| ozone layer |
an atmospheric layer between ten and twenty miles above the earth that contains a large amount of ozone, which absorbs certain types of harmful radiation from space. |
| pare |
to cut off the outside layer or ends from. [1/2 definitions] |
| peel1 |
to lose skin or some outer layer. [2/5 definitions] |
| plate |
a tectonic plate, one of the parts of the outer layer of planet Earth. Tectonic plates cover the whole planet and make up both the land that humans and animals live on and the land under the oceans. Tectonic plates move very, very slowly and they touch each other as they move. Sometimes this contact between the tectonic plates causes things like volcanoes, earthquakes, and the building up of mountains. [2/7 definitions] |
| rind |
a thick, firm outer layer or covering. Oranges, lemons, melons, and some cheeses have rinds. |
| rock1 |
a solid mass made up of minerals. Rock forms much of the earth's outer layer, including cliffs and mountains. [1/3 definitions] |
| scum |
a layer of waste matter that forms on the surface of a liquid. [1/2 definitions] |
| seam |
a long narrow layer of ore in the earth. [1/3 definitions] |
| shell |
a protective outer layer of the body of an animal, such as a turtle, beetle, lobster, or crab. [2/8 definitions] |
| silver |
to coat with a thin layer of silver. [1/7 definitions] |
| snow |
a layer or collection of such flakes that have fallen to the ground. [1/5 definitions] |
| sod |
the layer of ground that contains the grass; turf. [1/2 definitions] |
| soil1 |
the top layer of the earth's surface. [1/2 definitions] |
| spread |
to put on in a layer. [1/7 definitions] |
| stratosphere |
a layer of the earth's upper atmosphere from about six miles to about thirty miles above the earth's surface. |
| strip1 |
to remove (an outside layer or covering) from something. [1/4 definitions] |
| surface |
the outside limit or top layer of something. [1/4 definitions] |
| thickness |
a layer. [1/3 definitions] |
| tree ring |
the layer of wood made by a tree during a single year; annual ring. It is possible to figure out the age of a tree that has fallen or has been cut down by counting its rings. |
| turf |
the surface layer of the soil that is held together in a thick mat by grass and other plant roots. |
| vein |
a body or layer of ore in a mass of rock. [1/3 definitions] |