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Check out these special words used in recent issues of
National Geographic Explorer.
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
abdomen (AB duh mun):
back part of an ant's body
adaptation (ad ap TAY shun):
body part or action that allows an animal to live
ancient (an CHANT):
from the far past
antibody (AN tee body):
substance that sticks to a germ
archaeologist (ar key AH la jist):
scientist who learns about ancient people by studying what they left behind
arthropod (arth RO pod):
animal without a backbone that usually has many legs
asteroid (as TROYID):
space rock
asteroid belt (as TROYID buh elt):
area between Mars and Jupiter
astronomer (uh STRAH nuh mer):
scientist who studies space
atoll (AH-tul):
island made by coral polyps
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B
baboon (bah BOON):
kind of monkey with long teeth
bacteria (back TEER ee uh):
tiny living things that can help or harm you
barrier island (BEAR-ee-uhr EYE-lind):
long, sandy island along a coast
bill (rhymes with still):
mouth of a bird
buffalo (BUFF a lo):
ox-like animal with big, curved horns
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C
caldera (cal DARE uh):
volcanic crater
caterpillar (cat er PILL er):
worm-like young of a butterfly or moth
cheetah (CHEE ta):
big, spotted cat that can run very fast
cleaning station (KLEEN ing STAY shun):
place where shrimps clean fish
colonist (KAHL uh nest):
person who lives in a colony
colony (KAHL uh nee):
community that belongs to a distant country
compound eye (KAHM POUND I):
eye made up of many smaller eyes
conservation (kahn zer VAY shun):
protecting Earth's places, plants, and animals
continent (KAHN tin unt):
large land area
coral reef (KOR el reef):
stony structure made by coral polyps
cottage (KA tidge):
small house, often with no upstairs
crater (KRAY ter):
large hole in the ground
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D
delta (DELL tah):
fan-shaped land at the mouth of a river
diurnal (die URN uhl):
active during the day
drought (rhymes with
out
):
long period of time without rain or snow
dusk (DUH sk):
time just before dark
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E
earthquake (irth KWAKE):
sudden shaking of Earth's surface
echo (ECK oh):
sound that bounces off an object
echolocation (eck oh lo KAY shun):
using sound to find things
endangered (in DANE jird):
at risk of dying out
energy conservation (EN er gee kahn zer VAY shun):
using less energy
environment (in VI er ment):
the natural world on which all living things depend
erosion (uh ROW zhun):
when natural forces carry land bits away
ethnic group (ETH-nick group):
people who share a language, practices, and beliefs
exoskeleton (ecks o SKEH luh tun):
hard outer covering
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F
fang (rhymes with sang):
long front tooth for tearing food
fault (rhymes with
MALT
):
big crack in Earth
filter feeder (FILL ter FEED er):
animal that swallows seawater, pushes it out, and eats creatures left behind
food chain (FOOD CHAIN):
series of plants and animals that eat one another
fortress (FOR tress):
large fort
fungus (FUN guss):
mold-like plant
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G
gait (gate):
an animal's way of walking or running
gasoline (GAS oh leen):
form of oil used in cars
gavity (GRA vuh tea):
force that pulls things toward a star or planet
germ (rhymes with
term
):
tiny thing that can cause sickness
geyser (GI zuhr):
natural fountain
gill (rhymes with chill):
body part that lets an animal breathe underwater
global warming (GLOW bul WAR ming):
worldwide rise in a planet's temperature
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H
habitat (HAB eh tat):
place where something lives
headdress (head dress):
head covering, often with special meaning
hematophagy (hem uh TOFF uh gee):
feeding on blood
hoodoo (WHO do):
pole made of rock
host (rhymes with most):
plant or animal that is home to a parasite
hull (
rhymes with
dull):
main body of a boat
hurricane (HER uh cane):
huge, wet storm that builds over an ocean
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I
immune system (uh MEWN sis tum):
parts of your body that fight sickness
impact crater (EM pact KRAY ter):
hole in the ground made by a space rock
impala (im PAL uh):
kind of African antelope
insect (in SEKT):
bug with six legs
island (EYE lind):
land surrounded by water
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J
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K
katydid (katie DID):
bug that eats plants
kidnapper (KID nap er):
someone who steals a person
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L
larva (LAR vuh ):
stage between egg and adult for many insects
lava (LAH vuh):
melted rock
legend (LEDGE und):
story that is passed down
lemur (LEE mur):
monkey-like animal
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M
magma (MAG muh):
melted rock
mammal (MAM uhl):
animal that feeds its young milk
mantid (man TID):
bug that eats other animals
marine microfauna (mah REEN MY kro fawn uh):
tiny sea creatures
meteoroid (ME tea or ide):
small space rock
migrate (MY grate):
move to another place
mucus (MEW kus):
slimy substance made by an animal to wet or protect its body
mural (MUR ul):
painting on a wall
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N
natural resource (NACH uh rul REE sors):
something useful found in nature
nectar (NECK ter):
sweet juice made by plants
nocturnal (nok TURN uhl):
active at night
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O
oarsman (ORZ muhn):
person who uses an oar to move a boat
odonatologist (o doh NAH TAHL o gist):
scientist who studies dragonflies
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P
palace (PAL us):
home of a king or queen
palm tree (PALL hum tree (rhymes with see)):
tree with large leaves that grows in warm places
planet (PLAN et):
large body in space
plate (rhymes with WAIT):
large piece of Earth's surface
population (pop you LA shun):
total number of plants or animals in a species
potter (POT er):
person who makes pots and dishes from clay
predator (PRED uh tor):
animal that eats other animals
prey (rhymes with day):
animal that becomes food for another animal
proboscis (pro BOS cuss):
long, tube-like body part
pyramid (peer UH mid):
large building with a square bottom and triangular walls
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Q
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R
rain forest (rane FOR rest):
wooded area that gets at least ten centimeters (four inches) of rain a month
range (rhymes with strange):
area of land in which a type of animal lives
recycle (re SIE kul):
use something again
refining (re FINE ing):
heating oil to separate it into different chemicals
ruin (ROO in):
what is left of an old building or city
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S
scale (rhymes with mail):
plate-like body part
scarlet macaw (SCAR let muh CAW):
kind of parrot
shepherd (SHEP erd):
person who raises sheep
smog (rhymes with fog):
a mix of smoke and fog in the air
smoke signal (rhymes with choke SIG nul):
puff of smoke made by fanning a fire, used as a sign
solar system (SOLE er siss tem):
the sun and all that circles it
species (SPEE shees):
type of plant or animal
spine (spy nuh):
pin-like body part
squid (rhymes with kid):
long, thin sea creature with ten arms
supervolcano (SUE puhr vahl CANE o):
huge volcano
swim bladder (swim BLAH der):
body part that fills with air to help a fish rise
symbiotic relationship (sim bee AH tik rih LAY shun ship):
close link between two different kinds of things
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T
temple (TEM pull):
building used for religion
tentacle (TEN tih kuhl):
thin, arm-like part sometimes used to catch food
termite (TERR my tuh):
bug that eats wood
territory (TEAR uh tor ee):
an animal's area
thorax (THOR ax):
middle of an ant's body
tobacco (tuh BACK oh):
plant that people dry and smoke
tomb (rhymes with room):
place for the dead
tornado (tor NAY doh):
strong, spinning windstorm
trade wind (trade wind):
constant wind that blows toward the Equator
trek (rhymes with deck):
long hike
tribe (TRY buh):
a group of people with the same way of life
tusk (rhymes with dusk):
large, horn-shaped tooth
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U
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V
vehicle (VEE hick uhl):
machine in which people ride, such as a car, truck, or bus
village (VIL idge):
small town
volcanic island (vahl CAN eck EYE lind):
island made by a volcano
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W
weathering (WETH er ing):
when natural forces break rock into pieces
wind turbine (wind TUR byne):
windmill that makes electricty
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X
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Y
yak (rhymes with sack):
hairy ox that lives in Asia
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Z
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