AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP World History Vocabulary Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
7158039450B.C.Ebefore common era0
7158046006C.E.common era1
7158060726abdicate-(of a monarch) renounce one's throne.2
7158060727accessionthe attainment or acquisition of a position of rank or power, typically that of monarch or president.3
7158063556aestheticconcerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.4
7158063557agrarianrelating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.5
7158067947amenitiesa desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place6
7158067948anarchya state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.7
7158068391animismthe attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.8
7158068392antiquitythe ancient past, especially the period before the Middle Ages9
7158070776appeasementthe action or process of appeasing.10
7158071221aristocracythe highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.11
7158071719asceticismsevere self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.12
7158080989assimilatetake in (information, ideas, or culture) and understand fully.13
7158081902authoritarianfavoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.14
7158081903autocracya system of government by one person with absolute power.15
7158082655barbarismabsence of culture and civilization.16
7158083469bureaucracy/bureaucratsa system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.17
7158083470city-statea city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.18
7158083471civicrelating to a city or town, especially its administration; municipal.19
7158084184classicalrelating to ancient Greek or Latin literature, art, or culture.20
7158085859colonialrelating to or characteristic of a colony or colonies21
7158085860commercethe activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale.22
7158086225communalshared by all members of a community; for common use.23
7158088359concubine(in polygamous societies) a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives.24
7158088360conscriptioncompulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.25
7158092172cosmopolitanfamiliar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.26
7158092173coupa sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.27
7158092948demography/demographicrelating to the structure of populations.28
7158092949despota ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.29
7158093394diasporathe dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel.30
7158093395dissentthe expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held.31
7158093768dissidenta person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.32
7158094102domestic/domesticateexisting or occurring inside a particular country; not foreign or international.33
7158094103dynasty/dynastica line of hereditary rulers of a country.34
7158094515edictan official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority.35
7158094516egalitarianrelating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.36
7158094517elitea succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics, or another field.37
7158095031emigrateleave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.38
7158095032epica long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.39
7158095410ethnocentricevaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.40
7158095411feudalismthe dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.41
7158095892genocidethe deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.42
7158095893gentrypeople of good social position, specifically (in the UK) the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth.43
7158096302guilda medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power.44
7158096303hierarchya system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.45
7158096762hominidsa primate of a family ( Hominidae ) that includes humans and their fossil ancestors and also (in recent systems) at least some of the great apes.46
7158099513homogenousof the same kind; alike.47
7158099514ideologya system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.48
7158099925imperial/imperialismrule by an emperor.49
7158099926indigenousoriginating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.50
7158100523infrastructurethe basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.51
7158100524lineagelineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.52
7158101101linguisticrelating to language or linguistics.53
7158101102manifestclear or obvious to the eye or mind.54
7158101457maritimeconnected with the sea, especially in relation to seafaring commercial or military activity.55
7158101724martialof or appropriate to war; warlike.56
7158102690matrilinealof or based on kinship with the mother or the female line.57
7158102691mercenary(of a person or their behavior) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.58
7158103155monarchya form of government with a monarch at the head.59
7158103471monopoly/monopolizethe exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.60
7158103472monotheismthe doctrine or belief that there is only one God.61
7158103833mysticalrelating to mystics or religious mysticism.62
7158104154nation-statea sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent.63
7158104155neoa new or revived form of.64
7158104588neolithicrelating to or denoting the later part of the Stone Age, when ground or polished stone weapons and implements prevailed.65
7158104589nomadicliving the life of a nomad; wandering.66
7158104872oligarchya small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.67
7158107799pantheonall the gods of a people or religion collectively.68
7158108060papal/papacythe office or authority of the Pope.69
7158109073parliament/parliamentary systemrelating to, enacted by, or suitable for a parliament.70
7158123869pastorala work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life.71
7158123870patriarchalrelating to or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men.72
7158124894patrilinealrelating to or based on relationship to the father or descent through the male line.73
7158125248patronagethe support given by a patron74
7158125249peasanta poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation (chiefly in historical use or with reference to subsistence farming in poorer countries).75
7158125843pharaoha ruler in ancient Egypt.76
7158126291piety/piousdevoutly religious.77
7158126292politya form or process of civil government or constitution. an organized society; a state as a political entity.78
7158126744polygamythe practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.79
7158127086polytheismthe belief in or worship of more than one god.80
7158127472proselytizeconvert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.81
7158127811provincialof or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.82
7158127812regenta person appointed to administer a country because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated.83
7158128356republica state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.84
7158129650rhetoric/rhetoricalthe art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.85
7158129651sedentary(of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive.86
7158130124serfan agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.87
7158130125shariaIslamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunna), prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for lawbreaking. It has generally been supplemented by legislation adapted to the conditions of the day, though the manner in which it should be applied in modern states is a subject of dispute between Islamic fundamentalists and modernists.88
7158130835significationan exact meaning or sense.89
7158130836statea nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.90
7158131020steppea large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia.91
7158132536stratificationthe arrangement or classification of something into different groups.92
7158136629sub-saharanfrom or forming part of the African regions south of the Sahara desert.93
7158136630subordinatelower in rank or position.94
7158137181successionthe action or process of inheriting a title, office, property, etc.95
7158137182syncretismthe amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.96
7158143534textilesa type of cloth or woven fabric.97
7158144117theocracya system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.98
7158144118theologythe study of the nature of God and religious belief.99
7158144941totalitarianrelating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. (1984)100
7158145647tributary statesubordinate to a more powerful neighbour. It was a form of subordination in pre-modern times. The _____________ sent a regular token of submission to the superior power. This was a tribute, a substantial gift of wealth, such as the gold, produce, or slaves.101
7158145652tyrannycruel and oppressive government or rule.102
7158146617urban/urbanizein, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town.103
7158146618usurptake (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.104
7158166553vernacularthe language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.105

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!