G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Ghibellines to Grand Prix
Luis de Góngora y Argote
Góngora y Argote, Luis de (1561–1627), Spanish poet.
Göteborg
Göteborg (pop. 437,500), second largest city in Sweden and its most important coastal port.
Ghibellines
Ghibellines See: Guelphs and Ghibellines.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Ghiberti, Lorenzo (1378–1455), Italian sculptor.
Ghirlandajo
Ghirlandajo, or Ghirlandaio, Domenico (Domenico di Tommaso Bigordi; 1449–94), Florentine Renaissance painter said to have taught Michelangelo.
Ghost dance
Ghost dance, ceremonial ritual of a religion originated by the Paiute Indians in Nevada c. 1870.
Alberto Giacometti
Giacometti, Alberto (1901–66), Swiss-born sculptor and painter who lived in Paris.
Giant
Giant, in myths, human creature of great size and strength; survivor of races that lived before humanity.
Giant panda
Giant panda See: Panda.
Giant schnauzer
Giant schnauzer, largest dog of the schnauzer breed, standing about 25 in (65 cm) and weighing about 76 lb (35 kg).
Giant sequoia
Giant sequoia See: Sequoia.
Gibberellin
Gibberellin, any of a group of chemical compounds that stimulate plant growth.
Gibbon
Gibbon, smallest of the apes, distinguishable by its very long arms.
Edward Gibbon
Gibbon, Edward (1737–94), English historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (6 vols., 1776–88), the greatest historical work of the 18th century and a literary masterpiece.
Gibbons v. Ogden
Gibbons v.
Josiah Willard Gibbs
Gibbs, Josiah Willard (1839–1903), U.S. physicist best known for his pioneering work in chemical thermodynamics and his contributions to statistical mechanics.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar, self-governing British colony, 2.3 sq mi (6 sq km) in area, on the rock of Gibraltar at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula.
Strait of Gibraltar
Gibraltar, Strait of, narrow body of water between Spain and North Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.
Kahlil Gibran
Gibran, Kahlil (1883–1931), Lebanese essayist and philosopher-poet who blended elements of Eastern and Western mysticism.
Althea Gibson
Gibson, Althea (1927– ), U.S. golf and tennis player, the first black to enter the United States women's tennis championship singles.
Charles Dana Gibson
Gibson, Charles Dana (1867–1944), U.S. artist, a fashion illustrator who created the “Gibson Girl.” Based on his wife, she was an elegant and high-spirited figure who typified the ideal American woman in the early 20th century.
André Gide
Gide, André (1869–1951), French writer.
Gideon
Gideon, in the Bible (Judges), leader and judge of Israel who, by his exploits in repelling the desert raiders, the Midianites, became a national hero.
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v.
Sir (Arthur) John Gielgud
Gielgud, Sir (Arthur) John (1904– ), British actor, producer, and director, noted early in his career for his Shakespearean roles, especially Hamlet and Richard III.
Edward Gierek
Gierek, Edward (1913– ), first secretary of the Polish Communist Party (1970–80).
Gila monster
Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), stout-bodied lizard, up to 2 ft (61 cm) long.
Gila River
Gila River, river in Arizona and New Mexico, flowing westward and joining the Colorado River near Yuma, Calif.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey (1539?–83), English soldier and explorer.
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan, English theater collaborators who wrote lighthearted musical satires of Victorian England and the British Empire.
William Gilbert
Gilbert, William (1544–1603), English scientist.
Gild
Gild See: Guild.
Gilded Age
Gilded Age, sardonic name for the post-Civil War period up to around 1880 in the United States, a time of rampant corruption in politics and commerce.
Epic of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh, Epic of, earliest known epic poem, written in the Akkadian language and originating in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium B.C.
Gill
Gill, thin-walled, external respiratory organ of many aquatic animals.
Dizzy Gillespie
Gillespie, Dizzy (John Birks Gillespie; 1917–93), U.S. jazz musician.
Gillyflower
Gillyflower See: Wallflower.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (1860–1935), U.S. writer and women's rights activist.
Nicholas Gilman
Gilman, Nicholas (1755–1814), New Hampshire politician.
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore
Gilmore, Patrick Sarsfield (1829–92), foremost U.S. bandmaster of the 1800s and creator of Gilmore's Band, considered the first great U.S. band.
cotton Gin
Gin, cotton See: Cotton gin.
Ginger
Ginger, herb of the family Zingiberaceae, grown in Japan, the West Indies, South America, and West Africa; also, the spice derived from the root, or rhizome, of the plant.
Gingivitis
Gingivitis, inflammation of the gums.
Ginkgo
Ginkgo, or maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), tree with fan-shaped leaves that is often grown in cities because of its tolerance for smoke, low temperatures, and mineral water.
Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg, Allen (1926–97), U.S. poet of the beat generation.
Ginseng
Ginseng (genus Panax), small perennial plant that grows in damp woodlands in Korea and in the United States.
Giorgione
Giorgione (1478?–1510), Renaissance Venetian painter, student of Giovanni Bellini.
Giotto
Giotto (Giotto di Bondone; c.1266–c.1337), Florentine painter and architect.
Nikki Giovanni
Giovanni, Nikki (Yolande Cornelia Giovanni, Jr.; 1943– ), African American poet.
Gipsie
Gipsie See: Gypsy.
Giraffe
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), tallest mammal, native to Africa, reaching 18 ft (5.5 m), with extremely long neck (up to 7 ft/2.1 m) and legs.
(Hippolyte) Jean Giraudoux
Giraudoux, (Hippolyte) Jean (1882–1944), French playwright.
Girl Scouts and Girl Guides
Girl Scouts and Girl Guides, association promoting fitness, citizenship, outdoor living, and community service among girls.
Girls Clubs of America
Girls Clubs of America, association of U.S. clubs designed to assist girls in their physical, emotional, and educational growth.
Girondists
Girondists, group of middle-class republicans in the French Revolution.
Simon Girty
Girty, Simon (1741–1818), American frontiersman called the Great Renegade.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Giscard d'Estaing, Valéry (1926– ), president of France 1974–81.
Gish sisters
Gish sisters, U.S. actresses best known for silent films, especially in the pioneering epics of D.
George Robert Gissing
Gissing, George Robert (1857–1903), English novelist.
Giza
Giza (pop. 1,870,500), or Al Jizah, Egypt's third largest city, a suburb of Cairo, and the site of the 3 largest pyramids and the Great Sphinx.
Gizzard
Gizzard, thick-walled, muscular part of the stomach of birds that uses gravel to help digest grains and other partly digested food.
Glaciation
Glaciation See: Ice age.
Glacier
Glacier, mass of ice that flows outward from ice caps or down from above the snow line. Glaciers cover about one-tenth of the earth's land area. They are classified as continental glaciers or ice caps, valley glaciers, and piedmont glaciers. The largest ice caps occur in Antarctica and Greenland. Almost all of Antarctica and about 85% of Greenland are buried by ice. Smaller ice caps …
Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park, located in southeastern Alaska, covering 3,878,269 acres (1,569,481 hectares), and visited by over 100,000 people every year.
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park, created 1910 in the Rocky Mountains in northwest Montana.
William James Glackens
Glackens, William James (1870–1938), U.S. illustrator and painter, member of The Eight (the Ashcan School) in New York City.
Gladiator
Gladiator (Latin: gladius, “short sword”), warrior-entertainer of ancient Rome.
Gladiolus
Gladiolus, genus of tall erect plants of the iris family with sword-shaped leaves and large flowers, native to South Africa and the Mediterranean area, popular in American and European gardens.
William Ewart Gladstone
Gladstone, William Ewart (1809–98), British statesman, Liberal Party; 4 times prime minister (1868–74; 1880–85; 1886; 1892–94).
Gland
Gland, in animals, organ that secretes essential substances.
Glanders
Glanders, fatal contagious, bacterial disease of horses, donkeys, and mules that can be transmitted to humans.
Glandular fever
Glandular fever See: Mononucleosis.
Glasgow
Glasgow (pop. 684,300), Scotland's largest city and principal port, on the River Clyde.
Glass
Glass, hard, brittle, transparent substance composed mainly of silicates. A natural black glass called obsidian occurs when the molten rock from an erupting volcano cools rapidly, androck crystals, made of quartz, are another type of naturally occurring glass. The ancient Egyptians and Romans manufactured glass, and stained glass became important in medieval art and architecture in Europe. The mas…
Glass lizard
Glass lizard, or glass snake (genus Ophisaurus), legless, snakelike lizard.
Philip Glass
Glass, Philip (1937– ), U.S. composer.
Glasses
Glasses, or spectacles, lenses mounted in a frame and worn in front of the eyes to correct defects of vision.
Glassware
Glassware See: Glass.
Glasswort
Glasswort (Salicornia), plant belonging to the goosefoot family.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (pop. 93,000), town in Somerset County, England.
Glauber's salt
Glauber's salt, trade name of a drug containing sodium sulphate, used as a laxative.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma, eye disease characterized by an increased pressure on the retina within the eyeball, caused by an excess of watery fluid.
Glauconite
Glauconite, or greensand, greenish iron-silicate mineral that resembles tiny flake-like particles or little lumps of clay.
Glendale
Glendale (pop. 180,038), city in California, suburb of Los Angeles.
John Herschel Glenn Jr.
Glenn, John Herschel, Jr. (1921– ), U.S. astronaut and senator.
Glider
Glider, nonpowered airplane launched by air or ground towing and kept aloft by its light, aerodynamic design and the skill of the pilot in exploiting rising air currents.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
Glinka, Mikhail Ivanovich (1804–57), Russian composer.
Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre, London open-air public theater where most of Shakespeare's plays were first performed.
Globulin
Globulin, large family of proteins distributed in plants and animals, insoluble in water but soluble in dilute saline solutions.
Glockenspiel
Glockenspiel, or bells, pitched percussion instrument, originally a set of graduated bells, but now 2 rows of tuned steel bars on a frame.
Glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis See: Nephritis.
Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution, events of 1688–89 that led to the deposition of King James II of England.
Gloucester
Gloucester (pop. 27,768), coastal city in northeastern Massachusetts, about 30 mi (48 km) northeast of Boston.
Glowworm
Glowworm See: Firefly.
Gloxinia
Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa), Brazilian plant prized for its colorful, velvety leaves and bell-shaped flowers.
Christoph Willibald von Gluck
Gluck, Christoph Willibald von (1714–87), German operatic composer.
Glucose
Glucose (C6H12O6), simple sugar found in certain foods, especially fruits.
Glue
Glue, adhesive material produced from vegetable (starch, gum, soybeans) or animal (bones, hides, oil) substances.
Gluon
Gluon, elementary subatomic particle that holds the parts of protons and neutrons together.
Gluten
Gluten, mixture of 2 proteins, gliadin and glutenin, found in wheat, rye, and other cereal flours.
Glutton
Glutton See: Wolverine.
Glycerin
Glycerin See: Glycerol.
Glycerol
Glycerol, or glycerin, colorless, sticky, sweet-tasting liquid alcohol.
Glycogen
Glycogen, animal starch made up of glucose molecules, stored in the liver and muscles, and used to replenish the glucose levels burned for energy in the body.
Glycol
Glycol, group of alcohols, all of which have 2 hydroxy (OH) groups.
Gnat
Gnat, small biting fly such as a mosquito, belonging to the order Diptera.
Gnatcatcher
Gnatcatcher, genus (Polioptila) of small, insect-eating birds of the Western Hemisphere, from the Old World warbler family, Sylviidae.
Gneiss
Gneiss, crystalline metamorphic rock, made up of quartz, feldspar, and mica combined in different proportions to produce distinct layers.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism, dualistic religious system of early Christians.
Gnotobiotics
Gnotobiotics, laboratory organism that is either free of all known contaminating organisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts) or specifically contaminated with a known organism.
Gnu
Gnu, or wildebeest, antelope (genus Connochaetes) with a large buffalo-like head and shoulders, curved horns, and a horse-like body and tail.
Goanna
Goanna See: Monitor.
Goat
Goat, member (genus Capra) of the cattle family and closely related to sheep.
Goatsucker
Goatsucker, or nightjar, mostly night-flying bird of the family Caprimulgidae, which includes the nighthawk and whippoorwill.
Gobi
Gobi, vast desert in central Asia, which extends to North China.
God
God, in religion, term for the “supreme being.” In polytheistic systems, one god is generally regarded as the ruler of the others. The Hindu pantheon reflects this hierarchy by regarding Brahman as the supreme being, although other gods are worshiped as aspects of his being. True monotheism emerged in the religion of the Hebrews, whose one God, Yahweh, is a personal being with whom t…
Jean-Luc Godard
Godard, Jean-Luc (1930– ), French film director, a pioneer of the “new wave” school with his film Breathless (1959).
Goddard
Goddard, colonial American family who worked as editors, printers, and publishers.
Robert Hutchings Goddard
Goddard, Robert Hutchings (1882–1945), U.S. physicist, pioneer of rocketry.
(Margaret) Rumer Godden
Godden, (Margaret) Rumer (1907– ), British author whose novels, poems, and children's books are distinguished by their warm characterization and lyric style.
Goddess
Goddess See: Mythology.
Godetia
Godetia, genus of flowering annuals named after the Swiss botanist Charles H.
Lady Godiva
Godiva, Lady (c. 1040–80) noted for her legendary ride through Coventry, England, to persuade her husband Leofric, earl of Mercia, to reduce heavy taxes.
Gods
Gods See: Mythology; Polytheism; Religion.
Godthåb
Godthåb (pop. 11,200; Greenlandic: Nuuk), capital city of Greenland, located on the southwestern shore of the island, on Davis Strait.
William Godwin
Godwin, William (1756–1836), English political theorist and novelist.
Godwit
Godwit, large wading bird with long, slightly upcurved bill, belonging to the snipe and sandpiper family.
(Paul) Joseph Goebbels
Goebbels, (Paul) Joseph (1897–1945), Nazi propagandist.
Goeduck
Goeduck See: Geoduck.
Hermann Wilhelm Goering
Goering, Hermann Wilhelm (1893–1946), German political leader and Hitler's deputy, 1939–45.
Hugo Van der Goes
Goes, Hugo Van der See: Van der Goes, Hugo.
George Washington Goethals
Goethals, George Washington (1858–1928), U.S. army engineer who completed construction of the Panama Canal, 1907–14.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749–1832), German poet, novelist, and playwright.
Vincent Van Gogh
Gogh, Vincent Van See: Van Gogh, Vincent.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol
Gogol, Nikolai Vasilyevich (1809–52), Russian short story writer, novelist, and dramatist.
Goiter
Goiter, medical condition causing the front of the neck to swell, due to an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Golan
Golan See: Cities of refuge.
Golan Heights
Golan Heights, strategic area, formerly part of Syria, between southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria.
Gold
Gold, chemical element, symbol Au; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Gold Coast
Gold Coast See: Ghana.
Gold Rush
Gold Rush, influx of prospectors following the discovery of a new gold field.
Gold standard
Gold standard, monetary system in which a standard currency unit equals a fixed weight of gold.
Arthur Joseph Goldberg
Goldberg, Arthur Joseph (1908–90), U.S. labor lawyer and public servant.
Golden Age
Golden Age, in Greek and Roman mythology, era of perfect happiness, prosperity, and innocence that preceded recorded history.
Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece, in Greek mythology, golden wool of a sacred winged ram.
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge, bridge spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay, Calif., built in 1933–37.
Golden Hind
Golden Hind See: Drake, Sir Francis.
Golden retriever
Golden retriever, gold-colored, thick-coated hunting dog, originally bred in Scotland around 1870.
Golden robin
Golden robin See: Baltimore oriole.
Golden rule
Golden rule, precept stated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Treat others as you would like them to treat you” (Matt. 7.12).
Golden State
Golden State See: California.
Goldenrod
Goldenrod, tall plant (genus Solidago) with masses of yellow or white flowers that bloom in the autumn.
Goldenseal
Goldenseal, or orange root, perennial herb (Hydrastis canadensis) of the buttercup family, found in the eastern United States and in Japan.
Goldfield
Goldfield, village in southwestern Nevada, seat of Esmeralda County.
Goldfinch
Goldfinch, small, short-tailed bird (genus Carduelis) of the finch family, also called wild canary because of its musical song and the male's bright yellow color.
Goldfish
Goldfish (Carassius auratus), freshwater fish of the carp family.
William Gerald Golding
Golding, William Gerald (1911–93), English novelist.
Emma Goldman
Goldman, Emma (1869–1940), Russian-born U.S. anarchist, she emigrated to the United States in 1886 and was imprisoned many times for her activities against militarism, for labor rights, and for advocating birth control.
Carlo Goldoni
Goldoni, Carlo (1707–93), Italian dramatist.
Oliver Goldsmith
Goldsmith, Oliver (1730?–74), Anglo-Irish author.
Barry Morris Goldwater
Goldwater, Barry Morris (1909– ), U.S. conservative senator from Arizona (1953–65, 1969–87), and unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate against Lyndon B.
Samuel Goldwyn
Goldwyn, Samuel (Samuel Goldfish; 1882–1974), Polish-born U.S. film pioneer.
Golf
Golf, game in which players hit a small, hard ball with special clubs on an outdoor course (links), attempting to use as few strokes as possible to deposit the ball into a cup (hole).
Golgotha
Golgotha See: Calvary.
Goliath
Goliath, in the Bible, a Philistine giant, and a warrior who challenged the Israelites.
Gomorrah
Gomorrah See: Sodom and Gomorrah.
Samuel Gompers
Gompers, Samuel (1850–1924), English born U.S. labor leader.
Wladyslaw Gomulka
Gomulka, Wladyslaw (1905–82), Polish communist leader.
Edmond Louis Antoine Huot de Goncourt Goncourt brothers
Goncourt brothers, Edmond Louis Antoine Huot de Goncourt (1822–96) and Jules Alfred Huot de Goncourt (1830–70), French authors who pioneered the naturalist school of fiction.
Gong
Gong, disk-shaped percussion instrument, usually made of bronze, which produces sound by vibrating when struck with a special kind of hammer.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea, acute infectious disease of the mucous membranes lining the urethra, cervix of the uterus, and rectum, which may spread bacteria in the bloodstream.
Felipe González Márquez
González Márquez, Felipe (1942– ), prime minister of Spain (1982–96) and head of Spain's first leftist government since the 1936 Civil War.
Pancho Gonzales
Gonzales, Pancho (Richard Alonzo Gonzales; 1928– ), U.S. tennis player.
Goober
Goober See: Peanut.
Good Friday
Good Friday, in Holy Week, the Friday before Easter, the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, observed in most Christian churches as a day of fasting and mourning.
Cape of Good Hope
Good Hope, Cape of See: Cape of Good Hope.
Good Neighbor Policy
Good Neighbor Policy, policy initiated by President Franklin D.
Jane Goodall
Goodall, Jane (1934– ), English zoologist who gained recognition through her years of study and work with chimpanzees.
Benny Goodman
Goodman, Benny (Benjamin D.
Charles Goodyear
Goodyear, Charles (1800–60), U.S. inventor (in 1839) of vulcanized rubber (patented 1844).
Goose
Goose, swimming bird (family Anatidae) related to the swan and duck.
Gooseberry
Gooseberry, shrub (genus Ribes) bearing purple berries, originally found growing wild in southern Europe and North Africa.
Gopher
Gopher, or pocket gopher, burrowing rodent of the family Geomyidae, native to North and Central America.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeyevich (1931– ), Soviet political leader who succeeded Konstantin Chernenko as general secretary of the Communist party of the Soviet Union in 1984 and became President of the USSR (1990–g96). Gorbachev had worked his way up through the ranks of the Communist party in the Russian city of Stavropol in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1970 he was elected to the Supreme S…
Gordian knot
Gordian knot, in Greek mythology, an intricate knot by which King Gordius of Phrygia joined the yoke and pole of an oxcart.
Charles George Gordon
Gordon, Charles George (1833–85), British soldier, known as “Chinese Gordon.” He helped suppress the Taiping Rebellion (1863–64) in China, and governed the Egyptian Sudan (1877–80), where he established law, improved communications, and attempted to suppress the slave trade.
Gordon setter
Gordon setter, breed of hunting dog dating from 17th-century Scotland.
Gorgon
Gorgon, in Greek mythology, term for 3 hideous winged and snake-haired sisters—Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa—who turned anyone who looked at them to stone.
Gorilla
Gorilla, largest of the primates (Gorilla gorilla), native to equatorial western Africa.
Gorki
Gorki, or Gorky (pop. 1,443,000), now Nizhny Novgorod (renamed in 1990), city in the eastern European port of the Soviet Union, situated at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers.
Maxim Gorki
Gorki, Maxim (Alexey Maximovich Pyeshkov; 1868–1936), Russian author.
Arshile Gorky
Gorky, Arshile (1904–48), Armenian-born U.S. painter, pioneer of abstract expressionism.
Goshawk
Goshawk See: Hawk.
Gospel
Gospel, one of the 4 New Testament books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—that tell the story of the life of Jesus, written to spread the gospel (“good news”) of Christian salvation.
Gothenburg
Gothenburg See: Göteborg.
Gothic art and architecture
Gothic art and architecture, the Gothic style of art and architecture flourished in Europe, particularly in France, from the mid-12th century to the end of the 15th century.
Gothic novel
Gothic novel, genre of fiction whose terror-laden stories are usually set against a menacing, medieval background.
Goths
Goths, ancient Germanic peoples, split into Ostrogoths (East Goths) and Visigoths (West Goths) in the 3rd century.
Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg, medieval German poet (late 12th-early 13th century), famous for his unfinished Middle High German masterpiece Tristan (c.1210), an epic based on Celtic legend.
Adolph Gottlieb
Gottlieb, Adolph (1903–74), U.S. artist, known for his oversized abstract expressionist landscapes, which feature bursts of color.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau (1829–69), U.S. composer and pianist, internationally celebrated as a virtuoso.
Glenn Gould
Gould, Glenn (1932–82), Canadian virtuoso pianist, famous for his performances of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.
Jay Gould
Gould, Jay (1836–92), U.S. railroad speculator.
Charles François Gounod
Gounod, Charles François (1818–93), French composer, best known for the operas Faust (1859) and Romeo and Juliet (1867), and the song “Ave Maria,” based on Bach's first prelude.
Gourd
Gourd, any of a variety of plants, chiefly vines, of the family Cucurbitaceae, producing fruit known as gourds that are used as food and utensils.
Gout
Gout, recurrent acute arthritis of peripheral joints caused by excess uric acid in the blood and tissue fluids.
Government
Government, system of control and regulation of social activities by the state, also referring to the agency that exercises such control.
Government regulation
Government regulation, government supervision of industry to protect the interests of individuals and society as a whole.
Governor
Governor, in the United States, the executive head of each of the 50 states, whose duties and authority usually include responsibilities for the administrative affairs of state, appointment of nonelective government officials and judges, preparation of the budget, and command of the state police force.
Francisco Goya
Goya, Francisco (1746–1828), Spanish painter and graphic artist. Master of satire, his keen sense of observation and ability to depict reality graphically and with almost savage detail served him from his early works, designing cartoons for tapestries (1775–79), to his later appointment (1799) as court painter to Charles III and Charles IV. However, illness, which left him deaf in 17…
Gracchus
Gracchus, family name of 2 Roman brothers, social reformers and political leaders, known together as the Gracchi.
Grace
Grace, in Christian theology, favor shown by God toward sinful and needy people.
Graces
Graces, in Greek mythology, goddesses of fertility, personifying charm and beauty.
Grackle
Grackle, songbird of the family Icteridae, including blackbirds, orioles, and bobolinks.
Grade school
Grade school See: Elementary school.
Graduate school
Graduate school See: Universities and colleges.
Henry Woodfin Grady
Grady, Henry Woodfin (1850–89), U.S. editor and orator.
Steffi Graf
Graf, Steffi (1969– ), German tennis player, known for her powerful forehand.
Grafting
Grafting, in horticulture, uniting of 2 closely related varieties of plants so that they grow as one.
Billy Graham
Graham, Billy (William Franklin Graham; 1918– ), U.S. evangelist.
Katharine Meyer Graham
Graham, Katharine Meyer (1917– ), publisher of The Washington Post (1968–79) and head of its parent company, which also controlled Newsweek magazine and several television stations.
Martha Graham
Graham, Martha (1894–91), U.S. dancer, choreographer, and teacher.
Kenneth Grahame
Grahame, Kenneth (1859–1931), British writer of children's stories The Golden Age (1895), Dream Days (1898), and the classic The Wind in the Willows (1908), featuring animals with appealingly human characteristics.
Holy Grail
Grail, Holy See: Holy Grail.
Grain
Grain, in agriculture, the dry seedlike fruit of a cereal grass; also, the plant that bears these fruits, including wheat, rice, oats, millet, maize, and rye.
Grain sorghum
Grain sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), plant of the grass family (Gramineae) producing clusters of small starchy seeds.
Grain weevil
Grain weevil, or snout beetle, small destructive beetle of the weevil family that attacks and damages stored grain.
Percy Aldridge Grainger
Grainger, Percy Aldridge (1882–1961), Australian-born composer and pianist, a naturalized American from 1914.
Grammar
Grammar, structures of a language and of its constituents; also, the science concerned with the study of those structures.
Grammar school
Grammar school See: Elementary school.
Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco, lowland plain in Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.
Granada
Granada, name of a province of southeastern Spain and of the capital (pop. 255,200) of that province.
Granada
Granada (pop. 58,100), oldest city in Nicaragua, located on Lake Nicaragua.
Kingdom of Granada
Granada, Kingdom of, medieval Arab Islamic kingdom in southern Spain.
Grand Alliance
Grand Alliance, or League of Augsburg, name of 3 separate European alliances created to control the invasions of King Louis XIV of France.
Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), society of Union Civil War veterans.
Grand Banks
Grand Banks, underwater plateau off southeast Newfoundland, Canada, where the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream meet.
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon, spectacular gorge cut by the Colorado River in northwest Arizona.
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, U.S. park covering 1,218,375 acres (493,059 hectares) in Arizona, established in 1919 and expanded in 1975.
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam, 550 ft (168 m) high and 4,173 ft (1,272 m) long dam on the Columbia River in the state of Washington.
Grand jury
Grand jury, group of citizens who decide whether there is enough evidence to charge an individual with a crime.
Grand National
Grand National, world's most prestigious steeplechase race held annually since 1839 at the Aintree race course in England.
Grand Old Party
Grand Old Party See: Republican Party.
Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry See: Country and western music.
Grand Portage National Monument
Grand Portage National Monument, memorial erected in Grand Portage, Minn., on Lake Superior near the Canadian border.
Grand Pré
Grand Pré, historic town in Nova Scotia, Canada, founded by French colonists in 1680.
Grand Prix
Grand Prix See: Automobile racing.
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause, legal device in Southern states to deny blacks the right to vote by giving it to males with high literacy and property qualifications or to those whose fathers and grandfathers had been qualified to vote on Jan. 1, 1867 (before the 15th Amendment).
Grandma Moses
Grandma Moses See: Moses, Grandma.