news agency, organization that gathers, writes, and distributes news from around a nation or the world to newspapers, periodicals, radio and television broadcasters, government agencies, and other users. It does not generally publish news itself but supplies news to its subscribers, who, by sharing

telecommunications media: Wire transmission: In wire transmission an information-bearing electromagnetic wave is guided along a wire conductor to a receiver. Propagation of the wave is always accompanied by a flow of electric current through the conductor. Since all practical conductor materials are characterized by some electrical resistance,…

mining: Marine beaches and continental shelves: In wire line methods the digging tools or buckets are suspended on a steel cable and lowered to the sediment surface, where they are loaded and retrieved. Grab buckets (going by such names as clamshells and orange peels) consist of a hinged digging device that, in…

copper processing: Electrical conductors: …copper may be cast into wirebars, which are made in several standard sizes varying in weight from 60 to 225 kg (135 to 500 pounds). The wirebars are then reheated to 700 to 850 °C (1,290 to 1,560 °F) and are rolled without further reheating to rods approximately 10 mm…

Wired, American magazine, covering technology and its effects on society, founded in San Francisco in 1993. In the early 1990s the American journalist Louis Rossetto and his partner, Jane Metcalfe, settled in San Francisco with the intent of establishing a magazine devoted to cutting-edge

bicycle: Wheels: … with wire beads are called clinchers, though the proper technical name is wired-on or hook-bead. Clincher tires have a wearing surface of synthetic rubber vulcanized onto a two-ply cotton or nylon casing. Air pressure is contained by a butyl rubber inner tube with either a Presta or a Schrader valve.…

wire drawing, Making of wire, generally from a rod or bar. The wire-drawing process consists of pointing the rod, threading the pointed end through a die, and attaching the end to a drawing block. The block, made to revolve by an electric motor, pulls the lubricated rod through the die, reducing it

wireless communications, System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. Wireless devices include cell phones, two-way radios, remote garage-door openers, television remote

radio technology, transmission and detection of communication signals consisting of electromagnetic waves that travel through the air in a straight line or by reflection from the ionosphere or from a communications satellite. Electromagnetic radiation includes light as well as radio waves, and the

WAP, an open, universal standard that emerged in the late 1990s for the delivery of the Internet and other value-added services to wireless networks and mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). WAP specifications encouraged the creation of wireless

endoscopy: …may require the use of wireless capsule endoscopy (video capsule endoscopy), which consists of a pill-sized camera that is swallowed. The camera transmits data to sensors that are attached to the abdomen with adhesive, and a data recorder that stores image information collected by the camera is attached to a…

wireless communications, System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. Wireless devices include cell phones, two-way radios, remote garage-door openers, television remote

Wi-Fi: …Compatibility Alliance (WECA, now the Wi-Fi Alliance), a global nonprofit organization created to promote the new wireless standard. WECA named the new technology Wi-Fi. (Wi-Fi is not an abbreviation for “wireless fidelity”; the name was created by a marketing firm hired by WECA and chosen for its pleasing sound and…

Today in History—April 15: The Titanic’s Final Moments and Messages: …the latest technology: a powerful Marconi wireless telegraph.

George Francis FitzGerald: …to lay the basis of wireless telegraphy. He also developed a theory, now known as the Lorentz–-FitzGerald contraction, which Einstein used in his own special theory of relativity.

electronic eavesdropping: …of electronic eavesdropping has been wiretapping, which monitors telephonic and telegraphic communication. It is legally prohibited in virtually all jurisdictions for commercial or private purposes.

wireworm, any of certain millipede (q.v.)

click beetle: Physical description: …exoskeleton and are known as wireworms because of their long, slender, cylindrical shape.

Japanese art: Western-style painting: …consultation with the British illustrator Charles Wirgman, then in Japan, his level of mastery increased. His Still Life of Salmon (1877), one of seven known attempts by Takahashi at the subject, elevates this ordinary subject to a splendid study of form and colour.

Wirral, metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Merseyside, historic county of Cheshire, northwestern England. It occupies the major portion of the Wirral peninsula, which is bounded by the River Mersey, the Irish Sea, and the River Dee. Wirral was almost all an agricultural area until the

Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger: …its name from his play Der Wirrwarr, oder Sturm und Drang (1776; “Confusion, or Storm and Stress”).

Swedish literature: Emergence of realism and Poetic Realism: …poets” of the 1860s, including Carl David of Wirsén, Edvard Bäckström, Pontus Wikner, and Carl Snoilsky. Only Snoilsky had the temperament and poetic gift needed to carry out the program. Wirsén, on the other hand, as secretary of the Swedish Academy, launched formidable opposition against innovators. Viktor Rydberg fell between…

pancreas: Anatomy and exocrine and endocrine functions: A large main duct, the duct of Wirsung, collects pancreatic juice and empties into the duodenum. In many individuals a smaller duct (the duct of Santorini) also empties into the duodenum. Enzymes active in the digestion of carbohydrates, fat, and protein continuously flow from the pancreas through these ducts. Their…

William Wirt was an innovative American educator best known for his “platoon” system of alternating two groups of students between classroom and recreational or vocational activities. Wirt graduated from DePauw University in 1898, attended graduate school there and at the University of Chicago, and

Anti-Masonic Movement: , nominated William Wirt for president, and announced a party platform condemning Masonry for its secrecy, exclusivity, and undemocratic character.

William Wirt was an innovative American educator best known for his “platoon” system of alternating two groups of students between classroom and recreational or vocational activities. Wirt graduated from DePauw University in 1898, attended graduate school there and at the University of Chicago, and

Joseph Wirth was a liberal German statesman and chancellor during the Weimar Republic (1919–33), who advocated a policy of fulfillment of Germany’s obligations under the Versailles Treaty settlement and consistently opposed German militarism after both world wars. Wirth, a member of the left wing

Joseph Wirth was a liberal German statesman and chancellor during the Weimar Republic (1919–33), who advocated a policy of fulfillment of Germany’s obligations under the Versailles Treaty settlement and consistently opposed German militarism after both world wars. Wirth, a member of the left wing

Louis Wirth was an American sociologist who pioneered in the study of urban problems. A noted teacher at the University of Chicago from 1926, Wirth blended empirical research and theory in his work and contributed to the emergence of sociology as a profession. Wirth was president (1947) of the

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Star performers: …the circus’s early stars was May Wirth (1894–1978), who performed flips, leaps, and contortions on horseback. German-born aerialist Lillian Leitzel (1892–1931) dazzled audiences by performing her acrobatics on Roman rings 50 feet (15 metres) above the ground without a net. Husband and wife Arthur (1912–2001) and Antoinette (1910–84) Concello earned…

Niklaus Emil Wirth was a Swiss computer scientist and winner of the 1984 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honor in computer science, for “developing a sequence of innovative computer languages, EULER, ALGOL-W, MODULA and PASCAL.” Wirth earned a bachelor’s degree (1959) in electronics engineering from

Wirtschaftswunder, German for “economic miracle,” referring to the swift and dramatic improvement in the western German economy between 1948 and the 1960s. By the end of World War II the German economy had been devastated by bombing and other effects of the war. Food production was half what it had

Jacques Wirtz was a Belgian landscape designer who created more than 100 gardens and was hailed as one of the most talented and influential landscape designers in Europe. When Wirtz was 12 years old, he moved with his family from Antwerp to an area outside the city, where he was deeply influenced

Seoul: The early period: …original site of Baekje’s capital, Wiryeseong, was in the northeastern part of present-day Seoul. Shortly thereafter the capital was moved south across the Han River; a number of remains, including earthen walls, dwellings, and tombs, have been uncovered at that site. It was not, however, until King Munjong of Goryeo…

Seoul: The early period: …original site of Baekje’s capital, Wiryeseong, was in the northeastern part of present-day Seoul. Shortly thereafter the capital was moved south across the Han River; a number of remains, including earthen walls, dwellings, and tombs, have been uncovered at that site. It was not, however, until King Munjong of Goryeo…

Andersonville: Henry Wirz, commander of the prison, was tried and convicted of war crimes by a military commission. Wirz rejected an offer of parole in exchange for his incrimination of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, and he was hanged on November 10, 1865. He is the only…

Wisbech, town (parish), Fenland district, administrative and historic county of Cambridgeshire, eastern England. It lies along the River Nene 11 miles (18 km) above the latter’s outlet in The Wash. Wisbech is the trading, administrative, and service centre of the productive agricultural region of

maritime law: Historical development: …were closely followed in the Laws of Wisby, headquarters of the Hanseatic League until 1361.

Wisconsin, constituent state of the United States of America. Wisconsin was admitted to the union as the 30th state on May 29, 1848. One of the north-central states, it is bounded by the western portion of Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the north and by Lake Michigan to the

Gill v. Whitford: …drafting the plan, known as Act 43, following the 2010 decennial census, the legislature’s Republican majority intended to significantly dilute the voting strength of Democrats in the state by gathering Democratic voters into relatively few districts designed to have Democratic majorities (“packing”) and by dispersing Democratic voters among districts designed…

Wisconsin Dells: The city of Wisconsin Dells is located about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Madison.

Wisconsin Dells, scenic region and city along the Wisconsin River, in Columbia, Sauk, Juneau, and Adams counties, south-central Wisconsin, U.S. The city of Wisconsin Dells is located about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Madison. The dells were formed by glacial meltwater that cut a channel as much

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, conservative Lutheran church in the United States, formed in 1892 as a federation of three conservative synods of German background and then known as the General Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Other States. The Wisconsin Synod

Wisconsin Glacial Stage, most recent major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in North America, which began between about 100,000 and 75,000 years ago and ended about 11,000 years ago. It was named for rock deposits studied in the state of Wisconsin. At least the last half, and possibly all,

Black Hawk War: The Battle of Wisconsin Heights: On July 18 militiamen discovered a fresh trail, along which they encountered dozens of starving Sauk and Fox, mostly old people and children. Some of them were already dead; the rest were quickly killed. Small groups of warriors also stayed behind…

Robert M. La Follette: Campaign for governor: As Wisconsin’s governor La Follette developed new political techniques, which he later took to the U.S. Senate. The first, which received national attention as the “Wisconsin Idea,” was the use of professors from the University of Wisconsin—57 at one point—to draft bills and administer the state…

Kenosha: …of the founding of the Wisconsin Phalanx, which in 1844 established a communal living experiment based on the principles of the French social theorist Charles Fourier in what is now the area of Ripon. The city also won authority from the legislature to establish a tax to support a local…

Wisconsin River, river rising in Lac Vieux Desert (lake), Vilas county, northern Wisconsin, U.S., on the Wisconsin-Michigan border. It flows generally southward through central Wisconsin past Rhinelander, Wausau, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, and Wisconsin Dells (site of a scenic gorge). The

Wisconsin v. Yoder, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 15, 1972, ruled (7–0) that Wisconsin’s compulsory school attendance law was unconstitutional as applied to the Amish (primarily members of the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church), because it violated their First Amendment right to

Wausau: Wausau is headquarters of the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company, a private corporation that stores and releases river water to hydroelectric plants, which pay for its use, and regulates river flow. The town is primarily an agricultural (particularly dairying, ginseng, oats, corn [maize], potatoes, and livestock), financial (insurance), and distribution centre.…

Janesville, city, seat (1839) of Rock county, southern Wisconsin, U.S. It lies on the Rock River, about 15 miles (25 km) north of Beloit and 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Madison. Settled in 1835 and named for a pioneer, Henry F. Janes, it developed as a trading centre for the surrounding

On March 25, 1863, Wisconsin adopted a blue flag bearing the state coat of arms on the obverse side and the national arms on the reverse. When the flag was readopted on April 29, 1913, the Wisconsin arms appeared on both sides. Many were unhappy that the Wisconsin flag could not be easily

University of Wisconsin, system of higher education of the state of Wisconsin, U.S. It comprises 13 four-year institutions and 13 two-year colleges. The four-year campuses are located in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha (Parkside), La Crosse, Madison, Menomonie (Stout), Milwaukee, Oshkosh,

Green Bay: …is the seat of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (1965) and the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (1913). St. Norbert College (1898) is in nearby De Pere. Inc. 1854. Pop. (2010) 104,057; Green Bay Metro Area, 306,241; (2020) 107,395; Green Bay Metro Area, 328,268.

University of Wisconsin, system of higher education of the state of Wisconsin, U.S. It comprises 13 four-year institutions and 13 two-year colleges. The four-year campuses are located in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha (Parkside), La Crosse, Madison, Menomonie (Stout), Milwaukee, Oshkosh,

The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack is an annual periodical released in April at the start of the English county cricket season. It was first published in 1864, by John Wisden, a former cricket player and a sports equipment shop owner, in England under the name The Cricketer’s Almanack. Referred to as

Christianity: The doctrine of the Virgin Mary and holy Wisdom: The doctrine of the heavenly Wisdom (Sophia) represents an Eastern church particularity. In late Judaism, speculations about the heavenly Wisdom—a figure beside God that presents itself to humanity as mediator in the work of creation as well as mediator of the knowledge of God—abounded. In Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary, the…

ethics: Aristotle: …distinguished between theoretical and practical wisdom. His conception of practical wisdom is significant, for it involves more than merely choosing the best means to whatever ends or goals one may have. The practically wise person also has the right ends. This implies that one’s ends are not purely a matter…

Brat Pack: Brat Pack films: … (1986), About Last Night… (1986), Wisdom (1986), and Fresh Horses (1988).

Robert Falls: …and Men in 1977 at Wisdom Bridge Theatre (founded 1974), Falls was asked to become the ensemble’s artistic director, a position he held until 1985.

biblical literature: Proverbs: Wisdom literature flourished throughout the ancient Near East, with Egyptian examples dating back to before the middle of the 3rd millennium bce. It revolved around the professional sages, or wise men, and scribes in the service of the court, and consisted primarily in maxims about…

Middle Eastern religion: Literary sources of knowledge of ancient Middle Eastern religion: The Egyptian Wisdom of Amenemope, first published in modern times in 1923, for example, parallels Proverbs 22:17–24:22 so closely that it effectively opened up the field of the comparative study of ancient Middle Eastern wisdom literature.

G.K. Chesterton: …Father Brown (1911), followed by The Wisdom… (1914), The Incredulity… (1926), The Secret… (1927), and The Scandal of Father Brown (1935).

John Ray: Important publications: The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation (1691), an essay in natural religion that called on the full range of his biological learning, was his most popular and influential book. It argued that the correlation of form and function in organic…

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: …man appears in Citadelle (1948; The Wisdom of the Sands), a posthumous volume of reflections that show Saint-Exupéry’s persistent belief that man’s only lasting reason for living is as repository of the values of civilization.

Andrea Mantegna: Years as court painter in Mantua: …Francesco Gonzaga in 1490, and Wisdom Overcoming the Vices (1502) for Isabella’s studiolo (a small room in the Gonzaga palace at Mantua embellished with fine paintings and carvings of mythological subjects intended to display the erudition and advanced taste of its patron). A third canvas intended for this program, with…

Wisdom of Solomon, an example of the “wisdom” genre of religious literature, which commends a life of introspection and reflection on human existence, especially from an ethical perspective. It is an apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants) but is included in the Septuagint (Greek

Bayt al-Hikmah, royal library maintained by the Abbasid caliphs during their reign in Baghdad. The foundation of Bayt al-Hikmah coincided with the rise of Baghdad as the capital of the Islamic world and the subsequent reception of Persian culture into the Arab court of the Abbasids. The site of

celestial mechanics: Chaotic orbits: …region in the asteroid belt, Jack Wisdom, an American dynamicist who developed a powerful means of analyzing chaotic motions, found that the chaotic zone around this gap precisely matched the physical extent of the gap. There are no observable asteroids with orbits within the chaotic zone, but there are many…

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), U.S. satellite that observed astronomical objects at infrared wavelengths. It was launched on December 14, 2009, by a Delta II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, into a polar orbit 500 km (310 miles) above Earth. WISE contained a

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer: It discovered a brown-dwarf binary, WISE 1049−5319, which was the third nearest star system after Alpha Centauri and Barnard’s star; these two objects were also the closest brown dwarfs to the Sun. WISE was also sensitive to emissions from young distant galaxies in which stars are forming. Because these galaxies…

John Huston: Last films: …the screen another favorite project, Wise Blood (1979). Brad Dourif played a fanatical Southern evangelist in this adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s darkly comic novel of the same name. Huston’s next film, the low-budget Hitchcockian thriller Phobia (1980), was arguably the nadir of his directorial career. Much better received was the…

Wise Blood, first novel by Flannery O’Connor, published in 1952. This darkly comic and disturbing novel about religious beliefs was noted for its witty characterizations, ironic symbolism, and use of Southern dialect. Wise Blood centres on Hazel Motes, a discharged serviceman who abandons his

Brian De Palma: The 1980s and ’90s: …shifted gears with the comic Wise Guys (1986). Lacking the excesses or themes that were often criticized in his other works, it offered only the modest premise of Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo as low-level New Jersey hoods who botch a job, earning the ire of the boss (Harvey Keitel).

Magi, in Christian tradition, the noble pilgrims “from the East” who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the infant Jesus as king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–12). Christian theological tradition has always stressed that Gentiles as well as Jews came to worship

Wise Men of Gotham, in English legend, wise fools, villagers of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, Eng. The story is that, threatened by a visit from King John (reigned 1199–1216), they decided to feign stupidity and avoid the expense entailed by the residence of the court. Royal messengers found them

Elvis Costello: Later albums: …Momofuku (2008); National Ransom (2010); Wise Up Ghost, and Other Songs (2013), a collaboration with the band the Roots; Look Now (2018), which won the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album; and Hey Clockface (2020).

A.N. Wilson: …of The Healing Art (1980), Wise Virgin (1982), The Vicar of Sorrows (1993), and My Name Is Legion (2004). His other novels included works set in the past, such as Gentleman in England (1985); Love Unknown (1986); The Lampitt Papers, a novel sequence about a well-known biographer that included Incline…

Virginia Woolf: Early fiction: …and Day (1919) answers Leonard’s The Wise Virgins, in which he had his Leonard-like protagonist lose the Virginia-like beloved and end up in a conventional marriage. In Night and Day, the Leonard-like Ralph learns to value Katharine for herself, not as some superior being. And Katharine overcomes (as Virginia had)…

Isaac Mayer Wise was a rabbi whose goal of uniting American Jewry made him the greatest organizer of Reform Jewish institutions in the United States. After serving as a rabbi for two years in Radnice, Bohemia, Wise immigrated in 1846 to Albany, N.Y., where he was a rabbi for eight years. His

John Wise was a colonial American Congregational minister, theologian, and pamphleteer in support of liberal church and civil government. After graduating from Harvard College in 1673, Wise preached at Branford, Conn., and Hatfield, Mass. In 1680 he accepted a call to the newly organized church at

Robert Wise was an American movie director and producer whose many works include successful films of nearly every genre, though he is best remembered for the two musicals for which he won Academy Awards as best director, West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). Demonstrating an unusual

Stephen Samuel Wise was a Reform rabbi, a leader of the Zionist movement in the United States, and a liberal activist who influenced the development of Reform Judaism in that country. Wise earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1901 and received his rabbinical training from private teachers.

forgery: Instances of literary forgery: Thomas James Wise (1859–1937) had the reputation of being one of the most distinguished private book collectors on either side of the Atlantic, and his Ashley Library in London became a place of pilgrimage for scholars from Europe and the United States. He constantly exposed…

Mariska Hargitay: TV roles: …in TV shows, including Baywatch, Wiseguy, thirtysomething, and Booker, until she was again cast in a lead role, in the detective series Tequila and Bonetti (1992), which again proved short-lived. Hargitay costarred in yet another single-season show, the comedy Can’t Hurry Love, in 1995–96, and in 1997–98 she played a…

Frederick Wiseman was an American filmmaker noted for his documentaries that examine the functioning of American institutions. His notable films included Titicut Follies (1967), Hospital (1970), Public Housing (1997), Monrovia, Indiana (2018), and City Hall (2020). Highly respected and hugely

Reid Wiseman is an American astronaut who was the commander of the Artemis II mission (April 1–10, 2026), the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972. During the mission, Wiseman and his crewmates set the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans in space:

Dr. No: No (Joseph Wiseman), who owns a bauxite mine off the island’s coast. After arriving in Kingston, Bond meets CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), who, with the help of local boatman Quarrel (John Kitzmiller), has been investigating Dr. No. After several attempts on Bond’s life, he…

Nicholas Wiseman was the first cardinal resident in England since the Reformation and the first archbishop of Westminster. He was one of the chief architects of the 19th-century revival of Roman Catholicism in England. Wiseman’s Irish parents emigrated to Spain, but after his father died, he and

Nicholas Wiseman was the first cardinal resident in England since the Reformation and the first archbishop of Westminster. He was one of the chief architects of the 19th-century revival of Roman Catholicism in England. Wiseman’s Irish parents emigrated to Spain, but after his father died, he and

Reid Wiseman is an American astronaut who was the commander of the Artemis II mission (April 1–10, 2026), the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972. During the mission, Wiseman and his crewmates set the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans in space:

Belovezhskaya Forest: …I, the European bison, or wisent, was reintroduced to the Belovezhskaya with zoo-bred animals. The forest remains the European bison’s most notable home, though the animals are now also found again in other parts of Europe, including Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine. Once the hunting grounds of kings and tsars, the…

the Cure: Mainstream success: …on the acclaim of Disintegration, Wish (1992) reached the number one position on the U.K. charts and entered the Billboard 200 chart in the United States at number two. The album spawned three singles and includes one of the Cure’s biggest selling hits, the lighter and more joyous “Friday I’m…

Ariana DeBose: Career: …Disney’s animated fantasy musical film Wish (2023). In addition to her acting work, she hosted the Tony Awards ceremony in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Jim Parsons: …and Sunset Stories (2012); Braff’s Wish I Was Here (2014); Hidden Figures (2016), in which he played a NASA engineer; and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil (2019), about serial killer Ted Bundy.

Graham Swift: Wish You Were Here (2011) concerns familial relations as well. Set in the aftermath of the death of a young man in the Iraq War, the novel investigates the ways in which changing geopolitics have intruded on the bucolic life of the English countryside. Mothering…

David Gilmour: Pink Floyd years: …in subsequent albums, such as Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979), after which he fired keyboardist Wright. On The Wall, in addition to playing guitar, Gilmour cowrote “Comfortably Numb,” “Run Like Hell,” and “Young Lust.” Pink Floyd broke up after the 1983 album The Final…

tenor and vehicle: …stanza of Abraham Cowley’s poem “The Wish,” the tenor is the city and the vehicle is a beehive:

George Wishart was an early martyr of the Reformation in Scotland. While a teacher of Greek at Montrose, Wishart was accused of heresy and went to Cambridge (1538), where he became acquainted with the Reformer Hugh Latimer, himself later martyred. In 1539 Wishart was sent to preach in Bristol,

Motherwell and Wishaw: …neighbouring towns of Motherwell and Wishaw, North Lanarkshire council area, historic county of Lanarkshire, west-central Scotland, on the southeastern periphery of the Glasgow metropolitan area.