Key terms & definitions

A serious violation of the laws governing armed conflict, such as deliberately targeting civilians or torturing prisoners.

A child placed under another person’s care or protection. Adèle is Rochester’s ward.

The lord’s guardianship of an under-age heir and their inherited land until the heir came of age.

An economy in which production, labour and resources are increasingly directed towards fighting a war.

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, requiring Germany to accept responsibility for wartime loss and damage and providing the basis for reparations.

A payment imposed on a defeated state to compensate the victor for the costs of war.

A routine performed before physical activity to prepare the body and mind for exercise.

A coral reef ecosystem found in warm seas, usually in shallow, sunlit tropical or subtropical waters.

A visible marking, often a bright colour, that signals that an animal is poisonous, dangerous or unpleasant to eat.

A boundary beyond which a sample result needs checking by taking another sample immediately. For sample means, warning limits are set at two standard deviations of the sample means above and below the expected value.

A horizontal control-chart line marking a limit beyond which another sample should be taken immediately. For a sample-mean chart, warning limits are $\mu \pm 2\sigma$, where $\sigma$ is the standard deviation of the sample means.

Warfare intended to wear down an opponent’s troops, resources and willingness to continue fighting.

A struggle between rival claimants to decide who will become the next ruler after the previous ruler dies.

President Johnson's campaign, announced in 1964, to reduce poverty through measures including education, job training and support for disadvantaged communities.

The international campaign launched after the September 2001 attacks to combat terrorist organisations and regimes accused of supporting them.

A yarn held lengthways under tension on a loom during weaving.

A political grouping within Carthage associated with Hamilcar Barca and his supporters, seeking revenge against Rome or renegotiation of the settlement after the First Punic War.

A civilian photographer who records armed conflict and its consequences, often risking personal safety to inform people elsewhere.

A change in a timber’s shape, such as bending or twisting, often associated with changes in moisture content.

A fabric constructed by machine from yarns forming interlocking loops along its length.

A fabric construction in which multiple yarns form interlinked loops along the length of the fabric. It is produced on industrial machinery.

The US government organisation established in January 1942 to direct the conversion of industries to wartime production.

An official legal authorisation, such as permission for police to enter and search specified premises.

An organised group of young men whose responsibilities included fighting, protecting their community and helping with hunting.

The military alliance established in 1955 between the Soviet Union and communist states in Eastern Europe.

Intermittent conflicts over possession of the English crown in the later fifteenth century, associated with the rival houses of Lancaster and York.

Exhaustion and declining willingness to continue a war, caused by prolonged fighting, casualties and hardship.

A thin ring placed between a nut or bolt head and the surface being fastened to spread the clamping load and help prevent surface damage.

An area of flood plain deliberately allowed to flood and temporarily store floodwater.

Areas beside a river left available to flood temporarily, storing water and reducing discharge downstream.