Basic Scientific Vocabulary
Notes on the vocabulary list
- The character • in a verb means the verb is separable
- Where a word appears as a hyperlink, you can click on it to see examples and mnemonic ideas to help you learn it.
Suggestions & Resources for learning this vocabulary:
- Begin by studying one section at a time, then start studying multiple sections
- Form simple sentences in German with this vocabulary, as quickly as you can, 05-20 minutes at a time.
- Use the online Flashcard program to load the vocab you want to study and then practice it. Note that you can save your sessions so you can continue with the same set of cards with which you left off.
- Use the following Quizlets to study this vocabulary:
- Links on this page above each section take you to some simple online matching exercises for that section
- The yellow table below consists of links to online matching and multiple choice exercises keyed to the
quizzes, which combine several sections at a time. Remember that each
quiz builds on the one before, so if you are studying for quiz 3, you should
also review the exercises for quizzes 1 and 2. - Click here for additional vocabulary learning ideas.
Practice exercises for the quizzes
Remember that before doing these, you should first study one section at a time, and do the matching exercises for that section.
Quiz 1 covers “Quantities, Measuring” and “Laws, Theories, Experiments, Proofs”
Quiz 2 covers “Quantities, Measuring” through “Genetics & Misc. Biological Terms”
Quiz 3 covers “Quantities, Measuring” through “Electricity, Machines”
Quiz 4 covers the entire list.
| Übungen für Quiz 1 | Übungen für Quiz 2 [==> To study for Quiz 2, you could also review Übungen für Quiz 1] |
| Übungen für Quiz 3 [==> To study for Quiz 3, you could also review review Übungen für Quiz 1 & 2] | Übungen für Quiz 4 [==> To study for Quiz 4, you could also review Übungen für Quiz 1, 2 & 3] |
The list–section by section
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| ab•nehmen, er/sie/es nimmt ab, nahm ab, hat abgenommen | to decrease (for becoming less, not for making something less) |
| fallen, er/sie/es fällt, fiel, ist gefallen | to decrease (for becoming less, not for making something less) |
| die Anzahl | amount, quantity (for things counted in whole numbers) |
| berechnen | to calculate (something) |
| rechnen | to do arithmetic |
| bestimmen | to determine |
| der Betrag, ¨-e | amount, quantity (for money and some measurements) |
| der Durchschnitt | average |
| erhöhen | to raise (temperature, pressure, speed, concentration, amount, taxes) |
| genau | exactly |
| gesamt | whole, entire |
| insgesamt | altogether, in total |
| gewaltig | huge |
| riesig | huge |
| die Größenordnung, -en | order of magnitude |
| messen, er/sie/es misst, maß, hat gemessen | to measure |
| reduzieren | to reduce, to lower (temperature, pressure, speed, concentration, amount, taxes) |
| senken | to reduce, to lower (temperature, pressure, speed, concentration, amount, taxes) |
| verringern | to reduce, to lower (temperature, pressure, speed, concentration, amount, taxes) |
| schätzen | to estimate |
| schätzungsweise | approximately |
| unendlich | infinite |
| ungefähr | approximately, roughly |
| etwa | approximately, roughly |
| wiegen, wog, hat gewogen | to weigh |
| die Waage, -n | scales (for weighing) |
| winzig | tiny |
| zu•nehmen, er/sie/es nimmt zu, nahm zu, hat zugenommen | to increase (for becoming more, not for making something more) |
| steigen, stieg, ist gestiegen | to increase (for becoming more, not for making something more) |
Laws, Theories, Experiments, Proofs
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| allgemein | general |
| an•wenden, wandte an/wendete an, hat angewandt/angewendet | to apply (a formula or a theory; not for applying for jobs etc.) |
| die Anwendung, -en | application |
| behaupten | to claim, to assert |
| beliebig | arbitrary |
| merken | to notice |
| bemerken | to notice |
| beobachten | to observe |
| bestätigen | to confirm |
| der Beweis, -e | proof |
| beweisen, bewies, hat bewiesen | to prove |
| die Erfahrung, -en | experience |
| erfahren, er/sie/es erfährt, erfuhr, hat erfahren | to experience, find out |
| das Ergebnis, -se | result (Plural: results, data) |
| das Experiment, -e | experiment |
| der Fall, ¨-e | case |
| die Folge, -n | consequence |
| gelten, er/sie/es gilt, galt, hat gegolten | to be valid (see Superwörter III for more details) |
| gültig | valid |
| das Gesetz, -e | law |
| prüfen | to test (e.g. a hypothesis); to check (if something is working right) |
| der Satz, ¨-e | law, theorem, sentence |
| streng | strict, rigorous |
| die Untersuchung, -en | investigation |
| untersuchen | to investigate |
| die Verallgemeinerung, -en | generalization |
| die Vermutung, -en | supposition, hypothesis |
| vermuten | to suppose, hypothesize |
| der Versuch, -e | experiment; attempt |
| der Vorgang, ¨-e | process, procedure |
| der Zweifel, – | doubt |
| zweifeln an | to doubt |
| bezweifeln | to doubt |
| zweifelhaft | dubious, doubtful |
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| (un)abhängig | (in)dependent |
| ab•hängen von, hing ab, hat abgehangen | to depend on |
| die Beziehung, -en | relationship |
| der Grund, ¨-e | reason (as in: “why?”; not as in “rationality,” “logic”) |
| die Verbindung, -en | connection, (chemical) compound |
| verbunden | connected |
| verursachen | to cause |
| die Wirkung, -en | effect |
| der Zufall, ¨-e | chance, coincidence |
| zufällig | by chance, coincidentally, randomly |
Science, Scientists, Research(ers)
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| entdecken | to discover |
| die Entdeckung, -en | discovery |
| forschen | to do research |
| (etwas) erforschen | to research something |
| der/die Forscher(in), -/-innen | researcher |
| die Naturwissenschaft, -en | scientific discipline (e.g. Physics), “science” |
| die Wissenschaft, -en | science (can include social science and even literary “science”) |
| der/die Wissenschaftler(in), -/-innen | scientist |
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| sich an•passen an | to adapt to |
| gut an … angepasst | well adapted to |
| die Art, -en | species |
| das Eiweiß | protein, albumen, egg white |
| die Entwicklung, -en | development |
| entwickeln | to develop |
| erben | to inherit |
| die Fortpflanzung | reproduction |
| das Gehirn, -e | brain |
| das Gen, -e | gene |
| das Geschlecht, -er | gender, genus |
| der Körper, – | body (also in the sense of “a moving body”) |
| künstlich | artificial |
| der Missbrauch, ¨-e | abuse |
| missbrauchen | to abuse (in the sense of “misuse” or “cruelly misuse”; not in the sense of “insult”) |
| das Säugetier, -e | mammal |
| der Stoffwechsel | metabolism |
| die Zelle, -n | cell |
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| entstehen, entstand, ist entstanden | to come into being |
| das Licht | light |
| die Lichtgeschwindigkeit | the speed of light |
| der Planet, -en | planet |
| der Raum | space |
| der Weltraum | space |
| die Schwerkraft | gravity |
| die Gravitation | gravity |
| die Sonne, -n | sun |
| der Stern, -e | star |
| der Urknall | big bang |
| das Weltall | universe |
| das Universum | universe |
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| an•treiben, trieb an, hat angetrieben | to drive, to power |
| die Bahn, -en | path (of a moving object); train |
| beschleunigen | to accelerate |
| die Beschleunigung, -en | acceleration |
| der Druck, “-e | pressure |
| die Energie | energy |
| die Geschwindigkeit, -en | speed, velocity (use context to pick the right one) |
| der Impuls | momentum, impulse |
| der Schwung | momentum [non-/less scientific term] |
| die Reibung | friction |
| rückwärts | backwards |
| vorwärts | forwards |
| die Ruhe | state of rest, quiet, silence |
| ruhend | in a state of rest |
| träge | inert |
| die Trägheit | inertia |
| der Widerstand | resistance |
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| an•machen | to turn (something) on |
| aus•machen | to turn (something) off |
| an•schalten | to switch (something) on |
| aus•schalten | to switch (something) off |
| der Schalter | switch |
| an sein | to be switched on |
| aus sein | to be switched off |
| die Atomenergie | nuclear power |
| die Kernkraft | nuclear power |
| der Draht, ¨-e | wire |
| das Kabel, – | thick wire, cable |
| die Elektrizität | electricity |
| elektrisch | electric |
| funktionieren | to be working (as intended) [as in: functioning] |
| gehen, ging, ist gegangen | to be working (as intended) [as in: functioning] [also means: to walk, of course!] |
| laufen, er/sie/es läuft, lief, ist gelaufen | to be running [e.g. a program, an engine, a washing machine] |
| leiten | to conduct, to lead (e.g. an expedition, a team of researchers) |
| die Leitung, -en | conduction, (water-)pipe (for tap water etc.), leadership (e.g. of an expedition or a team of researchers) |
| der Motor, -en | motor, engine |
| der Schalter, – | switch |
| der Strom | electric current/power |
| der Stromkreis | circuit |
| die Technik | technology |
| technisch | technical |
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| der Kohlenstoff; die Kohle, -n | carbon; coal |
| der Sauerstoff | oxygen |
| der Stickstoff | nitrogen |
| der Wasserstoff | hydrogen |
Materials and their Properties
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| bestehen aus | to consist of |
| dicht | dense OR not letting anything through (e.g. watertight) |
| undicht | leaky |
| die Dichte | density |
| die Eigenschaft, -en | characteristic, property (not in the sense of “owning”) |
| enthalten, er/sie/es enthält, enthielt, hat enthalten | to contain |
| fest | solid (also means: firm, tight) |
| flüssig | liquid |
| gasförmig | gaseous |
| leicht | light; easy |
| schwer | heavy; hard |
| die Mischung | mixture |
| mischen | to mix |
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| aus•drücken | to express (quantities in certain units; genes; ideas…) |
| derzeit | jetzt |
| durch•führen | to carry out |
| die Erhaltung | conservation (e.g. of energy, of a species) |
| erhalten, er/sie/es erhält, erhielt, hat erhalten | to conserve; to receive |
| erzeugen | to generate |
| verschwinden, verschwand, ist verschwunden | to disappear |
| die Welle, -n | wave |