Final Exam Vocabulary Review

Agriculture

• the business of farming

alchemy

• A combination of science, magic, and philosophy that was practiced inmedieval times

Anti-Semitism

• prejudice toward Jews.

apprentice

•  A person who works for an expert in a trade or craft in a return for trainingA person who works for an expert in a trade or craft in a return for training

aristocracy

• a ruling class of noble families

barter

•  to buy and sell by trading goods and services rather than money.

Bubonic plague

• a deadly contagious disease caused by bacteria and spread by fleas

bureaucracy

• a highly organized body of workers with many levels of authority

caliph

•  a title taken by Muslim rulers who claimed religious authority to rule.

charter

• A written grant of rights and privileges by a ruler or government to acommunity, class of people or organization

chivalry

• the medieval knight's code of ideal behavior, including bravery, loyalty, andrespect for women.

commerce

• the buying and selling of goods

commoner

• a person who is not of noble rank

crusades

• a series of religious wars launched against Muslims by European Christians.

cultural diffusion

• the spread of cultural elements from one society to another

currency

• the form of money used in a country

domain

• the land controlled by a ruler or lord

elements of culture

• objects, ideas, and customs of a particular culture

excommunicate

• To formally deprive a person membership in a church

feudalism

• the economic and political system that developed in Europe during theMiddle Ages

fief

•  land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

genealogy

• an account of the line of ancestry within the family

griot

• A West African Story Teller

habeas corpus

• The principle that accused persons cannot be held in jail without the consentof a court.

heretic

• a person who holds beliefs that are contrary to the teachings of a church orother group

hierarchy

•  a system of organizing people into ranks, with those of higher rank havingmore power and privileges

imperial

• China under the rule of emperors

inoculate

• to protect against disease by transmitting a disease-causing agent to aperson, stimulating the body's defensive reactions

inquisition

• a judicial body established by the Catholic Church to combat heresy andother forms of religious error.

Jerusalem

• a sacred city to Muslims, Jews & Christians.

Magna Carta

• A written agreement from 1215 that limited the English king's power andstrengthened the rights of nobles.

manor

• a large estate, including farmland and villages, held by a lord

mass-produce

• to make similar items in quantity using standardized designs and dividinglabor among workers

matrilineal

• based on a woman's family line

meritocracy

• rule by officials of proven merit

millets

• communities can rule themselves under their own system of government

monarch

• A ruler, such as a king or queen

monotheism

• belief in a single God.

noble

• a person of high rank by birth or title

nomad

• A person who moves from place to place often in search of water andvegetation.

patrilineal

• based on a man's family line

persecute

• To cause a person to suffer because of his or her beliefs

philosophy

• The study of wisdom, knowledge, and the nature of reality.

pilgrimage

• a journey to a holy site

polytheist

• A person who believes in more than one God.

proverb

• A popular saying that is meant to express something wise or true.

province

• a division of a country or an empire.

regent

• one who rules in the name of another

relic

• an object that is considered holy because it belonged to, or was touched by,a saint or holy person

rhetoric

• the study of persuasive writing and speaking

schism

• a formal division in a church or religious body

scribe

• A person trained to write or copy documents by hand.

sedentary

• Permanently settled in one place. The person DOES NOT move from place to place.

segregation

• the forced separation of one group from the rest of a community

siege

• an attempt to surround a place and cut off all access to it in order to force asurrender

Silk Road

• Camel caravan routes crossing the deserts of Central Asia to Europe. Silkwas not the only thing traded along this route.

succession

• inheritance of the right to rule

sultan

• the sovereign ruler of a Muslim state

tribute

• a payment made by one ruler or country to another for protection or as a signof submission

truce

• an agreed-upon halt (stop) in fighting

urbanization

• the growth of cities

Kowtow

• When ambassadors from tributaries come before an emperor, they kneel beforehim three times and each time touch their heads to the floor.