Listed below is a collection of some of the most important science vocabulary words used in our class. This page is updated periodically, so be sure to refresh your browser every now and then. If you don’t see a word you are looking for, try visiting Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary (a dictionary for younger science students) or any of the online dictionaries recommended by Dr. Merritt.
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T
- TERTIARY CONSUMER: an animal that feeds mainly on secondary consumers in a food chain or web.
- TESTA (or SEED COAT): the outermost layer of a seed. It helps protect the inner part of the seed from other living organisms (e.g., insects and bacteria) and non-living factors (e.g., cold temperatures).
- TEETH: each of a set of hard, bony enamel-coated structures in the jaws of most vertebrates (animal with backbones), used for biting and chewing.
- TISSUE: an ensemble (aggregate, assemblage) of similar cells from the same origin that together carry out a specific function. Different types of tissues can be found in both animals and plants.
- TONGUE: the fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech.
- TREND: a general direction in which something is developing or changing.
- TRUE LEAVES: usually green, flattened structures attached to a stem and functioning as a place where photosynthesis and transpiration occurs in most plants.
U
- ULTRAVIOLET (UV)
- URANIUM
- USABLE ENERGY: energy able to be used by (for example) humans, mushrooms, bacteria, plants, machines, etc. to do work, to make things happen, to cause changes. Energy that is not usable is called unusable energy.
V
- VACUOLE: a space or vesicle within the cytoplasm of a cell, enclosed by a membrane and typically containing fluid. Present in all plant and fungal cells, and in some protist, animal, and bacteria cells, vacuoles typically contain water molecules and other types of molecules (e.g., food molecules, waste molecules, etc.).
- VECTOR
- VEIN (leaf): tube-like structures extending from the petiole into the blade which help transport water and nutrients between the leaf and the stem. Veins play an important role in photosynthesis and supporting the shape/structure of the leaf.
- VELOCITY
- VOLUME: the amount of space occupied by a substance or object. Or, the amount of space enclosed within a container.
- VOLT
- VOLTAGE
- VOLTMETER
ABCD | EFG | HIJK | LMNOP | QRS | TUV | WXY&Z | 123s | Roots
Last updated: October 2020
