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arteriosclerosis
arteriosclerosis , general term for a condition characterized by thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of the blood vessels. These changes are frequently accompanied by accumulations inside the vessel walls of lipids, e.g., cholesterol; this condition is frequently referred to a...
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menopause
menopause or climacteric , transitional phase in a woman's life when the ovaries stop releasing eggs, ovarian production of estrogen and other hormones tapers off, and menstruation ceases. It results from declining ovarian function due to aging of the ovaries and is usually a gradual proce...
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initiation
initiation the transition and attendant ceremonies, such as ordeals and rites, involved in passing from one state or status to another, often from childhood to adulthood. It was among the most important social institutions of early humans. The ordeal measures the initiate's worthiness to enter the ...
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amenorrhea
amenorrhea , cessation of menstruation . Primary amenorrhea is a delay in or a failure to start menstruation; secondary amenorrhea is an unexpected stop to the menstrual cycle. It is caused by dysfunctioning of the pituitary gland, ovaries, uterus, and hypothalamus, by surgical removal of the ovari...
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Hampton Roads Peace Conference
Hampton Roads Peace Conference meeting held on Feb. 3, 1865, on board the Union transport River Queen in Hampton Roads, Va., with the object of ending the Civil War. President Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward represented the Union, and A. H. Stephens, R. M. T. Hunter, and J. A. Ca...
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nirvana
nirvana , in Buddhism , Jainism , and Hinduism , a state of supreme liberation and bliss, contrasted to samsara or bondage in the repeating cycle of death and rebirth. The word in Sanskrit refers to the going out of a flame once its fuel has been consumed; it thus suggests both the end of suffe...
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Jean François Darlan
Jean François Darlan , 1881-1942, French admiral. A career naval officer, he became commander of the French navy in 1939 and joined the Vichy government (see under Vichy ) in 1940 as minister of the navy. After the fall of Pierre Laval , Darlan was made (Feb., 1941) vice premier, foreign mi...
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Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh , state (2001 provisional pop. 6,077,248), 21,629 sq mi (56,019 sq km), NW India, in the W Himalayas, bordered by the Tibet region of China on the east. Shimla is the capital. The state is covered with forested mountains, and the valleys are extensively cultivated. The forests hav...
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ovary
ovary ductless gland of the female in which the ova (female reproductive cells) are produced. In vertebrate animals the ovary also secretes the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone , which control the development of the sexual organs and the secondary sexual characteristics. The interaction be...
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quietism
quietism a heretical form of religious mysticism founded by Miguel de Molinos, a 17th-century Spanish priest. Molinism, or quietism, developed within the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and spread especially to France, where its most influential exponent was Madame Guyon . She preached her doctrine...
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