Glossary

erase

(e-rās) v. When you erase something, you make it go away. We can erase mistakes when we write.

essential

(e-sen-shul) adj. Something that is essential is needed for survival. Food and water are essential for living beings.

• establish

(es-tab-lish) v. To establish something is to start it. My friends and I established a yearly food collection for families in need.

• evaluate

(i-val-yū-wāt) v. To evaluate is to decide on the quality of something. The test will evaluate how well the students are doing.

• evidence

(e-vi-dents) n. Evidence can be beliefs, proof, facts, or details that help support a conclusion. The police need evidence to solve the crime.

excessive

(ik-ses-iv) adj. When something is excessive, it is too much. That is an excessive number of pancakes for one person.

expectation

(eks-pek-tā-shun) n. An expectation is something you look forward to or have ideas about. We had great expectations about our project.

expedition

(eks-pe-dish-un) n. An expedition is a trip or journey made for a particular purpose. The explorer led an expedition through the desert.

experience

(eks-pēr-ē-ens) v. To experience something is to go through it yourself. My first experience on a roller coaster was scary but fun.

• expert

(eks-purt) n. An expert is a person who knows a lot about a subject. A ranger is an expert about wildlife in the area.

explorer

(eks-plor-er) n. An explorer goes to a place that is new to him or her to find information about it. Astronauts are explorers of our universe.

extinct

(eks-stingt) adj. Something that is extinct is no longer living. The dodo bird became extinct because people hunted too many over time.

F

• feature

(fē-chur) n. Features of something are its parts or details. Some of the features of Earth’s surface include mountains, lakes, and trees.

• focus

(fō-kus) v. When you focus on something, you pay attention to it. You must focus all your attention to hear what the speaker is saying.

forbid

(for-bid) v. To forbid means to order not to do something. The sign forbids anyone to swim in this area.

fortune

(for-chun) n. A fortune is a large amount of money or a lot of good things. The woman worked hard to earn her fortune.

founder

(fown-der) n. A founder is a person who starts something. My uncle is the founder of his own company.

frustration

(frus-trā-shun) n. When you feel frustration, you feel angry because you cannot do something. If you do not understand your homework, you may feel frustration.

furious

(fyur-ē-us) adj. Someone who is furious is very angry. The man was furious when his car was hit.

G

gene

(jēn) n. A gene is a physical unit that controls what a living cell is like. The color of your hair depends on your genes.

government

(guv-urn-ment) n. A government is a group of people who are in charge of a country, state, or city. The U.S. government is run by many people.

grief

(grēf) n. To feel grief is to feel very sad. My friend felt grief when her dog died.

H

habitat

(hab-i-tat) n. A habitat is the place where a plant or an animal naturally lives. The habitat of polar bears is the cold Arctic.

hesitant

(hez-i-tunt) adj. A hesitant person feels unsure, or not ready to do something. The boy was hesitant to pet the rabbit for fear that it would bite.

humanity

(hū-man-i-tē) n. Humanity is kindness and caring about the suffering of others. Firefighters show humanity by doing what they must to save others.

I

• identify

(ī-den-ti-fī) v. When you identify something, you name it or tell what it is. Can you identify which jacket is yours?

ignore

(ig-nor) v. To ignore means to pay no attention to something. It is best to ignore people who are bullies.

• Academic Vocabulary