National Geographic for Kids - Wordwise Glossary

Check out these special words used in recent issues of National Geographic for Kids.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	A adaptation (ad ap TAY shun): special trait that helps a plant or an animal survive in its environment aerodynamics (air oh die NAM ix): science of how air moves afterlife (AF tur life): life after death air pressure (air PREH shur): force with which air presses against things antechamber (AN tih chame bur): room used as an entrance to another room archaeologist (ar key AH la jist): scientist who learns about ancient people by studying what they left behind artery (ARE tuh ree): vessel that carries blood away from the heart artifact (ARE tih fact): something made by humans atmosphere (AT mus fear): blanket of gases surrounding Earth or another planet axel (AK sul): figure skating move that involves spinning and jumping at the same time Back to Top B bamboo (bam BOO): tree-like grass with hard stems band (rhymes with sand): small group of horses biathlon (bye ATH lahn): competition that includes cross-country skiing and rifle shooting biology (buy AH luh gee): study of plants and animals brood pouch (rhymes with rude couch): flap of skin between a penguin's legs burial chamber (BER ee ul chame bur): room in a tomb where the body is kept Back to Top C cacao (kuh KOW): tree that grows in Mexico and Central America calf (rhymes with half): young of various large animals, such as cows, whales, and elephants (plural: calves) canal (kuh NAL): artificial waterway canvas (KAN vus): strong, woven fabric, often made of cotton canyon (CAN yun): deep, narrow valley with steep sides carbon dioxide (KAR bun die AHK side): gas made up of carbon and oxygen ceremony (SER uh moh nee): formal action, such as a wedding channel (CHAN ul): waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other chicle (CHEE clay): type of latex produced by sapodilla trees chocolate (CHOK uh lut): food made from ground cacao beans clap skate (rhymes with nap date): skate whose blade is hinged at the toe but not attached at the heel cliff (rhymes with stiff): steep wall of rock, earth, or ice community (kuh MEW nuh tee): all living things in an area conservationist (con sur VAY shun ist): person who protects natural resources coral reef (KOR el reef): rock-like formations built by tiny sea animals called corals. Reefs provide food and shelter to a variety of fish and sea creatures. cosmonaut (KOZ muh not): the Russian name for an astronaut crèche (KRESH): nursery for young penguins cross-pollination (cross pah luh NAY shun): when pollen is moved from one plant to another Back to Top D dominate (DAH muh nate): hold the most influence over, rule drag (rhymes with bag): force that slows things down as they move through air Back to Top E ecology (ih KAH luh jee): how plants and animals live in relation to each other ecosystem (EE koh sis tem): community of plants and animals that depend on the same environment endangered (in DANE jird): at risk of dying out erosion (uh ROW zhun): the slow wearing away of rock fragments, soil, and other material—usually by wind or water expedition (ek speh DIH shun): trip with a special purpose, such as exploring extinction (ek STINK shun): disappearance of an entire species extraterrestrial (ek struh tuh RES tree ul): organism that doesn't live on Earth Back to Top F feral (FIR ul): wild animals whose ancestors were once tame foal (rhymes with pole): young horse forest (FOR est): area that supports many trees and wildlife fossil (FAH sul): remains or imprint from an ancient plant or animal friction (FRIK shun): the rubbing of one thing against another Back to Top G gene (rhymes with mean): part of a cell that controls a trait in a living thing genetic engineering (juh NEH tik en juh NEAR ing): adding genes to a cell to give an organism new traits genetically modified foods (juh NEH tih klee MAH dih fide foods): foods created by genetic engineering gills (rhymes with chills): organs that help fish get oxygen from water glamorous (GLAM uh rus): attractive, beautiful (noun: glamour) gravity (GRA vuh tea): force that pulls things toward a star, planet, moon, or other object in space gully (GUH lee): narrow valley Back to Top H habitat (HAB eh tat): place where something lives halfpipe (HAF pipe): pipe-shaped snowboarding course hat trick (rhymes with that thick): three goals scored by one hockey player during a single game herd (rhymes with word): group of one type of animal that stays together Back to Top I incubate (ING kyuh bait): keep an egg warm so it will hatch infrasound (in fruh SOUND): sound so low that humans cannot hear it Back to Top J Back to Top K kiva (KEE vuh): round, underground room often used for religious ceremonies or social gatherings Back to Top L latex (LAY tex): milky substance some trees produce that hardens when exposed to air lens (rhymes with hens): part of a camera (or an eye) that focuses light lift (rhymes with gift): upward force that works against gravity limestone (LIME stone): rock formed from animal remains, such as bones or shells luge (loozh): winter sport in which athletes sled feetfirst down an icy track Back to Top M mare (rhymes with bear): adult female horse marine life (mah REEN life): plants and animals that live in salt water mask (rhymes with ask): covering for the face or head mastiche (mas TEE ka): yellow sap taken from the bark of mastic trees matriarch (MAY tree ark): female who leads an elephant herd megaphone (MEH guh phone): cone-shaped tube that makes someone’s voice louder mesa (MAY suh): landform with a flat top and steep sides microbe (MY krobe): one of many tiny creatures that live in, on, and all around us microgravity (my crow GRA vuh tea): condition in which the effects of gravity are greatly reduced module (MAH jule): section of a spacecraft mogul (MOE gul): small hill of snow built to be part of a freestyle skiing course mule (rhymes with tool): animal that results from breeding a horse with a donkey mummify (MUH me fie): preserve a dead body mummy (rhymes with tummy): dead body, dried and preserved Back to Top N natural resource (NACH uh rul REE sors): material on Earth that is necessary or useful to people nonrenewable resource (non reh NEW uh bul REE sors): natural resource that cannot be reused or replaced nutrient (NEW tree unt): substance a living thing needs for energy and growth Back to Top O ocean (oh SHUN): vast body of salt water that covers 70 percent of Earth oceanographer (oh shu NOG ruh fur): scientist who studies the ocean orbit (OR but): circle around a star or planet organism (OR guh niz um): living thing oxygen (OK sih jen): gas needed by all living things Back to Top P pesticide (PES tih side): substance used to kill insects and other pests pharaoh (FAIR oh): king in ancient Egypt photo-essay (FOE to eh SAY): a group of photographs that tells a story or describes a topic photosynthesis (foe toe SIN thuh sus): process through which plants make food pitch (rhymes with witch): how high or low a sound is plateau (pla TOE): large, flat area that stands above surrounding land poacher (POE chur): someone who kills or takes wild animals illegally poaching (POE ching): killing an animal illegally, usually to eat or sell pollen (PAH lun): powdery grains needed by a plant to make seeds pony (rhymes with Tony): small horse that is less than 58 inches tall when full grown (plural: ponies) prey (rhymes with pray): animal that becomes food for another animal Back to Top Q Back to Top R rain forest (rane FOR rest): wooded area that gets about 100 inches of rain each year recycle (re SIE kul): use something again regurgitate (ree GUR juh tate): bring food back up renewable resource (reh NEW uh bul REE sors): a natural resource that can be reused or replaced, like trees or forests reserve (rih ZERV): land set aside for animals resin (REH zin): sap-like substance that trees make to protect themselves when cut ritual (RICH uh wul): special way of celebrating an event, such as blowing out candles on a birthday cake rookery (RUH kuh ree): breeding place for birds or small mammals rover (ROW ver): moving vehicle that explores the surface of a planet or moon Back to Top S sandstone (SAND stone): rock formed from grains of sand sarcophagus (sar KAH fuh gus): large stone coffin that often holds smaller coffins scute (rhymes with boot): plate of bone sea (see): ocean or a smaller part of it shale (rhymes with tail): flaky rock usually formed from clay or mud shrine (rhymes with pine): sacred place or container that holds holy objects skeleton (SKEH luh tun): winter sport in which athletes sled headfirst down an icy track slalom (SLAH lum): skiing race in which athletes must make sharp turns to avoid obstacles sneakers (SNEE kurz): rubber-soled athletic shoes, usually with canvas or nylon tops species (SPEE shees): type of plant or animal spectrograph (SPEK truh graf): machine that translates sound waves into images stallion (STAL yun): adult male horse stratum (STRAT um): layer of rock (plural: strata) submersible (sub MUR suh bull): small craft that operates underwater synthetic (sin THEH tik): human-made, not natural Back to Top T tomb (rhymes with room): place where a dead body is buried, often dug into rock or dirt traction (TRAK shun): the "grip" of your shoes on the floor or ground Back to Top U Back to Top V vaccine (vak SEEN): medicine swallowed or injected into the body vulcanized rubber (VUHL kuh nized RUH ber): rubber combined with sulfur over heat Back to Top W water cycle (WAH tur SIGH kul): the journey of water molecules from cloud to land and sea, then back to cloud wind tunnel (wind TUH nuhl): structure used to study aerodynamics Back to Top X xocoatl (shuh KO ot): bitter chocolate beverage that is served cold Back to Top Y yucca (YUH kuh): plant with long, stringy leaves that grows in the Southwest Back to Top Z Back to Top

^ Back to Top