Christianity: Papal mission: …Christian during the reign of Sverker (c. 1130–56). Sweden’s Eric IX controlled Finland and in 1155 required the Finns to be baptized, but only in 1291, with the appointment of Magnus, the first Finnish bishop, was evangelization completed.

Sverrir Sigurdsson, was the king of Norway (1177–1202) and one of the best-known figures in medieval Norwegian history. By expanding the power of the monarchy and limiting the privileges of the church, he provoked civil uprisings that were not quelled until 1217. The son of Gunnhild, a Norwegian

saga: Kings’ sagas: … describes the life of King Sverrir (reigned 1184–1202). The first part was written by Abbot Karl Jónsson under the supervision of the king himself, but it was completed (probably by the abbot) in Iceland after Sverrir’s death. Sturla Þórðarson wrote two royal biographies: Hákonar saga on King Haakon Haakonsson (c.…

Sverrir Sigurdsson, was the king of Norway (1177–1202) and one of the best-known figures in medieval Norwegian history. By expanding the power of the monarchy and limiting the privileges of the church, he provoked civil uprisings that were not quelled until 1217. The son of Gunnhild, a Norwegian

saga: Kings’ sagas: Sverris saga describes the life of King Sverrir (reigned 1184–1202). The first part was written by Abbot Karl Jónsson under the supervision of the king himself, but it was completed (probably by the abbot) in Iceland after Sverrir’s death. Sturla Þórðarson wrote two royal biographies:…

Hinduism: Shaivism: …those circles that produced the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (c. 400 bce), Shiva rose to the highest rank. Its author proposed a way of escape from samsara, proclaiming Shiva the sole eternal Lord. Rudra-Shiva developed into an ambivalent and many-sided lord and master. His many manifestations, however, were active among humankind: as…

Ohrid: The 10th-century monastery of Sveti Naum (St. Naum), about 19 miles (31 km) south, crowns a prominent crag on the North Macedonia–Albania frontier and overlooks Lake Ohrid. Pop. (2002) 42,033; (2014 est.) 39,250.

Hvar: …(626 m) in elevation at Mount Sveti Nikola and is separated from the island of Brač by a narrow channel. The Mediterranean climate is favourable to the production of various fruits, honey, lavender, rosemary, and wine, as well as to a prosperous tourist industry. Boatbuilding, fishing, and marble quarrying are…

Mtskheta: …and architectural interest are the Cathedral of Sveti-Tskhoveli, the traditional burial place for the kings of Georgia, founded in the 4th century and reconstructed in the 15th and 18th centuries; the Samtavro convent; and the Dzhvari Church. Mtskheta’s religious buildings were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. On…

Italo Svevo was an Italian novelist and short-story writer, a pioneer of the psychological novel in Italy. Svevo (whose pseudonym means “Italian Swabian”) was the son of a German-Jewish glassware merchant and an Italian mother. At 12 he was sent to a boarding school near Würzburg, Ger. He later

vector graphics: …create a graphics language called scalable vector graphics (SVG). SVG is a royalty-free language that contains vector shapes and text and can contain embedded raster graphics. One common application for vector graphics in general, and SVG specifically, is in geographic information systems (GIS). SVG is used in GIS applications to…

Pyotr Danilovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky was a Russian minister of the interior during the years of prerevolutionary unrest. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who owned much land and had been governor-general of several important districts, was named minister of the interior in 1904 upon the assassination of his

Svyatoslav I was the grand prince of Kyiv from 945 and the greatest of the Varangian princes of early Russo-Ukrainian history. He was the son of Grand Prince Igor, who was himself probably the grandson of Rurik, prince of Novgorod. Svyatoslav was the last non-Christian ruler of the Kyivan state.

Magnus Carlsen: …final round to Russian player Peter Svidler, he accumulated enough wins earlier in the tournament to best Russian player Vladimir Kramnik (who had the same number of points) and secure the challenger spot against Anand. In November 2013 Carlsen defeated Anand in 10 games at the world championship match in…

Noomi Rapace: …with her in Svinalängorna (2010; Beyond), in which she portrayed a woman who must come to terms with her past as the abused daughter of alcoholic parents. Notable among Rapace’s other movies was the bleak Danish picture Daisy Diamond (2007), in which she starred as an aspiring actress and single…

Aksel Lund Svindal is a Norwegian Alpine skier who won two men’s Fédération International de Ski (FIS) World Cup overall championships (2007 and 2009), as well as an Olympic gold medal in both the supergiant slalom (super-G) and the downhill. Svindal’s parents, both skiers, bought him his first

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud was the first chief of state of independent Finland, as prime minister and then as president. He headed the Finnish government during his country’s civil war (1918) and in the early 1930s. He was instrumental in suppressing Finland’s Communist Party and maintaining a rightist

Svishtov, town, northern Bulgaria, on the terraced bank of the Danube River. Svishtov is one of the largest Bulgarian Danube ports and is a cultural centre. The Romans built on a strategic site near the town in the 1st century ad. There is little historical record of the town during the First and

Svishtov, town, northern Bulgaria, on the terraced bank of the Danube River. Svishtov is one of the largest Bulgarian Danube ports and is a cultural centre. The Romans built on a strategic site near the town in the 1st century ad. There is little historical record of the town during the First and

Sweden, country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe. The name Sweden was derived from the Svear, or Suiones, a people mentioned as early as 98 ce by the Roman author Tacitus. The country’s ancient name was Svithiod. Stockholm has been the permanent capital since 1523. Sweden

Ukraine: Drainage: One of the largest is Lake Svityaz, 11 square miles (28 square km) in area, in the northwest. Small saltwater lakes occur in the Black Sea Lowland and in Crimea. Larger saline lakes occur along the coast. Known as limans, these bodies of water form at the mouths of rivers…

Switzerland, federated country of central Europe. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre. Switzerland’s small size—its total area is about half that of Scotland—and its modest population give little indication of its international significance. A

Switzerland, federated country of central Europe. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre. Switzerland’s small size—its total area is about half that of Scotland—and its modest population give little indication of its international significance. A

Switzerland, federated country of central Europe. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre. Switzerland’s small size—its total area is about half that of Scotland—and its modest population give little indication of its international significance. A

Liski, city and administrative centre of Liski rayon (sector), Voronezh oblast (region), western Russia, situated on the banks of the Don River. It is a main railway junction, with shops for servicing locomotives; its food industries include meat-packing and flour milling. It became a city in 1937

Ukraine: The Yanukovych presidency: …40 seats, and the ultranationalist Svoboda (“Freedom”) party had a surprisingly strong showing, winning 37 seats. Challenging the validity of the results, Tymoshenko embarked on a hunger strike. Although international observers called attention to irregularities in some contests, the European Parliament characterized the election as comparatively fair, and the main…

Miroslav Holub: …in 2007, the Czech immunologist Jaroslav Svoboda praised Holub’s work and pointed out that Holub’s ideas, including those on immunology, that might have seemed too bold or unspecific at the time when he suggested them were subsequently proved correct by modern scientific methods.

Ludvík Svoboda was the president of Czechoslovakia (1968–75) who achieved great popularity by resisting the Soviet Union’s demands during and after its invasion of August 1968. He was also a national hero of two world wars. Deserting from the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, Svoboda fought

Svobodny, city and centre of Svobodny rayon (sector), Amur oblast (region), southeastern Russia. It is situated on the right bank of the Zeya River, which is a tributary of the Amur River, and on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Svobodny was founded in 1912. It is now an important transportation

Svobodny, city and centre of Svobodny rayon (sector), Amur oblast (region), southeastern Russia. It is situated on the right bank of the Zeya River, which is a tributary of the Amur River, and on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Svobodny was founded in 1912. It is now an important transportation

Aleksandr Nikolayevich Ostrovsky: His next play, Bankrot (“The Bankrupt”), later renamed Svoi lyudi sochtemsya (It’s a Family Affair, We’ll Settle It Among Ourselves), written in 1850, provoked an outcry because it exposed bogus bankruptcy cases among Moscow merchants and brought about Ostrovsky’s dismissal from the civil service. The play was banned…

Olaf Tryggvason: …met his death in the Battle of Svolder (c. 1000) at the hands of the Danish king Sweyn I, the Swedish king Olaf Skötkonung, and Eric the Norwegian, earl of Lade. The battle is often retold in medieval Scandinavian poems. After his death large portions of Norway reverted to foreign…

Svolvær, chief town and port of the Lofoten island group, northern Norway, and part of the municipality of Vågan (see also Kabelvåg). It is on the southern coast of Austvågøya, the easternmost island of the group. Svolvær’s economy depends almost entirely on cod fisheries. At the height of the

Swiss People’s Party, conservative Swiss political party. The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) was founded in 1971 by the merger of the Farmers, Artisans, and Citizens’ Party—generally known as the Agrarian Party—with the Democratic Party. It has pursued conservative social and economic policies,

Ellen Burstyn: …her guest appearance (2008) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and for her supporting role (2012) in the miniseries Political Animals. In 2014 she played a crazed matriarch in a television adaptation of the melodramatic thriller Flowers in the Attic (1979), by V.C. Andrews, and two years later she…

Arctic: Conquest of the Northeast Passage: In one case the Svyataya Anna, commanded by Georgy L. Brusilov, was beset in the ice of the Kara Sea and drifted almost due north, then west past the north coasts of Franz Josef Land. There 14 men left it in the spring of 1914 to sledge south to…

Kara Sea: …by two wide, deep-sea troughs—the Svyatoy Anny east of Franz Josef Land, with a depth of 2,034 feet (620 metres), and the parallel Voronin Trough, some 180 miles (290 km) east, with a depth of 1,475 feet (450 metres). East of Novaya Zemlya stretches the Novaya Zemlya Trough, 650–1,300 feet…

Kyivan Rus: …as Volodymyr’s eldest surviving son, Sviatopolk the Accursed, killed three of his brothers and seized power in Kyiv. His remaining brother—Yaroslav, the vice-regent of Novgorod—with the active support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian (Viking) mercenaries, defeated Sviatopolk and became the grand prince of Kyiv in 1019. Under…

Kyivan Rus: …as Volodymyr’s eldest surviving son, Sviatopolk the Accursed, killed three of his brothers and seized power in Kyiv. His remaining brother—Yaroslav, the vice-regent of Novgorod—with the active support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian (Viking) mercenaries, defeated Sviatopolk and became the grand prince of Kyiv in 1019. Under…

Pyotr Danilovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky was a Russian minister of the interior during the years of prerevolutionary unrest. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who owned much land and had been governor-general of several important districts, was named minister of the interior in 1904 upon the assassination of his

Svyatoslav I was the grand prince of Kyiv from 945 and the greatest of the Varangian princes of early Russo-Ukrainian history. He was the son of Grand Prince Igor, who was himself probably the grandson of Rurik, prince of Novgorod. Svyatoslav was the last non-Christian ruler of the Kyivan state.

Svyatoslav I was the grand prince of Kyiv from 945 and the greatest of the Varangian princes of early Russo-Ukrainian history. He was the son of Grand Prince Igor, who was himself probably the grandson of Rurik, prince of Novgorod. Svyatoslav was the last non-Christian ruler of the Kyivan state.

Kara Sea: …by two wide, deep-sea troughs—the Svyatoy Anny east of Franz Josef Land, with a depth of 2,034 feet (620 metres), and the parallel Voronin Trough, some 180 miles (290 km) east, with a depth of 1,475 feet (450 metres). East of Novaya Zemlya stretches the Novaya Zemlya Trough, 650–1,300 feet…

Saint Job ; canonized Oct. 9, 1989) was the first Russian Orthodox patriarch of Moscow (1589–1605). Until Job’s election, the head of the Russian church had held the title metropolitan of Moscow and was, at least nominally, subordinate to the patriarch of Constantinople. Moscow, however, was eager

Valentin Katayev: …printed his Svyatoy kolodets (1967; The Holy Well), a remarkable lyrical-philosophical account of dreams experienced while the author is under anaesthesia for surgery. Clearly reflecting the influence of Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Franz Kafka, Katayev weaves scenes of his family, friends, and lovers, events of Soviet history, and his…

Saint Tikhon ; canonized Oct. 9, 1989) was the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. At first sharply resisting the new Soviet state’s antiecclesiastical legislation, he refused to cooperate with a schismatic, state-supported, and politically oriented

Saint Basil the Blessed, church constructed on Red Square in Moscow between 1554 and 1560 by Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible), as a votive offering for his military victories over the khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan. The church was dedicated to the protection and intercession of the Virgin, but it came

Vladimir I ; feast day July 15) was the grand prince of Kyiv and the first Christian ruler in Kievan Rus. His military conquests consolidated the provinces of Kyiv and Novgorod into a single state, and his Byzantine baptism determined the course of Christianity in the region. Vladimir was the son

COBRA: …(Nieuwenhuis), Pierre Alechinsky, Lucebert (Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk), and Jean Atlan. Influenced by poetry, film, folk art, children’s art, and primitive art, the semiabstract canvases by these artists display brilliant colour and spontaneous, violent brushwork that is akin to American Action painting. The human figure, treated in a wildly distorted,…

Swabia, historic region of southwestern Germany, including what is now the southern portion of Baden-Württemberg Land (state) and the southwestern part of Bavaria Land in Germany, as well as eastern Switzerland and Alsace. Swabia’s name is derived from that of the Suebi, a Germanic people who, with

Italy: Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa): …and nephew, the duke of Swabia, Frederick I (1152–90), brought a major reassertion of imperial rule in Italy. Frederick saw himself not as the heir to a compromise but as a restorer of the Romano-Carolingian heritage of the German monarchy.

Romania: Settlement patterns: …the newly arrived Germans as Swabians. Throughout the 18th century, communities of Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, and Romanians also settled in the plains of the Banat. Jews from Poland and Russia arrived during the first half of the 19th century.

Germany: Languages of Germany: …the southwest is subdivided into Swabian, Low Alemannic, and High Alemannic. Swabian, the most widespread and still-ascending form, is spoken to the west and south of Stuttgart and as far east as Augsburg. Low Alemannic is spoken in Baden-Württemberg and Alsace, and High Alemannic is the dialect of German-speaking Switzerland.…

Swabian Alp, continuation of the Jura Mountains in Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. The upland plateau extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) to the Wörnitz River at an average elevation of about 2,300 feet (700 m). The plateau rises in a

Swabian Alp, continuation of the Jura Mountains in Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. The upland plateau extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) to the Wörnitz River at an average elevation of about 2,300 feet (700 m). The plateau rises in a

Germany: Wenceslas: The Swabian League counted 40 members by 1385 and was linked with similar coalitions in Alsace, the Rhineland, and Saxony. Wenceslas’s initial hostility to the league faded as its membership increased, and in 1387 he gave it his verbal and unofficial recognition. He feared offending the…

Swabian Alp, continuation of the Jura Mountains in Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. The upland plateau extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) to the Wörnitz River at an average elevation of about 2,300 feet (700 m). The plateau rises in a

Justinus Andreas Christian Kerner: …Ludwig Uhland founded the so-called Swabian group of late Romantic poets.

Switzerland: Expansion and position of power: …ally Graubünden, thus igniting the Swabian (or Swiss) War. After several battles in Graubünden and along the Rhine from Basel to the Vorarlberg, peace was declared at Basel on September 22, 1499; the Swiss Confederation did not adhere to the decisions of Worms, but it remained a subject of the…

Ashutosh Gowariker: Swades and Jodhaa Akbar: Gowariker’s next film, Swades, starring Shah Rukh Khan, was not a box-office success but roused the interest of critics. Four years later he released the epic romance Jodhaa Akbar, set in the 16th century and starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchanas the titular characters—Mughal emperor Akbar and…

South American Indian languages: Classification of the South American Indian languages: linguist, Morris Swadesh (1964). That of Loukotka, based fundamentally on the same principles as his previous classifications, and recognizing 117 families, is, in spite of its unsophisticated method, fundamental for the information it contains. Those of Greenberg and Swadesh, both based upon restricted comparison of vocabulary…

education: Pre-independence period: …effort was part of the swadeshi movement, which called for national independence and the boycotting of foreign goods. A body known as the National Council of Education established a national college and a technical institution (the present Jadavpur University) in Calcutta (Kolkata) and 51 national schools in Bengal. These schools…

South Derbyshire: Swadlincote is the principal town in the district; using local coal and clay, it manufactures stoneware pipes, pottery, and bricks. Melbourne, a market gardening town, is the birthplace (1808) of Thomas Cook, the pioneer of the conducted railway excursion. The village of Repton is known…

Belgian literature: Decline: …Cornelis de Bie; and, especially, Michiel de Swaen, the last important Baroque poet and playwright, who was deeply inspired by his religion, compare favourably with most writers of their time. The decline was most noticeable in the early 18th century, when the aristocracy and intellectual elite came increasingly under French…

swag, in architecture and decoration, carved ornamental motif consisting of stylized flowers, fruit, foliage, and cloth, tied together with ribbons that sag in the middle and are attached at both ends. The distinction is sometimes made between a swag and a festoon by limiting the former to festoons

garland: …draped in loops (festoon or swag). Garlands have been a part of religious ritual and tradition from ancient times: the Egyptians placed garlands of flowers on their mummies as a sign of celebration in entering the afterlife; the Greeks decorated their homes, civic buildings, and temples with garlands and placed…

swage, Perforated cast-iron or steel block with grooved sides, used by metalworkers for shaping their work by holding it on the work (or the work on it) and striking with a hammer or sledge. Swage blocks are used in heading bolts and swaging bars by

Jimmy Swaggart is an American televangelist and gospel music performer. He was defrocked by the Assemblies of God in 1988 after a sex scandal involving prostitutes. Swaggart’s father was a sharecropper before becoming a Pentecostal preacher in the Assemblies of God denomination in the 1950s, and

Jimmy Swaggart is an American televangelist and gospel music performer. He was defrocked by the Assemblies of God in 1988 after a sex scandal involving prostitutes. Swaggart’s father was a sharecropper before becoming a Pentecostal preacher in the Assemblies of God denomination in the 1950s, and

African art: Coastal East Africa: …part of Tanzania, including the Swahili coast. The trade between East Africa, Arabia, and India in the past 1,000 years has had some effect on the decorative art traditions of the region. Swahili art includes wood carvings (especially on doors), silversmithing and other metalworking products, and finely plaited polychrome mats.…

Swahili language, Bantu language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a fluent second language on the east coast of Africa in an area extending from Lamu Island, Kenya, in the north to the southern border of Tanzania in the south. (The Bantu languages form a subgroup of the Benue-Congo branch of

Swahili literature, that body of creative writing done in Swahili, a Bantu language of Africa. The earliest preserved Swahili writing, from the early 18th century, is written in Arabic script, and subsequent writings were primarily in three main dialects: kiUnjuga, kiMvita, and kiAmu. In the 1930s,

Swains Island, coral atoll, American Samoa, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 280 miles (450 km) north of Tutuila. The atoll is 15–25 feet (5–8 metres) above sea level; it is circular in shape, with 8 miles (13 km) of shoreline, and encloses a freshwater lagoon. Probably first known to Europeans in the

hawk: Swainson’s hawk (B. swainsoni) is a bird of western North America that migrates to Argentina. Two notable rough-legged hawks are the ferruginous hawk (B. regalis)—the largest North American buzzard (up to 63 cm [25 inches] long)—and the rough-legged hawk (B. lagopus) of both the Old…

toucan: …several species, such as the chestnut-mandibled toucan, the fiery-billed aracari, and the yellow-ridged toucan, describe their beaks, which are often brightly coloured in pastel shades of green, red, white, and yellow. This coloration is probably used by the birds for species recognition, as many toucans have similar body patterns and…

Clianthus: The related Sturt’s desert pea (Swainsona formosa, formerly C. formosus), native to Australia, is often grafted onto C. puniceus rootstock, which is less susceptible to root rot.

Namibia: Drainage and soils: The Swakop and Kuiseb rivers rise on the plateau, descend the western escarpment, and die out in the Namib (except in rare flood years, when they reach the sea at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, respectively). The Fish (Vis) River rises in the Central Plateau and (seasonally)…

Swakopmund, town, northwestern Namibia, on the Atlantic Ocean coast about 20 miles (32 km) north of the port of Walvis Bay and 175 miles (280 km) west of Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. During the summer (December–January) the territorial administration moves from Windhoek to Swakopmund, where the

Swale, borough (district), administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. It is located on the south side of the Thames estuary at its mouth. Swale borough includes the Isle of Sheppey, 9 miles (14 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide, to the north. The island is separated from the

River Swale, river that rises on the slopes of High Seat and Nine Standards Rigg near Keld, North Yorkshire, Eng., and then flows southeast across North Yorkshire for 60 miles (100 km) to become a major tributary of the River Ouse to the north of the city of York. The Swale takes its name from an

Swale: …from the mainland (south) by The Swale, a branch of the River Medway estuary, which gives its name to the district. Sittingbourne, on the mainland, is the administrative centre.

Richmondshire: …centred on the valleys of Swaledale and Wensleydale in the northwestern corner of the county. The town of Richmond is the administrative centre.

swallow, any of the approximately 90 species of the bird family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). A few, including the bank swallow, are called martins (see martin; see also woodswallow; for sea swallow, see tern). Swallows are small, with pointed narrow wings, short bills, and small weak feet;

cave: Fluviokarst: Upstream from these “swallow holes” where surface streams are lost to the subsurface, the tributary valleys continue to deepen their channels. These evolve into so-called blind valleys, which end where a stream sinks beneath a cliff. At the top of the cliff is the abandoned floor of the…

pratincole, any of six or seven Old World shorebird species constituting the subfamily Glareolinae of the family Glareolidae, which also includes the coursers. Pratincoles are about 20 cm (8 inches) long and are brown with a white rump; the tail is forked, and the wings are long and pointed.

Ellen Swallow Richards was an American chemist and founder of the home economics movement in the United States. Ellen Swallow was educated mainly at home. She briefly attended Westford Academy and also taught school for a time. Swallow was trained as a chemist, earning an A.B. from Vassar College

woodswallow, (genus Artamus), any of about 16 species of songbirds constituting the family Artamidae (order Passeriformes). Woodswallows are found from eastern India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines southward to Australia and Tasmania. They resemble swallows in wing shape and aerial feeding

gull: The swallow-tailed gull (Creagrus furcatus) of the Galapagos Islands is a striking bird, the only gull with a deeply forked tail. (See also kittiwake.)

kite: The swallow-tailed kite of Africa (Chelicti- nia riocourii) is a small gray and white bird of the subfamily Elaninae. It occurs from Nigeria to Somalia. The white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus; subfamily Elaninae) occurs from Argentina to California, where it is one of the few North American…

kite: The swallow-tailed kite of the New World (Elanoides forficatus) is a striking black and white bird of the subfamily Perninae. It is about 60 cm long, including its long forked tail. It is most common in tropical eastern South America but also occurs from Central America…

swallow-tanager, (Tersina viridis), bird of northern South America, the sole member of the subfamily Tersininae, family Emberizidae; some authors give it family rank (Tersinidae). About 15 cm (6 inches) long, it resembles a tanager with long wings and a swallowlike bill. The male is light blue,

perciform: Annotated classification: Family Chiasmodontidae (swallowers) Slender fishes with extremely deeply cleft mouth; large backward-pointing teeth; dorsal fin long with spinous and soft dorsals separate; pelvic fins thoracic. Capable of swallowing and holding in their greatly distensible bellies fishes larger than themselves. About 15 species in open oceanic waters down…

swallowing, the act of passing food from the mouth, by way of the pharynx (or throat) and esophagus, to the stomach. Three stages are involved in swallowing food. The first begins in the mouth. There, food is mixed with saliva for lubrication and placed on the back of the tongue. The mouth closes,

Arthur Ransome: …writer best known for the Swallows and Amazons series of children’s novels (1930–47), which set the pattern for “holiday adventure” stories.

swallowtail butterfly, (subfamily Papilioninae), any of a group of butterflies in the family Papilionidae (order Lepidoptera). The swallowtail butterflies (Papilio) are found worldwide except in the Arctic. They are named for the characteristic tail-like extensions of the hindwings, although many

Lepidoptera: Annotated classification: Family Uraniidae (swallowtail moths) Approximately 700 chiefly tropical species; some adults are large, brilliantly iridescent diurnal moths; the Asian Epicopeia (family Epicopeiidae) mimic swallowtail butterflies. Superfamily Drepanoidea Approximately 700 species worldwide in 2 families. Family Drepanidae

India: The British, 1600–1740: However, the English victory at Swally Hole in 1612 over the Portuguese, whose control of the pilgrim sea route to Mecca was resented by the Mughals, brought a dramatic change. The embassy of Sir Thomas Roe (1615–18) to the Mughal court secured an accord (in the form of a farmān,…

United States presidential election of 2020: Primaries: Eric Swalwell of California, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, former representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas, billionaire activist Tom Steyer, technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Michael Bennet

sadhu and swami: swami, in India, a religious ascetic or holy person. The class of sadhus includes renunciants of many types and faiths. They are sometimes designated by the term swami (Sanskrit svami, “master”), which refers especially to an ascetic who has been initiated into a specific religious…

R.K. Narayan: Early life and education: …many of his works, including Swami and Friends (1935), The Bachelor of Arts (1937), Malgudi Days(1943), and The Guide(1958).