Key terms & definitions

An offering made to a deity as an act of worship; in the Hymn to Demeter, famine threatens the gods’ receipt of gifts and sacrifices from humans.

Giving up something valued, such as possessions, opportunities or personal comfort, for a greater purpose.

The making present of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Giving that involves a real personal cost, rather than giving only what can easily be spared.

Protection in which a more reactive metal corrodes instead of the metal being protected.

Protecting a metal by using a more reactive metal that corrodes in preference to it.

An act that violates or shows contempt for something considered sacred.

The violation or disrespect of something considered sacred.

Voluntary charitable giving in Islam, additional to obligatory giving.

The government and system of power through which Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq.

A complete reading of the Guru Granth Sahib carried out in separate sessions rather than without interruption.

Holy company: a gathering of people whose devotion and spiritual guidance help others remember God.

A Hindu holy person who follows a disciplined spiritual life, often giving up ordinary possessions and comforts.

Enjoyment of another person’s pain or humiliation.

Protecting the welfare and safety of people, especially children or vulnerable groups.

Measures to protect people from harm, abuse and exploitation, including people receiving aid.

Heating with precautions suited to the apparatus and material: a Bunsen burner provides a direct flame, while a water bath warms a sample indirectly. Check temperature and handle hot equipment safely.

A dietary reference value used when evidence is insufficient to set an RNI or other requirement-based value: an intake judged adequate for almost everyone and below levels associated with undesirable effects.

A constituency in which one party has such strong support that it is usually expected to win.

The avoidance or reduction of harm to people caused by a system's operation or decisions.

A rule designed to guide a cutting blade while helping to protect the fingers holding the rule.

Workplace arrangements that protect employees from injury and from harm to their health, both immediately and over time.

A rating from Category 1 to Category 5 based only on a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed.

A five-category classification of hurricane intensity. When using a classification table, measurements must be matched to the stated category ranges and units.

A medieval Scandinavian narrative about past people and events, often combining historical traditions with heroic storytelling.

An imaginary line passing through the body from front to back, around which movement in the frontal plane occurs.

An imaginary vertical surface dividing the body into left and right portions; forwards-and-backwards movements take place in this plane.

‘With qualities’: the divine understood through attributes and personal forms.

Brahman understood with qualities, expressed through divine names and forms.

A state of spiritual poise and inner peace associated with living in harmony with God through the Guru’s guidance.