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 Talk Talk - Communication terms
Category: General technical and industrial
Date & country: 28/05/2010, UK
Words: 18630


Makua
A people living to the north of the Zambezi River in Mozambique. With the Lomwe people, they make up the country's largest ethnic group. The Makua are mainly farmers, living in villages ruled by chiefs. The Makua language belongs to the Niger-Congo family, and has about 5 million speakers

Malayalam
Southern Indian language, the official language of the state of Kerala. Malayalam is closely related to Tamil, also a member of the Dravidian language family; it is spoken by about 20 million people. Written records in Malayalam date from the 9th century AD

Marco Polo
Venetian traveller and writer; see Marco Polo

Malouf, David George Joseph
Australian novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He draws on his Lebanese and English background for ethnic themes in his work. His poetry collections include Neighbours in a Thicket (1974), which won several awards, Wild Lemons (1980), and First Things Last (1980). Malouf's first n...

Masur, Kurt
German conductor. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1991–2002. His speciality is a Romantic and early 20th-century repertoire, particularly Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, Max Bruch, and Sergei Prokofiev. He was conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra 1955–58 and 1967–72, music director of the Mecklenb...

magnetic strip
Thin strip of magnetic material attached to a plastic card and used for recording data. Magnetic strips are used on credit cards, bank cards (as used at cash dispensing machines), telephone cards, and railway tickets

Marcos, Imelda Romualdez
Filipino politician and socialite, wife of Ferdinand Marcos (president 1965–86), and known as the `Iron Butterfly`. A politically active first lady, she took a leading role in prestige cultural and social welfare projects and was governor of the National Capital Region, from 1975, and minister of human settlements and ecology, from 1...

marsh
Low-lying wetland. Freshwater marshes are common wherever groundwater, surface springs, streams, or run-off cause frequent flooding, or more or less permanent shallow water. A marsh is alkaline whereas a bog is acid. Marshes develop on inorganic silt or clay soils. Rushes are typical marsh pl...

Maastricht Treaty
Treaty establishing the European Union (EU). Agreed in 1991 and signed in 1992, the treaty took effect on 1 November 1993 following ratification by member states. It advanced the commitment of member states to economic and monetary union (but included an opt-out clause for the United Kingdom); provided for intergovernmental arrangements for...

mad cow disease
Common name for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, an incurable brain condition in cattle

Mahratta
Rivals of the Mogul emperors in the 17th and 18th centuries; see Maratha

mark sensing
In computing, a technique that enables pencil marks made in predetermined positions on specially prepared forms to be rapidly read and input to a computer. The technique makes use of the fact that pencil marks contain graphite and therefore conduct electricity. A mark sense reader scans the form by passing small metal brushes over the paper surface...

magnetic-ink character recognition
In computing, a technique that enables special characters printed in magnetic ink to be read and input rapidly to a computer. MICR is used extensively in banking because magnetic-ink characters can be machine-read with much greater accuracy than human reading or other optical character recogn...

mail merge
In computing, a feature offered by some word-processing packages that enables a list of personal details, such as names and addresses, to be combined with a general document outline to produce individualized documents. For example, a club secretary might create a file containing a mailing list of the names and addresses of the club members. Whe...

malnutrition
Condition resulting from a defective diet where certain important food nutrients (such as proteins, vitamins, or carbohydrates) are absent. It can lead to deficiency diseases. A related problem is undernourishment. A high global death rate linked to malnutrition has arisen from famine situations caused by global warming, droughts, and the greenhous...

Malthus theory
Projection of population growth made by English economist Thomas Malthus. He based his theory on the population explosion that was already becoming evident in the 18th century, and argued that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Population would eventually reach a resource limit (overpopulation), and any further increas...

market gardening
Click images to enlargeFarming system that specializes in the commercial growing of vegetables, fruit, or flowers. It is an intensive agriculture with crops often being grown inside greenhouses on small farms. Market gardens may be located within easy access of markets, on the fringes of urban areas; for example, in t...

maltase
Enzyme found in plants and animals that breaks down the disaccharide maltose (a degradation product of cellulose) into glucose

mass movement
Click images to enlargeProcesses that move weathered material on slopes without the action of running water. Movement is due to gravity, and may be on a large or small scale. Different types of mass movement include rockfalls, landslides, soil creep, and solifluction

Macintosh
Range of microcomputers originally produced by Apple Computer. The Apple Macintosh, introduced in 1984, was the first popular microcomputer with a graphical user interface. The success of the Macintosh prompted other manufacturers and software companies to create their own graphical user interfaces. Most notable of these are Microsoft Windows, whic...

macro-
Prefix meaning on a very large scale, as opposed to micro-

marginal land
In farming, poor-quality land that is likely to yield a poor return. It is the last land to be brought into production and the first land to be abandoned. Examples are desert fringes in Africa and mountain areas in the UK

manufacturing industry
Industry that involves the processing of raw materials or the assembly of components. Examples are aluminium smelting, car assembly, and computer assembly. In the UK many traditional manufacturing industries, built up in the Industrial Revolution, are now declining in importance; for example, shipbuilding. Developing countries may lack the capi...

Marbella
Port and tourist resort in the province of Málaga in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol between Málaga and Algeciras; population (2003 est) 103,400. Many of its permanent residents are foreigners. There are three bullrings, a Moorish castle, and the remains of a medieval defensive wall

Mardonius
Persian general who in 492 BC took command of Ionia in western Asia Minor, following the Ionian Revolt. He eased local unrest by replacing tyrants with democracy. The nephew and son-in-law of Darius I, he acted as a leading counsellor and general for Xerxes in the second invasion of Greece in 480 BC. He stayed with the army after its defeat...

managing director
Director of a company who is also its most senior manager. The managing director is therefore responsible for the day-to-day running of the company as well as occupying a seat on its board. The managing director may also be the chairperson of the company, although this is less likely in larger organizations

market research
Process of gaining information about customers in a market through field research or desk research. Field research involves collecting primary data by interviewing customers or completing questionnaires. Desk research involves collecting secondary data by looking at information and statistics collected by others and published, for example, by the g...

marketing mix
The factors that help a firm to sell its products. Four elements – the four Ps of marketing – are normally distinguished: getting the right product to the market, at the right price; ensuring that the promotion in terms of advertising and marketing for the product is right; and ensuring that the product is distributed to the m...

Martí, José Julian
Cuban revolutionary. Active in the Cuban independence movement from boyhood, he was deported to Spain in 1871, returning in 1878. Exiled again for continued opposition, he fled to the USA in 1880, from where he organized resistance to Spanish rule. He was killed in battle at Dos Ríos, soon after proclaiming the uprising which led to Cuban inde...

Mayapán
Ancient Mayan city 55 km/35 mi southeast of Mérida, in modern Mexico. Mayapán was the dominant religious and political centre of the Yucatán region from 1200 to 1450. Ruled by the despotic Cocon, it was abandoned when they were overthrown in the mid-15th century

Majapahit empire
Last Hindu empire of eastern Java from c. 1293 to c. 1520. Based in the fertile Brantas River valley, it encompassed much of Malaya, Borneo, Sumatra, and Bali, and reached its peak under the ruler Hayam Wuruk (reigned 1350–1389)

May 4th Movement
Chinese student-led nationalist movement ignited by demonstrations in Beijing in 1919. It demanded that China's unpopular warlord government reject the decision by the Versailles peace conference to confirm Japan's rights over the Shandong peninsula that had been asserted in the Twenty-one demands in 1915. The students won mass work...

maxim
Saying or proverb that gives moral guidance or a piece of advice on the way to live (`First come, first served`; `Better late than never`)

marsh rose
Shrub native to South Africa, which grows to 1–4 m/3–13 ft high. It is under threat, partly because its beautiful flowers are frequently picked, but also because of fungi, probably introduced by footwear or equipment, and by changes in management practice that have prevented periodic fires which are necessary for seed germination. Iro...

Marston, John
English satirist and dramatist. His early plays, the revenge tragedies Antonio and Mellida and Antonio's Revenge (1599), were followed by a number of satirical comedies including What You Will (1601), The Malcontent (1604), and The Dutch Courtesan (16...

mask
(face cover) Artificial covering for part or all of the face, or for the whole head, associated with ritual or theatrical performances in many cultures. Theatrical traditions using masks include ancient Greek drama (full head masks), Japanese No (facial masks), and the Italian commedia dell...

mackintosh
Waterproof coat created in the 19th century, made from a waterproof woollen fabric, patented in 1823 by Charles Macintosh, and Charles Goodyear's vulcanized rubber, created in 1839. The first mackintoshes of the late 19th century were neck-to-ankle garments. In the 20th century the mackintosh was redesigned to create styles such as the ...

maraca
Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd partly filled with dry seeds or beans (although today modern materials are often used) which rattle when shaken. They are usually played in pairs, with one being held in each hand. Traditionally they form part of the rhythm section of Latin American bands. Classical composers who hav...

march
In music, a piece originally intended to accompany marching soldiers or other people in procession, using a regular and repeated drum rhythm. One of the earliest known forms of music, marches are usually in duple time (2/4) or quadruple (or common) time (4/4), with a strongly marked beat and regular phrasing. There are various types, named ...

Macedonia
(country) Landlocked country in southeast Europe, bounded north by Serbia, west by Albania, south by Greece, and east by Bulgaria. Government Macedonia has a democratic multiparty parliamentary system. Under its 1991 constitution it has a 120-member single-chamber assembly, the Sobranj...

Marshall Islands
Country in the west Pacific Ocean, part of Micronesia, occupying 31 atolls (the Ratak and Ralik chains). Government The Marshall Islands has a mixed parliamentary and presidential political executive. Its 1979 constitution provides for a 33-member single-chamber assembly, the Nitijela, elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year...

Marxism–Leninism
Term used by the Soviet dictator Stalin and his supporters to define their own views as the orthodox position of Marxism as a means of refuting criticism. It has subsequently been employed by other communist parties as a yardstick for ideological purity

Mao Tse-tung
Alternative transcription of Mao Zedong

mafic rock
Plutonic rock composed chiefly of dark-coloured minerals such as olivine and pyroxene that contain abundant magnesium and iron. It is derived from magnesium and ferric (iron). The term mafic also applies to dark-coloured minerals rich in iron and magnesium as a group. `Mafic rocks` usually refers to dark-coloured igneous rocks...

Magdalenian
Final cultural phase of the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) in Western Europe, best known for its art, and lasting from c. 16,000–10,000 BC. It was named after the rock-shelter of La Madeleine in southwestern France

Mayhew, Henry
English journalist, author, and documentary writer. He was founder and co-editor of Punch. His principal book was the pioneering study London Labour and the London Poor (1851–62) – a collection of hundreds of pen-portraits of the poor people of London, which were serialized in the Mor...

mailbox
In computing, folder in which e-mail is stored, typically divided into `in` and `out` trays. Users commonly have two mailboxes: one on their PC, and another at their mail server at the Internet Service Provider (ISP), where incoming messages await collection

mailing list
In computing, list of people who receive a given piece of e-mail. Mailing lists are an easy way for people to share professional and technical information. It is also possible to join mailing lists devoted to special topics, and social and leisure interests

Marcher Lords
Semi-independent nobles on the Welsh–English border, granted special privileges in return for protecting the border area. In William (I) the Conqueror's reign, strong lords were placed in Chester, Shrewsbury, and Hereford to protect England from Celtic or Saxon incursions. They began to usurp power in their own right, making wars of th...

Majorca
Alternative spelling of Mallorca

Malawi, Lake
Lake, bordered by Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique, formed in a southern section of the Great Rift Valley. It is about 500 m/1,650 ft above sea level and 560 km/350 mi long, with an area of 28,749 sq km/11,100 sq mi and a depth of 700 m/2,296 ft, making it the ninth biggest lake in th...

Madrid
(autonomous community) Autonomous community and province of central Spain; area 7,995 sq km/3,087 sq mi; population (2001 est) 5,372,400. Situated on the country's central plateau (meseta), the region is bounded by the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains in the northwest, and by the...

Maltese dog
Breed of long-coated lap dog. Its white coat is straight and silky and parted from head to tail and the short tail is doubled into the coat on the back. Maltese dogs have dark eyes, long drooping ears, and small feet. The ideal maximum height is 25 cm/10 in, and the weight is 3–4 kg/6.5–9 lb. Maltese dogs are the most ancient ...

Manchester terrier
Breed of smooth-haired black-and-tan terrier. Manchester terriers have a long, wedge-shaped head, small dark eyes, and V-shaped ears, hanging close to the head. The usual weight is 8 kg/17.5 lb and the height 38–41 cm/15–16 in. The breed has a long neck tapering from the sloping shoulders to the head, and a nar...

Marshall, Malcolm Denzil
West Indian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler from Barbados who in 81 Tests between 1978 and 1991 took 376 Test wickets at 20.94 per wicket, the lowest average so far achieved by a bowler taking over 200 Test wickets. With his fast run-up, his characteristic open-chested delivery and quick arm action he hurried even the best batsmen, a...

major
In music, one of the two important scales (the other being minor) of the tonal system. The main characteristic of the major scale is the major third between the first and third degrees (or notes) of the scale. A major key is one based on the major scale. See major interval

major interval
In music, the interval between the key note (tonic) and a higher note from the same major scale. Seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths can all be major (or minor) intervals, but fourths, fifths, and octaves are called perfect intervals, in both major and minor keys. If the upper note of the major int...

materials science
In engineering, the study of the microstructure of materials and of how it relates to their properties and behaviour. The materials concerned are metals, semiconductors, ceramics, polymers (plastics), and composites (made of more than one type of material). Materials scientists test how these respond...

Martin, Dean
US singer and actor. He met US comedian Jerry Lewis in 1946; they became a top comedy-singing nightclub attraction and went on to make several films together 1949–56, the first of which was My Friend Irma. After the duo broke up, Martin went on to have his own television show 1965–73. His many hit records includ...

Maier, Hermann
Austrian skier. In 2000 he became the first person to win the men's World Cup downhill, giant slalom, super G(iant slalom), and overall titles, in the same season. He repeated the feat the following year. Renowned for his powerful and fearless style, he came to international prominence in 1998, winning the giant slalom and super G gold medals a...

major sentence
`Regular` sentence that can be broken down into structural patterns, by sentence analysis, under headings that include: subject, clause, and verb

mandir
Hindu temple. A mandir may vary from a simple village hut to a grand building. The murti (image of the god) to whom the mandir is dedicated is usually in a special alcove. Hindu temples are highly decorated, with many statues and pictures of lesser gods and goddesses (devas and devatas), often festooned with garlands. There may be symbolic images s...

Maykop
Alternative spelling of Maikop, the capital of Adygeya province, southwest Russia

Mantova
Italian name for Mantua, a city in Lombardy, Italy

Marrakech
Alternative spelling of Marrakesh, a city and former capital of Morocco

Makkah
Arabic name for Mecca, the holiest city of Islam, situated in Saudi Arabia

Marmara Denizi
Turkish name for the Sea of Marmara, a small inland sea in Turkey, between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea

Masqat
Alternative spelling of Muscat, the capital of Oman

malleability
Physical property of a metal which makes it capable of being rolled out or shaped by hammering without being broken

Mac OS
Official name of the Apple Macintosh operating system first introduced in 1984. Earlier versions were called System x.x, where x.x were the version numbers. Apple dropped the System label with the release of Mac OS 8. OS X has been re-written to make use of the Unix operating system while still giving users the Macintosh look and feel with whic...

machine knitting
Method of knitting using a machine to loop and knot yarn, rather than doing so by hand, using knitting needles. Machine knitting is used for a high proportion of fabrics, especially for clothing such as sportswear, T-shirts, underwear, jumpers, and sweatshirts. There are two main types of machine knitting, known as weft and warp knitting. The w...

marbling
Decoration technique for fabric. Marbling relies on the fact that oil and water do not mix. Oil-based fabric paints are dropped on to the surface of a basin or tray of water. The paint is gently stirred until the desired decorative effect is achieved, then fabric is gently laid on top. When the fabric is lifted, the paint adheres to its surface...

marking tool
Tool used to mark up a piece of material for cutting or shaping. It is important to have the correct marking tool for the material. A standard HB pencil can be used on timber, but for plastic and metal a chinagraph pencil is better. A permanent mark can be made by scratching the surface of the material. To mark straight lines on plastic or metal, a...

Mawlid an-Nabi
In Islam, the commemoration of the birth of the prophet Muhammad, who was born on 12 Rabiulawal. The annual event takes place on the 12th day of the third month in the Muslim calendar. Many Muslims, while having high regard for Muhammad, do not hold major celebrations on this day, following the practice of Muhammad's own companions who did not ...

Mahican
Alternative name for a member of the American Indian Mohican people

Macro-Siouan
Major American Indian language family of the USA and Canada. Its branches include the Caddoan and Siouan languages of the Great Plains, and the Iroquoian languages of the northeast

MBE
Abbreviation for Member (of the Order) of the British Empire, an honour first awarded in 1917

mbaqanga
South African pop music, an urban style that evolved in the 1960s, with high-pitched, choppy guitar and a powerful bass line; it draws on funk, reggae, and (vocally) on South African choral music. Mahlathini (1937–1999) and the Mahotella Queens were long-established exponents

mbalax
Pop music of West Africa with polyrhythmic percussion and dramatic vocal harmonies. Evolving from the traditional rhythms of the Mandinka people, and absorbing a Cuban influence, it incorporated electric guitars and other Western instruments in the 1970s. The singer Youssou N'Dour made mbalax known outside Africa

McKinley, William
25th president of the USA 1897–1901, a Republican. His term as president was marked by the USA's adoption of an imperialist foreign policy, as exemplified by the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the annexation of the Philippines. He sat in Congress 1876–91, apart from one term. Throughout his political life, McKinley was a trusted...

McCarthy, Joe
(Joseph Raymond) US right-wing Republican politician. His unsubstantiated claim in 1950 that the State Department had been infiltrated by communists started a wave of anticommunist hysteria, wild accusations, and blacklists, which continued until he was discredited in 1954. He was censured...

McAdam, John Loudon
Scottish engineer, inventor of the macadam road surface. It originally consisted of broken granite bound together with slag or gravel, raised for drainage. Today, it is bound with tar or asphalt. McAdam introduced a method of road building that raised the road above the surrounding terrain, compounding a surface of small stones bound with gravel on...

McLuhan,
(Herbert) Canadian theorist of communication who emphasized the effects of technology on modern society. He coined the phrase `the medium is the message`, meaning that the form rather than the content of information has become crucial. His works include The Gutenberg Galaxy&...

McCullers,
(Lula) US novelist. Most of her writing, including the novels The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940) and Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941), is set in her native South. Her work, like that of Flannery O'Connor, has been characterized as `Southern Got...

McEwan, Ian
(Russell) English novelist and short-story writer. His works often have sinister or macabre undertones and contain elements of violence and sexuality, as in the short-story collections First Love, Last Rites (1975) and In Between the Sheets (1978)....

MCC
Abbreviation for Marylebone Cricket Club

McCartney,
(James) English rock singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist. He was a founder-member of the Beatles, and co-wrote most of their songs with fellow band member John Lennon. After the break-up of the Beatles he had a successful solo career, as well as leading the pop group Wings 1971&...

McKinley, Mount
Highest peak in North America, situated in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska; height 6,194 m/20,320 ft. It was named after US president William McKinley in 1896. The summit was first reached in 1913 by the Anglo-American explorer Hudson Stuck and three others, and about 1,000 climbers attempt i...

McCullin, Don(ald)
English war photographer. He started out as a freelance photojournalist for the Sunday newspapers. His coverage of hostilities in the Congo in 1967, Vietnam in 1968, Biafra in 1968 and 1970, and Cambodia in 1970 is notable for its compassion and tragic vision. He has published several books of his work, among them Destruction Business
McEnroe, John Patrick
US tennis player whose brash behaviour and fiery temper on court dominated the men's game in the early 1980s. He was three times winner of Wimbledon in 1981 and 1983–84. He also won three successive US Open titles 1979–81 and again in 1984. A fine doubles player, McEnroe also won ten Grand Slam doubles titles, seven in partnership wit...

McColgan, Liz
Scottish long-distance runner who became the 1991 world 10,000-metre champion. In the same year she won the New York Marathon and she also won the London Marathon in 1996. She retired from international track racing in 1997 in order to concentrate on marathon running. Career highlights Olympic Games silver 10,000 metres 1988 World Champions...

McAleese, Mary Patricia
Irish lawyer and academic, president from 1997. When President Mary Robinson announced her resignation, McAleese was nominated by the ruling Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats as their candidate in preference to former prime minister Albert Reynolds. She asserted her opposition to violence and secured a clear victory over the Fine Gael nomi...

McGough, Roger
English poet, dramatist, songwriter, and performer. Along with Adrian Henri and Brian Patten he was one of the group known as the `Liverpool Poets`. He came to prominence in the late 1960s as a singer in the pop group Scaffold, and he wrote many of their songs (including their 1968 hit `Lily the Pink`). His poems were strongly i...

McCoy, Tony
Northern Irish National Hunt jockey. In April 2002 he broke Gordon Richard's all-time record of riding 269 winners in a British jumps season, setting a new mark of 289 winners. In the 1999–2000 season he became the first jockey in British National Hunt racing to repeat the feat of riding over 200 winners in a season. Career highlights ...

MDMA
(3,4-methylenedio-xymethamphetamine) psychedelic drug, also known as ecstasy

methanol
Simplest of the alcohols. It can be made by the dry distillation of wood (hence it is also known as wood alcohol), but is usually made from coal or natural gas. When pure, it is a colourless, flammable liquid with a pleasant odour, and is highly poisonous. Methanol is used to produce methanal (formaldehyde, from which resins and plastics can be mad...

metal
Click images to enlargeAny of a class of chemical elements with specific physical and chemical characteristics. Metallic elements compose about 75% of the 112 elements in the periodic table of the elements and are found towards the left-hand side and the bottom of the table. Physical properties include a sonorous ...

mercury
Heavy, silver-grey, metallic element, atomic number 80, relative atomic mass 200.59. Its symbol comes from the Latin hydrargyrum, derived from the Greek words for water and silver. It is a dense, mobile liquid with a low melting point (-38.87°C/-37.96°F). Its chief source is the mineral cinnabar, HgS, bu...

methanoic acid
Colourless, slightly fuming liquid that freezes at 8°C/46.4°F and boils at 101°C/213.8°F. It occurs in stinging ants, nettles, sweat, and pine needles, and is used in dyeing, tanning, and electroplating

mendelevium
Synthesized, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series, atomic number 101, relative atomic mass 258. It was first produced by bombardment of Es-253 with helium nuclei. Its longest-lived isotope, Md-258, has a half-life of about two months. The element is chemically similar to thulium. It was named by the US physicists at t...