History

Definition of prison

The Latin word praesidium, which can be translated as “protection”, refers to the penitentiary where people who have committed serious crimes and have been deprived of their freedom as a sentence are held. The term “prison” is also used to refer to the sentence itself and to the group of subjects imprisoned in the same establishment. Some […]

Definition of preindustrial

The adjective pre-industrial is used to describe that which precedes the development of an economy based on industry. Industry is understood, in turn, as the set of actions and procedures that allow natural raw materials to be obtained and/or transformed. Pre-industrial societies are those that existed before the Revolution […]

Definition of predecessor

The etymology of predecessor takes us back to late Latin, more precisely to the word praedecessor. This is the name given to someone who preceded another person in a position or post. Someone who was there before A predecessor, therefore, is someone who was there before another person in a certain position. In this context, someone who came […]

Definition of preclassic

The adjective preclassical is used to describe that which precedes the classical period. The term is often used in the field of literature and art. Before the peak It is important to mention that, in a classical period, the peak of a civilization or culture is recorded. Before reaching that moment, […]

Definition of Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism is an artistic movement that emerged at the end of the 19th century. Also referred to as post-impressionism according to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) in its dictionary, it emerged as a response to impressionism. To define what post-impressionism is, therefore, we must first refer to impressionism. This is the name given to a movement that […]

Definition of Pleistocene

Geology is the science that studies the history of the planet Earth, focusing on the origins, evolution and characteristics of the materials that make it up. To facilitate its analysis, it uses a time frame through various divisions and subdivisions of time. On the time scale of the Earth, the Earth is divided into three parts: the Earth’s […]

Definition of periodization

Periodization is the act and result of periodizing. This verb (to periodize), in turn, refers to the establishment of periods to circumscribe historical or other types of processes. Through periodization, therefore, history is divided into different eras or stages. This segmentation can also be carried out in the […]

Definition of perestroika

Perestroika is a Russian word that can be translated as “reconstruction”. This Russian term was formed by joining the prefix “pere-”, which means “again”, the verb “stroit”, which is synonymous with “to build”, and the diminutive instrumental suffix “-ika”. Accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the term is used to refer to the process of opening up […]

Definition of Pentateuch

The etymological root of the Pentateuch is found in the Greek language and refers to “five cases” or “five scrolls.” The notion refers to the first five books of the Bible, which used to be kept rolled up. According to tradition, Moses is the author of the Pentateuch, which is composed of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, […]

Definition of penny

The term penny comes from penig, an Old English word that can be translated as “coin”. The concept refers, precisely, to a coin from Great Britain. In ancient times, the penny was equivalent to one-twelfth of a shilling. Shillings were used until 1970 and were then replaced by pounds sterling. Today, the penny is the currency of the British Pound.