Yingkou, city and port, southwestern Liaoning sheng (province), northeastern China. It is situated just inland from Liaodong Bay (an arm of the Bo Hai [Gulf of Chihli]) near the mouth of the Daliao River, some 11 miles (18 km) from the mouth of the Liao River. Yingkou began to develop as a river

China: Consolidation of China: During the brief reign of Yingzong (1063–67), relatively minor disputes and symbolically important issues concerning ceremonial matters embroiled the bureaucracy in mutual and bitter criticism.

Zhengtong was the reign name (nianhao) of the sixth and eighth emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), whose court was dominated by eunuchs who weakened the dynasty by a disastrous war with Mongol tribes. In 1435 Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne and became known as the Zhengtong emperor, with his

Kuldja, city, western Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China. It is the chief city, agricultural market, and commercial centre of the Ili River valley, which is a principal route from the Xinjiang region into Central Asia. The valley is far wetter than any other part of Xinjiang and has rich

Yinlong, ceratopsian dinosaur genus known from a single nearly complete skeleton taken from the Junggar Basin of western China. Yinlong was discovered in rock deposits dating from 159 million to 154 million years ago, during the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages of the Late Jurassic Epoch. The

Yinlong, ceratopsian dinosaur genus known from a single nearly complete skeleton taken from the Junggar Basin of western China. Yinlong was discovered in rock deposits dating from 159 million to 154 million years ago, during the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian stages of the Late Jurassic Epoch. The

Kangxi: Administration of the empire: He nominated the second son, Yinreng, crown prince in 1675, at the age of little more than a year and a half; this was against the Manchu tradition of giving all sons equal rights of succession, and it resulted in vicious fights among Kangxi’s sons. The hapless Yinreng was deposed…

Anyang: Yinxu: Yinxu (“The Ruins of Yin”), the site of the Shang capital at Anyang, had been known to scholars since the turn of the 20th century through the accidental discovery in 1899 of inscribed oracle bones, the earliest Chinese written records. It was not until 1928,…

yinyang, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. It is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken

Yongzheng was the reign name (nianhao) of the third emperor (reigned 1722–35) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), during whose rule the administration was consolidated and power became concentrated in the emperor’s hands. As the fourth son of the Kangxi emperor, Yinzhen was not immediately in line

Chicago Seven: …Jerry Rubin, cofounders of the Youth International Party (Yippies); Tom Hayden, cofounder of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); Black Panther Chairman Bobby Seale, the only African American of the group; David

Oceanic art and architecture: The Sepik River regions: The figures, known as yipwon, represent patron spirits of hunting and war. They are topped by a downcurved hook; directly beneath this is a human face, and below that is a vertical series of downcurved hooks. An oval element, representing the heart, appears next at about the centre of…

Jeremiah was a Hebrew prophet, reformer, and author of a biblical book that bears his name. He was closely involved in the political and religious events of a crucial era in the history of the ancient Near East; his spiritual leadership helped his fellow countrymen survive disasters that included

Palestine: The British mandate: …Jewish community in Palestine, the Yishuv, established its own assembly (Vaʿad Leumi), trade union and labor movement (Histadrut), schools, courts, taxation system, medical services, and a number of industrial enterprises. It also formed a military organization called the Haganah. The Jewish Agency came to be controlled by a group called…

Yisrael Beiteinu, Israeli political party established in 1999 by Avigdor Lieberman. Like the Likud Party, Yisrael Beiteinu was founded as a national movement meant to follow the path of Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880–1940) and focus on immigration, Israeli settlements in the West Bank,

Yisrael Beiteinu, Israeli political party established in 1999 by Avigdor Lieberman. Like the Likud Party, Yisrael Beiteinu was founded as a national movement meant to follow the path of Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880–1940) and focus on immigration, Israeli settlements in the West Bank,

Jacob, Hebrew patriarch who is considered the traditional ancestor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He is renamed Israel after the pivotal scene in which he wrestles with a divine being. In the genealogy recounted in the Hebrew Bible, Jacob is the grandson of Abraham and Sarah and the son of Isaac

Israel Museum, museum in Jerusalem opened in 1965 and consisting of the Bezalel National Art Museum, the Samuel Bronfman Biblical and Archaeological Museum, a Youth Wing, the Shrine of the Book, and The Billy Rose Art Garden. The Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls in a building whose

Rashi was a renowned medieval French commentator on the Bible and the Talmud (the authoritative Jewish compendium of law, lore, and commentary). Rashi combined the two basic methods of interpretation, literal and nonliteral, in his influential Bible commentary. His commentary on the Talmud was a

Yiddish literature: Yiddish periodicals, yearbooks, and anthologies: YIVO bleter (“YIVO Journal”) has been an important forum for scholarship in Yiddish studies since 1931. Its primary headquarters moved from Vilna to New York in 1940, together with the Yidisher Visnshaftlikher Institut (YIVO; “Institute for Jewish Research”). Yiddish writers also contributed to Di tsukunft…

Avrom Sutzkever: …in the 1990s by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Sun Yat-sen was the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang [Pinyin: Guomindang]), known as the father of modern China. Influential in overthrowing the Qing (Manchu) dynasty (1911/12), he served as the first provisional president of the Republic of China (1911–12) and later as de facto

Gong Qinwang was a leading official in the closing years of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), who tried to repair a weakened government and to effect a rapprochement with the West. A brother of the Xianfeng emperor (reigned 1850–61), Prince Gong was assigned to make peace with the British and French

pottery: Provincial and export wares: The stoneware of Yixing in Jiangsu province was known in the West as Buccaro, or Boccaro, ware and was copied and imitated at Meissen, Germany; at Staffordshire, England; and in the Netherlands by Ary de Milde and others. Its teapots were much valued in 17th-century Europe, where tea…

Yiyang, city, northern Hunan sheng (province), southeast-central China. The city is situated approximately 47 miles (75 km) northwest of Changsha (the provincial capital) on the Zi River, to the south of Dongting Lake, on the main highway from Changsha to Changde farther to the northwest. An

Jiangxi: Cultural life: …the home of the influential Yiyang opera style, which is believed to be one of the earliest forms of Chinese opera. It originated in the region around the northeastern city of Yiyang in the mid- to late 14th century and gradually spread to other areas of the country. Despite its…

Jiangxi: Cultural life: …the home of the influential Yiyang opera style, which is believed to be one of the earliest forms of Chinese opera. It originated in the region around the northeastern city of Yiyang in the mid- to late 14th century and gradually spread to other areas of the country. Despite its…

Yitzḥak Shamir was a Polish-born Zionist leader and prime minister of Israel in 1983–84 and 1986–90 (in alliance with Shimon Peres of the Labour Party) and in 1990–92. Shamir joined the Beitar Zionist youth movement as a young man and studied law in Warsaw. He immigrated to Palestine in 1935 and

Chengdu, city and capital of Sichuan sheng (province), China. Chengdu, in central Sichuan, is situated on the fertile Chengdu Plain, the site of Dujiangyan, one of China’s most ancient and successful irrigation systems, watered by the Min River. The system and nearby Mount Qingcheng, an early

Xianfeng was the reign name (nianhao) of the seventh emperor of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty (1644–1911/12) of China. During his reign (1850–61) China was beset internally by the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64) and externally by conflicts with the encroaching European powers. By the time the Xianfeng

Confucianism: Confucian ethics in the Daoist and Buddhist context: … (“Doctrine of the Mean”) and Yizhuan (“The Great Commentary of the Classic of Changes”), which appealed to some Buddhist and Daoist thinkers. A sign of a possible Confucian turn in the Tang was Li Ao’s (died c. 844) essay “Returning to Nature” that foreshadowed features of Song (960–1279) Confucian thought.…

yizkor, memorial prayer service recited for the dead by Ashkenazi (West and East European) Jews. The name yizkor comes from the first word of the prayer, which begins: Yizkor elohim nishmas… (Hebrew: May God remember the soul of…). The memorial service occurs four times a year: during synagogue

China: The struggle for central authority: During Yizong’s reign (859–873) there was a resurgence of the eunuchs’ power and a constant fratricidal strife between eunuchs and officials at court. From the 830s onward the first signs of unrest and banditry had appeared in the Huai valley and Henan, and trouble spread to…

Chongzhen was the reign name (nianhao) of the 16th and last emperor (reigned 1627–44) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The Chongzhen emperor ascended the throne at the age of 16 on the death of his brother, the Tianqi emperor (reigned 1620–27), and tried to revive the deteriorating Ming government.

Plain of Esdraelon, lowland in northern Israel, dividing the hilly areas of Galilee in the north and Samaria (in the Israeli-occupied West Bank) in the south. Esdraelon is the Greek derivation of the Hebrew Yizreʿel, meaning “God will sow” or “May God make fruitful,” an allusion to the fertility of

Paavo Haavikko: In Yksityisiä asioita (1960; “Private Matters”), he castigates the prevailing mentality during the civil war (1918) in Finland. His collected short stories, Lasi Claudius Civiliksen salaliittolaisten pöydällä (1964; “The Glass on the Table of the Claudii Civilii Conspirators”), constitute an important social document with stylistic links…

ylang-ylang, (Cananga odorata), South Asian tree of the custard apple family (Annonaceae), known for its intensely fragrant flowers. . It is the source of a penetrating but evanescent perfume. Ylang-ylang in Tagalog (a Philippine language) means “flower of flowers.” The slim smooth-barked evergreen

Magnoliales: Chemicals: Ylang-ylang, or cananga, oil is derived by simple distillation from the petals of fully opened flowers. Although the tree blossoms throughout the year, the flowers picked in May or June yield the highest amounts of cananga oil. Long known to the peoples of East Asia,…

ylang-ylang: Ylang-ylang vine (Artabotrys odoratissimus), also in the family Annonaceae, produces masses of small greenish white flowers in spring and clustered, long-stalked, yellow, plumlike, two-seeded fruits in fall. It is a source of commercial perfume. A 2- to 3.5-metre (about 6.5- to 11.5-foot) woody climber, it…

Finnish literature: The 1960s and beyond: Rosa Liksom (pseudonym of Anni Ylävaara) is a master of short prose who offers snapshots, usually rather grim ones, of the lives of social outsiders and eccentrics—a loner in Lapland or a drug addict in Helsinki—in language attuned to each environment. Whether her works use…

Finland: Media and publishing: The state-run Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio Oy [YLE]; established 1926) operates a number of nationwide television networks—both public service and commercial—along with several digital channels and offers programming in Swedish. YLE also owns Radio Finland, which broadcasts in Finnish, Swedish, English, and Russian. Jointly owned by Finland,…

Georg Wittig: …of organic phosphorus compounds called ylides that mediate a particular type of reaction that became known as the Wittig reaction. This reaction proved of great value in the synthesis of complex organic compounds such as vitamins A and D2, prostaglandins, and steroids.

Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association (YM–YWHA), Jewish community organization in various countries that provides a wide range of cultural, educational, recreational, and social activities for all age groups in Jewish communities. The goals of the YM–YWHA are to prepare the young for

Myanmar: The emergence of nationalism: In 1906 they founded the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) and through it began establishing a number of schools supported by private donations and government grants-in-aid (the YMBA was not antigovernment). Three years later the British, attempting to pacify the Indian National Congress (a broadly based and increasingly nationalist political…

YMCA, nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character through group activities and citizenship training. It originated in London in 1844, when 12 young men, led by George Williams, an employee in, and subsequently the head of, a drapery

Aurgelmir, in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. Aurgelmir was the father of all the giants; a male and a female grew under his arm, and his legs produced a six-headed son. A cow,

Celtic literature: The rise of modern prose: The first Welsh printed book, Yn y lhyvyr hwnn (1547; “In This Book”), consisted of extracts from the Scriptures and the prayer book: from this time modern Welsh prose began to assume definite form.

Germanic religion and mythology: Scandinavian literary sources: …section of this book, the “Ynglinga saga,” is of particular interest, for in it, Snorri described the descent of the kings of Norway from the royal house of Sweden, the Ynglingar, who, in their turn, were said to descend from gods. Snorri used such written sources as were available; he…

Per, Count Brahe, the Younger was a nobleman, soldier, and statesman who served as a member of the regency councils ruling Sweden during the minorities of the monarchs Christina and Charles XI. A member of an illustrious Swedish family, Per the Younger was the grandson of Per Brahe the Elder—a

Freyr, in Norse mythology, the ruler of peace and fertility, rain, and sunshine and the son of the sea god Njörd. Although originally one of the Vanir tribe, he was included with the Aesir. Gerd, daughter of the giant Gymir, was his wife. Worshiped especially in Sweden, he was also well-known in

Freyr, in Norse mythology, the ruler of peace and fertility, rain, and sunshine and the son of the sea god Njörd. Although originally one of the Vanir tribe, he was included with the Aesir. Gerd, daughter of the giant Gymir, was his wife. Worshiped especially in Sweden, he was also well-known in

Caldey Island, island in Carmarthen Bay of the Bristol Channel, Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) county, southwestern Wales. It lies 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south of the port of Tenby. The island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) across at its widest. Since at least the 6th century, when it was

Japanese music: Tunings and notation: …under the two scales called yo and in. The hira-joshi tuning appears in such famous early works as Rokudan (Six Dans) ascribed to Yatsuhashi Kengyō, the “founder” of the modern koto styles. In all, there are some 13 standard tunings for the koto and many variants. Like all the other…

Chaim Grade: …book was the poetry collection Yo (1936; “Yes”): it includes poems of spiritual struggle and the destruction of Jewish life and conveys Grade’s premonition of the Holocaust, a concern that informed much of his work from this period; many of his poems were later recited by Jews in the Vilna…

statute labour: In Japan the yō system of imposing compulsory labour on the farmers was incorporated in the tax system in the 7th century. The Egyptians used the corvée for centuries to obtain labour to remove the mud left at the bottom of the canals by the rising of the…

Yo La Tengo, American alternative rock band whose sound consistently evolved over the course of more than a dozen albums, making the group a long-standing critical favourite despite its limited commercial success. The longest-running lineup consisted of singer-guitarist Ira Kaplan (b. January 7,

Rodolfo Gonzales: …however, for the epic poem I Am Joaquín (Yo Soy Joaquín), which was published in both English and Spanish in 1967. Its narrator discusses Mexican and Mexican American history and outlines the struggles that Chicanos have endured in their quest for a cultural identity and equal rights.

Korea: The southern zone: …of Korean Independence, headed by Woon-Hyung Lyuh (Yŏ Un-hyŏng), who was closely associated with the leftists. On September 6 the delegates attending a “national assembly” that was called by the committee proclaimed the People’s Republic of Korea. But the U.S. military government, under Lieut. Gen. John R. Hodge, the commanding…

Al Benson: Critic and historian Nelson George called Al Benson, who worked at several Chicago radio stations beginning in the mid-1940s, one of the most influential black deejays of all time. While many of his African-American peers were indistinguishable from white deejays over the airwaves, Benson, who…

Augusto Roa Bastos: …novel Yo, el supremo (1974; I, the Supreme, in bilingual edition), is based on the life of Francia and covers more than a hundred years of Paraguayan history.

yo-yo, a toy that falls and rises back to the hand by the unwinding and rewinding of a string attached to an axle that connects two disks of equal size and weight. The disks can be made of plastic, wood, or metal. As a person drops the yo-yo, the string that is wound around the axle releases. When

outlaw music: New generations of outlaw musicians: lang, Lyle Lovett, and Dwight Yoakam, all of whom owed their success to the outlaw movement. In the 21st century a new crop of rebellious country artists emerged who were variously branded “neo-traditionalists” or “neo-outlaws,” including Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell,

Before the Dawn, historical novel by Shimazaki Tōson, published serially as Yoake mae in the journal Chūō koron (“Central Review”) from 1929 to 1935 and printed in book form in 1935. It details the effects of Westernization on a rural Japanese community in the second half of the 19th century.

Joseph Yoakum was an American self-taught artist and world traveler known for his colourful striated landscape drawings that blended imagination with his life experiences. Yoakum was born one of 10 children and had little formal education. His mother was of African, French American, and Native

Joseph Yoakum was an American self-taught artist and world traveler known for his colourful striated landscape drawings that blended imagination with his life experiences. Yoakum was born one of 10 children and had little formal education. His mother was of African, French American, and Native

Tezcatlipoca, god of the Great Bear constellation and of the night sky, one of the major deities of the Aztec pantheon. Tezcatlipoca’s cult was brought to central Mexico by the Toltecs, Nahua-speaking warriors from the north, about the end of the 10th century ad. Numerous myths relate how

Rila Monastery: …was founded by the hermit John of Rila (Yoan of Rila, in Bulgarian Ivan Rilski), who is the traditional patron saint of Bulgaria. Rila grew rapidly in power and influence from the 13th to the 14th century. After a devastating fire, it was rebuilt and fortified (c. 1334–35) in its…

Yobe, state, northeastern Nigeria. It borders the Republic of Niger to the north and the Nigerian states of Borno to the east, Gombe to the southwest, Bauchi to the west, and Jigawa to the northwest. Yobe state was created in 1991 from the western half of Borno state. Yobe’s terrain consists of

Jean-Christophe Yoccoz: …Mandelbrot sets was named “Yoccoz puzzles.”

Jean-Christophe Yoccoz was a French mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 1994 for his work in dynamical systems. Yoccoz was educated at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and the École Polytechnique, Palaiseau (Ph.D., 1985). He then became a professor at the University of Paris at

yodel, type of singing in which high falsetto and low chest notes are rapidly alternated; its production is helped by the enunciation of open and closed vowels on the low and high notes of wide intervals. Yodeling is also used as a means of communicating over moderate distances by the inhabitants

Yodo River, river, central western Honshu, Japan. The Yodo is the sole outlet of Lake Biwa, the country’s largest freshwater lake, from which it issues in a southwesterly direction to Osaka Bay, connecting the Kyōto Basin with the Ōsaka Plain. It was a major means of transportation and

Yodo River, river, central western Honshu, Japan. The Yodo is the sole outlet of Lake Biwa, the country’s largest freshwater lake, from which it issues in a southwesterly direction to Osaka Bay, connecting the Kyōto Basin with the Ōsaka Plain. It was a major means of transportation and

azalea: Major species: molle), the Yodogawa azalea (R. yedoense), and the torch azalea (R. kaempferi).

Al Jolson was a popular American singer and blackface comedian of the musical stage and motion pictures, from before World War I to 1940. His unique singing style and personal magnetism established an immediate rapport with audiences. Taken to the United States when he was seven years old, Jolson

Jacques Rogge: In 2007 he added the Youth Olympics to the Olympic calendar; the inaugural event was held in Singapore in 2010.

Yoga, one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy. Its influence has been widespread among many other schools of Indian thought. Its basic text is the Yoga-sutras by Patanjali (c. 2nd century bce or 5th century ce). Explore the different types of yoga. The practical aspects of Yoga play

Indian philosophy: Relation to Samkhya: The Yoga-sutras of Patanjali (2nd century bce) are the earliest extant textbook on Yoga. Scholars now generally agree that the author of the Yoga-sutras is not the grammarian Patanjali. In any case, the Yoga-sutras stand in close relation to the Samkhya system, so much so that…

Buddhism: Origins: >Yoga-tantra, and Anuttarayoga-tantra) that are compared with the fourfold phases of courtship (the exchange of glances, a pleasing or encouraging smile, the holding of hands, and consummation in the sexual act). The first stage involves external ritual acts, and the second combines these outward acts…

Yogachara, an influential idealistic school of Mahayana Buddhism. Yogachara attacked both the complete realism of Theravada Buddhism and the provisional practical realism of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. The name of the school is derived from the title of an important 4th- or

rangaku, (Japanese: “Dutch learning”), concerted effort by Japanese scholars during the late Tokugawa period (late 18th–19th century) to learn the Dutch language so as to be able to learn Western technology; the term later became synonymous with Western scientific learning in general. With the

Self-Realization Fellowship: …in the United States by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952), a teacher of yoga, who was one of the first Indian spiritual teachers to reside permanently in the West. His lecturing and teaching led to the chartering of the fellowship in 1935, with headquarters in Los Angeles; there are now centres worldwide,…

Saptamatrika: …that they number eight, including Yogeshvari, created out of the flame from Shiva’s mouth.

yogurt, semifluid fermented milk food having a smooth texture and mildly sour flavour because of its lactic acid content. Yogurt may be made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo. Cow’s milk is used in the United States and north-central Europe; sheep’s and goat’s milk are preferred

yogurt, semifluid fermented milk food having a smooth texture and mildly sour flavour because of its lactic acid content. Yogurt may be made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo. Cow’s milk is used in the United States and north-central Europe; sheep’s and goat’s milk are preferred

Buddhism: Kings and yogis: The great Buddha myth is a combination of the ideals of universal kingship and universal religious preeminence. This is clearly expressed in the myth of the prophetic utterance of future greatness by the sage Asita, who examined auspicious signs on the infant Gautama and…

Yogi Adityanath is a Hindu monk and Indian political leader. He is a prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is the only politician to have served two full consecutive terms as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a key electoral state. He is also the mahant, or head priest, of the

Yogi Bear, American cartoon character, a walking, talking bear in a necktie and porkpie hat who roamed fictional Jellystone National Park. His accoutrements and personality were based on the character of Ed Norton in Jackie Gleason’s television series The Honeymooners, and his byword was “Smarter

Buddhism: Kings and yogis: The great Buddha myth is a combination of the ideals of universal kingship and universal religious preeminence. This is clearly expressed in the myth of the prophetic utterance of future greatness by the sage Asita, who examined auspicious signs on the infant Gautama and…

Durga: Yogmaya: Yogmaya is a personification of Vishnu’s powers of illusion and is considered to be a benevolent form of Durga. Mythology surrounding the birth of the deity Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) relates that he was destined to kill his uncle, the cruel king Kamsa. When…

yogurt, semifluid fermented milk food having a smooth texture and mildly sour flavour because of its lactic acid content. Yogurt may be made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo. Cow’s milk is used in the United States and north-central Europe; sheep’s and goat’s milk are preferred

Yogyakarta, daerah istimewa (special district), south-central Java, Indonesia. It is bounded to the west, north, and east by Central Java (Jawa Tengah) propinsi (or provinsi; province) and fronts the Indian Ocean to the south. The district includes the city of Yogyakarta. Most of the western half

Yogyakarta, kotamadya (municipality) and capital, Yogyakarta daerah istimewa (special district), Java, Indonesia. It lies 18 miles (29 km) inland from the southern Java coast and near Mount Merapi (9,551 feet [2,911 metres]). In the 7th century the locality formed part of the Buddhist kingdom of

Ibuse Masuji: …office, and Yōhai taichō (1950; A Far-Worshiping Commander), an antimilitary satire, were especially well received. Ibuse received the Order of Culture for the novel Kuroi ame (1966; Black Rain), which deals with the terrible effects of the bombing of Hiroshima during World War II.

Yohannes IV was the emperor of Ethiopia (1872–89). Like his predecessor, Tewodros II (reigned 1855–68), Yohannes IV was a strong, progressive ruler, but he spent most of his time repelling military threats from Egypt, Italy, and the Mahdists of the Sudan. Superior weaponry allowed Yohannes, a

aphrodisiac: …of the yohimbé tree (Corynanthe yohimbe) found in central Africa, where it has been used for centuries to increase sexual powers. Although it has been promoted as an aphrodisiac, most investigators feel that any clinical change in sexual powers after its use is probably due to suggestion, because stimulatory…

aphrodisiac: These are, principally, cantharides and yohimbine, both of which stimulate sexual arousal by irritating the urinary tract when excreted. Cantharides, or cantharidin, consists of the broken dried remains of the blister beetle (q.v.) Lytta vesicatoria. It has been a traditional sexual stimulant fed to male livestock to facilitate breeding. In…

Yohkoh, Japanese satellite that provided continuous monitoring of the Sun from 1991 to 2001. Originally designated Solar-A, Yohkoh (“Sunlight”) was launched on Aug. 30, 1991, from the Kagoshima Space Center by Japan’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences. It had an international payload of

Yoho National Park, national park in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The park occupies 507 square miles (1,313 square km) of the western and central slopes of the Rocky Mountains and is adjacent to two other national parks—Banff to the east and Kootenay to the south. Known for the Burgess

Buyei, an official minority group inhabiting large parts of Guizhou province in south-central China. They call themselves Jui or Yoi. There are also some 50,000 Buyei living in Vietnam, where they are an official nationality. They had no written script of their own until 1956, when the Chinese