Early Explorers Vocabulary Chapters 3&4

Merchant Someone who buys and sells goods to earn money The rich man bought a silk robe from the merchant.

Kingdom A place ruled by a king or queen Several kingdoms in West Africa grew strong because of trade.

Caravan A group of people and animals who travel together Because traveling in the desert was so dangerous, merchants would travel large caravans.

The Silk Road Several Trade routes connecting China to Europe Many merchants traveled on the Silk Road to buy silk, spices, and other goods from China.

Technology The use of scientific knowledge and tools to do things better and more rapidly The copy machine is an important piece of technology in our school, because many teachers use it to make homework for their students.

Navigation The science of planning and controlling the direction of a ship If you want to be a Captain of a ship, you have to study navigation.

Astrolabe A tool that measures the height of the sun or a star above the horizon The astrolabe told the Captain that he was getting closer to home.

Profit The money a business has earned The girls hoped to make a huge profit form their lemonade stand.

Slavery A cruel system in which people are bought and sold and made to work without pay Many Africans were forced into slavery.

Settlement Small community of people living in a new place If you could start your own settlement, where would you want to live?

Epidemic An outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many people There was an epidemic of chicken pox in my sister’s preschool class.

Circumnavigate To sail completely around something Joe continued to circumnavigate the rocks while the sharks chased his boat.

Expedition A journey to achieve a goal The judges on American Idol are on an expedition to find the best singer in America.

Conquistador A Spanish soldier who helped conquer the native civilizations of Central and South America Alanzo dreamed of one day being a famous conquistador like his father.

Empire Territories and groups of people controlled by one government This map shows different Roman Empires of the Renaissance Period.

Colony An area of land ruled by another country Although the Aztec Empire was in Mexico, it was controlled by Spain and therefore a Spanish Colony.

Mission A religious community where priests taught Christianity Many priests set up missions in the new town to teach the people about Christianity. Can you find the churches ?

hacienda Large farm or ranch Maria and her family lived on a beautiful hacienda for many years.

Convert To change religion or a belief Some Native Americans converted to Spanish rule and accepted their way of life.

Revolt A violent uprising against a ruler Our class began to revolt against our teacher at the end of the year.