15 Wonder-Words from Science
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Fifteen wonder-words from science — syzygy, sidereal, perigee and more — the vivid vocabulary of the sky, sea and physical world.
Science produces some of the most vivid words in English — precise names for things most of us have seen but never had a word for: the moon at its closest, the deep dark below the reach of sunlight, three worlds falling into a line.
Here are 15 wonder-words from science, drawn mostly from astronomy, physics, and the earth. They're worth knowing for their beauty as much as their meaning.
The vocabulary of wonder
Look up first. Syzygy is the near-straight-line alignment of three bodies — sun, earth, and moon at an eclipse — from Greek syzygos, 'yoked together'. Sidereal means 'of the stars'; perigee is the moon at its closest to Earth; noctilucent clouds are the ones that still shine after dark.
Then down and inward. Aphotic means utterly without light, like the deep ocean; azoic describes a time before any life existed; to volatilize is to turn to vapor. Many are built from Greek and Latin roots that recur across the sciences, so learning one — the way the MonkeyTaps app teaches — helps you read the next.
15 wonder-words from science
1. syzygy
“The alignment of three celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and earth, in a straight line” — Borrowed from Late Latin syzygia meaning 'conjunction', from Greek syzygos meaning 'yoked together' (from syn- + zygon meaning 'yoke').
2. sidereal
“Related to stars” — From Latin sidereus, from sider- meaning 'sidus' (star, constellation).
3. perigee
“Closest point of the moon to the earth” — From Middle French via New Latin, from Greek perigeion (from peri- 'around' + gē 'earth').
4. noctilucent
“Shining at night”
5. aphotic
“Completely without light”
6. paradigm
“An example that is a perfect pattern or model” — From Late Latin paradigma and Greek paradeigma; ultimately from paradeiknynai meaning 'to show side by side'.
7. seiche
“A wave in a lake or bay” — From French.
8. azoic
“Before any life existed” — From a- and Greek zōē meaning 'life'.
9. insentient
“Unable to feel or perceive”
10. volatilize
“To turn into a gas”
11. emergent
“Starting to be seen or noticed” — From Middle English, from Latin emergent-, emergens (present participle of emergere).
12. endogenous
“Coming from inside something, not from outside” — From Greek 'endo-' (within) + '-genous' (producing).
13. isotropically
“In all directions equally” — From Greek 'iso-' (equal) and 'tropikos' (turning).
14. succussion
“The act of shaking or jarring” — From Latin succussio, from succutere ‘to shake violently’.
15. irradiate
“To make something clear and understandable” — From Latin 'irradiatus', the past participle of 'irradiare', derived from in- and radius meaning 'ray'.
Frequently asked questions
What is 'syzygy'?
Syzygy is the alignment of three celestial bodies in a roughly straight line — the sun, earth, and moon during an eclipse, for example. It's from Greek syzygos, 'yoked together'.
What does 'sidereal' mean?
Sidereal means relating to the stars. A sidereal day — one rotation of Earth measured against the stars rather than the sun — is about four minutes shorter than a solar day. It comes from Latin sidus, 'star'.
What's the word for the deep, lightless ocean?
Aphotic — completely without light. The aphotic zone is the part of the ocean too deep for sunlight to reach. It's built from Greek a- ('without') and phos ('light').
Why learn science vocabulary if I'm not a scientist?
Because these words are precise and often beautiful, and they turn up in the news, nature writing, and everyday reading. Learning the shared Greek and Latin roots, as the MonkeyTaps app does, unlocks many of them at once.
