterized by a dead-fish odour. Smut balls break

sweet William, (Dianthus barbatus), garden plant in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), grown for its clusters of small bright-coloured flowers. It is usually treated as a biennial, seed sown the first year producing flowering plants the second year. The plant, growing to a height of 60 cm (2 feet),

stinking yew, (species Torreya taxifolia), an ornamental evergreen conifer tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), limited in distribution to western Florida and southwestern Georgia, U.S. The stinking yew, which grows to 13 metres (about 43 feet) in height in cultivation, carries an open pyramidal head

Jon Scieszka: The Stinky Cheese Man, and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1992, also illustrated by Smith), a wacky twist on some familiar fairy tales, was named a Caldecott Honor Book.

Hugo Stinnes was a German industrialist who emerged after World War I as Germany’s “business kaiser,” controlling coal mines, steel mills, hotels, electrical factories, newspapers, shipping lines, and banks. At age 20 Stinnes inherited his father’s interest in the family business. Since 1808 the

organized labour: From World War I to 1968: The institutionalization of unions and collective bargaining: …of comprehensive social pacts—like the Stinnes-Legien Agreement in Germany—that were negotiated between national organizations of capital and labour and underwritten by the government, apparently foreshadowing a continuing role of unions in the governance of national economies.

the Replacements: Formed in 1979 by

the Replacements: Formed in 1979 by guitarist-vocalist Paul Westerberg, drummer Chris Mars, and guitarist Bob Stinson—all in their teens—and Stinson’s 12-year-old brother, bassist Tommy, the

peep, any of about a dozen species of small sandpipers. Some are also called oxbirds or oxeyes. See

needlegrass, (genus Stipa), genus of about 150 species of grasses in the family Poaceae, characterized by sharply pointed grains and long threadlike awns (bristles). Most needlegrasses provide good forage in dry areas before the seed is formed, but the sharp grain of some species may puncture the

esparto: …species of gray-green needlegrasses (Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum) in the family Poaceae that are indigenous to southern Spain and northern Africa; the term also denotes the fibre obtained from those grasses. Esparto fibre has great strength and flexibility, and both species have for centuries been used for making…

mushroom: Form and major groups: …(pileus) and a stalk (stipe). The sporophore emerges from an extensive underground network of threadlike strands (mycelium). An example of an agaric is the honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea). Mushroom mycelia may live hundreds of years or die in a few months, depending on the available food supply. As long…

orchid: Characteristic morphological features: …of tissue is called the stipe and should not be confused with the caudicles, which are derived from the anther. Orchids that have a stipe also have caudicles that connect the pollinia to the apex of the stipe. The pollinia, stipe, and viscidium are called the pollinarium.

R.E.M.: The members were lead singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry.

crime: Trial procedure: …legally qualified magistrates, known as stipendiary magistrates. The stipendiary magistrate can sit alone, but lay magistrates may sit only as a bench of two or more. Magistrates’ courts commit the trials of more serious crimes—such as murder, rape, and robbery—to the Crown Court system. These courts consist of a judge…

police: The stipendiary police: From the early 16th to the early 19th century, some groups of merchants, traders, church members, insurers, and others employed private individuals to protect their property and their persons. Protection thus became a commodity, available to anyone who had sufficient resources. In addition,…

Werner Herzog is a German motion-picture director whose unusual films captured men and women at psychological extremes. With Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff, Herzog led the influential postwar West German cinema movement. During his youth, Herzog studied history, literature, and

emu-wren, any of the three species of the Australian genus Stipiturus, of the songbird family Maluridae. In these tiny birds the narrow, cocked tail consists of six wispy feathers—in quality, like the feathers of the emu. The most widespread species, the southern emu-wren (S. malachurus), is

emu-wren: The most widespread species, the southern emu-wren (S. malachurus), is streaked brown, with pale-blue throat in the male. Emu-wrens are shy inhabitants of wet and dry scrublands.

printmaking: Crayon manner and stipple engraving: Stipple engraving, also a reproduction method, is closely related to the crayon manner. The exact date of its invention is not known, but it is reasonably certain that it came after the crayon manner. The first step in stipple engraving was to etch in the…

stipulatio, in Roman law, a form of contract based upon a simple question and answer. It had no parallel in other legal systems. Stipulatio developed, at first, with very strict rules. Although no witnesses were required, both parties had to be present during the entire proceedings, which had to be

definition: Stipulative definition assigns a new meaning to an expression (or a meaning to a new expression); the expression defined (definiendum) may either be a new expression that is being introduced into the language for the first time, or an expression that is already current.

angiosperm: Leaves: …of a leaf base, two stipules, a petiole, and a blade (lamina). The leaf base is the slightly expanded area where the leaf attaches to the stem. The paired stipules, when present, are located on each side of the leaf base and may resemble scales, spines, glands, or leaflike structures.…

Sidney Poitier: Poitier as a director: Poitier did not act in Stir Crazy (1980), which featured Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as a pair of losers who are mistakenly sent to prison; the film was an enormous box-office hit. Poitier had less success with Hanky Panky (1982), which teamed Wilder and his real-life wife, Gilda Radner,…

wok: …variety of cooking methods, including stir-frying, boiling, braising, poaching, and stewing. The addition of a rack and cover converts the wok into a steamer. Originally designed for use on wood- or charcoal-burning Chinese stoves, woks have been adapted for Western use by the addition of a metal ring, which is…

Stirlingshire, historic county, central Scotland. In the west it borders Loch Lomond and incorporates a section of the Highlands. It extends east into the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands) between the Rivers Forth and Kelvin. At the centre of Stirlingshire the volcanic Campsie Fells and Kilsyth and

Stirling, royal burgh (town), Stirling council area, historic county of Stirlingshire, south-central Scotland, on the right bank of the River Forth. The precipitous 250-foot- (75-metre-) high volcanic plug on which the present castle stands was probably occupied by the early British Picts. The

Stirling, council area, central Scotland. The area south of Loch Katrine and the River Forth lies within the historic county of Stirlingshire, and the area to the north belongs to the historic county of Perthshire. It borders Loch Lomond to the west and spans the Highland Boundary Fault, which

Battle of Stirling Bridge: The two sides met at Stirling Bridge, known as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. A large English army commanded by John de Warrene, the Earl of Surrey, arrived and demanded Wallace’s surrender. When Wallace ignored the order, the English force attempted to cross the River Forth via a narrow…

The kings of England repeatedly sought to extend their rule north of the border into Scotland. The death of Margaret, the queen of Scotland, in 1290 gave Edward I of England the chance to take over the country, but his intentions were dashed with a major defeat at the hands of William Wallace on

Stirling Castle, historically and architecturally significant castle, mostly dating from 15th and 16th centuries, in Stirling, Scotland. Dominating major east–west and north–south routes, the fortress’s strategic importance gave it a key role in Scottish history. Standing 250 feet (75 m) higher

energy conversion: Stirling engine: …Scotland to invent a power cycle that operated without a high-pressure boiler. In his engine (patented in 1816), air was heated by external combustion through a heat exchanger and then was displaced, compressed, and expanded by two pistons. Stirling also conceived the idea of a regenerator to store thermal energy…

energy conversion: Stirling engine: Many of the early high-pressure steam boilers exploded because of poor materials and faulty methods of construction. The resultant casualties and property losses motivated Robert Stirling of Scotland to invent a power cycle that operated without a high-pressure boiler. In his engine (patented…

Southwark: …whose design won the 2000 Stirling Prize for architectural innovation; City Hall (2002), headquarters of the Greater London Authority, designed by Lord Norman Foster; Canada Water Library (2011); and the Shard at London Bridge (2012), a 1,016-foot (310-metre) skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano.

Stirling Range, mountains in southwestern Western Australia. They rise from a low plateau 40 miles (65 km) north of Albany and run parallel to the coast for 50 miles (80 km). The range reaches its highest point at Bluff Knoll, 3,596 feet (1,096 m). Sighted in 1802 by Matthew Flinders, the range was

Stirling Range: …the adjoining plains became the Stirling Range National Park, with an area of 447 square miles (1,157 square km). The park has steep rocky peaks, excellent coastal views, and a wide variety of vegetation.

James Stirling was a Scottish mathematician who contributed important advances to the theory of infinite series and infinitesimal calculus. No absolutely reliable information about Stirling’s undergraduate education in Scotland is known. According to one source, he was educated at the University of

Stirling’s formula, in analysis, a method for approximating the value of large factorials (written n!; e.g., 4! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24) that uses the mathematical constants e (the base of the natural logarithm) and π. The formula is given by The Scottish mathematician James Stirling published his

Stirling’s formula, in analysis, a method for approximating the value of large factorials (written n!; e.g., 4! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24) that uses the mathematical constants e (the base of the natural logarithm) and π. The formula is given by The Scottish mathematician James Stirling published his

David Stirling was a British army officer who founded and led the elite British Special Air Service (SAS) regiment during World War II. The son of a brigadier general, Stirling attended Trinity College, Cambridge, for a year; in 1939 he joined the Scots Guard Supplementary Reserve of Officers and

David Stirling was a British army officer who founded and led the elite British Special Air Service (SAS) regiment during World War II. The son of a brigadier general, Stirling attended Trinity College, Cambridge, for a year; in 1939 he joined the Scots Guard Supplementary Reserve of Officers and

Australia: Settlement: A British naval captain, James Stirling, examined the Swan River in 1827 and interested English capitalist-adventurers in colonization. Two years later he returned to the Swan as governor of the new colony of Western Australia. The Colonial Office discouraged schemes for massive proprietorial grants; still the idea persisted, with…

James Stirling was a Scottish mathematician who contributed important advances to the theory of infinite series and infinitesimal calculus. No absolutely reliable information about Stirling’s undergraduate education in Scotland is known. According to one source, he was educated at the University of

Hegelianism: Logic and metaphysics problems: Italy, England: …pioneer in English Hegelianism was James Hutchison Stirling, through his work The Secret of Hegel (1865). Stirling reaffirmed the lineage of thought that Fischer had traced “from Kant to Hegel,” endeavouring to penetrate the dialectic-speculative relationship of unity in multiplicity as the central point of the dialectic. Toward Hegelianism as…

pre-Columbian civilizations: Veracruz and Chiapas: …was read by its discoverer, Matthew W. Stirling, as a date in the Maya calendar corresponding to 31 bce; this is more than a century earlier than any known dated inscription from the Maya area itself. Thus, it is highly probable that this calendrical system, formerly thought to be a…

Robert Stirling was a Scottish clergyman best known as the inventor of the Stirling engine, a type of external-combustion engine. He also invented optical devices and other instruments. Stirling’s first patent was granted in 1816 for what became known as the Stirling cycle engine. His company

David Stirling was a British army officer who founded and led the elite British Special Air Service (SAS) regiment during World War II. The son of a brigadier general, Stirling attended Trinity College, Cambridge, for a year; in 1939 he joined the Scots Guard Supplementary Reserve of Officers and

Sir James Stirling was a British architect known for his unorthodox, sometimes controversial, designs of multiunit housing and public buildings. Stirling received his architectural training at the University of Liverpool’s School of Architecture (1945–50). He began practice in the early 1950s in

Sir James Stirling was a British architect known for his unorthodox, sometimes controversial, designs of multiunit housing and public buildings. Stirling received his architectural training at the University of Liverpool’s School of Architecture (1945–50). He began practice in the early 1950s in

William Alexander, 1st earl of Stirling was a Scottish courtier, statesman, and poet who founded and colonized the region of Nova Scotia in Canada. When King James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne as James I in 1603, Alexander attended his court in London. He there wrote, in 1604, his

William Alexander, 1st earl of Stirling was a Scottish courtier, statesman, and poet who founded and colonized the region of Nova Scotia in Canada. When King James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne as James I in 1603, Alexander attended his court in London. He there wrote, in 1604, his

Stirlingshire, historic county, central Scotland. In the west it borders Loch Lomond and incorporates a section of the Highlands. It extends east into the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands) between the Rivers Forth and Kelvin. At the centre of Stirlingshire the volcanic Campsie Fells and Kilsyth and

Max Stirner was a German antistatist philosopher in whose writings many anarchists of the late 19th and the 20th centuries found ideological inspiration. His thought is sometimes regarded as a source of 20th-century existentialism. After teaching in a girls’ preparatory school in Berlin, Stirner

Afro-Asiatic languages: The verbal system: …(forming what are called “stirpes” or “themes”) use root modification (infixes) and derivative affixes together with partial or complete reduplication to indicate repeated action. Derivational markers may combine, which makes it possible for a single verb to indicate repeated action (by what is called the iterative derivation of the…

Afro-Asiatic languages: The verbal system: …(forming what are called “stirpes” or “themes”) use root modification (infixes) and derivative affixes together with partial or complete reduplication to indicate repeated action. Derivational markers may combine, which makes it possible for a single verb to indicate repeated action (by what is called the iterative derivation of the…

Matthias de L’Obel: …Flemish-born physician and botanist whose Stirpium adversaria nova (1570; written in collaboration with Pierre Pena) was a milestone in modern botany. It argued that botany and medicine must be based on thorough, exact observation.

John Gerard: …based on a translation of Stirpium historiae pemptades sex (1583), by the Flemish botanist Rembertus Dodoens. Of the more than 1,800 woodcuts illustrating the book, only 16 were done by Gerard. The remainder came from Jacob Theodorus Tabernaemontanus’ Eicones plantarum seu stirpium (1590).

Wilco: …members drummer Ken Coomer, bassist John Stirratt, and string player Max Johnston in a new group, Wilco, a name derived from the trucker lingo “roger, wilco, okay.” After recording their 1995 debut album, A.M., they were joined by Jay Bennett, a guitarist with a knack for playing many instruments and…

ear bone: …incus, or anvil, and the stapes, or stirrup. Together they form a short chain that crosses the middle ear and transmits vibrations caused by sound waves from the eardrum membrane to the liquid of the inner ear. The malleus resembles a club more than a hammer, whereas the incus looks…

stirrup, either of a pair of light frames hung from the saddle attached to the back of an animal—usually a horse or pony. Stirrups are used to support a rider’s feet in riding and to aid in mounting. Stirrups probably originated in the Asian steppes about the 2nd century bc. They enormously

stirrup cup, originally a drink offered to a man mounted on horseback and about to depart for the hunt; now, the drinking vessel itself. Commonly connected with hunting, many of the cups are made of silver and engraved with mottoes taken from the chase. They are usually in the form of a fox’s head

stirrup fixation, growth of spongy bone in the wall of the inner ear so that it encroaches on the oval window—an opening in the wall of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear (this bony encroachment is called otosclerosis)—and prevents movement of the stapes, or stirrup, a small bone of the middle ear

pottery: South America: The stirrup-shaped spout on many jars is a characteristic feature. The batik type of decoration already mentioned was also used. Vessels were modelled in the shape of animal or human figures, which were also used as motifs for painted decoration. The puma god worshipped by the…

Dorothy Whipple was an English novelist and short-story writer whose works, set largely in the north of England, excavate the everyday experiences of middle-class households of her era. She grew up in Blackburn as one of eight children of Walter Stirrup, a local architect, and his wife, Ada. In

stishovite, high-pressure, metastable polymorph of silica (SiO2), having a rutile-type tetragonal structure; silicon is in six-fold coordination with oxygen while each oxygen atom is shared with three silicon atoms. Stishovite was first discovered in sandstone that had been converted to glass at

surgery: Present-day surgery: …of closing wounds is by sutures. There are two basic types of suture materials; absorbable ones such as catgut (which comes from sheep intestine) or synthetic substitutes; and nonabsorbable materials, such as nylon sutures, steel staples, or adhesive tissue tape. Catgut is still used extensively to tie off small blood…

Caryophyllaceae: Major genera and species: …common chickweed, or stitchwort (S. media), a widely naturalized lawn weed.

Sonny Stitt was an American jazz musician, one of the first and most fluent bebop saxophonists. One of a musical family, Stitt first became known as an alto saxophonist in the pioneering bop big bands led by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie in the mid-1940s. His romantic style of improvising

Sonny Stitt was an American jazz musician, one of the first and most fluent bebop saxophonists. One of a musical family, Stitt first became known as an alto saxophonist in the pioneering bop big bands led by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie in the mid-1940s. His romantic style of improvising

pike perch, any of several freshwater food and game fishes of the family Percidae (order Perciformes), found in Europe and North America. Although more elongated and slender than perches, pike perches have the two dorsal fins characteristic of the family. They are, like perches, carnivorous, and as

sauger, North American game and food fish related to the pikeperch

pike perch: The European pike perch, or zander (Stizostedion, or Lucioperca, lucioperca; see photograph), is found in lakes and rivers of eastern, central, and (where introduced) western Europe. It is greenish or grayish, usually with darker markings, and generally attains a length of 50–66 cm (20–26 inches) and a weight of 3…

walleyed pike, fish that is a type of pikeperch

biblical literature: Scandinavian versions: …through Kings in the so-called Stjórn (“Guidance”) manuscript in the Old Norwegian language, probably about 1300. Swedish versions of the Pentateuch and of Acts have survived from the 14th century, as has a manuscript of Joshua and Judges by Nicholaus Ragnvaldi of Vadstena from about 1500. The oldest Danish version,…

Tucson, city, seat (1864) of Pima county, southeastern Arizona, U.S. Tucson lies along the Santa Cruz River on a hilly plain of the Sonoran Desert that is rimmed by the Santa Catalina and other mountains. The city lies at an elevation of 2,410 feet (735 metres) and is situated about 115 miles (185

Daniel De Leon: …of Labor, subsequently forming the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance (STLA). In 1899 a dissident faction left the SLP and formed what became the Socialist Party of America. The membership and prestige of the SLP declined thereafter.

scanning tunneling microscope (STM), type of microscope whose principle of operation is based on the quantum mechanical phenomenon known as tunneling, in which the wavelike properties of electrons permit them to “tunnel” beyond the surface of a solid into regions of space that are forbidden to them

liquid crystal display: Supertwisted nematic displays: It was discovered in the early 1980s that increasing the twist angle of a liquid crystal cell to about 180–270° (with 240° being fairly common) allows a much larger number of pixel rows to be used, with a consequent increase in the…

stoa, in Greek architecture, a freestanding colonnade or covered walkway; also, a long open building, its roof supported by one or more rows of columns parallel to the rear wall. The Stoa of Attalus at Athens is a prime example. Stoae surrounded marketplaces and sanctuaries and formed places of

Euphranor: In the Stoa Basileios at Athens he painted the “Twelve Gods,” “Theseus with Democracy and Demos,” and the cavalry engagement at Mantinea (362); none of these works survives. At Ephesus he depicted the feigned madness of Odysseus. Fragments of a colossal statue found in the Agora at…

Athens: Athens at its zenith: …in the Agora, notably the Stoa Poikile, or Painted Colonnade, with its famous paintings by Polygnotus and Micon, one of which represented the Battle of Marathon. The Tholos, the round building that served as the headquarters of the executive committee of the council, was also built at this time. Lack…

Olympia: The remains of Olympia: …Colonnade was officially called the Stoa Poikile, or Painted Colonnade, from the paintings that used to be on its walls. It received its popular name because a word uttered there was echoed seven times or more. The colonnade closed the east side of the Altis and was separated from the…

stoa, in Greek architecture, a freestanding colonnade or covered walkway; also, a long open building, its roof supported by one or more rows of columns parallel to the rear wall. The Stoa of Attalus at Athens is a prime example. Stoae surrounded marketplaces and sanctuaries and formed places of