PART F — SPECIALISED / TECHNICAL TERM TABLES
Free study material · concepts, shortcuts & solved questions
Every competitive exam vocabulary section eventually strays from root-and-affix words into a different kind of item entirely: a fixed, closed-list fact — the collective noun for a group of lions, the name for the fear of enclosed spaces, the study of birds. These cannot be derived from first principles the way incontrovertible can; they simply have to be known. The tables below gather the most exam-relevant sets in one place, organised for quick revision and cross-referencing back to the roots in Part B (most of the -logy and -phobia words below use roots you've already met).
F1. Collective Nouns for Animals
| Animal | Collective Noun | Animal | Collective Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | Pride | Wolves | Pack |
| Fish | Shoal / School | Crows | Murder |
| Geese (in flight) | Skein | Geese (on ground) | Gaggle |
| Elephants | Herd | Owls | Parliament |
| Cattle | Drove / Herd | Sheep | Flock |
| Bees | Swarm | Ants | Colony |
| Larks | Exaltation | Ravens | Unkindness |
| Jellyfish | Smack | Kangaroos | Mob |
| Toads | Knot | Frogs | Army |
| Whales | Pod | Dolphins | Pod |
| Zebras | Zeal | Rhinoceroses | Crash |
| Peacocks | Muster / Ostentation | Turkeys | Rafter |
| Ferrets | Business | Foxes | Skulk / Leash |
| Leopards | Leap | Tigers | Ambush / Streak |
| Bears | Sloth | Apes | Shrewdness |
| Baboons | Troop | Cats (wild) | Destruction |
| Crocodiles | Bask | Vultures (in flight) | Kettle |
| Vultures (feeding) | Wake | Hyenas | Cackle |
| Starlings | Murmuration | Flamingos | Stand / Flamboyance |
| Grasshoppers | Cloud | Locusts | Plague |
F2. -logy Words: Fields of Study
| Word | Field of Study | Word | Field of Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ornithology | Birds | Entomology | Insects |
| Ichthyology | Fish | Herpetology | Reptiles and amphibians |
| Etymology | Word origins | Etiology | Causes (esp. of disease) |
| Cardiology | The heart | Dermatology | The skin |
| Numismatics* | Coins and currency | Philately* | Stamp collecting |
| Cartography* | Map-making | Genealogy | Family lineage/ancestry |
| Seismology | Earthquakes | Meteorology | Weather |
| Paleontology | Fossils, ancient life | Archaeology | Human history through excavation |
| Mythology | Myths and legends | Cosmology | The origin and structure of the universe |
| Anthropology | Human societies and cultures | Sociology | Society and social behaviour |
| Psychology | The mind and behaviour | Physiology | How living organisms function |
| Pathology | Disease | Toxicology | Poisons |
| Geology | The physical earth | Zoology | Animal life |
| Botany* | Plant life | Ecology | Organisms and their environment |
| Epistemology | The nature of knowledge | Etymography* | The writing/history of words |
| Gerontology | Ageing | Ophthalmology | The eye |
| Otolaryngology | The ear, nose, and throat | Nephrology | The kidneys |
| Hematology | Blood | Immunology | The immune system |
| Cryptology | Codes and ciphers | Graphology | Handwriting analysis |
| Numerology | The supposed significance of numbers | Astrology | The supposed influence of stars/planets on affairs |
*Marked entries are conventional field-names that don't literally end in -logy but are grouped here because they're commonly tested alongside this set.
F3. Phobia Words: Fears
| Word | Fear Of | Word | Fear Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrophobia | Heights | Claustrophobia | Enclosed spaces |
| Agoraphobia | Open or crowded public spaces | Arachnophobia | Spiders |
| Ophidiophobia | Snakes | Cynophobia | Dogs |
| Xenophobia | Foreigners/strangers | Nyctophobia | Night/darkness |
| Hydrophobia | Water | Pyrophobia | Fire |
| Aerophobia | Flying | Aquaphobia | Water (general) |
| Astraphobia | Thunder and lightning | Brontophobia | Thunder |
| Glossophobia | Public speaking | Coulrophobia | Clowns |
| Hemophobia | Blood | Necrophobia | Death/dead things |
| Mysophobia | Germs/dirt | Nosophobia | Contracting a disease |
| Trypanophobia | Needles/injections | Odontophobia | Dentists |
| Ailurophobia | Cats | Ornithophobia | Birds |
| Entomophobia | Insects | Apiphobia | Bees |
| Ergophobia | Work | Gamophobia | Marriage |
| Monophobia | Being alone | Pantophobia | Everything (a general, diffuse dread) |
| Phonophobia | Loud sounds | Photophobia | Light |
| Technophobia | Technology | Xenoglossophobia | Foreign languages |
| Vertiginophobia | Vertigo/dizziness | Thanatophobia | Death (as a concept) |
| Somniphobia | Sleep | Claustromania* | (not a real fear word — set aside; included only as a caution against guessing suffix-alikes without checking) |
| Autophobia | Being alone/oneself | Decidophobia | Making decisions |
F4. Mania Words: Obsessions and Compulsions
| Word | Obsession/Compulsion With | Word | Obsession/Compulsion With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kleptomania | Stealing (compulsive, without material need) | Pyromania | Fire-starting |
| Dipsomania | Alcohol | Egomania | Oneself |
| Monomania | A single subject or idea, to an excessive degree | Megalomania | Power, grandeur, self-importance |
| Bibliomania | Books | Nymphomania* | (dated clinical term; noted only for exam recognition) |
| Graphomania | Writing, compulsively | Trichotillomania | Pulling out one's own hair |
| Oniomania | Shopping (compulsive buying) | Erotomania | The delusional belief that another person is in love with oneself |
| Melomania | Music | Logomania | Talking, excessively |
| Dromomania | Wandering/travelling compulsively | Mythomania | Compulsive lying or exaggeration |
F5. Homes and Dwellings of Animals
| Animal | Dwelling | Animal | Dwelling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Den | Bird | Nest |
| Bee | Hive | Rabbit | Burrow/Warren |
| Fox | Den/Earth | Beaver | Lodge |
| Horse | Stable | Dog | Kennel |
| Pig | Sty | Squirrel | Drey |
| Ant | Colony/Anthill | Spider | Web |
| Bear | Den | Otter | Holt |
| Badger | Sett | Eagle | Eyrie |
F6. Young Ones of Animals
| Animal | Young One | Animal | Young One |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Cub | Horse | Foal |
| Cow | Calf | Sheep | Lamb |
| Dog | Puppy | Cat | Kitten |
| Kangaroo | Joey | Deer | Fawn |
| Goat | Kid | Frog | Tadpole |
| Eagle | Eaglet | Fish | Fry |
| Bear | Cub | Elephant | Calf |
| Swan | Cygnet | Pigeon | Squab |
F7. Sounds Made by Animals
| Animal | Sound | Animal | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Roar | Dog | Bark |
| Cat | Meow/Purr | Horse | Neigh/Whinny |
| Cow | Moo | Sheep | Bleat |
| Snake | Hiss | Donkey | Bray |
| Wolf | Howl | Elephant | Trumpet |
| Owl | Hoot | Crow | Caw |
| Pig | Grunt/Oink | Frog | Croak |
| Bee | Buzz/Hum | Duck | Quack |