polyvinyl chloride See PVC
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Pombal ► Pompeius Magnus Pius I 1525
Pombal \p3-'bal\, Sebastiao de Carvalho, marquess de (b.
May 13, 1699, Lisbon, Port.—d. May 8, 1782, Pombal) Portuguese reformer. After serving as ambassador to England and Vienna, he became chief minister to King Joseph and came to dominate Portuguese politics (1750-77). He encouraged industry and commerce and stimulated trade with Brazil. After the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon, he orga¬ nized aid and reconstruction efforts. He restricted the power of the nobil¬ ity, had the Jesuits imprisoned or deported to Rome (1759), reorganized Portugal’s army, and reformed the university educational system. After Joseph’s death (1777), Pombal’s power disappeared; under Queen Maria I, he was accused of abuse of power and banished from Lisbon to his estates.
pomegranate Vpa-ms-.gra-nsA Fruit of Punica granatum, a bush or small tree of Asia, which with a little-known species from the island of Socotra constitutes the family Punicaceae. Native to Iran and long culti¬ vated around the Mediterranean and in India, it also grows in the warmer parts of the New World. The orange-sized and obscurely six-sided fruit has smooth, leathery, brownish yellow to red skin. Several chambers con¬ tain many thin, transparent vesicles of reddish, juicy pulp, each contain¬ ing an angular, elongated seed. The fruit is eaten fresh, and the juice is the source of the grenadine syrup used in flavourings and liqueurs. The plant grows 16-23 ft (5-7 m) tall and has elliptical, bright green leaves and handsome orange-red flowers. Throughout the Orient, the pomegran¬ ate has since earliest times occupied a position of importance alongside the grape and the fig. It is mentioned in the Bible, by the Prophet Muham¬ mad, and in Greek mythology.
Pomerania V.pa-mo-'ra-ne-oX Historical region, northeastern Europe, on the Baltic Sea between the Oder and Vistula rivers. Occupied by Slavs and other peoples, it was ruled by Polish princes in the 10th century. Ger¬ man immigration into western and central Pomerania began in the late 12th century, and Polish dukes ruled this area under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire until the 17th century. Eastern Pomerania was held by the Knights of the Teutonic Order from 1308 until it was reconquered by Poland in 1454. The elector of Brandenburg acquired the duchies in 1637. Prussia united western and central Pomerania in 1815 as the prov¬ ince of Pommern. Most of the area is now in Poland; its westernmost section is in eastern Germany.
Pomeranian X.pa-mo-'ra-ne-onV Breed of toy dog developed from the same sled-dog ancestors as the Kee- shond, Samoyed, and Norwegian elkhound. It is said to have been bred down in size from a 30-lb (14-kg) dog in the duchy of Pomerania in the early 19th century. Spirited but doc¬ ile, it has a foxlike head and small, erect ears. Its long coat, especially full on the neck and chest, is white, black, brown, or reddish brown. It stands about 6-7 in. (14-18 cm) and weighs about 3-7 lbs (1.5-3 kg).
pommel horse or side horse
Gymnastics event for men. It uses a padded rectangular apparatus sup¬ ported by legs and with two pommels (U-shaped handles) on the top. The gymnast performs various swinging and balancing feats, holding himself over the horse by means of the pommels or by grasping the front (neck), centre (saddle), or rear (croup) of the horse. The apparatus stems from a wooden horse used by the Romans to teach mounting and dismounting.
Porno North American Indian people living in northern California, U.S. The name Porno, which may have been derived from the name of a vil¬ lage, was given to seven distinct Hokan-speaking peoples who inhabited the Russian River valley. Fish, waterfowl, deer, and wild plant foods were plentiful in this region. Coastal Porno constructed dwellings of heavy timber and bark; inland Porno used poles, brush, and grass. Porno religion involved secret societies, dances, rituals, and impersonations of spirits. Porno basketry is often considered among the finest in the world. About 3,000 Porno live in some 20 communities within their original territory.
Pomona \p3-'mo-n3\ Ancient Roman goddess of fruit. Vertumnus, god of the seasons, fell in love with her, but she rejected him and all other suitors, preferring to cultivate her orchards. Refusing to give up, Vertum¬ nus came to her in the form of an old woman and pleaded his case so effectively that Pomona changed her mind and agreed to be his.
Pompadour Vpam-po-.dorV Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, mar¬ chioness de known as Madame de Pompadour (b. Dec. 29,
1721, Paris, France—d. April 15,
1764, Versailles) French mistress of Louis XV. Educated in art and litera¬ ture, she married Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d’Etoiles in 1741 and became admired by Parisian society and by the king, who installed her at Versailles as his mistress in 1745.
She obtained a separation from her husband and was created marchio¬ ness de Pompadour. She, the king, and her brother, appointed director of the king’s buildings, planned and built the Ecole Militaire and the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the Petit Trianon Palace at Versailles, and many other buildings. She and Louis also encouraged painters, sculptors, and craftsmen, making her 20 years in power the height of artis¬ tic taste. Her political influence was less astute; the alliance with Austria against the German Protestant princes that she urged led to the disastrous Seven Years' War.
pompano Vpam-po-.noX Any of several species of deep-bodied, tooth¬ less, silvery fishes in the order Perci- formes (especially in the genus Trachinotus, family Carangidae) inhabiting warm coastal waters worldwide. Some are highly prized as food. Pompanos have small scales, a narrow tail base, and a forked tail.
The Florida, or common, pompano (T. carolinus ), of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, is about 18 in. (45 cm) long and weighs about 2 lbs (1 kg). The African pompano, or thread- fish ( Alectis crinitis), of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, is 35 in. (90 cm) long and has long, threadlike rays extending from the dorsal and anal fins. The Pacific pompano ( Peprilus simillimus ) is in the family Stro- mateidae.
Pompeii \pam-‘pa\ Ancient city, southern Italy, southeast of Naples.
Founded in the 6th century bc (or earlier) by Oscan-speaking descen¬ dants of the Neolithic inhabitants of Campania, Pompeii came under Greek and Etruscan influence and then was occupied by the Samnites, an Italic tribe, in the late 5th century bc. The city was allied with Rome and colonized by 80 bc. It was dam¬ aged by an earthquake in ad 63 and was completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79.
Volcanic debris buried the town and protected the ruins for years.
Archaeological excavations, begun in 1748, have uncovered much of the city, including forums, temples, baths, theatres, and hundreds of pri¬ vate homes. See also Herculaneum.
Pompeius Magnus Pius \pam- , pe-3s- , mag-n3s- , pl-3s\ / Sextus or Pompey the Younger (b. c. 67— d. 35 bc, Miletus) Son of Pompey the Great and an opponent of Pompey’s rivals. After his father was killed
Pomeranian.
SALLY ANNE THOMPSON-EB INC.
Madame de Pompadour, detail of a portrait by Francois Boucher; in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edin¬ burgh.
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND, EDINBURGH
Florida pompano (Trachinotus caroli¬ nus).
ROBERT REDDEN-ANIMALS ANIMALS
I '
Temple of Apollo, Pompeii, Italy, with Mount Vesuvius in the background.
EDWIN SMITH
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1526 I Pompey ► Pontoppidan
fighting Julius Caesar in 48, Pompeius fled to Spain to continue the struggle. Mark Antony gave him a naval command after Caesar’s assas¬ sination (44), but he was outlawed in 43 under a law targeting those com¬ plied in Caesar’s death. He ravaged the coast of Italy, helped Antony against Octavian (later Augustus), and tried in vain to force both to make him governor of Sicily (39). Finally defeated by Octavian’s forces, he fled to Asia Minor but was caught and executed.