WWII Home / Pearl Harbor Home Pearl Harbor Glossary
Here are some words that will help you understand what
happened the day Pearl Harbor was bombed:
Bomber - a large airplane that drops bombs on targets.
Depth charge - an explosive device designed to explode
underwater.
Destroyer - a small, very fast warship that uses guns,
missles, and torpedoes to protect other ships from
submarines.
Diplomat - a person who represents his or her country's
government in a foreign country.
Dispatch - a message or report.
Embargo - an official order forbidding something from
happening, especially trade.
Evacuate - to move away from an area because it is dangerous
there.
Imperialists - people who want a national policy of
gaining foreign territories or establishing dominance
over other nations.
Negotiate - to bargain or discuss something so that
you can come to an agreement..
Radar - an instrument used by planes and ships to find
solid objects by reflecting radio waves off them and
by receiving the reflected waves.
Raid - a sudden, surprise attack on a place.
Sabotage - the deliberate damage or destruction of property.
Seize - to grab or take hold of something suddenly.
Shogun - leaders of military clans who ruled in the
Emperor's name.
Torpedo - an underwater missle that explodes when it
hits a target, such as a ship.
Treaty - a formal agreement between two or more countries.
This glossary has been adapted from the Scholastic Children's
Dictionary. Interview with the Eyewitnesses | Teacher's Guide |