archipelago (32) - a group of islands.
Africa (9) - (from Latin africa terra) the continent the Romans called "land of the Afri." The Afri were a tribe they knew dwelling in North Africa, possibly the Berbers.
Anatolia (48) - (Greek: anatolay, "rising of the sun," or, "East") Asian part of modern Turkey, also called Asia Minor.
Asia (22) - from the Akkadian root asu meaning "sunrise."
Bantu (12) - designating a group of languages spoken in Central, East Central, and South Africa that includes Swahili, Zulu, and Xhosa.
bight (134, 132 map inset) - a bay formed by a curve in a coastline.
caliph (16) - (Arabic, "successor" [to Muhammad]) Muslim religious and political ruler, as time passed, subservient to the sultan.
Caribbean (94) - (Carib, name of Indian peoples of northern South America) part of the West Atlantic bounded by the West Indies and the coasts of Central and South America.
caudillo (213) - (Sp. from Latin, capitellum, "little head") a military chieftain.
China (26) - from Chinese zhongguo, "Middle Kingdom."
coup d'état - (Fr. "strike at the state") the sudden overthrow of a government by a small group.
Creole (212) - (Portuguese, crioulo, "of the household") someone of European descent born in the West Indies or South America.
daimyo (147) - (pronounced deyem-yoh, Japanese, "great name") feudal warlord in Japan, subservient to the shogun.
dar al-Islam (14) - (Ar. "house of Islam") Muslim term for the community of Muslims worldwide (synonymous with umma).
dynasty (45) - a hereditary ruling family that passes power from one generation to the next.
enclosure (155) - movement wherein English landowners seized property deemed to be commonly owned by residents and claimed it as their own.
encomienda (95) - (from Spanish encomendar, "to entrust.") a system of forced labor and taxation in which Spanish conquistadores (encomenderos) were expected to provide protection and a Christian education to the indigenous people in their "trust."
entrepot (64, 84) - (pronounced an-tray-po) a market or trading center, especially one where goods can be imported and re-exported without payment of tariffs or duties.
entrepreneur (222) - (Fr., "to undertake") one who organizes, operates, and assumes the risks for a business venture.
Europe (22) - from the Phoenician root ereb meaning "sunset."
feudalism (24) - economic, political, legal, and military relationship between landowning lords and warrior-vassals who were granted privileges in exchange for their pledges of loyalty and military service to the lords. The concept has been contested by recent generations of historians (Elizabeth A. R. Brown, for example).
fluitship (154) - (Dutch, "flyboat") small Dutch merchant vessel capable of bearing heavy and bulky loads.
guerrilla (207) - (Fr. guerre, "war") a member of a small, irregular military force.
Han (7, 27, 31, etc.) - ethnic majority in China.
il-khan (38) - secondary ruler, lower in rank than a khan.
indigenes (152) - (pronounced in-de-jeens) natives.
inflation (139) - a rise in the general level of prices (as demand for goods exceeds supply or as a government increases the supply of money with the aim of reducing debt).
Japan (32) - from Chinese jih-pen meaning "sun's origin."
khan (35, 38) - from Mongolian, "supreme ruler" (see also il-khan).
laissez-faire (184) - (from French, "letting [people] do as they choose.") The stance on economic activity advanced by Scottish political economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith (184, 198, 219). Following French physiocrat ("natural law") economists like François Quesnay, Smith (1723-1790) sought to minimize governmental interference in private economic affairs.
Mamluk (18, 21) - (from Arabic, "owned," i.e. a slave) a term denoting a dynasty of rulers made up of former slaves. Notable examples are in thirteeneth century Egypt and India.
mandate of heaven (45) - Chinese idea that emperors derived their license to rule from the ancestor/gods and kept it only as long as they ruled justly. (Compare the Euro-Christian concept of the "divine right of kings." )
maroon (130) - (Sp., "people from the heights") refers to runaway slaves seeking refuge in the highland areas of Caribbean islands.
mercantilism (121-124) - an economic system developed during the decline of feudalism that put a premium on strict governmental regulation of economic activity with the aim of strengthening the state. It came under attack during the Enlightenment by such figures as Adam Smith (see above).
métis (127) - (Fr., pronounced "MAY-teez") - mixed offspring of French-Indian intermarriage.
meztizo (261) - a person of mixed racial ancestry (usually European and native).
millenarian (247) - (from Latin milleni meaning "thousand") describing a belief in the one thousand year rule of Christ in the Book of Revelation 20:1-5, a time of (hoped for) peace and justice.
mulatto (210) - (Sp., "person of mixed race") a person of mixed white and black ancestry.
placer gold mines (95) - mines where the ore is removed by hand or by panning.
polity - the form of government of a nation or state.
purdanashin (339) - (Hindi, "one sitting behind the veil") women of India who live in seclusion.
republicanism (203) - (from Latin res publica, "the public thing," i.e. "commonwealth") the political stance that holds that virtue emanates from the people, not the monarch; government by representation where people are governed by elected representatives, not by a monarch.
samurai (147) - (Japanese, "those who serve the nobility") Japanese warrior(s) in the service of a daimyo.
Sanatana Dharma - (from Sanskrit, "eternal law") the term preferred by the people we know as "Hindus" to denote their religion.
sapper (170) - a specialist in army fortifications, also skilled at laying and detecting mines.
savannah (10) - tropical or sub-tropical grasslands.
shogun (147) - (Japanese, "military ruler") hereditary, dynastic ruler of Japan. (See also daimyo)
Silk Road (map, 46-47) - The "Silk Road" denotes a collection of East-West trade routes some 5,000 miles long through Central Asia linking China with West Asia and the Mediterranean world. (More)
specie (124) - coinage.
sultan (52) - (Arabic, "power") Muslim military and political ruler. (see also caliph)
syncretism (188) - a combination of different religious beliefs and practices. Examples: Hinduism (Jainism and many indigenous beliefs and practices), Sikhism (Hinduism and Islam), Chinese indigenous religions.
Three World Order (386, 414) - a shorthand way of conceptualizing the world after World War II: First World - USA and its allies, Second World - Soviet Union and its allies (also called "satellites"), Third World - Colonized or semi-colonized nations. The phrase "Third World" (tiers monde) was popularized by French intellectuals in the 1950s as a way of describing nations seeking a "third way" between Western capitalism and Soviet communism (414).
tributary (as, for example, the Chinese form: 32, 40, 64) - system of exclusionary, protective trading relationships.
umma (14) - (Ar."people," "community") term used by Muslims to refer to their religious community worldwide. Synonymous with dar al-Islam.
yeoman (199) - an independent farmer.
zamindar (114) - a collector of tribute or taxes.