Random Image

You are here: Random Image > Words beginning with x > Random Image for xyrid

Possible definitions for xyrid

Aydid
Somali faction leader, the dominant clan leader at the center of the Somalian civil war (1991-95). He received military training in Italy and the U.S.S.R., and served in posts under Muhammad Siad Barre (1978-89) before overthrowing him in 1991. Losing the interim presidency to another factional leader, Aydid continued warring on rival clans. When U.N. and U.S. troops arrived in Somalia (1992), Aydid ambushed a U.N. contingent and was declared an outlaw. The attempt to capture him led to many deaths, and the foreign troops were withdrawn. He then intensified his campaign against his rivals, but reportedly died of a heart attack after being wounded in battle.


Buridan
French philosopher, logician, and scientific theorist. He studied under William of Ockham at the Univ. of Paris and later taught there. He asserted a modified version of determinism. Among his achievements in mechanics was his revision of Aristotle's theory of motion; he developed a theory of impetus by which the mover imparts to the moved a power, proportional to the former's speed and mass, which keeps it moving. His studies of optical images prefigured modern developments in cinematics. In logic he explicated doctrines of Aristotle and Peter of Spain (c.1210-1277). His works include Summula de dialecta (1487) and Consequentie (1493).


lyric
Verse or poem that can, or supposedly can, be sung to musical accompaniment (in ancient times, usually a lyre) or that expresses intense personal emotion in a manner suggestive of a song. Lyric poetry expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet and is sometimes contrasted with narrative poetry and verse drama, which relate events in the form of a story. The elegy, ode, and sonnet are important forms of lyric poetry.


peridot
Gem-quality, transparent green olivine. Very large crystals are found in Myanmar; peridots from the U.S. are seldom larger than two carats. Yellow-green peridot has been called chrysolite (Greek for "golden stone"); this term, used for various unrelated minerals, is now less common for the gemstone.


pyrite
Naturally occurring gold-colored iron disulfide mineral. Pyrite has frequently fooled prospectors into thinking they had discovered gold. Pure pyrite (FeS2) contains 47% iron and 53% sulfur, by weight. Pyrite is used commercially as a source of sulfur, particularly for the production of sulfuric acid. Because there are much better sources of iron, it is not generally used as an iron ore. For many years Spain was the largest producer; other countries include Japan, the U.S., Canada, Italy, Norway, Portugal, and Slovakia.


Syria
Country, SW Asia, E coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Area: 71,498 sq mi (185,180 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 15,009,000. Capital: Damascus. Arabs are the main ethnic group, with Kurds the largest minority. Languages: Arabic (official), French, Kurdish, Armenian, English. ...

Top words beginning with X: xylocopid, xeruses, xerography, xanthogen, xylulokinase, xenia, xanthocephalum, xenagogy, xanthoxenite, xanthelasmoidea, xenosaurus, xanthocobaltic, xylans, xiphoidian, xxyy, xylenes, xyloplastic, xiphister, xenisma, xanthomata

More words beginning with X.

Browse the alphabet: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z