Unit 1 Vocab Guide
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP1Key Unit VocabularyThis report provides a summary of key vocabulary for this unit. For each word, you will find the definition, part of speech, word forms (plurals/tenses), synonyms, and examples of how the word, or forms of the word, are used in a sentence.belief system• a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral codePart of speech:nounWord forms:belief systemsSynonyms:value systemIn a sentence:Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity were some of the major belief systems in the thirteenth century.Buddhism• a spiritual philosophy and religion, founded in the sixth century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama and widespread in Asia, that teaches release from the self and from one’s earthly desiresPart of speech:proper nounWord forms:BuddhistSynonyms:In a sentence:Buddhism originated in India and spread to Asia via merchants and believers.bureaucracy• an organized group of hired officials, especially governmentalPart of speech:nounWord forms:bureaucracies, bureaucraticSynonyms:officeIn a sentence:Chinese emperors created a large bureaucracy to help the government function efficiently.caliphate• state ruled by a caliph, a Muslim ruler who is both the ruler of a state and the leader of an entire ummah (an Arabic word referring to the entire Muslim community)Part of speech:nounWord forms:caliphatesSynonyms:In a sentence:The conquests of the early caliphates spread Islam across Afro-Eurasia.causation• the act or process of causing (to make happen; creating or influencing)Part of speech:nounWord forms:cause, causes, causalitySynonyms:reason, motivation, sourceIn a sentence:When looking through articles about the fall of the Han, you want to focus on causation as well as long-term effects.
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP2Christianity• a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.Part of speech:proper nounWord forms:ChristianismSynonyms:In a sentence:Christianity became the dominant faith in European kingdoms after the fall of Rome.claim testers• strategies to decide whether a story or concept should or should not be trustedPart of speech:nounWord forms:claim tester, claim testingSynonyms:In a sentence:The four strategies for testing a claim that we use in World History are intuition, authority, logic, and evidence.Confucianism• the ethical teachings of Confucius, which emphasize reverence for ancestors, devotion to family and friends, cultivation and discipline of the mind, and social responsibilityPart of speech:nounWord forms:ConfucianistSynonyms:In a sentence:The Chinese dynasty implemented Confucianism throughout the country.consequence• that which follows; resultPart of speech:nounWord forms:consequences, consequentlySynonyms:result, effect, outcomeIn a sentence:A direct consequence of the Black Death was an extreme loss of life.contextualize• to put into a context, or provide a context for; context = the set of circumstances or events in which a particular event occurs; situationPart of speech:verbWord forms:contextualizes, contextualizing, contextualized, contextualizationSynonyms:research, considerIn a sentence:When I contextualize my grandmother’s decision and consider the difficult circumstances she was in, I can sympathize with her better.
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP3continuity• things that are constant over time; something in an uninterrupted statePart of speech:nounWord forms:continuities, continual, continuous, continuanceSynonyms:cohesionIn a sentence:The film’s story line lacks continuity, so I was often confused about what was going on.dynasty• a succession, lasting several generations, of rulers from the same family or groupPart of speech:nounWord forms:dynasties, dynastic, dynasticallySynonyms:empire, regimeIn a sentence:The 800-year dynasty came to an end when rebel forces attacked the royal palace, killing the last of the imperial family.evidence• knowledge on which to base belief; that which constitutes proof of somethingPart of speech:nounWord forms:evident, evidenced, evidential, evidentlySynonyms:demonstration, proof, testimony, indicationIn a sentence:Scientists have been searching for evidence of life on distant planets.feudalism• a system of economic and political organization, as in Europe in the medieval period, in which landholding lords granted lands to vassals in return for service and homagePart of speech:nounWord forms:feudalist, feudalisticSynonyms:manorialismIn a sentence:In Japan, feudalism allowed for local rulers and military warlords to gain control and, in some cases, exert more influence than the government.hajj• the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim is expected to make at least once during Dhul al-HijjahPart of speech:nounWord forms:Synonyms:pilgrimageIn a sentence:One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the hajj, or the journey to Mecca.
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP4hierarchy• a body of persons or entities graded according to rank or level of authorityPart of speech:nounWord forms:hierarchies, hierarchicalSynonyms:ranking, classificationIn a sentence:Rigid social hierarchies existed in some early societies where the wealthy outranked the poor.innovation• the act of proposing or implementing a new method, approach, idea, or the likePart of speech:nounWord forms:Innovations, innovative, innovatorSynonyms:Improvement, modernizationIn a sentence:The innovation of brilliant minds is what grants humanity amazing technology such as space flight or the Internet.Islam• a monotheistic religion based on the teaching of the prophet Muhammad as set forth in the Qur’anPart of speech:proper nounWord forms:IslamicSynonyms:In a sentence:Islam is similar to Christianity and Judaism and thus Muslims refer to Christians and Jews as “people of the book”.Judaism• a monotheistic religion based on the spiritual and ethical principles in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Talmud Part of speech:proper nounWord forms:JudaistSynonyms:In a sentence:Judaism traces its origins to Abraham and the belief in one god.matrilineal• pertaining to tracing one’s heritage and ancestry through the mother’s familyPart of speech:adjectiveWord forms:Synonyms:In a sentence:I followed my matrilineal line back four generations, all the way to my great-great grandmother.
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP5narrative• an account, description, or story, or the oral or written work containing such materialPart of speech:nounWord forms:narratives, narration, narratively, narrational, narratorSynonyms:account, narration, story, taleIn a sentence:We listened to our grandfather’s narrative of his time in the war until late into the night.perspective• a visual or mental view, as of a scene or a subject and the interrelationships of its parts or factsPart of speech:nounWord forms:perspectives, perspectivalSynonyms:point of view, viewpoint, mindsetIn a sentence:Kelly’s perspective on the new soccer team was biased because she used to play on the old one.polytheistic• the belief in more than one godPart of speech:adjectiveWord forms:polytheist, polytheisticallySynonyms:In a sentence:Christianity is not a polytheistic religion because it only accepts the existence of one god.ritual• an established and prescribed procedure for a ceremony, especially a religious onePart of speech:nounWord forms:rituals, ritualisticSynonyms:ceremony, custom, practiceIn a sentence:Drinking sips of rice wine is part of the traditional marriage ritual in Japan.scale• the degree, extent, or level of somethingPart of speech:nounWord forms:scales, scalarSynonyms:size, extentIn a sentence:It is hard to imagine the sheer scale of the universe when we only live on a blip of a planet.
UNIT 1 VOCABULARYWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP6serf• agricultural laborers who cannot leave their land and are heavily taxed by a lord or kingPart of speech:nounWord forms:serfs, serfdomSynonyms:In a sentence:The serfs banned together to revolt against their cruel lord.sourcing• the act of understanding who wrote a document, where they wrote it, and why they wrote it, for the purposes of analysis or interpretationPart of speech:nounWord forms:source, sourcesSynonyms:contextualizationIn a sentence:Sourcing is crucial when writing a research essay because you want to understand the goals, purpose, and perspectives of your sources, not simply just what they’ve written.state• the population of a specific area unified under a single governmentPart of speech:nounWord forms:statesSynonyms:nationIn a sentence:The leaders of many foreign states will attend the meeting.tribute• payment given by a subordinate person or power to a dominant one, or an obligation to do soPart of speech:nounWord forms:tributarySynonyms:taxIn a sentence:The Korean king paid an annual tribute to the Ming emperor of China.