Back to: Science e-catalog Grade 5 e-Glossary S

List of Words for Letter ‘S’

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satellite A natural or artificial object in space that circles around another object.
secondary succession The beginning of a new community where an earlier community already exists.
sediment Particles of soil or rock that may be eroded and deposited.
sedimentary rock A rock made of compacted and cemented materials.
seed coat The outer covering of a seed.
semiconductor A material that has properties in between conductors and insulators.
sexual reproduction The production of a new organism from a female sex cell and a male sex cell.
shield volcano A wide, gently sloped cone that forms from flowing lava.
simple machine A machine that changes the direction, distance, or strength of one force.
skeletal system The organ system made up of bones, tendons, and ligaments.
smog A type of air pollution formed by particles produced by burning fossil fuels.
soil TA mixture of bits of rock and bits of onceliving plants and animals.
soil horizon Any of the layers of soil from the surface to the bedrock.
solar eclipse A blocking of the Sun’s light that happens when Earth passes through the Moon’s shadow.
solubility The maximum amount of a substance that can be dissolved by another substance.
solute A substance that is dissolved by another substance to form a solution.
solution A mixture of substances that are blended so completely that the mixture looks the same everywhere.
solvent A substance that dissolves one or more other substances to form a solution.
sound wave A series of rarefactions and compressions traveling through a substance.
species TA group of similar organisms in a genus that can reproduce more of their own kind.
spectrum A band of colors produced when light goes through a prism.
speed How fast an object’s position changes with time at any given moment.
star An object in space that produces its own energy, including heat and light.
static electricity The buildup of charged particles.
storm surge A bulge of water in the ocean caused by hurricane waves and winds.
sublimation The process of changing directly from a solid to a gas without first becoming a liquid.
succession The process of one ecosystem changing into a new and different ecosystem.
supernova The process of one ecosystem changing into a new and different ecosystem.
symbiosis A relationship between two kinds of organisms over time.