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

sea urchin
Any of various orders of the class Echinoidea among the echinoderms. They all have a globular body enclosed with plates of lime and covered with spines. Sometimes the spines are anchoring organs, and they also assist in locomotion. Sea urchins feed on seaweed and the animals frequenting them, and some are edible, as is their roe

sea squirt
Any solitary or colonial-dwelling saclike chordate of the class Ascidiacea. A pouch-shaped animal attached to a rock or other base, it draws in food-carrying water through one siphon and expels it through another after straining it through numerous gill slits. The young are free-swimming tadpole-shaped organisms, which, unlike t...

sea lily
Any echinoderm of the class Crinoidea. In most, the rayed, cuplike body is borne on a sessile stalk (permanently attached to a rock) and has feathery arms in multiples of five encircling the mouth. However, some sea lilies are free-swimming and unattached

sea horse
Click images to enlargeAny marine fish of several related genera, especially Hippocampus, of the family Syngnathidae, which includes the pipefishes. The body is small and compressed and covered with bony plates raised into tubercles or spines. The tail is prehensile, and the tubular mouth sucks in small...

sea cucumber
Any echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea with a cylindrical body that is tough-skinned, knobbed, or spiny. The size ranges from 3 cm/1.2 in to 2 m/6.6 ft. There are around 900 species, which are mostly black, brown, or olive green in colour. Sea cucumbers are sometimes called `cotton-spinners` because of the sticky filame...

serum
Clear fluid that separates out from clotted blood. It is blood plasma with the anticoagulant proteins removed, and contains antibodies and other proteins, as well as the fats and sugars of the blood. It can be produced synthetically, and is used to protect against disease

sexual selection
Process similar to natural selection but relating exclusively to success in finding a mate for the purpose of sexual reproduction and producing offspring. Sexual selection occurs when one sex (usually but not always the female) invests more effort in producing young than the other. Members of the other sex compete for access to this limited resourc...

sex linkage
In genetics, the tendency for certain characteristics to occur exclusively, or predominantly, in one sex only. Human examples include red-green colour blindness and haemophilia, both found predominantly in males. In both cases, these characteristics are recessive and are determined by genes on the X chromosome. Since females possess two X chrom...

sex determination
Process by which the sex of an organism is determined. In many species, the sex of an individual is dictated by the two sex chromosomes (X and Y) it receives from its parents. In mammals (except for the egg-laying mammals, for example the platypus), some plants, and a few insects, males are XY, a...

secretion
In biology, any substance (normally a fluid) produced by a cell or specialized gland, for example, sweat, saliva, enzymes, and hormones. The process whereby the substance is discharged from the cell is also known as secretion

semelparity
In biology, the occurrence of a single act of reproduction during an organism's lifetime. Most semelparous species produce very large numbers of offspring when they do reproduce, and normally die soon afterwards. Examples include the Pacific salmon and the pine looper moth. Many plants are semelparous, or monocarpic. Repeated reproduction is ca...

secondary sexual characteristic
External feature of an organism that is indicative of its gender (male or female), but not the reproductive organs themselves. They include facial hair in men and breasts in women, combs in cockerels, brightly coloured plumage in many male birds, and manes in male lions. In many cases, they are invol...

sea anemone
Invertebrate marine animal of the phylum Cnidaria with a tubelike body attached by the base to a rock or shell. The other end has an open `mouth` surrounded by stinging tentacles, which capture crustaceans and other small organisms. Many sea anemones are beautifully coloured, especially those in tropical waters

sexual reproduction
Click images to enlargeReproductive process in organisms that requires the union, or fertilization, of gametes (such as eggs and sperm). These are usually produced by two different individuals, although self-fertilization occurs in a few hermaphrodites such as tapeworms. Most organisms other than bacteria and cyanobac...

sewage disposal
The disposal of human excreta and other waterborne waste products from houses, streets, and factories. Conveyed through sewers to sewage works, sewage has to undergo a series of treatments to be acceptable for discharge into rivers or the sea, according to various local laws. Raw sewage, or sewage th...

sediment
Any loose material that has `settled` after deposition from suspension in water, ice, or air, generally as the water current or wind speed decreases. Typical sediments are, in order of increasing coarseness: clay, mud, silt, sand, gravel, pebbles, cobbles, and boulders. Sediments differ from sedimentary rocks, in which deposits are fu...

season
Period of the year having a characteristic climate. The change in seasons is mainly due to the Earth's axis being tilted in relation to the Sun, and hence the position of the Sun in the sky at a particular place changes as the Earth orbits the Sun. When the northern hemisphere is tilted away from...

seal
(animal) Click images to enlargeAquatic carnivorous mammal of the families Otariidae and Phocidae (sometimes placed in a separate order, the Pinnipedia). The eared seals or sea lions (Otariidae) have small external ears, unlike the true seals (...

sea slug
Any of an order (Nudibranchia) of marine gastropod molluscs in which the shell is reduced or absent. The order includes some very colourful forms, especially in the tropics. They are largely carnivorous, feeding on hydroids and sponges. Most are under 2.5 cm/1 in long, and live on the sea bottom ...

sea lion
Any of several genera of seals of the family Otariidae (eared seals), which also includes the fur seals. These streamlined animals have large fore flippers which they use to row themselves through the water. The hind flippers can be turned beneath the body to walk on land. There are two species of sea lion in the northern hemisphere, and three in t...

seed plant
Any seed-bearing plant; also known as a spermatophyte. The seed plants are subdivided into two classes: the angiosperms, or flowering plants, and the gymnosperms, principally the cycads and conifers. Together, they comprise the major types of vegetation found on land. Angiosperms are the largest, most advanced, and most successful group...

seed
Click images to enlargeReproductive structure of higher plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms). It develops from a fertilized ovule and consists of an embryo and a food store, surrounded and protected by an outer seed coat, called the testa. The food store is contained either in a specialized nutritive tissue, the endosperm...

secondary growth
Increase in diameter of the roots and stems of certain plants (notably shrubs and trees) that results from the production of new cells by the cambium. It provides the plant with additional mechanical support and new conducting cells, the secondary xylem and phloem. Secondary growth is generally confined to gymnosperms and, among the angiosperms, to...

sepal
Part of a flower, usually green, that surrounds and protects the flower in bud. The sepals are derived from modified leaves, and are collectively known as the calyx. In some plants, such as the marsh marigold Caltha palustris, where true petals are absent, the sepals are brightly coloured and petal-like, taking over the role ...

secretin
Hormone produced by the small intestine of vertebrates that stimulates the production of digestive secretions by the pancreas and liver

sessile
In botany, describing a leaf, flower, or fruit that lacks a stalk and sits directly on the stem, as with the sessile acorns of certain oaks. In zoology, it is an animal that normally stays in the same place, such as a barnacle or mussel. The term is also applied to the eyes of crustaceans when these lack stalks and sit directly on the head

set
(mathematics) In mathematics, any collection of defined things (elements), provided the elements are distinct and that there is a rule to decide whether an element is a member of a set. It is usually denoted by a capital letter and in...

sedative
Any drug that has a calming effect, reducing anxiety and tension. Sedatives in larger doses will induce sleep. Examples are barbiturates, narcotics, and benzodiazepines. Overdoses can be fatal

secant
In trigonometry, the function of a given angle in a right-angled triangle, obtained by dividing the length of the hypotenuse (the longest side) by the length of the side adjacent to the angle. It is the reciprocal of the cosine (sec = 1/cos)

secularization
The process through which religious thinking, practice, and institutions lose their religious and/or social significance. The concept is based on the theory, held by some sociologists, that as societies become industrialized their religious morals, values, and institutions give way to secular ones and some religious traits become common secular...

sect
Small ideological group, usually religious in nature, that may have moved away from a main group, often claiming a monopoly of access to truth or salvation. Sects are usually highly exclusive. They demand strict conformity, total commitment to their code of behaviour, and complete personal involvement, sometimes to the point of rejecting mainstream...

seismology
Study of earthquakes, the seismic waves they produce, the processes that cause them, and the effects they have. By examining the global pattern of waves produced by an earthquake, seismologists can deduce the nature of the materials through which they have passed. This leads to an understanding of the Earth's internal structure. On a smaller sc...

seafloor spreading
Growth of the ocean crust outwards (sideways) from ocean ridges. The concept of seafloor spreading has been combined with that of continental drift and incorporated into plate tectonics. Seafloor spreading was proposed in 1960 by US geologist Harry Hess (1906–1969), based on his observations of ocean ridges and the relative youth of all ocean ...

seed drill
Machine for sowing cereals and other seeds, developed by Jethro Tull in England in 1701, although simple seeding devices were known in Babylon in 2000 BC. The seed is stored in a hopper and delivered by tubes into furrows in the ground. The furrows are made by a set of blades, or coulters, attached t...

Semitic languages
Branch of the Hamito-Semitic language; see Afro-Asiatic language

semicolon
Punctuation mark (;) with a function halfway between the separation of sentence from sentence by means of a full stop, or period, and the internal separation provided by a comma. It also helps separate items in a complex list: `pens, pencils, and paper; staple foods, such as rice and beans; tools, various; and rope`. R...

Sepoy Rebellion
Alternative name for the Indian Mutiny, a revolt of Indian soldiers against the British in India 1857–58

separation of powers
Limiting the powers of government by separating governmental functions into the executive, legislative, and judiciary. The concept has its fullest practical expression in the US constitution (see federalism). Articles I, II, and III establish the three branches of government, and specify powers entrusted to each as a means of ensuring that no one b...

sexism
Belief in (or set of implicit assumptions about) the superiority of one's own sex, often accompanied by a stereotype or preconceived idea about the opposite sex. Sexism may also be accompanied by discrimination on the basis of sex, generally as practised by men against women. The term, coined by analogy with racism, was first used in the 1960s ...

Session, Court of
One of the civil courts in Scotland; see Court of Session

Sevastopol
Black Sea port, resort, and fortress in the Crimea, Ukraine; population (2001) 342,500. It is the base of the Black Sea fleet (jointly owned by Russia and Ukraine). Industries include shipbuilding and wine making. Founded by Catherine (II) the Great in 1784, Sevastopol was successfully besieged by the English and French (October 1854–Septe...

servomechanism
Automatic control system used in aircraft, motor cars, and other complex machines. A specific input, such as moving a lever or joystick, causes a specific output, such as feeding current to an electric motor that moves, for example, the rudder of the aircraft. At the same time, the position of the rudder is detected and fed back to the central cont...

services, armed
Air, sea, and land forces of a country; its army, navy, and air force; also called the armed forces

Servetus, Michael
Spanish Anabaptist theologian and physician. He was a pioneer in the study of the circulation of the blood and found that it circulates to the lungs from the right chamber of the heart. He was, however, as noted for his death as for his life: passing through Calvin's Geneva, he was arrested for his unorthodox views on the Trinity (expressed...

Sergius, St, of Radonezh
Patron saint of Russia, who founded the Eastern Orthodox monastery of the Blessed Trinity near Moscow 1334. Mediator among Russian feudal princes, he inspired the victory of Dmitri, Grand Duke of Moscow, over the Tatar khan Mamai at Kulikovo, on the upper Don, in 1380

Serbia, Republic of
Landlocked country in central and southeastern Europe, bordering Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia to the south, and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to the west. It was a constituent republic, together with Montenegro, of Serbia and Montenegro, 1992–2006 and of Yugoslav...

sedimentary rock
Click images to enlargeRock formed by the accumulation and cementation of deposits that have been laid down by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Sedimentary rocks cover more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface and comprise three major categories: clastic, chemically precipitated, and organic (or biogenic). Clas...

Seymour, Jane
English noble, third wife of Henry VIII, whom she married 1536. She died soon after the birth of her son Edward VI. Daughter of John Seymour and sister of Edward, Duke of Somerset, she was a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's first two wives, Catherine of Aragón and Anne Boleyn. She married Henry a few days after Anne's execution

Sewell, Anna
English writer. Her only published work, the novel Black Beauty (1877), tells the life story of a horse. It was a best-seller and became a children's classic

Seville
(city) Capital of Seville province and of the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain, on the River Guadalquivir, 96 km/60 mi north of Cádiz; population (2001 est) 702,500. Products include machinery, spirits, porcelain, armaments, explosives, pharmaceuticals, perfume, t...

Severus, Lucius Septimius
Roman emperor 193–211. After holding various commands under the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, Severus was appointed commander-in-chief of the army on the Danube, in the Roman provinces, Pannonia and Illyria. After the murder of Pertinax (Roman emperor 193), he was proclaimed emperor by his troops. Severus was an able administr...

Severn
River in Britain, which rises on the slopes of Plynlimon, in Ceredigion, west Wales, and flows east and then south, finally forming a long estuary leading into the Bristol Channel; length 336 km/208 mi. The Severn is navigable for 290 km/180 mi, up to Welshpool (Trallwng) on the Welsh border. The principal towns on its course are Shrews...

Seven Years' War
War in North America 1756–63 arising from the conflict between Austria and Prussia, and between France and Britain over colonial supremacy. Britain and Prussia defeated France, Austria, Spain, and Russia; Britain gained control of India and many of France's colonies, including Canada. The fighting between France and Britain in North Am...

Seven Weeks' War
War 1866 between Austria and Prussia, engineered by the German chancellor Bismarck. It was nominally over the possession of Schleswig-Holstein, but it was actually to confirm Prussia's superseding Austria as the leading German state. The Prussian victory at the Battle of Sadowa was the culmination of General von Moltke's victories

Seurat, Georges Pierre
French artist. One of the major post-Impressionists, he originated, with Paul Signac, the technique of pointillism (painting with small dabs rather than long brushstrokes). One of his best-known works is A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte 1886 (Art Institute of Chicago). At the age of 16 Seurat went to th...

Set
(mythology) In Egyptian mythology, the god of night, the desert, and of all evils. Portrayed as a grotesque animal with long ears and a tail, Set was the murderer of his brother Osiris, later ruler of the underworld

serfdom
The legal and economic status of peasants under feudalism. Serfs could not be sold like slaves, but they were not free to leave their master's estate without his permission. They had to work the lord's land without pay for a number of days every week and pay a percentage of their produce to the lord every year. They also served as soldiers ...

Serapis
Ancient Graeco-Egyptian god, a combination of Apis, the bull of Memphis who carried the dead, and Osiris, ruler of the underworld. Invented by Ptolemy I to unify his Greek and Egyptian subjects, he became the official deity of the kingdom replacing Osiris. He was worshipped in Greek at the Serapeum, a Greek-style temple and statue in Alexan...

seakale
Perennial European coastal plant with broad, fleshy leaves and white flowers; it is cultivated in Europe and the young shoots are eaten as a vegetable. (Crambe maritima, family Cruciferae.)

sedge
Any of a group of perennial grasslike plants, usually with three-cornered solid stems, common in low water or on wet and marshy ground. (Genus Carex, family Cyperaceae.)

sequoia
Click images to enlargeEither of two species of conifer tree belonging to the redwood family, native to the western USA. The redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is a long-living timber tree, and one specimen, the Howard Libbey Redwood, is the world's tallest tree at 110 m/361 ft, with a trunk cir...

service tree
Deciduous tree (S. domestica) with alternate pinnate leaves (leaflets growing either side of the stem), creamy white flowers, and small, brown, edible, oval fruits, native to Europe and Asia. The European wild service tree (S. torminalis) has oblong rather than pointed leaflets. It is related to the mountain as...

sesame
Annual herbaceous plant, probably native to Southeast Asia, and widely cultivated in India. It produces oily seeds used in cooking and soap making. (Sesamum indicum, family Pedaliaceae.)

selenium
Grey, non-metallic element, atomic number 34, relative atomic mass 78.96. It belongs to the sulphur group and occurs in several allotropic forms that differ in their physical and chemical properties. It is an essential trace element in human nutrition. Obtained from many sulphide ores and selenides, it is used as a red colouring for glass and e...

serpentine
Member of a group of minerals, hydrous magnesium silicate, Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄, occurring in soft metamorphic rocks and usually dark green. The fibrous form chrysotile is a source of asbestos; other forms are an...

secondary emission
Emission of electrons from the surface of certain substances when they are struck by high-speed electrons or other particles from an external source. It can be detected with a photomultiplier

Seebeck effect
Generation of a voltage in a circuit containing two different metals, or semiconductors, by keeping the junctions between them at different temperatures. Discovered by the German physicist Thomas Seebeck (1770–1831), it is also called the thermoelectric effect, and is the basis of the thermocouple. It is the opposite of the Peltier effect (in ...

self-inductance
In physics, the creation of an electromotive force opposing the current. See inductance

seaplane
Aeroplane capable of taking off from, and landing on, water. There are two major types, floatplanes and flying boats. The floatplane is similar to an ordinary aeroplane but has floats in place of wheels; the flying boat has a broad hull shaped like a boat and may also have floats attached to the wing tips. Seaplanes depend on smooth water for a...

senile dementia
Dementia associated with old age, often caused by Alzheimer's disease

sewing machine
Apparatus for the mechanical sewing of cloth, leather, and other materials by a needle, powered by hand, treadle, or electric motor. The lockstitch machine, in common use, which uses a double thread, was invented independently in the USA by both Walter Hunt (in 1834) and Elias Howe, who patented his machine in 1846. Howe's machine was the basis...

sextant
Navigational instrument for determining latitude by measuring the angle between some heavenly body and the horizon. It was invented in 1730 by John Hadley (1682–1744) and can be used only in clear weather. When the horizon is viewed through the right-hand side horizon glass, which is partly ...

Securities and Investments Board
Former regulator of the UK investment market (in accordance with the Financial Services Act 1986) which was replaced by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in October 1997. It was introduced in 1987 following the deregulation process of the so-called Big Bang, and acted as an umbrella organization to such self-regulating bodies as the St...

Senate
In ancient Rome, the `council of elders`. Originally consisting of the heads of patrician families, it was recruited from ex-magistrates and persons who had rendered notable public service, but was periodically purged by the censors. Although nominally advisory, it controlled finance and foreign policy. Sulla doubled its size to 600

serenade
Musical piece for chamber orchestra or wind instruments in several movements, originally intended for informal evening entertainment, such as Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik/A Little Night Music

serialism
In music, a later form of the twelve-tone system of composition, invented by Arnold Schoenberg, and hinted at in the later works of Max Reger. It usually refers to post-1950 compositions in which elements of the music were brought under the same type of control as pitch in twelve-tone music. The tone-row (the order in which the comp...

Seeger, Pete
(Peter) US folk singer and songwriter. He wrote anti-war protest songs, such as `Where Have All the Flowers Gone?` (1956), `If I Had a Hammer` (1949), and `Turn, Turn, Turn` (1965)

Senegal
(country) Country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean, bounded north by Mauritania, east by Mali, south by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, and enclosing the Gambia on three sides. Government Under the constitution of 1963, as amended, Senegal has a presidential system. The president, who is he...

Seychelles
Click images to enlargeCountry in the Indian Ocean, off east Africa, north of Madagascar. Government Seychelles is a republic within the Commonwealth with a multiparty presidential political system. The 1993 constitution provides for a president, who is directly elected to serve a five-year term and is limited to a ma...

seaweed
Any of a vast group of simple multicellular plant forms belonging to the algae group, and found growing in the sea, brackish estuaries, and salt marshes, from near the high-tide mark to depths of 100–200 m/300–600 ft. Many seaweeds have holdfasts (attaching them to rocks or other su...

Sezession
Name given to various groups of German and Austrian artists in the 1890s who `seceded` from official academic art institutions in order to found new schools of painting. The first was in Munich in 1892; the next, linked with the paintings of Gustav Klimt and the art nouveau movement, was the Vienna Sezession in 1897; the Berlin Se...

semiology
The study of the function of signs and symbols in human communication, both in language and by various nonlinguistic means. Beginning with the notion of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure that no word or other sign (signifier) is intrinsically linked with its meaning (signified), it was developed as a scientific discipline, especially by Clau...

select committee
Any of several committees of the UK House of Commons and House of Lords, designed to maintain parliamentary control of the executive, improve the quality of legislation, and scrutinize public spending and the work of government departments. The results of their inquiries are public and many require a response from the government. Commons select com...

secession
In politics, the withdrawal from a federation of states by one or more of its members, as in the secession of the Confederate states from the Union in the USA 1860, Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia 1965, and Croatia and Slovenia from the Yugoslav Federation 1991

Sebastiano del Piombo
Venetian painter, he was a pupil of Giorgione and developed a similar style. In 1511 he moved to Rome, where his friendship with Michelangelo (and rivalry with Raphael) inspired his finest works, such as The Raising of Lazarus (1517–19; National Gallery, London). Michelangelo encouraged him and provided designs for his w...

Sendak, Maurice
(Bernard) US writer and book illustrator. His children's books with their deliberately arch illustrations include Where the Wild Things Are (1963), In the Night Kitchen (1970), and Outside Over There (1981)

Settlement, Act of
In Britain following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, a law passed in 1701 during the reign of King William III, designed to ensure a Protestant succession to the throne by excluding the Roman Catholic descendants of James II in favour of the Protestant House of Hanover. Elizabeth II still reigns under this act

seasonal adjustment
In statistics, an adjustment of figures designed to take into account influences that are purely seasonal, and relevant only for a short time. The resulting figures are then thought to reflect long-term trends more accurately

sepsis
General term for infectious change in the body caused by bacteria or their toxins

Sex Pistols, the
British punk-rock group (1975–78) that became notorious under the guidance of their manager Malcolm McLaren (1946– ). Their first singles, `Anarchy in the UK` (1976) and `God Save the Queen` (1977), unrestrained attacks on contemporary Britain, made the Pistols into figures the media loved to hate. They releas...

settlement out of court
Compromise reached between the parties to a legal dispute. Most civil legal actions are settled out of court, reducing legal costs and avoiding the uncertainty of the outcome of a trial

Seder
Ceremonial meal that begins the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover), which celebrates the Exodus. The order of the service is laid down in a Haggadah, which includes prayers, hymns, and a liturgical narration of the flight from Egypt

SERPS
Acronym for State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme, UK state pension scheme which was replaced from 2002 by the State Second Pension

Semtex
Plastic explosive, manufactured in the Czech Republic. It is safe to handle (it can only be ignited by a detonator) and difficult to trace, since it has no smell. It has been used by terrorist groups all over the world. A quantity of 0.5 kg/1.1 lb of Semtex is thought to have been the cause of an explosion that destroyed a Pan-American Boei...

seal
(mark) Mark or impression made in a block of wax to authenticate letters and documents. Seals were used in ancient China and are still used in China, Korea, and Japan

Sellafield
Site of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant on the coast of Cumbria, northwest England. It was known as Windscale until 1971, when the management of the site was transferred from the UK Atomic Energy Authority to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Since 2005 it has been owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It reprocesses more than 1,000 tonnes of ...

Senna, Ayrton
Brazilian motor-racing driver. He won his first Grand Prix in Portugal in 1985 and won 41 Grand Prix in 162 starts, including a record six wins at Monaco. Senna was world champion in 1988, 1990, and 1991. He was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Career highlights World Drivers' Champion 1988, 1990, 1991 Total Grands Prix ra...

Seikan Tunnel
The world's longest underwater tunnel, opened 1988, linking the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, which are separated by the Tsungaru Strait; length 51.7 km/32.3 mi

seven deadly sins
In Christian theology, anger, avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth (or dejection). These vices are considered fundamental to all other sins

Second World War
Alternative name for World War II, 1939–45