Key terms & definitions

A traditional four-line stanza, usually alternating four-stress and three-stress lines, with rhyme between the second and fourth lines.

A freely movable joint that allows movement in several directions, including rotation.

A model in which balls represent atoms and sticks represent bonds, making the arrangement of atoms easier to see.

A representation in which balls stand for atoms or ions and sticks indicate bonds or connections within the structure.

A Latin term for baths or bathing establishments, often used for smaller establishments rather than monumental public complexes.

A Jewish prohibition on unnecessary or wasteful destruction, associated with the protection of fruit trees during warfare.

A smaller community within a tribe, usually made up of several families, with its own leadership.

The Sikh celebration of Guru Hargobind’s release from imprisonment with 52 other prisoners, observed at Divali; its name means ‘prisoner release day’.

The allocation of pupils to broad groups according to their perceived academic ability.

The maximum amount of data that a connection can transfer per second.

The name associated with the Bangladeshi cultural and commercial identity of the Brick Lane area.

A sacred composition or utterance of the Gurus, recited or sung as part of Sikh devotion.

Forcing someone to leave a country or community as a punishment.

An order forcing someone to leave a place and remain away from it.

A designated holiday on which banks close. The Bank Holidays Act of 1871 introduced four additional bank holidays in England and Wales; this was not a universal entitlement to paid annual leave.

A sum borrowed from a bank and repaid with interest over an agreed period.

A rush by depositors to withdraw their money because they fear a bank will fail; mass withdrawals can themselves force a bank to close.

A suburb of a French city. In Girlhood, suburban housing estates form the setting for Marieme’s experiences; the term does not mean that every French suburb is poor or dangerous.

An order preventing an individual from attending specified sporting events; it may also involve restrictions connected with travel.

Public announcements of an intended marriage, made before the wedding so that objections can be raised.

The apartheid system of separate education for black South Africans, controlled through legislation including the Bantu Education Act.

A territory designated by the apartheid government as a homeland for a particular African ethnic group, used to restrict African political rights and preserve white control over the rest of South Africa.

A ceremony using water through which a person is formally admitted to the Christian Church.

A Christian ritual using water which marks entry into the Christian community and expresses new life in faith.

A religious experience that Pentecostal churches teach Christians should seek after conversion, associated with receiving spiritual gifts.

A ridge of deposited sand or shingle extending across a bay and joining land at both ends.

A solid length of material with a consistent cross-section, such as a rectangular bar or circular rod.

A Greek and Roman label for outsiders, often used in historical accounts to suggest that they were uncivilised. It is not a neutral modern description.

An ancient Greek term for a non-Greek person. Jason uses the translated term ‘barbarians’ to emphasise Medea’s foreignness.

In the Odyssey, conduct that violates humane social obligations, especially cruelty, cannibalism and abuse of hospitality.