21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Cannon to Catherine

Lázaro Cárdenas

Cárdenas, Lázaro (1895–1970), Mexican soldier and politician.

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Cannon

Cannon, large firearm with a barrel, breech, and firing mechanism.

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Cannon-ball tree

Cannon-ball tree, South American tree (Couroupita guianensis) noted for its spherical woody fruit, which resembles a rusty cannon ball.

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Juan Sebastian del Cano

Cano, Juan Sebastián del (1476–1526), Basque sailor who succeeded Ferdinand Magellan as commander of the expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of the globe (1522).

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Canoe

Canoe, long, narrow, lightweight boat used primarily for fishing and recreational activities on lakes and rivers.

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Canon, form or procedure of contrapuntal musical composition in which one voice or instrument starts to sing or play a theme and other voices or instruments follow at a specified interval of time, all singing or playing the same theme according to the same rule (canon).

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Canonization

Canonization, process by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint.

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Canopus

Canopus, second brightest star in the sky.

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Antonio Canova

Canova, Antonio (1757–1822), Italian sculptor, a leading exponent of neo-classicism.

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Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe See: Muskmelon.

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Cantata

Cantata (from: Italian cantare, “to sing”), musical composition for solo voice or choir, usually with an instrumental accompaniment.

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Canterbury

Canterbury (pop. 34,400), city and county borough of Kent, on the Stour River 55 mi (89 km) southeast of London.

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Canterbury bell

Canterbury bell, any of several biennial flowering plants with bell-shaped flowers, in particular the Campanula medium.

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Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales, best-known work of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, written between 1387 and his death in 1400.

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Canticle

Canticle, piece of religious music, similar in character to a psalm, but using a passage from the Bible other than the psalms themselves.

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Canticles

Canticles See: Song of Solomon.

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Canton

Canton (pop. 394,106), city in northeastern Ohio, about 60 mi (97 km) southeast of Cleveland; seat of Stark County.

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China Canton

Canton, China See: Guangzhou.

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Canute

Canute (995?–1035), king of England, Norway, and Denmark.

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Canvasback

Canvasback (Aythya valisneria), diving duck found in coastal and inland waters of North America.

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Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park, in eastern Utah, established in 1964.

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Canzoniere

Canzoniere See: Petrarch.

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Cap-Haitien

Cap-Haitien (pop. 70,500), seaport on the north coast of Haiti and the country's second largest city.

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Capacitance

Capacitance, ability of a system to store an electric charge, measured by the charge that must be communicated to a body to raise its potential 1 unit.

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Capacitor

Capacitor, or condenser, electrical component used to store electric charge and to provide reactance in alternating current circuits. In essence, a capacitor consists of 2 conducting plates separated by a thin layer of insulator. When the plates are connected to the terminals of a battery, a current flows until the capacitor is “charged,” with 1 plate positive and the other negative.…

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Cape Breton Island

Cape Breton Island, island in northeast Nova Scotia, 110 mi (177 km) long, up to 75 mi (121 km) wide, separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Canso (since 1955 joined by a causeway).

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Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral, promontory on the eastern coast of Florida, site of the John F.

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Cape Cod

Cape Cod, peninsula in Barnstable County, southeast Massachusetts, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay.

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Cape Cod Canal

Cape Cod Canal, sea-level channel cutting through the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) peninsula.

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Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope, rocky promontory near the southern tip of Africa, 30 mi (48 km) south of Cape Town, chief navigational hazard in rounding Africa.

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Cape Hatteras

Cape Hatteras, promontory lying 30 mi (48 km) off the North Carolina coast and long known as “the graveyard of the Atlantic” because of its rocky shoals.

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Cape Horn

Cape Horn, southernmost tip of South America, known for its cold, stormy climate.

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Cape Kennedy

Cape Kennedy See: Cape Canaveral.

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Cape May

Cape May, oldest beach resort in the United States, on Cape May Peninsula, N.J.

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Cape Province

Cape Province, former province of South Africa, 278,465 sq mi (721,224 sq km) in area.

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Cape Town

Cape Town (pop. 911,500), legislative capital of South Africa and capital of WestCape Province.

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Cape Verde

Cape Verde (Republic of), independent nation in Africa, lying in the Atlantic Ocean some 400 mi (644 km) west of Senegal. The area is about 1,550 sq mi (4,015 sq km). Cape Verde consists of 10 islands and 5 islets, forming a horseshoe. The islands are volcanic—only about 10% of the land is cultivable. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season, although recently there has been cycl…

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Cape York

Cape York, point of land on the northwest coast of Greenland.

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Karel Capek

Capek, Karel (1890–1938), Czech writer whose works, known for their humor and antiauthoritarian stand, include the plays R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots, 1920) and The Insect Play (1921) and the novel The War with the Newts (1936).

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Capella

Capella, brightest star of the constellation Auriga, the charioteer.

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Caper

Caper (genus Capparis), prickly Mediterranean shrub cultivated for its tender aromatic buds, which are pickled for use in sauces such as tartare sauce.

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Hugh Capet

Capet, Hugh See: Hugh Capet.

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Capetians

Capetians, ruling house of France (987–1328) that laid the basis for the French state by consolidating and extending its power.

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Capillarity

Capillarity, or capillary action, rise or fall of a liquid within a narrow tube (less than 0.02 m/0.5 mm in diameter) when one end is placed beneath the surface of a liquid, caused by its surface tension, which is due to the forces of attraction between the molecules of the liquid. Where, in the case of adhesion, these forces are weaker than the attraction of the molecules for the walls of the tub…

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Capillary

Capillary, minute blood vessel that connects the arteries and veins.

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Capital

Capital, in economics, those goods that are used in production, such as plant and equipment (fixed capital) and raw materials, components, and semifinished goods (circulating capital), as opposed to goods intended for immediate consumption.

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Capital punishment

Capital punishment (from Latin caput, “head”), originally, death by decapitation; now, execution in general.

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Capitalism

Capitalism, economic system in which goods and services are provided by the efforts of private individuals and groups (firms) who own and control the means of production, compete with one another, and aim to make a profit. The concept has several overlapping senses, but the idea of private ownership of the means of production and their employment in the search of profit are common to all of them. …

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Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill See: Washington, D.C.

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U.S. Capitol

Capitol, U.S., building in Washington, D.C. that houses the Congress of the United States.

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Al Capone

Capone, Al (1899–1947), U.S. gangster.

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Truman Capote

Capote, Truman (1924–1984), U.S. writer.

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Al Capp

Capp, Al (1909–79), U.S. cartoonist, creator of the comic strip “Li'l Abner.” The New York Mirror first published this famous comic about the residents of “Dogpatch U.S.A.” in 1934.

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Frank Capra

Capra, Frank (1897–91), U.S. film director and 3-time Academy Award winner.

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Capri

Capri (pop. 7,500), Italian island resort in the Bay of Naples, site of the Villa Iovis of Roman Emperor Tiberius.

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Tropic of Capricorn

Capricorn, Tropic of See: Tropic of Capricorn.

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Capsicum

Capsicum, genus of the nightshade family, cultivated in warm climates for its fruit (pepper); also, pod of the cayenne pepper plant, which, when dried and prepared, is used in medicine as an irritant and a stimulant.

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Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd See: Kidd, William.

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Capuchin

Capuchin (Cebus capucinus), small tree-dwelling monkey with a long, prehensile tail.

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Capuchins

Capuchins, Roman Catholic order of friars and an independent branch of the Franciscans.

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Capybara

Capybara (Hydrochoerus capybara), world's largest rodent.

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Car

Car See: Automobile; Railroad.

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Caracal

Caracal, or desert lynx (Felis caracal), medium-sized cat of Africa and southern Asia that is distinguished by a fawn coat, long legs, and long black ear tufts.

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Caracara

Caracara, any of a variety of long-legged South American hawks with long narrow wings, related to the falcon.

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Caracas

Caracas (pop. 3,435,800), Venezuelan capital, near the Caribbean Sea at an altitude of 3,020 ft (920 m).

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Constantine Caramanlis

Caramanlis, Constantine (1907–98), Greek premier (1955–63, 1974–80) and president (1980–85, 1990–95).

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Carat

Carat, measure of the weight of gems and pearls or of the purity of precious metals.

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Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da (1573–1610), Italian Baroque painter who achieved startling and dramatic effects with a technique of shadow and light called chiaroscuro.

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Caraway

Caraway (Carum carvi), biennial or perennial plant of the carrot family, the seed of which is used for flavoring medicinal purposes.

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Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway

Caraway, Hattie Ophelia Wyatt (1878–1950), first woman elected to the U.S.

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Carbide

Carbide, any chemical compound of carbon and a metal.

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Carbine

Carbine, short, lightweight rifle most useful to soldiers fighting from tanks and other cramped spaces.

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Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate, any of a group of chemical compounds—including sugars, starches, and cellulose—containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only, with the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms usually 2:1.

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Carbolic acid

Carbolic acid, or phenol (C6H5OH), first chemical to be used as an antiseptic.

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Carbon

Carbon, chemical element, symbol C; for physical constants see Periodic Table.

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Carbon (14)

Carbon 14 See: Radiocarbon.

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Carbon bisulfide

Carbon bisulfide See: Carbon disulfide.

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Carbon black

Carbon black See: Carbon.

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Carbon dating

Carbon dating See: Radiocarbon.

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Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2), colorless, odorless, incombustible gas, consisting of 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms.

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Carbon disulfide

Carbon disulfide (CS2), clear, inflammable liquid chemical compound, composed of 1 carbon atom and 2 sulfur atoms, used in the manufacture of viscose rayon and cellophane, as a solvent for fats, rubber, resins, waxes, and sulfur, and in matches, fumigants, and pesticides. It is a typical toxic industrial chemical. The principal route of exposure in humans is by inhalation; skin contact is much les…

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Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO), colorless, odorless, very poisonous gas that burns with a pale blue flame and is a component of coal gas, exhaust fumes, and most smoke (including cigarette smoke).

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Carbon tetrachloride

Carbon tetrachloride (CCI4), colorless liquid with a distinctive smell, used mainly as a solvent.

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Carbonate

Carbonate, salt of carbonic acid that contains the carbonate ion CO3=.

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Carboniferous

Carboniferous, collective term used mainly in Europe for the combined Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods of the geological time scale, 345–280 million years ago.

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Carborundum

Carborundum, commercial name for silicon carbide (SiC), widely used abrasive and one of the hardest substances known.

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Carbuncle

Carbuncle, infection under the full thickness of the skin caused by the pus-forming germ Staphylococcus.

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Carburetor

Carburetor, device that mixes air and gasoline in the correct proportion for efficient combustion (about 15:1 by weight) in internal combustion engines (as in automobiles).

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Carcassonne

Carcassonne (pop. 41,200), city in southern France, southeast of Toulouse.

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Carcinogen

Carcinogen See: Cancer.

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Carcinoma

Carcinoma, malignant tumor or new growth (neoplasm) derived from epithelial and glandular tissues, a form of cancer.

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Card games

Card games, games played with rectangular cards marked with number (rank) and symbol (suit).

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Cardamom

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), perennial plant the seed of which is used as a spice and for medicinal purposes.

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Cardiac

Cardiac See: Heart.

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Cardiff

Cardiff (pop. 295,600), city and seaport near the mouth of the Taff River in southern Wales.

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Cardigan Welsh corgi

Cardigan Welsh corgi, breed of dog first raised in Wales.

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Cardinal

Cardinal, or redbird (Cardinalis cardinalis), familiar songbird of the finch family, found in North America.

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Cardinal

Cardinal, hierarchically high-ranking official of the Roman Catholic Church, whose principal duties include the election of the pope, counseling the papacy, and administrating Church government.

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Cardinal flower

Cardinal flower, tall plant (Lobelia cardinalis) native to North and Central America.

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Cardiology

Cardiology, science of the heart, including the study of its diseases and functions.

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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), restoration of hearbeat and breathing by external cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth breathing.

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Benjamin Nathan Cardozo

Cardozo, Benjamin Nathan (1870–1938), U.S. jurist and Supreme Court justice (1932–38) after an impressive career at the bar and in the New York courts.

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Cards

Cards See: Card games.

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Glosuè Carducci

Carducci, Glosuè (1835–1907), Italian scholar and patriotic poet.

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Inc.) CARE (Cooperative for American Relief to Everywhere

CARE (Cooperative for American Relief to Everywhere, Inc.), charity founded in 1945, initially for aid to Europe but now operating worldwide.

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Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea, warm oceanic basin off Central America, partly enclosed by islands.

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Caribou

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), the only member of the deer family (Cervidae) in which both sexes bear antlers.

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Caribs

Caribs, Native American tribe encountered by the Spanish conquerors of America in the 16th century.

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Caricature

Caricature, sketch exaggerating or distorting characteristics of its subject for satirical purposes.

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Carillon

Carillon, musical instrument, usually permanently set in a bell-tower, consisting of a series of bells on which melodies and simple harmonies are played from a keyboard and pedal console much like that of an organ.

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Carl Gustaf

Carl Gustaf (1946– ), king of Sweden (Charles XV Gustavus) from 1973.

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Sir Guy Carleton t Baron Dorchester (1s)

Carleton, Sir Guy, 1st Baron Dorchester (1724–1808), English soldier and governor.

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Juan Carlos

Carlos, Juan See: Juan Carlos I.

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Empress Carlota

Carlota, Empress See: Maximilian.

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, national park in southeastern New Mexico.

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Thomas Carlyle

Carlyle, Thomas (1795–1881), Scottish essayist and historian. His writings greatly influenced literature and political and religious thought in mid-19th-century Britain. Carlyle was much influenced by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose Wilhelm Meister he translated (1824). In 1826 he married Jane Welsh, who greatly helped his literary career. At her farm near Dumfries he wrote Sartor Resartu…

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(William) Bliss Carman

Carman, (William) Bliss (1861–1929), Canadian poet and essayist.

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Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel-by-the-Sea, or Carmel (pop. 4,239), town in California situated on Carmel Bay south of Monterey.

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Carmelites

Carmelites, friars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church.

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Hoagy Carmichael

Carmichael, Hoagy (Hoagland Howard Carmichael; 1899–1981), U.S. songwriter.

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Stokely Carmichael

Carmichael, Stokely (1941– ), U.S.

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Rudolf Carnap

Carnap, Rudolf (1891–1970), German-U.S. logician and philosopher of science, a leading figure in the Vienna Circle and founder of logical positivism, who later turned to studying problems of linguistic philosophy and the role of probability in inductive reasoning.

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George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert Carnarvon h Earl of (5t)

Carnarvon, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of (1866–1923), English Egyptologist.

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Carnation

Carnation, flower popular for buttonholes and in horticulture, subspecies of pink (Dianthus caryophyllus).

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Carneades

Carneades (213?–129? B.C.), Greek philosopher who rejected the notion of an absolute standard of truth.

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Andrew Carnegie

Carnegie, Andrew (1835–1919), U.S. steel magnate and philanthropist.

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Dale Carnegie

Carnegie, Dale (1888–1955), U.S. author and lecturer whose How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) became the best-selling nonfiction work of modern times, second only to the Bible.

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Carnegie Foundations

Carnegie Foundations, philanthropic organizations established by Andrew Carnegie to advance education, research, and world peace.

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Carnelian

Carnelian, or cornelian, one of the chalcedony group of crystalline quartz forms.

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Carnival

Carnival, term for any festive season with processions and masquerades, and particularly for the period preceding Lent.

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Carnivore

Carnivore, order of flesh-eating mammals with daggerlike canine teeth, cutting cheek teeth, and sharp claws.

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Carnivorous plant

Carnivorous plant, or insectivorous plant, term used for plants that have mechanisms for trapping and digesting insects.

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Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot

Carnot, Lazare Nicolas Marguerite (1753–1823), French soldier and politician, “Organizer of Victory” for the Revolutionary armies.

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Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot

Carnot, Nicolas Léonard Sadi (1796–1832), French physicist.

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Carnotite

Carnotite, yellow mineral found in sandstone and limestone deposits in the Colorado Plateau.

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Joseph ben Ephraim Caro

Caro, Joseph ben Ephraim (1488–1575), Jewish Talmudist and philosopher whose codification of Jewish law, the Shulhan Arukh (1565), became the standard authority.

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Carob

Carob, evergreen tree (Ceratonia siliqua) native to the Mediterranean but also cultivated elsewhere.

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Carol

Carol, name of 2 kings of Romania.

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Carol

Carol, cheerful song sung at Christmas, but once also performed (as a dance song) at other festive seasons.

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Caroline Islands

Caroline Islands, volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, administered as a trust territory by the United States.

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Carolingian

Carolingian, Frankish dynasty founded in the 7th century by Pepin of Landen, whose successors ruled as mayors under the Merovingians until A.D. 751, when Pepin III made himself king.

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Carolingian art

Carolingian art, style created in France and western Germany in the late 8th and 9th centuries. The style, named for Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor of the restored Holy Roman Empire in 800, was an attempt to revive the arts of antiquity. Instead of the abstract geometric patterns and mythical animals used by artists of this region in the preceding centuries, Carolingian artists reintroduced …

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Carp

Carp (Cyprinus carpio), freshwater, bottom-feeding fish native to Asia but now found in Europe and America.

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Vittore Carpaccio

Carpaccio, Vittore (c.1460–1526), Venetian Renaissance narrative painter, influenced by Gentile Bellini.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome, sensation of pins-and-needles or numbness in the thumb and first two fingers, plus pain in the wrist, in the palm, or in the forearm.

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Carpathian Mountains

Carpathian Mountains, European mountain range, about 900 mi (1,448 km) long, an extension of the Alps running from Czechoslovakia through Poland, the USSR, and Rumania.

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M. Scott Carpenter

Carpenter, M.

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Carpentry

Carpentry, craft of laying floors, building stairways, and erecting ceiling joists and roof rafters of wood using traditional tools such as the hammer, chisel, pincers, plane, square, plumb line, and tape measure.

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Carpet beetle

Carpet beetle (Anthrenus scrophulariae), destructive household insect whose larvae feed on carpets, rugs, furniture, fur, and clothing.

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Carpetbagger

Carpetbagger, Northerner who moved into the South during the Reconstruction after the Civil War.

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Carracci

Carracci, family of Bolognese painters.

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Carrageen

Carrageen See: Irish moss.

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Venustiano Carranza

Carranza, Venustiano (1859–1920), Mexican political leader.

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Alexis Carrel

Carrel, Alexis (1873–1944), U.S. surgeon and biologist who received the 1912 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for his work in suturing blood vessels, in transfusion, and in organ transplantation.

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Carrier pigeon

Carrier pigeon, breed of show pigeon derived from the rock pigeon.

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Charles Carroll

Carroll, Charles (1737–1832), U.S. revolutionary leader, member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

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Daniel Carroll

Carroll, Daniel (1730–96), U.S. revolutionary politician, signer of the Articles of Confederation and the U.S.

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John Carroll

Carroll, John (1735–1815), first U.S.

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Lewis Carroll

Carroll, Lewis (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson; 1832–98), English mathematician best known for his children's books, Alice in Wonderland (1865) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (1872), built on mathematical illogic and paradox.

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Carrot

Carrot (Daucus carota), biennial vegetable of the parsley family with a swollen, edible root, grown extensively in America and Europe.

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Carson City

Carson City (pop. 40,443), state capital of Nevada, south of Reno.

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Kit Carson

Carson, Kit (Christopher Carson; 1809–68), American frontiersman.

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Rachel Louise Carson

Carson, Rachel Louise (1907–64), U.S. marine biologist and science writer whose Silent Spring (1962) first alerted the U.S. public to the dangers of environmental pollution.

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Cartagena

Cartagena (pop. 168,800), city and seaport on the Mediterranean coast in southeastern Spain.

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Cartel

Cartel, formal organization of producers in a particular industry, designed to set prices, control levels of production, and divide markets.

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Don Carter

Carter, Don (1926– ), U.S. bowler.

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Elliott Cook Carter

Carter, Elliott Cook (1908– ), U.S. composer, Pulitzer Prize winner (1960, 1973).

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Howard Carter

Carter, Howard (1873–1939), English Egyptologist, famous for excavations in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, Egypt, with Lord Carnarvon that discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922.

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Jimmy Carter

Carter, Jimmy (James Earl Carter, Jr.; 1924– ), 39th president of the United States. Carter grew up on a Georgia farm and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946. In the navy he studied nuclear physics and worked on the atomic submarine program. In 1953 he returned to Georgia, built the family's farm into a prosperous peanut business, and entered politics as a Democrat. As gove…

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Sir George Carteret

Carteret, Sir George (c.1610–80), English politician, admiral, and lieutenant-governor of East Jersey from 1643.

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Cartesian philosophy

Cartesian philosophy See: Descartes, René.

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Carthage

Carthage, ancient North African city established in 814 B.C. by the Phoenicians, traders of the Mediterranean.

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Carthusians

Carthusians, contemplative and austere Roman Catholic monastic order founded in France in 1084 by St.

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Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson, Henri (1908– ), international French documentary photographer who rose to fame with his coverage of the Spanish Civil War.

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Jacques Cartier

Cartier, Jacques (1491–1557), French explorer who discovered the St.

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Sir George Étienne Cartier

Cartier, Sir George Étienne (1814–73), Canadian statesman and leading French-Canadian advocate of confederation.

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Cartilage

Cartilage, tough, flexible connective tissue found in all vertebrates, consisting of cartilage cells in a matrix of collagen fibers and a firm protein gel.

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Cartoon

Cartoon, originally, preparatory sketch in the fine arts; since the mid-19th century, humorous or satirical drawing.

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Edmund Cartwright

Cartwright, Edmund (1743–1823), English inventor of a mechanical loom (1785) that was the ancestor of the modern power loom.

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Peter Cartwright

Cartwright, Peter (1785–1872), U.S.

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Enrico Caruso

Caruso, Enrico (1873–1921), Italian operatic tenor famous for his voice and his artistry.

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George Washington Carver

Carver, George Washington (1860–1943), U.S. chemist, botanist, and educator, born of slave parents in Missouri.

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John Carver

Carver, John (1576–1621), first governor of Plymouth Colony (1620–21).

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Joyce Cary

Cary, Joyce (1888–1957), English novelist most famous for 2 trilogies: the first on art—Herself Surprised (1941), To Be a Pilgrim (1942), and The Horse's Mouth (1944), and the second on politics—Prisoner of Grace (1952), Except the Lord (1953), and Not Honour More (1955).

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