rhapsode, a singer in ancient Greece. Ancient scholars suggested two etymologies. The first related the word with the staff (rhabdos) on which the singer leaned during his performance. In that view, the rhapsode is a “singer with a staff.” The second connected the word with the poetic act of sewing

Charles Vidor: Later films: With Rhapsody (1954), Vidor returned to the world of romance and music, but Elizabeth Taylor could not elevate the formulaic story.

Sir Arthur Bliss: , Rhapsody (1919), for solo voices and chamber ensemble, in which the voice plays an instrumental role, singing vocalises (meaningless syllables), and A Colour Symphony (1922, revised 1932), whose four movements are intended to suggest the colours purple, red, blue, and green. Later, although he never…

Franz Liszt: Years with Marie d’Agoult of Franz Liszt: …laid the foundations for his Hungarian Rhapsodies and other piano pieces composed in the Hungarian style. He also wrote a cantata for the Beethoven Festival of 1845, his first work for chorus and orchestra, and some smaller choral works.

MTV: …and in 2007 it launched Rhapsody America, a joint venture with RealNetworks and Verizon Wireless, as a subscription-based alternative to Apple Inc.’s wildly popular iTunes service; in 2010 it was spun off as the independent company Rhapsody International. Partly because of the popularity of viewing music videos on the Internet,…

Rhapsody in Blue, musical composition by George Gershwin, known for its integration of jazz rhythms with classical music, that premiered on February 12, 1924, as part of bandleader Paul Whiteman’s “An Experiment in Modern Music” concert at New York’s Aeolian Concert Hall. The composition, perhaps

Irving Rapper: Heyday at Warner Brothers: Rapper returned to biopics with Rhapsody in Blue (1945), which centred on the Gershwin brothers—Robert Alda as George and Herbert Rudley as Ira; Oscar Levant, a longtime friend of George’s, played himself. The acclaimed music and solid performances compensated for the film’s fanciful embroidering of the facts. In 1946 Rapper…

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, composition for solo piano and orchestra by Sergey Rachmaninoff, premiered in 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland, with Rachmaninoff playing the solo part. The piece is a set of variations on Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin. In 1934, having already

rhapsode, a singer in ancient Greece. Ancient scholars suggested two etymologies. The first related the word with the staff (rhabdos) on which the singer leaned during his performance. In that view, the rhapsode is a “singer with a staff.” The second connected the word with the poetic act of sewing

rhapsode, a singer in ancient Greece. Ancient scholars suggested two etymologies. The first related the word with the staff (rhabdos) on which the singer leaned during his performance. In that view, the rhapsode is a “singer with a staff.” The second connected the word with the poetic act of sewing

eastern Africa: Azania: …possible), the chief town was Rhapta, which may lie buried in the Rufiji delta of present-day Tanzania. Here the situation differed somewhat from that in the north, and, though tortoiseshell and rhinoceros horn were exported from there—as were quantities of ivory and coconut oil—no mention is made of slaves. Rhapta’s…

Gharb, coastal lowland plain of northwestern Morocco. Crossed from east to west by the Sebou River, the Gharb extends about 50 miles (80 km) along the Atlantic coast and reaches some 70 miles (110 km) inland. The lowland, which is bordered by the Rif Mountains to the northeast, has gradually been

South Africa: British occupation of the Cape: An attack by the Rharhabe-Xhosa on Graham’s Town (Grahamstown) in 1819 provided the pretext for the annexation of more African territory, to the Keiskamma River. Various Rharhabe-Xhosa groups were driven from their lands throughout the early 1830s. They counterattacked in December 1834, and Governor Benjamin D’Urban ordered a major…

cassock: …cassock’s equivalent is called a rhason.

Georg Joachim Rheticus was an Austrian-born astronomer and mathematician who was among the first to adopt and spread the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1536 Rheticus was appointed to a chair of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Wittenberg. Intrigued by the news of the

Rhätikon Mountains, mountain group of the Rhaetian Alps, straddling eastern Switzerland (Graubünden canton), western Austria (Vorarlberg), and southern Liechtenstein. It divides the valleys of Montafon (northeast) and Prätigau (southwest). The group’s highest peak is Schesaplana (9,724 feet [2,964

al-Rāzī was a celebrated alchemist and Muslim philosopher who is also considered to have been the greatest physician of the Islamic world. One tradition holds that al-Rāzī was already an alchemist before he gained his medical knowledge. After serving as chief physician in a Rayy hospital, he held a

therapeutics: Blood and blood cells: …means that they have the D antigen of the complex Rh blood group system. Approximately 15 percent of the population lacks this antigen; such individuals are described as Rh-negative. Although anti-D antibodies are not naturally present, the antigen is so highly immunogenic (able to provoke an immune response) that anti-D…

Rhea, major regular moon of Saturn and the planet’s second largest, after Titan. It was discovered in 1672 by the Italian-born French astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini and named for a Titan of Greek mythology. Rhea has a diameter of 1,528 km (949 miles) and revolves around Saturn in a prograde,

Rhea, in Greek religion, ancient goddess, probably pre-Hellenic in origin, who was worshipped sporadically throughout the Greek world. She was associated with fruitfulness and had affinities with Gaea (Earth) and the Great Mother of the Gods (also called Cybele). A daughter of Uranus (Heaven) and

ramie: Green ramie, or rhea (Boehmeria nivea, variety tenacissima) may have originated in Malaysia and is also a fibre source.

rhea, either of two species of large, flightless birds in the family Rheidae, order Rheiformes. They are native to South America and are related to the ostrich and emu. The common rhea (Rhea americana) is found in open country from northeastern Brazil southward to Argentina, while Darwin’s rhea

rhea: The common rhea (Rhea americana) is found in open country from northeastern Brazil southward to Argentina, while Darwin’s rhea (Pterocnemia pennata) lives from Peru southward to Patagonia, at the tip of the continent. Both species are considerably smaller than the ostrich; the common rhea stands about…

Romulus and Remus: …they were the sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa.

African Americans: Music: …opera stars include Leontyne Price, La Julia Rhea, Grace Bumbry, Shirley Verrett, Jessye Norman, and Kathleen Battle. Arthur Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, and Bill T. Jones led outstanding dance troupes. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis emerged as one of the great trumpeters of the late 20th

Rheden, gemeente (municipality), east-central Netherlands. It lies between the IJssel River and the Veluwe hills, along the road from Arnhem to Zutphen. Rheden encompasses the villages of Velp, Rheden, De Steeg, Ellecom, Dieren, Spankeren, and Laag Soeren. In the locality are several medieval

Sammy Lee was an American diver, the first Asian American man to win an Olympic gold medal and the first diver to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the platform event. While growing up, Lee, the son of Korean immigrants, faced racial prejudice and was permitted to use his community’s public

Syngman Rhee was the first president of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Rhee completed a traditional classical Confucian education and then entered a Methodist school, where he learned English. He became an ardent nationalist and, ultimately, a Christian. In 1896 he joined with other young

Clusiaceae: Waika plum, or lemon drop mangosteen (G. intermedia), native to Central America, has a small, oval, yellow fruit. There are about 250 species in the tropics, especially common in Indo-Malesia.

Reggio di Calabria, city, former capital (until 1971) of Calabria region, southern Italy. It is a port on the Strait of Messina, opposite the city of Messina, Sicily. The original settlement of Rhegion (Latin Rhegium) was founded c. 720 bce by Greek colonists from Chalcis as a daughter city to

detached retina: …the retina, a situation called rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. The fluid is derived from the aging vitreous gel that fills the central eyeball space. The retinal break can result from a number of different mechanisms, including trauma or degenerative changes in the peripheral retina.

Silurian Period: Gondwana: …Europe (Baltica) is called the Rheic Ocean and was essentially a southwestern extension of the Paleotethys Sea. The flooded margin of eastern Australia had a more-varied seafloor topography than the other shallow seas because of the extensive volcanism occurring there during Silurian time, but it shared many of the same…

rock: Stress-strain relationships: The concept of rheidity refers to the capacity of a material to flow, arbitrarily defined as the time required with a shear stress applied for the viscous strain to be 1,000 times greater than the elastic strain. It is thus a measure of the threshold of fluidlike behaviour.…

tinamou: Paleontology and classification: …biological resemblances between tinamous and rheas. The structure of the bony palate, an important feature in the taxonomy of ratite birds, quite clearly links the two groups, as does DNA and protein analysis. Thus, most authorities prefer to maintain them in separate orders. Many ornithologists place rheas with ostriches, kiwis,…

tinamou: Paleontology and classification: …biological resemblances between tinamous and rheas. The structure of the bony palate, an important feature in the taxonomy of ratite birds, quite clearly links the two groups, as does DNA and protein analysis. Thus, most authorities prefer to maintain them in separate orders. Many ornithologists place rheas with ostriches, kiwis,…

Reims, city, Marne département, Grand Est région, northeastern France. It lies east-northeast of Paris. On the Vesle River, a tributary of the Aisne, and the Marne–Aisne canal, the city is situated in vine-growing country in which champagne wine is produced. It is overlooked from the southwest by

Douai-Reims Bible, English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible produced by Roman Catholic scholars in exile from England at the English College in Douai (then in the Spanish Netherlands but later part of France). The New Testament translation was published in 1582 at Reims, where the English

Andreas Gursky: In Rhein II (1999)—which is 5 × 10 feet (about 1.5 × 3 metres)—Gursky created a nonexistent section of the Rhine River. By joining photographs of different segments of the river, Gursky invented an entirely new landscape, free of industry and human presence. Like a colour-field…

Rhine River, river and waterway of western Europe, culturally and historically one of the great rivers of the continent and among the most important arteries of industrial transport in the world. It flows from two small headways in the Alps of east-central Switzerland north and west to the North

Rhineland-Palatinate: Geography: …the southeast contains the treeless Rhein-Hesse Plateau and the Rhine River valley. The plateau is covered by loess, while the valley contains fertile alluvial soils.

Joseph Rheinberger was a German composer and teacher whose organ sonatas are among the finest 19th-century works for that instrument. Rheinberger studied organ at Vaduz and became organist at the parish church when he was only seven years old. He later studied at Feldkirch and Munich and in 1867

Joseph Rheinberger was a German composer and teacher whose organ sonatas are among the finest 19th-century works for that instrument. Rheinberger studied organ at Vaduz and became organist at the parish church when he was only seven years old. He later studied at Feldkirch and Munich and in 1867

Confederation of the Rhine, union (1806–13) of all the states of Germany, except Austria and Prussia, under the aegis of Napoleon I, which enabled the French to unify and dominate the country until Napoleon’s downfall. The formation of the confederation was preceded by French encroachment in

Johann Christian, baron von Boyneburg: …a principal negotiator of the League of the Rhine (1658), whereby a number of German states, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, secured a French guarantee against any attempt by the new Holy Roman emperor, Leopold I, to restore Habsburg domination. In 1664, however, while he was concerned with asserting the…

Rheine, city, North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on the Ems River, north of Münster. First mentioned in 838 and chartered in 1327, it suffered in the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and was severely damaged in World War II, but it has been rebuilt. Rheine lies in a

Rhine Falls, the most spectacular waterfall in central Europe, on the upper Rhine River just below Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland. The total fall of the cataract, including the rapids, is about 100 feet (30 meters), the width 492 feet (150 meters). There are two main falls divided by a

Austria: Accession of the Habsburgs: …at the same time, the Treaty of Rheinfelden (June 1, 1283) provided that Duke Albert should be the sole ruler. In 1282 Carniola had already been pawned to Meinhard II of Tirol (of the counts of Gorizia), one of the most reliable allies of Rudolf who, in 1286, was also…

Der Ring des Nibelungen: The operas are Das Rheingold (“The Rhine Gold”), Die Walküre (“The Valkyrie”), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (“The Twilight of the Gods”), first performed in sequence at the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, on August 13, 14, 16, and 17, 1876. Collectively they are often

Howard Rheingold is an American writer who was especially influential in the development of virtual communities. He wrote The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier (1993), which was one of the first books to treat the Internet as a social and cultural environment worthy of

Joseph von Görres: …him to found the newspaper Rheinische Merkur (1814). Considered to be the most influential journal of the time, it turned first against Napoleon and, after his fall, against the reactionary politics of the German states, which led to its suppression in 1816. With the publication of his pamphlet “Teutschland und…

Moses Hess: …ideas in the radical newspaper Rheinische Zeitung (“Rhinelander Gazette”), for which he served as Paris correspondent from 1842 to 1843. After Karl Marx joined the newspaper, Hess influenced Marx’s thinking appreciably, and they collaborated on several works. Later, however, Marx rejected Hess’s type of utopian socialism, specifically mocking Hess in…

Middle Rhine Highlands, mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of

Rhineland, historically controversial area of western Europe lying in western Germany along both banks of the middle Rhine River. It lies east of Germany’s border with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Apart from the strip from Karlsruhe southward to the Swiss frontier (west of

Rhineland-Palatinate, Land (state) situated in southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the states of North Rhine–Westphalia to the north, Hessen to the east, Baden-Württemberg to the southeast, and Saarland to the southwest and by France, Luxembourg, and Belgium to the south and west. Its

Ludwigshafen, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. Ludwigshafen is a port on the west (left) bank of the Rhine River. Founded in 1606 as a bridgehead (Rheinschanze) opposite Mannheim, it was renamed for King Louis (Ludwig) I of Bavaria in 1843 and was chartered in 1859.

Ticino: …feet (3,402 metres) at the Rheinwaldhorn and 10,738 feet (3,273 metres) at the Basodino. The canton is dominated physically by three river systems occupying steep-sided valleys extending from the mountain frontier southward to Lake Maggiore. The chief system is that of the Ticino River, which rises in the northwest, flows…

linguistics: Later contributions: …the distinction between theme and rheme and the notion of “functional sentence perspective” or “communicative dynamism.” By the theme of a sentence is meant that part that refers to what is already known or given in the context (sometimes called, by other scholars, the topic or psychological subject); by the…

Rhineland, historically controversial area of western Europe lying in western Germany along both banks of the middle Rhine River. It lies east of Germany’s border with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Apart from the strip from Karlsruhe southward to the Swiss frontier (west of

Beatus Rhenanus was a German humanist, writer, and advocate of Christian reform whose editorial work helped to preserve a wealth of classical literature. In 1505 Rhenanus received the master of arts degree from the University of Paris, where he studied Aristotelian philosophy. In 1511 he settled in

Germany: Languages of Germany: The Rhenish Franconian dialect extends northwest from approximately Metz, in French Lorraine, through the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hessen. Moselle Franconian extends from Luxembourg through the Moselle valley districts and across the Rhine into the Westerwald. Ripuarian Franconian begins roughly near Aachen, at the Dutch-Belgian border,…

Bonn: …former Electoral Palace (now the Rhenish Friedrich-Wilhelm University of Bonn [founded 1786]) and the Poppelsdorf Palace, with its botanical gardens, along with the city’s beautiful avenues and parks are reminders of the electoral and archiepiscopal capital. Recreational areas include the forests of Venusberg, Kreuzberg, Kottenforst, and Ennert on the southern…

Germany: Wenceslas: The stipendiaries of the Rhenish League were put to flight by the count palatine Rupert II near Worms on November 6.

Batak Protestant Christian Church: …work of missionaries of the Rhenish Mission Society, established in Barmen, Ger., in 1828. Under the leadership of the German Lutheran missionary Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, the missionaries began working among the Batak people in Sumatra in 1862. Resistance to Christianity lessened slowly, and by 1880 entire tribes and villages began…

Middle Rhine Highlands, mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of

symphony: Schumann: 3 in E-flat Major (1850; Rhenish) and Symphony No. 4 in D Minor (1841, rev. 1851). The five-movement Rhenish is less “classical” than the Symphony No. 2. Inspired by a ceremony at Cologne Cathedral as well as by the appearance of the cathedral itself, the polyphonic grandeur and harmonic richness,…

Middle Rhine Highlands, mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of

Aachen: …numerous educational institutions, including the Rhenish-Westphalian Technical University, founded in 1870, the earliest in Prussia. The nearby hot springs are much frequented; Schwertbad-Quelle, in the suburb of Burtscheid, is the warmest spring in Germany, with an average high water temperature of 169 °F (76 °C).

rhenium (Re), chemical element, a very rare metal of Group 7 (VIIb) of the periodic table and one of the densest elements. Predicted by the Russian chemist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev (1869) as chemically related to manganese, rhenium was discovered (1925) by the German chemists Ida and Walter

spectroscopy: Thermal atomization: The isotope rhenium-187 (187Re) decays to osmium-187 (187Os) having a half-life of 43 billion years; hence, the Re-Os system can be used to determine when geologic materials were solidified in Earth.

rhenium–osmium dating, method of determining the age of the important ore mineral molybdenite; the method is based upon the radioactive decay of rhenium-187 to osmium-187. The rhenium–osmium ratio in most minerals is too low to be of general use as a dating technique, but molybdenite (molybdenum

Germany: Constitutional conflicts in the 14th century: Six electors responded in the Declaration of Rhens (1338), proclaiming as an ancient custom of the empire that election by a majority was valid and that the king-elect assumed his administrative power immediately, without the intervention of papal approbation. Under Louis’s direction the declaration was repeated at the subsequent Diet…

Rhine River, river and waterway of western Europe, culturally and historically one of the great rivers of the continent and among the most important arteries of industrial transport in the world. It flows from two small headways in the Alps of east-central Switzerland north and west to the North

Myobatrachidae: Rheobatrachus silus, an extinct species, swallowed its eggs and brooded them in its stomach.

Celtic literature: Welsh literature in the 17th century: His two great works were Rheol Buchedd Sanctaidd (1701), a translation of Jeremy Taylor’s Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, and Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc (1703; The Visions of the Sleeping Bard), an adaptation of a translation of the Sueños of the Spanish satirist Quevedo.

surface coating: Rheological-control additives: The rheological properties of coatings (that is, their ability to flow) are of prime importance in their preparation, storage, and application, and in fluids such as coatings the key factor in rheology is the viscosity of the fluid. In some cases the viscous properties of the…

rheostat, adjustable resistor used in applications that require the adjustment of current or the varying of resistance in an electric circuit. The rheostat can adjust generator characteristics, dim lights, and start or control the speed of motors. Its resistance element can be a metal wire or

mechanoreception: The sense of touch: …head-on against the current (rheotaxis). Study of rheotaxic behaviour reveals that the sensory basis almost exclusively depends on visual or tactile stimuli (or both) arising from the animal’s movements relative to the solid bottom or surroundings. The long antennae of many arthropods (e.g., crayfish) and the lengthened tactile hairs…

therapeutics: Blood and blood cells: Most individuals are Rh-positive, which means that they have the D antigen of the complex Rh blood group system. Approximately 15 percent of the population lacks this antigen; such individuals are described as Rh-negative. Although anti-D antibodies are not naturally present, the antigen is so highly immunogenic (able…

rhesus monkey, (Macaca mulatta), sand-coloured primate native to forests but also found coexisting with humans in northern India, Nepal, eastern and southern China, and northern Southeast Asia. The rhesus monkey is the best-known species of macaque and measures about 47–64 cm (19–25 inches) long,

Georg Joachim Rheticus was an Austrian-born astronomer and mathematician who was among the first to adopt and spread the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1536 Rheticus was appointed to a chair of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Wittenberg. Intrigued by the news of the

Georg Joachim Rheticus was an Austrian-born astronomer and mathematician who was among the first to adopt and spread the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1536 Rheticus was appointed to a chair of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Wittenberg. Intrigued by the news of the

Rhaetian Alps, segment of the Central Alps extending along the Italian-Swiss and Austrian-Swiss borders but lying mainly in Graubünden canton, eastern Switzerland. The mountains are bounded by the Lepontine Alps and Splügen Pass (west-southwest), the Hinterrhein River (west), the Lechtaler Alps

rhetoric, the principles of training communicators—those seeking to persuade or inform. In the 20th century it underwent a shift of emphasis from the speaker or writer to the auditor or reader. This article deals with rhetoric in both its traditional and its modern forms. For information on

hubris: …is by Aristotle in his Rhetoric:

Wayne C. Booth: In his influential first book, The Rhetoric of Fiction (1961; rev. ed., 1983), Booth presented a detailed examination of narrative technique and introduced such terms as “implied author” and “reliable narrator.” In 1974 he produced Modern Dogma and the Rhetoric of Assent, a plea for reasoned assent in the educational…

figure of speech: Common figures of speech and their use: …I could chew nails”; the rhetorical question (asked for effect, with no answer expected), as in “How can I express my thanks to you?”; litotes (conscious understatement in which emphasis is achieved by negation), as in “It’s no fun to be sick”; and onomatopoeia (imitation of natural sounds by words),…

Denis Gaultier: …modes (the Lydian is missing), La Rhétorique des dieux (compiled between 1648 and 1652; “The Rhetoric of the Gods”). He was hugely popular in his own time, and much of his music was transcribed from lute tablature into staff notation so that it might reach the growing public of keyboard…

rhétoriqueur, any of the principal poets of the school that flourished in 15th- and early 16th-century France (particularly in Burgundy), whose poetry, based on historical and moral themes, employed allegory, dreams, symbols, and mythology for didactic effect. Guillaume de Machaut, who popularized

ancient Greek civilization: The Rhetra: The Rhetra is an alleged response by the Delphic oracle to the lawgiver Lycurgus around the 9th or 8th century bce. The Rhetra purports to define the powers of the various Spartan groups and individuals just mentioned. It begins, however, by saying that the tribes must…

rhubarb, (Rheum rhabarbarum), a hardy perennial of the smartweed family (Polygonaceae) native to Asia and grown for its large edible petioles (leafstalks). Rhubarb is commonly grown in cool areas of the temperate zones. The plant’s fleshy, tart, and highly acidic leafstalks are used in pies, often

Sydenham chorea, a neurological disorder characterized by irregular and involuntary movements of muscle groups in various parts of the body that follow streptococcal infection. The name St. Vitus Dance derives from the late Middle Ages, when persons with the disease attended the chapels of St.

rheumatic fever, inflammatory disease of the heart, joints, central nervous system, and subcutaneous tissues that develops after a throat infection with group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus bacteria, including untreated scarlet fever or strep throat. Prevention is possible with penicillin, but

cardiovascular disease: Rheumatic heart disease: Rheumatic heart disease results from inflammation of the endocardium (heart lining), myocardium (heart muscle), and pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart) that occurs during acute rheumatic fever, an infection with Streptococcus pyogenes organisms. The disease includes those later

rheumatism, any of several disorders that have in common inflammation of the connective tissues, especially the muscles, joints, and associated structures. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness. Specific diseases that are alternatively called rheumatism include rheumatoid arthritis;

pipsissewa: …called striped pipsissewa, rheumatism root, dragon’s tongue, and spotted wintergreen, occurs in North America from Canada to the southern United States. The name pipsissewa derives from a Cree Indian word referring to the diuretic properties of the leaves when eaten.

rheumatoid arthritis, chronic, frequently progressive disease in which inflammatory changes occur throughout the connective tissues of the body. Inflammation and thickening of the synovial membranes (the sacs holding the fluid that lubricates the joints) cause irreversible damage to the joint

immunologic blood test: …and IgM complexes known as rheumatoid factors can help confirm the diagnosis of certain conditions, including Sjögren syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic hepatitis.

Rhiannon, in Celtic religion, the Welsh manifestation of the Gaulish horse goddess Epona and the Irish goddess Macha. She is best-known from The Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales, in which she makes her first appearance on a pale, mysterious steed and meets King Pwyll, whom she

Rhianus was a Greek poet and scholar from Crete and a slave. His only surviving works are 10 or 11 epigrams of some merit preserved in the Greek Anthology and a small number of hexameter fragments. He was best known as an epic poet, producing five epics, though the contents of only one, the

antimatter: In 2010 physicists using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, used a billion collisions between gold ions to create 18 instances of the heaviest antiatom, the nucleus of antihelium-4, which consists of two antiprotons and two antineutrons. Since antihelium-4 is produced so rarely…