Anthropology n : the holistic scientific and social
study of humanity
Acculturation n 1 : the process by which the culture
of an isolated society changes on contact with a different
one 2 : the process by which a person acquires the
culture of the society that he/she inhabits
Affinal adj : (context, family) Of a family relationship
by marriage of a relative (or through affinity), as
opposed to consanguinity; in-law
Antisocial adj 1 : Unwilling or unable to associate
normally with other people 2 : Antagonistic, hostile, or
unfriendly toward others; menacing 3 : Opposed to
social order or the principles of society
Assimilation n 1 : The act of assimilating or the state
of being assimilated 2 : The metabolic conversion of
nutriments into tissue 3 : (context, by extension) The
absorption of new ideas into an existing cognitive
structure 4 : (linguistics) The modification of a sound
such that it becomes similar to an adjacent sound 5 :
The adoption, by a minority group, of the customs and
attitudes of the dominant culture
Anomie : According to strain theory, the feeling of
being disconnected from society that can occur when
people aren’t provided with the institutionalized means
to achieve their goals.
Absolute Monarchy : A political system under which
a king or queen has complete control of a country.
Apartheid : A social system in which there is total
separation of the races
Administration n 1 : The act of administering;
government of public affairs; the service rendered, or
duties assumed, in conducting affairs; the conducting of
any office or employment; direction; management 2 :
The executive part of government; the persons
collectively who are intrusted with the execution of laws
and the superintendence of public affairs; the chief
magistrate and his cabinet or council; or the council, or
ministry, alone, as in Great Britain 3 : The act of
administering, or tendering something to another;
dispensation; as, the administration of a medicine, of an
oath, of justice, or of the sacrament
Anarchism n : Any theory or doctrine that proposes
the absence of government in all forms
Bourgeois adj 1 : of or related to middle class aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are
attitudes and conventions 2 : belonging to the middle linked to possession of a durable network of more or less
class 3 : of, or related to capitalist exploitation of the institutionalized relationship of mutual acquaintance and
working class recognition
Bank n : (ORGANIZATION) an organization that Biological Anthropology : the study of the non-
holds money belonging to others, investing and lending cultural, or biological, aspects of humans and near
it to get more money, or the building in which the humans
organization is situated
Belief : The mental act, condition, or habit of placing
trust or confidence in another
Ban : King's power to command and prohibit under
pain of punishment or death, mainly used because of a
break in the King's Peace. Also a royal proclamation,
either of a call to arms, or a decree of outlawry.
Benefice (Latin: beneficium) : Grant of land given to
a member of the aristocracy, a Bishop, or a monastery,
for limited or hereditary use in exchange for services
Backfilling : A term of employment law; where an
employee is assigned to a new job and his/her position
filled by another employee
Bankruptcy : The formal condition of an insolvent
person being declared bankrupt under law
Bill of Attainder : Conviction and sentence to death
directly by statute, as opposed to resulting from trial
Bourdieu (1984) : described social capital as the
Caste : As a system of social stratification differs from Culture loss : the loss of cultural traits. As cultures
class in its rigidity and in the basis of legitimation. change and acquire new traits, old no longer useful or
Civilization : The social process whereby societies popular ones inevitably disappear
achieve an advanced stage of development and relying on earned credentials when hiring staff or
organization assigning social status rather than on actual skills.
Class : For Karl Marx, it refers to relations among
people who share the same class interests in relation to
the means of production.
Class System : Individuals are positioned according to
their access to the means of production and contribution
to productive labor.
Credentialism : Refers to the common practice of
Cult : a devoted religious group, often living together
in a community with a charismatic prophet leader
Cultural Capital : Refers the forms of knowledge,
educational credentials, and artistic taste that a person
acquires from family background, which gives them
higher status in society.
Culture n : the arts and other manifestations of human
intellectual achievement regarded collectively.
Culture death : the complete disappearance of a
culture as a result of the total acculturation or the death
of all of the people who shared it.
Developed nation : a nation that is relatively wealthy Denomination : an established religious faith group
and usually industrialized within a religion, which has usually been in existence for
Diffusion : the movement of cultural traits and ideas many years and has geographically widespread
from one society or ethnic group to another. membership.
Descent : socially recognized links between ancestors
and descendants, such as the bond between children and
their parents.
Dialect : a variant of a language. If it is associated
with a geographically isolated speech community, it is
referred to as a regional dialect
Discrimination : the act of distinguishing differences
between people and showing favoritism or prejudicial
rejection of them.
Division of labor : referring to the jobs that are
normally assigned to people based on such things as
gender and age
Dowry : money, property, or other things of high
value given by a bride's family to the groom, ostensibly
to establish a new household. It is her share of the family
inheritance
Deity : a generic term used to refer to one or more
supernatural beings
Deconversion : A term used most often by Atheists
and Agnostics to describe an individual's loss of faith in
a religion with which they had identified.
Ethnocentrism : the feeling that your own group's Ethnic group : a category or group of people
cultural traditions and values are correct and superior to considered to be significantly different from others in
all others terms of cultural (dialect, religion, traditions, etc.) and
Ethnocide : the act or attempt to systematically sometimes physical characteristics (skin color, body
destroy another people's ethnicity or culture shape, etc.)
Ethics : A system of accepted beliefs which control
behavior, especially such a system based on morals.
Education : It refers to the formal and informal
process of transmitting the knowledge, beliefs and skills
from one generation to the next.
Enlightenment (or the Age of Enlightenment) : Key to
Enlightenment thinking was the idea that reason and
open, unbiased enquiry should be the basis for exploring
and explaining history, philosophy, medicine, and the
natural world
Egalitarian : referring to societies in which all people
are equal in terms of economic and political
rights. Foraging bands are the most egalitarian societies
Eminent domain : the right of a government to take
legal possession of private property for public use
Enculturation : the process of being socialized to a
particular culture. This includes learning the language,
customs, biases, and values of the culture
Extended family : two or more nuclear families tied
together by bonds of descent.
Faction n 1 : small, organized, dissenting group government interference 2 : Trade based on the
within a larger one, especially in politics 2 : A party or unrestricted international exchange of goods with tariffs
group (as within a government) that is often contentious used only as a source of revenue
or self-seeking 3 : A state of conflict within an Front burner n : The condition of being in active
organization; dissension. consideration or development
Fanaticism n 1 : fanatic outlook or behavior 2 : Future shock n : The physical and psychological
Unwilling or unable to accept a differing point of view. distress suffered by one who is unable to cope with the
Unwilling or unable to accept a differing point of view. rapidity of social and technological changes
Federalism n 1 : The idea of a federal organization
of more or less self-governing units 2 : The distribution
of power in an organization (such as a government)
between a central authority and the constituent
Feud n 1 : A bitter quarrel between two parties 2 :
A mutual enmity or quarrel that is often prolonged or
inveterate
Fiduciary adj : Relating to or of the nature of a legal
trust : n A person who holds assets in trust for a
beneficiary
Fief n 1 : Something over which one has rights or
exercises control 2 : A piece of land held under the
feudal system
Freedom n 1 : The condition of being free; the power
to act or speak or think without externally imposed
restraints 2 : Immunity from an obligation or duty
Free trade n 1 : International trade free of
Gender roles : The overt expression of attitudes that The act or process of globalizing
indicate to others the degree of your maleness or Group dynamics : A term that implies that our
femaleness 2 : A set of perceived behavioral norms thoughts and behavior are influenced by the groups of
associated particularly with males or females, in a given which we are members and, in turn, we influence the
social group or system. thought process and behavior of the group as a whole.
Genealogy n 1 : The study or investigation of Groupthink : A term coined by irving janis that refers
ancestry and family history 2 : Successive generations to the tendency of people in positions of power to follow
of kin 3 : An account of the descent of a person, the opinions of the group, to the point that there is a
family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms narrow view of the issue at hand.
Generation : The act of generating or begetting; Goal displacement : a formal organization’s
procreation, as of animals 2 : A single step or stage in displacement of one goal with another in order to
the succession of natural descent; a rank or remove in continue to exist. It is also called goal replacement.
genealogy, or collectively the body of people who are of
the same genealogical rank or remove from an ancestor;
the mass of beings living at one time
Gens : An extended roman clan, whose members are
related by birth or marriage.
Group marriage : A form of polygamous marriage in
which more than one man and more than one woman
form a family unit
Government : The system or form by which a
community or other political unit is governed 2 : The
organization that is the governing authority of a political
unit
Globalization : Growth to a global or worldwide scale
Halo effect n : The assumption that a physically and the range of behaviour, shared by all humans
attractive person also possesses other good qualities. Hunting and gathering society n : A society in
Health n : The well-being of people. which people acquire food by hunting game and
Health care n : The prevention, treatment, and gathering edible plants.
management of illness and the preservation of health
through services offered by the medical, dental, nursing, .
and allied health professions
Heritage n : The art, buildings, traditions,
and beliefs that a society considers important to
its history and culture
Holistic medicine n : a medical approach that
involves learning about a patient’s physical environment
and mental state
Homelessness adj : Homelessness is the condition
and social category of people who lack housing, because
they cannot afford, or are otherwise unable to maintain,
regular, safe, and adequate shelter
Horde n 1 : A wandering troop or gang; especially, a
clan or tribe of a nomadic people (originally tatars)
migrating from place to place for the sake of pasturage,
plunder, etc.; a predatory multitude 2 : A large number
of people
Horticultural society n : A society in which hand
tools are used to grow crops.
Human nature n : The fundamental set of qualities,
Ideology n : a set of values that people devise to The ability to communicate effectively and appropriately
rationalize a particular social custom. with people of other cultures
Indentured servitude n : A system of stratification Introspection n : A looking inward; specifically, the
in which an individual agrees to sell his or her body or act or process of self-examination, or inspection of one's
labor to another for a specified period of time. own thoughts and feelings; the cognition which the mind
Indigenous adj : Born or engendered in, native to a has of its own acts and states; self-consciousness;
land or region, especially before an intrusion, especially reflection.
of plants and indigenous peoples 2 :iguratively, innate
Individualism n 1 : The tendency for a person to
act without reference to others, particularly in matters of
style, fashion or mode of thought 2 : A belief system
that places great importance on the ability of people to
act as individuals 3 : The basic moral premise that only
individuals can act, benefit and suffer.
Illicit : Contrary to accepted morality or convention
Impunity n : Exemption from punishment or loss
Institution n 1 : An established organisation,
especially one dedicated to education, public service,
culture or the care of the destitute, poor etc 2 : The
building which houses such an organization 3 : A
custom or practice of a society or community - marriage
Institutionalized n : Legitimate, socially approved
ways that societies offer their members to achieve
culturally approved goals.
Intercultural competence n :
Jainism n : The heterodox hindoo religion, of which conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards
the most striking features are the exaltation of saints or or punishments
holy mortals, called jins, above the ordinary hindoo Justiciable : capable of being decided according to
gods, and the denial of the divine origin and infallibility legal principles by a court
of the vedas. Jaywalk Juvenile delinquency adj : a violation of the law
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as committed by a juvenile that would have been a crime if
to be endangered by traffic committed by an adult ;also : antisocial behavior by
Jovial adj : Markedly good-humored especially as juveniles that is subject to legal action
evidenced by cheerfulness and conviviality
Jeopardy : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or
injury
Job : jobbed job·bing vi 1 : to do odd or occasional
pieces of work for hire 2 : to carry on the business of a
middleman or wholesaler vt 1 : to buy and sell (as stock)
for profit 2 : to hire or ...
Job Action : a temporary action (as a slowing of
work) by workers on the job that is meant as a protest to
force compliance with demands compare strike
Judicial adj : Relating to the administration of
justice or the function of a judge
Juristic : of or relating to a jurist or jurisprudence [
scholarship] [ thought] 2 : of, relating to, or recognized
in law
Justice n : The maintenance or administration of what
is just especially by the impartial adjustment of
Kakistocracy : Government under the control of a
nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.
Keen adj : demonstrating ability to recognize or
draw fine distinctions the expected patrol boat.
Ken n : range of what one can know or understand
Keynesianism : Theories of very influential economist
of the twentieth century
King : n : An English and Scottish surname; a nickname
for someone who either acted as if he were a king or
had worked in the king's household.
Kingship n : The dignity, rank or office of a king;
the state of being a king
Kinship n : blood relationship
Kitchen cabinet : An informal name for the chief
executive’s closest advisers
Kleptocracy : Cynical term used to describe highly
corrupt governments where politicians, bureaucrats and
their protected friends engage in sales of government
licences
Kremlinology : The study of the internal politics of
any powerful and secretive organization
Laconic adj : brief and to the point
Lame Duck : An officeholder whose term has expired
or cannot be continued, who thus has lessened power
Law n : a rule of conduct or action prescribed or
formally recognized as binding or enforced by a
controlling authority
Lawyer n : one whose profession is to advise clients
as to legal rights and obligations and to represent clients
in legal proceedings
Legal adj : deriving authority from or founded on law
Legislative branch : he legislative branch of
government; elected by the people, also know as
Congress responsible for proposing and passing laws.
Liable adj : bound or obligated according to law or
equity [one is as an accomplice to the crime of another
Limited war : A war, often not formally declared,
fought to obtain specific political / territorial objectives,
rather than to obtain the unconditional surrender of the
enemy.
Lobby n : a large entrance or reception room or area
Luvvie : Derogatory term for pretentious artistic or
theatrical people claiming and /or receiving special
benefits or privileges.
Mandatory adj : containing or constituting a
command
Magna Carta : the royal charter of political rights
given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
Manipulate v : influence or control shrewdly or
deviously
Martial law n : military government involving the
suspension of ordinary law.
Massive : containing a great quantity of matter
Mendacity : the tendency to be untruthful
Migrant n : A person who leaves his/her country of
origin to seek residence in another country.
Migration n : widely refers to the process of moving a
computer system and/or its components from one
operating environment to another operating
environment. Migration also refers to moving data from
one ...
Military Commission : a military court organized in
time of war or suspension of the civil power to try
offenses by persons (as civilians) not subject to trial by a
court-martial
Military Government : the government established
by a military commander in conquered territory to
administer the military law declared under military
authority applicable to all persons in the conquered
territory and ..
National adj : relating to a nation; common to or
characteristic of a whole nation.
Nationalism n : the doctrine that countries should act
independently
National Origin Discrimination : Discrimination on
the basis of an employee's ethnicity
Nationwide adj : extending or reaching throughout the
whole nation.
Native n : A person born in a particular country is a
native of that country.
Natural Right : a right considered to be conferred by
natural law [James Madison…distinguished natural
rights, such as life and liberty, from rights that are part
of the compact between citizen and
NGO : A non-profit non-government organisation.
Nomination n : When a political party chooses its
official candidate for a particular office
Nominee n : The candidate chosen by a political party
to run for a particular office
Non- partisan : not biased or partisan, especially
toward any particular political group.
Oath n : a solemn attestation of the truth of one's
words or the sincerity of one's intentions
Objection n : a statement of opposition to an aspect
of a judicial or other legal proceeding
Obscure n : not clearly understood or expressed
Oligarchy n : a political system governed by a few
people
Oligarchy n : a form of government where rule is by
the few and in their own interest.
Ombudsman n : an official appointed to investigate
individuals' complaints against maladministration,
especially that of public authorities. Opportunist n : a
person who places expediency above principle
Ordinance n : a piece of legislation enacted by a
municipal authority.
Ordinary vote n : As compared with a postal vote, a
vote cast at a polling place in the elector's home division
on polling day.
Overrule n : to rule against upon review by virtue of
a higher authority
Pandemic adj : an epidemic that becomes unusually
widespread and even global in its reach.
Pastoralists n : people who make their living by
tending herds of large animals.
Patrilineage : a multi-generational group of relatives
who are related by patrilineal descent.
Personality n : type-a set of personality traits and
behavioral tendencies which are shared by a group of
people.
Personality n : all of an individual's complex of
mental characteristics that makes him or her unique from
other people.
Politics n : competition for power over people and
things.
Polyandry n : the marriage of one woman to several
men at the same time. This is a rare type of polygamy.
Polygamy n : the generic term for marriage to more
than one spouse
At the same time.
Polygyny n : the marriage of one man to several
women at the same time. This is the most common form
of polygamy.
Polytheism n : a belief in more than one god.
 qualified person for the two years following a spouse's
Qualified adj : fitted (as by training or experience) death.
for a given purpose or condition Quality n 1 : a special, distinctive, or essential
Qualified Disclaimer : an irrevocable and absolute character: as a : a character, position, or role assumed
refusal to accept a particular interest in the estate of a [those acts of ownership, which the person called to the
decedent (as a spouse) that is made in accordance with succession can only do in of heir ...
federal tax requirements and results in favorable tax Quantum Meruit : a claim or count grounded on an
Qualify v 1 : to limit or modify in some way 2 : to implied contract that the defendant would pay the
make or consider eligible or fit [his training and plaintiff as much as deserved for services or materials
experience qualified him as an expert witness] 3 : to provided ;specif : a ...
issue a certificate or Quashal : an act of quashing something [opposed the
Qualifying Date : the date which the Visa Office of of the indictment]
the Department of State uses the qualifying date to
determine when to send the Instruction Package to an
immigrant visa applicant.
Qualifying Event : an event or condition (as a terminal
illness) that permits an acceleration or continuation of
benefits or coverage ;esp : an event involving an
employee covered by a group health insurance plan ...
Qualifying Ratios : guidelines utilized by lenders to
determine how much money a homebuyer is qualified to
borrow. Lending guidelines typically include a
maximum housing expense to income ratio and a
maximum monthly
Qualifying Widow(Er) : the filing status used by a
Race n : a biological subspecies, or variety, that place at a set time and location.
consists of a more or less distinct population with Role n : the part a society expects an individual to
anatomical traits that distinguish it clearly from other play in a given status (e.g., child, wife, mother, aunt,
races. grandmother).
Racialism n : a relatively benign form of using
"racial" distinctions, such as skin color and facial
characteristics, for reference purposes.
Racism n : harmful prejudice, discrimination, and/or
persecution based on presumed ethnic/racial differences.
Raiding r : surprise predatory attacks directed against
other communities or societies.
Regional dialect : a dialect associated with a
geographically isolated speech community. An example
is the Texas in contrast to the upper midwestern
American dialect.
Religion n : a system of beliefs usually involving the
worship of supernatural forces or beings.
Revitalization movement : a millenarian movement in
which the followers focus on recreating and revitalizing
their indigenous culture in response to tremendous
pressure to acculturate to the culture of another society
that dominates them.
Rites of passage -ritual ceremonies intended to mark the
transition from one phase of life to another.
Rituals n : stylized and usually repetitive acts that take
Sexism n : discrimination based on gender.
Shaman n : a person who is not part of an organized
religion and is in direct contact with the spirit world,
usually through a trance state.
Shifting agriculture : the horticultural practice of
shifting from one field to another when crop production
drops due to the inevitable depletion of soil nutrients.
Siblings n : brothers or a sisters.
Small-scale farming-farming
using horticultural techniques.
Small-scale society-generally a society of a few dozen
to several thousand people who live by foraging wild
foods, herding domesticated animals, or non-
intensive horticulture on the band or village level.
Social dialect-a dialect spoken by a speech community
that is socially isolated from others.
Social velocity -the common social phenomenon in
which disruptive interpersonal conflicts increasingly
occur as the number of people in a society grows
Socialization n : the general process of acquiring
culture as you grow up in a society.
Society n : a group of interacting organisms.
Taboo : A norm so strongly held by a society that its
violation brings extreme disgust.
Tax Certificate : a certificate issued to the purchaser of
property at a tax sale that certifies the sale and entitles
the purchaser to a tax deed upon expiration of the period
for right of redemption if all taxes .
Term Insurance : insurance in effect for a set term
;specif : term life insurance at life insurance
Term n 1 : a specified period of time [the policy ] 2 :
the whole period for which an estate is granted ;also : the
estate itself 3 a : the period in which the powers of a
court may be ...
Terrorism : A politically motivated violent attack on
civilians by an individual or group.
Thomas Theorem : the theory espousing sociologist
W. I. Thomas’s idea that “if a person perceives a
situation as real, it is real in its consequences.”
Total Institution : According to Erving Goffman, a
highly standardized institution in which all the residents’
actions are determined and monitored by authority
figures.
Totalitarianism : A political system under which the
government maintains tight control over nearly all
aspects of citizens’ lives.
Traditional Authority : Authority that rests on well-
established cultural patterns, according to Weber’s
power theory.
Triad : According to Georg Simmel, a group
composed of three people.
Uncounseled : not provided with counsel : not
receiving the advice of counsel [an defendant]
Undercapitalized : having too little capital for efficient
operation [ companies]
Underinclusive
: not sufficiently inclusive : excluding something that
should be included ;specif : not affecting others similarly
situated with respect to the purpose of the law and esp.
in violation of equal ..
Undue Influence adj : improper influence that
deprives a person of freedom of choice or substitutes
another's choice or desire for the person's own compare
coercion, duress, necessity
Undue : not due : not yet payable [an bill] 2 :
exceeding or violating propriety or fitness [would
impose hardship on the debtors] [such a requirement
would place an burden on employers]
Unity n 1 : the quality or state of not being multiple :
the quality or state of being one, single, whole, or the
same [only if there is of ownership of the immovable
and movables] 2 : an aspect
Universal adj : in the civil law of Louisiana a :
encompassing or burdening all of one's property esp.
causa mortis [granted him a usufruct] see also universal
legacy at legacy compare universal title at title b
Unlawful Assembly : the offense of assembling with a
certain minimum number of others for the purpose of
engaging in a riot or other unlawful conduct that
threatens public safety, peace, or order ;also : a group so
Unlawful adj 1 : not lawful : not authorized or
justified by law 2 : acting contrary to or in defiance of
the law [an possessor]
Vague adj : characterized by such a lack of precision
that a person of ordinary intelligence would have to
guess if particular conduct is being proscribed
Value n : A culturally approved belief about what is
right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.
Victimless Crime : Crimes in which laws are violated
but there is no identifiable victim.
Violate : to go against (as a prohibition or principle) :
fail to observe or respect [ a law] [civil rights were
violated] [ due process]
Violent Felony : a crime consisting of conduct that
presents a serious risk of potential injury to another or
that is punishable by imprisonment for more than one
year
Voluntary Association : A group we choose to join, in
which members are united by the pursuit of a common
goal
Volunteer n : one that voluntarily undertakes
something ;esp : one who without request, obligation, or
an interest pays the debt of another and is denied
reimbursement from subrogation
Voodoism n : a religious cult, from Haiti, involving
witchcraft and sorcery
Vote n : a usually formal expression of opinion or will
in response to a proposed decision ;esp : one given as an
indication of approval or disapproval of a proposal War : Armed conflict between nations or societies.
Vouching-In : a common-law procedural device in Welfare Capitalism : A system that features a
which a defendant named in a lawsuit notifies another market-based economy coupled with an extensive
that he or she will look to the other for indemnity of an social welfare system that includes free health care and
adverse judgment education for all citizens.
White Collar : Middle-class workers; so called
because of the tendency of middle-class men to wear
white shirts to work.
White supremacy n : The ideology which holds
that the white race is superior to all others
White trash n : (context, US, idiom, pejorative) A
poorly educated white person with low moral and social
standards and very low social status.
Working class n 1 : The social class of those who
perform physical work for a living, as opposed to the
professional or middle class, the upper class, or others
2 : Relating to the working class; suggestive of the
working class in manner of speaking, outlook,
appearance or other qualities.
White-Collar Crime : Nonviolent crime committed
by the capitalist class during the course of their
occupations.
Working Class : The class composed of people who
sell their labor to a higher class. They may have had
vocational or technical training and have jobs such as
electrician or factory worker.
Working Poor : The class composed of people whose
work leaves them vulnerable to falling below the poverty
level.
Work-To-Rule : the practice of working to the
strictest interpretation of the rules as a job action
Xenocentrism : is the preference for the products,
styles, or ideas of someone else's culture rather than of
one's own.
Xenophobia : Often used interchangeably with the
term 'racism', xenophobia refers to an irrational fear or
hatred of anything strange or foreign. However it is not
considered a medical phobia and is instead regarded as
socio-political in nature.
Xenocurrency n : currency circulating or traded in
money markets of countries outside its country of issue.
Xenogenesis n 1 : the supposed production of
offspring completely unlike either parent 2 : another
name for abiogenesis, alternation of generations
Xenocentric adj : of, relating to, or advocating
xenocentrism
Xylolaters : Literally "wood worshipers." A
disrespectful term used to refer to Eastern Orthodox
believers who revered images and icons.
Xerxes : Xerxes was king of Persia in 485-465 BC.
The first part of his reign was marked by the famous
campaign into Greece, beginning in 483. After the defeat
at Salamis in 480 Xerxes himself withdrew from the
expedition and it was finally discontinued in the next
year.
Xenium : A present given to a guest or stranger, or to
a foreign ambassador.
Xenocracy : government by a body of foreigners
Xerophily : adaptation to very dry conditions
Yokel : a person who is not intelligent or interested
in culture
Yearning : prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
Yen : the basic unit of money in Japan; equal to 100
sen
Yahweh : A vocalization. favored by most
theologians, of the tetragammaton -- the name of God
("JHWH") found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament). An alternative pronunciation is Jehovah, a
popular name but one that was probably never used in
ancient times.
Yin and yang : A Taoist belief that the universe is
make up of pairs of opposing forces, like male and
female, positive and negative.
Yana : A Sanskrit word meaning vehicle, or path. It
is used in Buddhism to refer to a school or tradition of
Buddhist teaching. Yarmulke : A Jewish head
covering traditionally restricted to males. "...the Code of
Jewish Law says, 'It is forbidden to walk four cubits
without a head covering'." 1 Synonym: kippah (also
spelled "kippa")
Yiddish : A language primarily used by Jews in
Europe. It uses the Hebrew alphabet, and includes a
mixture of words from Hebrew, German and other
European languages.
Yeltsin : former Russian president
Yahrzeit : Jewish remembrance of the first
anniversary of someone's death
Zionism : Derived from "Zion," an ancient Hebrew
name for Jerusalem. Zionism is a movement created
during the 1860s and 1870s in Europe to create a
homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. Some
religious Zionists believe that this would fulfill biblical
prophecy and trigger the coming of the millennium and
the arrival of the Messiah.
Zoroastrianism : This religion was founded in
ancient Persia, perhaps during the sixth and seventh
century BCE.These include: heaven, hell, resurrection of
the body, the Messiah, final judgment, and the battle of
Armageddon.
Zabernism : misuse of military authority
Zaitech : investment in financial markets by a
company in order to boost profits
Zemirah : Hebrew religious song sung at Sabbath
meals
Zenana : system of segregating women away from
men in harems
Ziamet : large ancient Turkish fiefdom
Ziggurat : Mesopotamian step pyramid
Zoism : doctrine that life originates from a single
vital principle
Zygnomic : legally supported constraint on human
freedom