Ecology

Definition of peat

Peat is a word with two different meanings, which depend on its etymological origin. When it comes from the French tourbe, the notion of peat is used to name an organic substance that can be used as fuel. Peat, in this sense, is a material composed of plant residues that accumulate in a […]

Definition of pesticide

Pesticide is an adjective used to name something that allows us to fight a pest. The term is also used as a noun to refer to the chemical compound that is applied to a surface with the intention of repelling or eliminating harmful or unwanted organisms. In this sense, pesticide is usually used as […]

Definition of slope

Cuesta is a term that can have two different etymological origins, which gives rise to two different meanings. According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), on the one hand, cost can come from the Latin costa (“side”) while, on the other hand, the word can derive from quaestus (linked to the action of negotiating). In […]

Definition of desertification

Desertization is the process and consequences of the action of desertification. This verb, according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), is synonymous with desertifying: converting a fertile territory into desert terrain. We have to state that the term desertification has its etymological origin in Latin. Specifically, it derives from the verb deserere, […]

Definition of degradation

Degradation is a term originating from the Latin degradatĭo. The concept is associated with the verb degrade, which refers to removing a person's titles, distinctions and prerogatives, or to minimizing the powers or properties of a subject or something. In everyday language, the notion of degradation is usually used as […]

Definition of preservation

Preservation is a term related to the verb preserve, whose etymology takes us to the Latin praeservāre. The action of preserving consists of taking care of, protecting or defending something in advance, with the aim of avoiding eventual harm or deterioration. Preservation, therefore, can be developed in various areas and in different ways to conserve […]

Definition of diversification

Diversification is the result of the action of diversifying. This verb, for its part, refers to making what was uniform or lacking variants become varied and heterogeneous. To diversify, in other words, is to provide diversity (plurality). The notion of diversification is frequently used in the field of […]

Definition of traffic

Traffic is a concept that has its origin in an Italian word and refers to the transit or movement of means of transport, human beings or objects along some type of road or track. The concept of traffic can refer to both the action of movement and the consequences of said circulation. […]

Definition of diving

Diving is an underwater activity that can be done for recreational, research or sports purposes. It consists of entering the water and submerging the entire body, so, in general, it is carried out with the help of some type of equipment that allows the diver not to have to surface to breathe. By […]

Definition of reef

Arrecife is a concept derived from an Arabic word that can be translated as "stoned." The traditional use of the term, therefore, is linked to a road, a causeway or a cobbled or paved path. Nowadays, however, the notion of reef is associated with the bank formed by stones and polipero animals in […]