Early American Civilizations Vocabulary

Study Notes

Domesticate: To raise and train animals to live around humans, like a domesticated dog.
Irrigate: To supply water using pipes or channels, like irrigating crops.
Flourish: To be successful, like a flourishing business.
Isthmus: A narrow piece of land that connects two larger pieces of land, like the Isthmus of Panama.
Diverse: Made up of different people or things, such as a diverse group of students.
Lush: Healthy and full, like a lush garden.
Cenote: A natural well formed from a sinkhole, often filled with water.
Descendant: A relative of someone who lived in the past, like a descendant of a king.
Empire: A large territory or group of people under the total control of one ruler or government, such as the Roman Empire.
Sieve: A tool with small holes for separating big and small pieces, used for cooking or sifting sand.
Textile: Woven or knit fabric, used to make clothing, blankets, and other items.

Incessant: Continuing without stopping, like incessant rain.
Penetrate: To go through or into something, like a needle penetrating fabric.
Temple: A building devoted to religious worship, often a grand structure.
Culture: The beliefs, traditions, and way of life shared by a group of people, like the Mayan culture.
City-state: A city, and the area surrounding it, that governs itself, like ancient Athens.
Trade: To give something in exchange for something else, or a job requiring special training or skills.
Arid: Dry and having little rain, like a desert climate.
Indigenous: Produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular area, such as indigenous plants.
Commerce: The buying and selling of goods and services, like international commerce.
Game: Animals that are hunted, or an activity done for pleasure or sport.
Symbolize: To stand for an idea or characteristic, like a dove symbolizing peace.

Generation: A group of people born and living at the same time, like the generation of baby boomers.
Sacred: Holy or deserving respect, like a sacred temple.
Creation: The act of making something new, like the creation of the universe.
Vast: Large or great in size, amount, or extent, like a vast desert.
Nurture: To care for something or someone so that it/he flourishes, like nurturing a plant.
Rigid: Stiff and inflexible, like a rigid rule.
Warp: To bend or twist out of shape, like warping wood in the sun.

Interpret: To explain or determine the meaning of something, like interpreting a dream.
Distinct: Different in a noticeable way, like a distinct smell.
Pulley: A simple machine made of a wheel or set of wheels used with a rope or chain to raise and lower objects, like a pulley system for lifting heavy weights.
Mortar: A wet substance that hardens as it dries to hold bricks or stones together, used in construction.
Stucco: A type of plaster used as decoration or to cover walls, often found on buildings in Mediterranean countries.
Disperse: To spread apart in different directions, like dispersing seeds.
Epidemic: A sudden, widespread illness, like a flu epidemic.
Artisan: A person who is skilled at making things by hand; a craftsman, like a pottery artisan.
Tunic: A knee-length piece of clothing, like a simple dress, often worn in ancient times.
Dwindle: To become smaller or lessen over time, like dwindling resources.