One of the oldest mystical symbols in the world, the ouroboros, Greek for “tail-devourer,” is an ancient representation of a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle. It is important in the religious and mythological symbolism of many cultures and generally represents cyclicality, unity, or infinity. In Gnosticism, it symbolizes the soul of the world. How is the ouroboros related to alchemy? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) Remove (someone's or one's own) clothes.
Synonyms: undress, disinvest, strip.
Usage: Frowning with vexation at the effort necessary to divest himself of his coat and trousers, the prince undressed.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
An enormous 14-foot long squid has washed up on the shores of Wellington, New Zealand, prompting images of the colossal cephalopod to go viral. Three brothers, Dan, Jack and Matthew Aplin, stumbled upon the find on Saturday. Dan is a member of the … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Vanderlei de Lima was on track to become the first Brazilian to win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon, leading the pack in the last miles of the race, when he was pushed into the crowd by a spectator named Cornelius Horan, a defrocked Irish priest. De Lima lost about 10 seconds in the incident and finished third. Brazil appealed for de Lima to be awarded a gold medal but was denied. What other sporting event had Horan previously disrupted? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
St. John the Baptist was beheaded by King Herod because he had denounced Herod’s marriage to Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip. Herodias’ daughter by a former marriage, by legend called Salome, pleased Herod so much with her dancing that he swore to give her whatever she wanted. At her mother’s urging she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist has been celebrated by Christians since the fourth century. The observance started at Sebaste (Samaria), where the Baptist was believed to have been buried. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
When the Great Depression hit, Thomas was forced to set aside his dreams of becoming a doctor and instead found work as a laboratory assistant to American surgeon Alfred Blalock. He spent the next 34 years working with Blalock and was instrumental in developing a pioneering surgical treatment for tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart malformation. Despite his groundbreaking work, he went unrecognized for many years due to racial prejudices. What honorary degree was conferred upon him in 1976? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Towering above the surrounding plains, Sigiriya is an ancient Sri Lankan rock fortress noted for its unique frescoes and landscaped gardens. Likely built in the fifth century, the site includes the remains of an upper palace on the flat top of the rock, a middle terrace featuring a polished porcelain “mirror wall,” a lower palace, and a surrounding moat system. An important example of urban planning in the first millennium, the fortress contains sophisticated engineering features, such as what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Ill-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance.
Synonyms: loutish, neanderthal, oafish, swinish.
Usage: He was boorish and insensitive, and he made her cry far too often, but she loved him regardless.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Water is a key ingredient for life — and new research suggests we might find it all over the galaxy. Scientists looked at the mass of super-Earths, a kind of planet common across the cosmos but not present in our own solar system. These rocky worlds … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
At age 14, African-American Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi after reportedly whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in a grocery store. Her husband and his half-brother beat Till, shot him in the head, and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River, weighing it down by tying a metal fan around his neck with barbed wire. Till’s body was pulled from the river three days later. What decision made by Till’s mother about her son’s funeral helped bring attention to his brutal murder? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary