Key terms & definitions

A conventional literary lover who idealises the beloved, often admiring her beauty and purity from a distance rather than knowing her through an equal relationship.

A fourteen-line poem traditionally associated with love, with an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet. Its argument usually changes direction between these sections.

A shallow, circular dish with a lid, used to grow microorganisms on a solid culture medium such as agar.

The chemical industry that uses substances obtained from crude oil or natural gas to manufacture useful products.

The industry that processes substances obtained from crude oil to manufacture useful chemicals and materials.

A council representing workers and soldiers in Russia’s capital, which exercised influence alongside the Provisional Government in 1917.

A liquid fuel obtained from crude oil and used in many car engines.

A technique that follows a mildly radioactive tracer in the body to produce a map related to the activity of different brain regions.

A positron emission tomography scan: an imaging technique that uses a radioactive tracer to investigate activity in the brain.

Small business owners who own their businesses but do not belong to the class of large property owners.

An elementary school teaching young children basic reading, arithmetic and religious knowledge.

The theft of goods of relatively low value, such as bread or poultry.

A tin-rich alloy, commonly containing antimony and copper, used for decorative objects and vessels.

The Macedonian heavy infantry known as the Foot Companions, who fought with sarissas in the phalanx.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: a radical Palestinian organisation led by George Habash which used attacks including aircraft hijackings.

A measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance, such as soil, is.

A scale describing how acidic or alkaline a solution is.

A numerical measure related to the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution; lower pH means a higher hydrogen ion concentration.

A measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is. A neutral solution has pH 7.

A measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. Adding an acid such as vinegar lowers a food’s pH.

A white blood cell that engulfs and destroys pathogens.

A white blood cell that engulfs and digests pathogens.

The process in which a phagocyte engulfs and digests a pathogen.

The process in which a white blood cell engulfs a pathogen and digests it using enzymes.

A close formation of infantry fighting in coordinated ranks; the Macedonian version used long pikes.

A close formation of infantry arranged in successive ranks, with soldiers using their shields and weapons together.

A bone in a finger or toe. The plural is phalanges.

A representation of a penis used as a ritual object; the Brea inscription requires one to be brought to the Dionysia.

A supernatural image or double of a person. In Euripides’ Helen, Hera creates a living likeness of Helen which Paris takes to Troy.

The Egyptian king, whose position included religious duties as well as political rule.