Key terms & definitions

A Sikh seat of religious authority; the Five Takhts guide the Sikh community on matters of belief and practice.

Committing oneself to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as guides towards enlightenment.

Making a formal religious commitment to join a crusade, symbolised by wearing a cross.

A form of Islamic divorce initiated through a husband’s declaration that he is divorcing his wife.

A large ancient unit of weight also used to express sums of money.

An ancient unit of weight used to express monetary sums.

The Islamist movement that governed most of Afghanistan before its overthrow in 2001 and subsequently fought against the new government and foreign forces.

A film with recorded speech and sound, rather than a silent film accompanied by live music.

A film with recorded, synchronised speech, particularly associated with the transition from silent cinema in the late 1920s.

Films with synchronised recorded speech, unlike silent films accompanied by live music.

Radio programming in which speech, such as interviews and discussion, is central rather than music alone.

A tax imposed by the king on groups including townspeople and Jewish communities. Jewish communities could be required to pay special tallages whenever the king demanded.

A prayer shawl with fringes which remind the wearer of God’s commandments; also spelt tallit.

An organisational structure with many levels of hierarchy, usually a long chain of command and narrow spans of control.

A table that records observations using marks, grouped in fives, beside each value or category.

A table used to record occurrences as they happen, using tally marks that are counted to obtain frequencies.

The collection of rabbinic teachings and discussions interpreting Jewish law, made up of the Mishnah and Gemara; a central record of the oral law.

The ankle bone positioned beneath the tibia and fibula.

The Qur’anic name for Saul, the king whose army Dawud served in before becoming king himself.

The quality of ignorance, darkness and inertia.

Packaging with a feature, such as a seal or plastic wrap, that shows whether it has already been opened or interfered with.

Physical service: using the body, time and effort to help others.

Timber pressure-treated with preservative to protect it against fungal decay and insect attack.

Pressure-treating timber with preservative chemicals to improve resistance to rot, fungi and insects.

A straight line drawn at a chosen point on a curve that follows the curve’s direction there. Its gradient shows the rate of change at that point.

A straight line drawn to touch a curve at a chosen point and match its slope there.

A straight line that touches a curve at a chosen point and has the same slope as the curve there.

A straight line drawn to follow the direction of a curve at a particular point, used to estimate the curve’s gradient there.

The velocity of an object at an instant, directed along the tangent to its circular path.

A physical reward that can be touched, such as a certificate, trophy or medal.