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McDougal Littell
ISBN 0-618-48553-8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - QDI - 08 07 06 05 04
ENGLISH GLOSSARY
The glossary is an alphabetical listing of the key terms from the complete
McDougal Littell Science program, along with their meanings. The definitions
listed in the glossary are the ones that apply to the way the words are used in
this program.
ENGLISH
ENGLISH
aquaculture The science and business of raising and Bacteria Part of a classification system that divides
harvesting fish in a controlled situation. all living things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Bacteria
aquifer An underground layer of permeable rock that includes microscopic single-celled organisms found in
contains water. many environments. Bacteria can be associated with
disease in other organisms.
Archaea Part of a classification system that divides
all living things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Archaea barometer An instrument that measures air pressure
includes microscopic single-celled organisms with a in the atmosphere.
distinctive cell structure that allows them to live in barrier island A long, narrow island that develops
extreme environments. parallel to a coast as a sandbar builds up above the
artery A blood vessel with strong walls that carries water’s surface.
blood away from the heart. base A substance that can accept a proton from another
artesian well A well in which pressurized water substance and has a pH above 7.
flows upward to the surface. behavior An organism’s action in response to a
arthropod An invertebrate animal with an stimulus.
exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed legs. Bernoulli’s principle A statement that describes
asexual reproduction The process by which a the effects of movement on fluid pressure. According to
single organism produces offspring that have the same this principle, an increase in the speed of the motion of a
genetic material. fluid decreases the pressure within the fluid.
asteroid A small, solid, rocky body that orbits the big bang The moment in time when the universe
Sun. Most asteroids orbit in a region between Mars and started to expand out of an extremely hot, dense state,
Jupiter called the asteroid belt. according to scientific theory.
asthenosphere The layer in Earth’s upper mantle binary code A coding system in which information is
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
and directly under the lithosphere in which rock is soft represented by two figures, such as 1 and 0.
and weak because it is close to melting. binary fission A form of asexual reproduction by
astronomical unit AU Earth’s average distance which some single-celled organisms reproduce. The
from the Sun, which is approximately 150 million genetic material is copied, and one cell divides into two
kilometers (93 million mi). independent cells that are each a copy of the original
cell. Prokaryotes such as bacteria reproduce by binary
atmosphere The outer layer of gases of a large body
fission.
in space, such as a planet or star; the mixture of gases
that surrounds the solid Earth; one of the four parts of binomial nomenclature The two-part naming
the Earth system. system used to identify species. The first part of the name
is the genus, and the second part of the name is the species.
atom The smallest particle of an element that has the
chemical properties of that element. biodiversity The number and variety of living things
found on Earth or within an ecosystem.
atomic mass The average mass of the atoms of
an element. biology The scientific study of life and all living
things; ecology, zoology, and botany are examples of
atomic mass number The total number of protons
biological sciences.
and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus.
bioluminescence The production of light by living
atomic number The number of protons in the
organisms.
nucleus of an atom.
biomass Organic matter that contains stored energy
autotroph An organism that captures energy from
from sunlight and that can be burned as fuel.
sunlight and uses it to produce energy-rich carbon
compounds, usually through the process of biome A region of Earth that has a particular climate
photosynthesis. and certain types of plants. Examples are tundra, taiga,
desert, grassland, temperate and tropical forests.
axial skeleton The central part of the skeleton, which
includes the cranium, the spinal column, and the ribs. biosphere All living organisms on Earth in the air, on
the land, and in the waters; one of the four parts of the
axis of rotation An imaginary line about which a
Earth system.
turning body such as Earth rotates.
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 3
biotic factor A living thing in an ecosystem. cell cycle The normal sequence of growth,
black hole The final stage of an extremely massive maintenance, and division in a cell.
star, which is invisible because its gravity prevents any cell membrane The outer boundary of the
form of radiation from escaping. cytoplasm, a layer that controls what enters or leaves the
blizzard A blinding snowstorm with winds of at cell; a protective covering enclosing an entire cell.
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least 56 kilometers per hour (35 mi/h), usually with cellular respiration A process in which cells use
temperatures below –7°C (20°F). oxygen to release energy stored in sugars.
blood A fluid in the body that delivers oxygen and cell wall A protective outer covering that lies just
other materials to cells and removes carbon dioxide and outside the cell membrane of plant cells.
other wastes. central nervous system The brain and spinal
blubber A layer of fat in some sea mammals that lies cord. The central nervous system communicates with the
beneath the skin. It insulates the animal from cold and rest of the nervous system through electrical signals sent
stores reserve energy. to and from neurons.
boiling A process by which a substance changes from centripetal force Any force that keeps an object
its liquid state to its gas state. The liquid is heated to a moving in a circle.
specific temperature at which bubbles of vapor form chemical change A change of one substance into
within the liquid. another substance.
boiling point The temperature at which a substance chemical energy Energy that is stored in the
changes from its liquid state to its gas state through chemical composition of matter. The amount of
boiling. chemical energy in a substance depends on the types and
bond energy The amount of energy in a chemical arrangement of its atoms. When wood or gasoline burns,
bond between atoms. chemical energy produces heat. The energy used by the
budding A process of asexual reproduction in which cells in your body comes from chemical energy in the
an organism develops as an outgrowth of the parent. foods you eat.
Each bud can grow into a new organism, breaking free chemical formula An expression that shows the
and becoming separate and independent. number and type of atoms joined in a compound.
buoyant force The upward force on objects in a chemical property A characteristic of a substance
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for classifying the climates of different regions based on and spruce trees.
characteristics they have in common. conservation The process of saving or protecting a
cloning The process of using DNA technology to natural resource.
produce an offspring that is genetically identical to its constellation A group of stars that form a pattern in
one parent. the sky.
cnidarian An invertebrate animal such as a jellyfish consumer A living thing that gets its energy by eating
that has a body with radial symmetry, tentacles with other living things in a food chain; consumers are also
stinging cells, and a central internal cavity. called heterotrophs.
coefficient The number before a chemical formula continental climate A climate that occurs in
that indicates how many molecules are involved in a the interior of a continent, with large temperature
chemical reaction. differences between seasons.
collision A situation in which two objects in close continental-continental collision A boundary
contact exchange energy and momentum. along which two plates carrying continental crust
comet A body that produces a coma of gas and dust; push together.
a small, icy body that orbits the Sun. continental drift The hypothesis that Earth’s
commensalism An interaction between two species continents move on Earth’s surface.
in which one species benefits without harming the other; continental shelf The flat or gently sloping land
a type of symbiosis. that lies submerged around the edges of a continent and
community All the populations that live and interact that extends from the shoreline out to the continental
with each other in a particular place. The community slope.
can live in a place as small as a pond or a park, or it can contour interval On a topographic map, the
live in a place as large as a rain forest or the ocean. difference in elevation from one contour line to the next.
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
compact bone The tough, hard outer layer of contour line A line on a topographic map that joins
a bone. points of equal elevation.
competition The struggle between two or more convection A process by which energy is transferred
living things that depend on the same limited resource. in gases and liquids, occurring when a warmer, less
competitor A species characterized by a relatively dense area of gas or liquid is pushed up by a cooler,
longer life span, with relatively few offspring, when more dense area of the gas or liquid.
compared with an opportunist species. convection current A circulation pattern in which
compound A substance made up of two or more material is heated and rises in one area, then cools and
different types of atoms bonded together. sinks in another area, flowing in a continuous loop.
compound machine A machine that is made up of convergent boundary A boundary along which
two or more simple machines. two tectonic plates push together, characterized either by
subduction or a continental collision.
computer An electronic device that processes digital
information. convex Curved outward, like the underside of a spoon.
concave Curved inward toward the center, like the cooperation A term used to describe an interaction
inside of a spoon. between two or more living things in which they are said
to work together.
concentration The amount of a substance (the
solute) that is contained in another substance (the coral reef A built-up limestone deposit formed by
solvent) at a given temperature. An example is sugar small ant-sized organisms called corals.
dissolved in water—often expressed as parts per million Coriolis effect The influence of Earth’s rotation on
or parts per billion. objects that move over Earth.
condensation The process by which a gas changes cornea A transparent membrane that covers the eye.
into a liquid. corona The outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere.
conduction The process by which energy is covalent bond A pair of electrons shared by
transferred from a warmer object to a cooler object two atoms.
by means of physical contact.
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 5
crest The highest point, or peak, of a wave. diffraction The spreading out of waves as they pass
crust A thin outer layer of rock above a planet’s through an opening or around the edges of an obstacle.
mantle, including all dry land and ocean basins. Earth’s diffuse reflection The reflection of parallel light
continental crust is 40 kilometers thick on average and rays in many different directions.
oceanic crust is 7 kilometers thick on average. diffusion The tendency of a substance to move from
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crystal A solid substance in which the atoms are an area of higher concentration to an area of lower
arranged in an orderly, repeating, three-dimensional concentration.
pattern. digestion The process of breaking down food into
cycle n. A series of events or actions that repeat usable materials.
themselves regularly; a physical and/or chemical digestive system The structures in the body that
process in which one material continually changes work together to transform the energy and materials in
locations and/or forms. Examples include the food into forms the body can use.
water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the rock cycle.
digital Represented by numbers. In electronics, digital
v. To move through a repeating series of events or actions.
information is represented by the numbers 1 and 0,
cytokinesis The division of a parent cell’s cytoplasm signaled by a circuit that is either on or off.
following mitosis.
dilute adj. Having a low concentration of solute.
cytoplasm A thick, gelatin-like material contained v. To add solvent in order to decrease the concentration
within the cell membrane. Most of the work of the cell is of a solution.
carried out in the cytoplasm.
direct current DC Electric current that flows in one
direction only.
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skeleton, a water vascular system, and tube feet. electromagnetic spectrum The range of all
electromagnetic frequencies, including the following
echolocation The sending out of high-pitched sound
types (from lowest to highest frequency): radio waves,
waves and the interpretation of the returning echoes.
microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light,
eclipse An event during which one object in space x-rays, and gamma rays.
casts a shadow onto another. On Earth, a lunar eclipse
electromagnetic wave A type of wave, such as a
occurs when the Moon moves through Earth’s shadow,
light wave or radio wave, that does not require a medium
and a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s shadow
to travel; a disturbance that transfers energy through
crosses Earth.
a field.
ecology The scientific study of how living things
electromagnetism Magnetism that results from the
interact with each other and their environment.
flow of electric charge.
ecosystem All the living and nonliving things that
electron A negatively charged particle located outside
interact in a particular environment. An ecosystem can
an atom’s nucleus. An electron is about 2000 times
be as small as a meadow or a swamp, or as large as a
smaller than either a proton or neutron.
forest or a desert.
electronic adj. Operating by means of an
ectotherm An animal whose body temperature
electrical signal. An electronic device is a device
changes with environmental conditions.
that uses electric current to represent coded information.
efficiency The percentage of the input work done on n. An electronic device or system, such as a computer,
a machine that the machine can return in output work. calculator, CD player, or game system.
A machine’s output work divided by its input work and
element A substance that cannot be broken down into
multiplied by 100.
a simpler substance by ordinary chemical changes. An
egg A female reproductive cell (gamete) that forms in element consists of atoms of only one type.
the reproductive organs of a female and has just a single
elevation A measure of how high something is above
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 7
energy efficiency A measurement of usable energy
after an energy conversion. F
energy pyramid A model used to show the amount false-color image A computer image in which the
of energy available to living things in an ecosystem. colors are not what the human eye would see. A false-
environment Everything that surrounds a living color image can assign different colors to different types
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thing. An environment is made up of both living and of radiation coming from an object to highlight its
nonliving factors. features.
enzyme A type of protein that is a catalyst for fault A fracture in Earth’s lithosphere along which
chemical reactions in living things. blocks of rock move past each other.
epicenter The point on Earth’s surface directly above fault-block mountain A mountain that forms as
the focus of an earthquake. blocks of rock move up or down along normal faults in
areas where the lithosphere is being pulled apart.
epidermis The outer layer of the skin.
fermentation A chemical process by which cells
equator An imaginary east-west line around the
release energy from sugar when no oxygen is present.
center of Earth that divides the planet into the Northern
Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere; a line set at fertilization Part of the process of sexual
0° latitude. reproduction in which a male reproductive cell and a
female reproductive cell combine to make a new cell
equinox In an orbit, a position and time in which
that can develop into a new organism.
sunlight shines equally on the Northern Hemisphere and
the Southern Hemisphere; a time of year when daylight fiber optics Technology based on the use of laser
and darkness are nearly equal for most of Earth. light to send signals through transparent wires called
optical fibers. This technology is often used in
erosion The process in which sediment is picked up
communications.
and moved from one place to another.
field An area around an object where the object can
estuary A shoreline area where fresh water from the
apply a force—such as gravitational force, magnetic
lower end of a river mixes with salt water from the
force, or electrical force—on another object without
ocean.
touching it.
eukaryotic cell A cell in which the genetic
floodplain A flat area of land on either side of a
material is enclosed within a nucleus, surrounded by
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shape. The molecules in a gas are very far apart, and the
food web A model used to show a feeding relationship amount of space between them can change easily.
in which many food chains overlap in an ecosystem. gas giant A large planet that consists mostly of gases
force A push or a pull; something that changes the in a dense form. The four large planets in the outer solar
motion of an object. system—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—are gas
fossil A trace or the remains of a once-living thing giants.
from long ago. gene The basic unit of heredity that consists of a
fossil fuels Fuels formed from the remains of segment of DNA on a chromosome.
prehistoric organisms that are burned for energy. generator A device that converts kinetic energy, or
fracture The tendency of a mineral to break into the energy of motion, into electrical energy. Generators
irregular pieces. produce electric current by rotating a magnet within a
coil of wire or rotating a coil of wire within a magnetic
freezing The process by which a substance changes
field.
from its liquid state into its solid state.
genetic engineering The scientific process in
freezing point The temperature at which a
which DNA is separated from an organism, changed, and
substance changes from its liquid state to its solid state
then reinserted into the same or a different organism.
through freezing.
genetic material The nucleic acid DNA that is
freezing rain Rain that freezes when it hits the
present in all living cells and contains the information
ground or another surface and coats the surface with ice.
needed for a cell’s growth, maintenance, and reproduction.
frequency The number of wavelengths (or wave
genome All the DNA of an organism, including its
crests) that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time,
genes; the genetic material of an organism.
usually one second.
genotype The genetic makeup of an organism; all the
fresh water Water that is not salty and has little or no
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
ENGLISH
iceberg A mass of floating ice that broke away from legs, two antennae, and compound eyes.
a glacier. insulator 1. A material that does not transfer energy
ice core A tubular sample that shows the layers of easily. 2. A material that does not transfer electric
snow and ice that have built up over the years. charge easily.
igneous rock Rock that forms as molten rock cools integumentary system The body system that
and becomes solid. includes the skin and its associated structures.
image A picture of an object formed by rays of light. intensity The amount of energy of a wave, per
wavelength. Intensity is associated with the amplitude of
immigration In population studies, the movement of
a sound wave and with the quality of loudness produced
an organism into a range inhabited by individuals of the
by the sound wave.
same species.
interaction The condition of acting or having
immune system A group of organs that provides
an influence upon something. Living things in an
protection against disease-causing agents.
ecosystem interact with both the living and nonliving
immunity Resistance to a disease. Immunity can parts of their environment.
result from antibodies formed in the body during a
interference The meeting and combining of waves;
previous attack of the same illness.
the adding or subtracting of wave amplitudes that occurs
impact crater A round pit left behind on the surface as waves overlap.
of a planet or other body in space after a smaller object
interphase The period in the cell cycle in which a
strikes the surface.
cell grows, maintains itself, and prepares for division.
impermeable Resistant to the passage of water.
intertidal zone The narrow ocean margin between
incandescence 1. The production of light by the high-tide mark and the low-tide mark.
materials having high temperatures. 2. Light produced
intrusive igneous rock Igneous rock that forms as
by an incandescent object.
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 11
joule J A unit used to measure energy and work. One lens A transparent optical tool that refracts light.
calorie is equal to 4.18 joules of energy; one joule of lever A solid bar that rotates, or turns, around a fixed
work is done when a force of one newton moves an point (fulcrum); one of the six simple machines.
object one meter.
lichen An organism that results from a close
association between single-celled algae and fungi.
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particularly iron and steel. mechanical weathering The breakdown of rock
into smaller pieces of the same material without any
magnetic domain A group of atoms whose
change in its composition.
magnetic fields align, or point in the same direction.
Magnetic materials have magnetic domains, whereas medium A substance through which a wave moves.
nonmagnetic materials do not. meiosis A part of sexual reproduction in which cells
magnetic field An area surrounding a magnet divide to form sperm cells in a male and egg cells in a
within which the magnet can exert a force. Magnetic female. Meiosis occurs only in reproductive cells.
fields are concentrated into a pattern of lines that extend melting The process by which a substance changes
from the magnet’s north pole to its south pole. from its solid state to its liquid state.
magnetic reversal A switch in the direction of melting point The temperature at which a substance
Earth’s magnetic field so that the magnetic north pole changes from its solid state to its liquid state through
becomes the magnetic south pole and the magnetic south melting.
pole becomes the magnetic north pole. menstruation A period of about five days during
magnetism The force exerted by a magnet. Opposite which blood and tissue exit the body through the vagina.
poles of two magnets attract, or pull together, whereas metal An element that tends to be shiny, easily shaped,
like poles of two magnets repel, or push apart. and a good conductor of electricity and heat.
main sequence The stage in which stars produce metallic bond A certain type of bond in which
energy through the fusion of hydrogen into helium. nuclei float in a sea of electrons.
mammal A warm-blooded vertebrate animal metalloid An element that has properties of both
whose young feed on milk produced by the mother’s metals and nonmetals.
mammary glands.
metamorphic rock Rock formed as heat or
mantle The layer of rock between Earth’s outer core pressure causes existing rock to change in structure,
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
and crust, in which most rock is hot enough to flow in texture, or mineral composition.
convection currents; Earth’s thickest layer.
metamorphism The process by which a rock’s
map legend A chart that explains the meaning of structure or mineral composition is changed by pressure
each symbol used on a map; also called a key. or heat.
map scale The comparison of distance on a map metamorphosis The transformation of an animal
with actual distance on what the map represents, such as from its larval form into its adult form.
Earth’s surface. Map scale may be expressed as a ratio,
meteor A brief streak of light produced by a small
a bar scale, or equivalent units.
particle entering Earth’s atmosphere at a high speed.
mare A large, dark plain of solidified lava on the
meteorite A small object from outer space that
Moon. The plural form of mare is maria.
passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches
marine climate A climate influenced by a nearby the surface.
ocean, with generally mild temperatures and steady
meteorologist A scientist who studies weather.
precipitation.
meter m The international standard unit of length,
mass A measure of how much matter an object is
about 39.37 inches.
made of.
microclimate The climate of a smaller area within
mass extinction One of several periods in Earth’s
a subclimate.
history when large numbers of species became extinct at
nearly the same time. microorganism A very small organism that can be
seen only with a microscope. Bacteria are examples of
mass wasting The downhill movement of loose rock
microorganisms.
or soil.
microscope An instrument that uses glass lenses to
matter Anything that has mass and volume. Matter
magnify an object.
exists ordinarily as a solid, a liquid, or a gas.
microwaves Part of the electromagnetic spectrum
mechanical advantage The number of times a
that consists of waves with higher frequencies than radio
machine multiplies the input force; output force divided
waves, but lower frequencies than infrared waves.
by input force.
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 13
mid-ocean ridge A long line of sea-floor mountains natural resource Any type of matter or energy
where new ocean crust is formed by volcanic activity from Earth’s environment that humans use to meet
along a divergent boundary. their needs.
migration The movement of animals from one region natural selection The process through which
to another in response to changes in the seasons or members of a species that are best suited to their
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come from the breakdown of food particles. overfishing The catching of fish at a faster rate than
nutrition The study of the materials that nourish they can reproduce.
the body. ozone A gas molecule that consists of three
oxygen atoms.
O
ocean current A mass of moving ocean water. P
oceanic-continental subduction A boundary Pangaea A hypothetical supercontinent that included
along which a plate carrying oceanic crust sinks beneath all of the landmasses on Earth. It began breaking apart
a plate with continental crust. about 200 million years ago.
oceanic-oceanic subduction A boundary along parallax The apparent shift in the position of an object
which a plate carrying oceanic crust sinks beneath when viewed from different locations.
another plate with oceanic crust. parallel circuit A circuit in which current follows
offspring The new organisms produced by one or two more than one path. Each device that is wired in
parent organisms. a parallel circuit has its own path to and from the
ohm Ω The unit of measurement for electrical voltage source.
resistance. parasite An organism that absorbs nutrients from
Ohm’s law The mathematical relationship among the body of another organism, often harming it in
current, voltage, and resistance, expressed in the formula the process.
I = V/R (current = voltage/resistance). parasitism A relationship between two species in
opportunist A species characterized by a relatively which one species is harmed while the other benefits; a
short life span, with relatively large quantities of type of symbiosis.
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
offspring, as compared with a competitor species. parent An organism that produces a new organism or
optics The study of light, vision, and related organisms similar to or related to itself.
technology. particle A very small piece of matter, such as an
orbit n. The elliptical path of an object in space atom, molecule, or ion.
as it moves around another object due to gravity; for particulates Tiny particles or droplets, such as dust,
example, the Moon moves in an orbit around Earth. dirt, and pollen, that are mixed in with air.
v. To revolve around, or move in an orbit; for example, pascal Pa The unit used to measure pressure. One
the Moon orbits Earth. pascal is the pressure exerted by one newton of force on
ore A rock that contains enough of a valuable mineral an area of one square meter, or one N/m2.
to be mined for a profit. Pascal’s principle A statement that says when an
organ A structure in a plant or an animal that is made outside pressure is applied at any point to a fluid in a
up of different tissues working together to perform a container, that pressure is transmitted throughout the
particular function. fluid with equal strength.
organelle A structure in a cell that is enclosed by a passive transport The movement of materials
membrane and that performs a particular function. through a membrane without any input of energy.
organic compound A compound that is based pathogen An agent that causes disease.
on carbon. pedigree A chart that shows family relationships,
organism An individual living thing, made up of one including two or more generations.
or many cells, that is capable of growing and penumbra A region of lighter shadow that may
reproducing. surround an umbra; for example, the spreading cone of
organ system A group of organs that together lighter shadow cast by a space object.
perform a function that helps the body meet its needs for percentage A ratio that states the number of times an
energy and materials. outcome is likely to occur out of a possible 100 times.
original remains A fossil that is the actual body or
body parts of an organism.
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 15
period A horizontal row in the periodic table of the polar covalent bond The unequal sharing of
elements. Elements in a period have varying properties. electrons between two atoms that gives rise to negative
periodic table A table of the elements, arranged and positive regions of electric charge.
by atomic number, that shows the patterns in their polarization A way of filtering light so that all of the
properties. waves vibrate in the same direction.
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peripheral nervous system The part of the pollen Tiny multicellular grains that contain the
nervous system that lies outside the brain and spinal cord. undeveloped sperm cells of a plant.
peristalsis Wavelike contractions of smooth muscles pollution The release of harmful substances into the
in the organs of the digestive tract. The contractions air, water, or land.
move food through the digestive system. polymer A very large carbon-based molecule made of
permeable Allowing the passage of water. smaller, repeating units.
pH The concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution; a population A group of organisms of the same species
measurement of acidity. that live in the same area. For example, a desert will
phenotype The observable characteristics or traits of have populations of different species of lizards and
an organism. cactus plants.
photosynthesis The process by which green plants population density A measure of the number of
and other producers use simple compounds and energy organisms that live in a given area. The population
from light to make sugar, an energy-rich compound. density of a city may be given as the number of people
This is an endothermic process in which light is living in a square kilometer.
absorbed and used to change carbon dioxide and population dynamics The study of the changes in
water into glucose and oxygen. the number of individuals in a population and the factors
physical change A change in a substance that does that affect those changes.
not change the substance into a different one. position An object’s location.
physical property A characteristic of a substance potential energy Stored energy; the energy an
that can be observed without changing the identity of object has due to its position, molecular arrangement,
the substance. or chemical composition.
phytoplankton Microscopic floating organisms that power The rate at which work is done.
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sunlight and transforms it into chemical energy that is faces the wind.
stored in energy-rich carbon compounds. Producers are ratio A comparison between two quantities, often
a source of food for other organisms. written with a colon, as 3 : 4.
product A substance formed by a chemical reaction. reactant A substance that is present at the
A product is made by the rearrangement of atoms and beginning of a chemical reaction and is changed
bonds in reactants. into a new substance.
projection A representation of Earth’s curved surface reactive Likely to undergo a chemical change.
on a flat map. recessive A term that describes an allele that is not
prokaryotic cell A cell that lacks a nucleus and expressed when combined with a dominant form of
other organelles, with DNA that is not organized into the gene.
chromosomes. recrystallization The process by which bonds
protein A macromolecule in living things that is made between atoms in minerals break and re-form in new
up of chains of amino acid subunits. Proteins control the ways during metamorphism.
chemical activity of a cell and support growth and repair. recycling The reusing of materials that people would
Protista Part of a classification system that divides otherwise throw away, such as paper, glass, plastics, and
all living things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Protista certain metals.
includes mostly single-celled organisms with cells red blood cell A type of blood cell that picks up
similar to those of the Plantae, Animalia, and Fungi oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to cells throughout
kingdoms. the body.
proton A positively charged particle located in an reference point A location to which another
atom’s nucleus. location is compared.
protozoa Animal-like protists that eat other organisms reflection The bouncing back of a wave after it
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 17
remote-sensing A method of using scientific salt water Water that contains dissolved salts and
equipment to gather information about something from other minerals. Oceans consist of salt water.
a distance. Most remote-sensing methods make use of sandbar A ridge of sand built up by the action of
different types of electromagnetic radiation. waves and currents.
renewable resource A natural resource that can be satellite An object that orbits a more massive object.
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short circuit An unintended and undesired path solution A mixture of two or more substances that is
connecting one part of a circuit with another. identical throughout; a homogeneous mixture.
simple machine One of the basic machines on solvent In a solution, the substance that dissolves a
which all other mechanical machines are based. The six solute and makes up the largest percentage of a solution.
simple machines are the lever, inclined plane, wheel and sonar Instruments that use echolocation to measure
axle, pulley, wedge, and screw. distance and to locate objects underwater; acronym for
sinkhole An open basin that forms when the roof of a “sound navigation and ranging.”
cavern becomes so thin that it falls in. sound A type of wave that is produced by a vibrating
skeletal muscle A muscle that attaches to object and that travels through matter.
the skeleton. space station A satellite in which people can live
skeletal system The framework of bones that and work for long periods.
supports the body, protects internal organs, and anchors specialization The specific organization of a
all the body’s movement. cell and its structure that allows it to perform a
sleet Small pellets of ice that form when rain passes specific function.
through a layer of cold air and freezes before hitting speciation The evolution of a new species from an
the ground. existing species.
slope A measure of how steep a landform is. Slope is species A group of living things that are so closely
calculated as the change in elevation divided by the related that they can breed with one another and produce
distance covered. offspring that can breed as well.
smog The combination of smoke and fog; a type of air specific heat The amount of energy required to raise
pollution that occurs when sunlight causes unburnt fuels, the temperature of one gram of a substance by one
fumes, and other gases to react chemically, often seen as degree Celsius.
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
a brownish haze.
spectrum 1. Radiation from a source separated into
smooth muscle Muscle that performs involuntary a range of wavelengths. 2. The range of colors that
movement and is found inside certain organs, such as appears in a beam of visible light when it passes through
the stomach. a prism. See also electromagnetic radiation.
soil horizon A soil layer with physical and chemical speed A measure of how fast something moves
properties that differ from those of soil layers above or through a particular distance over a definite time period.
below it. Speed is distance divided by time.
soil profile The soil horizons in a specific location; a sperm A male reproductive cell (gamete) that forms in
cross section of soil layers that displays all soil horizons. the reproductive organs of a male and has just a single
solar cell A type of technology in which light- copy of the genetic material of the parent.
sensitive materials convert the energy of sunlight into sponge A simple multicellular invertebrate animal that
electrical energy. lives attached to one place and filters food from water.
solar system The Sun and its family of orbiting spongy bone Strong, lightweight tissue inside
planets, moons, and other objects. a bone.
solar wind A stream of electrically charged particles spore A single reproductive cell that can grow into a
that flows out in all directions from the Sun’s corona. multicellular organism.
solid Matter that has a definite shape and a definite spring A flow of water from the ground at a place
volume. The molecules in a solid are in fixed positions where the surface of the land dips below the water table.
and are close together.
spring tide A tide of large range occurring during the
solstice In an orbit, a position and time during which new and full moons, resulting in an extra-high tidal
one hemisphere gets its maximum area of sunlight, bulge and an extra-low tidal dip.
while the other hemisphere gets its minimum amount;
states of matter The different forms in which
the time of year when days are either longest or
matter can exist. Three familiar states are solid, liquid,
shortest, and the angle of sunlight reaches its maximum
and gas.
or minimum.
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 19
static charge The buildup of electric charge in tectonic plate One of the large, moving pieces
an object caused by the uneven distribution of into which Earth’s lithosphere is broken and which
charged particles. commonly carries both oceanic and continental crust.
stimulus Something that causes a response in an tectonics The processes in which the motion of hot
organism or a part of the body. material under a crust changes the crust of a space body.
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storm surge A rapid rise in water level in a coastal Earth has a specific type of tectonics called plate tectonics.
area that occurs when a hurricane pushes a huge mass of telescope A device that gathers visible light or
ocean water, often leading to flooding and widespread another form of electromagnetic radiation.
destruction. temperature A measure of the average amount of
streak The color of a mineral powder left behind when kinetic energy of the particles in an object.
a mineral is scraped across a surface; a method for tentacle A long, slender, flexible extension of the
classifying minerals. body of certain animals, such as jellyfish. Tentacles are
stress The force applied by an object pressing on, used to touch, move, or hold.
pulling on, or pushing against another object. terminal velocity The final, maximum velocity of a
subduction The process by which an oceanic falling object.
tectonic plate sinks under another plate into terrestrial planet Earth or a planet similar to Earth
Earth’s mantle. that has a rocky surface. The four planets in the inner
sublimation The process by which a substance solar system—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars—are
changes directly from its solid state to its gas state terrestrial planets.
without becoming a liquid first. theory In science, a set of widely accepted
subscript A number written slightly below and to the explanations of observations and phenomena. A theory
right of a chemical symbol that shows how many atoms is a well-tested explanation that is consistent with all
of an element are in a compound. available evidence.
substance Matter of a particular type. Elements, theory of plate tectonics A theory stating that
compounds, and mixtures are all substances. Earth’s lithosphere is broken into huge plates that move
succession A natural process that involves a gradual and change in size over time.
change in the plant and animal communities that live in thermal energy The energy an object has due to the
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transpiration The movement of water vapor out of a vacuum A space containing few or no particles
plant and into the air. of matter.
transverse wave A type of wave in which the variable Any factor that can change in a controlled
disturbance moves at right angles, or perpendicular, to experiment, observation, or model.
the direction in which the wave travels. vascular system Long tubelike tissues in plants
tropical storm A low-pressure system that starts in through which water and nutrients move from one part
the tropics with winds of at least 65 kilometers per hour of the plant to another.
(40 mi/h) but less than 120 kilometers per hour (74 mi/h). vector A quantity that has both size and direction.
trough The lowest point, or valley, of a wave. vein A blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart.
tsunami A water wave caused by an earthquake, velocity A speed in a specific direction.
volcanic eruption, or landslide.
vertebrate An animal with an internal backbone.
turnover The yearly rising and sinking of cold and
vertical Going straight up or down from a
warm water layers in a lake.
level surface.
vestigial organ A physical structure that was
U fully developed and functional in an earlier group of
organisms but is reduced and unused in later species.
ultrasound Sound waves with frequencies above vibration A rapid, back-and-forth motion.
20,000 hertz, the upper limit of typical hearing levels in
humans, used for medical purposes, among other things. virus A nonliving disease-causing particle that uses the
materials inside cells to make copies of itself. A virus
ultraviolet light The part of the electromagnetic consists of genetic material enclosed in a protein coat.
spectrum that consists of waves with frequencies higher
than those of visible light and lower than those of x-rays. visible light The part of the electromagnetic
Copyright © by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
MULTI-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY 21
watt W The unit of measurement for power, which is
equal to one joule of work done or energy transferred in
one second. For example, a 75 W light bulb converts
electrical energy into heat and light at a rate of 75 joules
per second.
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X, Y, Z
x-rays The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that
consists of waves with high frequencies and high
energies; electromagnetic waves with frequencies
ranging from more than 1016 hertz to more than
1021 hertz.
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