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Glossary F - L

F

fable - (noun) a short fictional story, that often uses animals as characters, to teach a moral lesson

façade - (noun) a false or artificial appearance that is meant to deceive or hide true feelings

facetious – (adjective) humorous comment about a serious topic  that is not meant to be taken seriously

facsimile - (noun) an exact copy

fact - (noun) an idea or concept that is known to exist by observation or something that is known to have happened

fallacy - (noun) an error in reasoning due to flawed logic
​
falling action - (noun)  the events that occur after the climax of a story

fastidious - (adjective) excessive attention to detail and insistence on perfection

fatality - (noun) a death caused by an epidemic, accident, or natural disaster

fauna - (noun) the animal life in a particular region or country

favella - (noun) a huge slum that borders many large cities in Brazil

federal government - (noun) a government that is characterized by a central government that shares power with state government

Federalism- (noun) a system of government in which power is distributed between two different levels of government – a national government with specific enumerated powers and states with their own reserved powers 
Note- This definition refers specifically to the U.S. form of Federalism.

Federalist- (noun) a person who supported adoption of the new US Constitution of 1787 and a strong national government 

feeble - (adjective) physically weak due to illness or advanced age

fertile - (adjective) soil that is rich in nutrients and good for growing crops 

Fertile Crescent - (noun) a crescent-shaped area of fertile land that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea coast to Persian Gulf

fervent - (adjective) enthusiastic and passionate; ardent

festoon - (noun) a decorative chain of garland, flowers, or ribbon on a building or monument

feudalism - (noun) a social system, common in medieval western Europe, in which people served powerful land-owners in return for protection and access to land 

fiend - (noun) an evil spirit

figurative language - (noun) words that are not meant to be taken literally, but instead, to convey a deeper meaning through exaggeration, comparison, or imagery  Examples- metaphor, personification, simile, and hyperbole

filibuster - (noun) a term that describes the actions taken in the United States Senate to delay or block legislation by continuing to speak for an extended period

fish ladder - (noun)  small, ascending pools of water that allow fish to get around dams

flag of convenience - (noun) the registration of a vessel in a different country, usually to avoid higher taxes and regulatory restrictions

flashback - (noun ) an interruption in a story or film that looks back at an earlier event

fledgling - (noun) a young bird that has grown feathers and is ready to leave or has recently left the nest

flora - (noun) the plant life in a particular region or country

flute - (noun) a vertical groove in a column  Note- A fluted column is one that has many flutes on the shaft.

fodder - (noun) hay and other agricultural crops that are used to feed livestock 

forage - (verb) to actively search for food or provisions 

foreign policy - (noun) a country's policies and procedures for interacting with foreign countries

foreshadow- (verb) to hint at what is going to happen later in the story

forlorn - (adjective) lonely and sad; forsaken

foundation - (noun) a non-government organization that provides money to support charitable causes    

fowl - (noun) a bird, especially one that is raised or hunted for food 

fracking (technical name - hydraulic fracturing) - (noun) a method of creating fractures in underground shale (a type of rock) in order to release trapped oil and natural gas   

free port - (noun) a port where products can be unloaded, stored, and shipped to another place without to pay import taxes

free verse - (noun) poetry that lacks rhyme or a regular rhythm

freedom of speech - (noun) the legal right to express a view without fear of punishment

fresco - (noun) a painting on a wall or ceiling that was created by applying water-based paint to wet plaster
​

frieze - (noun) a horizontal band of sculpted decoration that is usually located on a wall above a line of columns or near the ceiling

freshwater - (noun) water that has a low salt content level (usually less than 1%)

frigid - (adjective) very cold (temperature)   Note- Frigid can also describe someone who projects a cold or unfriendly personality.

funerary - (adjective) of or relating to a funeral or grave

futile - (adjective) pointless; useless

G

gallery - (noun) an area above and to side or back of a church nave where people can be seated or musicians can play

game - (noun) animals that are hunted by humans for food or clothing

gaucho- (noun) a cowboy from Argentina

gaudy- (adjective) extravagantly​ ​bright and showy in a way that lacks taste
​

gaunt - (adjective) having a thin and unhealthy appearance due to hunger or disease; emaciated

gemstones - (noun) minerals that are prized for their durability and beauty and frequently used to make jewelry  

gentry – (noun) people who hold a high position in society due to their wealth and power; aristocracy

geography - (noun) the study of Earth’s physical, political, and cultural features
                            “geo” is a word part that means “Earth”
                            “graph” is a word part that means “ write”
                            “y” is a word part that means “characterizes by”

gerrymandering - (noun) the practice of drawing new Congressional district boundaries within a state in a manner that gives one political party an advantage

gilt - (adjective) covered with gold leaf or gold paint

gingerly - (adjective) done in a slow or cautious way (usually to prevent damage)   

glisten - (verb) to shimmer or sparkle due to the reflection of the sun on a moist surface

global warming - (noun) a gradual increase in the Earth’s temperature due to an increase in carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere

gold leaf - (noun) a very thin sheet of gold that is often used to cover an object

goods - (noun) tangible objects or products that are sold or exchanged with the goal of making a profit 

gorge - (noun) a narrow steep-walled canyon

gorget - (noun) a colorful patch of feathers on the neck of a hummingbird 

gosling - (noun) a young goose

governor - (noun) the elected head of government at the state level

gregarious - (adjective) liking the company of others; outgoing and sociable

grievance - (noun) a formal complaint about perceived injustices or financial harm

grim - (adjective) unpleasant and gloomy

gross domestic product (GDP) - (noun) the total value of goods and services produced in a country in one year

guano - (noun) the waste droppings from bats and seabirds  Note- Guano contains nitrogen and phosphoric acid and is used to produce fertilizer and gunpowder.  

gulf - (noun) a large area of sea or ocean that is enclosed on at least two sides and is often entered via a strait 

gypsum - (noun) a common mineral, hydrated calcium sulfate, that sometimes appears as a powder or crystal and is used to make plaster

H

haiku - (noun) a Japanese form of unrhymed poetry that consists of 17 syllables arranged in three lines containing five, seven, and five syllables

haughty - (adjective) possessing or showing superiority towards others; pompous and arrogant 

headright - (noun) a grant of land, typically 50 acres, that was given for each person that was brought to certain colonies 
​
Hegira - (noun) the exodus of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina In 622

heliotropism - (noun) a solar tracking plant that moves or faces the direction of the sun
​
hemisphere - (noun) half of a sphere (such as the earth) 
​Note- In geography we usually refer to two specific hemisphere pairs-

     - the northern and southern hemispheres that are normally divided by the equator 
     - the eastern and western hemispheres that are usually divided along the prime meridian

heritage - (noun) the history, culture, and traditions of a particular group in society
​
herpetologist - (noun) -  a person who specializes in the study of amphibians and reptiles

hibakusha - (noun) people who were exposed to radiation in Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945

hierarchy - (noun) a classification system that ranks people or items in order from highest to lowest 

hieroglyphics - (noun) an ancient Egyptian writing system that was based on pictorial characters  Note- The symbols can represent a sound, a group of sounds, or the objects they resemble. 

high altar - (noun) the main altar in a church or cathedral 

hippodrome - (noun) an ancient Greek oval-shaped stadium that was used for horse and chariot racing

homophone – (noun) two or more words that are pronounced the same, may be spelled differently, but have different meanings

hubris - (noun) excessive pride or arrogance  Note- Hubris was a common theme in ancient Greek mythology.  There are numerous stories involving  powerful men who allowed hubris to get the best of them, only to be put in their place by the gods.  

hydroelectric power - (noun) electricity that is produced by moving water (usually at a dam)

hyperbole - (noun) an obvious exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally   Example- This book weighs a ton!​

hypothermia - (noun) a dangerous drop in body temperature below 95° Fahrenheit  

I

ice shelf - (noun) a sheet of ice that floats on polar coastal waters and is connected to land   

iconoclast - (noun) a person who opposes traditional ideas or popular beliefs  

idiom - (noun)  an expression that over time has developed a different meaning than the literal meaning of the individual words   

immigrate - (verb) to enter a country with the intention of living there permanently

immortal - (adjective) living or existing forever

impeccable - (adjective) flawless; perfect

implore - (verb) to beg or request earnestly 

​
import - (verb) to bring a product or resource from foreign country into your own country to be sold for a profit  

impoverished - (adjective) very poor

improvisation - (noun) unplanned performance made by a speaker, actor, or musician without 

impudent - (adjective) rude and disrespectful, especially to a person in authority 

inalienable - (noun) not able to be taken away or transferred  Note- This modern form of this word is unalienable.  The final version of the U.S. Constitution used unalienable to describe the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

incessant - (adjective) constant; non-stop in an annoying way

incredulous - (adjective)  unwilling to believe or accept the truth; skeptical

incumbent - (noun) a person who currently holds a government position usually as a result of an election

indefinite pronoun - (noun) a pronoun that lacks an antecedent and does not refer to a specific amount, person or thing  Examples- another, anybody, no one, neither, both, few, many, all, any, more, none, some, and most

indigenous - (adjective) native to a particular area

indignant - (adjective) feeling or showing anger due to perceived unfair treatment  

Industrial Revolution - (noun) a major transformation of the economy due to the introduction of machines (such as the steam engine) and the mass production of goods  

inept - (adjective) lacking skill or knowledge

inertia - (noun) one of the properties of matter in which objects in motion remain in motion unless outside forces act to change the motion

infer – (verb) to make an educated guess about what is happening in a story  

inference - (noun) an educated guess about what is happening in a story that has not explicitly stated (noun)

infrastructure - (noun) the physical structures and systems in a society that are needed to operate a modern economy and improve the lives of people   Examples- utilities, buildings, communication networks, and transportation systems

inhospitable - (adjective)  characterized by harsh or extreme environmental conditions 

innocuous – (adjective) harmless; not likely to offend

innovation - (noun) a new idea, product, or way of doing something better 

inquisitive - (adjective) eager to understand and learn new things 

intangible - (adjective) something that lacks physical substance and cannot be touched   Examples of intangible cultural heritage may include: craftsmanship skills, cultural practices, knowledge, language, oral traditions, performances, rituals, and songs

integrity - (noun) possession of firm moral principles and honesty

intensive pronoun - (noun) a pronoun that emphasizes the preceding pronoun or noun and ends in either self or selves  Note- Intensive pronouns are not critical to the sentence.  If you remove the intensive pronoun from your sentence it will still make sense. 

inter - (verb) to place a dead body in a grave or tomb

intermediate directions - (noun) the directions that are halfway between the four cardinal directions  NOTE- In basic geography that usually refers to as northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest (NE, SE, SW, NW)

international - (noun) related to or involving interactions between countries

International Date Line - (noun) an invisible line located at 180° longitude that runs between Earth's polar regions and separates two consecutive calendar dates  Note- The International Date Line is not entirely located at 180° because it zig zags around national borders.    

internally displaced persons - (noun) people who have fled their homes due to natural disasters or war and are forced to live in another part of the same country

interrogative pronoun - (noun) a pronoun that indicates to the listener or reader that a question will follow  Examples- who, whom, whose, which, and what  

intimidate - (verb) to frighten someone in order to compel or deter them from doing something 

intrepid - (adjective) fearless and persistent in the pursuit of something

inundate - (verb) to overflow and flood with water

invasive species - (adjective) animals that have been introduced to a new ecosystem where they compete with native animals and often lack sufficient predators

irony - (noun) a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens in a story

irrigation - (noun) the watering of dry land in order to grow crops
​
isolated - (adjective) located far away from other people or towns; remote 

isolationism - (noun) a national policy of avoiding interactions with other nations

isogonic lines - (noun) lines on a map or chart that join together areas of equal magnetic declination

isthmus - (noun) a narrow strip of land that connects two larger land masses

itinerate - (verb) to move from place on a circuit   
​                  Note- Itinerate usually refers to judges, ministers, or salespeople who travel from location to location.

J

joint session of Congress - (noun) a gathering of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for special occasions such as the President's State of the Union Address or to count electoral votes after an election  Note- Joint sessions are held in the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the House usually presides over the sessions.  The only exception to this occurs when electoral votes are being counted and the President of the Senate presides over the count.    

judicial review – (noun)  the power of courts to strike down laws or executive actions that are determined to be unconstitutional

junk - (noun) a Chinese sailing vessel that is powered by sails and has been used for hundreds of years

jury - (noun) a group of citizens chosen to participate in a trial and decide whether a defendant is innocent or guilty

K

ka - (noun) the life force that was said to exist in living people and departed the body when they died (in ancient Egyptian)  
 
katabatic winds - (noun) wind produced by the downward flow of cold dense air over a glacier or ice cap

keffiyeh - (noun) an Arab headdress for males that is made of a square piece of cloth and held in place by a chord

Kente cloth - (noun) a brightly colored, patterned, and hand-woven cloth originating with the Ashanti people of Ghana (generally worn for special cultural or religious occasions)

kindling - (noun) small sticks and natural material that is used to start a fire

kosher – (noun) a term that is used to refer to food that fit to eat under Jewish dietary laws

krill - (noun) tiny shrimp-like marine animals that are an important food for larger marine fauna

kulak - (noun) a Russian peasant farmer who was comparatively wealthy and could afford to hire farm workers and buy machinery

L

laborious - (adjective)  characterized by strenuous and difficult effort; arduous

laconic - (adjective) using few words to express an idea; concise

lament - (verb) to express sorrow, sadness, or regret about something

landlocked - (adjective) completely surrounded by land with no direct access to the ocean

larder – (noun) an area that is used for storing food; pantry

latent - (adjective) existing but not yet visible; symptomatic 

latitude - (noun) imaginary grid lines that run east-west and measure distance north and south of the equator (lines of latitude are sometimes referred to as parallels)  

law of supply and demand - (noun) an economic theory suggesting that the price of a product will rise or fall based on the supply of a product and the amount that the product is demanded by the consumer  Note- Products normally increase in price if there is a shortage of supply.   The price of products will normally drop if there is a lot of product available for the consumer to choose from.  

legacy - (noun) the long-term impact of a past event or the lasting impression of a person’s life 

legend - (noun) a story that has been handed down over generations that may be based on actual people or events  Note- Native American tribes use legends that include personification in the form of animals or forces of nature. 

legislature - (noun) an elected government body at the national or state level that is responsible for making laws 

legitimate - (adjective) able to defended with logical reasoning or explanation

lethal - (adjective)  related to or capable of causing death; deadly
​
lethargic - (adjective) characterized by a lack of energy; sluggish

levee - (noun) a large wall, usually made of dirt, built along rivers to prevent flooding

limited government - (noun) the idea that government is limited by powers granted to it in the constitution

linger - (verb) to leave slowly or remain longer than necessary due to a reluctance to leave 

lingua franca - (noun) a common language that is used to communicate by people whose native languages are different

liquefaction - (noun) the saturation of loose soil following an earthquake which results in water rising above the surface and surface objects sinking

liquefied natural gas (LNG) - (noun) natural gas that has been cooled to approximately -260°Fahrenheit so that it can transported in bulk  Note- Cooling natural gas to -260°Fahrenheit transforms it from a gaseous state to liquid state and reduces the volume to 1/600 of its gaseous state. 

literacy rate - (noun) the percentage of the population that can read and write by a specified age (age 15 in the U.S.A.)

literary device - (noun) a technique used by writers to add meaning and complexity to the text  Examples- alliteration, flashbacks, foreshadowing, metaphor, onomatopoeia, simile, etc...

literate - (adjective) able to read and write  

littoral - (adjective) of or related to a coast's shoreline  

loaded language - (noun) words or phrases that have strong positive or negative connotations

loess – (noun) yellow to brown loosely packed dust and silt that blows across parts of China (and other parts of the world)  

longitude - (noun) imaginary grid lines that run between the north and south poles

loquacious - (adjective) tending to talk a lot; very talkative

loyalist - (noun) a person who remains loyal to their country or leader during a crisis

lucrative - (adjective) profitable; able to make money
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  • Home
  • Birds of the World
    • Bird Orders >
      • Accipitriformes
      • Anseriformes
      • Apodiformes
      • Bucerotiformes
      • Caprimulgiformes
      • Charadriiformes
      • Columbiformes
      • Coraciiformes
      • Cuculiformes
      • Falconiformes
      • Galliformes
      • Gruiformes
      • Passeriformes
      • Pelecaniformes
      • Phoenicopteriformes
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      • Podicipediformes
      • Psittaciformes
      • Suliformes
      • Strigiformes
    • Birds of Germany
    • Birds of Japan
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  • Countries
    • China
    • Egypt
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Japan >
      • Introduction to Japan
      • Government in Japan
      • Japan's Culture
      • Kanagawa Prefecture
    • United Arab Emirates
  • Geography
    • Geography Basics
    • Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean
    • Central America
    • Geography of Europe
  • Glossary
    • Glossary A - E
    • Glossary F - L
    • Glossary M - R
    • Glossary S - Z
  • Government
    • USA Government
    • US Constitutions
    • Early American State Constitutions
  • Wildlife
    • Germany - Amphibians, Mammals, and Reptiles
    • Germany - Insects
    • Japan - Wildlife
    • USA - Wildlife