1 Universe, creation

Use this domain for general words referring to the physical universe. Some languages may not have a single word for the universe and may have to use a phrase such as 'rain, soil, and things of the sky' or 'sky, land, and water' or a descriptive phrase such as 'everything you can see' or 'everything that exists'.

OMC Codes: 
772 Cosmology
130 Geography
Louw Nida Codes: 
1A Universe, Creation
14 Physical Events and States
  • What words refer to everything we can see?
    universe, creation, cosmos, heaven and earth, macrocosm, everything that exists
  • 1.1 Sky

    Use this domain for words related to the sky.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1B Regions Above the Earth
  • What words are used to refer to the sky?
    sky, firmament, canopy, vault
  • What words refer to the air around the earth?
    air, atmosphere, airspace, stratosphere, ozone layer
  • What words are used to refer to the place or area beyond the sky?
    heaven, space, outer space, ether, void, solar system
  • What words describe something in the sky or something that happens in the sky?
    aerial, heavenly, atmospheric, stratospheric, celestial,
  • What words describe the appearance of the sky?
    blue, clear, black (night), cloudy, cloud filled, brilliant, dark, night sky, foreboding, stormy, dark, star studded
  • What words refer to the edge of the sky where it meets the ground?
    horizon, skyline
  • What words refer to something in the sky?
    heavenly body, celestial body, luminary
  • What words refer to the lights that appear in the northern (or southern) sky?
    aurora borealis, northern lights
  • What words refer to something being in the sky?
    aloft, up in the sky, up in the air,
  • 1.1.1 Sun

    Use this domain for words related to the sun. The sun does three basic things. It moves, it gives light, and it gives heat. These three actions are involved in the meanings of most of the words in this domain. Since the sun moves below the horizon, many words refer to it setting or rising. Since the sun is above the clouds, many words refer to it moving behind the clouds and the clouds blocking its light. The sun's light and heat also produce secondary effects. The sun causes plants to grow, and it causes damage to things.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1D Heavenly Bodies
  • What words refer to the sun?
    sun, solar, sol, daystar, our star
  • What words refer to how the sun moves?
    rise, set, cross the sky, come up, go down, sink
  • What words refer to the time when the sun rises?
    dawn, sunrise, sunup, daybreak, cockcrow,
  • What words refer to the time when the sun is at its highest point?
    noon, zenith,
  • What words refer to the time when the sun sets?
    sunset, dusk, sundown, twilight, eventide,
  • What words refer to when the sun is shining?
    shine, sunny, bright, give light, be sunshiny, daytime,
  • What words refer to the sun shining through the clouds?
    come out, break through (the clouds), go behind (a cloud)
  • What words describe where the sun is shining?
    sunlit, be (out) in the sun, lit by the sun, shine on, be in the sunlight, sunny (spot)
  • What words describe when or where the sun doesn't shine?
    shade, eclipse of the sun, sunless, shady, shadow, eclipse (v),
  • What words refer to the light of the sun?
    sunlight, ray, sunshine, beam, light, sunbeam, radiance, glow, sparkle, glisten, glare
  • What words describe the brightness of the sun?
    bright, intense, brilliant, blinding, glaring, glistening, luminous, dim
  • What refer to the sun heating things?
    warm, heat, dry
  • What else does the sun do?
    looks down on
  • What words describe the damage done by sunlight?
    sunburn, sunstroke, suntan, tan, heatstroke, heat prostration, sun damage, fading from the sun, bleached by the sun
  • What do people use to protect themselves from the sun?
    sunglasses, shade tree, suntan lotion, awning, sun umbrella, parasol, sunbonnet, hat, visor
  • What words are used of telling time by the sun?
    sundial, angle of the sun, sun-clock, shoot the sun, position of the sun,
  • What words refer to using the power of the sun?
    solar energy, solar power, solar panel
  • 1.1.1.1 Moon

    Use this domain for words related to the moon. In your culture people may believe things about the moon. For instance in European culture people used to believe that the moon caused people to become crazy. So in English we have words like "moon-struck" and "lunatic." You should include such words in this domain.

  • What words refer to the moon?
    moon, lunar, satellite
  • What words refer to how the moon moves?
    rise, set, sink
  • What words refer to the time when the moon rises?
    moonrise, rising of the moon,
  • What words refer to the time when the moon sets?
    moonset, setting of the moon,
  • What words refer to when the moon is shining?
    moon is shining, by the light of the moon, moon is/comes out,
  • What words describe where the moon is shining?
    moonlit, be in the moonlight, lit by the moon, shine on,
  • What words describe when or where the moon doesn't shine?
    moonless night, eclipse of the moon, eclipse (v),
  • What words refer to the light of the moon?
    moonlight, moonbeam, moonshine,
  • What words describe the brightness of the moon?
    bright, pale,
  • What words describe the appearance of the moon?
    man in the moon, harvest moon
  • What words refer to the spots on the moon?
    lunar sea, crater,
  • What words refer to the phases of the moon?
    phase, new moon, full moon, half moon, quarter moon, crescent, sliver, moon is waxing (getting bigger), moon is waning (getting smaller), wax and wane
  • What words refer to the time it takes for the moon to go through its phases?
    (lunar) month
  • 1.1.1.2 Star

    Use this domain for words related to the stars and other heavenly bodies.

  • What words are used to refer to the stars?
    star, starry, stellar
  • What words describe the sky when the stars are shining?
    starlit (sky), (sky is) ablaze with stars, starry (sky), star studded (sky), stars are shining
  • What words are used for where the stars are shining?
    starlit, lit by the stars
  • What words are used for when or where the stars don't shine?
    starless (sky, night)
  • What words refer to the light of the stars?
    starlight
  • What words describe the brightness of the stars?
    bright, brilliant, dim, luminous
  • What words describe the appearance of the stars?
    twinkle, wink, glittering, star shaped
  • What words refer to the study of the stars?
    astronomy, astronomer, astrology, astrologer, stargazer, magi
  • What is a group of stars called?
    constellation, galaxy, nebula
  • 1.1.1.3 Planet

    Use this domain for words related to planets (large objects that circle the sun, looking like bright wandering stars in the sky), comets (objects that circle the sun, looking like a star with a tail), meteors (small objects that come from space and burn up when they hit the earth's atmosphere, causing a streak of light across the sky), and asteroids (small objects that circle the sun), planetary moons (large objects that circle the planets). Some cultures do not study the stars and will have few or no words in this domain. Others cultures that study the stars will have many words. There are only five planets that people can see in the sky--Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The others are only known from the scientific study of astronomy.

  • What words refer to a planet?
    planet, planetary, wandering star
  • What are the names of the planets?
    Mercury, Venus (Morning Star, Evening Star), Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
  • What words refer to how the planets move?
    revolve (around the sun), orbit,
  • What words refer to the sun and planets?
    solar system
  • What words refer to comets?
    comet, tail, head
  • What do comets do?
    appear, point, fade
  • What words refer to meteors?
    meteor, shooting star, falling star, meteor trail, meteor shower
  • What do meteors do?
    flash across the sky, blaze a trail across the sky, strike the earth, make a crater, burn up
  • What words are used for when a meteor hits the earth?
    meteorite, meteor crater
  • What is a small planet called?
    asteroid, moon
  • 1.1.2 Air

    Use this domain for words related to the air around us, including the air we breathe and the atmosphere around the earth.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2B Air
  • What words refer to the air we breathe?
    air
  • What words refer to how much water is in the air?
    humid, humidity, damp, dry, sticky, muggy
  • What words describe good air (such as when the air in a room is clean or doesn't smell bad)?
    fresh air, airy, well ventilated
  • What words describe bad air (such as when the air in a room is dirty, hot, smells bad, or too many people are breathing)?
    stuffy, airless, stifling, polluted, air pollution, smog
  • 1.1.2.1 Blow air

    Use this domain for words related to causing air to move.

  • What words refer to causing air to move?
    blow, fan, exhaust, expel, explode
  • What words refer to letting air blow through something?
    air out, ventilate
  • What words refer to putting air into something (such as a tire or balloon)?
    blow up, inflate, pump up, pneumatic
  • What words refer to keeping air out of something?
    seal, airtight
  • What words refer to how much air is in something?
    air pressure, vacuum
  • What words refer to using the wind to winnow grain?
    winnow
  • What tools and machines are used to create or use the wind?
    fan, air pump, bellows, ventilator, wind tunnel, propeller, air pipe, airshaft, vent, chimney, exhaust, funnel, windmill, sail, valve
  • 1.1.3 Weather

    Use this domain for words related to the weather.

    OMC Codes: 
    132 Climate
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    14A Weather
  • What words refer to the weather?
    weather, weather conditions, atmospheric (conditions)
  • What words describe the weather when it is good?
    sunny, sunshine, clear (weather), good (weather), fair (weather), fine (day)
  • What words describe the weather when it is getting better?
    clear, clear up, sun comes out,
  • What words describe the weather when it is bad?
    bad, terrible, foul, inclement, rough, dirty sky, severe
  • What words describe the weather when it is getting worse?
    cloud up, deteriorate
  • What words describe the weather when it changes?
    (cold/warm/storm) front
  • What words describe the weather when it stays the same?
    stretch (of good weather), keep up
  • What words are used to describe any kind of weather?
    rain or shine, all weather, in all weathers
  • What words describe the temperature?
    temperature, hot, warm, heat, cold, chilly, crisp, mild, unseasonably warm/cold, scorching, heat wave, cold spell, cold snap, frigid, freezing, be a chill in the air,
  • What words describe the weather when there is a lot of water in the air?
    humid, humidity, damp, sultry
  • What words refer to the type of weather a place normally has?
    climate, dry/wet/cold/hot climate, tropical, temperate
  • What words describe something that has been exposed to the weather for a long time?
    weather-beaten, weathered
  • What words refer to studying the weather?
    meteorology, meteorologist, weatherman
  • What instruments are used to study the weather?
    thermometer, barometer, weathervane
  • What words refer to a report about the weather?
    weather forecast, weather report, the weather, the outlook
  • 1.1.3.1 Wind

    Use this domain for words related to the wind. Some words refer to when the wind begins and ends. The wind changes in speed, so some words refer to how fast the wind is moving. Try to rank these on a scale from very slow to very fast. These words may also be distinguished by what the wind does, since a fast wind does more things. These words may also be distinguished by how long the wind blows. Some words refer to the speed of the wind becoming faster or slower. Some words distinguish a steady wind from a wind in which the speed keeps changing. Some words refer to when the speed of the wind becomes faster for a short time. A steady wind moves in a particular direction, so there are words that include the direction of the wind. The direction of the wind may refer to the points of the compass, a neighboring geographical feature or area, or the direction in which the speaker is moving. Some words refer to a wind that moves in a small circle, making a pillar of dust or a funnel-shaped cloud. Some words refer to what the wind does, such as when it moves or damages something. People can feel the wind, so some words refer to how it feels. The wind makes noise, so there are words that refer to the sound of the wind. In some cultures there is a relation between the wind and spirits, so some words may refer to the activity of the spirits in the wind, or that the wind brings disease.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    14B Wind
  • What general words refer to the wind?
    wind, windy, wind current
  • What words describe a wind that only lasts a short time?
    breath of air, puff of wind, gust, blast, flurry
  • What words describe a steady wind?
    steady wind, trade wind, monsoon winds
  • What words describe a wind that comes and goes?
    intermittent, gusty, blustery
  • What words describe a strong wind?
    heavy wind, strong wind, squall, gale, stormy wind, howling wind
  • What words describe a light wind?
    light wind, gentle wind, draft, draught, breeze, breezy, zephyr
  • What words describe a windstorm?
    windstorm, sandstorm, tempest, tempestuous
  • What words refer to a wind that moves in a circle?
    whirlwind, tornado, twister, dust devil, funnel, waterspout
  • What words refer to a warm or cold wind?
    Chinook, sirocco
  • What words describe when the wind begins?
    pick up, rise, freshen, gather, blow up
  • What words describe when the wind stops?
    drop, die down, calm, still
  • What words describe the direction of the wind?
    north/south/east/west wind, northeaster, wind off the ocean, ocean breeze, wind from the mountains, mountain breeze, wind from the desert, updraft, downdraft, head wind, tail wind, following wind, cross breeze, windward, lee, prevailing
  • What does the wind do?
    blow, knock down (things), rip, tear off, bend, puff out, billow out (sail), push (boat), raise (waves), fan flames, push snow into drifts, ventilate a house
  • What words describe something being blown by the wind?
    be blown by the wind, wind blows something, blow away, waft on the breeze, flutter in the breeze, be carried by the wind, be born along on/by the wind, be picked up by the wind
  • What instruments are used to measure the direction or force of the wind?
    weathervane, weathercock, windsock, wind gauge
  • What sounds does the wind make?
    whisper, sigh, moan, whistle, howl, scream, shriek
  • 1.1.3.2 Cloud

    Use this domain for words related to the clouds.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1E Atmospheric Objects
  • What words refer to a cloud?
    cloud
  • What do clouds do?
    rain, build, rise, gather, disperse, billow, blow, blown by the wind, move across the sky, threatening, shadow, obscure, hide (the sun)
  • What words describe different kinds of clouds?
    storm clouds, rain cloud, cumulus, thunderhead, anvil shaped, billowing, nimbus, fluffy, cirrus, wispy, vapor trail, haze, hazy, fog, foggy, mist, misty, steam, vapor, band, smog, fume, cloud of smoke
  • What words describe how many clouds are in the sky?
    cloudy, cloud up, cloud cover, be clouded over, overcast, partly cloudy, scattered clouds, gray, dull, foggy
  • 1.1.3.3 Rain

    Use this domain for words related to the rain.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    14C Rain
  • What words refer to the rain?
    rain, precipitation, rainfall
  • What does the rain do?
    rain (v), fall, pelt, splatter, drench, water (v)
  • What words describe the weather when it is raining?
    rainy, wet
  • What words refer to when the rain stops?
    stop raining
  • What words describe how hard it is raining?
    sprinkle, drizzle, light rain, shower, pour, downpour, cloudburst, rainstorm, hard/heavy/driving rain, torrential, deluge, thundershower
  • What words describe when it rains a lot?
    rainy season, monsoon, the rains
  • What is a single drop of rain?
    raindrop, drop,
  • What words refer to rain water on the ground?
    rainwater, puddle, run-off
  • What sound does the rain make?
    pitter-patter, drum, drip drip
  • What words refer to a rainbow?
    rainbow
  • What words refer to dew?
    dew, dewdrop, (ground is) damp with dew, moisture
  • What do people use to protect themselves from the rain?
    umbrella, raincoat, boot
  • 1.1.3.4 Snow, ice

    Use this domain for words related to snow, ice, sleet, and hail.

  • What words refer to different kinds of snow?
    snow (n), sleet, sleety, hail, hailstorm, snowstorm, ice storm, blizzard, snow flurry
  • What does the snow do?
    snow (v), fall, snowfall, drift, blow, cover (the ground), blanket (v), snow in
  • What words refer to a piece of snow or ice?
    snowflake, hailstone, block of ice, ice cube
  • What words refer to snow or ice on the ground?
    ice, drift, snowbank, blanket, snow cover, dusting, icicle, sheet of ice, iceberg, glacier
  • What words refer to snow on a mountain?
    glacier, snowcap, snowfield, avalanche
  • What words refer to frost (frozen dew)?
    frost
  • What do people do with snow?
    shovel, plow
  • What do people make with snow?
    snowball, snowman, igloo
  • What tools do people use with snow?
    ice axe, snow shovel, snowplow
  • What words refer to moving on snow or ice?
    ski, skate, sled, sleigh, sledge, snowshoes, skis, ice-skates, slide, slip
  • What words refer to water turning into ice?
    freeze, frozen, ice over/up
  • What words refer to snow and ice turning into water?
    melt, melt water, thaw, slush, turn to slush
  • What words refer to frozen ground?
    permafrost
  • What words describe a time when it snows?
    snowy
  • What words describe something that has snow or ice on it?
    snowy, snow covered, icy, frosty
  • 1.1.3.5 Storm

    Use this domain for words related to storms.

  • What general words refer to a storm?
    storm, be stormy, stormy weather
  • What types of storms are there?
    hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, blizzard, snowstorm, hailstorm, thunderstorm, rainstorm, cloudburst, windstorm, tornado, funnel, whirlwind
  • What words describe the intensity of a storm?
    terrible (storm), howling (blizzard), raging (storm)
  • What words refer to a storm starting?
    break
  • What words refer to a storm stopping?
    die down
  • 1.1.3.6 Lightning, thunder

    Use this domain for words related to lightning and thunder.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    14D Thunder and Lightning
  • What words refer to lightning?
    lightning, lightning bolt, thunderbolt, lightning storm
  • What does lightning do?
    (lightning) strike, be struck by lightning, flash (of lightning), streak (of lightning), light up
  • What do people use to protect themselves from lightning?
    lightning rod
  • What words refer to thunder?
    thunder, thunderstorm, thundercloud, thunderhead
  • What words describe the sound thunder makes?
    peal (of thunder), clap, rumble, boom, crack of lightning, roll
  • 1.1.3.7 Flood

    Use this domain for words related to floods.

  • What words refer to a time when there is too much rain?
    heavy rains, experience torrential rains, el Niño
  • What words refer to when the ground is covered by water?
    flood (n), flood (v), flooding, inundate, deluge
  • What words refer to a flood ending?
    recede
  • What words refer to an area that is often flooded by a river?
    floodplain,
  • What words refer to the material left behind by a flood?
    silt,
  • 1.1.3.8 Drought

    Use this domain for words related to drought.

  • What words refer to a time when there is little or no rain?
    drought, extended drought, lack of rain, have no rain, go without rain, la Niña
  • What words describe the ground when there is no rain?
    dry, parched, cracked, dusty
  • 1.2 World

    Use this domain for words referring to the planet we live on.

  • What words refer to the planet we live on?
    the world, earth, the Earth, the globe, the planet
  • What words describe something that belongs to this world?
    earthly, terrestrial
  • What words describe something that affects the whole world?
    world (adj), global, worldwide, universal
  • What words are used to talk about the whole world, all the countries, or all the people?
    the whole world, the entire earth, all over the world, round the world,
  • What words refer to a part of the world?
    hemisphere, North Pole, South Pole, pole, polar, polar cap, equator, tropics, tropical, continent, time zone, the Third World, the West, the East, Orient
  • What words refer to the study of the world?
    geography, geographical, geographer, geology
  • 1.2.1 Land

    Use this domain for words referring to the ground we stand on, the earth versus the sky.

    OMC Codes: 
    133 Topography and Geology
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1 Geographical Objects and Features
    1F The Earth's Surface
  • What words refer to the land in contrast to the sea?
    land (and sea), dry land, mainland, continent, inland, interior
  • What is the earth called in distinction to heaven or the sky?
    (heaven and) earth, earth (and sky), (on the) ground
  • What words refer to the ground we stand on?
    ground
  • What general words refer to the type of land in an area?
    geography, topography, feature, landscape, terrain
  • What words refer to how high the land is?
    altitude, sea level
  • What words refer to the surface of the earth?
    surface, crust, lithosphere
  • 1.2.1.1 Mountain

    Use this domain for words related to mountains.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1G Elevated Land Formations
  • What types of mountains are there?
    mountain, mount, hill, volcano, plateau, moor, butte, crag, dome, height, highland, upland, uplift, mound, formation
  • What words refer to a mountain with a flat top?
    plateau, mesa, tableland
  • What words describe land that has many mountains?
    mountain range, mountainous, the hills, hilly, rolling hills, highlands
  • What words refer to the top of a mountain?
    top, summit, peak, pinnacle
  • What words refer to the side of a mountain?
    face, mountainside, hillside, slope, shoulder, foothill, saddle
  • What words refer to a steep place on a mountain?
    cliff, bluff, butte, escarpment, ridge, precipice, brow, ledge
  • What words describe how steep a mountain is?
    slope, steep, gentle, contour, gradient
  • What words refer to the bottom of a mountain?
    foot, bottom
  • What words refer to snow on a mountain?
    snowcap, glacier
  • What words refer to rocks at the bottom of a mountain?
    moraine, talus
  • What words refer to when part of a mountain falls?
    landslide, avalanche
  • What do people do to mountains?
    climb
  • What words refer to a place you can travel through the mountains?
    pass, tunnel
  • 1.2.1.2 Volcano

    Use this domain for words related to volcanoes.

  • What words refer to a volcano?
    volcano, volcanic
  • What are the parts of a volcano?
    cone, cinder cone, core of a volcano, crater, lava flow
  • What do volcanoes do?
    erupt, eruption, spew (gas, lava, ash), explode, blow, produce a cloud, cause earthquakes, bury things (under lava, ash), smoke
  • What do volcanoes produce?
    lava, molten lava, volcanic ash, cloud of ash, ash flow, pyroclastic flow, volcanic cinder, volcanic glass (obsidian), pumice, thunder egg
  • What words refer to whether a volcano is erupting or not?
    active, dormant, extinct
  • 1.2.1.3 Plain, plateau

    Use this domain for words referring to land that is flat.

  • What words refer to land that is flat?
    plain, plateau, prairie, steppe, savanna, tundra, heath, mesa, field, meadow, pasture, flatland, tableland, bottomland, lowland, level ground, lowlands
  • What words describe land that is flat?
    flat, level, even
  • What words a place that is not very flat?
    uneven, dip, depression, basin, rut, rutted
  • 1.2.1.4 Valley

    Use this domain for words related to valleys.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1H Depressions and Holes
  • What types of valleys are there?
    valley, ravine, gully, canyon, gulch, course, basin, channel, gorge, rift, wadi, depression
  • What words describe valleys?
    narrow, broad, deep
  • 1.2.1.5 Underground

    Use this domain for words referring to the area under the ground, and to holes in the ground.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1H Depressions and Holes
    1C Regions Below the Surface of the Earth
  • What words refer to the area under the surface of the earth?
    underground, below ground, subterranean, abyss, bedrock, core, mantle, stratum, subsoil
  • What words refer to natural holes in the ground?
    hole, cave, cavern, grotto, opening, crack, depression, hollow, cavity, channel, chasm, cleft, cranny, crater, crevasse, crevice, depression, dip, mud hole, pit, sinkhole, mouth of a cave
  • What words refer to man-made holes in the ground?
    conduit, culvert, ditch, foxhole, mine, pit, pothole, rut, subway, shaft, trench, trough, tunnel, well,
  • What words refer to a hole made by an animal?
    burrow, den, foxhole, lair
  • What words refer to water under the ground?
    aquifer, underground river
  • 1.2.1.6 Forest, grassland, desert

    Use this domain for words referring to an area of land that has particular types of plants growing in it.

  • What words refer to the types of plants that grow in an area?
    ecosystem, vegetation
  • What words refer to a forest or group of trees?
    forest, forested, rain forest, grove, wood, wooded, woodland, woods, thicket, jungle, taiga, orchard
  • What are the parts of a forest?
    forest canopy, forest floor, underbrush, undergrowth, edge (of the forest), deep in the forest, backwoods, timberland
  • What words refer to a place in a forest where there are no trees?
    meadow, clearing
  • What words refer to land covered by grass or bushes?
    grassland, prairie, savannah, bush, moor, moorland, brush, brake, heath, scrubby, scrubland, shrubby, steppe, tundra, veldt
  • What words refer to land where many plants grow?
    lush, dense, thick, overgrown,
  • What words refer to land where very few plants grow?
    desert, wasteland, oasis
  • What words refer to land where no people live?
    wilderness, uninhabited, frontier, hinterland, outback
  • 1.2.1.7 Earthquake

    Use this domain for words related to earthquakes. In some languages earthquakes are thought of as moving somewhere. In Amele (PNG) they say "mim nen" which means 'the earthquake came down (from above)'. In Northern Embera an earthquake is a "house-shaking". They say "a house-shaking went."

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    14J Movement of the Earth x
  • What words refer to earthquakes?
    earthquake, quake, tremor, temblor, shock, seismic, upheaval
  • What do earthquakes do?
    rock (house, ground), shake (house, ground), crack (ground), knock down (things), cause (buildings) to collapse, ground splits, earth shifts
  • Where do earthquakes occur?
    earthquake fault, fault line, epicenter, fissure
  • What words refer to a large wave caused by an earthquake?
    tidal wave, tsunami,
  • 1.2.2 Substance, matter

    Use this domain for general words referring to matter--what something is made out of, or a type of solid, liquid, or gas.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2 Natural Substances
  • What general words refer to matter?
    substance, stuff, matter, material,
  • What words refer to something found naturally that people could use?
    natural resources, raw materials
  • What words refer to the study of matter?
    chemistry
  • 1.2.2.1 Soil, dirt

    Use this domain for words referring to soil and dirt.

    OMC Codes: 
    134 Soil
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2E Earth, Mud, Sand, Rock
  • What words refer to soil?
    soil, topsoil, earth, earthen, ground, loam, clay, dirt, dirty, sand, sandy
  • What words describe the quality of the soil?
    fertile, infertile, poor, rich
  • What words refer to a piece of dirt?
    clod, clump, lump (of clay), grain of sand
  • What words refer to dirt mixed with water?
    mud, muddy, mud puddle, mire, miry, muck, goo, ooze
  • What does mud do?
    splatter, splash, stick, squish
  • What words refer to dry dirt?
    dust, dust cloud, dust storm
  • What does dust do?
    raise, stir up, settle, hang in the air, fly, cling (to clothes)
  • What words refer to the dirt on the top of the ground with grass in it?
    topsoil, sod
  • What words refer to soil being washed away by rain?
    erode, erosion,
  • 1.2.2.2 Rock

    Use this domain for words referring to rock.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2E Earth, Mud, Sand, Rock
  • What general words refer to a rock?
    rock, stone, bedrock
  • What words refer to the size of a rock?
    crag, rocky outcropping, boulder, rock, stone, pebble, gravel, sand, grit, powder
  • What types of rocks are there?
    granite, sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic, pumice, shale, quartz, flint, marble, slate, chalk, sandstone
  • What words describe rocks?
    hard, soft, sharp, smooth
  • What words describe ground with lots of rocks in it?
    rocky, stony
  • What words refer to a piece of rock?
    block, slab
  • 1.2.2.3 Metal

    Use this domain for words referring to metal.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2G Metals
  • What general words refer to metal?
    metal, metallic
  • What types of metal are there?
    aluminum, barium, brass, bronze, chrome, chromium, copper, gold, iron, lead, lithium, magnesium, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, quicksilver, radium, silver, steel, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, zinc
  • What words describe metal?
    shiny, luster, malleable, rust, rusty, tarnish, corrode, golden, silvery, polished, alloy, pure, karat, solid, plated
  • What words refer to a piece of iron that attracts other pieces of iron?
    magnet, magnetic, magnetism, lodestone
  • 1.2.2.4 Mineral

    Use this domain for naturally occurring elements, compounds, and minerals--things you can find in the ground.

    OMC Codes: 
    135 Mineral Resources
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2A Elements
  • What general words refer to minerals?
    mineral, mineral resources, element, chemical, atom, crystal, ore
  • What types of minerals are there?
    bauxite, borax, brimstone, calcium, carbon, coal, coke, feldspar, gypsum, limestone, magnetite, mica, nitrate, peat, phosphate, phosphorus, pitch, pitchblende, potash, potassium, pyrite, salt, saltpeter, silica, soda, sulfur, talc, tar
  • What words refer to the study of minerals?
    mineralogy, mineralogist
  • What words refer to the formation of minerals?
    mineralize, calcify, petrify, vitrify
  • 1.2.2.5 Jewel

    Use this domain for words referring to jewels and precious stones.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2F Precious and Semiprecious Stones and Substances
  • What general words refer to jewels?
    jewel, precious stone, birthstone, crystal, gem, gemstone
  • What types of jewels are there?
    agate, amethyst, beryl, carnelian, chalcedony, chrysolite, chrysoprase, diamond, emerald, garnet, ivory, jacinth, jasper, marble, onyx, pearl, quartz, ruby, sapphire, sardonyx, topaz
  • What words describe jewels?
    precious, semiprecious, facet, glitter, sparkle, lustrous
  • 1.2.3 Solid, liquid, gas

    Use this domain for words describing the different states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas), and words for changing from one to another.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    79C Solid, Liquid
  • What words describe the states of matter?
    solid, liquid, gas
  • What words describe the states of water?
    ice, water, steam
  • What words refer to solids changing into liquids?
    melt, melted, melt down, molten, thaw, liquefy, soften, dissolve, soluble
  • What words refer to liquids changing into solids?
    solidify, harden, dry, bake, freeze, thicken, stiffen, set, jell, gel, clot, coagulate, coagulation, congeal, crystallize, crystallization, precipitate, precipitation, curdle
  • What words refer to gases changing into liquids?
    condense, condensation, dew, distill
  • What words refer to liquids changing into gases?
    boil, evaporate, evaporation, vaporize, steam
  • What words refer to the temperature at which things change?
    melting point, freezing point, dew point, boiling point
  • 1.2.3.1 Liquid

    Use this domain for words referring to liquids.

  • What general words refer to liquid?
    liquid, fluid, moisture
  • What words describe something that is liquid?
    liquid (adj), molten
  • What words describe liquids?
    liquid (state), juicy, wet
  • What words describe a liquid that is almost solid?
    thick, stiff, creamy, smooth, lumpy, viscid, viscous, paste, concentrated
  • What words refer to making a liquid thicker?
    thicken, concentrate
  • What words refer to becoming thicker?
    thicken, get thicker, set, congeal, clot
  • What words refer to how thick or thin a liquid is?
    thickness, consistency, viscosity
  • What words describe a liquid that is very fluid?
    fluid, watery, thin, runny, diluted
  • What words refer to making a liquid thinner?
    dilute
  • What words refer to the top of a liquid?
    surface
  • What words refer to the thick part that can form on the top of a liquid?
    skin, scum, crust, slime, slimy,
  • What words refer to removing the thick part on top?
    skim
  • What words describe a liquid with lumps in it?
    lumpy, smooth
  • What words refer to bubbles in or on a liquid?
    bubble (n), bubble (v), bubbly, suds, foam
  • 1.2.3.2 Oil

    Use this domain for words referring to oil.

  • What general words refer to oil?
    oil, grease, lubricant
  • What types of oil are there?
    petroleum, petrol, gasoline, gas, diesel, kerosene, paraffin, crude oil, mineral oil, ointment, liniment, lotion, Vaseline, glycerin
  • What types of oil are made from plants and animals?
    vegetable oil, cream, lard, fat, wax, tallow, beeswax, soap
  • What words describe oil?
    oily, greasy, slippery, slick, slimy, smooth, lubricating, fatty, gummy, mucous, soapy
  • What words refer to some oil on something?
    drop of oil, oil slick, blob, glob, soap (v)
  • What words refer to putting oil on something?
    lubricate, lubrication, lube, oil (v), anoint, rub, salve, slick, smear, grease (v)
  • 1.2.3.3 Gas

    Use this domain for words referring to gas.

  • What general words refer to gas?
    gas, gaseous, vapor, mist, air, fume, steam, steamy, cloud (of gas), plume (of steam)
  • What types of gas are there?
    natural gas, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, neon
  • What words describe gas?
    noxious (fumes), poisonous gas
  • What words refer to the production of gas?
    produce gas, give off fumes
  • What words refer to the movement of gas?
    spread, drift, creep along the ground, vapor trail, rise
  • 1.3 Water

    Use this domain for general words referring to water.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    2D Water
  • What general words refer to water?
    water, H2O, moisture
  • What words describe something that belongs to the water or is found in water?
    watery, aquatic, amphibious
  • What words describe something that water cannot pass through?
    waterproof, watertight
  • 1.3.1 Bodies of water

    Use this domain for general words referring to bodies of water.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1J Bodies of Water
  • What general words refer to a body of water?
    body of water, hydrosphere
  • What words describe something belonging to the water?
    marine, oceanic, riverine
  • 1.3.1.1 Ocean, lake

    Use this domain for words referring to bodies of standing water.

  • What words refer to bodies of standing water of different sizes?
    ocean, sea, lake, pond, pool, puddle, wallow
  • What words refer to a man-made lake?
    reservoir, man-made lake, catchment area
  • What are the parts of bodies of water?
    surface, bottom, abyssal depths, abyssal plain, thermal layer, seamount, continental shelf, shallows, the depths, the deep, open sea
  • What words refer to the study of the ocean?
    oceanography
  • 1.3.1.2 Swamp

    Use this domain for words referring to bodies of standing water with plants growing in them.

  • What words refer to shallow bodies of standing water with plants growing in them?
    swamp, swampland, wetland, marsh, marshland, bog, delta, estuary, bayou, morass
  • What words describe an area that is a swamp?
    swampy, marshy, boggy
  • What words refer to moving through a swamp?
    get bogged down, sink
  • 1.3.1.3 River

    Use this domain for words referring to bodies of flowing water.

  • What words refer to rivers of different sizes?
    river, stream, streamlet, creek, brook, brooklet, rill, rivulet
  • What words refer to a river when it has a lot of water?
    flood, torrent, flash flood, freshet, swell, surge
  • What words refer to a river overflowing its banks?
    overflow its banks, flood, deluge
  • What words refer to two rivers coming together?
    branch, confluence, fork, tributary
  • What words refer to a part of a river that is steep?
    waterfall, falls, rapids, cascade, cataract, spillway, race
  • What are the parts of a river?
    source, head, headwaters, mouth, upstream, downstream, bend, whirlpool, eddy, river bottom, riverbed, backwater, narrows, oxbow
  • What words refer to a river when it has no water?
    watercourse, dry riverbed, wash, arroyo, wadi
  • What words refer to a man-made river?
    canal
  • What words refer to a place to cross a river?
    bridge, ford
  • What words refer to something floating down a river or caught in it?
    flotsam, snag, logjam
  • What words refer to dirt, sand, and rocks washed down by a river?
    sandbar, delta, alluvium, alluvial, silt,
  • What words refer to the area of land drained by a river?
    watershed, basin
  • What words refer to the movement of a river?
    current, flow
  • 1.3.1.4 Spring, well

    Use this domain for words referring to a place where water comes out of the ground.

  • What words refer to a place where water comes out of the ground?
    spring, water source, water supply, well, artesian well, water hole, bore hole, fountain, fountainhead
  • What words refer to water coming out of the ground?
    spring up, well up, bubble up, flow out of
  • 1.3.1.5 Island, shore

    Use this domain for words referring to land in contrast with the sea or river.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    1I Land in Contrast With the Sea
  • What words refer to the land in contrast to the sea?
    land (and sea), dry land, mainland, continent, inland, interior, terrestrial
  • What words refer to an island?
    island, isle, islet, archipelago, atoll, key
  • What words are used of the edge of a lake or sea?
    shore, beach, coast, coastal, coastland, seaboard, seashore, shoreline, foreshore, edge, strand, reef, coral reef, water-front, strip,
  • What words refer to a bay?
    bay, gulf, cove, fjord, harbor, inlet, lagoon, sound, strait, port,
  • What words refer to a peninsula?
    peninsula, promontory, cape
  • What words are used of the edge of a river?
    bank, riverbank, levee, sandbar, embankment
  • What words describe something near water?
    seaside, beachfront, lakeside, bordering
  • What words refer to a place where the water is shallow?
    shallows, shoal,
  • 1.3.2 Movement of water

    Use this domain for words referring to the way in which water and other liquids move.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    47 Activities Involving Liquids or Masses
    47A Movement of Liquids or Masses
    14E Events Involving Liquids and Dry Masses
  • What words refer to water moving into something?
    fill, flow in, inflow, infuse, infusion, run into
  • What words refer to water coming out of something?
    spray, bleed, blow, burst, discharge, drain, gush, issue, jet, pour, pouring, run, spew, spout, dribble, drip, effusion, erupt, exude, ooze, outflow, percolate, seep, spout, squirt, sweat, vomit, tap
  • What words refer to water breaking into drops?
    splash, spray
  • What words refer to water forming bubbles?
    bubble, foam, foaming, froth, whip
  • 1.3.2.1 Flow

    Use this domain for words referring to the way water moves over a surface, such as in a river or along the ground.

  • What words refer to water moving over a surface?
    flow, run, stream, current, rise, fall, flood, overflow, to wind, meander, erode, split, merge, roil, surge, torrent, trickle, effluence, spread, permeate,
  • What words refer to water moving in a river?
    flow, current, whirlpool
  • What words refer to water washing away dirt?
    erosion, erode, eroded, wash away, silt, silt up, deposit, settle
  • What words refer to water draining out of something?
    drain, bleed, discharge, draw off, empty, leak, ooze, strain,
  • 1.3.2.2 Pour

    Use this domain for words referring to water coming out of something (such as a container), or causing water to come out of something.

  • What words refer to water coming out of something?
    pour, come out, flow, drip, leak, ooze, gush, spurt, squirt
  • What words refer to pouring water out of a container?
    pour, tip, sprinkle, empty, spill, decant
  • What words refer to putting water on something?
    water (v), add water, put water on,
  • What words refer to putting drops of water on something?
    sprinkle (with water), splash (water on), spray (water on), drizzle, spatter, splatter, squirt,
  • What words refer to putting lots of water on something?
    pour (out), empty (v), dump (out), douse, drench, pump,
  • What words refer to putting water on something accidentally?
    spill
  • What words refer to putting water into something?
    inject,
  • 1.3.2.3 Drip

    Use this domain for words referring to drops of water and what they do.

  • What is a drop of water called?
    drop (of water/blood), droplet, a drip
  • What do drops of water do?
    drip, drip on, fall to the ground, splash on, hit, splatter, sprinkle
  • What is a steady dripping called?
    dripping (of water), steady drip, drip-drip (of water)
  • 1.3.2.4 Wave

    Use this domain for words related to waves and what they do.

  • What types of waves are there?
    wave, ripple, swell, breaker, billow, surf, tidal wave, tsunami
  • What are the parts of a wave?
    crest, trough, curl, foam
  • What words describe the movement of a wave?
    surge, move, come roaring down on, race before the wind, wave pattern, violence of the waves, undertow, toss
  • What do waves do when they hit the shore?
    hit the shore, break on the shore/rocks, break against, break over, crash against, crash down on, lap against, wash against the shore, gentle wash of the waves
  • What words describe a wave getting bigger?
    swell, mount up, pile up, rise and fall, curl
  • What do waves do to things?
    wash up on shore, wash out to sea, wash away, erode, wear away, lift, rise and fall with the waves, rock
  • What do people do with waves?
    surf, surfboard, ride the waves, dive under
  • What sounds do waves make?
    crash, roar, thunder, thunderous roar, slap
  • 1.3.2.5 Calm, rough

    Use this domain for words describing the surface of water.

  • What words describe the surface of the water when it is calm?
    calm, becalmed, quiet, peaceful, tranquil, hardly a ripple, glassy, still, stagnant
  • What words describe the surface of the water when it is rough?
    rough (seas), storm-tossed (sea), raging (sea), seethe, choppy
  • What words describe the flow of a river when it is slow?
    slow moving, sluggish, smooth stretch, gentle stretch
  • What words describe the flow of a river when it is fast?
    fast-flowing, white-water (rapids), raging rapids, rough water
  • What words refer to making water rough?
    agitate, churn, stir, whip
  • 1.3.2.6 Tide

    Use this domain for words related to the tide.

  • What words refer to the tide?
    tide, rising tide, ebb tide, storm tide, high tide, low tide, the tide is in/out, neap tide
  • What does the tide do?
    rise, fall, ebb, come in, go out
  • What words refer to the area along the shore that the tide covers?
    tidal flat
  • 1.3.3 Wet

    Use this domain for words referring to when something has water on it or water has soaked into it.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    47C Application and Removal of Liquids or Masses
    79O Wet, Dry
  • What words describe something that is wet?
    wet, dank, watery, aqueous, sludgy, slush, slushy, sloppy, sweaty
  • What words describe something that is very wet?
    soaked, soaking wet, sopping wet, wringing wet, awash, dripping, sodden, soggy, saturated, waterlogged, be swimming in, drenched, doused
  • What words describe something that is slightly wet?
    moist, damp, a little wet, clammy, dewy
  • What words describe the ground when it is wet?
    muddy, boggy, marshy, swampy
  • What words describe the air when there is water in it?
    humid, moist, muggy, steamy, tropical
  • What words describe plants when there is water in them?
    green, juicy, succulent
  • What words refer to something becoming wet?
    get wet, get soaked, bedew
  • What words refer to making something wet?
    wet, get something wet, splash, anoint, dabble, daub, douse, spatter, spray, sprinkle
  • What words refer to making something very wet?
    soak, drench, saturate, flood, swamp, deluge
  • What words refer to making something slightly wet?
    dampen, moisten, lick
  • What words refer to something soaking up water?
    absorb, blot, daub, soak up, sponge, sop, mop up, wipe up
  • What words describe something that can soak up water?
    absorbent, porous
  • 1.3.3.1 Dry

    Use this domain for words describing something that is dry.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    79O Wet, Dry
    47C Application and Removal of Liquids or Masses
    79O Wet, Dry
  • What words describe something that is dry?
    dry (adj), dry as a bone, bone-dry, arid, waterless, parched, dehydrated, desiccated, dried, evaporated, sere, withered
  • What words describe the ground when it is dry?
    dry, dusty, thirsty,
  • What words describe the air when there is no water in it?
    drought
  • What words refer to something becoming dry?
    dry (v), dry out, dry up, shrivel, wither, evaporate, dehydrate, desiccate
  • What words refer to making something dry?
    dry something, sear, parch
  • What words refer to removing water from something?
    dry something off, remove water, drain, strain, wring out, squeeze out
  • What tools are used to remove water from things?
    sieve, press
  • 1.3.4 Be in water

    Use this domain for words referring to being in water or putting something in water.

  • What words refer to being in water?
    be in water
  • What words refer to something floating on the surface of the water?
    float, float down river, afloat
  • What words refer to being under the water?
    immersed, submerged, undersea, underwater, submarine, sunken,
  • What words refer to putting something in water?
    dip, immerse, dunk, baptize, plunge, submerge,
  • What words refer to putting something like food in water for a long time?
    soak, marinate,
  • What words refer to something falling or sinking into water?
    fall, sink, settle,
  • What sound does something make when it falls into water?
    splash, plop
  • 1.3.5 Solutions of water

    Use this domain for words referring to a mixture of water and a substance (such as salt or sugar) that dissolves in water.

  • What words refer to mixing something with water?
    solution, mix with water
  • What words refer to a substance dissolving in water?
    dissolve (in water), produce a solution
  • What words refer to adding more water to a solution?
    dilute, be diluted, add water, water down, thin
  • What words refer to adding more of a substance to the solution?
    concentrate, be concentrated, concentration, thick
  • What words refer to adding air or a gas to water?
    aerate, carbonated, carbonation
  • What words refer to water flowing through something and dissolving something in it?
    leach
  • 1.3.6 Water quality

    Use this domain for words describing the quality or condition of water.

  • What words describe salt water versus fresh water?
    freshwater, saltwater, seawater, saline solution, brackish
  • What words describe water for drinking?
    drinking water, potable
  • What words describe clean water?
    clean, clear, pure, crystal clear
  • What words describe dirty water?
    contaminated, dirty, muddy, silt-filled, murky, stagnant, scum
  • What words are used of cleaning water?
    to clean up, to filter, filter, filtered, strain, to boil, boiled water, let settle
  • What words are used of polluting water?
    to pollute, pollution, polluted, contaminate, dump sewage into
  • 1.4 Living things

    Use this domain for general words that relate to all living things.

  • What words refer to all living things, including both plants and animals?
    living things, life, all life, every living thing, everything that lives and breathes, plants and animals, organic matter
  • What words refer to something that is alive?
    living thing, life form, organism,
  • What words refer to being alive?
    be alive, live
  • What words describe something that is living?
    living, alive, animate, organic
  • What general words refer to the parts of all living things?
    tissue, cell, membrane, DNA, gene, protoplasm
  • What words refer to the study of life?
    biology, biologist, life science, ecology, ecologist, natural history, naturalist
  • What words refer to whether a plant or animal can be eaten?
    edible, inedible
  • 1.4.1 Dead things

    Use this domain for words referring to dead things--things that were alive before, but aren't now.

  • What words refer to dead things?
    decay, remains, compost, carrion,
  • What words describe something that is dead?
    dead, lifeless,
  • What words describe something that is not living and never has been?
    inanimate, inorganic,
  • What words refer to a species dying out completely?
    extinct, extinction, endangered species
  • What words refer to plants and animals that do not exist today?
    dinosaur, fossil, extinct
  • 1.4.2 Spirits of things

    Use this domain for words referring to the spirits of things.

  • What words refer to the spirits of things?
    spirit, animal spirits,
  • What words refer to talking to the spirits?
    commune,
  • What words refer to worshiping spirits?
    animism, animistic,
  • What words refer to things used to worship spirits?
    amulet, fetish,
  • 1.5 Plant

    Use this domain for general words for all plants. Use a book of pictures to identify plant names and the scientific name. Languages divide plants into various domains that are not always comparable from language to language. Criterial features may be characteristics (trees and bushes are distinguished by size and number of trunks) and use (grass and weeds are distinguished by their desirability). A common distinction is between trees and non-trees, with trees described as being big, woody, and having a life expectancy of several years, while non-trees are small, non-woody, and have a life expectancy of typically not more than one year (Heine, Bernd and Karsten Legere. 1995. Swahili plants. Rudiger Koppe Verlag: Koln.). Agricultural societies will divide plants into wild and cultivated. However most plants for which there are names have some use. Therefore it does not seem helpful to divide plant names into domains for useful and non-useful plants. Since only parts of plants are eaten, edible parts of plants are listed under the domain 'Food'. Some languages may have more domains than are used in this list, others may have fewer. The classification system used here does not agree entirely with the system used by botanists. For instance botanists do not classify all the tree species together. The palm trees belong to the class Monocotyledoneae and are classified with lilies, bananas, and orchids. Apple and cherry trees belong to the class Dicotyledoneae and are classified in the rose family along with roses and blackberries. The acacia tree also belongs to the class Dicotyledoneae and is classified in the pulse family along with lupines and beans. However most folk taxonomies bring all the trees together. The scientific classification system for plants and animals is taken from: Carruth, Gorton, ed. 1989. The Volume Library, Vols. 1 and 2. The Southwestern Company: Nashville.

    OMC Codes: 
    137 Flora
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    3 Plants
    3A Plants
  • What words refer to all plants?
    plant, flora, greenery, vegetation, herbage
  • What words describe types of plants?
    angiosperm, annual, aquatic, biennial, bracken, brake, creeper, deciduous, edible, flower, greens, herbaceous, hybrid, leafy, legume, luscious, parasite, perennial, plankton, pulse, sedge, succulent, tropical, vegetable, vine, weed, woody, wort
  • What words are used to describe plants that grow wild?
    wild, uncultivated
  • What words refer to cultivated plants?
    cultivated
  • What words refer to a group of plants?
    bale, bouquet, bracken, brush, bunch, canopy, clump, cluster, cover, covert, corsage, crop, culture, forest, greenery, grove, growth, hassock, haystack, herbage, jungle, kelp, nosegay, orchard, scrub, sheaf, shock, shrubbery, skein, spray, stand, sward, thicket, tuft, turf, tussock, underbrush, undergrowth, vegetation, verdure, vermin
  • What words refer to the study of plants?
    botany, botanist, herbalist
  • 1.5.1 Tree

    Use this domain for trees--flowering plants with roots, stems, and leaves, which are large and have a wooden trunk (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae). Also include the evergreen trees (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Gymnospermae). Evergreen trees do not have flowers, but have cone like fruits (pinecones) that contain seeds. Their leaves are shaped like needles and are retained for over a year.

    OMC Codes: 
    137d Trees and wood
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    3B Trees
  • What general words refer to trees?
    tree, arboreal
  • What words refer to general types of trees?
    broadleaf, conifer, coniferous, cycad, deciduous, evergreen, fir, fruit tree, palm, pine, timber
  • What types of trees are there?
    acacia, alder, almond, apple, apricot, ash, aspen, avocado, azalea, balsa, balsam, banyan, bayberry, beech, betel nut, birch, blackberry, blueberry, box, boxwood, Brazil, breadfruit, broom, camellia, cashew, cassia, catalpa, cedar, cherry, chestnut, chinaberry, cinnamon, cinchona, citron, citrus, clove, coca, coconut, coffee, cornel, cottonwood, cranberry, currant, cypress, date, dogwood, ebony, elder, elm, eucalyptus, fig, fir, forsythia, gardenia, gingko, grapefruit, guava, gum, hawthorn, hazel, hazelnut, hemlock, henna, hickory, ironwood, juniper, jute, kumquat, laburnum, larch, laurel, lemon, lignum, lilac, lime, linden, litchi, locust, magnolia, mahogany, mango, mangrove, manzanita, maple, marihuana, marijuana, mesquite, mimosa, mistletoe, mulberry, myrtle, nutmeg, oak, oleander, olive, orange, papaw, papaya, persimmon, peach, pear, pecan, persimmon, pine, pistachio, plane, plum, poinciana, pomegranate, poplar, quince, redwood, rosewood, sandalwood, sapling, sassafras, satinwood, saxifrage, scrub, senna, sequoia, sisal, spruce, spurge, stinkwood, sumac, sycamore, tamarack, tamarind, tamarisk, tangerine, teak, walnut, upas, willow, yew, ylang-ylang
  • What types of trees are used for decoration?
    bonsai
  • What words refer to a group of trees?
    forest, woods, grove, stand
  • 1.5.2 Bush, shrub

    Use this domain for bushes and shrubs--plants that are smaller than trees and have several wooden trunks (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae).

    OMC Codes: 
    137e Shrubs
  • What general words refer to bushes?
    bush, bushy, shrub, hedge
  • What types of bushes are there?
    poinsettia, rose bush, bougainvillea
  • 1.5.3 Grass, herb, vine

    Use this domain for small plants that have roots, stems, flowers, and seeds, but do not have a wooden trunk (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae). Also include the seedless plants, such as ferns (phylum Pteridophyta, class Felicineae), horsetails (phylum Pteridophyta, class Equisetineae), and club mosses (phylum Pteridophyta, class Lycopodineae). Plants of the Pteridophyta phylum have no flowers or seeds. Ferns have large, divided, feather-like leaves, or fronds. Club mosses are small (rarely over one meter) evergreen plants with simple leaves resembling pine or hemlock needles. Sometimes they grow upright, but often trail on the ground, where they propagate by means of runners. Horsetails send up tall, vertical, jointed stalks with branches covered with scale like leaves.

    OMC Codes: 
    137f Grass and Weeds
    137g Herbs, medicinal, fungus
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    3C Plants That Are Not Trees
  • What general words refer to small plants?
    (no words in English)
  • What general types of small plants are there?
    herb, grass, vine, aquatic, bulb, bulbous, briar, brier, burr, cactus, cane, creeper, cultivated, fern, flowering, gourd, reed, sod, sprawling, thorny, weed, wild
  • What types of plants are there?
    absinthe, acacia, agave, anemone, arbutus, arrowhead, arrowroot, artemisia, arum, asparagus, aster, banana, bean, beet, begonia, belladonna, bellflower, bindweed, bluebell, broccoli, burdock, buttercup, cabbage, carnation, carrot, cassava, cattail, celery, chard, chickpea, chickweed, chive, chrysanthemum, clematis, collard, columbine, corn, cosmos, crocus, cucumber, cyclamen, daffodil, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, delphinium, dock, dogbane, duckweed, eggplant, endive, everlasting, figwort, fireweed, flax, flower, forget-me-not, fritillaria, fuchsia, garbanzo, garlic, gentian, geranium, gladiola, gladiolus, globeflower, goldenrod, glory, grapevine, greenbrier, groundsel, heather, hibiscus, hollyhock, hyacinth, honeysuckle, hop, holly, hyssop, indigo, iris, ivy, jasmine, jonquil, kale, knotweed, hydrangea, larkspur, lavender, leek, lespedeza, lettuce, liana, lily, lobelia, lotus, locoweed, lupine, maguey, mallow, manioc, marguerite, marigold, mayflower, mescal, mignonette, milkweed, monkshood, mustard, narcissus, nasturtium, nettle, okra, oleaster, onion, orchid, paintbrush, pansy, pea, peanut, pennycress, peony, pepper, periwinkle, petunia, pigweed, phlox, pimpernel, plantain, poinsettia, pokeweed, poppy, potato, primrose, radish, ragweed, ranunculus, rhododendron, rue, rutabaga, sagebrush, sandbur, seaweed, smilax, soybean, sedge, spinach, spiraea, spirea, squash, stinkweed, strawberry, strawflower, sundew, sunflower, thistle, tobacco, tomato, tulip, tumbleweed, turnip, vegetable, verbena, vervain, vetch, vine, viola, violet, wallflower, watermelon, william, wisteria, wormwood, yam, yucca
  • What types of grass are there?
    alfalfa, bamboo, barley, bluegrass, buckwheat, bulrush, burmuda grass, cane, cereal, clover, corn, crabgrass, elephant grass, foxtail, grass, horsetail, knotgrass, lemongrass, maize, millet, oat, reed, rye, sesame, shortgrass, sorghum, speargrass, sugarcane, weed, wheat
  • What types of aromatic herbs are there?
    amaryllis, angelica, anise, balm, basil, chamomile, cardamom, cassia, catnip, chamomile, chervil, chicory, cosmopolitan, cowpea, cress, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, feverfew, foxglove, ginseng, henbane, herb, horehound, hyssop, licorice, lucerne, mandrake, marjoram, medicinal, mint, parsley, parsnip, peppermint, portulaca, purslane, rosemary, sage, savory, saxifrage, skunk, sorrel, spearmint, spikenard, tarragon, thyme, valerian, watercress, wintergreen, yarrow
  • What types of vines are there?
    grape vine, morning glory
  • What types of reeds are there?
    reed, papyrus, rush, cane, sugarcane, bamboo
  • What types of plants have flowers?
    rose, carnation, orchid, sunflower
  • What types of plants have edible seeds?
    legume, bean, pea, soybean, wheat, rice
  • What plants have fruit?
    grape, pineapple
  • What types of berries are there?
    berry, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, blueberry
  • What types of bananas are there?
    banana, plantain, cooking banana
  • What types of plants have edible roots?
    potato, carrot, sweet potato, cassava, cocoyam, taro, yam, beets, ginger
  • What plants are eaten by animals?
    hay, alfalfa
  • What plants are used for making fibers, cloth or rope?
    cotton, sisal
  • What species of ferns are there?
    bracken, brake, fern, maidenhair
  • What species of horsetails are there?
    horsetail
  • What species of club mosses are there?
    club moss
  • 1.5.4 Moss, fungus, algae

    Use this domain for mosses (phylum Bryophyta, class Musci), liverworts (phylum Bryophyta, class Hepaticae), fungi (phylum Thallophyta, subdivision Fungi), algae (phylum Thallophyta, subdivision Algae), and lichens. These plants do not have true roots, stems, or leaves. The mosses are small, green, flowerless plants that grow in moist environments and look like velvety or feathery growths carpeting the ground, tree trunks, and rocks. The liverworts are similar to the mosses with a flat and branching growth pattern. The algae possess green chlorophyll. They vary from one-celled organisms, which sometimes live in colonies such as pond scum, to complex organisms such as seaweed. The fungi do not possess chlorophyll and feed off of other organic material. Lichens consist of a fungus and an algae growing together. They commonly grow on trunks of trees and rocks. Some are flat and leafy, and some are moss like.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    3C Plants That Are Not Trees
  • What general words refer to moss, fungus, and algae?
    phytoplankton, plankton, scum
  • What general words refer to moss?
    moss
  • What species of moss are there?
  • What general words refer to liverworts?
    liverwort
  • What species of liverworts are there?
  • What general words refer to algae?
    algae, gulfweed, seaweed, wrack
  • What species of algae are there?
    diatom, sea lettuce, kelp, rockweed, Sargasso, sargassum
  • What general words refer to fungi?
    fungus, bacteria, mold, mildew, mushroom
  • What species of fungi are there?
    apple scab, bloom, bread mold, button mushroom, downy mildew, dry rot, morel, penicillium, puffball, rose mildew, rust fungi, slime mold, smut, toadstool, truffle, yeast
  • What general words refer to lichen?
    lichen
  • What species of lichen are there?
    reindeer moss
  • 1.5.5 Parts of a plant

    Use this domain for words that refer to parts of a plant. Start with general words that all plants have. Then think through each major type of plant. Finish by thinking of specific plants that are well known (usually cultivated crops) and that have words for specific parts (e.g. tassel on a corn/maize cob).

    OMC Codes: 
    137a Plant Parts
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    3D Fruit Parts of Plants
    3E Non-Fruit Parts of Plants
  • What are the basic parts of all plants?
    root, trunk, stalk, branch, stem, leaf
  • What words refer to the roots?
    root, tuber, tubercle, bulb, taproot, runner, root hairs, rootstock
  • What words refer to the trunk?
    trunk, stalk, reed, bole, woody, base
  • What words refer to the branches?
    branch, bough, limb, twig, stick, stem, fork
  • What words refer to the leaves?
    leaf, leafy, pine needle, fern, foliage, palm frond, stem, blade, vein
  • What types of thorns are there?
    thorn, spine, cactus needle, burr
  • What words refer to the outside of a plant?
    bark, burl, knot, hull, husk, shell, cork
  • What is the inside of a plant called?
    wood, rings, heartwood, pith, pulp, fiber
  • What words refer to the seeds?
    seed, acorn, bean, berry, cone, ear, grain, gourd, kernel, nut, pinecone, pod, rosehip, bran, chaff, cob, corncob, germ, head of grain, hull, husk, nutshell, pod, pit, rind, section, seedcase, shell, skin, stem, stone, whole(wheat)
  • What words refer to the fruit?
    fruit, peel, peeling, juice, pulp, pulpy, flesh, fleshy, core, skin, stem, seed
  • What words refer to the flowers?
    flower, bloom, blossom, petal, stamen, pistil, nectar, pollen, spear, spike
  • What are the parts of a vine?
    vine, runner, creeper
  • What are the parts of grass?
    stem, stalk, blade of grass, straw
  • What are the parts of maize?
    head, cob, husk, corn silk, kernel, tassel
  • What are the parts of a banana plant?
    stalk, leaf, flower, bunch, hand, finger
  • What are the parts of a coconut tree?
    trunk, frond, midrib, leaf, needle, nut, husk, shell, meat, milk
  • What is new growth on a plant called?
    shoot, sprout, bud, new growth, old growth
  • What is a group of fruit called?
    cluster of fruit, bunch of grapes, hand of bananas
  • What liquids are produced by plants?
    sap, resin, juice, milk
  • What are the dead parts of plants called?
    dead branches, dead wood, rot, dry rot, dead leaves, dry leaves
  • What words are used of plants when they have been cut down?
    log, stump, grass trimmings, compost, pile of leaves, straw, hay
  • 1.5.6 Growth of plants

    Use this domain for words related to the growth of plants.

    OMC Codes: 
    137b Growth Stages
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    23K Grow, Growth
    23L Ripen, Produce Fruit, Bear Seed
  • What words refer to the growth of plants?
    grow, growth, branch out, put down roots, spread, develop, extend, flourish, spring, swell, thrive, photosynthesis
  • What words refer to a seed beginning to grow?
    germinate, sprout, spring up, seedling
  • What words refer to a plant producing leaves?
    bud, leaf out, produce leaves
  • What words refer to a plant bearing seeds or fruit?
    flower, blossom, bear fruit, produce fruit, fruitful, head, drop seeds, pollinate, yield
  • What words refer to seeds and fruit being ripe?
    green, unripe, immature, mature, mellow, ripen, ripe
  • What words describe how plants grow?
    spread, run (of vines), entwine, cling, trail
  • What words refer to a plant dying?
    wither, droop, fade, decay, rot, dry, die
  • Where are dead plants put?
    compost pile
  • 1.5.7 Plant diseases

    Use this domain for words related to plant diseases.

    OMC Codes: 
    137c Parasites
  • What types of diseases occur in plants?
    blight, wither
  • What types of parasites live on plants?
    mistletoe
  • What words refer to plants dropping their fruit?
    drop fruit
  • 1.6 Animal

    Use this domain for general words referring to animals.

    OMC Codes: 
    136 Fauna
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4 Animals
  • What general words refer to all animals?
    animal, fauna, creature, critter, organism, wildlife
  • 1.6.1 Types of animals

    Use this domain for words describing types of animals. Use a book of pictures to identify each species and its scientific name. This section is organized according to the scientific, biological classification of animals. It may not correspond to the local classification of animals (folk taxonomy), which are often based on how people relate to animals (tame/wild, edible/work). Use this domain for words referring to large classes of animals that do not correspond to the scientific classification. For instance this would be the place for a word like 'flying animal', which includes birds, bats, and flying insects.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4A Animals
  • What words refer to types of animals?
    phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, chordate, vertebrate, invertebrate, crustacean, rodent, insect, arthropod, mollusk, echidna, protozoa, protozoan, protozoon, amebic, amoeba, bacteriophage, cold-blooded, warm-blooded, multicellular, single-celled, unicellular, microorganism, germ, virus, viral, purebred, hybrid, quadruped, biped, two-footed, four-footed, diurnal, nocturnal, beast, brute, vermin, varmint, albino
  • What words refer to wild animals?
    wild (animal), untamed, feral, wildlife, beast
  • What words refer to tame animals?
    tame (animal), tamed, domesticated, livestock, pet
  • What words refer to the process of taming an animal?
    tame, domesticate, break (a horse)
  • What words refer to animals that eat certain things?
    carnivore, carnivorous, meat eater, meat eating, predator, predatory, insectivore, insectivorous, herbivore, herbivorous, plant eating, omnivore, omnivorous, scavenger, parasite
  • What words refer to whether or not an animal can be eaten?
    edible, non-edible, clean, unclean, kosher
  • What words refer to where an animal lives?
    amphibian, aquatic, arboreal, barnyard, tropical
  • 1.6.1.1 Mammal

    Use this domain for general words referring to mammals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia).

    OMC Codes: 
    136f Mammals
  • What general words refer to mammals?
    mammal, mammalian, animal
  • 1.6.1.1.1 Primate

    Use this domain for primates (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Primates).

  • What general words refer to primates?
    primate, ape, monkey, anthropoid
  • What species of primates are there?
    baboon, capuchin, chimpanzee, colobus, gibbon, gorilla, langur, lemur, orangutan, macaque, mandrill, marmoset, rhesus, ringtail
  • 1.6.1.1.2 Carnivore

    Use this domain for carnivores--meat-eating animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora).

  • What general words refer to carnivores?
    carnivore, meat eater, meat eating
  • What animals are in the dog family?
    dog, wolf, coyote, fox, jackal, wild-dog, dingo
  • What animals are in the cat family?
    cat, lion, lioness, leopard, leopardess, genet, wild-cat, bobcat, cheetah, tiger, tigress, lynx, wildcat, cougar, panther, puma, jaguar, jaguarundi, ocelot, caracal
  • What animals are in the bear family?
    bear, grizzly, koala, panda, polar bear
  • What animals are in the weasel family?
    weasel, ermine, ferret, marten, mink, otter, polecat, skunk, stoat
  • What animals are in the sable family?
    sable, wolverine
  • What animals are in the civet cat family?
    civet cat, mongoose
  • What other carnivores are there?
    hyena, raccoon, coon,
  • 1.6.1.1.3 Hoofed animals

    Use this domain for even-toed hoofed animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla), odd-toed hoofed animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Perissodactyla), and elephants (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Proboscidea).

  • What general words refer to hoofed animals?
    ungulate, herbivore, clean animal, ruminant
  • What species of two-toed hoofed animals are there?
    cattle, cow, goat, sheep, alpaca, antelope, bighorn sheep, bison, buffalo, camel, carabao, caribou, chamois, deer, stag, buck, doe, dromedary, eland, elk, gazelle, gemsbok, giraffe, gnu, hart, hartebeest, ibex, kudu, llama, moose, musk ox, okapi, oryx, pronghorn, reindeer, roe, roebuck, sable antelope, sambar, springbok, steenbok, wildebeest, yak
  • What species of four-toed hoofed animals are there?
    pig, hog, warthog, peccary, javelina, hippopotamus
  • What species of odd-toed hoofed animals are there?
    horse, donkey, zebra, tapir, rhinoceros, elephant, pachyderm, onager
  • 1.6.1.1.4 Rodent

    Use this domain for rodents--gnawing animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia), insect eating animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Insectivora), rabbits (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha), and hyraxes (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Hyracoidea).

  • What general words refer to rodents?
    rodent
  • What species of rodent are there?
    rat, mouse, squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, beaver, porcupine, capybara, cavy, chinchilla, coypu, gerbil, gopher, hamster, lemming, muskrat, vole, woodchuck
  • What species of insect eating animals are there?
    mole, shrew, hedgehog
  • What species of rabbit are there?
    rabbit, cottontail, hare, pika
  • What species of hyrax are there?
    hyrax, coney, dassy
  • 1.6.1.1.5 Marsupial

    Use this domain for marsupials (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Marsupialia). Marsupials carry their young in a pouch.

  • What general words refer to marsupials?
    marsupial
  • What species of marsupials are there?
    opossum, possum, kangaroo, wallaby, Tasmanian devil, wombat
  • 1.6.1.1.6 Anteater, aardvark

    Use this domain for mammals with few or no teeth--anteaters (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Edentata), pangolins (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Pholidota), aardvarks (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Tubulidentata), and platypus--mammals that lay eggs (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Monotremata).

  • What species of anteaters are there?
    anteater, sloth, armadillo
  • What species of pangolin are there?
    pangolin, scaly anteater
  • What words refer to the aardvark?
    aardvark
  • What species of mammals lay eggs?
    duckbill platypus, spiny anteater
  • 1.6.1.1.7 Sea mammal

    Use this domain for mammals that live in the sea--whales and dolphins (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Cetacea), seals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Pinnipedia), and sea cows (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Sirenia).

  • What general words refer to sea mammals?
    cetacean, pinniped
  • What species of whales and dolphins are there?
    whale, sperm whale, killer whale, blue whale, right whale, dolphin, porpoise
  • What species of seals are there?
    seal, walrus, sea lion
  • What species of sea cow are there?
    sea cow, manatee
  • 1.6.1.1.8 Bat

    Use this domain for bats--flying mammals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Chiroptera).

  • What general words refer to bats?
    bat
  • What types of bats are there?
    fruit bat, vampire bat
  • 1.6.1.2 Bird

    Use this domain for birds (phylum Chordata, class Aves).

    OMC Codes: 
    136i Bird
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4B Birds
  • What general words refer to birds?
    bird, fowl, poultry
  • What words refer to kinds of birds?
    bird of prey, songbird, flightless bird, flying, water bird, arboreal, domesticated, insectivorous, migratory, nocturnal, oceanic, predator, raptor, seabird, songbird, shorebird, waterfowl
  • What species of bird are there?
    accipiter, accipitrine, anhinga, albatross, aquiline, auk, avocet, bittern, blackbird, blackcap, bluebird, blue jay, bobolink, bobwhite, booby, brant, bullfinch, bunting, bustard, buteo, buzzard, canary, caracara, cardinal, cassowary, catbird, chat, chickadee, chicken, cock, cockatoo, cormorant, condor, coot, crane, crepuscular, crow, cuckoo, curlew, cygnet, dove, drake, duck, duckling, dunlin, eagle, eaglet, egret, eider, emu, erne, falcon, fieldfare, finch, flamingo, flicker, flycatcher, fulmar, gallinule, gander, gannet, gnatcatcher, goatsucker, godwit, goldfinch, goose, goshawk, gosling, grackle, grebe, grouse, gull, gyrfalcon, hawk, hen, heron, hoopoe, hummingbird, ibis, jackdaw, jaeger, jay, junco, kea, kingbird, kingfisher, kite, kittiwake, kiwi, lapwing, lark, loon, lovebird, lyrebird, macaw, magpie, mallard, martin, merganser, mew, moa, mockingbird, myna, mynah, nighthawk, nightjar, nonpasserine, nuthatch, oriole, oscine, osprey, ostrich, owl, parakeet, passerine, parrot, partridge, peacock, peafowl, peahen, peewit, pelican, penguin, peregrine, petrel, pewee, pewit, phalarope, pheasant, pigeon, pintail, pipit, plover, ptarmigan, puffin, quail, quetzal, rail, ratite, raven, redbird, rhea, ricebird, ringdove, robin, rooster, rook, runner, sandpiper, sapsucker, scoter, seagull, shearwater, shelduck, siskin, skua, snipe, snowbird, sparrow, spoonbill, squab, starling, stilt, stork, swallow, swan, swift, tailorbird, tanager, teal, tern, thrasher, thrush, tit, titmouse, towhee, trumpeter, tumbler, turkey, turnstone, turtledove, vireo, vulture, vulturine, wading, warbler, waxwing, weaverbird, whistler, willet, woodcock, woodpecker, wren, yellowhammer, yellowlegs, yellowthroat
  • What words describe birds?
    long-necked, short-necked, long-winged, zygodactyl
  • 1.6.1.3 Reptile

    Use this domain for general words referring to reptiles (phylum Chordata, class Reptilia).

    OMC Codes: 
    136h Reptile
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4D Reptiles and Other 'Creeping Things'
  • What general words refer to reptiles?
    reptile, reptilian
  • 1.6.1.3.1 Snake

    Use this domain for words related to snakes.

  • What general words refer to snakes?
    snake, serpent
  • What types of snakes are there?
    constrictor, poisonous
  • What species of snake are there?
    rattlesnake, python, boa, anaconda, cobra, viper, mamba, sea snake, adder, anaconda, asp, boa, bushmaster, cobra, copperhead, cottonmouth, fer-de-lance, mamba, water moccasin, python, racer, rattler, rattlesnake, sidewinder, viper
  • 1.6.1.3.2 Lizard

    Use this domain for words related to lizards.

  • What general words refer to lizards?
    lizard
  • What species of lizard are there?
    chameleon, agama lizard, skink, gecko, monitor lizard, iguana
  • 1.6.1.3.3 Turtle

    Use this domain for words related to turtles.

  • What general words refer to turtles?
    turtle (water), tortoise (land)
  • What species of turtles are there?
    box turtle, leatherback, snapping turtle, Galapagos tortoise, terrapin
  • 1.6.1.3.4 Crocodile

    Use this domain for words referring to crocodiles.

  • What species of crocodiles are there?
    alligator, caiman, crocodile
  • 1.6.1.4 Amphibian

    Use this domain for amphibians (phylum Chordata, class Amphibia).

    OMC Codes: 
    136g Amphibian, worm
  • What general words refer to amphibians?
    frog (water), toad (land), amphibian
  • What species of amphibians are there?
    bullfrog, tree frog, horned toad, mud puppy, newt, salamander, eft
  • What words refer to a baby amphibian?
    tadpole
  • 1.6.1.5 Fish

    Use this domain for fish (phylum Chordata, class Osteichthyes).

    OMC Codes: 
    136j Fish and Mollusk
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4E Fishes and Other Sea Creatures
  • What general words refer to animals that live in the water?
    fish, water animal, sea creature
  • What species of freshwater fish are there?
    trout, minnow, catfish, mudfish, perch
  • What species of saltwater fish are there?
    anchovy, barracuda, bass, blackfish, bonefish, bream, carp, cod, codfish, crappie, darter, flatfish, flounder, gar, garfish, garpike, goldfish, grouper, guppy, halibut, herring, lungfish, mackerel, marlin, pickerel, pike, piranha, pollack, pompano, sailfish, salmon, sardine, sea horse, shad, sole, spearfish, sturgeon, sucker, sunfish, swordfish, tarpon, tuna, turbot, whitefish, whiting, wrasse
  • What words refer to the very small animals in the ocean?
    plankton
  • What words describe where a fish lives?
    freshwater, saltwater, pelagic, marine, aquatic
  • What words describe fish?
    bony, finned, jawed, jawless, lobe-finned, poisonous, snouted
  • 1.6.1.6 Shark, ray

    Use this domain for sharks and rays--animals with cartilage instead of bones (phylum Chordata, class Chondrichthyes), and eels (phylum Chordata, class Cyclostomata).

    OMC Codes: 
    136j Fish and Mollusk
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4E Fishes and Other Sea Creatures
  • What types of sharks and rays are there?
    shark, ray, stingray, skate, chimera
  • What types of eels are there?
    eel, electric eel, slime eel, hagfish, lamprey
  • What words describe sharks and rays?
    cartilaginous, ray-finned, soft finned
  • 1.6.1.7 Insect

    Use this domain for the names of insect species (phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta). Note that insects have six legs and spiders have eight legs. However some languages may not distinguish insects from spiders and may use other characteristics to sub-divide the Arthropods.

    OMC Codes: 
    136k Insect
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4C Insects
  • What general words refer to insects?
    insect, bug
  • What species of insects are there?
    ant, army ant, armyworm, bedbug, bee, beetle, bluebottle fly, botfly, bristletail, bumblebee, butterfly, carpenter bee, chigger, cicada, cockroach, cricket, daddy longlegs, damselfly, deerfly, dragonfly, dung beetle, earwig, firefly, flea, fly, glowworm, gnat, grasshopper, hawkmoth, hellgramite, honeybee, hornet, horsefly, housefly, inchworm, jigger, katydid, ladybug, leafhopper, lice, locust, long-horned beetle, louse, mantis, mayfly, midge, millipede, mite, monarch butterfly, mosquito, moth, mud wasp, nit, praying mantis, roach, sawfly, scarab, silkworm, silverfish, stinkbug, swallowtail, termite, tick, tsetse fly, tumblebug, walking stick, wasp, weevil, wiggler, wriggler
  • What special kinds of workers exist within an insect colony?
    queen (ant, bee), worker, drone (bee), soldier
  • What words describe insects?
    borer, carnivorous, cosmopolitan, crawling, creeping, diurnal, dauber, flying, hopper, hopping, insectile, larva, larval, nocturnal, pest, predacious, predator, pupa, queen, segmented, stinging, two-winged, venomous, winged, wingless
  • 1.6.1.8 Spider

    Use this domain for spiders (phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida). Note that insects have six legs and spiders have eight legs. However some languages may not distinguish insects from spiders and may use other characteristics to sub-divide the Arthropods.

  • What general words refer to spiders?
    spider, arachnid
  • What species of spiders are there?
    black widow, brown recluse, tarantula, wolf spider, scorpion, tick, mite
  • What words refer to spider webs?
    spider web, cobweb, web, spin, silk
  • 1.6.1.9 Small animals

    Use this domain for the names of worms, animals with shells, and other animals that do not fit into any of the other categories.

    OMC Codes: 
    136g Amphibian, worm
    136j Fish and Mollusk
    Louw Nida Codes: 
    4E Fishes and Other Sea Creatures
  • What general words refer to small animals such as worms?
    worm, shellfish
  • What words refer to one-celled animals (phylum Protozoa)?
    bacteria, germ, virus
  • What words refer to sponges? (phylum Porifera)?
    sponge
  • What words refer to water animals with tentacles (phylum Coelenterata)?
    coral, sea anemone, Portuguese man-of-war, jellyfish, hydra, medusa
  • What words refer to flatworms (phylum Platyhelminthes)?
    flatworm, liver fluke, intestinal worm, tapeworm
  • What words refer to roundworms (phylum Nematoda)?
    roundworm, hookworm, pinworm
  • What words refer to rotifers (phylum Rotifera)?
    rotifer
  • What words refer to mollusks (phylum Mollusca)?
    mollusk, snail, slug, abalone, oyster, scallop, mussel, clam, nautilus, cuttlefish, octopus, squid, conch
  • What words refer to segmented worms (phylum Annelida)?
    segmented worm, earthworm, leech
  • What words refer to walking worms (phylum Onychophora)?
    velvet worm, walking worm
  • What words refer to crustaceans (phylum Arthropoda, class Crustacea)?
    crustacean, shrimp, barnacle, pill bug, lobster, crab, crawfish, crayfish
  • What words refer to centipedes--animals with a body with many segments and two legs on each segment (phylum Arthropoda, class Chilopoda)?
    centipede
  • What words refer to millipedes--animals with a body with many segments and four legs on each segment (phylum Arthropoda, class Diplopoda)?
    millipede
  • What words refer to horseshoe crabs (phylum Arthropoda, class Merostomata)?
    horseshoe crab
  • What words refer to brachiopods--animals with two shells and two arms (phylum Brachiopoda)?
    brachiopod, lampshell
  • What words refer to animals with spiny skins (phylum Echinodermata)?
    echinoderm, sea cucumber, sea urchin, sand dollar, sea star, starfish, brittle star
  • What words refer to arrow worms (phylum Chaetognatha)?
    arrow worm
  • 1.6.2 Parts of an animal

    Use this domain for the parts of animals, especially those of mammals.

    OMC Codes: 
    136a Parts
  • What general words refer to the parts of an animal?
    animal body parts
  • What are the parts of the head?
    head, ear, eye, nose, muzzle, maw, snout, trunk (of an elephant), proboscis, mouth, tooth, fang , tusk, tongue, neck, horn, antler, dewlap,
  • What are the parts of the torso?
    chest, back, belly, rump, croup, tail, switch, udder, flank, brisket, teat, hindquarters,
  • What are the parts of the legs?
    foreleg, forefoot, forepaw, forelimb, hind leg, hind limb, hoof, paw, claw, hock, fetlock, haunch, pastern, shank, stifle,
  • What are the parts of the skin and hair?
    fur, wool, fleece, forelock, mane, hide, skin, meat, pelt, whisker, sheepskin, goatskin, leather,
  • What are the internal parts of an animal?
    skull, second stomach (for cows, goats, sheep), spinal cord, lung, heart, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, kidney
  • What are the parts of sea mammals?
    whale flukes, flipper, blubber, baleen, blow hole,
  • 1.6.2.1 Parts of a bird

    Use this domain for the parts of a bird, but not general parts that belong to all animals.

  • What are the parts of a bird?
    feather, feathered, plumage, plume, quill, down, wing, winged, wing tip, beak, bill, cockscomb (rooster's red crest), wattles (rooster's red flap of skin under beak), crop, gizzard, claw, talon, egg, eggshell, egg tooth, craw, gullet, spur,
  • 1.6.2.2 Parts of a reptile

    Use this domain for the parts of a reptile.

  • What are the parts of reptiles?
    scale, snakeskin, fang, rattle (of rattlesnake), coil, egg tooth,
  • What are the parts of a turtle?
    shell
  • What words refer to a snake's poison?
    venom, venomous, poison, poisonous
  • 1.6.2.3 Parts of a fish

    Use this domain for the parts of a fish.

  • What are the parts of fish?
    scale, scaly, fin, tail fin, dorsal fin, gill, guts, slime, slimy, fishy smell
  • 1.6.2.4 Parts of an insect

    Use this domain for the parts of an insect.

  • What are the parts of insects?
    head, abdomen, thorax, carapace, exoskeleton, wing, horn, stinger, sting, segment, antenna, feeler, forewing, proboscis, compound eye, spinneret,
  • 1.6.2.5 Parts of small animals

    Use this domain for the parts of small animals.

  • What are the parts of shellfish?
    shell, mother of pearl, mantle, foot, swimmeret,
  • What are the parts of worms?
    segment
  • What are the parts of an octopus or squid?
    tentacle, sucker, appendage,
  • 1.6.3 Animal life cycle

    Use this domain for words related to the life cycle of an animal.

    OMC Codes: 
    136b Growth Stages
  • What words refer to an animal giving birth?
    give birth, embryo, multiply, propagate, reproduce, calve, calving, drop, kid, lambing, lay, spawn, spawning grounds, whelp
  • What words refer to a young animal?
    young, puppy, cub, foal, kid, kitten, lamb, litter, chick, brood, fledgling, larva, roe
  • What words refer to the sexual behavior of animals?
    mate, harem, breed
  • What words refer to the life cycle of insects?
    cocoon, chrysalis, pupa, pupal stage, maggot, grub, larva, larval, caterpillar, nymph
  • What words refer to animals such as snakes, birds, and insects shedding their skin?
    shed (skin), molt (feathers)
  • What words refer to animals growing fur, feathers, or new skin?
    molt, shed, down, fledge,
  • 1.6.3.1 Egg

    Use this domain for words related to eggs.

  • What words refer to an egg?
    egg
  • What types of eggs are there?
    bird egg, reptile egg, insect egg
  • What are the parts of an egg?
    shell, eggshell, yoke, white, membrane, embryo
  • What is a baby bird called?
    chick, baby bird, hatchling
  • What do birds do to eggs?
    lay, sit on, incubate, roust, turn, fertilize
  • Where do birds lay their eggs?
    nest
  • What is a group of eggs called?
    clutch
  • How do baby birds get out of their egg?
    hatch, peck its way out of the egg
  • What words are used for opening an egg?
    crack, break, smash
  • What words are used to describe a bad egg?
    rotten, cracked, broken
  • 1.6.4 Animal actions

    Use this domain for actions of animals.

  • What words refer to the ability of an animal to do something without learning it?
    instinct, instinctive
  • What words refer to animals hunting?
    hunt, stalk, prey
  • What words refer to animals sleeping during the winter?
    hibernate
  • What do birds do?
    roost, (hen) gathers chicks
  • What do snakes do?
    strike, coil, crush (prey), sun (themselves), venom,
  • What do fish do?
    spawn, lay eggs
  • What do insects do?
    sting, collect nectar
  • 1.6.4.1 Animal movement

    Use this domain for ways in which animals move. Only include words specific for the movement of animals. For the movement of people use the domains under Movement. It is necessary to think through how each type of animal moves, especially the important ones.

    OMC Codes: 
    136c Movements
  • How do mammals move?
    gallop, trot, hop, crawl, fly, soar
  • How do cows move?
    walk, trot, wander, lie down, charge
  • How do dogs move?
    trot, run, wag its tail
  • How do horses move?
    run, gallop, trot, canter, buck, kick, race, charge
  • How do lions move?
    walk, stalk, charge, run down, prowl
  • How do whales move?
    breach
  • How do birds move?
    fly, flutter, soar, dive, swoop, bank, turn, (hummingbird) hover, hop, roost, hang in the air, ride the wind, alight, land
  • How do snakes move?
    slither, glide
  • How do fish move?
    swim, leap
  • How do insects move?
    fly, hover, dive-bomb, crawl
  • How do worms move?
    crawl, inch along, creep
  • What words refer to the annual migration of animals?
    migrate, migration, fly south
  • What words refer to animals moving in a group?
    herd (v), flock (v), swarm (v), herd instinct, fly in formation, move as a herd,
  • What words refer to animal tracks?
    track,
  • 1.6.4.2 Animal eating

    Use this domain for words referring to animals eating. Because animals often eat in very different ways from people, many languages will have words that are specific to the way an animal eats.

  • How do mammals eat?
    graze, feed, chew the cud
  • How do carnivores eat?
    devour, gorge, tear (prey)
  • How do birds eat?
    peck,
  • How do snakes eat?
    swallow
  • How do insects eat?
    suck blood, bloodsucking, chew (holes in leaves)
  • 1.6.4.3 Animal sounds

    Use this domain for the sounds animals make. It is necessary to think through the sounds each type of animal makes, especially the important ones.

    OMC Codes: 
    136d Sounds
  • What general words refer to the sounds of animals?
    cry, call, scream,
  • What sounds do cows make?
    moo, low, bellow, snort
  • What sounds do horses make?
    neigh, whinny, bray (donkey),
  • What sounds do sheep make?
    baa, bleat
  • What sounds do pigs make?
    grunt, snort, squeal,
  • What sounds do dogs make?
    bark, bay, howl, yap, growl, snap, snarl, whimper, whine, woof woof, yelp, yowl,
  • What sounds do cats make?
    meow, mew, caterwaul, hiss, purr
  • What sounds do lions make?
    roar
  • What sounds do mice make?
    squeak,
  • What sounds do birds make?
    sing, song, cry, call, birdcall, birdsong, caw (crow), chatter, cheep, chirp, coo (dove), gaggle, gobble (turkey), honk (goose), hoot (owl), peep, quack (duck), screech, squawk, trill, trumpet, tweet, twitter, warble, whir, whistle,
  • What sounds do chickens make?
    cackle, cluck, crow, cockle doodle doo
  • What sounds do snakes make?
    hiss, rattle
  • What noises do frogs make?
    croak, rivet
  • What sounds do crocodiles make?
    roar
  • What sounds do fish make?
    splash
  • What sounds do insects make?
    buzz, chirp, chirr, drone, whine, gnaw
  • 1.6.5 Animal home

    Use this domain for animal homes. It is necessary to think through the homes of each type of animal, especially the important ones.

    OMC Codes: 
    136e Homes
  • What general words refer to where an animal lives?
    habitat, the wild
  • Where do mammals live?
    den, hole, burrow, molehill
  • What other places do mammals use?
    wallow, hunting grounds, watering hole, pasture, range, trail
  • Where do birds live?
    nest, birds nest, perch, range
  • Where do snakes live?
    snake pit, den of vipers, snake hole
  • Where do fish live (other than water, lake, and ocean)?
    spawning grounds
  • Where do insects live?
    anthill, ants nest, termite mound, termite hill, hive, beehive, bee's wax, honeycomb, spider web, cocoon, trail (of ants)
  • Where do spiders live?
    spider web, cobweb
  • Where do worms live?
    wormhole
  • 1.6.6 Animal group

    Use this domain for words referring to groups of animals.

  • What words refer to a group of mammals?
    herd (of cattle), drove (of cattle), kennel (of dogs), pack (of dogs), pride (of lions), pod (of whales)
  • What words refer to a group of birds?
    flock (of birds), bevy, colony, covey, flight, flock, gaggle
  • What words refer to a group of fish?
    school (of fish), shoal
  • What is a group of insects called?
    swarm (of insects), plague of locusts
  • What is a group of small animals called?
    culture
  • What words refer to the leader of a group of animals?
    alpha male
  • What words refer to the followers in a group of animals?
    harem
  • What words refer to a group of baby animals?
    brood, clutch (of eggs), kit, litter (of kittens), farrow (of pigs)
  • What other words relate to groups of animals?
    herd instinct
  • 1.6.7 Male and female animals

    Use this domain for words referring to male and female animals. Most languages have special words for the male and female of a species only for domesticated animals. Sometimes there will be a word for the male and not the female, and vice versa (male dog, bitch). Sometimes the word for one is also used generically
    (cow for both female and generic).

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    9B Males
    9C Females
  • What words refer to a male or female animal?
    male, female, bitch, tom, tomcat, bull, bullock, cow, heifer, ram, ewe, billy goat, nanny goat, boar, sow, stallion, mare, filly, stag, buck, hart, doe, vixen, lioness, tigress, bull elephant, rooster, cock, hen, drake, peacock, peahen
  • 1.7 Nature, environment

    Use this domain for words referring to nature and the environment--the world around us. Include words that refer to how people damage or protect nature.

    OMC Codes: 
    318 Environmental Quality
  • What words refer to the world around us?
    world, nature, environment, environmental
  • What words refer to damaging the environment?
    pollute, pollution, pollutant, acid rain, smog, deforestation, global warming, greenhouse effect
  • What words refer to protecting the environment?
    conserve, conservation, recycle, biodegradable
  • What words refer to the study of the environment?
    ecology
  • What words refer to a person who studies or tries to protect the environment?
    environmentalist, conservationist, ecologist, Green Party
  • 1.7.1 Natural

    Use this domain for words describing something that is natural--something in the world around us, as opposed to something that has been made or changed by people.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    79B Natural, Spiritual
  • What words describe something that is natural?
    natural, naturally, wild (animals, country), raw (materials), virgin (forest), untamed, organic