| affirmative action |
a policy to make sure certain groups of people are given a fair chance for jobs and education. In particular, this policy is for minority groups and women who were not given these opportunities in the past. Regulations made by the U.S. government support affirmative action. |
| Angora |
(often lower case) yarn or cloth made from either of these kinds of hair. Angora is used to make sweaters and other articles of clothing. [1/3 definitions] |
| antibody |
a protein in blood that reacts to particular toxic substances by neutralizing or destroying them. Antibodies provide immunity against these toxic substances. |
| article |
the words "a," "an," and "the." These are used before nouns to express whether the noun is a specific example of something ("the chair") or whether the noun is just one of a class of things ("a chair," "an apple"). [1/4 definitions] |
| artillery |
the branch of an army that uses these weapons. [1/2 definitions] |
| ASPCA |
abbreviation of "American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," a national organization whose purpose is to take care of lost or stray dogs, cats, and other small animals. This organization tries to find people to adopt these animals as pets. |
| bacteria |
microscopic organisms that often play a role in the decay of living things, the process of fermentation, and sometimes in causing disease. Bacteria are each made up of only one cell, but different kinds of bacteria can take different shapes. These organisms live in all parts of the earth including oceans, deserts, glaciers, hot springs, and in the bodies of most living things. While some kinds of bacteria are dangerous, most kinds are useful because they help in the digestion of food, in the making of soil, in the creation of medicines, and in many other natural processes. |
| Bahamas |
a country made up of these islands. The Bahamas are also called the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas. [1/2 definitions] |
| baleen |
the bony, flexible strips in the upper jaws of whales that feed by filtering food from ocean water. These whales use baleen to strain large amounts of small food such as shrimp from the water. |
| bar1 |
a vertical line that marks the beginning or end of a measure of music, or the music between two of these lines. [1/10 definitions] |
| base1 |
one of the four corners of the infield in baseball or softball, or the bag marking any of these points. [1/7 definitions] |
| B.C.1 |
abbreviation of "before Christ." These letters are placed after a date that is earlier than the birth of Christ. [1/2 definitions] |
| Big Dipper |
part of the constellation Ursa Major, made up of this constellation's seven brightest stars. These stars form a shape that looks like a ladle, or dipper. |
| binary system |
a numbering system with a base of two. In binary numbers, any number can be expressed by 1, 0, or a combination of these. The number five is written as "101" in the binary system. |
| book |
sheets of paper bound together between two covers. These pages can be blank or can have writing, printing, or pictures on them. [1/3 definitions] |
| brick |
many of these blocks used for building. [1/2 definitions] |
| buckwheat |
the seeds of any of these plants, or flour made from the seeds. [1/2 definitions] |
| card1 |
one of a pack of small pieces of thick paper used for playing games like old maid or poker. These cards have numbers and designs printed on them. [1/4 definitions] |
| cedar |
the wood of these trees. [1/2 definitions] |
| census |
an official count of the people who live in a country or other area. A census is also used to collect information about these people, such as their job, age, or sex. |
| Chinese |
any of the languages of China, or all of these languages together. [1/4 definitions] |