Glossary Flashcards
(135 cards)
0
Q
Acid
A
A compound that dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions; usually tastes sour; pH less than 7
1
Q
Abiogenesis
A
Belief that living things may develop from lifeless matter
2
Q
Acid rain
A
Rain with an excessively acidic composition that has a harmful effect on fish and other animal and plant life
3
Q
Alloy
A
Homogeneous mixture composed of two or more metals (e.g., bronze, steel, brass)
4
Q
Amoeba
A
A type of protozoan that has no permanent shape
5
Q
Amorphous
A
Without definite shape
6
Q
Anemia
A
Condition in which the blood has insufficient red blood cells
7
Q
Anode
A
Positive electrode of an electrolytic cell; negative terminal of a battery; negative plate of a vacuum tube; site where oxidation occurs
8
Q
Antibiotic
A
Substance made by a micro-organism that kill bacteria
9
Q
Antibody
A
A protein, usually in the blood of an organism, that serves to counteract the effects of disease-producing bacteria or viruses
10
Q
Antidote
A
A substance used to counteract the effects of poison
11
Q
Antiseptic
A
A substance that prevents the growth or activity of bacteria
12
Q
Antitoxin
A
Substance in the body that neutralizes toxins
13
Q
Appendix
A
Wormlike, narrow part of the alimentary canal, in the lower right-hand part of the human abdomen
14
Q
Armature
A
A piece of metal or a coil of wire that moves back and forth, or rotates, in a magnetic field
15
Q
Artery
A
A muscular vessel carrying oxygenated blood away from the heart to the periphery of the body
16
Q
Arthropods
A
The phylum consisting of animals with nonliving external skeletons and jointed appendages; insects, spiders, crustaceans
17
Q
Ascorbic acid
A
Vitamin C; found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, and green vegetables
18
Q
Aseptic
A
Free of live bacteria
19
Q
Asexual reproduction
A
Producing offspring without union of individuals or germ cells
20
Q
Assimilation
A
Process by which digested food is utilized by the body to build up or repair cells
21
Q
Asteroid
A
One of a group of ‘minor planets’ between Mars and Jupiter, of which 1,500 are known
22
Q
Atmosphere
A
The whole mass of gases surrounding a planet
23
Q
Atom
A
Smallest unit of an element, consisting of a nucleus surrounded by electrons
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Atomic fission
The breaking down of an atomic nucleus, into two or more parts, with a great release of energy
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Atomic fusion
The joining of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei, such as deuterium (heavy hydrogen) and tritium (another isotype of hydrogen) to make helium, resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy
26
Auricle
An upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins--also called the atrium
27
Autonomic nervous system
Part of the human nervous system that regulates the involuntary activities of the body
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Autotroph
Organism (e.g., a green plant) that nourishes itself by making organic materials out of inorganic
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Auxin
A plant hormone
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Bacillus
A rod-shaped bacterium
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Bacteria
The smallest one-celled organisms, having neither nucleus nor other organelles
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Balance in nature
The interdependence of all plants and animals with their environment
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Barometer
An instrument that measures air pressure
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Basal metabolism
The rate at which the body's activities are carried on when the body is at rest
35
Base
Chemical compound that produces a salt when it reacts with an acid; an alkali; pH more than 7
36
Bedrock
The solid surface of the Earth's crust, often overlaid by soil or sediments
37
Benign tumor
A growth that, although abnormal, does not spread and does no particular harm unless it presses a vital organ
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Bile
A fluid that is secreted by the liver and passes into the small intestine, where it aids in the digestion of fats
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Binomial nomenclature
Double name used to identify a living organism by genus and species
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Biome
A community of plants and animals
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Biopsy
The removal of a small part of living tissue for microscopic examination
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Brain
Main center of the human nervous system, consisting of cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla
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Bronchial tube
One of the two branches of the windpipe
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Calorie
A unit of measure of heat or other forms of energy (not metric)
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Cancer
An abnormal growth that, if not detected early and removed or destroyed, will usually, in time, spread widely throughout the body and ultimately cause death
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Capacitor
Decide that stores electric charge
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Capillary
A thin-walled tube; one of the tiny blood vessels in the network connecting the arteries and the veins
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Carbohydrate
A compound consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (e.g., starch, sugar)
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Carbon dioxide
Colorless, odorless gas present in the air in small amounts; breathed out from the lungs
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Carbon monoxide
Poisonous gas that prevents oxygen from entering the red blood cells; produced when gasoline is not completely burned
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Carcinoma
Cancerous growth
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Carnivore
A flesh-eating mammal with long eyeteeth and sharp claws (e.g., cat, lion, dog)
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Cartilage
An elastic, yet hard, tissue composing most of the skeleton of the very young of all vertebrates and the breastbone of adults
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Catalyst
A substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction without any change in itself
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Cathode
Negative electrode of an electrolytic cell; positive terminal of a battery; site where reduction occurs
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Cell
Basic unit of plant and animal life, consisting of a small mass of protoplasm, including a nucleus, surrounded by a semipermeable membrane
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Cell membrane
The thin outer layer of lipid and protein acting as a cell boundary
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Cellulose
A complex carbohydrate found in the wall of plant cells
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Cell wall
The nonliving, rigid wall surrounding the cells of plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria
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Celsius
Temperature scale on which 0 degree is the freezing point of water and 100 degrees is the boiling point; this term has replaced "centigrade"
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Chemotherapy
Treatment of illness by the use of chemicals (drugs)
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Chitin
Material forming the skeleton of anthropods
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Chlorophyll
A green pigment that enables plants to make glucose by the process of photosynthesis
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Chloroplast
A small green body that contains chlorophyll
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Cholesterol
Fatty substance found in animal fats
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Chromosome
One of several small, more or less rod-shaped bodies in the nucleus of a cell; contains the hereditary factors (genes)
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Clay
Finely ground quartz, feldspar, and mica resulting from the erosion of rocks
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Climate
A composite of weather conditions over a long period of time
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Comet
Heavenly body having a head and tail and traveling in a long, oval orbit around the Sun
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Compound
Substance composed of two or more chemically united elements
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Condensation
Process by which a liquid or solid is formed from a vapor or gas
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Conductor
A material (e.g., copper wire) that carries a flow of electrons (electricity)
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Conglomerate
Sedimentary rock made up of a mixture of rounded fragments cemented together by natural substances such as clay
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Conservation
Wise and careful use of natural resources
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Constellation
Any of the groups of stars and the area of the sky in the group's vicinity to which a definite name has been given (e.g., Ursa Major, the Great Bear)
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Cornea
Transparent tissue in front of the iris and the pupil of the eye
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Coronary
Pertaining to the heart vessels of the heart muscle
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Corpuscle
Red or white cell in the blood
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Corrosion
The weakening of a metal by chemical action, such as oxidation
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Cyclone
Storm or system of winds blowing counterclockwise about a nearly circular region of low air pressure in the Northern Hemisphere and extending over an area covering thousands of square miles
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Cyclotron
Instrument used to study the properties of atoms by increasing the speed of atomic particles
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Cytoplasm
That part of the cell that lies outside the nucleus; carries on all life activities except reproduction
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Decibel
Unit for measuring the relative loudness of a sound
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Deciduous
Vegetation that regularly loses its leaves with the change in seasons
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Dehydration
Loss of water
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Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Nucleic acid that controls the metabolism of the cell and stores the hereditary information of the cell
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Desalination
Removal of salt from a solution, as in the purification of sea water
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Diabetes
A disease in which the body cannot utilize sugar of lack of insulin or an inability to properly use insulin
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Diaphragm
A sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and by its movement helps in breathing; also, the vibrating disk of metal in a telephone
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Diffusion
Movement from high to low concentration
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Digestion
A process of chemical change that prepares food for absorption by breaking down complex molecules into simpler ones
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Disinfectant
A chemical that kills microbes
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Distillation
The process of heating a substance until it turns into a gas and then condensing this gas by cooling, usually to separate substances from a mixture; distillation is a physical change
94
Ebb tide
Outgoing tide
95
Echo
A reflected sound wave
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Eclipse
Cutting off of light from one celestial body by another
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Ecology
Study of the relationships of living things with each other and with their environment
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Electric current
Flow of electric charge (e.g., electrons in a wire, ions in a solution)
99
Electrolysis
Chemical breakdown of a compound due to the passage of an electric current through it
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Element
A chemical substance made up of one kind of atom; cannot be decomposed by ordinary means (e.g., hydrogen, sodium)
101
Embryo
Organism in an early stage of development
102
Emulsifier
A substance (e.g., soap) that can break large fat droplets into many smaller droplets suspended in water
103
Enzyme
Protein that speeds up the reaction of chemicals without change in itself
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Erosion
Wearing away of the Earth's surface by water, ice, and winds
105
Esophagus
(Gullet) tube that connects the mouth with the stomach
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Estrogen
Female hormone secreted by the ovaries
107
Evaporation
Escape of molecules from the surface of liquids
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Evolution
The process by which living things change into other kinds over time
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Excretion
Elimination of the wastes of metabolism
110
Fallout
Radioactive particles that fall to Earth as the result of a nuclear explosion
111
Farsightedness
Defect of the eye in which sharper images of objects at a distance are formed than of things nearby
112
Fatty acid
Organic substance whose molecule is a long hydrocarbon chain with a carboxyl group at the end; component of molecules of fats and oils
113
Fauna
Animal life typical of a particular region
114
Fermentation
Chemical change brought about by enzymes produced by microbes; in the making of beer or wine, yeasts ferment sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide
115
Fertilization
Process that occurs in sexual reproduction when the gametes, a sperm and an egg, unite
116
Filament
Fine wire inside an electric light bulb that gives off light and heat when electricity is passed through it
117
Fission
Splitting of the nucleus of an atom with the release of tremendous amounts of energy
118
Fjord
A narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs and steep slopes
119
Fog
A cloud of condensed water vapor formed on or near the ground
120
Food chain
Pathway of energy through an ecosystem from producers to consumers
121
Food web
Complex feeding relationships within a biological community
122
Fossil
Remains of impression, in rock or amber, of a plant or animal that lived long ago
123
Fossil fuel
Remains of organisms that lived hundred of millions of years ago; used to release energy on burning (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)
124
Fraternal twin
One of the two individuals that result from the fertilization of two ova simultaneously by two different sperm
125
Fungus
Kingdom of plantlike organisms that lack chlorophyll and therefore cannot make their own food
126
Fusion
Atomic reaction in which the nuclei of atoms combine and energy is released
127
Galaxy
A large group of billions of stars
128
Gallbladder
Sac attached to the liver that stores bile
129
Gamete
One of the two cells that unite in sexual reproduction (e.g., egg or sperm)
130
Gas
Phase of matter in which the substance spreads out to fill all the space in its container
131
Gasohol
A motor fuel that consists of nine parts gasoline and one part ethanol
132
Gastric juice
Acid digestive fluid produced b the glands in the walls of the stomach
133
Gene
A part of a DNA molecule that controls the manufacture of a specific protein. Since it is copied and passed on in every cell division, it forms the unit of heredity
134
Geothermal energy
Heat produced in the Earth's interior
