Scientific Vocabulary 3: Properties

1.       property (n.)خاصية, صفة مميزة – The characteristic or quality of an object.

One property of steel is toughness.

2.       brittle (adj.) هش , سريع الأنكسار

A brittle material breaks easily, e.g. glass.

3.       tough (adj.) متين, toughen (v.) يُمتن, يَقسي, toughness

A tough material does not break easily, e.g. steel.

4.       hard (adj.) صُلب, قاسي  , harden (v.) يقسي, hardness

A hard material is difficult to scratch, e.g. glass.

5.       soft (adj.) لين, رقيق, soften (v.)  يُلين, يُضعف, softening (n.) بلين,برفق

A soft material is easy to scratch, e.g. chalk.

6.       flexible (adj.) قابل للأنثناء, flex (v.) يلوي , flexibility (n.) المرونه

A flexible material bends easily, e.g. rubber.

7.       rigid (adj.) صُلب , rigidity (n.) صلابه, قسوه

A rigid material does not bend easily, e.g. rock.

8.       smooth (adj.) أملس, ناعم  , smoothens (v.) يَملس, smoothness

Some materials have a smooth surface; they produce little friction when they are rubbed, e.g. ice.

9.       friction (n.) إحتكاك

Friction is the rubbing of one surface on another.

10.   rough (adj. ) خشن, سطح ذا ملمس خشن, roughen (v.) يخشن, roughness  خشونه

Some materials have a rough surface and produce a lot of friction, e.g. sandpaper.

11.   soluble (adj.)ذواب, قابل للذوبان في سائل , solubility (n.) قابلية الأنحلال

Materials which are soluble in water dissolve easily, e.g. salt.

12.   insoluble (adj.) غير ذواب, insolubility (n.) ليس له قابلية الأنحلال

Materials which are insoluble do not dissolve, e.g. glass.

13.   transparent (adj.) شفاف, transparency (n.)  شئ شفاف

You can see through transparent materials, e.g. pure water.

14.   translucent (adj.) نصف شفاه, translucence (n.)  الشفانيه

You cannot see through translucent materials, but light passes through them, e.g. dirty water.

15.   opaque (adj.) معتم,شئ غير شفاف, opaqueness (n.)

You cannot see through opaque materials, and light cannot pass through them, e.g. metal.

16.   combustible (adj.) مادة قابله للأحتراق , combust (v.)يحترق , combustion (n.)  إحتراق

Combustible materials burn easily, e.g. wood.

17.   noncombustible (adj.)  مادة غير قابلة للأحتراق, non-combustion (n.)

Noncombustible materials do not burn, e.g. stone.

18.   motile (adj.) مُتحرك, قادر على الحركه, motility (adj.)

A material or substance that is motile has the power to move spontaneously.

19.   muscular (adj.) عضلي, نامي العضلات, muscularity (n.)  قوي

A muscular person has a lot of big muscles, e.g. Sylvester Stallone.

20.   permeable (adj.)  ينفُذ منه, permeability (n.)  النفيذيه

A material that is permeable allows water, gas, etc. to pass through it.

21.   impermeable (adj.)  كتيم, غير مُنفْذ للماء, impermeability (n. )  اللامنفذيه

A material that is impermeable does not allow water, gas, etc. to pass through it.

22.   adhesive (adj.)  لزج, سريع ألألتصاق , adhesion (n.) إلتصاق

A material that is adhesive allows other substances to stick to it.

Changes in Property

Changes in property are also important symptoms of a disease or disorder. Verbs describing a change in property are often formed from the noun/adjective + the affix “en.” Adjectives describing a change in property are often formed from verbs describing a change in property.