| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Republic in southeastern Europe on the Adriatic Sea coast of the Balkan Peninsula, bordered by Yugoslavia to the northwest, north, and northeast, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the southeast and south. Tirana is its capital and largest city.
Note: The most secretive and closed of the former Eastern Bloc nations, Albania held free elections in March 1991, ending almost fifty years of communist rule and inaugurating a multiparty system. Protests over the collapse of a government-sponsored fraudulent investment scheme led to near anarchy in 1997. United Nations peacekeepers restored order.