Survival Dictionary

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good afternoon or Go ahead” (depending on context)

Goddess of the Earth and its personification in Greek mythology. She is also the primal mother Goddess.

Protective covering for lower legs and bootlaces to (a) protect against the cold by providing a layer of insulation, (b) protect against injury when walking through dense undergrowth, (c) protect against snake bites. For outdoor people these are made of synthetic material while those for horseback riding are made of leather.

Is exactly 4.54609 litres and was originally based on the volume of 10 pounds (about 4.54 kg) of water at 62°F (17°C). One imperial Fluid Ounce is 1⁄160 of an imperial gallon. There are four quarts in a gallon, two pints in a quart and 20 Imperial fluid ounces in an imperial pint.

231 cubic inches, or 3.785411784 litres. A US liquid gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds or 3.78 kilograms at 62°F (17°C), making it 16.6% lighter than the Imperial gallon. One US Fluid Ounce equals to 1⁄128 of a US gallon, there are four quarts in a gallon, two pints in a quart and 16 US Fluid Ounces in a US pint.

Type of weatherproof rubber boot that is slipped over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet and to keep feet warm and dry.

God of wisdom and remover of all obstacles in Hindu mythology. Worshipped before any other deity.

A movable bridge used in boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.

The death of body tissue due to bacterial infection or the lack of blood circulation.

The sides of the upper deck of a ship to allow passengers to board or leave the ship.

Anything thrown away as waste and considered useless or unwanted. Garbage, particularly plastic garbage, pollutes and contaminates the environment. For a survivalist, garbage can be turned into treasure by multitasking and using items foraged from the environment for multiple uses.

A bag, usually made of synthetic material, to collect trash and should be an essential part of every adventurer’s kit. Not only to carry back trash by not leaving it in the environment, but also for the many uses they can be put to.

The involuntary intake of breath when one is suddenly immersed in cold water. This can lead to shock or cardiac arrest.

Historically a glove with medieval armor to protect the hand. In modern times it is a glove extending above the wrist.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good evening”

A piece of mesh cloth or net suspended from the top of a tent to serve as storage.

A popular worldwide sport where participants try and find hidden caches around the world using global positioning systems. The finder has to sign the log book placed inside the cache and replace it. Sometimes items to trade are included which are more for sentimental value than financial gain.

A coordinate system and a set of reference points, used to locate places on the Earth. An approximate definition of sea level is the datum WGS 84, an ellipsoid, whereas a more accurate definition is Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008), using at least 2,159 spherical harmonics. Datums are used in geodesy, navigation, and surveying by cartographers and satellite navigation systems to translate positions indicated on maps to their real position on Earth. Each starts with an ellipsoid and then defines latitude, longitude and altitude coordinates. One or more locations on the Earth’s surface are chosen as anchor base-points. Horizontal datums are used for describing a point on the Earth’s surface, in latitude and longitude or another coordinate system. Vertical datums measure elevations or depths.

System used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection.

The direction indicated directly to the North Pole is classified as pointing to Geographic North. It is also called True North.

It refers to a change in the Earth’s magnetic field so that the north and south magnetic fields are reversed. This happens over time and the last one occurred 780,000 years ago. The polarity may last a human lifetime, but many people say it lasts between 1,000 and 10,000 years.

Perennial plants that propagate by means of buds below the soil surface. They survive arid conditions by dying back to underground storage organs that are reserves of food, eg carbohydrates, proteins, nutrients and water. The above ground portions of the plant die off during the dry parts of the year or in the winter season leaving only the storage organs in the soil, but the plant is able to re-sprout when the environmental conditions are appropriate.

A ger is a typical Mongolian yurt.

A substance or agent that destroys harmful microorganisms.

A bag containing equipment to survive the time to get home when confronted with disaster.

When bugging out is a priority and has to be undertaken in a hurry, a ready kit is the answer. A packed and ready Get Out of Dodge Bag contains everything required to survive the bug out situation till things stabilise and a more permanent location is reached. It is also called a Bug Out Bag.

A natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Going”

Native to the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent With 110 sharp, interdigitated teeth in its long, thin snout, it is well adapted to catching fish, its main diet.

Green House Gas.

Guy In Back. Person on the back-seat in a two-seater aircraft.

Long net used to encircle fish near the surface.

Geographic Information System.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good luck”

The skin between the eyebrows and above the nose.

A slowly moving river of ice.

Glamour camping where the amenities and luxuries of a resort style are expected and offered, like electricity, shower and flush toilets, room service, etc.

An activity flying unpowered aircraft using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. Also called soaring.

An internationally agreed-upon set of safety procedures, types of equipment and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft including alerting, position determination, search and rescue coordination, locating, maritime safety information broadcasts, general communications and bridge-to-bridge communications. Recreational vessels do not need to comply with GMDSS radio carriage requirements, but will increasingly use the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF radios.

Refers to the warming caused by human technology since the 19th century or earlier and reflects abnormal variations to the expected climate within the Earth’s atmosphere and subsequent effects on other parts of the Earth. Projections suggest sea level rise and increase in frequency and severity of some weather events and weather-related disasters. Effects of global warming include loss of biodiversity, stresses to existing food-producing systems, increased spread of known infectious diseases and rapid mutation of microorganisms. It has been suggested that runaway global warming might cause Earth to become searingly hot like Venus. In less extreme scenarios, it could cause the end of civilization as we know it.

Someone who travels far and wide.

GLObal NAvigation Satellite System is the satellite navigation system operated by Russia providing an alternative to the US GPS system. Many modern GPS consumer units have both systems for increased accuracy.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good morning”

Greenwich Mean Time. The time at Greenwich, England. Also known as Zulu Time.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good night”

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Ground”

The part of the sundial that casts the shadow to determine time.

Confusing, disorganised situation due to human error.

A criminal in a survival situation.

Grasp Of the Fucking Obvious.

Or free-balling for males and free-buffing for females, is the practice of not wearing underpants.

Someone who crossed the Prime Meridian or the International Date Line into the Eastern Hemisphere.

Looters and refugees after a major disaster.

Someone who crossed the International Date Line and Equator at the same time.

Similar to a machete, it is of Indonesian origin though used all over South East Asia. Used in cutting through bush, they are shorter and heavier than the parang, though sizes, blade shapes and weight vary.

A traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat.

Missing in action.

Down insulation is made from goose or duck plumage, the fluffy stuff under the feathers. Young birds are clad only in down. It is an undercoating, or a natural midlayer. Nature’s best insulation, down provides dead air space and helps conserve body heat. It is also breathable allowing it to wick away moisture from the body.

A proprietary water-repellant, breathable material that allows body vapour to pass through while keeping rain out.

Depression in mountains created through years of erosion by air and/or water over thousands of years.

An electronic space based system known as a global positioning system that uses satellite triangulation to determine longitude and latitude.

There are 32 satellites located 20,200 kilometres above the Earth, orbiting twice each day to provide accurate location data on Earth. A global positioning unit has to lock on to at least four satellites to provide information on latitude, longitude, elevation and time.

A device, normally carried by a vehicle or person, that uses the Global Positioning System to determine and track its precise location at regular intervals.

A bag that can be grabbed when bugging out is an immediate priority. It contains gear and equipment to survive till a more permanent place of residence is not established.

Also called the Himalayan Langur. They are largely gray with black faces and ears. They are large and inhabit forests and lightly wooded areas. They are also found in urban areas on the Indian subcontinent. Most are found at low to moderate altitudes, but the Nepal gray langur and Kashmir gray langur occur up to 13,000 ft high. North Indian langurs have a “U” shaped tail looping back towards the head while Sri Lankan langurs have a “S” shaped tail.

When emergency strikes, particularly in urban areas, and rule of law largely breaks down, it is better to merge into the environment instead of standing out, thus preventing the drawing of attention to oneself from other people who might then want to take possession of whatever resources one might possess.

Graywater or sullage is waste water generated in buildings (except from toilets) like sinks, showers, baths, clothes washing machines, dish washers, etc. Contains fewer pathogens it is safer to handle, treat and reuse for toilet flushing, irrigation and other non-potable uses.

A constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere visible throughout the year. Its most recognisable grouping is of seven bright stars known as the Big Dipper used as a pointer towards the Pole Star or Polaris.

Young bamboo shoots. More flexible, lighter and malleable than mature bamboo. Sections often contain good drinking water.

It is the process by which radiation from the atmosphere warms the surface to a temperature above what it would be in the absence of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels is adding to the greenhouse effect and is contributing to global warming.

Atmospheric gases that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. Primary greenhouse gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth’s surface would be colder than what it is. However burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, etc are adding carbon dioxide in the atmosphere making the Earth warmer than what is desirable.

A part of London, Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.

GRIdded Binary or General Regularly-distributed Information in Binary form is a concise data format used in meteorology to store historical and forecast weather data.

A proword in radio communications signifying “ The portion following is a grid reference.”

The measure of degrees from Grid North on military maps to the targeted object. This is very different from Magnetic and True Azimuth.

An extended period of time when the power grid is non-functional.

When the elliptical globe is flattened on paper to create a map, the longitudes are shown parallel and arranged in a grid. Many military maps use Grid references to negate the error caused by conventional longitudes since (a) longitudes converge towards the poles, and (b) the distance between longitude is too great to make navigating with accuracy difficult.

A situation where the national power grids stay functional except for brief interruptions.

A form of cooking involving a significant amount of direct, radiant, dry heat (above 260°C) and is often used for cooking meat quickly. Grilled meat acquires a distinctive roast aroma and flavour.

Any North American brown bear is a grizzly bear and is not a separate species by itself.

Watered down rum ration given to sailors.

Drunk from having consumed a lot of grog.

A reinforced metal eyelet used to reinforce fabrics to prevent tearing or abrasion. Usually tent pegs or wires or cordage is inserted through grommets to secure to posts or trees or stakes, bearing tension and preventing the fabric from tearing.

A piece of waterproof material put on the ground to sleep on when camping.

Pronounced “GIT-foe” implying Get The Fuck Out.

Good To Go.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Good”

Waterproof boots made from rubber or PVC, they are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect from heavy showers and puddles. They are generally just below knee-high. Also called Wellington Boots after it was worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when it became a staple of hunting and outdoor wear for British aristocracy in the early 19th century.

Pronounced "gunnel", it is the top edge of the side of a boat. On a canoe, it is typically the widened edge at the top of the side of the boat, where the edge is reinforced and to which the thwarts are attached.

The process of processing an animal by removing harmful entrails that are not edible.

Used to attach guylines for securing tents.

A thin vertical mast supported by guy wires.

A tensioned cable to add stability to a free-standing structure. Commonly in ship masts, radio masts, wind turbines, utility poles, fire service extension ladders ... and tents. One end is attached to the structure and the other anchored to the ground.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Ground”

To swing a sail from one side to another.

A person who maintains a nomadic way of life.

Large system of rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements. The term gyre can be used to refer to any type of vortex in the air or the sea, even one that is man-made, but it is most commonly used in oceanography to refer to major ocean systems.

Usually standard equipment on large ships, they are designed to point to True/Geographical North.

Type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller to provide thrust. Similar to helicopter rotors in appearance, the autocopter’s rotor must have air flowing through the rotor disc to generate rotation.