140 Essential Science Words That Start With W (With Meanings)

Science is full of fascinating terms, and many of them start with the letter W. From waves in physics to water in biology, these words play an important role in different fields of study. Learning these words helps students, teachers, and even professionals expand their understanding and improve how they use scientific language. This article covers 140 science words that start with W, organized by subjects and education levels, with clear meanings and examples.

Biology Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Womb	Organ in mammals where offspring develop	A baby grows in the womb
Worm	Invertebrate animal with a long body	Earthworms help enrich soil
White Blood Cell	Cell that helps fight infections	White blood cells defend the body
Wing	Appendage used for flying in birds or insects	A butterfly has four wings
Whisker	Sensory hair on some animals	Cats use whiskers to sense space
Woodpecker	Bird that pecks wood to find insects	A woodpecker drills into tree bark
Wildlife	Animals living in natural habitats	Africa is rich in wildlife
Waterfowl	Birds that live near water	Ducks are common waterfowl
Walrus	Large marine mammal with tusks	A walrus rests on Arctic ice
Wolf	Carnivorous mammal in the dog family	A wolf hunts in packs

Earth Science & Geology Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Weather	Daily state of the atmosphere	Today’s weather is sunny
Weathering	Breaking down of rocks on Earth’s surface	Rain causes rock weathering
Waterfall	River water drops vertically from a height	Niagara Falls is a waterfall
Watershed	Land area draining water to one system	The Amazon has a vast watershed
Wind	Air moving across Earth’s surface	Strong wind bends trees
Wave-cut Platform	Flat rock at the base of a cliff	Cliffs in England show wave-cut platforms
Wadi	Dry riverbed that may flood	A wadi fills with rainwater
Well	Deep hole dug to reach groundwater	Villages use wells for drinking water
Water Table	Level below ground where soil is saturated	Wells tap into the water table
Whinstone	Dark igneous rock used in building	Whinstone is strong for road construction

Environmental Science Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Waste	Unwanted material from human activity	Factories produce waste
Wastewater	Used water containing pollutants	Wastewater must be treated
Wetland	Land area saturated with water	Wetlands are home to many birds
Wildfire	Uncontrolled fire in natural areas	A wildfire spread through the forest
Wind Energy	Power generated from moving air	Wind energy is renewable
Water Cycle	Movement of water through Earth’s system	The water cycle includes evaporation
Warming	Increase in temperature of the Earth	Global warming changes climates
Woodlot	Small forest area managed by humans	A woodlot provides firewood
Wildland	Natural land not developed by humans	Wildland supports native species
Water Pollution	Contamination of water bodies	Oil spills cause water pollution

Mathematics & Measurement Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Whole Number	Number without fractions or decimals	5 is a whole number
Weighting	Assigning value to data in statistics	Survey responses had different weightings
Width	Measurement of distance across	The width of the desk is 1 m
Wedge	A simple machine with a triangular shape	A wedge splits wood
Word Problem	Math question written in sentence form	Students solved a word problem in class
Weight	Force due to gravity on mass	My weight is 60 kg
Workload	Amount of work measured in units	The machine handled a heavy workload
Whole Set	All elements in a collection	The whole set has 10 numbers
Wave Number	Number of waves per unit distance	Wave number relates to energy in physics
Work Rate	Speed at which work is done	Machines increase work rate

Medical Science Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Wrist	Joint connecting hand and arm	The wrist bends easily
Wound	Injury to the skin or tissue	The nurse cleaned the wound
Wart	Small growth caused by a virus	A wart appeared on his finger
Withdrawal	Symptoms after stopping a drug	The patient suffered withdrawal signs
Wasting	Loss of body tissue or weight	Muscle wasting occurs in disease
Whiplash	Neck injury from sudden movement	He got whiplash in the accident
Wheeze	Whistling sound in breathing	Asthma causes wheezing
White Matter	Brain tissue made of nerve fibers	White matter connects brain regions
Womb	Organ for fetal development	The baby grew in the womb
Walking Stick	Aid for people with weak legs	The patient used a walking stick

Technology Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Wi-Fi	Wireless internet connection technology	The laptop connected to Wi-Fi
Website	Collection of web pages online	She made a new website
Web Browser	Software to view web pages	Chrome is a popular web browser
Widget	Small software tool or app	The phone has a clock widget
Word Processor	Program for editing documents	She used a word processor to type
Workflow	Sequence of tasks in a process	Automation improved the workflow
Wired Network	Internet using cables	A wired network is stable
Wireless	Technology without physical wires	Wireless headphones are popular
Wiki	Collaborative website editable by users	Wikipedia is a famous wiki
Wordline	Signal line in computer memory	Wordlines are part of DRAM design

Forensic Science Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Witness	Person who saw an event	A witness gave evidence in court
Warrant	Legal document to search or arrest	Police used a warrant to search
Weapon	Object used to cause harm	The weapon was tested in the lab
Whorl	Fingerprint pattern shaped in circles	The suspect had a whorl fingerprint
Wound Analysis	Study of injuries for investigation	Experts used wound analysis in court
Writing Analysis	Examination of handwriting for clues	Handwriting proved the document’s origin
Witness Stand	Place in court for witness testimony	The witness took the stand
Wiretap	Secret listening to phone calls	The police used a wiretap
Wrongdoing	Illegal or criminal act	The report showed corporate wrongdoing
Workplace Safety	Protection of workers in jobs	Workplace safety is part of law

Mixed Science Words Starting With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Waterfall	Natural flow of water over a cliff	The waterfall created mist in the air
Wavelength	Distance between two wave crests	Light has a short wavelength
Windmill	Device turning wind into energy	The windmill powered the village
Welding	Process of joining metals with heat	The worker used welding to fix steel
Weather Forecast	Prediction of atmospheric conditions	The weather forecast showed rain
Whisker	Thin growths in materials or biology	Tin whiskers can cause circuit issues
Water Vapor	Gas form of water in air	Clouds form from water vapor
Wood	Material from tree trunks	Wood is used in building
Weightlifting	Activity using weights for strength	Weightlifting builds muscle mass
Washing	Process of cleaning with water	Hands need washing before surgery

Physics Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Wavelength	Distance between two peaks of a wave	Light has a short wavelength compared to sound.
Watt	Unit of power, energy per second	The bulb uses 60 watts of electricity.
Work	Energy transfer when force moves an object	He did mechanical work by lifting the box.
Wave	A disturbance that moves energy through space or medium	Sound travels as a wave in the air.
Weak force	A fundamental force in nuclear reactions	Radioactive decay happens due to the weak force.
Weight	Force caused by gravity acting on mass	Your weight is less on the Moon than on Earth.
Wattmeter	Device that measures electrical power	The wattmeter showed 150 watts of usage.
Waveform	Shape of a signal or wave	The oscilloscope displayed the waveform of sound.
Work-energy	Principle linking work to energy change	The work-energy theorem explains moving objects.
Waveguide	Structure that directs waves	A waveguide carries microwave signals.

Chemistry Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Water	A universal solvent, H₂O molecule	Life depends on water for survival.
Wolfram	Old name for tungsten, chemical element	Wolfram is strong and used in light bulbs.
Whisker	Thin metal crystal growth	Tin whiskers can damage circuits.
White lead	A lead carbonate compound	White lead was used in paints long ago.
Work function	Minimum energy to remove an electron	Metals have different work functions.
Wurtzite	Crystal structure of some semiconductors	Zinc oxide forms the Wurtzite structure.
Waste gas	Gas released as a byproduct	Factories release waste gases during production.
Weak acid	Acid that partly ionizes in water	Vinegar is a weak acid.
Weak base	Base that partly ionizes in water	Ammonia is a weak base.
Water glass	Sodium silicate compound	Water glass is used in cement and detergents.

Biology Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Worm	Invertebrate animal with long, soft body	An earthworm helps enrich soil.
Wood	Hard tissue in trees	The wood of oak is very strong.
White blood cell	Blood cell fighting infections	White blood cells protect against diseases.
Wing	Body part for flying	Birds use their wings to fly.
Whiskers	Long hairs used for sensing	Cats use whiskers to feel their environment.
Womb	Female organ where offspring develops	The baby grows inside the womb.
Warty frog	Amphibian with bumpy skin	The warty frog lives in wetlands.
Waterfowl	Birds that live near water	Ducks are waterfowl.
Woodpecker	Bird that drills into wood	A woodpecker makes holes in tree trunks.
Wild type	Normal form of a gene or trait	Scientists study the wild type in genetics.

Geology & Earth Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Weathering	Breakdown of rocks by natural forces	Weathering changes rocks into soil.
Wind	Moving air caused by pressure differences	Wind eroded the sand dunes.
Wave-cut platform	Flat rock surface by sea waves	A wave-cut platform formed at the cliff’s base.
Watershed	Land area that drains into a river system	The Amazon watershed is huge.
Waterfall	Steep fall of water	Niagara is a famous waterfall.
Wadi	Dry riverbed that floods during rain	The desert wadi filled with water.
Wollastonite	Calcium silicate mineral	Wollastonite is used in ceramics.
Whinstone	Hard dark basalt rock	Builders used whinstone in roads.
Wave crest	Highest point of a wave	The surfer rode the wave crest.
Weather map	Map showing atmospheric conditions	The weather map showed a storm coming.

Environmental Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Waste	Unwanted byproducts of human activity	Recycling reduces waste.
Wetland	Land covered by shallow water	A wetland is home to many animals.
Wildlife	Animals living in natural habitats	Protecting wildlife is important.
Wind power	Energy from moving air	Wind power is a clean energy source.
Water cycle	Circulation of water on Earth	The water cycle includes rain and evaporation.
Water quality	Measure of cleanliness of water	Scientists test water quality in rivers.
Weather	Day-to-day state of the atmosphere	Today’s weather is sunny and warm.
Woodlands	Forested areas	Deer live in woodlands.
Wastewater	Used water that must be cleaned	Wastewater treatment protects rivers.
Warming	Increase in Earth’s temperature	Global warming affects the climate.

Medical & Forensic Science Words That Start With W

Word	Meaning	Example
Wound	Injury that breaks the skin	The doctor cleaned the wound.
Wrist bone	Bone in the human wrist	A fracture in the wrist bone needs care.
White matter	Brain tissue with nerve fibers	Alzheimer’s affects the brain’s white matter.
Whiplash	Neck injury from sudden movement	Car accidents often cause whiplash.
Ward	Hospital section for patient care	He stayed in the surgical ward.
Womb cancer	Cancer affecting the uterus	Womb cancer detected with tests.
Wernicke’s area	Brain region for language understanding	Damage to Wernicke’s area affects speech.
Warfarin	Medicine that prevents blood clots	Patients take warfarin after surgery.
Withdrawal	Symptoms from stopping a drug	He felt withdrawal after quitting nicotine.
Wavelength therapy	Use of specific light for treatment	Doctors use wavelength therapy for skin issues.

Conclusion

Science words that start with W are not vocabulary; they are windows into the natural world. From everyday terms like water to advanced ones like wave function, they cover almost every branch of science. This article gave you a complete list of 140 words, organized by subject and grade, with clear meanings and examples.

If you enjoyed learning about these W words in science, you might also explore other letters of the alphabet to build a complete scientific vocabulary. Expanding your knowledge step by step makes science more approachable and exciting. After all, every letter carries the power to open new doors in learning.