Class 8 NCERT It So Happened Book Chapter wise difficult word meanings
Here, the difficult words and their meanings of all the Chapters of CBSE Class 8 English It So Happened Book have been compiled for the convenience of the students. This is an exhaustive list of the difficult words and meanings of all the Chapters from the It So Happened book for NCERT Class 8 English. The difficult words’ meanings have been explained in an easy language so that every student can understand them easily.
- Chapter 1 How the Camel got his hump
- Chapter 2 Children at work
- Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant
- Chapter 4 The Treasure Within
- Chapter 5 Princess September
- Chapter 6 The Fight
- Chapter 7 The Open Window
- Chapter 8 Jalebis
- Chapter 9 The Comet – I
- Chapter 10 The Comet – II
- Chapter 11 Ancient Education System of India
- Honeydew Book (Prose) Word Meaning
- It so Happened Book Word Meaning
- Honeydew Book Lesson Explanation
- It so Happened Book Lesson Explanation
Chapter 1 How the Camel got his hump
- Cud- partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the mouth for further chewing
- Djinn: (pronounced ‘jin’ and variously spelt as ‘genie’, ‘genii’, ‘jinnee’, ‘djinni’, ‘djinny’): a spirit that has strange powers and can assume any form, human or animal
- Fetch- go and then bring back (something) for someone
- Howling Desert- a desert where you hear howling noises of both animals and the wind
- Hump- a rounded protuberance found on the back of a camel or other animal
- I’ll humph him: I’ll deal with him appropriately./I’ll set him right.
- Panchayat- a council
- Plough- turn up the earth of (an area of land) with a plough, especially before sowing
- Prickles- a short pointed outgrowth on the bark or epidermis of a plant; a small thorn
- Puffing up- becoming bigger
- Saddle- a seat fastened on the back of a horse or other animal for riding, typically made of leather and raised at the front and rear
- Thorns- a stiff, sharp-pointed woody projection on the stem or other part of a plant
- Trot- run at moderate pace with short steps
- Whew- used to express surprise
- Yoke- a wooden cross piece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull
Chapter 2 Children at work
- Blasted- (here) strike
- Blockhead: fool
- Chutney: (here) run over/killed; crushed and ground into chutney
- Crookedly- at an irregular or improper angle.
- Glumly- in a depressed way
- Grimace- an ugly, twisted expression on a person’s face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement
- Grinned- smile broadly
- Gulped- swallow (drink or food) quickly or in large mouthfuls, often audibly
- Making his head spin: giving him a headache/making him feel dizzy
- Mandapam- (in southern India) a temple porch; a temporary platform set up for weddings and religious ceremonies
- Miserable- unhappy
- Panicked: was very worried
- Peeped over- To glance or peer shyly, quickly, or inconspicuously over the top of something
- Porter- a person employed to carry luggage and other loads, especially in a railway station, airport, hotel or market
- Posing: looking important, hoping to impress others
- Puddles- a small pool of liquid, especially of rainwater on the ground
- Pulled in- arrived
- Sack- a large bag made of a strong material such as hessian, thick paper, or plastic, used for storing and carrying goods
- Shaking her thumb under his nose- express scorn or ridicule
- Shove- push (someone or something) roughly
- Squashy- easily crushed or squeezed into a different shape; having a soft consistency
- Squinted- look at someone or something with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see more clearly or as a reaction to strong light
- Tar- a dark, thick flammable liquid distilled from wood or coal, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons, resins, alcohols, and other compounds. It is used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber
- Tiffin: snack (not a proper meal)
- Trickle- (of a liquid) flow in a small stream
- Triplicane- Triplicane, also known as Thiruvallikeni, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India.
- Weeding: working in a field removing grass/Digging, etc
Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant
- Art- here, are
- Awe- a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder
- Casement- window that opens on hinges like a door
- Chimney pots- an earthenware or metal pipe or deflector, often cylindrical, fitted on the top of the chimney to increase draft and reduce or disperse smoke
- Cloak- a sleeveless outdoor overgarment that hangs loosely from the shoulders; cape
- Cornish Ogre- a giant of Cornwall (in the U.K.)
- Crept- move slowly or carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed
- Feeble- weak
- Gruff- rough; surly
- Hastened- move hurriedly
- Hath- an old-fashioned third person singular form of the verb ‘have’
- Linnet- a brownish songbird found in Europe
- Longed- have a strong wish or desire
- Marvellous- extremely good or pleasing; splendid
- Nay- no
- Ogre- (in legends and fairy stories) a cruel giant who eats people; (in common usage) a very frightening person
- Prosecuted- tried in a court of law (here, punished)
- Rattled- make or cause to make a rapid succession of short, sharp knocking sounds
- Slate- a fine-grained grey, green, or bluish-purple metamorphic rock easily split into smooth, flat plates
- Slay- kill someone in a violent way
- Snow, Frost, North Wind, Hail- All these have been presented as characters or persons. North Wind is the chilly wind, and Hail is the hailstorm
- Stole up- to move somewhere quietly and secretly
- Thee- an old-fashioned word for ‘you’
- Trespassers- a person entering someone’s land or property without permission
- Twittering- (of a bird) give a call consisting of repeated light tremulous sounds; chirp
Chapter 4 The Treasure Within
- Academics: academic or educational matters (books, discussions, debates, etc.)
- Ammunition- bullets
- Arithmetic- the branch of mathematics dealing with the properties and manipulation of numbers
- As far as my things are concerned- perhaps he is referring to matters other than course materials and their details
- Cakewalk- smooth ride/something easy to achieve
- Caning- punishment/ beating
- Chor police- children’s game in which one child (thief) hides and others (policemen) try to find him/her Eat to my heart’s content- eat as much as I wanted; eat my fill
- Contention- view; belief or opinion
- Cope- manage/handle/deal with
- Curriculum- (here) school subjects or prescribed courses of study
- Defied- broke
- Distinction- a grade in an examination denoting excellence
- Distraction- something amusing and pleasurable
- Giftedness- having special abilities
- Incurred- become subject to (something unwelcome or unpleasant) as a result of one’s own behaviour or actions
- Incurred the wrath of your teacher- made your teacher furious
- Insecure- anxious (here)
- Instinctively- naturally (not coming from training or based on reasoning)
- Nightmare- haunting fear/frightening dream
- Psyche- mind or mentality
- Pull you up-reprimand or scold someone
- SSC- Secondary School Certificate
- Strategies- methods of winning fights
- Street smart- smart by doing things independently/ by choice rather than force
- Wrath- extreme anger
Chapter 5 Princess September
- Absurd- inappropriate
- Alighted- came down
- Dawn- the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise
- Dew- tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapour condenses
- Disagreeable- unpleasant
- Dreadful- causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious
- Dreadful- terrible
- Fancy- feel a desire or liking for
- Firm- unlikely to change
- Glided- move with a smooth, quiet continuous motion
- Glum- looking or feeling dejected; gloomy
- Good gracious- Exclamation of surprise, dismay, or alarm
- Handy- immediately available
- Hawks- a bird of prey with broad rounded wings and a long tail, typically taking prey by surprise with a short chase
- Heart go thump- If your heart thumps, it beats more strongly and quickly than usual, because of exercise, fear, or excitement
- Hop- jump
- I dare say- I agree/ accept (that it is true)
- Lark- a small ground-dwelling songbird with elongated hind claws and a song that is delivered on the wing, typically crested and with brown streaky plumage
- Maids of Honour- Women attending the Princess
- Mocked- tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner
- Nightingale- a small migratory thrush with drab brownish plumage, noted for its rich melodious song which can often be heard at night
- Obstinate- stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so
- Ominously- threateningly – suggesting that something bad was about to happen
- Oriental- of the east (the Orient means the countries of the far East. its opposite is the Occident)
- Peculiar- different o what is normal or expected
- Perch- place where a bird sits or rests
- Pop- put; push
- Pound- a unit of weight
- Pretty Polly- This simply means ‘God save the king’ as said by the parrot. This was the tradition that to pray for the long life of a king
- Prowling- (of a person or animal) move about restlessly and stealthily, especially in search of prey
- Put their head together- discussed amongst themselves to take a decision
- Saucer- a shallow dish, typically having a circular indentation in the centre, on which a cup is placed
- Siam- now Thailand
- Siamese- old fashioned term for Thai (language)
- Sill- a shelf or slab of stone, wood, or metal at the foot of a window opening or doorway
- Snares- traps for catching birds or animals
- Sob- cry noisily, making loud, convulsive gasps
- Startled- feeling or showing sudden shock or alarm
- Stiff- hardened; non-flexible
- Suking- be silent, morose, and bad-tempered out of annoyance or disappointment
- Supper- an evening meal, typically a light or informal one
- Thank you for nothing- dismissive and contemptuous way of telling somebody that they were no help at all; it is as empty of gratitude as the speaker thinks the offer of help is of no use.
- Vexed- annoyed, frustrated
- Willow- a tree or shrub of temperate climates which typically has narrow leaves, bears catkins, and grows near water.
Chapter 6 The Fight
- Acquiesce- accept quietly
- Adversary- opponent/ enemy
- Assaillant- the person who attacks; (here) enemy/ adversary
- Astonished- greatly surprised or impressed; amazed
- At each other’s throats- fighting
- Bony- (of a person or part of the body) so thin that the bones can be seen
- Cascading- coming down (like a waterfall)
- Clawing- scratching (here)
- Cluster- a group of similar things positioned closely together
- Conceded- admitted
- Dashed- destroyed (hopes or expectations)
- Dissolved- subside uncontrollably into (an expression of strong feelings); break into
- Dive- plunge head first into water with one’s arms raised over one’s head
- Dizzy- having or involving a sensation of spinning around and losing one’s balance
- Emerged- move out of or away from something and become visible
- Encounter- unexpectedly be faced with or experience (something hostile or difficult)
- Exhaustion- tiredness/ fatigue
- Feat- clever act; special skill
- Ferocity- fierceness (suggesting anger/ cruelty)
- Frenzied- violent
- Gasping- catch one’s breath with an open mouth; owing to pain or astonishment
- Glistened- shine with a sparkling light
- Gushing- exaggeratedly enthusiastic
- Heaving- produce (a sigh)
- Hissing- to make a long ‘s’ sound
- Hostile- showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly
- Hostility- ill will/ enmity
- Impasse- (also pronounced ampass) deadlock; place or position from which there is no way out
- Impulse- a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act
- Interminably- endlessly
- Leapt- jumped
- Limpid- (of a liquid) completely clear and transparent
- Limpid- clear
- Listless- lacking energy or enthusiasm
- Muster- (here) use; collect or gather
- Outwit- deceive by greater ingenuity
- Parched- hot and dry
- Penetrated- gone through/ into
- Plunge- jump
- Proclaimed- announce officially; make something clear
- Quench- cool (his body)
- Sal trees- a North Indian tree that yields hard, durable timber and dammar resin
- Scowled- looked angrily
- Seer- same as ser, a unit of weight used previously in India. A ser, a little less than a litre, was one-fortieth of a maund
- Solace- comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness
- Sore- (of a part of one’s body) painful or aching
- Spluttering- speaking quickly/ confusedly
- Spouting- send out (liquid) forcibly in a stream
- Staggered- felt weak/unsteady (due to the blow)
- Stripped- without clothes
- Strode- (past of stride) walk with long decisive steps in a specified direction
- Supple- bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible
- Swaying-moving from side to side
- Taken aback- surprised
- Thickset- stout/ solidly built
- Torrent- rushing stream (of water)
- Translucency- clarity (possible to see through)
- Treading water- keeping oneself upright in deep water by moving the feet
- Tremendous- great
- Trickle- weak or thin flow of water
- Tumbling- fall suddenly, clumsily or headlong
- Unflinching- (without blinking) looking straight at each other
- Vigour- strength
- Vividly- in a way that produces powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind
- Wallowed- rolled about (in mud or dirty water)
- Wandered- walk or move in a leisurely or aimless way
Chapter 7 The Open Window
- Ailments and infirmities- (relating to health) complaints of sickness/weakness
- Bog- wet, spongy ground (one may sink into it)
- Bolted out- leave suddenly and as if in a hurry
- Briskly- in an active, quick, or energetic way
- Bustled- entered (the room) noisily
- Communion- (here) communication
- Dashed off- to leave a place suddenly or quickly
- Dazed- unable to think or react properly
- Delusion-false impression or belief
- Discounting- regard (a possibility or fact) as being unworthy of consideration because it lacks credibility
- Distinct- recognizably different
- Dreadful- causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious
- Duly- in accordance with what is required or appropriate
- Dusk- sunset
- Endeavoured- tried
- Engulfed- sweep over (something) so as to surround or cover it completely; bury
- Falteringly- a ‘faltering’ voice is shaky, hesitant; haltingly
- Flatter- make (her) happy
- Gravel drive- A gravel road is a type on unpaved road surfaced with gravel
- Grinning- smiling broadly so as to reveal teeth
- Headlong- in a rush; with reckless haste
- Hedge- a fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or shrubs
- Imminent- about to happen
- Laboured- done with great effort
- Lose their nerve- to suddenly panic and become too afraid
- Mackintosh- a full-length waterproof coat
- Marshes- an area of low-lying land which is flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and typically remains waterlogged at all times; bog; swamp
- Moor- grassland
- Moping- wander about listlessly and aimlessly because of unhappiness or boredom
- Out of place- unsuitable
- Pursued- (here) continued
- Rattled on- went on
- Retreat- a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax.
- Romance at short notice- finding occasions for fun and enjoyment, wherever possible
- Scarcity of birds- no birds or very few (‘scarcity’ means acute shortage)
- Self-possessed- calm and confident; sure of herself
- Shudder- (of a person) tremble convulsively, typically as a result of fear or revulsion; shake; shiver; tremble
- Snarling-(of an animal such as a dog) make an aggressive growl with bared teeth
- Snipe- water bird that lives in marshes
- Spaniel- a dog of a breed with a long silky coat and drooping ears
- Straying- straying: moving (she was not looking at him)
- Suggest masculine habitation- suggest that the room belonged to a man
- Sympathetic comprehension- understanding and showing sympathy
- Tragedy- an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress
- Treacherous- dangerous (though it seems safe)
- Unduly- overly; unnecessarily
- Whirl of apologies- many apologies (in quick succession)
Chapter 8 Jalebis
- Assault- attack
- Ayat-al-kursi- title of a verse in the Holy Quran
- Bismillah- in the name of God (words spoken before starting something)
- Blabbering- talking confusedly
- Cane- walking stick
- Chabutara- platform
- Chachajaan- Uncle (often used as a respectful form of address to a man around the same age as one’s father)
- Chaprasi- peon
- Choo- sound of ‘blowing over the bag’ (to ward off evil)
- Clamour- loud noise
- Clenched- (of the fingers or hand) closed into a tight ball
- Clutched- grasp (something) tightly
- Coiled up- to curl oneself or something into a small, compact position.
- Crouching- sitting (as if hiding)
- Dashed- run somewhere in great hurry.
- Devour- eat (food) quickly
- Farishta- angel
- Followed my nose- go straight ahead
- Gali- narrow lane
- Gobbled- eat (something) hurriedly and noisily
- Halwai- sweetmeat seller
- Id- the festival of Eid
- Jalebis- syrupy Indian sweet
- Jalebi-wielding hand- the hand that held jalebis
- Kadhao- large, open pot for cooking/boiling
- Khanak-khanak- sound of jingling of coins
- Kissa khatam, paisa hazam- end of story (literally: story ends, money disappears)
- Mob- a large crowd of people
- Mound- a large pile or quantity of something
- Persuasion- coaxing
- Prestige- respect
- Qayamat- Judgement day
- Racket- uproar/ loud noise
- Rupiyas- rupees
- Saheb- a word of Arabic origin meaning “companion”
- Shriek- utter a high-pitched piercing sound or words, especially as an expression of terror, pain, or excitement; scream
- Strangle- squeeze or constrict
- Summoned- sent for/ called
- Surats- verses from the Holy Quran
- Tonga- two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle
- Treasury- wealth
- Virtuous- good and noble
- Wazu- ablution (washing face, hands and feet before praying)
- Wretched- terrible
- Wriggled- twist and turn with quick writhing movements
Chapter 9 The Comet – I
- Acquired- (here) bought
- Amateur- a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity
- Ananda Bazar Patrika- an Indian Bengali-language newspaper
- Aspersions- harsh remarks
- Astronomer- a scholar of the science of the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc.
- Bangalore*- now, Bengaluru
- Barring- except for; if not for; with the exception of
- Beckoned- summon (someone) by beckoning (making a gesture) to them
- Bowler-hatted- a person wearing a bowler hat
- Butler- the chief manservant
- Calamities- disasters/misfortunes
- Calcutta*- now, Kolkata
- Catastrophic- involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering
- Civil servant- a member of the civils service; government official
- Correlation- a mutual connection between two or more things
- Counter-measure- step or action in the opposite direction
- Deferentially- respectfully
- Designing- acting in a calculating, deceitful way
- Disgust- strong dislike or disapproval
- Dreadful- causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious
- Eccentric- unusual/ unlike the orbits of other planets
- Ensnared- catch in or as in a trap
- Faint stars- (of a sight) barely perceptible; unclear
- Fleeting- lasting for a very short time
- Fortuitous- (happening) by chance
- Gigantic- of very great size or extent; huge or enormous
- Glanced- take a brief or hurried look
- Hobnob- have friendly talk/ spend time together
- Huddled- crowd together; nestle closely
- Implications- the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated
- Imposition- unfair demand that one is obliged to accept
- Inevitable- certain to happen; unavoidable
- Interjected- interrupt
- Introvert- one who is preoccupied with his/her own thoughts and feelings—not interested in things outside oneself
- MA- Masters in arts
- Mantlepiece- a structure of wood, marble or stone above and around a fireplace
- Manuscript- paper or book not yet printed
- Meticulous- careful and exact
- Muttered- say something in a low or barely audible voice, especially in dissatisfaction or irritation
- Nebulous- hazy
- Oblivious- forgetful
- Optics- Dibya’s eyes (glass) through which he detected the comet
- Optimistic- hopeful; expecting the best
- Outskirts- the outer parts of a town or city
- Profound- very great or intense
- Provost- the head of certain university colleges, especially at Oxford or Cambridge, and public schools
- Recedes- goes back; disappears
- Referee- a person appointed to examine and assess for publication a scientific or other academic work
- Repress- restrain or prevent (the expression or development of something)
- Smudges- spots/ marks
- Tete-a-tete- private meeting/ talk between two persons
- Typescript- typed copy of a text
- Utterly- absolutely; completely
- Wretched- used to express anger or annoyance
Chapter 10 The Comet – II
- Affinity- a natural liking for and understanding of someone or something
- Annihilation- total destruction
- Averted- prevent or ward off (an undesirable occurrence)
- Bombarded- subject (someone) to a continuous flow of questions, criticisms, or information
- Condoned- accept (behaviour that is considered morally wrong or offensive)
- Correlations- connections
- Correspondence- communication by exchanging letters
- Defensive measures- military action or resources protecting a country
- Deflected- cause (something) to change direction; turn aside from a straight course
- Deliberations- long and careful consideration or discussion
- Deputise- temporarily act or speak on behalf of someone else
- Descendant- a person that is descended from a particular ancestor
- Detonating- setting it off; making it explode
- Dispelled- make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear
- Futile- useless; in vain
- Hangers-on- people in a meeting etc. (usually uninvited) who try to appear very friendly with important people
- Inevitable- certain to happen; unavoidable
- Intercept- (here) stop or block
- Interjected- say (something) abruptly, especially as an aside or interruption.
- Isles- an island or peninsula, especially a small one
- Mammoth- huge
- Offensive action- The primary purpose of the offense is to defeat, destroy, or neutralize an enemy force which in this case, was Comet Dutta.
- Off-street- not on a public road
- Outwardly- on the surface; on or front he outside
- Pacify- quell the anger, agitation or excitement of
- Pandal- a marquee; a large tent used for social or commercial functions
- Payload- equipment
- Probed- seek to uncover information about someone or something
- Proposition- a suggested scheme or plan of action, especially in a business context
- Rendezvous- (pronounces rondivoo) meeting place
- Respite- a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
- Subtle- so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyse or describe
- Taboo- something not permitted for religious, social/cultural reasons
- Triumph- a great victory or achievement
- Underground bunkers- A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs or other attacks. Bunkers are mostly underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground
- Virtues- behaviour showing high moral standards
- Yajna- a ritual sacrifice with a specific objective
Chapter 11 Ancient Education System of India
- Arduous- difficult and tiring
- Aryabhatta- He was the first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. He presented a number of innovations in mathematics and astronomy in verse form, which were influential for many centuries.
- Autonomy- freedom to act on one’s will
- Brahmapuri- a type of cultural institution
- Charaka- one of the principal contributors to Ayurveda; The treatise that Charaka compiled is one of the foundational treatises of classical Indian medicine
- Chatuspadis- a learning home
- Conscientiously- in a thorough and responsible way
- Dharmasutras- (Dharma- right way of living or righteousness; sutra- sacred thread or code; Dharmastura- righteousness thread or righteousness code i.e., a guideline to live rightly in Hindu society) a book or scripture that forms the initial foundation of Hindu law, containing regulations regarding government, castes, relationships among people, economic actions, diets and religious affairs. There were many texts considered as dharmasutra, but only four survived into modern times.
- Discourses- speak or write authoritatively about a topic
- Gurukuls- (Guru- teacher; kula-home) a type of education system in ancient India with shiya (students) living near or with the Guru, in the same house
- Heritage- something that is handed down from the past, as a tradition
- Holistic- characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole
- Humility- the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance
- Imbibing- to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas
- Indigenous- original or occurring naturally in a particular place; native
- I-Qing- he was a Tang-era Chinese Buddhist monk famed as a traveller and translator. His account of his travels is an important source for the history of the medieval kingdoms
- Jain Basadis- a place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism
- Jataka tales- The Jatakas are an important part of Buddhist art and literature. They describe the previous existences or births of the Buddha (the Enlightened One) when he appeared as Bodhisattvas (beings who are yet to attain enlightenment or moksha), in both human and non-human forms.
- Katyayana- a Sanskrit grammarian, mathematician and Vedic priest who lived in ancient India
- Land of wonder- an actual place or scene of great or strange beauty
- Madrassas- Madrasa is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether for elementary instruction or higher learning
- Maktabas- library
- Mathas- a Sanskrit word that means “institute or college” and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism
- Panini- Panini was an ancient Sanskrit philologist (the study of language in oral and written historical sources), grammarian and a revered scholar in Ancient India. He was considered as “the father of linguistics”.
- Patanjali- Patanjali was a sage (rishis; holy figure) in India thought to be the author of number of Sanskrit works
- Pathshalas- a village school offering a rudimentary education
- Pious- devoutly religious
- Pragmatic- dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations; practical
- Pre-colonial period-the period of time before colonization of a region or territory
- Rigveda- The Rigveda is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the four sacred canonical texts of Hinduism known as Vedas. Rigvedic period – 1500BC-1000BC
- Sacred- connected with God or a god or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration
- Sages- someone who has attained wisdom
- Salient- most noticeable or important
- Statecraft- the skillful management of state affairs; statesmanship or the skill of governing a country
- Summon- to officially arrange a meeting of people
- Sushruta- an ancient Indian physician described as the “father of surgery”
- Tenets- the main principles of a religion or philosophy
- Treatises- a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject
- University- Institution of higher education
- Upanishads- each of a series of Hindu sacred treatises written in Sanskrit c. 800–200 BC, expounding the Vedas in predominantly mystical and monistic terms.
- Vedas- The Vedas are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. There are four Vedas: the RIgveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda
- Viharas- Buddhist monastery
- Xuan Zang- Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who traveled to India in the seventh century and described the interaction between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism during the early Tang dynasty