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


record
In computing, a collection of related data items or fields. A record usually forms part of a file. Records may be of either fixed or variable length; variable records require a separator at the end of the field, in order that the end of the record can be detected by the computer

rejuvenation
In earth science, the renewal of a river's powers of downward erosion. It may be caused by a fall in sea level or a rise in land level, by climate change, by changes in vegetation cover (deforestation), or by the increase in water flow that results when one river captures another (river capture). Several river features are formed by rejuvenatio...

reflection
(geometry) In geometry, a transformation that reflects every point on a shape to a point that is the same distance on the opposite side of a fixed line – the mirror line, or line of symmetry. Reflections in two perpendicular axes produce a rotation of 180° (a half turn). For example,...

Reynolds, Albert
Irish Fianna Fáil politician, Taoiseach (prime minister) 1992–94. He was minister for industry and commerce 1987–88 and minister of finance 1988–92. In December 1993 Reynolds and UK prime minister John Major issued a joint peace initiative for Northern Ireland, the Downing Street Declaration, which led to a ceasefire by both the...

Religion, Wars of
Series of civil wars 1562–89 in France between Catholics and (Protestant) Huguenots. Each side was led by noble families which competed for influence over a weakened monarchy. The most infamous event was the Massacre of St Bartholomew in 1572, carried out on the orders of the Catholic faction led by Catherine de' Medici and the Duke of Gui...

redundancy
(employment) Loss of a person's job because the job no longer exists. This may occur because the business is shrinking in size or going bankrupt, for example, owing to a recession in the economy. The firm may have introduced labour-saving technology so that fewer workers are now needed...

regressive tax
Tax such that the higher the income of the taxpayer the smaller the proportion or percentage paid in that tax. This contrasts with progressive tax, where the proportion paid rises as income increases, and proportional tax, where the proportion paid remains the same at all levels of income. Examples of regressive taxes in the UK are council tax and ...

restrictive trade practice
Any agreement between people in a particular trade or business that restricts free trade in a market. For example, several producers may join together to form a cartel and fix prices; or a manufacturer may refuse to supply goods to a retailer if the retailer stocks the products of a rival company. Restrictive trade practices are generally illeg...

retinol
Fat-soluble chemical derived from β-carotene and found in milk, butter, cheese, egg yolk, and liver. Lack of retinol in the diet leads to the eye disease xerophthalmia

regular verb
Verb that forms each tense according to a pattern followed by most English verbs, which involves adding -ed to form both the past tense and the past participle; for example, `I walk, I walked, I have walked`. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern, as ...

revenge tragedy
Form of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama in which revenge provides the mainspring of the action. It is usually characterized by bloody deeds, intrigue, and high melodrama. It was pioneered by Thomas Kyd with The Spanish Tragedy (c. 1588), Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (c....

reinforced concrete
Material formed by casting concrete in timber or metal formwork around a cage of steel reinforcement. The steel gives added strength by taking up the tension stresses, while the concrete takes up the compression stresses. Its technical potential was first fully demonstrated by François Hennebique in the facade of the Charles VI Mill at Tourcoi...

ready-made
In the visual arts, an object chosen at random by the artist, as opposed to being selected for any presumed aesthetic merit, and presented as a work of art. The concept was first launched by Marcel Duchamp when he exhibited a bicycle wheel set on a stool in 1913. Popular among Dadaists, ready-mades have been used to challenge the elitist qualit...

representational art
In the visual arts, images that can be recognized from the real world, even if they are distorted or appear in unusual combinations, as in surrealism. The English artist David Hockney's portraits and swimming-pool paintings are contemporary examples of representational art. The opposite is abstract, or non-figurative, art

reed instrument
Any of a class of wind instruments that uses a single or double flexible reed made of cane, metal, or plastic. The reed vibrates under pressure within an airtight enclosure (the mouth, windcap, bellows, or airbag as in bagpipes) and acts as a valve to let pulses of pressurized air into a tubular resonator (the b ody of the instrument). Single-re...

Renaissance architecture
Style of architecture that began in 15th-century Italy, based on the revival of classical, especially Roman, architecture developed by Brunelleschi. It is characterized by a concern with balance, clarity, and proportion, and by the external use of columns and fluted pilasters. Italy Many Roman buildings were still in existence in Renaissance It...

revelation
The unveiling of something hidden, so that its true nature may be seen. In the Bible, revelation means God showing himself to be active in human history and as the creator, and it can come through actions or the words of prophets. In Christian belief Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. In Islam God's most complete and final revelation was ...

redundancy
(computing) In computing, duplication of information. Redundancy is often used as a check, when an additional check digit or bit is included. See also validation

Reuters
London-based international news agency. It is the world's largest news agency, providing general, political, economic, and sports news to media organizations, financial institutions, and consumers. It has several thousand journalists and photographers based in more than 100 countries. Using satellite and computer technology, Reuters supplie...

Redgrave, Steve(n) Geoffrey
English rower and gold medallist at five successive Olympic Games 1984–2000. He also won nine gold medals at the World Championships 1986–99, was world indoor rowing champion in 1990, and was a member of the winning four-man bobsleigh team at the National Bobsleigh Championships in 1989. He announced his retirement from rowing in Nove...

RealPlayer
In computing, software supplied by RealNetworks Inc. for broadcasting live or pre-recorded sound and video over the Internet. Microsoft's equivalent to RealPlayer is Windows Media Player

refresh
In computing, to redraw the image on a computer display or, in a Web browser, to reload a Web page, in order to access any changes made since it was last downloaded. Display images are a series of frames created by a device – in the case of a cathode ray tube, an electron beam – which `paints` the image on the screen, pixel by p...

rendering
Using a computer to draw an image on a computer screen. In graphics, this often means using ray-tracing, Phong shading, or a similar program to turn an outline sketch into a detailed image of a solid object

Redcar and Cleveland
Unitary authority in northeast England created in 1996 from part of the former county of Cleveland. Area 240 sq km/93 sq mi Towns and cities Redcar (administrative headquarters), Skelton, Guisborough, Marske-by-the-Sea, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Brotton, Loftus Features North S...

receptor
In biology, receptors are discrete areas of cell membranes or areas within cells with which neurotransmitters, hormones, and drugs interact. Such interactions control the activities of the body. For example, adrenaline transmits nervous impulses to receptors in the sympathetic nervous system, which initiates the characteristic response to excitemen...

red setter
Breed of dog. See setter

red admiral butterfly
The best-known of the admiral butterflies

red deer
Large deer widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa. A full-grown male (stag or hart) stands 1.2 m/4 ft at the withers, and typical antlers measure about 80 cm/31 in in length with a spread of about the same. During the breeding season the colour is a rich brown, turning grey at the approach of winter. The young are s...

Red Rum
Racehorse whose exploits in the Grand National at Aintree won him national fame. The only horse to win the race three times, with victories in 1973, 1974, and 1977, he also finished second in 1975 and 1976. He died in 1995 at the age of 30, and is buried at Aintree near to the winning post

Renaissance medicine
Medicine of the Renaissance era in Europe, from around 1400 to around 1750. The Renaissance marked a change of direction for medical knowledge and practice following the stagnation of medieval medicine in the preceding period. A rebirth of interest in the pursuit of new knowledge and scientific enquiry began, similar to that found in ancient Greek ...

reference
Attribution to the research or writing of others, used when quoting or commenting upon others' work in a report or academic essay. There are two elements: a brief `in-text` reference that does not interrupt the flow of the argument, and footnotes or a bibliography, listing the books or articles in full. The `in-text&#...

reading age
Level of comprehension of written material, that is usually expressed as an `age`, according to the average level of comprehension for children of that age. The reading age of average readers closely follows their chronological age, until it reaches 15 years, which is usually the oldest age tested. The system becomes significant when a pe...

reading speed
Ability and speed of a reader. While strong readers can cope with large quantities of text and long sentences, average readers need short paragraphs and more simple sentences in order to fully comprehend meaning. Weak readers often require specially adapted texts

replica
In art, an exact copy of an artefact produced by the original artist, or under that artist's direction. If the original painter does not reproduce or direct the painting but another artist does, the artefact is a fake or a copy

reproduction
(art) In art, a copy of a painting, drawing, or other artwork which is then mass-produced, for example as a poster or print. In the 17th century engraving was the method used for reproduction, but by the second half of the 19th century, colour lithography had begun to take over the printin...

reading
Communication skill that involves the reception and interpretation of written communication. Written communication in any form must take account of the level of reading skill attained by its intended audience, including reading age, reading speed, and inferential reading ability. These are all indicators of a reader's general literacy, and affe...

reflex arc
In animals, the passage of a nerve impulse from a receptor to a muscle that results in an automatic response to the stimulus. It is the simplest kind of animal behaviour. Examples include the removal of the hand when it touches a hot object, blinking when an object comes close to the eye, and the nar...

repair
In biology, the rectification of damage to a body. If a body is damaged, it needs to be repaired. Bodies are made of organs, which are themselves made of tissues. Each tissue is made of many similar cells. Damage will certainly kill some cells. In most tissues, some surrounding cells will be able to divide to produce new cells identical to the ones...

respiratory tract
In animals, the air passageways that lead from the nose and mouth to the lungs, including the air sacs of the lungs. A specialized epithelial tissue lines much of these air passages. This is cilated epithelium and contains cells with beating hairs called cilia that sweep mucus and trapped particles away from the air sacs in the lungs. Smoking damag...

Renaissance art
European art of the 15th–17th centuries, associated with the Renaissance, a revival in learning that began in Florence, Italy, with the rise of a spirit of humanism and a new appreciation of the classical Greek and Roman past. Artists, who had previously been ranked as skilled craftsworkers, were elevated for the first time to superior individ...

report
Prose document covering a specific issue or topic, ranging from school reports to expert advice for governments

review
Critical analysis of a live performance (such as music or drama), a media production, or a printed work. A review is an entirely subjective individual opinion

Renaissance English literature
Literature in Britain in the period beginning in around 1500 and lasting until the mid-1600s. Influenced by the artistic and cultural Renaissance, the transformation of both English language and literature in this period can be seen to move away from the medieval Middle English literature period and into the more recognizably modern Elizabethan...

Restoration literature
Prose, poetry, and drama written in English in Britain during the Restoration (the period when the monarchy, in the person of Charles II, was re-established after the English Civil War and the fall of the Protectorate in 1660). See also English literature. The restoration of Charles II to the throne liberated creative writing from the restricti...

reacting mass
In chemistry, the amount of a substance that reacts according to a balanced chemical equation. In a balanced chemical equation, the molar amounts of reactants and products are given by the numbers of each substance in the equation. The masses of each substance in the equation are in proportion to their molar masses. For example, in the reaction bet...

real image
Picture or appearance of a real object, formed by light that passes through a lens or is reflected by a mirror, that can be projected onto a screen. An image formed by a concave mirror is an example of a real image. The reflected light from an object placed in front of a concave mirror will form a real image. The reflected light rays join together ...

Reform Judaism
Liberal Jewish movement. Reform communities vary, but tend to question the authority of the Talmud (Jewish laws). Reform Jews deny that the Jews are a chosen people, and some reject belief in the Messiah, and heaven and hell. There is less adherence to avoiding the melachot (work forbidden on the Sabbath), and kosher (dietary) ru...

regeneration
In geography, the process of improving run-down inner city areas by investing money, improving transport links, providing grants and loans for buildings, improving the local environment, and providing good housing and social facilities. The aim is to attract business and to encourage people to live and work in the regenerated area

reservoir
Natural or artificial lake that collects and stores water for community water supplies and for irrigation (see dam)

rebirth
In religion, the state of being spiritually born again. The concept is evident within the major world religions, either encompassing ideas of returning to earth in a different form, reincarnation, as in Hinduism, or the destination after death being separate from earth, for example heaven and hell in Christianity. In Sikhism, there is believed to b...

residence and contact
In UK law, orders of court determining a child's residence and providing for contact with a child under the Children Act (1989). A residence order also gives parental responsibility to the person concerned, although it does not remove parental responsibility from anyone already holding it. A contact order specifies the type of contact permitted...

Reinfeldt, John Frerik
Swedish centre-right politician, leader of the Moderate Party from 2003 and prime minister from 2006. He moved his party towards the centre, focusing tax cuts on low- and middle-income groups. This reduced the ideological divide between his `New Moderates` and the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He united the previously divid...

rhodium
Hard, silver-white, metallic element, atomic number 45, relative atomic mass 102.905. It is one of the so-called platinum group metals and is resistant to tarnish, corrosion, and acid. It occurs as a free metal in the natural alloy osmiridium and is used in jewellery, electroplating, and thermocouples

rhubarb
Perennial plant grown for its pink edible leaf stalks. The large leaves contain oxalic acid, and are poisonous. There are also wild rhubarbs native to Europe and Asia. (Genus Rheum rhaponticum, family Polygonaceae.)

rhythm and blues
Style of popular music developed in the USA during the 1940s–60s. It drew on swing and jazz rhythms and blues vocals, and was an important influence on rock and roll. It diversified into soul, funk, and other styles. R & B artists include Bo Diddley, Jackie Wilson, and Etta James

rhyme
Correspondence of sound, usually in the final syllable or group of syllables in lines of verse, as in `There was once an old man with a beard/Who said, `It is just as I feared.` The rhyme depends on the vowel sounds and all the consonants except the first. Avoided in Japane...

Rhône
(river) River of southern Europe; length 810 km/500 mi. It rises at the Rhône Glacier (altitude 1,825 m/5,987 ft) in the canton of Valais in Switzerland and flows through Lake Geneva to Lyon into France, where, at its confluence with the Saône, the upper limit of navigati...

Rhodes
Click images to enlargeGreek island, largest of the Dodecanese, in the eastern Aegean Sea; area 1,412 sq km/545 sq mi; population (2003 est) 55,600. The island has a central mountain range, the Attaviros Mountains. Rhodes town is the capital of the island, and is located at the most northerly point on the isla...

Rhodesia
Former name of Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) and Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia), in southern Africa

Rhineland-Palatinate
Administrative region (German Land) in southwest Germany, bordered to the north by North Rhine-Westphalia, to the east by Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, to the south by France, to the southwest by the Saarland, and to the west by Luxembourg and Belgium; area 19,847 sq km/7,663 sq mi; population (2003 est) 4...

Rhine
European river rising in Switzerland and reaching the North Sea via Germany and the Netherlands; length 1,320 km/820 mi. It drains an area of some 220,000 sq km/85,000 sq mi and is navigable for 805 km/500 mi. Tributaries include the Moselle and the Ruhr. The Rhine is linked with the ...

rheumatism
Nontechnical term for a variety of ailments associated with inflammation and stiffness of the joints and muscles

Rhee, Syngman
Korean right-wing politician. A rebel under Chinese and Japanese rule, he became president of South Korea from 1948 until riots forced him to resign and leave the country in 1960. He established a repressive dictatorship and was an embarrassing ally for the USA

rhenium
Heavy, silver-white, metallic element, atomic number 75, relative atomic mass 186.2. It has chemical properties similar to those of manganese and a very high melting point (3,180°C/5,756°F), which makes it valuable as an ingredient in alloys. It was identified and named in 1925 by German chemists Walter Noddack (1893–1960), I...

rhinoceros
Click images to enlargeLarge grazing mammal with one or more horns on its snout. Rhinoceroses have thick, loose skin with little hair, stumpy, powerful legs with three toes on each foot. The largest species (the one-horned Indian rhinoceros) can grow up to 2 m/6 ft high at the shoulder and weigh 2,300–4,000 k...

rhesus monkey
Macaque monkey Macaca mulatta found in northern India and Southeast Asia. It has a pinkish face, red buttocks, and long, straight, brown-grey hair. It can grow up to 60 cm/2 ft long, with a 20 cm/8 in tail

rhea
One of two flightless birds of the family Rheidae, order Rheiformes. The common rhea Rhea americana is 1.5 m/5 ft high and is distributed widely in South America. The smaller Darwin's rhea Pterocnemia pennata occurs only in the south of South America and has shorter, feathered legs, and mottled plumage....

rhizome
Horizontal underground plant stem. It is a perennating organ in some species, where it is generally thick and fleshy, while in other species it is mainly a means of vegetative reproduction, and is therefore long and slender, with buds all along it that send up new plants. The potato is a rhizome that has two distinct parts, the tuber being the swol...

rhesus factor
Group of antigens on the surface of red blood cells of humans which characterize the rhesus blood group system. Most individuals possess the main rhesus factor (Rh+), but those without this factor (Rh-) produce antibodies if they come into contact with it. The name comes from rhesus monkeys, in whose blood rhesus factors were first found. I...

rhombus
Equilateral (all sides equal) parallelogram. As with a parallelogram, the rhombus has diagonally opposed angles of equal size. Its diagonals bisect each other at right angles, and its area is half the product of the lengths of the two diagonals. The shape is sometimes called a diamond. A rhombus whos...

rhetorical question
Question, often used by public speakers and debaters, that either does not require an answer or for which the speaker intends to provide his or her own answer (`Does this government know what it is doing?`). Such a question is used as a striking substitute for a statement. Rhetorical questions are not confined to public speaking but are p...

rhetoric
Traditionally, the art of public speaking and debate. Rhetorical skills are valued in such occupations as politics, teaching, law, religion, and broadcasting. These skills involve the use of technical linguistic devices, such as rhetorical questions, allegory, and hyperbole. Accomplished rhetoricians need not be sincere in what they say; they s...

rhyolite
Igneous rock, the fine-grained volcanic (extrusive) equivalent of granite

rheostat
Variable resistor, usually consisting of a high-resistance wire-wound coil with a sliding contact. It is used to vary electrical resistance without interrupting the current (for example, when dimming lights). The circular type, which can be used, for example, as the volume control of an amplifier, is also known as a potentiometer

rhapsody
In music, an instrumental fantasia, often based on folk melodies, such as Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies (1853–54)

rhododendron
Any of numerous, mostly evergreen shrubs belonging to the heath family. The leaves are usually dark and leathery, and the large funnel-shaped flowers, which grow in tight clusters, occur in all colours except blue. They thrive on acid soils. Azaleas belong to the same genus. (Genus Rhodo...

rheumatic fever
Acute or chronic illness characterized by fever and painful swelling of joints. Some victims also experience involuntary movements of the limbs and head, a form of chorea. It is now rare in the developed world. Rheumatic fever, which strikes mainly children and young adults, is always preceded by a streptococcal infection such as scarlet fever or a...

Rhône-Alpes
Region of eastern France in the upper reaches of the Rhône; area 43,698 sq km/16,872 sq mi; population (1999 est) 5,645,400. It consists of the départements of Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Rhône, Savoie, and Haute-Savoie. The capital is Lyon. There are several wine-producing...

rhythm method
Method of natural contraception that relies on refraining from intercourse during ovulation. The time of ovulation can be worked out by the calendar (counting days from the last period), by temperature changes, or by inspection of the cervical mucus. All these methods are unreliable because it is possible for ovulation to occur at any stage of the ...

Rhodope Mountains
Range of mountains on the frontier between Greece and Bulgaria, rising to 2,925 m/9,497 ft at Musala

rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammation of the joints; a chronic progressive disease, it begins with pain and stiffness in the small joints of the hands and feet and spreads to involve other joints, often with severe disability and disfigurement. There may also be damage to the eyes, nervous system, and other organs. The disease is treated with a range of drugs and with ...

Rhineland
Province of Prussia from 1815. Its unchallenged annexation by Nazi Germany in 1936 was a harbinger of World War II. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), following World War I, the Rhineland was to be occupied by Allied forces for 15 years, with a permanent demilitarized zone. Demilitarization was reaffirmed by the Treaties of Locarno...

rhythm
(music) In music, the way that sounds of varying length and stress (or accent) are grouped together in patterns. It is one of the three most important elements of music, together with melody and harmony

rhythm
(poetry) Recurring stress pattern in poetry (see metre) or prose. In traditional poetry stress patterns are usually predetermined or `fixed`. For example, the English sonnet is normally composed of 14 lines of iambic pentameter, although variations do occur. In poetry that is more op...

Rhondda Cynon Taff
Unitary authority in south Wales, created in 1996 from part of the former county of Mid Glamorgan. Area 440 sq km/170 sq mi Towns Clydach Vale (administrative headquarters), Pontypridd Physical rivers Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach; highest point, Craig y Llyn (590 m/1935 ft) Features Univ...

Rhein
German name for the Rhine, a European river

Rivera, Primo de
Spanish politician; see Primo de Rivera

Riviera
Click images to enlargeThe Mediterranean coast of France and Italy from Hyères to La Spezia. The most exclusive stretch of the Riviera, with the finest climate, is the Côte d'Azur, from Menton to St-Tropez, which includes Monaco

Rivera, Diego
Mexican painter. He was one of the most important muralists of the 20th century. An exponent of social realism, he received many public commissions for murals depicting the Mexican revolution, his vivid style influenced by Mexican folk art. A vast cycle on historical themes (National Palace, Mexico C...

Ripon
City and market centre in North Yorkshire, northern England, on the River Ure; population (2001) 15,950. Agricultural produce is traded here. Features include a cathedral (1154–1520), and nearby are the 12th-century ruins of Fountains Abbey, among the finest monastic ruins in Europe

Rio Grande
River of the USA and Mexico, rising in the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado, it flows southeast, through New Mexico and Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville; length 3,050 km/1,900 mi. From El Paso, the river forms the US-Mexican border for the last 2,400 km/1,500 mi of its course. Insufficient water is carried for the d...

ringworm
Any of various contagious skin infections due to related kinds of fungus, usually resulting in circular, itchy, discoloured patches covered with scales or blisters. The scalp and feet (athlete's foot) are generally involved. Treatment is with antifungal preparations

Rilke, Rainer Maria
Austrian writer. His prose works include the semi-autobiographical Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge/The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge (1910). His verse is characterized by a form of mystic pantheism that seeks to achieve a state of ecstasy in which existence can be apprehended as a whole

Riley, Bridget
(Louise) English painter. She is known primarily as a pioneer of op art. After brief experimentation with pointillism and colour-field painting, she developed her characteristic style in the early 1960s, arranging hard-edged black lines in regular patterns to create disturbing effects ...

right of way
The right to pass over land belonging to another. Other rights of way are licences (where personal permission is given) and easements

Riga
Capital and port of Latvia; population (2000) 764,300. Industries include engineering, brewing, food processing, and the manufacture of textiles and chipboard. A member of the Hanseatic League from 1282, Riga has belonged in turn to Poland (1582), Sweden (1621), and Russia (1710). It was occupied...

Riff
A Berber people of northern Morocco, who under Abd al-Karim long resisted the Spanish and French

Ridley, Nicholas
(bishop) English Protestant bishop. He became chaplain to Henry VIII in 1541, and bishop of London in 1550. He took an active part in the Reformation and supported Lady Jane Grey's claim to the throne. After Mary I's accession he was arrested and burned as a heretic

rickets
Defective growth of bone in children due to an insufficiency of calcium deposits. The bones, which do not harden adequately, are bent out of shape. It is usually caused by a lack of vitamin D and insufficient exposure to sunlight. Renal rickets, also a condition of malformed bone, is associated with kidney disease

Richthofen, Manfred, Freiherr von
German aviator. In World War I he commanded the 11th Chasing Squadron, known as Richthofen's Flying Circus, and shot down 80 aircraft before being killed in action. Originally a cavalryman (Lancer) he transferred to the air corps and eventually became the most famous `ace` of the German service. A phenomenal shot, he relied more upon ...