SOCIAL STUDIES VOCABULARY CHAPTER 4: ANCIENT INDIA
1. Subcontinent: a large landmass that juts out from a continent
2. Monsoon: a strong wind that blows acrossEast Asia at certain times of
the year
3. Citadel: a fortress in a city
4. Migrate: to move from one place to settle in another area
5. Caste: a social class of people
6. Brahman: a single spiritual power that Hindus believe lives in everything
7. Avatar: a representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal
form
8. reincarnation: the rebirth of the soul in the body of another living being
9. Dharma: the religious and moral duties of Hindus
10. Ahimsa: the Hindu idea of nonviolence
11. Meditate: to focus the mind inward in order to find spiritual awareness
or relaxation
12. Nirvana: the lasting peace the Buddhists seek by giving up selfish
desires
13. Missionary: a person who spreads his or her religious beliefs to others
14. Maurya Empire: Indian empire founded by Chandragupta, beginning
with his kingdom in northeasternIndiaand spreading
to most of northern and centralIndia
15. Convert: to change one’s beliefs; in particular, to change from one
religion to another
16. Tolerance: freedom from prejudice