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History Encyclopedia - Glossary
Tribute
Money paid to a ruler by another country in order to protect that ...
Transcendentalism
A way of thinking important in New England in the 1840s. It holds ...
Supremacist
A person who believed that White Americans should be "supreme" (in ...
Spanish Empire
By 1800 the Spanish, whose South American colonies dated from the ...
Republican
Party One of the two main political parties of the US (the other is ...
Placer mining
A method of excavating that uses water to remove heavy minerals such ...
Outlaws
People whose bad deeds put them outside the protection of the law. In ...
Missouri Compromise
A series of Acts of Congress (1820-21) that admitted Missouri to the ...
Merchant ships
Ships with few or no guns, built and used for carrying goods to other ...
Lawn jockey
A hitching post carved and painted to look like a Black jockey. It ...
Ku Klux Klan
A secret society founded in the South in 1866 to prevent Blacks from ...
Kansas-Nebraska Act
An Act of Congress passed in 1854 to allow settlers in the two new ...
Jim Crow laws
Named after a "minstrel show" of 1828, these state laws were passed ...
Great Migration of 1843
The move westwards by pioneer families on the Oregon Trail to settle ...
Gin/ginning cotton
The gin (its name comes from "engine") was a machine that made it ...
Gettysburg Address
A short but immortal speech made by Lincoln in 1863, when he ...
Fugitive Slave Law
Laws providing for the return of runaway slaves to their masters. ...
Founding Fathers
The 55 men from the 13 original states who in 1787 drew up the ...
Feminists
Women who campaigned from the 1840s onwards for all women to have ...
Expansionist policy
The efforts made by Thomas Jefferson to move people out from the ...
Declaration of Sentiments
Issued in 1848, this was the first public demand by women for equal ...
Corliss steam engine
A huge 1400 horsepower engine made by US inventor George Henry ...
Contract laborers
People without a settled job who would sign a contract with an ...
Congress
The body of the US government responsible for making laws, producing ...
Confederate States
The 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860-61: ...
Civil rights
The rights to which a country's citizens are entitled: they include ...
Bounty hunters
Men who made a living from hunting down runaway slaves and claiming ...
Black Codes
Laws passed in the Southern states in 1865-66 that gave freed slaves ...
Barbary pirates
Sea robbers from North Africa led by the Bey (ruler) of Tripoli. For ...
Abolitionists
People who believed strongly that slavery and the laws that permitted ...
Theological
Something that relates to the study of God's existence and all things ...
“Sfumato”
A style of painting such as that used by Leonardo da Vinci in his ...
Rotunda
A building or a room with a circular plan, especially one that has a ...
Renaissance man
A man who is highly gifted in several different fields of study, ...
Renaissance
A movement in the arts, literature, and science in which a ...
Reformation
The religious and political movement of the 16th century that began ...
Pioneer
Someone who leads the way in developing something new and original.
Perspective
A method of showing three-dimensional distance in a two-dimensional ...
Moveable type
The small reusable metal letters that were used in the early printing ...
Monopolise
To have complete control over something without competition from ...
Miniature
A very small, finely painted picture, usually a portrait. The word ...
Inquisition
A jury of the Roman Catholic Church set up to root out and punish ...
Humanism
The idea that humans can improve by their own efforts and by reason, ...
Heresy
An opinion that differs from the official teachings of the Church.
Gothic
The style of European art before the Renaissance, from the 12th to ...
Fresco
A picture painted onto a wall while the plaster is still damp. The ...
Foreshortening
A perspective trick in painting. An example would be where a picture ...
Florin
A gold coin minted in Florence and which became a standard currency ...
Doge
Name given to the ruler of the Republic of Venice. Various ...
Condottiere
The commander of a troop of mercenary soldiers in Europe from the ...
Commission
To employ an artist, builder, or craftsman to create something. ...
Classical
Refers to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, and, in ...
Chapel
A small place of Christian worship that is usually attached to a ...
Calvinism
A more severe form of Protestantism named after John Calvin ...
Baptistry
The part of a church were baptisms are carried out, usually near the ...
Apothecaries
A historical name for pharmacists or doctors. During the Renaissance ...
Anatomy
The study of the structure of a plant or animal, especially of the ...
Alchemy
An unscientific method of chemistry that involved seeking a way of ...
Altarpiece
A religious painting that sits at the back of a church altar.
Tricolor
A flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of ...
Romanticism
A movement in Europe beginning in the late 17th century. A move away ...
Risorgimento
An Italian term, meaning "revival," used to describe the period of ...
Revolution
A change in power or government which occurs in a short period of ...
Restoration
An historical period when a previous monarch or government regains ...
Uprising
An organized attempt to oppose authority; a conflict in which one ...
Patriotism
Devotion to and love of one's own country.
Nationalism
The idea or feeling of belonging to the same culture by sharing ...
National anthem
A piece of music composed to celebrate the history, struggles and ...
Monarchist
A person who believes in the monarchy (rule by a king or queen).
Limelight
A type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. Long ...
Folklore
All of the tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, ...
Constitution
A system for government, often written down, that establishes the ...
Conservatory
In the performing arts, a school or university where students study ...
Concerto
A musical term that usually refers to a three-part musical work in ...
Composer
A person who creates music, usually by writing it down, for others to ...
Armistice
An agreement between warring armies to stop fighting, at least ...
Ziggurat
An ancient Mesopotamian stepped pyramid-like structure with a temple ...
Species
A group of related organisms which share important characteristics ...
Scavenger
An animal which feeds off dead, decaying animals.
Primate
A highly developed placental mammal with flexible hands and feet and ...
Plowshare
A sharp metal wedge used to turn over the top layer of soil.
Placental
A kind of mammal which develops and is nourished inside its mother's ...
Pigment
Any colored substance used to make paint or a colored mixture. A ...
Period
One of the units of time which make up an era. Periods are broken ...
Meteorite
A mass of stone or metal which has fallen upon the Earth from space.
Marsupial
A kind of mammal which spends the early years of its life inside a ...
Marrow
The soft, fatty material found in the centre of bones.
Mammal
A type of animal which, when young, feeds off milk from its mother's ...
Lintel
A piece of stone or wood which makes up the top part of a doorway or ...
Leverage
The mechanical advantage gained by using a lever, a simple tool ...
Ice Age
A period of Earth's history in which huge sheets of ice cover a vast ...
Hominid
A human-like primate which walks on two legs. The only hominid ...
Geological
Term used to describe anything of or pertaining to the Earth's ...
Galaxy
A group of billions of stars which, together with gas and dust, forms ...
Fossil
The remains or trace of an organism of the distant past, such as a ...
Extinct
Term used to describe species of animals or plants that have died out.
Era
A set of years or a unit of time in the history of the Earth ...
Epoch
A unit of time in the history of the Earth during which specific ...
Embankment
A wall made of earth and or stones built to keep the waters of a ...
Debris
The remains or small pieces of anything that has broken up or been ...
Comet
A celestial body, composed mainly of gases, which circles around the ...
Bipedal
Term used to describe animals that walk on their hind limbs.
Bacteria
Small forms of life composed of a single cell that can be seen only ...
Aeon
(also spelt eon) A unit of time too long to measure. A unit of time ...
Abstract
Term used to describe a simplified representation of objects, showing ...
Surveyor
A person who designs and supervises the construction of a building, ...
Soothsayer
A person believed to have the ability to predict future events.
Ore
Rock or earth from which a precious or useful metal can be obtained.
Neolithic
Term meaning "new stone" which is used to describe objects of or ...
Muse
A figure from ancient Greek mythology who inspires artists, ...
Mine
A deep hole or a network of underground tunnels made for the ...
Metal Ages
The periods in human development following the Stone Age in which ...
Krater
A wide bowl with handles used by ancient Greeks and Romans for mixing ...
Hippodrome
A stadium with an oval track where horse and chariot races are held.
Gout
A painful disease in which smaller joints, such as toes and fingers, ...
Fibula
A clasp or buckle used to fasten clothing worn in ancient times, ...
Equestrian
A term that means pertaining (being related or belonging) to horses. ...
Domestication
The process by which animals and plants are tamed and brought under ...
Consul
A person who is chosen by a government to protect or make important ...
Commodity
A valuable item usually traded for other goods or sold for profit.
Bog
An area of soft, wet ground made up of decaying matter into which ...
Archeology
The science which studies the remains of ancient peoples, including ...
Aqueduct
A system of channels, pipes, bridges, and canals which carries water ...
Amphitheater
An open-air building, usually round or oval, with seating built for ...
Wage labor
Where workers sell their labor (or work) to employers who pay money ...
Typhus
A group of diseases caused by bacteria that is carried by lice.
Trade Union
An organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common ...
Thresher
A machine or device that first separates the head of a stalk of grain ...
Textile
A flexible material or fabric made by weaving, knitting, knotting, or ...
Tenant farmer
A farmer who works on land owned by a landlord.
Telegraph
A machine for transmitting and receiving messages over long distances.
Strike
Also called a strike action, where work is stopped because workers ...
Steam engine
An engine that is powered by heated water vapor, or steam.
Spinning jenny
A spinning wheel with many spools invented during the Industrial ...
Shareholders
A person or company that owns shares in a joint stock company.
Sawmill
A place where trees and logs are cut into boards.
Sanitation
Ways of preventing humans from having contact with wastes, such as ...
Physicist
A scientist who studies physics including basic concepts such as ...
Proletariat
A class of society that doesn't own property or the means of ...
Poorhouse
Also known as a workhouse, where poor people were housed and had to ...
Periodical
A publication, such as a newspaper or magazine, that appears in a new ...
Mortgage
The transfer of property to a lender (usually a bank) as security for ...
Morse code
A way of encoding information into sequences of short or long sounds, ...
Luddites
A social movement of British artisans who protested against changes ...
Loom
A machine or device used to weave thread into fabric.
Locomotive
A railway vehicle that powers a train so that it can move along the ...
Hierarchy
The arrangement of people or objects into an order of ranking, such ...
Goldsmith
A craftsperson who specializes in working with gold and other ...
Feudalism
A way of organizing a society so that everyone within it has set ...
Enclosure
A process by which commonly owned land becomes privately owned.
Customs duties
A tariff or tax paid when goods are imported or exported from one ...
Crop rotation
A farming practice where a series of different crops are grown in ...
Cotton mill
A factory with machinery used to spin and weave cotton into textiles ...
Conglomerate
A large company made up of many sections all carrying out different ...
Communism
A political system or philosophy that seeks to establish an ...
Collective action
When people get together in a group to obtain a common goal.
Cholera
An infectious disease that humans catch by eating food or drinking ...
Capital
In economics, a term used to describe money usually used to start or ...
Bourgeoisie
A term used to describe a social class of merchants, or wealthy ...
Anthrax
An often lethal disease in humans and other animals caused by ...
Workhouse
An institution in which the poor were given food and accommodation in ...
Women’s Social and Political Union
A British movement, founded in 1903 by Emmeline and Christabel ...
Stop motion
A film technique in which the camera is repeatedly stopped and ...
Socialists
Those supporting the political system by which the means of ...
Slavs
A group of peoples in central and Eastern Europe who speak Slavic ...
Sezession
An avant-garde group of German and Austrian artists who organized ...
Qing Dynasty
A series of rulers established by the Manchus that ruled China from ...
Orphism
An abstract form of the Cubism art movement that emphasized harmony ...
Munitions
Military ammunition, weapons, equipment and stores.
Multiple-reel films
Long films that are divided into several parts for projection.
Mobilize
To prepare and organize troops for active service.
Mesopotamia
The region of Southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers ...
Liberal government
The administration of the Liberal Party, one of the two major British ...
Law Code of Hammurabi
A collection of laws made by the ancient Babylonian ruler Hammurabi ...
Labour Party
A political party formed in the UK in 1906 (from the Labour ...
Irish Republican Brotherhood
An Irish-American revolutionary nationalist organization founded in ...
Guerrilla tactics
A kind of warfare carried out by small irregular (unofficial) units, ...
Great Naval Review
A ceremonial presentation of the huge British naval fleet at ...
Fabian Society
An organization founded in London in 1884 to promote gradual (rather ...
Equality
League of Self-Supporting Women An American women's suffrage group, ...
Empire style
A style of dress (as well as furniture and decoration) influenced by ...
Emancipation
Setting free from social restrictions; liberation, especially the ...
Dual Monarchy
Two autonomous states governed by a common sovereign. The Dual ...
Democracy
A system of government representing all its citizens equally through ...
Dada movement
A movement in art, literature, music and film that mocked artistic ...
Conservative
Party, which grew out of the Tories in the 1830s and promotes free ...
Communist
A supporter of a classless society in which all property is owned by ...
Christian missionaries
Church men and women who have traveled to a foreign country to teach ...
Cave of the Thousand Buddhas
A 7th-century Buddhist cave temple on the banks of the Yishui River ...
Bureaucrats
Government officials, especially those who apply rules rigidly.
British Expeditionary Force
An army created by reforms in 1908 and sent to France in 1914.
Battalion
A large military unit, especially of infantry, ready for battle.
Balkans
The mountainous peninsula region of southeastern Europe between the ...
Bakelite
A trademarked synthetic resin (or early plastic), used mainly for ...
Back projection
The projection of a still or moving picture on to the back of a ...
Anarchist
Somebody who rejects the need for a system of government, authority ...
Surrealism
A movement in art and literature from the 1920s on that abandoned ...
Subconscious
The area of people's thought that lies in the mind below the thoughts ...
Stock Exchange
A "market" where securities (documents that give the buyer the right ...
SS
The elite unit of the German Nazi Party, founded by Hitler to be his ...
Speculate
To invest money in stocks and shares in the hope of making a lot more ...
Speakeasy
A club where alcohol could illegally be obtained during Prohibition. ...
Soviet
In Russian, originally "a council of workers' delegates." Refers to ...
Slump
A sudden heavy and serious fall in the value of a country's economy, ...
Reserved occupations
Jobs so important to the country's welfare that people who held them ...
Reparations
Compensation paid by a losing side in a war for the damage it caused ...
Pocket battleship
Battleships are naval vessels that carry the heaviest armour and the ...
“Phoney war”
The word "phoney" was 1930s American slang for "false, fake." From ...
Oceanographer
Someone who studies the seas: their climates and everything that ...
Newspaper magnate
The influential owner of many of a country's newspapers, in a ...
Nationalists
Members of a political party who believe that the country to which ...
Mandate
An order from the League of Nations to a country, giving it power to ...
Lateran Treaties
Agreements signed in 1929 (in the Lateran Palace in Rome) between the ...
Kamikaze
Japanese for "divine wind," this was the name given to a plane loaded ...
International Labor Organization
An agency founded in 1919 to improve standards in work and living ...
Gulag
A labour camp in the USSR. Gulags were set up by Stalin in remote ...
Gestapo
The Nazi secret police (Geheime Staatspolizei). In 1939, it merged ...
Fascism
A political belief holding that people should obey the will of the ...
Falange
From the Spanish for "phalanx"-a line of troops ready to fight. The ...
Depression
A time of world economic crisis, particularly the Great Depression of ...
Court of International Justice
A body (established in 1921) that set out the rules that states ...
Constitutional Crisis
Refers to the Abdication of King Edward VILI from the British throne. ...
Commissar
The head of a government department in the Soviet Union.
Cinernatic technique
The art of using all the special skills needed to make a ...
Bootleg liquor
Alcohol illegally sold during Prohibition. The term refers to bottles ...
Bolshevik
In Russian, "a member of the majority." Bolsheviks were followers of ...
“Beer hall putsch”
A rising staged by Hitler and the Nazi party in 1923 in Munich. It ...
Axis Powers
The Fascist allies fighting on Germany's side in World War II. Hitler ...
Appease
To calm someone down by giving in to their demands. Chamberlain tried ...
Abdication
To abdicate is to give up one's responsibilities. King Edward VILI ...
Viceroy
A governor of a province or colony who rules in place of a king or ...
Vellum
A strong, cream-colored parchment paper, originally made from calf or ...
T-O maps
Early maps, made by Christian monks, who used a T shape to divide the ...
Sundial
An instrument for telling the time. The sun hits a pointer that casts ...
Smallpox
An extremely serious and infectious disease. The sufferer develops a ...
Slave
A person who is treated as the property of another and who is forced ...
Scurvy
A disease caused by lack of Vitamin C. Symptoms include spongy gums, ...
Rudder
A flat piece attached to the base of a ship, at the stern. It allows ...
Rigging
The ropes used for controlling sails and supporting the mast on board ...
Privateer
A privately owned ship that can be commissioned by a government to ...
Pilgrim
A person who makes a journey to a sacred place to show their devotion ...
Mappae mundi
A latin phrase meaning "sheet of the world," from which we get the ...
Longitude
The distance of a point from the equator, measured in a East-West ...
Latitude
The distance of a point from the equator, measured in a North-South ...
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas. For example, ...
Indigenous
Something that lives naturally in a particular region of the world.
Galleon
A heavy, square-rigged ship used between the 15th and 18th centuries. ...
Fool’s Gold
A name given to iron pyrites, a mineral that looks like gold but is ...
Diphtheria
A contagious disease characterized by difficult breathing, a sore ...
Corsair
A pirate, specifically one operating on the Barbary coast (the ...
Compass
An instrument that indicates direction, usually with a needle that ...
Chronometer
A clock-like instrument designed to calculate longitude at sea, often ...
Cartographer
A person who draws and compiles maps and charts.
Carrack
A large square-rigged trading vessel, also sometimes used for warfare.
Caravel
A small Spanish or Portuguese ship of the 15th and 16th centuries. It ...
Buccaneer
A pirate, especially one preying on Spanish settlements in the West ...
Bubonic plague
A highly infectious disease characterized by swellings called buboes, ...
Astronomer
A person who studies the science of the stars and planets.
Astrologer
A person who studies the influence of the stars and planets on human ...
Astrolabe
An instrument used to show the positions of the planets and stars at ...
Archipelago
An expanse of sea scattered with small islands.
Thor’s hammer
The tool used by the Germanic god of thunder to terrify his enemies ...
Tapestry
A detailed work of embroidery. The Bayeux tapestry is 231 feet (70 m) ...
Sunni
A branch of the Muslim faith. Sunni Muslims follow the example set by ...
Shia
A branch of the Muslim faith. Shia Muslims are guided by imams (holy ...
Schism
The splitting of a group into opposing groups. The split of the ...
Saracen
A name given to the Arab tribes that attacked the borders of the ...
Pope
The head of the Roman Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome. From ...
Pagans
People who worshiped pre-Christian gods. The Vikings were the last ...
Ornate
Something that is finely or elaborately decorated.
Order
A religious community of monks or nuns, who often live by strict ...
Muscovy
A Medieval name for Russia, when the provinces around the capital, ...
Mosaic
A design or decoration made up of many small pieces of colored glass ...
Minaret
The tall thin tower of a mosque. It often has one or more balconies, ...
Millennium
The year 1000, the thousandth anniversary of the birth of Christ. It ...
Middle Ages
A period of history from about the 5th century to the 14th century. ...
Merovingian
The Frankish dynasty that ruled areas of present-day France, Germany ...
Marches
Borders or frontiers, or the land running along them, often in ...
Illumination
In early Medieval times, the skill used by monks to decorate ...
Icon
A painted image of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, sometime ...
Holy relic
A part of a saint's body or something that was used by or linked with ...
Hermit
A religious person who lives alone, usually in the desert, in order ...
Feud
A long and bitter hostility between two people, families, or tribes.
Excommunicate
To expel or to throw someone out of the Church because their beliefs ...
Eastern Orthodox Church
(Also called the Greek Orthodox Church) The branch of the Church ...
Dark Ages
An old-fashioned term used to refer to the early Medieval period ...
Casket
A small box or chest for valuables, especially jewels. Caskets were ...
Carolingian
The name given to the Frankish dynasty that followed the Merovingians ...
Cameo
A type of round medallion, set into a brooch or a ring, showing the ...
Caliph
A spiritual and political leader of Islam. The title was taken by the ...
Burial mound
An ancient type of grave raised above ground level. Burial mounds of ...
Baptism
A Christian religious ceremony in which someone is bathed or ...
Alliance
A formal agreement between two or more countries, cities, or states, ...
Treaty
A written agreement between two or more countries or rulers, often ...
Traitor
A person who betrays someone else or an organization.
Tax
Money people must pay to a government, church, or ruler to help ...
Siege
The surrounding of a city or fort by the army of their enemy in an ...
Serf
A type of farm laborer, especially in Russia and eastern Europe, who ...
Revoke
To cancel an official agreement, such as a law, edict, or treaty.
Republic
A country in which the ruler, such as the Stadtholder in the ...
Regent
Someone who governs on behalf of a young prince or princess who ...
Reform
To change an organization or system to make it work better or more ...
Rebel
To rise up and challenge a ruler or government, sometimes by force; ...
Policy
The course of action decided by a ruler, minister, government, or ...
Philosophy
The study of human thought about the meaning of life and the correct ...
Peasant
A member of one of the lowest classes of people, who earns his or her ...
Parliament
A formal gathering of people that debates and makes a country's laws. ...
Obsolete
Something that is out of date or old fashioned and has been replaced ...
Noble
A high-ranking person who is a member of the aristocracy. They may be ...
Monarchy
A country in which the ruler is a monarch who rules by his or her ...
Mint
To make a coin by stamping a piece of metal.
Minister
An important official who serves a ruler or in a government.
Heir
The next in line to the throne, who will become ruler when the ...
Gable
On a building, the triangular-shaped top part of a wall at the end of ...
Famine
When there is a massive shortage of food so that many people die of ...
Execute
To carry out a sentence of death on someone, usually as punishment ...
Economy
The wealth and resources of a country or a region.
Empire
All of the land controlled by a ruler or government, including ...
Edict
A type of order or law passed by a ruler or government.
Diplomacy
The art of managing international relations with other countries ...
Court
The place where a monarch or ruler lives, including the buildings as ...
Corrupt
When someone behaves in a dishonest way in return for money or a gift.
Civil war
Armed conflict between different groups of people in the same country.
Censorship
When a government controls what may be printed in books or ...
Cavalry
The branch of an army made up of soldiers mounted on horseback.
Assassinate
To murder a ruler or important person for political or religious ...
Artillery
Large guns pulled by horses, or the branch of an army that uses this ...
Aristocracy
A small group of people in society who inherited land, power, and ...
Architecture
The art of designing and then supervising the construction of ...
Ambassador
Someone who goes abroad to represent the interests of a ruler or ...
Agriculture
Using land to grow crops and raise livestock.
Absolute monarchy
A system of rule in which the monarch has unrestricted power over his ...
Yurt
A circular tent made with a framework of poles and covered in felt ...
Smelting
The process of melting ores, mineral deposits containing a metal, to ...
Guild
A group of people belonging to the same trade or profession, who band ...
Daimyo
Any of a group of powerful landowners that dominated much of Japan ...
Dakinis
In the Buddhist religion, supernatural beings that have been compared ...
Calligraphy
The art of beautiful handwriting, much admired in Medieval China and ...
Tributary
A stream that flows into a river or a larger body of water.
Stupa
A dome-shaped monument built to store Buddhist relics.
Stone Age
The early period in human development preceding the Metal Ages in ...
Steppe
One of the large areas of flat, tree-less land of southeastern Europe ...
Sovereign
A ruler who has complete control or the most power over a state or ...
Smelt
To melt down earth (or an ore) in order to separate and extract its ...
Shaman
A priest who is believed to be able to contact the spirit world and ...
Sarcophagus
A container made to store dead bodies, usually made of stone.
Relic
An object that has survived from the past and is kept for its ...
Plain
A vast or large, flat, area of land, usually without trees.
Nomad
A member of a tribe that travels from place to place in search of ...
Morality
A set of principles based on cultural and or religious beliefs by ...
Molten
Melted, or in a liquid state under a very high temperature.
Missionary
One who is sent on a mission to a foreign land to educate or convert ...
Megalith
A huge stone, usually standing, used in the construction of ...
Kiln
An oven used for baking, hardening, or drying materials such as ...
Irrigation
The process of bringing water to fields.
Forage
To search for and collect food.
Feudal system
A social organization in which people held and worked the land owned ...
Eunuch
A man who had part of his sex organs removed and served in the courts ...
Domesticate
To tame and bring animals and plants under control so that they can ...
Dolmen
A simple structure made of upright stones which support a large stone ...
Decorum
Behavior or appearance that follows the customs or rules of a society ...
Citadel
A fortress or an armed, commanding city built to function as a place ...
Brine
Water which contains a large amount of salt.
Barbarian
Term used in a negative way, meaning rude or uncivilized, to describe ...
Astronomy
The scientific study of the Sun, Moon, and stars and other heavenly ...
Alloy
A mixture of two or more different metals, usually to make a new or ...
Acupuncture
A method of treating disease and easing pain by inserting needles in ...
Warlord
A person with military power over a given territory that has no ...
Typhoon
A violent tropical storm, especially in the China seas. The word ...
Terra-cotta
Hard, unglazed earthenware, made from clay. Early cultures made ...
Taoism
A popular Chinese philosophy that argues for a simple, honest life ...
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming ...
Shogun
A Japanese hereditary military dictator who had greater power than ...
Sikhism
Sikhism is a religious philosophy founded on the teachings of Nanak ...
Shinto
The name of the native religion of Japan. Believers worship a number ...
No Theater
No or Nōgakuis a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that ...
Nomadic
Term used to describe a member of a tribe who travels from place to ...
Muslims
Followers of the religion of Islam who worship one God and honor the ...
Mother-of-pearl
The hard, shiny substance found inside the shells of certain ...
Monolith
A statue, obelisk, or a column carved from a huge block of stone.
Missionaries
A member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share ...
Kasbah
A kind of medina, Islamic city, or fortress. It was the place for the ...
Jainism
An ancient Indian religion, with its own scriptures.
Ivory
The teeth of certain mammals. Elephant ivory is the most abundant ...
Iron Age
The period in human development following the Bronze Age in which ...
Hinduism
The main religion of India, which involves the worship of many gods, ...
Exile
The condition of having been forced to leave one's homeland.
Envoy
A messenger sent by a government on a special mission and who acts as ...
Ebony
The hard, dark wood found in tropical trees, much prized for its use ...
Confucianism
The philosophy of the Chinese thinker Confucius (551-479 BCE), which ...
Coptic
An Afro-Asiatic language, written in the Greek alphabet. Also, ...
Clan
A group of people belonging to the same tribe who are related or ...
City-states
Independent cities that govern themselves through a council or a ...
Ceramic
A hard, breakable material made by firing clay in an oven. Some of ...
Caravan
A company of traders traveling together, usually with a train of ...
Castes
The hereditary classes that make up the social divisions of Hindu ...
Bushido
The Japanese samurai's code of honor, which was influenced by ...
Buddhism
A religion based on the teachings of Buddha (c. 566-480 BCE). ...
Basin
A low-lying, roughly bowl-shaped area of land which is drained by a ...
Ascetics
People who live very simply and deny themselves worldly comforts and ...
Vizier
A chief minister of ancient Egypt or a high government officer in a ...
Tactician
A clever person, usually a military officer, who knows how to lead ...
Sphinx
A mythological creature, sometimes winged, with the body of a lion ...
Scribe
In ancient times, a person who wrote down or recorded important ...
Sceptre
A short stick or cane carried by a king or ruler on ceremonial ...
Quayside
Area of a seaport where boats can dock and load or unload goods.
Quarry
A place, usually a pit in the Earth, where minerals and stone are ...
Pyramid
A large, four-sided triangular stone building constructed in ancient ...
Province
One of many divisions of a state made by a government to have better ...
Propaganda
Specific actions that are carried out or true or false information ...
Procession
The act of a group of people marching in a formal way for a religious ...
Phalanx
A group of foot soldiers who march very close together so that their ...
Oracle
A sacred place where questions about the future are answered. A ...
Omen
A message or an event believed to be a sign of a future event.
Mourner
A person who expresses deep sorrow or sadness after the death of a ...
Monsoon
A strong wind that brings heavy rains.
Mercenary
A paid professional soldier who fights for a foreign country.
Mace
A short heavy stick used as a weapon in ancient times.
Labyrinth
A structure of many confusing passages made in such a way so that it ...
Infantry
A group of soldiers who fight on foot with their own personal weapons.
Hereditary
Something that is passed on from parent to child.
Headquarters
The place or office where people in charge of a group or organisation ...
Geometric
Term used to describe something decorated with or having the form of ...
Flail
A wooden tool made out of a stick that swings from the end of a long ...
Faience
Glossy, hard blue or green substance made by heating a mixture of ...
Epic
A long poem which tells the story of gods and heroes or the history ...
Dynasty
A line of rulers coming from the same family, or a period during ...
Delta
A triangle-shaped area of land near a river where the waters flow ...
Crook
A long stick with a curved end.
Crop
A plant or its product, such as grain, fruit or vegetables, grown by ...
Confederation
A group of states united for political reasons.
Colony
An area or region controlled and settled by a group of people from a ...
Chancellor
An official of high rank who, in ancient Egypt, was the head of the ...
Cargo
Goods, transported on a ship or other vehicle, which are traded or ...
Bronze Age
The period in human development following the Stone Age in which ...
Authoritarian
Term used to describe someone or something that makes people follow ...
Archaic
Term used to describe something from the early period of Greek ...
Archeologist
A scientist who studies the remains of ancient peoples, such as ...
Amulet
An object or charm that is worn by a person because it is believed to ...
Sustainable
Those who practise sustainable living supply their needs, as far as ...
Separatist
A separatist struggle is one between two groups living in the same ...
Secular
Concerned only with this world's affairs; having nothing to do with ...
Referendum
When a government wants to know the opinion of voters on a single ...
Oligarchs
People who hold power without being born to it or elected to it.
Levee system
A levee (from the French "lever," to raise up") is an embankment ...
Intifada
Arabic for "uprising," this is the name given to the campaign of ...
Internet
A type of linked computer network. The information collected in ...
Installation art
A form of artistic expression developed in the 20th century that uses ...
Hezbollah
"The Party of God" is a social movement and political party active in ...
Futuristic
Used of designs that do not follow traditional forms, but invent new ...
Fuel subsidies
Payments made by the government of a country to the suppliers of its ...
Free markets
In a free market, a country's buying and selling can be carried out ...
Fiasco
Originally meaning "a breakdown during a musical performance", this ...
Eurozone
The area covered by the member nations of the European Union.
Ethnic
Racial or national-the word comes from the Greek word for "nation." ...
E-petition
A petition drawn up on the Internet. People's signatures are ...
Entrepreneur
From the French word for "to undertake," this at first meant a ...
Economic sanctions
Strong measures taken by one country (or more) against another to ...
Domain name
A combination of letters and numbers that identifies a specific ...
Deconstructivism
A way of looking at works of art, whether written texts, buildings or ...
Cold War
The struggle (without an actual state of war being declared) between ...
Coca
The raw material of the addictive drug cocaine, coca is a chemical ...
Cellulite
Fatty deposits beneath the skin that can leave it looking slightly ...
Cartel
A group, either of firms or of countries, that tries to fix the price ...
Capitalism
An economic system in which individuals or corporations provide the ...
Bureaucracy
Government by a central administration whose officials adhere to ...
Bioweapons
Weapons of terror containing some living component, for instance a ...
Apartheid
A policy of the South African government for most of the 20th ...
AIDS
Short for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A serious illness ...
Zionists
Campaigners since 1897 for a Jewish homeland in Palestine that would ...
Women’s Lib
Short for "women's liberation," a forerunner of feminism. Arising in ...
West Bank
Land on the west bank of the River Jordan, formerly in the state of ...
Walkman
The first truly portable way to listen to music, the original (1979) ...
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics-15 republics in eastern ...
UN charter
The document agreed by the major world powers in 1945 that set out ...
Un-American Activities Committee
A US government committee chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy. From ...
“Star Wars”
The nickname of a program intended to produce an anti-ballistic ...
Space Shuttle
A spacecraft designed to carry people and cargo into orbit around the ...
Segregated
"Kept apart"-a term used for the official separation of people ...
Satellite
An artificial satellite is an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the Earth ...
Proletarian
An expression from Marxist Communism, meaning people who work with ...
Plutonium
A chemical element (Pu) produced in nuclear reactors that can give ...
Perestroika
In Russian, "restructuring"-the title of a book (1987) by Soviet ...
New Look
Fashion launched in 1947 by designer Christian Dior. Its lavish use ...
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance of European ...
Nationalization
The takeover by the state of an industry previously run by its owners ...
Mantra
A word or phrase thought to be holy and repeated over and over as a ...
Lunar module
The portion of the Apollo 11 rocket that actually landed on the ...
Khmer Rouge
A Communist movement formed in 1970 in Cambodia, which it renamed ...
In vitro fertilization
A technique for helping infertile couples to conceive, where egg and ...
Indian National Congress
The main political party in India. Before 1947 it led the campaign ...
Hippies
A movement of young people that began in the late 1960s in ...
Espionage
Spying on one country while working for the intelligence service of ...
Glasnost
In Russian, "openness." A keyword used by Soviet leader Mikhail ...
Genes
The factors that control how characteristics-height, hair color, ...
Gang of Four
Four Chinese leaders, including Mao's widow Jiang Qing, who tried and ...
Donor
Someone who gives something. Particularly refers to people who agree ...
Détante
In French, "relaxation:" the easing of tense relationships, ...
Coup
The sudden overthrow of a country's government, especially by its ...
Communist bloc
A term describing the Soviet Union plus its allies, the Communist-led ...
Collectivization
In Communist countries, the taking over of privately owned farms by ...
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Colorless gases widely used to cool refrigerators since the 1930s, ...
Boycott
To boycott someone is to have nothing further to do with him or her; ...
Brinkmanship
A brink is the edge of a cliff. Leaders who practise brinkmanship ...
Ballistic missile
Long-range, rocket-powered missile carrying a nuclear warhead. It can ...