Georgian language Caucasian language of the Republic of Georgia, spoken by about 4.1 million people worldwide. Georgian is unique among Caucasian languages in having an ancient literary tradition. The earliest attestation of the language is an inscription of ad 430 in a church in Pal¬ estine, in a script ancestral to that used for Old Georgian (5th—11th cen¬ turies). The civil script used to write Modern Georgian, with 33 characters and no distinction between upper- and lowercase, was an offshoot of a script that first appeared in the 10th century. The origins of Georgian writing are uncertain, though it was presumably a free adaptation of the Greek alphabet, with new characters invented for the sounds peculiar to Georgian. Georgian has features typical of other Caucasian languages, including a large consonant inventory (with clusters of up to six conso¬ nants appearing at the beginning of a word).
Georgian poetry Body of lyrical poetry produced in Britain in the early 20th century. Desiring to make new poetry more accessible to the public, Rupert Brooke and Sir Edward Marsh produced five anthology volumes—containing works by Robert Graves, Walter de la Mare, Sieg¬ fried Sassoon (1886-1967), and others—called Georgian Poetry (1912— 22). “Georgian” was meant to suggest the opening of a new poetic age with the accession in 1910 of George V; however, much of the Georgians’ work was conventional, and the name came to refer to backward-looking literature rooted in its time.
Georgian style Architecture, interior design, and decorative arts of Britain during the reigns (1714-1830) of the first four Georges. It encom¬ passed Palladianism (see Andrea Palladio), turned to an austere Neoclas¬ sicism, moved on to Gothic Revival, and ended with the Regency style. The era is said to mark the summit of house design in Britain. Its legacy can be seen in the city squares of uniform, symmetrical brick London town- houses, their facades employing Classical pilasters, pedimented doors and windows, and graceful moldings. Their interiors, often furnished with Chippendale and Sheraton pieces, were characterized by harmonious pro¬ portions, quiet colors, and Roman-derived stucco ornamentation.
geosync line Linear trough of subsidence of the Earth’s crust, in which vast amounts of sediment accumulate. The filling of a geosyncline with thousands or tens of thousands of feet of sediment is accompanied by folding, crumpling, and faulting of the deposits. Intrusion of crystalline
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geothermal energy ► German language I 753
igneous rock and regional uplift complete the transformation into a belt of folded mountains. The concept was introduced by James Hall in 1859 and is basic to the theory of mountain building. See also Andean Geo¬ syncline; Appalachian Geosyncline; Cordilleran Geosyncline.
geothermal energy Power obtained by using heat from the Earth’s interior. Most geothermal resources are in regions of active volcanism. Hot springs, geysers, pools of boiling mud, and fumaroles are the most easily exploited sources. The ancient Romans used hot springs to heat baths and homes, and similar uses are still found in Iceland, Turkey, and Japan. Geothermal energy’s greatest potential lies in the generation of electric¬ ity. It was first used to produce electric power in Italy in 1904. Today geothermal power plants are in operation in New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, Mexico, the U.S., and elsewhere.
Gerald of Wales See Giraldus Cambrensis
geranium Any of the approximately 300 species of perennial herba¬ ceous plants or shrubs that make up the genus Geranium (family Gerani- aceae), native mostly to subtropical southern Africa. They are among the most popular bedding and green¬ house plants. The closely related genus Pelargonium contains some 280 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbaceous plants also commonly called geraniums. The showy, or Martha Washington, gera¬ niums ( P . x domesticum ) have large pansylike flowers, few to the cluster.
Some geraniums are grown as bas¬ ket plants indoors and out; they are also used as ground covers in warm areas. Some species have fragrant leaves. Geranium oil smells like roses and is used chiefly in perfumes, soaps, and ointments.
gerbil Vjar-bslX Any of almost 100 species (subfamily Gerbillinae) of burrowing mouselike rodents found in Africa and Asia, usually in dry, sandy areas but also in grasslands, cultivated fields, or forests. Gerbils have large eyes and ears and soft, brown or grayish fur. Most are 4-6 in. (10-15 cm) long, excluding the long, hairy tail. Many species have long hind legs used for leaping. Gerbils feed primarily on seeds, roots, and other plant material. One species ( Meriones unguiculatus ) is a popular pet. The great gerbil ( Rhombomys opimus ) sometimes damages crops and embankments in Russia, and members of one African genus ( Tatera ) are possible carriers of bubonic plague.
geriatrics See gerontology and geriatrics
Gericault V.zha-ri-'koV (Jean-Louis-Andre-) Theodore (b. Sept. 26, 1791, Rouen, Fr.—d. Jan. 26,1824, Paris) French painter. Under Pierre Guerin (1774-1833) he developed great skill in figure construction and composition, and under Joseph Vernet he became adept at capturing animal movement. He was inspired by Peter Paul Rubens’s use of colour and the contemporary subject matter of Antoine-Jean Gros. On a trip to Italy (1816—17), he became an admirer of Michelangelo and art of the Baroque period. On his return to Paris, the macabre subject matter and political over¬ tones of his huge Raft of the Medusa (1818-19) aroused great controversy. In 1820-21 he went to England and produced a large body of lithographs, watercolours, and oils of jockeys and horses. An avid horseman, he died after a riding accident. His work had enormous influence, most notably on Eugene Delacroix, and on the development of Romanticism in France.
germ-plasm theory Concept of the physical basis of heredity expressed by the biologist August Weismann (1834-1914). It claimed that germ plasm, which Weismann believed to be independent from all other cells of the body, was the essential element of germ cells (eggs and sperm) and was the hereditary material passed from generation to generation. First proposed in 1883, his view contradicted Lamarck’s then-prevalent theory of acquired characteristics. Though its details have been altered, its idea of the stability of hereditary material is the basis of the modem understanding of physical inheritance.
germ theory Theory that certain diseases are caused by invasion of the body by microorganisms. Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, and Robert Koch
are given much of the credit for its acceptance in the later 19th century. Pasteur showed that organisms in the air cause fermentation and spoil food; Lister was first to use an antiseptic to exclude germs in the air to prevent infection; and Koch first linked a specific organism with a disease (anthrax). The full implications of germ theory for medical practice were not immediately apparent after it was proven; surgeons operated without masks or head coverings as late as the 1890s.
germ warfare See biological warfare
Germain \zher-'ma n \, Thomas (b. 1673, Paris, Fr.—d. Aug. 14, 1748, Paris) French silver- and goldsmith. He studied painting as a boy and in 1691 was apprenticed to a silversmith in Rome. From 1706 to the 1720s, back in France, he worked on church commissions, such as a silver-gilt monstrance for Notre-Dame de Paris (1716). He became a master in the guild in 1720, and in 1723 Louis XV appointed him a royal goldsmith. Among his patrons were the queen of Spain, the king and queen of Naples, and the Portuguese court; his workshop produced some 3,000 silver objects for the palace at Lisbon over a 40-year period. He is best known for elaborate objects in Rococo style, though some of his pieces display a more restrained elegance.
German Civil Code German Burgerliches Gesetzbuch Body of codified private law that went into effect in the German Empire in 1900. The code, since modified, developed out of a desire for a truly national law that would override the often conflicting customs and law codes of the various German territories. Divided into five parts, it covers personal rights and legal personality, the law of contracts and sales, property, domestic relations, and inheritance, or succession. It contains elements of Germanic tribal, feudal, and common law, as well as Roman law. It has significantly influenced the private law of other countries, particularly Japan, Switzerland, and Greece. See also Germanic law.