| adverb |
An adverb is a certain kind of word in a sentence. When a word is an adverb, it often describes how or when or where we do things. Words like "tomorrow," "here," "there," "slowly," and "usually" are adverbs. Adverbs also go in front of other adverbs or adjectives to describe those words. If we say "This is very good cake," "good" is an adjective that tells us about the cake, and "very" is an adverb that tells us how good the cake is. |
| affectionate |
When a person is affectionate, they do things to show their love or liking for other people or animals. Affectionate people often kiss or hug the people or animals that they care about, and they might also call them by sweet names like "Honey" or "Sweetheart." There are other ways that affectionate people show their love too. Also, we sometimes say that animals are affectionate if they do things that show they feel close to us. |
| atmosphere |
The planet Earth is surrounded by gases. These gases all together are called Earth's atmosphere. As our planet travels through space and around the sun, its atmosphere stays with it. Other planets can have an atmosphere too, but Earth's atmosphere has just the right mixture of gases for humans to live. Our atmosphere lets us breathe and also protects us from the strong energy of the sun. [1/2 definitions] |
| atom |
Atoms are very tiny things in the universe. We cannot see them with our eyes, but they make up everything around us and in space. Chemical elements, which are the building blocks of all substances, are made up of atoms. Some chemical elements that you may know are gold, copper, helium, oxygen, mercury, and lead. Each of these elements is made up of a different kind of atom. |
| bushel1 |
in the US, a unit of measure equal to 4 pecks or 32 quarts, used for measuring grain and other dry products. [1/2 definitions] |
| bye1 |
"Bye" is a short way of saying "good-bye." We often say "bye" just before we go away from another person, or before they go away from us, or when we end a call on our phone. |
| caterpillar |
In the middle part of their lives, some insects are caterpillars. Caterpillars are round and long like worms, but they have six legs. Caterpillars are sometimes brightly colored. Moths and butterflies go through a caterpillar stage before they show us their wings. |
| 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] |
| contraction |
When we say things like "don't" or "I'm" or "can't," we are using what we call contractions. Contractions let us put two words together so we can say or write them in a shorter way. "Don't" is a contraction of the two words "do" and "not." "I'm" is a contraction of the words "I" and "am." The little mark between the two words in a contraction is called an apostrophe. That mark tell us that something is missing. For example, in the contraction "I'm," the letter "a" of the word "am" is missing. |
| could |
We often use could when we talk about what is possible but not sure to happen. We use it especially when we offer to do something or ask other people to do something for us. [1/3 definitions] |
| crazy |
When we call something crazy, we think that it is not normal or right. A crazy thing is silly or does not make sense to us. Some people might think it is crazy to wear shorts and sandals when it's cold outside. [1/4 definitions] |
| crescent |
the shape of the moon when it looks to us like a narrow arc. The moon appears as a crescent in its first and last quarters. [1/3 definitions] |
| cute |
We call a person or thing cute when it is nice to look at or makes us smile. Something that is cute gives us a warm and happy feeling. Things that many people think are cute are puppies, bunnies, kittens, and babies. |
| devote |
If you devote your time or attention to something, you give that thing your time or attention. We usually devote things like time, attention, effort, or energy to things that are important to us. [1/3 definitions] |
| division sign |
One action we do with numbers is to divide one number by another. An example of dividing is "six divided by two equals three." When we write this in numbers, we use something called a division sign (�) between the first two numbers: 6 � 2. The division sign looks like a short little line with one dot above it and one dot below it. When we see a division sign between two numbers, it tells us that the first number is being divided by the second number. |
| eclipse |
When a body in space, such as the moon or sun, blocks the view of another body in space, it is called an eclipse. In an eclipse of the sun, we can't see the sun for a while because the moon is passing between the sun and the earth. While it is passing, it hides the sun from us. |
| environment |
When we talk about the environment, we often mean the natural things around all of us as we live on our planet Earth. The environment is made up of things like the air, the water, the plants, and the soil. We know now that we have to protect the environment. Things like pollution cause damage to it and cause harm to animals and humans. [1/3 definitions] |
| example |
A dog is one example of an animal. An orange is one example of a fruit. An example is one member of a group that helps us understand what the whole group of things is like. [1/3 definitions] |
| find out |
When you find out some information, you learn or discover it. When we want to find out something, we often ask someone else or we look for the information in a book or on the computer. Sometimes we find out something by just seeing a thing that tells us what we want to know. |
| future |
When you talk about tomorrow or next week or next year, you are talking about the future. The future is the time that is ahead of us. [2 definitions] |
| geology |
Geology is the study of the solid part of the planet earth or of other planets. People who study geology are especially interested in rocks and what they can tell us about how the Earth developed over time. |