Amsterdam: The city layout: The Amstel River flows from south to north through the city toward the IJ. Parts of the city lie below sea level, some of them on land that has been reclaimed from the sea or from marshes or lakes.

Amstelveen, gemeente (municipality), western Netherlands, near the Amstel River. Amstelveen (meaning “peat bog on the Amstel”) was formerly a village in the municipality of Nieuwer-Amstel. A residential suburb of Amsterdam, it is a water-sports center with some agriculture and light industry.

Ian McEwan: Major novels: The novel Amsterdam, a social satire influenced by the early works of Evelyn Waugh, won the Booker Prize in 1998. Atonement (film 2007) traces over six decades the consequences of a lie told in the 1930s.

Amsterdam, city and port, western Netherlands, located on the IJsselmeer and connected to the North Sea. It is the capital and the principal commercial and financial centre of the Netherlands. To the scores of tourists who visit each year, Amsterdam is known for its historical attractions, for its

David O. Russell: …to the big screen with Amsterdam (2022), a social satire that centres on a fascist conspiracy to overturn the U.S. government in the 1930s. The all-star cast included Christian Bale and Margot Robbie.

Amsterdam, city, Montgomery county, eastern New York, U.S. It lies along the Mohawk River, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Schenectady. Settled by Albert Veeder in 1783, it was known as Veedersburg until it was renamed for Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1804. Its location on the Mohawk Trail, the

Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Amsterdam, that took place May 17–August 12, 1928. The Amsterdam Games were the eighth occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. Track-and-field and gymnastics events were added to the women’s slate at the 1928 Olympics. There was much criticism

airport: Pier and satellite designs: …International Airport in Germany and Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam still use such terminals. In the late 1970s, pier designs at Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield successfully handled in excess of 45 million mainly domestic passengers per year. However, as the number of aircraft gates grows, the distances that a passenger…

albatross: The Amsterdam albatross (D. amsterdamensis) has a wingspread of 280–340 cm (9–11 feet). Once thought to be a subspecies of the wandering albatross, it was shown by DNA analysis in 2011 to have diverged from the wandering albatross more than 265,000 years ago. The species exists…

Master of the Housebook was an anonymous late Gothic painter and engraver who was one of the outstanding early printmakers. He was formerly referred to as the Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet because the Rijksprentenkabinet, the print room of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, has the largest collection

Amsterdam: Cultural life: …the Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the Dutch Maritime Museum, and the Rembrandt House.

Amsterdam News, one of the most influential and oldest continuously published African American newspapers, based in Harlem in New York City. It predominately treats issues in African American culture, especially events in and issues concerning New York City and environs, from a Black perspective.

Michel de Klerk: …the first example of the Amsterdam school. His most important work was the Eigen Haard Estates (1917–21), which show the whimsy and warm humanity of de Klerk’s design, as well as his attention to the quaintness of the Dutch tradition of folk architecture.

Western architecture: Art Nouveau: …appreciated in his masterpiece, the Amsterdam Exchange (1898–1903). The exterior is in a rugged and deliberately unpicturesque vernacular, while the even more ruthless interior deploys brick, iron, and glass in a manner that owes much to the rationalist aesthetic of Viollet-le-Duc.

Netherlands: Ascendancy of the Dutch economy: Amsterdam’s “exchange bank” was instituted in 1609 to provide monetary exchange at established rates, but it soon became a deposit bank for the safe settling of accounts. Unlike the Bank of England, established almost a century later, it neither managed the national currency nor acted…

The Dick Van Dyke Show: …fellow writers—wisecracking Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie), who was always on the lookout for a husband—and the show’s pompous producer, Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon). Both Rob’s work family and his nuclear family—wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and son Ritchie (Larry Matthews)—provided reliable vehicles for comedy.…

European Central Bank: …established in 1998 by the Treaty of Amsterdam. Its headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Amsterdam: Cultural life: …also home to two universities—the University of Amsterdam, founded in 1632, and the Free University, founded in 1880—and numerous academies and conservatories. The architecture of the inner city (and of some of the suburbs) is a delight for many tourists interested in culture, who seek out the superbly preserved canal-side…

Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, Dutch waterway connecting the port of Amsterdam with the Rhine River. From Amsterdam the canal passes to the southeast through Utrecht on its way to the Waal River near Tiel. Inaugurated in 1952, the canal has a total length of 72 km (45 miles) and contains four locks. It was

Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, Dutch waterway connecting the port of Amsterdam with the Rhine River. From Amsterdam the canal passes to the southeast through Utrecht on its way to the Waal River near Tiel. Inaugurated in 1952, the canal has a total length of 72 km (45 miles) and contains four locks. It was

Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. Ajax is the Netherlands’ most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. Ajax was promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for the first time in 1911. Under the

Netherlands: Ascendancy of the Dutch economy: Amsterdam’s “exchange bank” was instituted in 1609 to provide monetary exchange at established rates, but it soon became a deposit bank for the safe settling of accounts. Unlike the Bank of England, established almost a century later, it neither managed the national currency nor acted…

Amstetten, town, northeastern Austria. It is situated near the Ybbs River, northeast of Steyr. Recorded in 996 as a possession of the bishops of Passau (now in Germany), it was fortified and granted market rights when it passed to the House of Habsburg in 1276. It achieved town status in 1897. The

Chappell Roan is an American singer-songwriter known for song lyrics that embrace queer culture and for her bold makeup and costumes inspired by drag queens. Her music incorporates various styles, including synth-pop, rock, and disco, with influences from the popular music of the 1980s and 2010s.

Tax Reform Act of 1986: The TRA strengthened the “alternative minimum tax” provisions of the income tax code for individuals, which were first created in 1978. (The alternative minimum tax is the least that an individual or corporation must pay after all eligible exclusions, credits, and deductions have been taken.) The corporate tax rate…

Baba Amte was an Indian lawyer and social activist chiefly known for his rehabilitative initiatives for underprivileged leprosy patients and his involvement in the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA; “Save Narmada Movement”). He was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1971) and the Padma Vibhushan (1986), two

Baba Amte was an Indian lawyer and social activist chiefly known for his rehabilitative initiatives for underprivileged leprosy patients and his involvement in the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA; “Save Narmada Movement”). He was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1971) and the Padma Vibhushan (1986), two

radar: Postwar progress: Airborne MTI radar for aircraft detection was developed for the U.S. Navy’s Grumman E-2 airborne-early-warning (AEW) aircraft at this time. Many of the attributes of HF over-the-horizon radar were demonstrated during the 1960s, as were the first radars designed for detecting ballistic missiles and satellites.

Camilla Collett: …most famous, Amtmandens døttre (1854–55; The District Governor’s Daughter). In it she attacked the existing inequality of the sexes and the conventional marriage and home based on patriarchal dominion. A less-significant volume of short stories followed, and then Collett published I de lange nœtter (1862; “Through the Long Nights”), in…

subprime lending: Two years later the Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act (AMTPA) lifted restrictions on the use of variable interest rates and balloon payments. Although those two laws opened the door for the development of a subprime lending market, what made subprime lending viable on a large scale was the Tax…

Amtrak, federally supported corporation that operates nearly all intercity passenger trains in the United States. It was established by the U.S. Congress in 1970 and assumed control of passenger service from the country’s private rail companies the following year. Virtually all railways, with the

atomic mass unit (AMU), in physics and chemistry, a unit for expressing masses of atoms, molecules, or subatomic particles. An atomic mass unit is equal to 1 12 the mass of a single atom of carbon-12, the most abundant isotope of carbon, or 1.660538921 × 10 −24 gram. The mass of an atom consists of

Amu Darya, one of the longest rivers of Central Asia. The Amu Darya was traditionally known to the Western world from Greek and Roman times as the Oxus and was called the Jayḥūn by the Arabs. It allegedly derives its present name from the city of Āmul, which is said to have occupied the site of

India: Other important sites: …civilization, is Shortughai in the Amu Darya (Oxus River) valley, in northern Afghanistan. There the remains of a small Harappan colony, presumably sited so as to provide control of the lapis lazuli export trade originating in neighboring Badakhshan, have been excavated by a French team.

Amud, paleoanthropological site in Israel known for its human remains, which provide important evidence of the diversification and development of southwestern Asian Neanderthals. The site is centred on Amud Cave, overlooking the Amud Gorge (Wādi el ʿAmud) just northwest of Lake Tiberias (Sea of

Amud: …consist of a skeleton (designated Amud 1) of an adult male about 25 years old, along with a fragment of another adult jaw and skull fragments of two infants. Amud 1 has a cranial capacity of about 1,740 cubic cm (106 cubic inches), which is significantly larger than the average…

Amud: …to 10-month-old Neanderthal baby (Amud 7), upon whose pelvis had been placed the maxilla of a red deer, apparently as a burial rite. Further evidence of Neanderthal habitation and Mousterian toolmaking were revealed, including flaked blades and points as well as deer, cattle, horse, pig, and fox remains. Other…

Amud: …in Israel known for its human remains, which provide important evidence of the diversification and development of southwestern Asian Neanderthals. The site is centred on Amud Cave, overlooking the Amud Gorge (Wādi el ʿAmud) just northwest of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee).

Amu Darya, one of the longest rivers of Central Asia. The Amu Darya was traditionally known to the Western world from Greek and Roman times as the Oxus and was called the Jayḥūn by the Arabs. It allegedly derives its present name from the city of Āmul, which is said to have occupied the site of

Āmol, town, northern Iran, located on the Harāz River. The exact date of the founding of the town is unknown and enshrouded in legend, but it is certain that there has been a town on the site since Sasanian times. During the Sasanian period (224–651 ce), the district of Āmol, together with the

amulet, an object, either natural or man-made, believed to be endowed with special powers to protect or bring good fortune. Amulets are carried on the person or kept in the place that is the desired sphere of influence—e.g., on a roof or in a field. The terms amulet and talisman are often used

Romulus and Remus: …deposed by his younger brother Amulius, who forced Rhea to become one of the Vestal Virgins (and thereby vow chastity) in order to prevent her from giving birth to potential claimants to the throne. Nevertheless, Rhea bore the twins Romulus and Remus, fathered by the war god Mars. Amulius ordered…

Amon, Egyptian deity who was revered as king of the gods. Amon may have been originally one of the eight deities of the Hermopolite creation myth; his cult reached Thebes, where he became the patron of the pharaohs by the reign of Mentuhotep I (2008–1957 bce). At that date he was already identified

Thutmose I: 1760 bce) temple of Amon at Thebes. He erected an enclosure wall and two pylons at the western end, with a small pillared hall in between. Two obelisks were added in front of the outer pylon. Thutmose created the axial temple, which became standard for the New…

Amund Ringnes, one of the Sverdrup Islands in Nunavut, Canada, in the Arctic Ocean, between Axel Heiberg and Ellef Ringnes islands. About 70 miles (115 km) long, 20–45 miles (30–70 km) wide, and 2,029 square miles (5,255 square km) in area, Amund Ringnes is basically flat, the highest point being

Amundsen Gulf, southeastern extension of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. Extending for 250 miles (400 km), it is bordered by Victoria Island on the east and separates Banks Island (north) from the Canadian mainland (south). In 1850 the gulf was entered from the west by the British explorer

Amundsen Sea, arm of the Southern Ocean adjoining West Antarctica south of about 70° S latitude, bordered on the west by Cape Dart on Siple Island and on the east by Cape Flying Fish at the northwestern edge of Thurston Island (see also Antarctica). The sea also includes the ice-covered portion of

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who was the first to reach the South Pole, the first to make a ship voyage through the Northwest Passage, and one of the first to cross the Arctic by air. He was one of the greatest figures in the field of polar exploration. Amundsen studied medicine for a

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who was the first to reach the South Pole, the first to make a ship voyage through the Northwest Passage, and one of the first to cross the Arctic by air. He was one of the greatest figures in the field of polar exploration. Amundsen studied medicine for a

ʿAmūq, plain of southern Turkey, bordering Syria. Framed by mountains, the plain is about 190 square miles (500 square km) in area and forms a triangle between the cities of Antioch (southwest), Reyhanlı (southeast), and Kırıkhan (north). In the centre of the plain is Lake Amik (Lake Antioch),

Amur, oblast (province), far eastern Russia. It occupies the basins of the middle Amur River and its tributary the Zeya and extends up to the crest of the Stanovoy Range. In 1689 Russia yielded the Amur region to China by the Treaty of Nerchinsk, but Russian Cossacks reincorporated it in the latter

koi, (Cyprinus carpio), any of more than 100 ornamental varieties of carp that are best known for their colourful body patterning and are kept as pets in indoor and outdoor freshwater ponds throughout the world. Koi were raised initially as food fishes in China and Japan. However, they also serve

koi: …suggest that koi are domesticated Amur carp (C. rubrofuscus), a species whose native range extends from the Amur River west to Mongolia and south through eastern China to Vietnam and Laos. The Amur carp was classified as C. carpio haematopterus, a subspecies of the common carp, until the early 2010s.…

cork tree: …or Japanese, cork tree (Phellodendron amurense) is useful as a lawn and shade tree and is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions.

Amur River, river of East Asia. It is the longest river of the Russian Far East, and it ranks behind only the Yangtze and Huang Ho (Yellow River) among China’s longest rivers. Its headwaters rise in Russia (Siberia), Mongolia, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China in the mountains

leopard: Conservation status: …were endangered species and the Amur leopard (P. pardus orientalis), Arabian leopard (P. pardus nimr), and Javan leopard (P. pardus melas) continued to decrease, with several of these subspecies declining to critical levels.

maple: campestre) and Amur, or ginnala, maple (A. ginnala) are useful in screens or hedges; both have spectacular foliage in fall, the former yellow and the latter pink to scarlet. The Japanese maple (A. palmatum), developed over centuries of breeding, provides numerous attractive cultivated varieties with varying leaf…

Amur River, river of East Asia. It is the longest river of the Russian Far East, and it ranks behind only the Yangtze and Huang Ho (Yellow River) among China’s longest rivers. Its headwaters rise in Russia (Siberia), Mongolia, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China in the mountains

Russia: The mountains of the south and east: …and separates the Lena and Amur drainage systems, which flow to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, respectively. Branching northeastward from the eastern end of the Stanovoy, the Dzhugdzhur Range rises to 6,253 feet (1,906 metres) along the coast, and its line is continued toward the Chukchi Peninsula by the Kolyma…

Siberian tiger, (subspecies Panthera tigris altaica), subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris) inhabiting the Primorye and Khabarovsk territories of far eastern Russia as well as northeastern China. Although most classifications recognize the Siberian tiger as a distinct subspecies, others consider it

Murad I was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from 1360 to 1389. Murad’s reign witnessed rapid Ottoman expansion in Anatolia and the Balkans and the emergence of new forms of government and administration to consolidate Ottoman rule in these areas. Murad ascended the throne in succession to his father,

Murad II was an Ottoman sultan (1421–44 and 1446–51) who expanded and consolidated Ottoman rule in the Balkans, pursued a policy of restraint in Anatolia, and helped lead the empire to recovery after its near demise at the hands of Timur following the Battle of Ankara (1402). Early in his reign,

Murad III was an Ottoman sultan in 1574–95 whose reign saw lengthy wars against Iran and Austria and social and economic deterioration within the Ottoman state. Externally Murad continued the military offensive of his predecessors. He took Fez (now Fès, Mor.) from the Portuguese in 1578. He fought

Murad IV was an Ottoman sultan from 1623 to 1640 whose heavy-handed rule put an end to prevailing lawlessness and rebelliousness and who is renowned as the conqueror of Baghdad. Murad, who came to the throne at age 11, ruled for several years through the regency of his mother, Kösem, and a series

Murad V was an Ottoman sultan from May to August 1876, whose liberal disposition brought him to the throne after the deposition of his autocratic uncle Abdülaziz. A man of high intelligence, Murad received a good education and was widely read in both Turkish and European literature. In 1867 he

Banana Yoshimoto: ), Amurita (1994; Amrita), and Hādoboirudo/hādorakku (1999; Hardboiled & Hard Luck). The phenomenal appeal of Yoshimoto’s work was not always evident to English-language critics, some of whom—reading her work in translation and unfamiliar with Japanese culture—called her writing superficial and simplistic and her characters unbelievable. Yet her Japanese…

Amorite, member of an ancient Semitic-speaking people who dominated the history of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine from about 2000 to about 1600 bc. In the oldest cuneiform sources (c. 2400–c. 2000 bc), the Amorites were equated with the West, though their true place of origin was most likely

Lebanon: Origins and relations with Egypt: The northernmost district (Amurru) included the coastal region from Ugarit to Byblos, the central district (Upi) included the southern Bekaa valley and Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and the third district (Canaan) included all of Palestine from the Egyptian border to Byblos. Also among the letters are many documents addressed by…

Amursk, city, Khabarovsk kray (region), far eastern Russia. It lies on the left bank of the Amur River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Komsomolsk-na-Amure. Founded in 1958, Amursk became one of the fastest growing towns in the far eastern Soviet Union. Its wood-processing complex, opened in 1967, is one

Amur, oblast (province), far eastern Russia. It occupies the basins of the middle Amur River and its tributary the Zeya and extends up to the crest of the Stanovoy Range. In 1689 Russia yielded the Amur region to China by the Treaty of Nerchinsk, but Russian Cossacks reincorporated it in the latter

Nikolay Nikolayevich Amursky, Graf Muravyov was a Russian statesman and explorer whose efforts led to the expansion of the Russian Empire to the Pacific. In 1860 he planted the Russian flag at what was to become the port of Vladivostok. A lieutenant general in the Russian army, Muravyov was

Jeff Beck: Cool (1987) and Roger Waters’s Amused to Death (1992). In 1989 Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop won a Grammy Award for best rock instrumental performance.

roller coaster: Coney Island amusement park: …American trolley companies were building amusement parks at the end of their lines to attract evening and weekend riders. The best-known trolley terminus was Coney Island in New York City, which became home to several competing theme parks inspired by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Just as Coney…

amusement tax, impost on the general admission charges to recreational and entertainment events. The tax may be imposed on the admission charge or on the owner’s total admission receipts, but the pure amusement tax is almost always quoted separately and presumably shifted to the buyer of the

Tom Brown: His prose Amusements Serious and Comical, Calculated for the Meridian of London (1700; mod. ed., 1927) presents a vivid picture of the city and its inhabitants. It is particularly attentive to the follies of the upper classes.

Amuzgo, ethnolinguistic Indian group of eastern Guerrero and western Oaxaca states, southern Mexico. Their language is related to that of the Mixtec, their neighbours to the north and west. Although many Amuzgo can speak Spanish, the majority (about 65 percent) speak only Amuzgo. The people are

agnosia: Types of agnosia: …auditory agnosia) or music (amusia). In young children, acquired verbal auditory agnosia, which is a symptom of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, may lead to mutism, or loss of the ability or will to speak. The sensory organ of hearing is intact, and pure tones can be perceived. Individuals with amusia are…

Neil Postman: …enduring concern with language, in Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985), a lively critique of television that would become his most influential work. He argued that television, as a medium that must express ideas primarily through alluring visual imagery, reduces politics, news, history,…

Lucchese crime family: History: Eventually, Vittorio (“Little Vic”) Amuso took over as boss, and Anthony (“Gaspipe”) Casso became underboss. They ushered in a violent new era, at one point trying to put out a hit on the entire New Jersey faction of the family, referred to as the “whack Jersey”…

Amuzgo, ethnolinguistic Indian group of eastern Guerrero and western Oaxaca states, southern Mexico. Their language is related to that of the Mixtec, their neighbours to the north and west. Although many Amuzgo can speak Spanish, the majority (about 65 percent) speak only Amuzgo. The people are

Amuzgo: Their language is related to that of the Mixtec, their neighbours to the north and west. Although many Amuzgo can speak Spanish, the majority (about 65 percent) speak only Amuzgo.

Gulf of Árta, deep inlet on the western coast of Greece. Almost landlocked by the peninsulas of Préveza on the north and Áktion on the south, it has access to the sea through the narrow Prévezis Strait. The northern shore of the gulf is formed by the combined deltas of the Loúros and Árachthos

American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), professional and advocacy organization that serves as a vehicle for protecting the interests and advancing the careers of female physicians. The association is also committed to serving female medical students. It has a membership of some 10,000 and

marketing: Direct selling: …used by companies such as Amway and Shaklee, distributors are rewarded not only for their direct sales but also for the sales of those they have recruited to become distributors. In 2007 Amway’s parent company tested an Internet recruitment model by launching Fanista, a Web site that sells entertainment media…

tank: Ammunition: …the 105-mm gun of its AMX-30 tank, introduced in the mid-1960s. However, during the 1970s both APDS and HEAT began to be superseded by armour-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding-sabot (APFSDS) ammunition. These projectiles had long-rod penetrator cores of tungsten alloy or depleted uranium; they could be fired with muzzle velocities of 1,650…

Amy Winehouse: Posthumous releases and legacy: The 2015 film Amy chronicled her career through the use of documentary footage and interviews with her colleagues and intimates. It won an Academy Award for best documentary.

Elizabeth Strout: Amy and Isabelle and Olive Kitteridge: …Strout published her first novel, Amy and Isabelle (TV movie 2001), which explores the relationship between a single mother and her 16-year-old daughter after the latter is seduced by a teacher. A bestseller, the work was praised for its spare prose and for Strout’s empathetic portrayal of characters struggling for…

Drew Barrymore: Personal struggles and career revival: …nomination; and the lead in The Amy Fisher Story (1993), a television movie that was based on the true story of a teenage girl who shot her lover’s wife. In 1995 Barrymore’s career shifted with the formation of her own production company, Flower Films. The next year she also attracted…

Amy Schumer: Later career: …starred in the TV series Amy Schumer Learns to Cook. That year also saw the airing of the TV documentary series Expecting Amy, a candid look at her pregnancy; she had a son in 2019. In 2022 Schumer cohosted the Academy Awards ceremony.

Amy Vanderbilt: In 1952 she published Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette, a book that has been called a “guide to gracious living.” Vanderbilt took five years to research and write the book, which underwent periodic revisions and sold millions of copies. The book was later retitled Amy Vanderbilt’s Etiquette.

Amy Vanderbilt: In 1952 she published Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette, a book that has been called a “guide to gracious living.” Vanderbilt took five years to research and write the book, which underwent periodic revisions and sold millions of copies. The book was later retitled Amy Vanderbilt’s Etiquette.

François Rabelais: From accusations of heresy to becoming a doctor: Rabelais was closely associated with Pierre Amy, a liberal Franciscan humanist of international repute. In 1524 the Greek books of both scholars were temporarily confiscated by superiors of their convent, because Greek was suspect to hyperorthodox Roman Catholics as a “heretical” language that opened up the original New Testament to…

Amu Darya, one of the longest rivers of Central Asia. The Amu Darya was traditionally known to the Western world from Greek and Roman times as the Oxus and was called the Jayḥūn by the Arabs. It allegedly derives its present name from the city of Āmul, which is said to have occupied the site of

amygdala, region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes. The name amygdala is derived from the Greek word amygdale, meaning “almond,” owing to the structure’s almondlike shape. The amygdala is located in the medial temporal lobe, just anterior to (in front of) the hippocampus.

benzaldehyde: …occurring naturally as the glycoside amygdalin. Prepared synthetically, it is used chiefly in the manufacture of dyes, cinnamic acid, and other organic compounds, and to some extent in perfumes and flavouring agents.

amygdala, region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes. The name amygdala is derived from the Greek word amygdale, meaning “almond,” owing to the structure’s almondlike shape. The amygdala is located in the medial temporal lobe, just anterior to (in front of) the hippocampus.

Rosales: Evolution: The subfamily Amygdaloideae is represented by fossil fruit pits of Prunus from the Eocene to the Pleistocene and of Prinsepia from the Oligocene to the Pliocene.

amygdule, secondary deposit of minerals found in a rounded, elongated, or almond-shaped cavity in igneous rock. The cavities (vesicles) were created by the expansion of gas bubbles or steam within lava. Some amygdules consist partially of lava, which indicates their formation during solidification

amyl alcohol, any of eight organic compounds having the same molecular formula, C5H11OH, but different structures. The term is commonly applied to mixtures of these compounds, which are used as solvents for resins and oily materials and in the manufacture of other chemicals, especially amyl

amyl nitrite, drug once commonly used in the treatment of angina pectoris, a condition characterized by chest pain precipitated by oxygen deficiency in the heart muscle. Amyl nitrite is one of the oldest vasodilators (i.e., agents that expand blood vessels). The drug is useful in treating cyanide