The glossary gives you quick definitions of common words found on Unica Island. Throughout the Library's articles, you'll find little
icon. Click on it to bring you to the word's definition on this page. You
can also visit this page directly from the main
page.
- abacus
- old-fashioned type of calculator using beads
- alphabet
- collection of symbols or characters used to visually record language-based information
- aniline
- a product of coal tar used to make dyes
- archaeologist:
- someone who studies ancient human artifacts
- arose
- rose, ascended
- basalt
- a hard, dark type of rock
- benzene
- a flammable liquid often used for cleaning
- binary
- code represented as 1 and 0 (or ON and OFF) that can easily be manipulated by a computing device
- biplanes
- airplanes with two pairs of wings
- bulleted list
- list with small dots (bullets) in front of each item
- calligraphy
- artistic form of writing
- carbolic acid
- disinfectant (comes from coal tar)
- cartouche
- a drawing of a loop of rope tied at one end. Names of ancient Egyptian Kings and Queens were written in cartouches.
- commission
- percentage payment for performing a service
- contesting
- disputing, fighting against
- cumbersome
- awkward
- decipher
- decode, make out the meaning of.
- deduce
- draw a conclusion
- democracy
- form of government based on equality for all
- derivative
- got from, originating from...
- determinatives
- symbols used to show the type of word used (for example, a symbol representing a man in front of a name would show that the name was the name of a man)
- dialect
- a characteristic speech of a certain place; a local variety of a language.
- dictation
- words read aloud for someone to type or write
- dictator
- ruler of absolute power
- download
- to retrieve a file from a remote server on the Internet, and store it on your system's hard drive
- dynasty
- succession of hereditary rulers; family; line.
- ethical
- morally acceptable in accordance to society or one's self
- frequency
- number of times sometime happens in a specified interval
- Hemorrhage
- bleed internally
- hemp
- plant whose fibers are used to create materials such as textiles
- hobble
- straps of rope put on an animal's legs to keep it from wandering
- horticultural
- having to do with gardening
- ideogram
- a picture or symbol representing an object or idea without naming it.
- illiterate
- unable to read or write
- Industrial Revolution
- period of mechanical development during the 19th and 20th centuries that caused a drastic change in everyday life
- ionosphere
- electronically conducting layer of earth's atmosphere
- libel
- crime of defaming one's character
- lobbied
- fought, worked
- manuscript
- book written or typed by hand, often the original copy
- media
- a way through which communication is presented
- medieval
- of the Middle Ages
- microtasimeter
- an instrument used to measure extremely tiny changes in temperature.
- mimeograph
- a method of copying pages used before the invention of the photocopier (your parents will remember them :Þ)
- monochrome
- shades of black and white; image that can have variences in luminance but not color hue
- morpheme
- word
- Neanderthal
- noise
- electromagnetic waves that interfere with the signal of the desired frequency in a wireless broadcast
- opthamologist
- eye care specialist
- oscillating
- steadily swinging back and forth
- parchment
- animal skin prepared as a writing surface
- peripheral
- an auxiliary device connected to a computer to enhance its usefulness
- persuade
- influence someone
- phonetic
- of or relating to vocal sounds
- plagiarism
- taking ideas or words from an author and presenting them as your own (criminal offence)
- predecessors
- ancestors
- primates
- a category of animals including monkeys, apes, etc. and humans
- propagation
- reproduction
- punctuation
- basic grammatic rules for dividing phrases and sentences.
- quill pen
- large hollow feather used as a pen
- rationalist
- someone who believes in the philosophy of rationalism, which regards reason as the only guide.
- scanner
- device that interprets light into a still image
- shorthand
- system used to reduce the number of characters required when writing information
- simultaneously
- at the same time
- stele
- ancient carved stone pillar or slab
- subsequent
- following
- suffrage
- the right to vote
- syllable
- a unit of pronunciation in a word. Example: mother has two syllables: moth and er.
- synchronized
- happening at the same time (simultaneous)
- tactile
- touchable
- thesis
- the main theory of an argument
- trademark
- indicator of rights on a device such as logo or name, protected by law
- transistor
- semi-conductor device used in an electronic circuit
- type/typeface
- block used to mechanically print a character. The character's style is its typeface
- tuberculosis
- a contagious disease, usually of the lungs.
- velocity
- speed
- vice
- evil or immoral habit or practice, sin.
- voltage
- electro-motive force