New near-infrared (NIR) observations of galaxies with circumnuclear starbursts and of Seyfert galaxies have shown both the importance of high-resolution imaging in the NIR, and of non-axisymmetric structures (e.g. bars) in the process of fuelling the central regions. I will discuss recent results of imaging surveys showing that the presence of a

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Recent searches for brown dwarfs have succeeded in finding these elusive objects. Massive brown dwarfs (40-70 Jupiter masses) have been found in the Pleiades, orbiting around a nearby star and, very recently, in the field. A review is given of their observed photometric and spectroscopic properties in the optical and near-infrared. The diagnosis of

I describe how the principles of lexicography have been applied in limited ways in astronomy and look at the revision work under way for the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which, when completed, will contain the widest and most detailed coverage of the astronomical lexicon in the English language. Finally, I argue the need for a

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