Later, partly restored by his revived Anglican faith, he wrote Biographia Literaria , 2 vol. (1817), the most significant work of general literary criti¬ cism of the Romantic period. Imaginative and complex, with a unique intellect, Coleridge led a restless life full of turmoil and unfulfilled pos¬ sibilities.
Colet Vka-loA, John (b. 1466/67, London, Eng.—d. Sept. 16, 1519, Sheen, Surrey) British theologian. He studied mathematics and philoso¬ phy at Oxford and extended his studies abroad. Returning to England, he became ordained, sometime before 1499. He was appointed dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1504 and founded St. Paul’s School around 1509. One of the chief Tudor humanists, he promoted Renaissance culture in England and influenced such humanists as Desiderius Erasmus, St. Thomas More, and Thomas Lnacre.
Colette \ko-'let\ in full Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (b. Jan. 28, 1873, Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye,
France—d. Aug. 3, 1954, Paris)
French writer. Her first four Clau- dine novels (1900-03), the reminis¬ cences of a libertine ingenue, were published by her first husband, an important critic, under his pen name,
Willy. After separating from him, she worked as a music-hall performer, a life she fictionalized in The Vaga¬ bond (1910). Among her mature works are Cheri (1920), My Moth¬ er’s House (1922), The Ripening Seed (1923), The Last of Cheri (1926), Sido (1930), and Gigi (1944; musical film, 1958), a comedy about a girl reared to be a courtesan. Her novels of the pleasures and pains of love are remarkable for their exact evocation of sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and colours. In her highly eventful life, she freely flouted convention and repeatedly scandalized the French public, but by her late years she had become a national icon.
coleus Any member of the Old World tropical plant genus Coleus, con¬ taining about 150 species, in the mint family, best known for its colourful foliage. Varieties of C. blumei, from Java, are well-known houseplants and garden plants. They have square stems and small, blue, two-lipped flowers in spikes. Bush coleus (C. thrysoideus ), from Central Africa, pro¬ duces sprays of bright blue flowers. Others are variously known as flame nettle, painted leaves, painted nettle, Spanish thyme, Indian borage, coun¬ try borage, and flowering bush.
Colfax, Schuyler (b. March 23, 1823, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Jan. 15, 1885, Mankato, Minn.) U.S. politician. He founded the St. Joseph Valley Register, which became one of Indiana’s most influential newspa¬ pers during his editorship (1845-63). He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1854-69), where he served as speaker (1863-69) and a leader of the Radical Republicans. His vice presidency under Pres. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-73) was marred by his implication in the Credit Mobilier scandal (1872).
Colgate-Palmolive Co. Diversified U.S. company that manufactures household, health-care, and personal care products. It began in the early 19th century, when William Colgate, a soapmaker and candlemaker, began selling his wares in New York City. His company sold the first toothpaste in a tube in 1908, and in 1928 it was bought by the makers of Palmolive soap. Its current name was adopted in 1953. Its headquarters are in New York City.
Colgate University Private university in Hamilton, N.Y. It was founded in 1819 as a Baptist-affiliated institution but became independent in 1928. It offers primarily a liberal arts curriculum for undergraduates, with some master’s degree programs in arts and teaching. Women were first admitted in 1970 and now represent half of the student body.
colic \'ka-lik\ Any sudden, violent pain, especially that produced by con¬ traction of the muscular walls of a hollow organ whose opening is partly or completely blocked. In infants, intestinal colic is characterized by drawing up of the legs, restlessness, and constant crying. Colic may accompany enteritis (intestinal inflammation) or an intestinal tumour, as well as certain forms of influenza. Colic caused by spastic bowel con¬ tractions is common in lead poisoning. Treatment, aimed at symptom relief, often includes use of a muscle relaxant.
coliform bacteria Vko-ls-.formX Rod-shaped bacteria usually found in the intestinal tracts of animals, including humans. Coliform bacteria do not require but can use oxygen, and they do not form spores. They pro¬ duce acid and gas from the fermentation of lactose sugar. Their presence in the water supply indicates recent contamination by human or animal feces. Chlorination is the most common preventive water treatment.
Coligny \ I ko- 1 len-'ye,\E«g//5/i\k3-Ten-y9\, Gaspard II de, lord de Chatillon (b. Feb. 16, 1519, Chatillon-sur-Loing, France—d. Aug. 24, 1572, Paris) French soldier and leader of the Huguenots in the French Wars of Religion. He served in the Italian campaign (1544), won renown
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, detail of an oil painting by Washington Allston, 1814; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
Colette, 1937.
CHARLES LEIRENS/BLACK STAR
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
432 i Colima ► Collins
for his skill and bravery, and was made admiral of France (1552). He announced his support for the Refor¬ mation in 1560, joined the fight when civil war broke out in 1562, and became sole leader of the Huguenots in 1569. Later he began to exert influence over Charles IX and came to be seen as a threat by Cathe¬ rine de Medicis. After Catherine’s attempt to instigate his assassination failed, she convinced the king that the Huguenots were plotting to retaliate against Charles himself.
Charles then ordered the deaths of Coligny and the Huguenot leaders in the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day.
Colima \ko-'le-m3\ State (pop.,
2000: 542,627), western Mexico.
Covering 2,004 sq mi (5,191 sq km), which includes the Revillagigedo Islands, its capital is Colima city.
Situated along the Pacific coast, most of the small state lies in the narrow coastal plain, beyond which it rises into the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The soil is generally fertile and productive, but a lack of transportation has impeded development. Agriculture is the principal occupation; live¬ stock raising is important in the highlands.
Colima City (pop., 2000: 119,639), capital of Colima state, Mexico. Located in west-central Mexico, it lies on the Colima River in the foot¬ hills of the Sierra Madre. Founded in 1522, it has played only a minor role in Mexican history because of its inaccessibility. Its industries centre on processing local agricultural products. It is the site of the University of Colima (1867).
collage \ka-'lazh\ (from French colter, “to glue”) Pictorial technique of applying printed or found materials (e.g., newspaper, fabric, wallpaper) to a flat surface, often in combination with painting. Long popular as a pas¬ time for children and amateurs, it was first given serious attention as an art technique by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in 1912-13. Many other 20th-century artists produced collages, including Juan Gris, Henri Matisse, Joseph Cornell, and Max Ernst. In the 1960s collage was employed as a major form of Pop art, exemplified in the work of Robert Rauschenberg.
collagen Vka-lo-jonX Any of a class of organic compounds, the most abundant proteins in the animal kingdom, occurring widely in tendons, ligaments, dentin (see tooth), cartilage, and other connective tissues. Their molecules share a triple-helix configuration. Collagens occur as whitish, inelastic fibres of great tensile strength and low solubility in water. Soluble when first synthesized (the form used in personal-care preparations), col¬ lagen changes to a more stable, insoluble form. Glue made from collagen in animal hides and skins is a widely used adhesive. Specially treated forms of collagen are used in medicine and surgery (including lip implants and other cosmetic surgery), in prostheses, and as sausage casings. Col¬ lagen is converted to gelatin by boiling it in water.