Vocabulary
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Working Vocab:
| Click here for a 1,000 word list that I designed to act as a reference guide to help me augment my working vocabulary. Many of the words that I selected are words that are commonly used on the SAT and GRE verbal tests. Because the testing bureaus that create these tests strive to choose words that are pervasive in contemporary and academic literature, these words should prove valuable for a person of any background. |
Essay Vocab:
Abiotic: adj. Nonliving. The abiotic factors of the environment include light, temperature, and atmospheric gases. Accurate: adj. Conforming with fact, containing no errors. Capable of providing a correct measurement. Amino Acid: noun An organic compound that has the ability to link with other amino acids to form proteins. They can also function as chemical messengers in the body and as intermediates in metabolism. Antiquated: adj Old-fashioned or unsuitable for modern society. A priori: adj. Characterizing the kind of reasoning which infers effects from the assumptions made or the causes that are previously known. The reverse of a posteriori. Association Cortex: noun Cortical areas of the brain that are not motor or sensory but are thought to be involved in memory and associations. Atrophy: noun The diminishment or wasting in size of an organ or tissue due to injury, disease or disuse. Autotroph: noun An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using either light or chemical energy. Green plants, algae, and certain bacteria are autotrophs. Axiom: noun A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim, an established rule, principle, or law. Behavior: noun The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external or internal stimuli. Big Bang Theory: noun A cosmological theory that postulates that a cosmic explosion marked the origin of the universe. Biocentrism: noun The belief that denies that the world and nature exist to support human life. Brownian Movement: noun The random movement of microscopic particles suspended in a liquid or gas, caused by collisions with molecules of the surrounding medium. Responsible for the collisions that create the dispersal of smoke. Causality: noun The relationship between or principle of cause and effect Chemoautotroph: noun An organism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, that obtains its nourishment through inorganic chemical compounds. Compound: noun A substance that is macroscopically homogeneous and that consists of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in specific proportions. A compound cannot be separated by physical means and usually has properties unlike those of its constituent elements. Conservation: noun Preservation from loss. The maintenance of a physical quantity, such as mass or energy, throughout a physical or chemical change. Corroborate: verb To support or strengthen with other evidence. To confirm with new facts. De jure / de facto: Latin phrase According to law / according to fact. Dissonant: adj. Inharmonious or discordant. Disagreeing or producing dissonance. Electromagnetic Radiation: noun Another term for light. Light waves are fluctuations of electric and magnetic fields in space. Electronic: adj. Based on, operated by, or otherwise involving the controlled conduction of electrons, or other charge carriers. Endosymbiosis: noun Symbiosis in which a symbiotic organism lives within the body of its partner. Also the widely held theory that eukaryotic organelles were originally acquired by endosymbiosis. Epidemiology: noun A branch of medicine that deals with the origins, prevalence and control of disease within a population. Epigenesis: noun The correct theory that an individual organism develops out of a differentiating egg, rather than by the enlargement of a preformed entity. Epistemology: noun The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and origins of knowledge, its premises, presuppositions and external validity. Etiology: noun The study of causes or origins. A branch of medicine that focuses on the origins of disease. Eukaryote: noun An organism that is comprised of one or more cells with DNA that is organized into chromosomes and with visible, membrane bound nuclei and organelles. Evolution: noun Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations. The development of species resulting from the way natural selection acts on the genetic variation among individuals. Exponential Growth: noun Growth that is characterized by ever-increasing, non-linear increment. Gaia Theory: noun The Gaia theory is a model of the biosphere (the planet earth) that is named after the Greek goddess Gaia. This theory explains how individual life forms help to foster and maintain environmental conditions that benefit the entire planet. In 1969 James Lovelock introduced this theory which shows us that in many ways living matter confined to a planet will function like a single organism. Gamma Ray: noun Highly penetrating light waves that are emitted by radioactive substances. Genotype: noun The genetic constitution of an individual organism or group of organisms. Geodesic: noun The shortest path between two separate points on any mathematically defined surface. When the path between two points is not a straight line, it is a geodesic. Gondwanaland: noun The hypothetical protocontinent of the Southern Hemisphere that, according to the theory of plate tectonics, broke up into India, Australia, Antarctica, Africa, and South America. Heliocentric: adj. Relating to the correct belief that the planets orbit around the sun. The antithesis of heliocentric is geocentric-which relates to the belief that the stars and planets orbit around the earth. Heterochrony: noun A deviation from the regular maturational sequence. Irregularity in time relationships between different biological processes. Heterotroph: noun An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. Heuristic: noun A formula or series of steps that is used as a guide to solve a problem. A time saving algorithm or short cut- often speculative. Homology: noun A similarity between two things that is attributable to common origin. Hypertrophy: verb or noun The enlargement of an organ or tissue without an increase in the number of constituent cells. Antonym of atrophy. Infrared Light: noun Light waves that correspond to radiated heat. Inhibition: noun Conscious or unconscious restraint of a behavioral process, a desire, or an impulse. Something that restrains or suppresses. Instinct: noun An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals. Kinetic Energy: noun The energy that an object has due to its motion. A value equal to one half the mass of an object multiplied by the square of its speed. Melanin: noun The pigment found in skin that is responsible for tanning and dark skin color. Any of a group of dark pigments naturally occurring in feathers, fur, hair, or skin. Melatonin: noun A hormone produced by the pineal gland that stimulates color change in the epidermis of amphibians and reptiles and plays a role in sleep, aging, and reproduction in mammals. Microwaves: noun Light waves that can be used to excite, and heat up water molecules. Mnemonics: noun (used with a singular verb) A system developed to improve the memory. A device such as a formula, an analogy or a rhyme intended to aid retrieval. Modus Operandi: Latin phrase Method of operation. Mole or mol: noun A number that is equal to 6.0225 × 1023, or Avogadro's number. The amount of a substance that contains as many atoms, molecules, ions, or other elementary units as the number of atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12. Also called a gram molecule. Morphology: noun The physical characteristics of an organism or its parts. Dealing with form and structure without consideration of function. Multicellular: adj. Describes an organism that has more than one cell, such as animals and plants. Neanderthal: noun An extinct human species (Homo neanderthalensis) or subspecies (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) living during the late Pleistocene Epoch throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa and associated with Middle Paleolithic tools. Neoteny: noun The retention of juvenile qualities by the adult form of an organism. Neurology: noun The medical science that focuses on the nervous system. Neuron: noun, also neurone UK A nerve cell that carries information between the brain and other parts of the body. Nolo Contendere: Latin phrase No contest. Noxious: adj. Harmful to living things; injurious to health. Objectivity: noun A judgment or decision based on observable phenomena and unbiased by emotion or personal preferences. Ontogeny: noun The course of development for a specific organism including embryological, fetal and postnatal maturation. Ontology: noun The branch of metaphysics that is concerned with existence or the nature of being. Optic Nerve: noun A cranial nerve that arise from the retina and carries visual information to the thalamus and other parts of the brain. Order: noun Biology. A taxonomic category of organisms ranking above a family and below a class. Pangea: noun A hypothetical supercontinent that included all the landmasses of the earth. Before the Triassic Period Pangaea broke up into Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Paradigm: noun Something that serves as a model or pattern. A set of beliefs, value or practices that constitutes a way of thought. A systematic conceptualization in an intellectual discipline. Phenomenology: noun A philosophy or method of inquiry based on the premise that all of reality consists of both objects and events only as they are perceived by human consciousness. Phenotype: noun The visibly evident properties of an organism that are caused by interaction between the environment and the genotype. Photoautotroph: noun An organism that is capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances using light as a source of energy. Both green plants and photosynthetic bacteria are photoautotrophs. Phylogeny: noun The history and evolutionary development of an organism, species or other taxonomic group. Physical Anthropology: noun The branch of anthropology that is concerned with physical variation and human evolutionary biology. Physiology: noun Being in accord with or characteristic of the normal functioning of a living organism. Pineal Gland: noun The pineal gland is a tiny structure located at the base of the brain. Its principal hormone is melatonin, a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan. Pleiotropic: adj Producing more than one evident effect. Relating to a gene that has multiple phenotypic expressions. Polygenic: adj. Relating to a trait or characteristic that is determined by the interaction of several genes rather than just a single gene. Polymerase Chain Reaction: noun A technique that is used to rapidly synthesize a large number of a specific DNA sequences. This technique separates the DNA to be copied into its two complementary strands and then uses DNA polymerase to synthesize double stranded DNA from each single strand- the process is repeated until a sufficient amount of DNA has been replicated. Potential Energy: noun The energy that an object has due to its position relative to other objects, or due to its condition or arrangement of parts. A coiled spring, a copper battery and a weight raised above the ground have potential energy. Precise: adj. Clearly expressed or pinpointed. Strictly distinguished from other measurements, not general. Premise: noun A proposition that is used as the basis of an argument or inference. Something assumed. Prokaryote: noun A member of the kingdom monera which is comprised of bacteria and cynobacteria. Prokaryotes are distinguished from eukaryotes in that they do not have membrane bound nuclei, membrane bound organelles or DNA that is organized into chromosomes. Pro Tempore: latin phrase For the time being. Prima Facie: adv. At first sight; before closer inspection. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible. Primordial: adj. Being or happening first in sequence of time; original. Primary or fundamental. Quantum Mechanics: noun The theory of the structure and behavior of light, atoms, molecules and other forms of energy on very small scales. Radio Waves: noun Light waves often used for the wireless transmission of information. Raleigh Scattering: noun The scattering of electromagnetic radiation by particles with dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation, resulting in angular separation of colors and also responsible for the reddish color of sunset and the blue of the sky. Rehearsal: noun A detailed enumeration or repetition. RNA World Hypothesis: noun This hypothesis states that RNA was, before the emergence of the first cells, the dominant and probably the only form of life on the earth. Characteristics of RNA molecules make it seem likely that it came before DNA and that it was the first true entity involved in genetic replication. Spacetime: noun The four dimensional continuum (three dimensions of space and one of time) in which physical events take place. A four dimensional coordinate system. Speciation: noun The evolutionary formation of new biological species, usually by the division of a single species into two or more genetically distinct ones. Spontaneous Generation: noun In ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and up until the late nineteenth century, it was generally accepted that some life forms arose spontaneously from non-living matter. Subconscious: noun The part of the mind below the level of conscious perception. Symbiosis: noun A close association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member. Synapse: noun The point at which electrical signals move from one nerve cell to another. Triassic Period: noun The period from 190 million to 230 million years ago. Marked by dinosaurs, marine reptiles; volcanic activity. Ultraviolet Light: noun Light waves visible to some types of animals, responsible for sun burning. Unconscious: noun The part of the mind below the level of conscious perception. Unicellular: adj. Describes an organism that has only one cell, such as bacteria, archaea, protists, and certain algae and fungi. Visible Light: noun Those light waves that can be perceived by the human eye. X-Rays: noun Light waves used for their penetrating power in radiography, radiology, radiotherapy, and scientific research. |
Organization for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Learning |
