Bhopal: A Continuing Tragedy >> Miscellaneous >> Glossary

Glossary

Accessible- something that is easy to reach or use.

Activist- An activist is a person who lobbies for the rights of citizens.

Annual- to occur every year.

Attain- to acquire something, or to get something.

Bhopal-Bhopal is a city in the northern part of India. A gas leak occurred in that city in 1984 and over 27 tons of gas was released.

Bipolarity- Bipolarity is when a person has two extreme tempers or mood swings, which often occur without warning.

Birth defects- Birth defects occur when an infant is born with a problem, that most of the population doesn’t have.

Brain damage- Brain damage is when the brain is defected in a way.

Campaign- an act of fighting for rights or debating for rights.

Cancer- Cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs when cells multiply uncontrollably which harms the healthy tissue.

Capital- a type of wealth in form of money, or property, etc.

Civilians- Civilians are residents of a city.

Cleft Palate- A defect where a section of the lip is missing and the edges of that missing section are connected into the nose, and it affects the palate and roof of the mouth. This makes it hard for the person to eat, or talk.

Clinic- A clinic is a place for treatment that has no or little cost.

Commercial- to have profit as a main aim.

Contaminated- an object/element that is impure.

Depression- Depression occurs when a person is at a state of mind where they are sad and gloomy.

Down syndrome- Down syndrome is a disorder when you have the extra chromosome 21. It is genetic and it is when you have a severe form of mental retardation.

Early eye cataracts- A layer of particles that forms over a person’s eye.

Endurance- Endurance is when you are able to take in and complete hard work. It is also known as stamina. Endurance can be both mental and physical.

Fatal- deadly.

Hazardous- Harmful.

Hemoglobin- Hemoglobin is a part of blood that carries the pigment for a red blood cell and attaches oxygen to it.

Hospitalized-Hospitalized is to be put in a hospital to be observed.

Illiteracy- to be uneducated, or unable to read.

Impacted- To be affected.

Income- Income is the money that you make, or the salary one makes.

Indefinite Hunger Strike- to go on a strike by starving oneself until the party appealed to consents. Sometimes, death is a result of these as they do not eat until they get what they are looking to achieve.

Interest- Interest is a percent of a total amount of money that is often paid as an extra fee for borrowing or investing money.

Internship- The act of learning a trade, or specific task or job, more for the knowledge and experience, than for the paycheck.

Livelihood- someone's job

Mercury- Mercury, also known as Hg, is a heavy, silver, liquid metal that is highly toxic to humans.

Methyl Isocyanate- Methyl Isocyanate is a highly toxic colorless gas  that killed over 20,000 people in Bhopal, India.

Nervous disorder- A nervous disorder is a defect where the nervous system is harmed.

Non-Profit Organizations- An organization that doesn’t work mainly for money.

Pesticide- Pesticide is a chemical that is used to destroy animals, plants, and fungi, especially pertaining to agricultural elements.

Physical Endurance- the ability to do more manual jobs and strenuous labor.

Polydactyly- Polydactyly is a disease when an infant is born with more than 10 fingers or toes.

Prosecute- to carry legal action against someone

Psychological Disorders- This is a disease where someone’s mind functions differently.

Publicity- mentioned to an open place like the media.

Redemption- the act of clearing, or redeeming.

Reproductive disorder- This is a disorder when you cannot reproduce an offspring, or the ability to is impaired.

Recur- To happen again.

Retardation- Retardation is when someone’s mind works in a different way than the normal human brain. Those with retardation process things differently, especially at a slower rate than the average human.

Rickshaw- a human powered form of transportation. A two-wheeled seat is attached to a one-wheel bicycle front, which to move is then ridden like a bicycle. This three-wheeled human powered taxi is very common as a means of transportation in India. Also, certain rickshaws use handles to manually pull along the seats instead of biking to get it moving.

Syndactyly- a birth defect in which two or more fingers or toes are joined together.

Union Carbide- this company’s tank leaked methyl isocyanate.

Webbed fingers and toes- This is when a strip of skin connects fingers/toes.

Yoga- an artform, or type of exercise that involves moving your body in ways that strengthen your muscles and finds inner peace and harmony.

"The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.”

-Socrates,

Greek philosopher