Key terms & definitions

The Christian religious institution, whose clergy, courts and teachings exercised considerable authority in medieval England.

The worldwide community of Christians, rather than simply a building used for worship.

A court exercising the Church’s legal authority, separate from ordinary secular courts.

Religious courts which dealt with clergy and religious or moral offences, using punishments intended to encourage repentance and reform.

An increase in the number of Christians and Christian communities, alongside the development of their faith.

England’s established Christian church, whose parish worship contrasts with the independent chapel community in Lantern Yard.

Establishing a new Christian congregation, often with support from an existing church.

Valuable metal objects used in church worship, such as silver communion cups.

An organised religious gathering in which people move together along a route, often praying as they go.

Parish officials responsible for managing church resources and accounts who helped put religious policies into practice locally.

The annual pattern of Christian seasons and festivals used to organise worship and remember events in Jesus’ life; also called the liturgical year.

The US Central Intelligence Agency, which gathers intelligence and carries out secret operations overseas.

A vessel used to hold consecrated hosts for distributing Holy Communion and keeping them after Mass.

The Criminal Investigation Department: a specialist detective branch of the Metropolitan Police, established in 1878.

A modern collection of Latin inscriptions. Its volume and entry numbers identify particular texts.

Tiny hair-like structures on specialised cells that move mucus towards the throat.

Tiny hair-like structures on the surfaces of some cells that beat to move substances, such as mucus.

A ring of tissue around the lens containing muscles that alter tension in the suspensory ligaments.

A muscle around the lens that helps change its shape for focusing.

A ring of muscle in the eye that contracts or relaxes to alter the tension on the lens.

A cell forming part of a sheet that lines a surface or body structure and bears moving cilia.

A small volcano built from fragments of scoria erupted around a volcanic vent.

A widescreen film process introduced in 1953 and used for films including Rebel Without a Cause and Pillow Talk.

The use of camera shots, angles, movement and lighting to shape what spectators see and how they interpret it.

An entertainment show combining films with live variety acts.

A system that disguises a message by replacing its letters or words with other characters or symbols.

Data in an unreadable form produced by encryption.

A recurring biological rhythm lasting approximately 24 hours, such as the sleep–wake cycle.

A circle is the set of all points that are the same distance from a fixed point called the centre.

A safety device that automatically opens a switch when the current becomes dangerously large.