| A.D. |
A.D. is an abbreviation of the Latin words "anno domini." The abbreviation A.D. is used in dates when people are talking about things in history that happened after Jesus Christ was born. The year that Jesus Christ was born is called "1 A.D." The year after that is called "2 A.D." Jesus Christ is considered both God and man in the religion of Christianity, and he is an important figure in the history of the world. The calendar that most people use nowadays was created by Christians. That's why the year of Christ's birth was chosen as a way to divide older times from newer times. This calendar is not the first or only calendar that people in the world have created, but most people nowadays use this particular calendar. Instead of "A.D.," though, people often use "C.E." nowadays, which stands for "Common Era" or "Christian Era." |
| air force |
An air force is a group of people who fight like an army but fight in the air instead of on land. An air force uses airplanes and other machines that travel through the air. |
| alternate |
An alternate thing is a different thing that is used instead of the usual thing. [1/7 definitions] |
| apart |
If two things are not together anymore, we can say they are apart. They are separate. If your friend lived near you, but then she moved away, it means that the two of you are apart now. Also, when two things don't happen at the same time, but instead there is time between them, we say the two things happen apart. [1/2 definitions] |
| arbitrary |
resulting from personal opinions, wishes, or feelings instead of from a rule or reason. |
| as1 |
We often use "as" to say that two things happen at the same time. If you say that you walked into your house as the telephone rang, it means these two things happened at the same time. For this meaning, we often say "just as" instead of only "as." [1/6 definitions] |
| automated |
When something is automated, it is done by a machine instead of a human. Many jobs that humans used to do are automated now. |
| B.C.1 |
B.C. is an abbreviation of the words "before Christ." The abbreviation B.C. is used in dates when people are talking about things in history that happened before the time of Jesus Christ. The year before Christ was born is called "1 B.C." The year before that is called "2 B.C." Jesus Christ is considered both God and man in the religion of Christianity, and he is an important figure in the history of the world. The calendar that most people use nowadays was shaped by believers of Christianity. That's why the year of Christ's birth was chosen as a way to divide older times from newer times. This calendar is not the first or only calendar that people in the world have created, but most people nowadays use this calendar that uses Christ's birth in this way. Instead of "B.C.," though, people often use "BCE" nowadays, which stands for "before the Common Era." The words are different but it also refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| biscuit |
a small, bread roll for one person made with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast. Biscuits contain quite a lot of butter or other shortening and are not usually sweet. [1/3 definitions] |
| blue whale |
a mammal that lives in the ocean. Blue whales are the largest kind of animal that has ever lived. They can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. Their large mouths have baleen instead of teeth. Blue whales use baleen to filter lots of very small food such as shrimp from ocean water. |
| Buddhism |
Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world. Most people whose religion is Buddhism live in East Asia and Southeast Asia. People who follow Buddhism are called Buddhists. It might be better to say that Buddhism is a way of thinking about how to live one's life instead of saying that it is a religion. This is because most Buddhists do not believe that their great teacher, Buddha, is a god. In fact, Buddhists do not believe in one, all powerful God who created the world. Still, people call Buddhism a religion because it tries to answer some of the important questions about life and death that religions try to answer. |
| bulb |
Many plants grow from seeds, but some plants grow from something called bulbs instead. A bulb is a small round thing that grows out of part of a plant under the ground. From this bulb, a new plant starts to grow under the ground near the first one. Sometimes people cut off bulbs from plants and put these bulbs in the ground in some other place to grow. Some flowers, such as tulips, grow from bulbs. [1/2 definitions] |
| camp1 |
When you camp, you sleep at night in an outdoor place, often in a tent. When people travel or take a vacation, they sometimes camp instead of staying in a hotel. People often camp in places like woods, forests, and other natural places. [1/3 definitions] |
| capitalism |
an economic system in which land, factories, and other resources are owned by individuals instead of the government. In this system, the prices of things we buy are decided by the people who sell them and not by the government. |
| capitalize |
When you capitalize a letter, you write it with its large form. For example, instead of writing "a," you write "A." The large form of a letter is called its capital. When you capitalize a word, you write the first letter of the word with its large form. |
| catch fire |
When something catches fire, it starts to burn. Sometimes we say "catch on fire" instead of "catch fire." These phrases have the same meaning. |
| cherry |
A cherry is a type of tree. It has beautiful white and pink flowers in the spring, and it gives us the fruit that we call "cherries." It also gives a beautiful wood that is sometimes used for furniture. We often call these trees "cherry trees" instead of "cherries." [1/3 definitions] |
| chrysalis |
the hard outside covering on a moth or butterfly while it is a pupa, the stage before it becomes an adult with wings. Many kinds of moths and butterflies make a chrysalis instead of a cocoon. Chrysalis is also sometimes used as another name for the pupa itself. |
| cleaning |
clothing that is taken to a dry-cleaning store instead of being washed at home. |
| clover |
Clover is a plant that you see very often in a yard or field. It grows close to the ground like grass. Clover has leaves that are almost round and grow in groups of three. Sometimes you can find a clover with four leaves instead of three. Some people say that brings you good luck. |
| coarse |
If something is coarse, it is rough instead of smooth, or it is made up of somewhat large bits instead of tiny, fine bits. Salt, for example, can be coarse or fine. The salt you eat on your food is pretty fine, but salt that they use on icy roads in the winter is much more coarse. [1/2 definitions] |