Collection 3: Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves

As you read Brenda Z. Guiberson's "Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves, Destruction in 12 Countries," learn this word list. Here are links to lists for texts in Grade 6's Collection 3: Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves, poems about hurricanes, The Banana Tree, A Night to Remember
20 words 2323 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Richter scale
    a system once used to measure the strength of an earthquake
  2. epicenter
    a point on the Earth's surface directly above an earthquake
  3. tsunami
    a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave
  4. rupture
    separate or cause to separate abruptly
  5. backwash
    the wave that spreads behind a boat as it moves forward
  6. mahout
    the driver and keeper of an elephant
  7. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
  8. aboriginal
    relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning
  9. traumatize
    inflict an emotional wound or shock upon
  10. aquifer
    underground layer of rock or sand that yields groundwater
  11. atoll
    an island consisting of a coral reef surrounding a lagoon
  12. antibiotic
    a substance used to kill microorganisms and cure infections
  13. guerilla
    one who fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
  14. degradation
    a low or downcast state
  15. seismic
    subject to or caused by an earthquake or earth vibration
  16. proportion
    magnitude or extent
  17. magnitude
    the property of relative size or extent
  18. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
  19. ferocious
    marked by extreme and violent energy
  20. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
Created on Wed Jul 09 10:41:15 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Jul 10 13:36:10 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.