Glossary

terror

(tair-ur) n. To feel terror means to have much fear. The frightened man runs away from the bear in terror.

• theme

(thēm) n. A theme is the main message of a story. The theme of the school play is to always ask for help when you need it.

tomb

(tüm) n. A tomb is a grave, or a special place for the body of a dead person. The inside of the tomb looked almost like someone’s living room.

• topic

(tah-pik) n. A topic is the subject of a piece of writing or of a discussion. Meg’s teacher said the topic for the day was how to write complete sentences.

track

(trak) n. A track is a footprint or a mark left by something as it moves over a surface. When you look at animal tracks, you can tell what kind of animal was in the area.

• tradition

(tru-di-shun) n. A tradition is an activity or belief that people share for many years. It is a tradition for our family to celebrate Kwanzaa every December.

travel

(tra-vul) v. To travel means to go from one place to another place. People can travel over land by car, train, or wagon.

treasure

(tre-zhur) n. A treasure is something very special and important. The old gold coins are part of a famous treasure.

treat

(trēt) v. When you treat something, you change it. You can use a special cleaner to treat a stain on clothing.

U

understand

(un-dur-stand) v. To understand something is to know it well. A teacher understands a math problem can explain it to the students.

unit

(yū-nit) n. A unit is a certain amount used in measuring. An inch is a common unit used to measure small objects.

universe

(yū-nu-vurs) n. The universe is everywhere and includes Earth, all other planets, and all stars.

untouched

(un-tucht) adj. Something that is untouched is not changed or hurt in any way. Few areas of the world have been untouched by humans.

useless

(yūs-lus) adj. If something is useless, it is of no use. A broken cell phone is useless.

V

value

(val-yū) n. A value is something that people care about. Respect is an important value in Japan.

• vary

(vair-ē) v. To vary means to be different from others. Snowflakes vary from one another so that no two are alike.

village

(vi-lij) n. A village is a very small town. Not many people live in farming villages, where homes are separated by large areas of land.

violent

(vī-u-lunt) adj. Something that is violent uses force. Violent storms like tornadoes can damage buildings and kill people.

volcano

(vol-kā-nō) n. A volcano is an opening in Earth from which lava, ash, and steam escape. The state of Hawaii has several volcanoes.

W

warning

(wor-ning) n. A warning is a sign that something bad may happen. The road sign gives us a warning that a railroad crossing is ahead.

wasted

(wāst-ud) adj. Something that is wasted is not needed. Food that you throw away instead of eating is wasted.

whisper

(whis-pur) v. To whisper means to speak very quietly. I whisper the secret to my friend so no one else can hear.

worry

(wur-ē) v. To worry about something means to feel unhappy and afraid about what may happen. People often worry when they are late.

wreck

(rek) n. A wreck is what is left after a crash. A shipwreck is a broken ship that crashed.