Unit 14. Anthropology

Word

Definition

Example

assimilate

to consume and incorporate

My body can't assimilate dairy

cremation

the act of burning the dead

Many people choose cremation rather than burial.

domesticate

to make something suitable for being in a home

Mammals were first domesticated for their milk

folklore

traditional myths of a people

I am interested in the folklore of other countries.

fossilize

to become preserved in stone after death

Lava buried the forest, eventually fossilizing the trees.

relic

something left over from ancient history

These bones are the relics of a 12th-century saint.

rite

a ceremony meant to achieve a certain purpose

You have to go through an initiation rite before you become a full member

ritually

as part of a traditional ceremony or habit

However, some territorial control existed, and was ritually organized within and between clans.

saga

a long story about important events long ago

Her new novel is a lengthy and compelling family saga.

vestige

a visible trace that something once existed

These old buildings are the last vestiges of a colonial past.