Glossary
Our glossary defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. Glossary words are appear in bold in our resources.
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a as in ape
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ä as in car
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e as in me
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i as in ice
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o as in go
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ô as in for
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u as in use
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ü as in fur
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oo as in tool
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ng as in sting
C
cay
(kē): A low island or reef of sand or coral.
cellulose
(sel yə lōs): A complex carbohydrate that is the chief part of the cell walls of plants and is commonly obtained as a white stringy substance from vegetable matter (such as wood or cotton) which is used in making various products (such as rayon and paper).
census
(sen(t) sǝs): A counting of the population (as of a country, city, or town) and a gathering of related statistics done by a government every so often.
certification
The act of confirming something as being true or as represented or as meeting a standard.
challenge
(cha lәnj): Something that may be hard or require extra effort to do.
channel
(cha nǝl): The bed where a natural stream of water runs.
characteristic
(ker ik tür is tik): The special character or trait of some person or thing.
chemical
(ke mi kəl): A substance, such as an element or compound, obtained from a chemical process or used to get a chemical result.
chemical property
(ke mi kəl prä pər tē): A property of a substance relating to its chemical reactivity (such as the explosive property of nitroglycerin or the formation of rust).
chlorophyll
(klȯr ǝ fil): The green coloring matter that is found chiefly in the chloroplasts of plants and is necessary for photosynthesis.
circumference
(sə(r) kəm(p) fərn(t)s): (1) A line that goes around or encloses a circle; (2) the outer boundary of a figure or area; (3) the distance around something.
clarity
(kler ət ē): The quality or state of being clear or easily understood.
classification
(kla sə fə kā shən): Systematic arrangement in groups or categories according to established criteria.
classify
(kla sǝ fī): To arrange in a group, set, or kind that shares common attributes.
clear-cut
(klēr kət): A forestry procedure that removes all of the trees in a stand of timber.
climate
(klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.
(klī mǝt): The most typical weather in a place over many years.
climatology
(klī mə tä lə jē): A science that deals with climates.
closed canopy
(klōzd ka nə pē): A forest in which the leaves of trees are touching, providing a mostly shaded area beneath.
coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM)
(kȯrs pär ti kyə lət ȯr ga nik ma tər): Organic material that falls into or is carried into a river. CPOM is generally greater than 1 millimeter (mm) in size. Examples of CPOM are leaves, sticks, and other pieces of plant material.
coarse root
(kȯrs rūt): The thicker root structure of a plant when compared with the finer roots.