Monthly Archive: November 2020

An athanor, used in alchemy, is a furnace that provides uniform and constant heat. Its name is derived from late 15th century Arabic texts that used...

Parasitic nematode worms, such as the common roundworm, that can infest the human intestine. The word, first used in the 14th century, derives from Late Latin...

Genus of coniferous trees found in South America and Australia. It was first identified by European explorers in Chile in the 1780s. The name was derived...

Also spelled “antemasque”, this is a comic or grotesque dance performed before or between acts of a dramatic composition known as a “masque”. Conceived by English...

Also known as “praejuramentum” or “juramentum calumniae”, this was an oath taken by both accuser and accused ahead of a trial by compurgation, such as by...

The ankus – a bronze or steel hook at the end of a handle – is a tool used in the handling and training of elephants....