Nova S49E9: English vocabulary

to limit what someone can do or what something can be

a scientist who studies fossils and the history of life on Earth

to adjust something again

an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top

to put something firmly inside or into something else

more able or skilled than someone or something else

a small mammal with a hard shell of bony plates that rolls into a ball when threatened

a large piece of something, especially food or meat

to impress someone very strongly, especially with beauty, skill, or style

restricted or limited in what you can do or say

the raised area in front of a fireplace

not made from living things; not organic

to say that two things are the same or very similar

a small, round, compressed piece of material

causing fear or dread

to settle in a place and take control of it, especially by sending people there to live

the work of measuring land and recording its features, often for a map or building plan

a small open cart with one wheel and two handles, used for carrying heavy things

used to say something is surprising or worth noticing

a village in the southwestern U.S. built in the traditional style of some Native American peoples

the sewing of stitches, especially as a visible part of a garment

relating to Colombia or its people, culture, or language

the act of keeping horses in stables

something that makes a surface, line, or shape even or level

a slow-moving tropical American animal that hangs from trees

written or marked lightly with a pencil

a sudden, disruptive change or disturbance

to clean something by rubbing it hard

the process of removing bones from meat or fish

a large brown seaweed that grows in the sea

a soft black or gray mineral used in pencils and in making things like lubricants

not likely to happen or be true

closed and no longer open for business

looking pale, strange, or unreal, like a ghost

to make a deep sound because of pain, sadness, or tiredness

relating to ice or glaciers

an object that is thrown or fired through the air

extremely impressive or surprising

to hold and use a weapon, tool, or other object skillfully

to move or shake unsteadily from side to side

animal waste used as fertilizer

the dead body of an animal

to dig up something that is buried or hidden

to move very slowly and carefully in a particular direction

a large North American brown bear with a hump on its shoulders

the act of moving along without using power

a misspelling of Homo sapiens, the species that includes modern humans

locked with a key

an informal exclamation used to show surprise or disbelief

to make someone very interested or curious

the central point or part that something turns around

a large wild animal like a cow, with a big head and shaggy front shoulders

(of a place or situation) empty, cold, and without much hope or comfort

to wear away or slowly destroy something over time

to end well or be resolved successfully

smoothed by rubbing with sandpaper

extremely good, impressive, or surprising

to change the shape of something so it looks twisted or unclear

to talk in a casual, lively way

the equipment and setup used to make products in a factory

a process that makes cloth stiffer and stronger by coating it with a special substance

a method of finding the age of something by measuring carbon-14 in it

a Native American person

to hit or move something with a quick, sharp motion

somewhat fat or heavy in build

the act of spreading things out in different directions

to make a low, rough sound, especially in anger or warning

the act of moving something on wheels

the act of leaving a place

the level of doubt needed to avoid a guilty verdict

a game in which a player or side must reach five points before the other side does

a person whose job is to study rocks, the earth, and how they change over time

to perform very well; to do something impressively

to make an aircraft’s nose point downward sharply

passed down from ancestors or connected with them

to fasten something to a hook, rope, chain, or strap