Ayed Academy Academic Vocabulary Master List

A comprehensive vocabulary list spanning science, medicine, technology, economics, and literature, extracted from the Ayed Academy lecture notes.

Volcanologists

Scientists who specialize in the study of volcanoes, their formation, and their eruptive activity.

Periodic table

A tabular display of chemical elements organized by atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties.

Magma

Hot fluid or semi-fluid material below or within the earth's crust from which lava and other igneous rock is formed by cooling.

Greenhouse effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in the planet's lower atmosphere due to the presence of gases such as $CO_2$.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water ($H_2O$), generating oxygen ($O_2$) as a byproduct.

Kinetic energy

The energy that an object possesses due to its motion, calculated as $E_k = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$.

Fossil fuels

Natural fuels such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Precipitation

Any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull, such as rain or snow.

Hydrological cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, also known as the water cycle.

Forensic science

The application of scientific methods and techniques to investigate crimes and examine evidence presented in a court of law.

Hypertension

A medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated.

Diabetes

A metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood.

Myocardial infarction (MI)

Commonly known as a heart attack, it occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

A chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

A digestive disorder that affects the ring of muscle between the esophagus and the stomach, causing acid reflux.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

An umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.

Pulmonary embolism

A condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot.

Anaphylaxis

A severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to an allergen.

Hypoglycemia

A condition characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar (glucose), the body's main energy source.

Glomerulonephritis

Acute inflammation of the kidney, typically caused by an immune response.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, including learning, reasoning, and self-correction.

Machine learning

A type of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.

Nanotechnology

The branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than $100\,nm$, especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.

Malware

Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.

Autotroph

An organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

A self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes, carrying genetic information.

Dormant trait

In genetics, a recessive trait that is present in the genome but is not phenotypically expressed unless two copies are present.

Developing countries

Nations with less industrialization and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries.

Sole trader

A person who is the exclusive owner of a business, entitled to all profits but liable for all losses and debts.

Recession

A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.

Subprime mortgage

A type of loan granted to individuals with poor credit scores who would not be able to qualify for conventional mortgages.

Capitalism

An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Referendum

A general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Deinstitutionalization

The policy of moving people with disabilities or mental illnesses out of large state institutions and into community-based settings.

Constitution

A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.

Patent

A government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.

Archeological

Relating to the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.

Morphology

The study of the forms of words, and the ways in which words are shaped by stems, roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Phonetics

The study and classification of speech sounds, including their production, transmission, and perception.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Expository writing

A genre of writing which is used to explain, inform, or describe a specific topic in a neutral and objective manner.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., 'faithless devotion').

Catharsis

The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions, often through literary arts or drama.

Protagonist

The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

Embezzlement

Theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer.