Glossary

To get a more in-depth description of any term in the Glossary, as well as a list of articles that relate to the term, just click on the term in the list of Terms below. You’ll be taken to a page that contains the Term, the Longer Description, and a list of articles related to that topic.

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Ancestors

Ancestors are family members in one's direct line, related by blood, such as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the generations before them. Collectively, they are considered one's ancestry.

Autobiography

An autobiography is a written description of the events of one's life. It usually starts with the date and place of birth and continues through the present day.

Boomer

A Boomer is someone born after World War II, between 1946 and 1964. Because of the delay of births during World War II when men were deployed overseas, pent-up wishes for a family produced the largest bulge in population growth in America. Those in this population boom were named Boomers, or Baby Boomers.

Boomer Mom

Also see: Boomer

Boomer Women

Also see: Boomer

Cancer

Cancer is a cluster of diseases characterized by fast-growing cells that spread quickly throughout the body, overwhelming its natural defenses. It may be fatal. The various types of cancer are typically named after the part of the body where they first appear.

There is also a staging convention that indicates the severity of cancer, by Stage I, II, III, or IV, depending on whether it is localized to the primary site (Stage I) or in other sites distant from the primary site (Stage IV).

Cancer Diet

Although research suggests that nutrition is an important factor both in reducing the risk of getting cancer and of surviving it after diagnosis, there is still no definitive diet for cancer patients to follow. Foods that appear to reduce risk include fruits and vegetables with bright colors, such as carrots, sweet potatoes and blueberries. A lower intake of meat and reduced or eliminated alcohol, sugar, and processed meats are also suggested.

Cancer Survivor

Cancer survivors traditionally have been considered those who have survived five years after diagnosis. More recently, the cancer community considers survivors those who have completed treatment.

Condolence

A condolence is an expression of sympathy, usually after the death of a family member or friend. It is usually in the plural, as in, "He offered his condolences to the family."

Cornholing

Cornholing is a popular beach or indoor game for young adults similar to the beanbag toss games popular in the 1950s. Organized and sometimes used to raise money for charities, there are now tournaments. The name is borrowed from a raunchy sexual term.

Cough Into Your Shoulder

Also see: Cover Your Cough

Cover Your Cough

Cover Your Cough is what parents used to direct their children to do when they coughed or sneezed, so as not to spread germs to others from the cough. Research since this advice was first promoted to parents suggests that many colds and flu are spread by contact with the hands, so now children are directed to cough or sneeze into their elbow or shoulder.

Cursive Writing

Cursive writing is script that links letters together without lifting the pen or pencil. It used to be taught starting in the second grade. It is now largely superseded by the use of keyboards, so most children, while they may learn cursive writing in school, largely print when they are writing by hand and not typing on a keyboard or texting on a cellphone.

Drop-side Crib

A drop-side crib, used until 2011, allowed easy access to a crib by allowing parents to lower one side of the crib. Deaths from loose mechanisms, in which babies were caught between the mattress and the side of the crib prompted their being outlawed in 2011. Newer cribs have sides that fold down from the top.

Edible Manipulatives

Edible manipulatives are food (edible) that is used to help with education, usually mathematics, by picking it up and holding it (manipulative). Grapes, for instance, can be used to teach counting. Fruits can be used to teach colors.

Family History

Family history, like genealogy, may include names, places and dates of birth, and relationships among family members. It may also include more specific information, such as a medical family history, to provide a clearer picture of possible medical risks, such as cancer.
Also see: Genealogy

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley was initially a character in a children's story book about a little boy who became flat enough to be mailed. A geography teacher took this concept and invited his students to make life-sized pictures of themselves, then take photos of that life-sized image wherever they traveled.