GLOSSARY - VOCABULARY LIST

ALGAE - Water plants without true roots or stems, such as seaweed.

BOUGAINVILLAEA - Tropical shrub with inconspicuous flowers surrounded by large purple or red leaves.

BULWARK - A wall-like structure, like a breakwater, raised for defense.

CACTI - Plural of cactus, a thorny desert plant.

CATALYST - Something (or someone) that hastens or brings about a change or a result.

CONFESSION - In the Catholic Church the admission of sins to a priest in order to gain forgiveness.

EGGSHELL CHINA - Very delicate porcelain that is so thin it is translucent.

ESCARPMENT - Steep slope formed by erosion or a break in the earth.

ESTUARY - Wide mouth of a river where the sea tide meets the river current.

INCANDESCENCE - Emission by a hot body of radiation that makes it visible.

INDIGENE - Native plant or animal.

LEGERDEMAIN - Deceptive performance that depends on manual dexterity; trickery or deceit.

MANGROVES - Tropical trees and shrubs that tend to grow together in thick masses in swampy areas.

MONOLITHIC - Made from a single piece of stone; suggesting an unyielding quality.

PEARL OF THE WORLD -Ideal pearl; largest and most beautiful pearl in the world.

POULTICE - Moist mass of cloth or vegetable matter (like herbs) applied to a sore or inflammation for medicinal purposes.

PRECIPITATE - To separate the solid part out from a solution or the substance separated out.

PULQUE - Fermented drink made from agave plants, popular in Mexico.

SEED PEARLS - Very small pearls that resemble grain or seeds in size and form.

STATION (OF THE VIRGIN) - Shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to which religious pilgrimages are made.

SUPPLIANT - One who asks earnestly or begs.

WINCHESTER CARBINE - Short-barreled, lever-action rifle usually used for deer and big game, famous for its power and accuracy.

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