Common Words used in S.1 History Subject
Introduction to History Study
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
history
his/tory
the study of all the things that happened in
the past of man-kind
study
study
the learning of a subject, usually at school
past
past
having happened or existed before now
development
de/vel/op/ment
the process of becoming bigger, better, or
more advanced
historian
his/tor/ian
someone who writes about or studies history
change
change
things becoming different
sense of
belonging
sense of
be/long/ing
one’s feeling as a member of a group
primary
source
pri/mary source
any source that came from the time a
historian is studying
secondary
source
sec/ond/ary source any source that is the result of studying of
primary sources or other secondary sources
conflict
con/flict
a state of disagreement or argument between
people, countries etc
Christian
calendar
Christ/ian
cal/en/dar
the calendar that is commonly used by most
people nowadays, and whose year counting is
related to the birth of Jesus Christ
century
cen/tury
a period of 100 years
prehistoric
times
pre/his/toric times the period of time before writing was
invented to record history
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
Stone Age
Stone Age
the period of time from 2,500,000 BC to
4000 BC, when humans used mainly stone to
make tools and weapons
library
li/brary
a building which has a collection of books for
people to read or borrow
archaeologist
archae/olo/gist
someone who studies ancient societies by
examining the remains of their buildings,
graves, tools etc
event
event
anything that happens, especially something
important or unusual
legend
le/gend
an old story (not always true) from ancient
times
record
re/cord
a piece of information which is written on
paper or stored on a computer, so that it can
be looked at in the future
local history
local his/tory
the history of a particular town, city or
province
world history
world his/tory
the history of the world as a whole
continuity
con/tinu/ity
the phenomenon in which something have not
changed over time
mistake
mis/take
something that has been done in the wrong
way
culture
cul/ture
the beliefs, way of life, art, and customs that
are shared and accepted by people in a
particular society
respect
re/spect
to treat something or someone with kindness
and care
peace
peace
a situation in which there is no war or fighting
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
the man who Christians believe was the son of
God, and on whose life and ideas Christianity
is based
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
decade
dec/ade
a period of 10 years
historic times
his/toric times
the period after writing was invented to
record history
writing
writ/ing
the activity of making marks, usually letters
or words, on a surface to record things
museum
mu/seum
a building where important cultural, historical,
or scientific objects are kept
artifacts
ar/ti/facts
objects such as tools, weapons that were
made in the past and are historically
important
Pre- history -- the Stone Age
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
Old Stone Age
Old Stone Age
the period from 2,500,000 BC to 15,000 BC,
when people learned simple living skills such
as making tools and making fire
Middle Stone
Age
Mid/dle Stone
Age
the period from 15,000 BC to 10,000 BC,
when people were cleverer and could make
better tools
New Stone Age
New Stone Age
the period from 10,000 BC to 4,000 BC, when
people began to live together in larger groups
and learned how to farm and keep animals
way of life
way of life
the behaviour, habits, customs of a particular
society
stone tool
stone tool
something, made of stone, that ancient people
used with their hands to do a particular job,
such as cutting
skeleton
skel/eton
the structure of all the bones in a human or
animal body
cave
cave
a large hole in the side of a hill or cliff, or
under the ground
animal skin
ani/mal skin
the soft outer covering of an animal
to make fire
to make fire
to start a fire by rubbing sticks and stones
together
spear
spear
a pole with a sharp point at one end, used as a
weapon
to hunt
to hunt
to chase animals in order to catch or kill them
clay
clay
a type of heavy sticky earth that can be used
for making pots, bricks
to keep warm
to keep warm
to keep oneself at a slightly hot but
comfortable temperature
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
to frighten away
wild animals
to fright/en away
wild ani/mals
to make wild animals feel fear in order to
make them go away
axe
axe
a tool with a heavy metal blade on the end of
a long handle, used to cut down trees or split
pieces of wood
cave painting
cave paint/ing
pictures painted on cave walls and ceilings,
especially those dating to prehistoric times
animal bones
ani/mal bones
the hard parts that form the frame of an
animal
fishing tool
fish/ing tool
tools for catching fish, such as spears and
nets
canoe
canoe
a small light narrow boat, pointed at both
ends
sharper weapon
sharp/er weapon
object which is used for fighting, and which
has a very thin edge or point that can cut
more easily
farming
farm/ing
growing crops in a farm
keeping livestock
(keeping animals)
keep/ing
live/stock
catching and /or raising animals and keeping
them in a farm for food
shelter
shel/ter
a building that gives protection from bad
weather, danger or attack
village
vil/lage
A group of houses and other buildings, which
is smaller than a town, usually in the
countryside
making clay
pots
mak/ing clay pots
the activity of making pots from wet clay
river
river
a natural and continuous flow of water across
the land into the sea
bow
bow
a weapon used for shooting arrows, made of a
long thin piece of wood held in a curve by a
Terms
Pronunciation
Explanations
tight string:
stability
sta/bil/ity
the condition of being
changing
live together
live to/gether
spend one’s life with someone else
to settle down
to set/tle down
to start living in one place after moving
around for a period of time
to exchange
products with
each other
to ex/change
prod/ucts with
each other
to give someone something and receive some
other thing from them at the same time
steady and not