These are all words for a unit of language used to express sth. 以上各词均为表达意思的语言单位。

• word a single unit of language which means sth and can be spoken or written 指单词、词、字：◆Do not write more than 200 words. 写的东西不要超过 200 字。◆He uses a lot of long words. 他使用了很多长词。
• term (rather formal) a word or phrase used as the name of sth, especially one connected with a particular type of language 指词语、术语、措辞：◆technical/legal/scientific terms 专门/法律/科学用语◆'Old man' is a slang term for 'father'. * old man 为俚语，指父亲。
• phrase a group of words which have a particular meaning when used together 指短语、词组、惯用法：◆Who coined the phrase 'desktop publishing'? 谁创造了 desktop publishing（桌面出版）这个词组？ NOTE In grammar, a phrase is a group of words without a finite verb, especially one that forms part of a sentence: 'the green car' and 'on Friday morning' are phrases. 在语法上，phrase 指不含限定动词、构成句子一部分的短语、词组，如 the green car 和 on Friday morning 均为词组。
• expression a word or phrase 指词语、措辞、表达方式：◆He tends to use a lot of slang expressions that I've never heard before. 他往往用许多我以前从未听说过的俚语。
• idiom a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words 指习语、成语、惯用语：◆'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom meaning to tell a secret by mistake. * let the cat out of the bag（让猫从袋子里跑出来）为成语，意为无意中泄露秘密。

Patterns

• a word/term for sth
• a new word/term/phrase/expression
• a technical/colloquial word/term/phrase/expression
• a slang word/term/phrase
• an idiomatic phrase/expression
• to use a(n) word/term/phrase/expression/idiom
• to coin a(n) word/term/phrase/expression
• a(n) word/term/phrase/expression/idiom means sth

Defining terms 为术语下定义

• ◆ It is important to clarify what is meant by climate change. 说清楚 “气候变化” 的含义很重要。
• ◆Climate change can / may be defined as 'the long-term fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, wind and other aspects of the earth's climate'. 气候变化可以被定义为 “地球气候在温度、降水量、风力及其他方面的长期波动”。
• ◆ A generally accepted definition of global warming is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect. 对于全球变暖，普遍接受的一种定义是：由于受到温室效应的影响，地球大气层总体温度逐渐上升。
• ◆The greenhouse effect is defined by the author as the process by which heat from the sun is trapped in the earth's atmosphere, causing the temperature of the earth to rise. 作者将温室效应定义为：地球大气层锁住来自太阳的热量，导致地球温度上升的过程。
• ◆The author uses the term climate change to refer to any significant change in measures of climate lasting for an extended period. 作者使用 “气候变化” 这个术语来指代任何持续较长时间的气候的显著变化。
• ◆ The term 'carbon footprint' refers to the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual or organization. “碳足迹” 这个术语指的是由于个人或组织的活动排放到大气层中的二氧化碳的量。
• ◆Scientists suggest that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will result in an increase in global temperatures, and the term 'global warming' is used to describe this phenomenon. 科学家认为大气层中二氧化碳的增加会导致全球气温上升，“全球变暖” 这个术语就是用来描述这种现象的。