Moro, Aldo (b. Sept. 23, 1916, Maglie, Italy—d. May 9, 1978, near or in Rome) Italian politician and premier of Italy (1963-64,1964-66, 1966- 68, 1974-76, 1976). A professor of law at the University of Bari, he was elected to the legislature in 1946. He served in several cabinet posts, then became secretary of the Christian Democrat Party (1959-63). As premier of Italy, he included socialists in his coalition governments. In 1976 he became president of the Christian Democrats and remained influential in Italian politics. In 1978 he was kidnapped in Rome by the Red Brigades; after the government refused to release Red Brigades members on trial in Turin, he was murdered by his captors.
Moroccan crises (1905-06, 1911) Two European incidents centring on Germany’s attempt to block France’s control of Morocco and to restrict French power. While visiting Tangier in 1905, the German emperor Wil¬ liam II issued a statement of support for Moroccan independence, which caused international panic. The crisis was resolved at the Algeciras Con¬ ference (1906), which recognized France’s special political interests in Morocco. The second crisis occurred in 1911 when a German gunboat arrived in Agadir, ostensibly to protect German economic interests dur¬ ing a local uprising. The French objected and made preparations for war, as did Britain, but a settlement was negotiated that gave France rights to a protectorship over Morocco. In return, Germany acquired part of the French Congo.
Morocco officially Kingdom of Morocco Country, North Africa. Area: 177,117 sq mi (458,730 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 31,478,000. Capitaclass="underline" Rabat. Arabized Berbers (Amazigh) are the country’s largest eth- nolinguistic group; there are French, Spanish, and Bedouin minorities. Languages: Arabic (official), Berber, French. Religion: Islam (official; mostly Sunni). Currency: dirham. Morocco is a mountainous country with an average elevation of 2,600 ft (800 m) above sea level. A mountain chain known as the Rif runs along the northern coast; the Atlas Mountains rise in the country’s centre and include Mount Toubkal (13,665 ft [4,165 m]), Morocco’s highest peak. The area is a zone of severe seismic activity, and earthquakes are frequent. Fertile lowlands support agriculture; major crops include barley, wheat, and sugar beets. Morocco is one of the world’s largest suppliers of phosphate. Its industrial centre is Casablanca,
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© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
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the largest city. It is a constitutional mon¬ archy with two legislative houses; its chief of state and head of government is the king, assisted by the prime minister. The Berbers entered Morocco near the end of the 2nd
millennium bc. Phoenicians established trading posts along the Mediter¬ ranean coast during the 12th century bc, and Carthage had settlements along the Atlantic coast in the 5th century bc. After the fall of Carthage, the region’s leaders became loyal allies of Rome, and in ad 42 it was annexed by the Romans as part of the province of Mauretania. It was invaded by Muslims in the 7th century. The Almoravid dynasty conquered it and the Muslim areas of Spain in the mid-11th century; the Almohad dynasty overthrew the Almoravids in the 12th century and in turn were conquered by the Marin id dynasty in the 13th century. After the fall of the Marinids in the mid-15th century, the Sa'di dynasty ruled for a century, beginning c. 1550. Attacks by Barbary Coast pirates compelled Europe¬ ans to enter the area; the French fought Morocco over the boundary with Algeria, Europeans obtained trading rights in 1856, and the Spanish seized part of Moroccan territory in 1859. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 until its independence in 1956. In the 1970s it reasserted claim to the Spanish Sahara (see Western Sahara), and in 1976 Spanish troops withdrew from the region, leaving behind the Algerian-supported Saharan guerrillas of the Polisario movement. Relations with Mauritania and Alge¬ ria deteriorated, and fighting over the region continued. Attempts at mediation have been made by the international community.
Moroni Town (pop., 1995: 340,168), capital of the Comoros Islands, located on Grande Comore (Njazidja) island in the Indian Ocean. Founded by Arabic-speaking settlers, it is the largest settlement of the Comoros and has served as the capital since 1958. The port of Moroni consists of a small quay in a natural cove. The town retains an Arabic character and has several mosques, including Chiounda, a pilgrimage centre.
morpheme In linguistics, the smallest grammatical unit of speech. It may be an entire word (cat) or an element of a word (re- and -ed in reap¬ peared). In so-called isolating languages, like Vietnamese, each word contains a single morpheme; in languages such as English, words often contain multiple morphemes. The study of morphemes is included in MORPHOLOGY.
Morpheus In Greek and Roman mythology, the god of dreams. He was one of the sons of Hypnos (Somnus), god of sleep. Morpheus sent human shapes of all kinds to the dreamer, while his brothers Phobetor and Phan- tasus sent the forms of animals and inanimate objects.
morphine Heterocyclic compound, narcotic analgesic alkaloid originally isolated from opium. It is among the most powerful naturally occurring
compounds in its ability to reduce pain and distress; its calming effect protects the system against exhaustion in traumatic shock, internal hem¬ orrhage, congestive heart failure, and other debilitating conditions. Mor¬ phine is usually given by injection but may be taken by mouth. Its most serious drawback is its addictiveness; many doctors are reluctant to use amounts adequate to relieve severe pain, even though short-term use in such cases rarely leads to drug addiction. This remains controversial even in terminal cases, when addiction is arguably irrelevant; another issue in such cases is that large doses depress respiration and may thus hasten death.
morpho Any species of New World tropical brush-footed butterflies in the genus Morpho (family Nympha- lidae). Microscopic ridges on the wing scales break up and reflect light, producing the iridescent blue of the males of some species. The generally duller-coloured females have broader, less graceful wings.
The hairy larvae feed on plants and live and pupate in a communal web.
Some species have poisonous hairs that can cause a rash on human skin.
Morphos are raised commercially in South America for use in jewelry, lamp shades, pictures, and tray inlays.
Morpho butterfly (Morpho nestira).
APPEL COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
morphology \m6r-'fa-l3-je\ In biology, the study of the size, shape, and structure of organisms in relation to some principle or generalization. Whereas anatomy describes the structure of organisms, morphology explains the shapes and arrangement of parts of organisms in terms of such general principles as evolutionary relations, function, and develop¬ ment.
morphology In linguistics, the internal construction system of words and its study. Languages vary widely in the number of morphemes a word can have. English has many words with multiple moiphemes (e.g., replacement is composed of re-, place, and -ment). Many American Indian languages have a highly complex morphology; other languages, such as Chinese, have a simple one. Morphology includes the grammatical pro¬ cesses of inflection, marking categories like person, tense, and case (e.g., the -s in jumps marks the third-person singular in the present tense), and derivation, the formation of new words from existing words (e.g., accept¬ able from accept).