FAU History Terms

demography/demographic

-the statistical study of human populations

domestic/domesticate

-within the same country
-to tame; to bring plants or animals under human control

dynasty/dynastic

-a line of hereditary rulers of a country.

imperial/imperialism

A. a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
B. rule by an emperor.

monopoly/monopolize

-the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.
-exclusive control by one party/person

papal/papacy

-the office or authority of the pope

parliament/parliamentary system

Parliament - legislative body
PS - a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature

piety/pious

-devoutly religious

rhetoric/rhetorical

-the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion

syncretism

-the unification or blending of opposing people, beliefs, or practices, usually in the realm of religion

urban/urbanize

-in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town.

aristocracy

a form of government in which power is held by the nobility; noble society that is typically the highest class and has titles.

asceticism

-severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons

assimilate

-taking on the traits of the dominant culture to such a degree that the assimilating group becomes socially indistinguishable from other members of the society

authoritarian

-A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power.

autocracy

-a system of government by one person with absolute power

barbarism

-someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive
-a person from a foreign land, culture, or group believed to be inferior, uncivilized, or violent.

bureaucracy

-a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

bureaucrats

-someone who is a member of a bureaucracy

city-state

-a political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory and serving as a centre and leader of political, economic, and cultural life.

civic

-the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society.

classical

-relating to ancient Greek or Latin literature, art, or culture.

colonial

-of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colonies.

commerce

-the buying and selling of goods

communal

-shared by all members of a community; for common use.

concubine

-a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives.

conscription

-state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, typically into the armed forces

continuity

-things that stay the same, relatively unchanged, over time

contradict

-deny the truth of (a statement) by asserting the opposite.
-be in conflict with.

corroborate

-to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify.

cosmopolitan

-places that are "diverse," or bustling with lots of people of varying nationalities

coup

-a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government

despot

-a ruler with absolute power or tyrannical control over a group of people
a tryant

disapora

-a large group of people who may share a national or regional origin, but for a variety of reasons, are living outside of this traditional homeland.

dissent

-a dissatisfaction with or opposition to the policies of a governing body

dissident

-a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.

edict

-an order issued by someone in authority

egalitarian

-relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

elite

-a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.

emigrate

-the act of leaving your own country in order to settle permanently in another.

epic

-a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

ethnocentric

-believing in the superiority of one's own ethnic and cultural group, and having a corresponding disdain for all other groups

feudalism

-a system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return

genocide

-Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

gentry

-upper middle class of wealthy gentlemen farmers who were well educated, politically astute, and generally came from successful families.

guild

-associations of craftsmen and merchants formed to promote the economic interests of their members as well as to provide protection and mutual aid

hiearchy

-a group organized by rank

hominids

-A species on the human branch of the evolutionary tree; a member of the family Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and our ancestors

homogenous

-of the same or a similar kind or nature

ideology

-a consistent set of beliefs by groups/individuals

indigenous

-originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native

infrastructure

-the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

lineage

-lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.

linguistic

-the scientific study of language and its structure

manifest

- document listing the cargo, passengers, and crew of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle, for the use of customs and other officials
- philosophy claiming that a nation needs to expand

maritime

-connected with the sea, especially in relation to seafaring commercial or military activity.

martial

-of or appropriate to war; warlike.

matrilineal

-relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the mother

mercenary

-a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.

monarchy

-a government ruled by a king or queen

monotheism

-belief in one God

mystical

-having a spiritual sense or importance beyond human understanding

nation-state

-a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality

neo

new

neolithic

-of, relating to, or denoting the later part of the Stone Age, where agriculture was introduced

nomadic

-wandering from place to place

oligarchy

-a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

pantheon

-of all gods; a group of people so accomplished in a skill or field that they seem like gods

pastoral

-related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle
-concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance

patriarchal

-dominated by men

patrilineal

-based on or tracing descent through the male line

patronage

- (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
-financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another.

peasant

-a member of a class of persons who are small farmers or farm laborers of low social rank

pharaoh

-a ruler in ancient Egypt

polity

-an organized society, such as a nation, state, church, or other organization, having a specific form of government

polygamy

-having more than one wife/spouse at a time

polytheism

-belief in many gods

proselytize

-to convert someone to a faith, belief, or cause

provinical

(adj) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or in outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside
(n) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier froma province or colony

regent

-a person appointed to administer a country because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated.

republic

-a form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

sedentary

-living in groups permanently in one place

serf

-a person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord

Sharia

-set of Islamic religious law that governs aspects of day-to-day life for Muslims in addition to religious rituals

Sinification

-extensive adaptation of Chinese culture in other regions

state

-a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

steppe

-sparse, dry, treeless grassland

stratification

-society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors

Sub-Saharan

-from or forming part of the African regions south of the Sahara desert.

Subordinate

(adj.) lower in rank or position, secondary
(n.) one who is in a lower position or under the orders of someone else
(v.) to put in a lower or secondary position

Succession

-the order in which or the conditions under which one person after another succeeds to a property, dignity, position, title, or throne.

textiles

-a type of cloth or woven fabric

theocracy

-a government controlled by religious leaders

theology

-the study of religion

tributary state

-independent state that has to acknowledge the supremacy of another state and pay tribute to its ruler

tyranny

-cruel and oppressive government or rule

usurp

-take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.

vernacular

-the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.

totalitarian

-relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

B.C.E

-Before Common Era or Before ChristAKA B.C., was renamed to maintain religious neutrality