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Rhaetian dialects ... Rhodes

Rhaetian dialects: group of Romance dialects spoken in Switzerland and northern Italy. The most important Rhaetian dialects are Sursilvan and Sutsilvan, which together make up the Romansh language (q.v.). Other Rhaetian dialects are Engadine, spoken in Switzerland in the Inn River valley; ...
Rhaetian Stage: uppermost of three divisions in the Upper Triassic Series, representing those rocks deposited worldwide during Rhaetian time (210 million to 206 million years ago) in the Triassic Period. The stage name is derived from the Rhaetian Alps of Italy, Switzerland, ...
Rhamnales: the buckthorn order of flowering plants, belonging to the class called dicotyledon (characterized by two seed leaves). It consists of 67 genera and 1,700 species in three families and is distributed worldwide in the tropics and subtropics, with significant extensions ...
Rhamphorhynchus: flying reptile (pterosaurs) found as fossils from the Late Jurassic Period (159 million to 144 million years ago) in Europe that had a diamond-shaped rudder at its tip of its tail. Rhamphorhynchus was about 50 cm (20 inches) long, with ...
rhapsodist: any of the dramatic reciters of ancient Greece, dating from the 6th century BC. In the oral epic tradition, rhapsodists were preceded by Homeric singers (aoidoi) of their own epic songs and, like them, were musically accompanied on the lyre ...
Rharb: coastal lowland of northwestern Morocco. Crossed from east to west by the Sebou River, the Rharb extends about 50 miles (80 km) along the Atlantic coast and reaches about 70 miles (113 km) inland. The lowland, which is bordered by ...
Rhatikon Mountains: mountain group of the Rhaetian Alps, straddling eastern Switzerland (Graubunden canton), western Austria (Vorarlberg), and southern Liechtenstein. It divides the valleys of Montafon (northeast) and Pratigau (southwest). The group's highest peak is Schesaplana (9,724 feet [2,964 m]) on the Austrian-Swiss ...
Rhea: major regular moon of Saturn and the planet's second largest, after Titan. It was discovered in 1672 by the Italian-born French astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini and named for a Titan of Greek mythology.
Rhea: in Greek religion, ancient goddess, probably pre-Hellenic in origin, who was worshiped sporadically throughout the Greek world. She was associated with fruitfulness and had affinities with Gaea (Earth) and the Great Mother of the Gods. A daughter of Uranus (Heaven) ...
rhea: either of two species of large, flightless birds in the family Rheidae, order Rheiformes. They are native to South America and are related to the ostrich and emu. The common rhea (Rhea americana; see ) is found in open country ...
Rheden: gemeente (commune), Gelderland provincie, east-central Netherlands. It lies between the IJssel River and the Veluwe hills, along the road from Arnhem to Zutphen. Rheden encompasses the villages of Velp, Rheden, De Steeg, Ellecom, Dieren, Spankeren, and Laag Soeren. In the ...
Rhee, Syngman: first president of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
Rheinberger, Joseph: German composer and teacher whose organ sonatas are among the finest 19th-century works for that instrument.
Rheine: city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on the Ems River, north of Munster. First mentioned in 838 and chartered in 1327, it suffered in the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) and was severely damaged in ...
Rheinhausen: former town, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany, on the west bank of the Rhine. In 1975 it became part of the city of Duisburg. The town grew up to house workers at a large iron and steel plant established ...
rhenium: (Re), chemical element, very rare metal of Group VIIb of the periodic table, one of the densest elements. Predicted by the Russian chemist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev (1869) as chemically related to manganese, rhenium was discovered (1925) by the German chemists ...
rheostat: adjustable resistor used in applications that require the adjustment of current or the varying of resistance in an electric circuit. The rheostat can adjust generator characteristics, dim lights, and start or control the speed of motors. Its resistance element can ...
rhesus monkey: sand-coloured primate native to forests but also found coexisting with humans in northern India, Nepal, eastern and southern China, and northern Southeast Asia. The rhesus monkey is the best-known species of macaque and measures about 47-64 cm (19-25 inches) long, ...
Rheticus, Georg Joachim: Austrian-born astronomer and mathematician who was among the first to adopt and spread the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus.
rhetoric: the principles of training communicators-those seeking to persuade or inform; in the 20th century it has undergone a shift of emphasis from the speaker or writer to the auditor or reader. This article deals with rhetoric in both its traditional ...
rhetoriqueur: any of the principal poets of the school that flourished in 15th- and early 16th-century France (particularly in Burgundy), whose poetry, based on historical and moral themes, employed allegory, dreams, symbols, and mythology for didactic effect.
rheumatic fever: inflammatory disease of the heart, joints, central nervous system, and subcutaneous tissues that develops after a throat infection with group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus bacteria, including untreated scarlet fever or strep throat. Prevention is possible with penicillin, but ...
rheumatism: any of several disorders that have in common inflammation of the connective tissues, especially the muscles, joints, and associated structures. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness. Specific diseases that are alternatively called rheumatism include rheumatoid arthritis (q.v.); rheumatic ...
rheumatoid arthritis: a chronic, frequently progressive disease in which inflammatory changes occur throughout the connective tissues of the body. It usually first attacks joints of the hands and feet symmetrically before progressing to the wrists, knees, or shoulders. Inflammation and thickening of ...
Rhiannon: in Celtic religion, the Welsh manifestation of the Gaulish horse goddess Epona and the Irish goddess Macha. She is best-known from The Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales, in which she makes her first appearance on a pale, mysterious ...
Rhianus: Greek poet and scholar from Crete and a slave. His only surviving works are 10 or 11 epigrams of some merit preserved in the Greek Anthology. He was best known as an epic poet, producing five epics, though the contents ...
Rhind papyrus: ancient Egyptian scroll bearing mathematical tables and problems. This extensive document from ancient Egypt has been the source of much information about Egyptian mathematics. The papyrus was bought in 1858 in a Nile resort town by a Scottish antiquary, Alexander ...
Rhine Falls: the most spectacular waterfall in central Europe, on the upper Rhine River just below Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland. The total fall of the cataract, including the rapids, is about 100 feet (30 m), the width 492 feet (150 m). There ...
Rhine River: river and waterway of western Europe, culturally and historically one of the great rivers of the continent and among the most important arteries of industrial transport in the world. It flows 865 miles (1,390 kilometres) from two small headways in ...
Rhine, Confederation of the: union (1806-13) of all the states of Germany, except Austria and Prussia, under the aegis of Napoleon I, which enabled the French to unify and dominate the country until Napoleon's downfall. The formation of the confederation was preceded by French ...
rhinegraves: wide breeches worn by men in the mid-17th century in Europe. The breeches were probably named for Karl Florentin, Rheingraf von Salm. Not unlike a divided skirt, they were sometimes called "petticoat breeches." They were usually fastened above the knee ...
Rhineland: historically controversial area of western Europe lying in western Germany along both banks of the middle Rhine River. It lies east of Germany's border with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Apart from the strip from Karlsruhe southward to the ...
Rhineland-Palatinate: ninth largest Land (state) of Germany, situated in the southwestern portion of the country and bordered by France, Luxembourg, and Belgium (south and west) and by the Lander (states) of North Rhine-Westphalia (north), Hesse and Baden-Wurttemberg (east), and Saarland (southwest). ...
Rhinelander: city, seat (1887) of Oneida county, northern Wisconsin, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Pelican rivers, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Wausau. It is surrounded by a heavy concentration of lakes, and Nicolet National ...
rhinestone: colourless, faceted glass used in jewelry; also foil-backed or silvered cut glass used to imitate diamonds. Originally used to designate gemstones cut from rock crystal obtained from the Rhine River, Germany, the name historically has been applied to faceted rock ...
rhinitis: generic term for inflammation of the mucous tissue of the nose. Rhinitis may be allergic in origin and is called hay fever (q.v.); acute rhinitis is a synonym for head cold. See common cold.
rhinoceros: any of five species of ponderous, hoofed mammals, family Rhinocerotidae (order Perissodactyla), found in eastern and southern Africa and in tropical Asia. The term rhinoceros is sometimes also applied to other, extinct members of the family Rhinocerotidae, a diverse group ...
rhinoceros beetle: any of numerous species of beetle, some of which are among the largest beetles on Earth, named for the impressive hornlike structures on the frontal portions of males. These beetles have rounded, convex backs, and their coloration varies from black ...
rhinoceros viper: (Bitis nasicornis), vividly coloured venomous snake of the family Viperidae, found near water in African rain forests. It grows to about 1.2 metres (4 feet) and has a thick body and large, hornlike scales on the end of its snout.
rhinovirus: a group of viruses capable of causing common colds in human adults and children. They belong to the family Picornaviridae (see picornavirus). The virus is thought to be transmitted to the upper respiratory tract by airborne droplets. After an incubation ...
Rhipidistia: extinct suborder of lobe-finned bony fishes of the order Crossopterygii, which apparently included the ancestors of amphibians and the other terrestrial vertebrates. The Rhipidistia were common during the Devonian (the Devonian Period lasted from 408 to 360 million years ago) ...
Rhipsalis: cactus genus of about 60 species, family Cactaceae, native to tropical and subtropical America, West Indies, Africa, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Rhipsalis is the only Old World representative of the cactus family. Theories proposed to account for this puzzling distribution ...
rhizomastigote: any member of the flagellate protozoan order Rhizomastigida, with features similar to both flagellates and sarcodines (protozoans having pseudopodia). Members are permanently amoeboid and may have from 1 to 50 flagella. Pseudopodia (cytoplasmic extensions) vary in number and appearance; some ...
rhizome: in botany, horizontal, underground plant stem capable of producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant. This capability allows the parent plant to propagate vegetatively (asexually) and also enables a plant to perennate (survive an annual unfavourable season) ...
rhizopod: any member of the protozoan superclass Rhizopoda. Three types of pseudopodia (cytoplasmic extensions) used in locomotion and digestion are found in members of this superclass: (1) long, thin reticulopodia, which fuse into a network; (2) nonfusing filopodia, similar to reticulopodia; ...
Rhode Island: island, largest in Narragansett Bay, eastern Rhode Island, U.S., occupying an area of 44 square miles (114 square km). Aquidneck is the Indian name for what was later called Rhode Island. The source of the modern name is unclear: it ...
Rhode Island: constituent state of the United States of America. It was one of the original 13 states and is one of the six New England states. With an area of 1,212 square miles (3,139 square kilometres), it is the smallest state ...
Rhode Island School of Design: private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Providence, R.I., U.S. The school was founded in 1877 but did not offer its first instruction at the college level until 1932. It is perhaps the foremost fine arts college in the United ...
Rhode Island, University of: public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Kingston, R.I., U.S. It is a land- and sea-grant institution. The university includes colleges of business administration, engineering, pharmacy, resource development, human science and services, and arts and sciences. The branch campus at ...
Rhodes: major city of the island of Rhodes and capital of the nomos (department) of Dhodhekanisos (in the Dodecanese islands), Greece. The largest urban centre on the island, Rhodes sits on its northeasternmost tip. In classical history, Rhodes was a maritime ...
Rhodes: island (nisos), the largest of the Dodecanese (q.v.) group, Greece, and the most easterly in the Aegean Sea, separated by the Strait of Marmara from Turkey. Rhodes city, on the northern tip of the island, is the capital of the ...