Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Home Science key terms

A daily food pattern that supplies energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre in the proportions the body needs, drawn from several food groups rather than one dominant food.

The five-way classification of foods by main nutrient contribution: cereals and millets, pulses and legumes, milk and meat, vegetables and fruits, and fats and sugars. Used to plan varied meals.

The average daily intake level of a nutrient judged sufficient for nearly all healthy people of a given age, sex and activity level; used to check whether a diet meets needs.

An illness caused by too little of a nutrient over time, such as night blindness from vitamin A shortage or goitre from low iodine. Prevented by diet variety and fortified foods.

Adding a nutrient to a common food during processing so that people who eat it regularly get more of that nutrient, for example iodine in salt or iron in flour.

Deliberately lowering food quality by adding cheap or harmful substances, or removing valuable components, such as starch in milk or sawdust in chilli powder. Detected by simple home tests.

Handling, storing and cooking food so that harmful microbes, toxins and chemicals do not reach the eater. Includes clean hands, safe water, thorough cooking and covering food.

Methods such as drying, salting, pickling, refrigeration and canning that slow spoilage by removing moisture, lowering temperature or making conditions hostile to micro-organisms.

The energy the body spends at complete rest on breathing, circulation and cell activity. It depends mainly on body size, age, sex and thyroid function, and forms a large share of daily energy need.

Soft, semi-solid foods introduced alongside breast milk from about six months, prepared hygienically and mashed to suit a baby's chewing ability and small stomach.

Regularly measuring a child's weight and height and plotting them on a growth chart to detect faltering early, before undernutrition becomes severe.

The thick yellowish first milk produced after delivery, rich in antibodies and protein. Feeding it protects the newborn from infection and should not be discarded.

Giving an infant only breast milk, with no water, formula or other food, for the first six months. It lowers infection risk and supports growth.

The timed list of vaccines a child should receive at set ages, from birth through childhood, to build protection against diseases such as tuberculosis, polio and measles.

An illness that passes from one person, animal or contaminated source to another, such as tuberculosis, dengue or diarrhoea. Control relies on hygiene, vectors and vaccination.

Safe management of human waste, waste water and refuse through toilets, drains and disposal systems, so that disease-causing organisms do not reach people or water sources.

The stage when hormonal changes make a boy or girl sexually mature, bringing growth spurts, body hair and, in girls, menstruation. Needs emotional support and nutrition guidance.

The period from about ten to nineteen years when a person moves from childhood to adulthood, marked by rapid growth, identity formation and strong peer influence.

A skill most children master within an expected age range, such as sitting by eight months or speaking two-word phrases by two years. Used to spot delay.

The ability to move and control the body, from large actions like walking and hopping (gross) to small actions like holding a crayon (fine).

The typical pattern of control and warmth a caregiver uses, ranging from authoritative (firm but responsive) to authoritarian, permissive or uninvolved, with differing effects on children.

The stages a family passes through, from the newly married couple through child-rearing and launching children to later years, each stage bringing different needs and resources.

A written plan that sets expected income against fixed, flexible and occasional expenses over a period, so that spending matches priorities and savings are protected.

The level of goods, services and comforts a family can actually command, measured by housing, food, education and health care rather than by income alone.

Legal protections for buyers, including the right to safety, information, choice, being heard and redress for defective goods or unfair trade practices.

Laws and agencies that guard buyers against unfair trade, misleading advertisements and unsafe products, and provide forums for complaint and compensation.

Reorganising a household task to cut wasted motion, time and effort, for example by grouping similar jobs together or keeping tools near where they are used.

Careful observation of how long a task takes and how the body moves while doing it, used to find unnecessary steps and redesign the job for less fatigue.

Designing tools, furniture and workplaces to fit the human body, reducing strain. In the home this means correct table and chair heights and good kitchen counter levels.

The guidelines for arranging elements in a room or garment: balance, rhythm, emphasis, proportion and harmony. They make a composition pleasing and functional.

The basic visual building blocks: line, shape, form, colour, texture and space. Designers combine them, guided by principles, to create interiors and clothing.

A circular arrangement of hues showing relationships: primary colours, secondary colours made by mixing them, and complementary pairs opposite each other, useful for choosing harmonious schemes.

The basic hair-like unit from which yarn is made, either natural (cotton, silk, wool) or man-made (polyester, rayon). Its properties decide how the fabric behaves.

A continuous strand of twisted fibres used for weaving, knitting or sewing. Twist, thickness and ply affect strength, texture and warmth of the finished cloth.

Making cloth by interlacing two sets of yarns at right angles on a loom: lengthwise warp and crosswise weft. The interlacing pattern gives the weave its name and texture.

A treatment given to cloth after weaving or knitting, such as mercerising, calendering, water-proofing or flame-retardant finishing, to improve appearance, handle or performance.

Treating fabric or a finished garment so it will not shrink much on later washing, usually by controlled wetting and drying before cutting and stitching.

A practical study technique in which a learner watches and records behaviour or conditions as they happen, using a checklist or notes, without interfering in the situation.

An in-depth practical study of one family, child or household, gathering information through interview, observation and records to understand a specific real situation.