5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
2012-2013 School Year
Science Terms, Definitions and Pictures
A
Analyze – Look at closely and carefully.
Accurate – Correct; true.
Aquarium – A plastic or glass container filled
with water, fish, and other aquatic animals.
Adaptation – An inherited trait or learned
behavior that helps an organism survive in its
surroundings.
Atom – What all matter is made of.
Adult – A fully grown organism that can
reproduce.
Air Pressure – A force applied by the weight
of air.
Alternative Energy Resource – Energy
generated by natural processes that is
renewable.
Axis – A line, real or imaginary, around which
something spins.
B
Beach Erosion – The removal of
beach materials into the sea or
lakes by the action of waves, tides,
or wind.
Beaker – Cylinder shaped glass container
used to mix or heat liquids.
5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Biofuel – Fuel made from plants, animal
wastes, and decomposing plant and animal
tissue.
Birth – The beginning of life.
Boiling Point – The temperature at which a
substance changes states from a liquid to a
gas (the boiling point of water is 100° Celsius).
Camouflage – Characteristics that blend in
with the surrounding environment and increase
chances of survival.
Canyon – A deep gorge in the surface of Earth
formed by the erosion of moving water and
sand.
Carbon Cycle – The movement of carbon on
Earth by the processes of respiration and
photosynthesis.
Bubble – Gas or air in a liquid.
Buoyancy – The upward force placed on an
object by a liquid.
Carbon Dioxide – A gas produced by animals
during respiration that plants use to make food,
water and oxygen.
C
Calculator – A device that performs math
problems with numbers entered by hand.
Career – Occupation requiring
special skills or training.
Carnivore – An animal that gets energy by
eating only other animals.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Carrying Capacity – The population size an
environment can feed and support.
Classify – Group together based on similar
traits.
Celsius – A temperature scale that sets the
freezing point of water at 0° and the boiling
point at 100°.
Clay – Thick, heavy, and sticky soil made of
tiny pieces of minerals.
Change – To make or become different.
Change of State – To change from a solid,
liquid, or gas to another state, such as an ice
cube melting.
Climate – Average weather conditions of a
region year after year.
Closed Circuit – A pathway that allows an
electric current to flow freely.
Cold Front - The location where a cold air
mass is replacing a warm air mass.
Characteristic - A trait or feature that cannot
be changed.
Combine – To mix together.
Chart – A picture that uses symbols to
represent data.
Community – A group of living things sharing
an environment.
Chemist – A person who uses scientific
methods to study matter.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Compass – An instrument that uses a small
magnet to shows the directions North (N),
South (S), East (E), and West (W).
Complete Metamorphosis – A type
of development consisting of four
distinct stages – egg, larva, pupa,
and adult.
Conservation – The wise use and protection
of natural resources. To protect and avoid
wasteful and destructive use.
Constant – Not changing; the same.
Compost – Plant remains that decay and are
recycled as fertilizer.
Consumer – An organism that gets energy by
eating other organisms.
Concentration – The amount of substance in
a liquid.
Craters – Bowl-shaped indents or cavities on
the surface of a planet, moon, or asteroid that
are caused by a collision with another object,
such as a meteorite.
Conclusion – An explanation based on your
observation or measurement.
Condensation – Physical change in matter
from a gas to a liquid.
Conductor – Material that allows electric
current or heat energy to flow through easily.
Critical Thinking – Looking very closely at all
parts before drawing a conclusion.
Critique – Identify the problems and
successes with an investigation and suggest
solutions for improvement.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
D
Data – Information collected during an
experiment.
Day – The time during rotation when Earth
faces the Sun, and it is lighted; this rotation
gives the false appearance that the Sun travels
from East to West across the sky.
Deposition – The build up of land by
depositing sediment and soil in a new location.
Direct Evidence – Evidence that comes from
your measurements, tests, or observations.
Direction – The line or course along which
something is moving.
Discovery – Something new that is learned.
Decay – To rot and break down into small
parts.
Disperse – Scatter or send in several different
directions.
Decomposer – An organism that gets energy
by eating dead organisms, nonliving materials
or waste.
Disposal – Getting rid of; throwing away.
Delta – A triangle-shaped (deposit)
landform at the mouth of a river as
it empties into another body of
water.
Dissect – Cut open to observe.
Density – The mass of an object in liquid.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Dissolve – Melt, make a solution out of, or turn
into a liquid.
Egg – The first stage in the life cycle
of many organisms, including birds,
amphibians, reptiles, fish, and
insects.
Electric Circuit – The pathway through which
electrical current flows.
Diverse – Having a variety of many
different types.
E
Earth – A planet in the Solar System that
supports life.
Electric Current – The flow of electricity
around a circuit.
Electrical Circuit – The pathway through
which electrical current flows.
Earth’s Crust – Outer layer of Earth’s surface
that is made of rock and is several miles deep.
Earthquake – A sudden release of energy
under Earth’s surface that makes the ground
shake or crack.
Electric Energy – Energy
produced by the movement of
electrons.
Electrical Energy – Energy
produced by the movement of
electrons.
Electromagnetism – Magnetism created by
an electric current; examples are MRI and
electric motor.
Ecosystem – A community of living and
nonliving things in their natural environment.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Electron – Tiny particles in an atom that have
a negative charge.
Erosion – The movement of weathered
material on Earth’s surface by wind, water, or
ice.
Elodea – An aquatic plant.
Erupt – To break open in a sudden and violent
manner.
Emergency – An event that requires
immediate action or assistance.
Evaluate – To compare the actual
outcome of the experiment (results)
with your predicted outcome
(hypothesis).
Evaporation – Physical change in matter from
a liquid to a gas.
Energy – What is needed to do work or cause
change.
Evidence – A sign of proof; figures,
numbers, data, and logic.
Energy Efficient – Uses less energy
to produce results.
Environment – The living and nonliving things
that are around an organism.
Explanation – A reason, cause, or an answer.
Environmentally Friendly – Does not damage
the physical, chemical, and biological factors in
which a living organism or community exists.
Eye/Face Wash Station – Structure that
flushes the eyes and face with water to remove
chemicals, debris, or irritants.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
F
Fire Blanket – A blanket made of speciallytreated fabric that is used if clothing catches
fire.
Fire Extinguisher – A piece of
equipment that sprays chemicals to
put out uncontrollable fires.
Flow – To move or travel smooth in a certain
direction.
Food Chain – The path of food
energy from one organism to another
in an ecosystem.
Food Web – A connection of food
chains with many food energy paths in
an ecosystem.
Fossil – Preserved parts or traces of animals
and plants that lived in the past.
Fossil Fuel – Nonrenewable flammable
material (coal, oil, natural gas) made from the
remains of plants and animals buried in Earth’s
crust that is used to produce heat and power.
Freezing Point – The temperature at which a
substance changes states from a liquid to a
solid (freezing point of water is 0° Celsius).
Freshwater – Water found in lakes, rivers, and
streams that does not contain salt.
Friction – A force that slows or stops motion
when objects rub together.
Force – A push or pull that causes an object to
move, stop, or change direction.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
G
Generalization – A rule or pattern based on
limited proof.
Generation – The lifespan of an
organism.
Graph – A drawing that shows two or more
types of data are related.
Gravity – A natural force that causes two
objects to pull toward each other depending on
their mass and the distance between them.
Green – Friendly to the environment.
Geothermal – Energy that comes from the
natural heat inside the Earth.
Global Warming – A rise in the
average temperatures of Earth’s air
and oceans.
Goggles – An accessory that protects eyes
from chemical or biological splatters and spills.
H
Habitat – The place or environment in which
an organism naturally lives.
Heat Energy – Energy that causes a
change in temperature between
materials.
Graduated Cylinder – A container
used to measure volume of liquids.
Herbivore – An animal that gets energy by
eating only plants.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Heredity – The passing of traits from parent to
offspring during reproduction.
I
Illuminate – Light up.
Hibernation – When an animal becomes still
in an enclosed space and reduces bodily
functions to save energy.
Illustrate – Make clear or draw a picture of.
Humidity – The amount of water vapor in the
air.
Impact – Direct effect or change on.
Imprint – A mark or depression
made by pressure.
Humus – Decayed plant and animal remains.
Incomplete Metamorphosis – A type of
development consisting of three stages – eggs,
nymph, and adult.
Hydroelectricity – Electricity made from the
energy of moving or falling water.
Hypothesis – An educated guess about the
outcome of an investigation that can be tested.
Indirect Evidence – Evidence based on an
inference.
Inertia – The property of an object that resists
movement by force.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Inference – An explanation based on what you
already know or what you have seen.
Kinetic Energy – Energy in motion.
Ingredient – A single part of a mixture or
solution.
Inherited Trait – A characteristic that is
passed from parents to offspring during
reproduction.
L
Laboratory Apron – A garment that protects
clothing from chemical or biological splatters
and spills.
Insulator – Material that slows down or stops
electric current or heat from flowing.
Landfill – A location for the disposal of waste.
Investigation – The search for an answer to a
question.
Landform – Features on the surface of Earth
such as mountains, hills, dunes, oceans, and
rivers.
K
Landslide – The rapid falling of Earth’s
materials down a slope.
Kaleidoscope – A tube that contains three
mirrors that reflect many different designs of
light passing through a colored disk on top.
Larva – The stage of Complete
Metamorphosis during which the
organism resembles a worm.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Laser – A device that gives off a very
strong and directed beam of light.
Lava – The extremely hot, molten rock that is
blown through a crack in the Earth’s surface
when a volcano erupts.
Learned Behavior – Animal behavior that
develops from observation or instruction rather
than being passed down by heredity.
Light Spectrum – The small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye
can see; violet, blue, cyan, green, yellow,
orange, and red.
Limitation – When a model cannot
be an exact representation of the
object’s size or detail.
Liquid – Shapeless substance that flows like
water and is wet.
Living Elements – A part of
the ecosystem like a plant or
animal that requires energy to
survive and has basic needs
that must be met.
Lens – A clear piece of curved glass or plastic
that bends passing light to focus or spread the
light rays.
Logical – Expected to happen.
Life Cycle – The stages in an organism’s life
from birth to death.
M
Light Energy – Radiant energy
that our eyes can see from the
visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum.
Magma – Hot, melted rock that is
below the Earth’s surface.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Magnetism – The property of attraction to a
magnet.
Melt – Change in matter from a solid to a
liquid.
Magnify – Increase in size, power, or
importance.
Map – A visual representation of an area.
Mass – The amount of matter in an object.
Melting Point – The temperature at
which a substance changes states
from a solid to a liquid.
Microscope – An instrument that uses
a lens to make tiny things look larger.
Migration – The seasonal movement of
animals from one place to another.
Mimicry – The resemblance of an
organism to another organism or to
its surroundings that gives it a
better chance of survival.
Matter – Anything that has mass and takes up
space.
Mirror – Any object that has a reflective
surface.
Measurement – The process of using tools to
observe an object’s physical properties like
mass, volume, temperature, etc.
Mixture – A combination of two or more
substances where each keep their own
properties and can be easily separated.
Mechanical Energy – Energy
produced by a machine or moving
part.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Model – A limited representation
of an object used to help us
understand its structure or how it
works. (Space): A copy of
something that represents it so we can study it.
Niche – The role an organism plays in its
environment.
Night – The time during its rotation when Earth
faces away from the Sun, and it is dark; this
rotation gives the false appearance that stars
move across the sky.
Moon – A natural satellite that
orbits a planet. Some planets
have no moons; others have over
60 moons.
Moon Phase – What the Moon looks like at
different times of the month.
Nocturnal – Active at night.
Movement – A change in position or location.
Nonliving Element – A part of the ecosystem
that is not living, such as sunlight, air (includes
oxygen and carbon dioxide), water, rocks, and
soil.
N
Natural Gas – A flammable material, without a
definite form, produced from organic materials
(remains of marine organisms) buried under
layers of sediment found near oil deposits.
Nonrenewable Resource – Materials from the
Earth that cannot be replaced within a
reasonable amount of time; for example, oil,
coal, and natural gas.
Natural Resource – Materials
in the environment that are
useful to people.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Nymph – The stage of Incomplete
Metamorphosis during which an insect eats
and grows and resembles a smaller version of
the adult.
Orbit – The path one object takes as it
revolves around another object in space.
Organic Matter – The waste and
remains of plants and animals.
O
Organism – A living thing.
Ocean – One of five large bodies of
salt water that cover 75% of Earth.
Oxygen – A gas produced by plants during
photosynthesis that animals use for respiration.
Offspring – New organisms that come from
parents that have reproduced.
Oil – A flammable liquid
produced from organic matter
(remains of marine organisms)
buried under layers of sediments
for millions of years.
Omnivore – An animal that gets energy by
eating both plants and animals.
P
Pan Balance – A two-sided instrument that
measures the mass of a solid substance.
Pattern – A design or form that is repeated.
Open Circuit – A pathway that prevents
electric current from flowing freely or stops the
flow.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Pendulum – A weight suspended
from a string that swings freely.
Planet – A sphere made of rocks and gases
that orbits a star.
Perish – Die.
Plants – A living organism that uses sunlight to
make its own food.
Phenomenon – Something that happens or is
sensed.
Pollen – A fine, powdery substance transferred
between certain plants during reproduction.
Photosynthesis – The process where plants
use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to
produce sugar and release oxygen.
Physical Change – Make different without
changing what the material is made of, such
as: cutting, folding, melting.
Physical State – The
classification of matter as a
solid, a liquid, or a gas.
Pollution – Materials introduced into an
environment that cause damage, discomfort, or
instability.
Population – All the living things that belong to
the same group and live in the same area.
Position – Where an object is located in
space.
Physical States of Matter – The classification
of matter as a solid, liquid, or a gas.
Pitch – The speed of vibration.
Potential Energy – Energy that is stored.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Precipitation – Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that
falls from clouds in the sky.
Producer – An organism that uses sunlight to
make its own food for energy.
Predator – An organism that hunts and feeds
on another organism.
Property (Properties) Appearances of an object
including: mass, magnetism,
physical state, relative density,
solubility, and the ability to
insulate or conduct heat or electricity
Prediction – An idea about what the
outcome of an investigation will be.
Protective Gloves – An accessory that
protects hands from heat, chemical and
biological splatters, and spills.
Pressure – The action of force by one
object against another (in a geyser, hot
water escapes from the pressure from
under layers of Earth’s crust).
Prey – An animal that is hunted as food.
Pupa – The stage of Complete
Metamorphosis during which the
organism seems to be at rest, and new
body parts are forming.
Prism – An object made of clear plastic or
glass that bends light rays.
R
Problem Solving – Finding an answer
or solution.
Recycle – Changing waste into a new and
useable product.
Procedure – A planned set of steps.
Reduce – Lowering the amount
of waste produced by a person
or whole society.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Respiration – A process by which animals use
oxygen and food to make energy and carbon
dioxide.
Reflection – Energy waves bouncing off the
surface of an object (mirrors or echoes return
energy back to their source)
Retain – To hold within, as soil does with
water.
Refraction – Energy waves that bend (change
direction and speed) as they pass from one
type of object to another type.
Reuse – Using a product more than once.
Relative Density – Objects that are more
dense sink in water; less dense objects float in
water.
Rotation – A 24-hour period, or the
time it takes Earth to make one
complete rotation on its axis.
S
Renewable Resource – Materials from the
Earth that can be replaced by nature within a
relatively short period of time; example: trees.
Safety – Prevention against hurt,
injury, or loss.
Represent – Stand in for or symbolize.
Safety Shower – Structure that
rinses contaminants from the body.
Reproduction – The act of
making something new.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Saltwater – Water found in oceans (and a few
lakes) that contain 3-4% salt.
Sand Dune – Hills formed by the wind blowing
sand.
Scientist – A person who uses
scientific methods to study an object.
Shadow – A dark area caused
when an object blocks light falling
on a surface.
Shape – The outline or form of an object.
Sieve – Tool used to separate smaller from
bigger pieces in a mixture.
Season – Several months during the year that
have similar weather.
Soil – Mixture of rock, plant, and animal
remains and minerals; dirt.
Sediment – Small pieces of rock.
Solar – Energy produced by the Sun.
Sedimentary Rock – Rock made of layers of
compressed organic and inorganic sediments.
Separate – To pick out one group of
materials from another.
Solar Energy – Energy that comes from the
Sun.
Solar System – The Sun and the eight planets
that revolve around it.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Solid – A firm or hard substance with no holes
or spaces.
Stage – A specific time during life or growth.
Solubility – Measurement of the ability of a
solid to dissolve in a liquid.
Sun – The star at the center of the
Solar System that provides heat
and light to Earth; its enormous
gravity keeps the Solar System in orbit.
Solution – A mixture of one substance
dissolved evenly in another.
Sundial – Instrument that measures the time
of day by using the position of the Sun.
Surface – The outermost covering or layer.
Sound Energy – Energy produced from
vibration that you can hear.
Survive – Stay alive or stay with.
Species – A group of organisms with similar
characteristics that allow them to reproduce.
Swing – Move through an arc back and forth.
Sphere – A three-dimensional ball.
System – Organized parts that form a
unified whole.
Spring Scale – An instrument that measures
Earth’s gravitational pull on an object.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
water in the ocean that is caused by gravity.
T
Table – Data presented in rows and columns.
Time Line – Lists important events and the
date they happened.
Telescope – An instrument that
uses mirrors and/or lenses to
gather and focus light from objects
far away.
Tool – An object that helps you do
work.
Temperature – How hot or cold something is.
Trait – A characteristic of an organism.
Terrarium – A plastic or glass container in
which plants grow.
Trend – The direction in which something
tends to move toward.
Texture – What the surface or body looks and
feels like.
Trial – A repeat of an observation or test.
Thermal Energy – Energy that causes a
change in heat/temperature between materials.
Triple Beam Balance – A tool used to
measure mass that features three beams with
sliding masses.
Thermometer – A tool that
measures temperature.
Tide – The rise and fall of the
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Typical – Usual; average.
Waste – Without any use or benefit.
Water – Colorless, odorless, and tasteless
liquid that all living things need to survive.
V
Variable – A factor that can change in an
experiment.
Water Cycle – The changes to water when it
evaporates into the air, condenses into clouds,
and then precipitates back down to Earth’s
surface.
Vibration – Rapid movement back and forth.
Waves – Moving ridges of water on the surface
of the ocean caused by wind.
Volcano – Created from the mixture of molten
lava, ash, and gases from the middle of Earth
that erupts through a crack in Earth’s surface.
Weather – Describes the condition of the air
outdoors, such as temperature, cloud cover,
wind speed, and rainfall.
W
Weathering – The breakdown of rock into
smaller particles from the effects of wind,
water, and ice.
Warm Front – The location where a warm air
mass is replacing a cooler air mass.
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5th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary
Weight – The heaviness of an object; force of
gravity on mass = weight.
Wind Energy – Energy that comes from
changing the power of moving air into a useful
form.
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