This glossary was generated during a review of the first draft of the study and a second review for the curriculum, developed from the original study. A small group of teachers and pastors from a Philippine foundation of Christian schools selected the words. The list is not exhaustive but includes words that might present a challenge to some high school students. The form of the word in the list is the same form in which it is used in the lessons. Many definitions or parts thereof come from Meriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary or a paperback version of Webster’s dictionary. Phrases (typically involving science) are defined in general terms from a variety of online sources.

Abating:from the verb ‘abate,’ the process of decreasing, lessening, reducing, or shrinking.

Abiogenesis:a hypothetical phenomenon by which living organisms arise from nonliving matter.

Admonitions:the plural of admonition, which is cautionary advice, warning, reprimand, or urging about something.

Archaeological:related to or dealing with or devoted to archaeology, which is the study of ancient people and cultures. Archaeology has branches that extend into many disciplines. With a naturalistic world view, it includes the study of prehistoric man. With a biblical view, it is the study of early people and cultures since creation (no earlier than biblical creation or about 6000 years ago).

Arduous:attended with great effort or labor, something demanding effort to the point of exhaustion.

Artifacts:manmade object(s) taken.

Astrophysics:a branch of astronomy concerned with the physical and chemical properties of celestial bodies; the physics of the universe.

Authentication:noun form of the verb to authenticate, which means to prove or certify or verify truth.

Biomass:the amount of living matter in a volume or area.

Cataclysmic:adjective describing a momentous or violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval.

Catastrophe:a momentous or violent event, usually used in a tragic sense and typically widespread.

Cessation:a ceasing or stopping.

Climate:the overall or average weather conditions (such as temperature, humidity and precipitation) of a given region of the earth—or even the entire earth—over a period of time (commonly thirty years).

Conjecture:an inference or conclusion largely based on surmise or guesswork.

Constellations:patterns of stars in the night skies that are recognizable by the human eye.

Cosmology:a branch of philosophy dealing with origins of the universe.

Detrimental:harmful or damaging or contrary to an intended result.

Dictum:a noteworthy or authoritative statement based on principle, proposition, or strong opinion.

Dissipate:to cause to spread thin or scatter or vanish.

Extinction:the state or process of a species, family, or larger group dying out or disappearing.

Extrapolation:the noun version of extrapolate, which means to extend an estimate or trend based on a smaller subset of evidence.

Frontal boundaries:boundaries of regional weather changes typically accompanied with precipitation, wind or wind changes, changes in pressure, and changes in temperature; can extend for hundreds of miles and can have rapid motion over large areas (hundreds of miles per day).

Gene:the basic physical unit of heredity; carried on a chromosome.

Genetic code:a set of biochemical instructions (information) for the makeup and characteristics of a living thing—usually on a molecule called DNA. These are translated into a corresponding sequence of amino acids to synthesize proteins. These permit characteristics to be inherited by subsequent generations.

General relativity:—an intensively tested theory of Einstein on gravity in which mass warps spacetime. Its consequences include the bending of light by gravity, and the effects of gravity on time (used in GPS location technology).

Genocide:a willful and systematic destruction of people who are related by ethnic background, politics, or culture.

Genus:a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family; the plural form is genera.

Geology (adjective form: geologic):a science that deals with the history of the earth with respect to rocks; a study of the earth’s composition, structure, and physical properties.

Guyot:an underwater volcano with a flattened top.

Heavens:the expanse of space over the earth; in biblical terms, it can include atmosphere, outer space, and the place where God or spiritual beings dwell; the definition is usually dependent on the context in which it is used.

Humidity:the amount of moisture (water vapor or wetness) that is in a local area of atmosphere; it is usually expressed as a percentage of a maximum capacity, beyond which condensation (fog, dew, etc.) occurs.

Hypothesis:a tentative supposition or proposal that is usually subjected to testing and/or argument to verify or change it.

Immersed:past tense or adjectival form of the verb to immerse, which is the act of being covered quickly or submerged; it can refer to activity or thoughts dominating a person or people.

Inconsistency:a quality of state of being inconsistent or lacking coherence.

Innate:belonging to or determined by factors from birth; belonging to the essential or inherent nature of something.

Innocuous:producing no injury or having no effect; not likely to arouse strong feelings or cause an uproar.

Inquisitive:given to examination or investigation; inclined to ask questions or be curious.

Isotopes:any two or more species of atoms of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but differing numbers of neutrons despite having the same chemical properties—particularly a radioactive form of an element.

Lament:to express sorrow, mourning, or regret in a demonstrative way (by speech, writing, etc.).

Logic:reasoning conducted or tested by strict principles of validity.

Middle Ages:a period of European history from 500 to 1500 A.D.

Moraine:the piles of earth, rock, and debris pushed aside by glacial ice movement.

Mutation:a random alteration in the genetic code (DNA) of a living thing. Can be in any cell, but mostly refers to an inheritable change, i.e. in the DNA of a sperm or egg cell.

Natural selection:the observation that an organism better suited to reproduce (e.g. by being more likely to survive in a given environment) will be more likely to transmit its genes to future generations of a population. Thus, less suited organisms (and the genes that make them so) are weeded out.

Naturalistic:there is no supernatural; no God exists.

Nebular hypothesis:A conjecture that our solar system (the sun and the planets, moons, etc. orbiting it) supposedly condensed from a rotating cloud of dust and gas.

Pandemonium:extreme disorder, tumult, an uproar.

Permeate:to diffuse through, to spread throughout.

Phenomena:observable occurrences that are distinctive, set apart, or definable.

Planation surfaces:a geologic term for a large, level surface formed as consolidated sediment is planed flat by running water, hence they are covered by rounded rocks. They are found on all continents.

Plausible:believable or credible.

Pliable:flexible or movable; able to be bent.

Periodicity:a characteristic of recurring at regular intervals.

Precipitation:atmospheric fallout like rain or snow that comes from water condensation.

Predatory:preying upon other living organisms.

Predisposition:a preexisting inclination towards something. E.g. one might be predisposed to a particular belief, due to a slant or bias, or predisposed (susceptible) to a particular illness.

Preeminent:a chief or primary position; eminent above or before other things.

Prehistory:a supposed pre-man period (‘before history’) within a naturalistic, long-age view. Biblically, there is no ‘prehistory’ to speak of, since human history already starts at Day 6 of creation week.

Psychology:a discipline pertaining to mental states or processes.

Pyroclastic:an adjective that describes flows of hot gases, rock, and ash that are ejected from a volcano and combine with other earth products as they flow downhill.

Radiometric dating techniques:a method of seeking to calculate the ages of objects (generally rocks) by measurements of the ratios of isotopes related to radioactive decay and applying certain assumptions.

Ramifications:a development or consequence growing out of and sometimes complicating a problem, plan, or statement.

Ratio:a proportional relation; the magnitude of one number with respect to another.

Receding:the process of moving back or away or down.

Relinquished:past tense for the verb to relinquish, which is to give up, surrender, or abandon the right to or possession of something.

Repercussions:effects or consequences (usually unintended and/or negative) of a previous action(s) or event(s).

Rhetorical question:a question asked for effect not to elicit a reply.

Rudimentary:an adjective describing something as basic or involving fundamental principles.

Scarcity:a state of something hard to find because there is so little of it.

Scathing:an adjective describing a harsh comment or assessment.

Sedimentary:an adjective describing something (usually a rock layer) laid down by a moving fluid (usually water, but may be air or volcanic gas e.g.).

Sophistication:the noun of sophisticated = having a high degree of complexity or intricacy, i.e. not simple, advanced. (Applied to people, sophisticated can have a different meaning referring to worldly experience or complex vocabulary, etc.).

Spontaneous generation:a conjecture that life could arise from non-life without intelligence. In earlier times, it was believed that microbes arose like this in decaying meat or fermenting wine, or mice from wheat and old rags. When referring to the evolutionary idea that chemicals spontaneously generated the first living thing, that then evolved into all life, the term abiogenesis (see earlier) is usually used.

Stellar:of or consisting of stars; the astronomical meaning has been extended to other things to indicate something with lofty or excellent qualities.

Succinct:very brief and clear.

Tectonics:a branch of geology that studies large-scale movement of earth’s crust.

Topography:detailed mapping of earth surface features; relief features of a surface region of the earth.

Unfathomable:an adjective to describe something that is not definable, or too deep to understand.

Vegetation:all the plants or plant life of a place; a process of vegetating.