Key terms & definitions

Cessation, or ending; the Third Noble Truth teaches that suffering can cease through the ending of craving.

In Buddhism, liberation from craving, suffering and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

The minimum amount of qualifying wealth a Muslim must possess before Zakah becomes payable.

The Sikh flag displayed prominently outside a gurdwara, identifying it as a Sikh place of worship.

The second stage of Jewish marriage, which completes the marriage and begins the couple’s married life together.

The daily routine of Sikh prayers, usually recited in the morning, evening and before bedtime.

A soluble nitrogen compound that plants absorb from soil through their roots and use to make amino acids and proteins.

A nitrogen-containing mineral ion, $\mathrm{NO_3^-}$, absorbed by plant roots and used to make amino acids and proteins.

A condition in which a plant lacks enough nitrate ions to make the proteins required for growth.

A nitrogen-containing ion absorbed from the soil and needed by plants to produce amino acids and then proteins.

A mineral ion absorbed by plant roots from the soil that supplies nitrogen for making amino acids.

An acid with the formula $\mathrm{HNO_3}$; in aqueous solution it supplies hydrogen ions and nitrate ions.

The conversion of ammonium compounds into nitrites and then nitrates by bacteria in soil.

The conversion of ammonium compounds into nitrites and then nitrates by nitrifying bacteria in soil.

The movement and chemical transformation of nitrogen between the atmosphere, soil and living organisms.

The movement of nitrogen between organisms and non-living stores such as the atmosphere and soil.

An oxide of nitrogen with the formula $\mathrm{NO_2}$ that can form when nitrogen monoxide reacts with more oxygen.

The conversion of nitrogen gas from the air into nitrogen-containing compounds by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

An oxide of nitrogen with the formula $\mathrm{NO}$, formed when nitrogen and oxygen react at very high temperatures.

Gases containing nitrogen and oxygen, often written collectively as $\mathrm{NO_x}$, formed when nitrogen and oxygen react at high temperatures.

The foreign-policy approach announced by Nixon in 1969: the USA would support its allies, but they should provide the main manpower for their own conventional defence.

The intention behind an action, which Allah takes into account in judgement.

A member of an Ismaili Shi’a tradition that recognises a continuing line of living hereditary Imams, whose modern leaders hold the title Aga Khan.

The Soviet secret police organisation that enforced state control and repression during Stalin’s rule.

Seven laws that Jewish tradition regards as binding on humanity, including prohibitions on murder and theft and a requirement to establish courts of justice.

The hereditary elite of major landowners, including earls and barons, whose wealth, local influence and military resources gave them political power.

The Buddhist path towards the ending of suffering, involving wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.

An element in the far-right group of the periodic table whose atoms have a stable, full outer electron shell and are therefore very unreactive.

An element in Group 0 of the periodic table whose atoms have a full outer electron shell and a stable electron arrangement.