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


stoat
Carnivorous mammal Mustela erminea of the northern hemisphere, in the weasel family, about 37 cm/15 in long including the black-tipped tail. It has a long body and a flattened head. The upper parts and tail are red-brown, and the underparts are white. In the colder regions, the coat turns white (ermine) in winter. Its...

steady-state theory
In astronomy, rival theory to that of the Big Bang, which claims that the universe has no origin but is expanding because new matter is being created continuously throughout the universe. The theory was proposed in 1948 by Austrian-born British cosmologist Hermann Bondi, Austrian-born US astronomer Thomas Gold, and English astronomer, cosmo...

Strategic Defense Initiative
US programme (1983–93) to explore the technical feasibility of developing a comprehensive defence system against incoming nuclear missiles, based in part outside the Earth's atmosphere. The programme was started by President Ronald Reagan in March 1983, and was overseen by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO). In May 1993, ...

style
In flowers, the part of the carpel bearing the stigma at its tip. In some flowers it is very short or completely lacking, while in others it may be long and slender, positioning the stigma in the most effective place to receive the pollen

stoma
In botany, a pore (tiny hole) in the epidermis (outer layer of tissue) of a plant. There are lots of these holes, usually in the lower surface of the leaf. A leaf contains several layers of tissue. The outer layer is the epidermis and is only one cell thick. Stomata occur in the lower epidermis. Each...

stigma
In a flower, the surface at the tip of a carpel that receives the pollen. It often has short outgrowths, flaps, or hairs to trap pollen and may produce a sticky secretion to which the grains adhere

stolon
In botany, a type of runner

stem
(biology) Main supporting axis of a plant that bears the leaves, buds, and reproductive structures; it may be simple or branched. The plant stem usually grows above ground, although some grow underground, including rhizomes, corms...

stamen
Click images to enlargeMale reproductive organ of a flower. The stamens are collectively referred to as the androecium. A typical stamen consists of a stalk, or filament, with an anther, the pollen-bearing organ, at its apex, but in some primitive plants, such as Magnolia, the stamen may not be mark...

stridulatory organs
In insects, organs that produce sound when rubbed together. Crickets rub their wings together, but grasshoppers rub a hind leg against a wing. Stridulation is thought to be used for attracting mates, but may also serve to mark territory

steroid
Any of a group of cyclic, unsaturated alcohols (lipids without fatty acid components), which, like sterols, have a complex molecular structure consisting of four carbon rings. Steroids include the sex hormones, such as testosterone, the corticosteroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland, bile acids, and cholesterol. The term is commonly used to ...

statistics
Branch of mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of data. For example, to determine the mean age of the children in a school, a statistically acceptable answer might be obtained by calculating an average based on the ages of a representative sample, consisting, for example, of a random tenth of the pupils from each class. Prob...

standard deviation
In statistics, a measure (symbol ςor s) of the spread of data. The deviation (difference) of each of the data items from the mean is found, and their values squared. The mean value of these squares is then calculated. The standard deviation is the square root of this mean. If n is the number of items of da...

structuralism
20th-century philosophical movement that has influenced such areas as linguistics, anthropology, and literary criticism. Inspired by the work of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, structuralists believe that objects should be analysed as systems of relations, rather than as positive entities. Saussure proposed that language is a system o...

stroke
Interruption of the blood supply to part of the brain due to a sudden bleed in the brain (cerebral haemorrhage) or embolism or thrombosis. Strokes vary in severity from producing almost no symptoms to proving rapidly fatal. In between are those (often recurring) that leave a wide range of impaired function, depending on the size and location of the...

stereotype
In sociology, a fixed, exaggerated, and preconceived description about a certain type of person, group, or society. It is based on prejudice rather than fact, but by repetition and with time, stereotypes become fixed in people's minds, resistant to change and ignoring factual evidence to the contrary. The term, originally used for a method of d...

status
In the social sciences, an individual's social position, or the esteem in which he or she is held by others in society. Both within and between most occupations or social positions there is a status hierarchy. Status symbols, such as insignia of office or an expensive car, often accompany high status. The two forms of social prestige may be sep...

streamlining
(technology) Shaping a body so that it offers the least resistance when travelling through a medium such as air or water. Aircraft, for example, must be carefully streamlined to reduce air resistance, or drag. In order to reduce the air resistance of an object such as a car, its shape is desig...

sterling silver
Alloy containing 925 parts of silver and 75 parts of copper. The copper hardens the silver, making it more useful

STOL
(Acronym for short takeoff and landing) aircraft fitted with special devices on the wings (such as sucking flaps) that increase aerodynamic lift at low speeds. Small passenger and freight STOL craft are commonly used in difficult terrain; STOLports (airports designed for STOL aircraft) are rare, but a notable example is London City Airport, loc...

stocks and shares
Interchangeable terms referring to investment holdings (securities) in private or public undertakings. Although distinctions have become blurred, in the UK stock usually means fixed-interest securities – for example, those issued by central and local government – while shares represent a stake in the ownership of a trading company whi...

stagflation
Economic condition in which rapid inflation is accompanied by stagnating, even declining, output and by increasing unemployment. Its cause is often sharp increases in costs of raw materials and/or labour. It was experienced in the USA and Europe in the 1970s

stock exchange
Institution for the buying and selling of stocks and shares (securities). The world's largest stock exchanges are London, New York (Wall Street), and Tokyo. The oldest stock exchanges are Antwerp (1460), Hamburg (1558), Amsterdam (1602), New York (1790), and London (1801). The former division on the London Stock Exchange between brokers (who bo...

Stieglitz, Alfred
US photographer. After forming the multimedia Photo-Secession Group with Edward Steichen in New York (1902), he started up the magazine Camera Work (1902–17). Through exhibitions at his gallery `291` he helped to establish photography as an art form. In 1924 he married the painter Georgia O'Keeffe, who was ...

Steinem, Gloria
US journalist and liberal feminist. She emerged as a leading figure in the US women's movement in the late 1960s. She was also involved in radical protest campaigns against racism and the Vietnam War. She cofounded the Women's Action Alliance in 1970 and Ms magazine. In 1983 a collection of her articles was published as &...

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady
US women's rights and antislavery leader. She organized the Seneca Falls Convention with Lucretia Coffin Mott in 1848, and drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, which advocated equal rights for women in a variety of areas, including suffrage. With Susan B Anthony, she founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, the first women'...

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Series of US-Soviet discussions 1969–79 aimed at reducing the rate of nuclear-arms build-up (as opposed to disarmament, which would reduce the number of weapons, as discussed in Strategic Arms Reduction Talks [START]). The accords of the 1970s sought primarily to prevent the growth of nuclear arsenals. The talks, delayed by...

Star Wars
Popular term for the Strategic Defense Initiative announced by US president Reagan in 1983

Staffordshire
County of west central England (from April 1997 Stoke-on-Trent has been a separate unitary authority). Area 2,720 sq km/1,050 sq mi Towns Stafford (administrative headquarters), Newcastle-under-Lyme, Lichfield, Tamworth, Leek, Uttoxeter Physical largely flat, with hilly regions in...

statics
Branch of mechanics concerned with the behaviour of bodies at rest and forces in equilibrium, and distinguished from dynamics

Styx
In Greek mythology, the river surrounding Hades, the underworld. When an oath was sworn by Styx, its waters were taken to seal the promise. Gods who broke such a vow suffered a year's unconsciousness and nine years' exile, while to mortal transgressors its waters were deadly poison. The tradition may have derived from some form of trial by ...

Stuart
Royal family that inherited the Scottish throne in 1371 and the English throne in 1603, holding it until 1714, when Queen Anne died without heirs; the house of Stuart was succeeded by the house of Hanover. The claimants to the British throne James Francis Edward Stuart (the `Old Pretender`, son of the deposed James VII of Scotland and...

Stubbs, George
English artist. He is renowned for his paintings of horses, such as Mares and Foals (about 1763; Tate Gallery, London). After the publication of his book of engravings The Anatomy of the Horse (1766), he was widely commissioned as an animal painter. The dramatic Lion Attacking a Horse (17...

Stuttgart
Capital of Baden-Württemberg, on the River Neckar, Germany; population (2003 est) 581,100, urban agglomeration 2,329,300. Industries include the manufacture of vehicles, electronics, mechanical and electrical engineering, precision instruments, foodstuffs, textiles, papermaking and publishing; it is a fruit-growing and beer-...

Styria
Alpine state of southeast Austria, bordered to the east by Hungary and to the south by Slovenia; area 16,388 sq km/6,327 sq mi; population (2001 est) 1,185,900. Its capital is Graz

St Elmo's fire
Bluish, flamelike electrical discharge that sometimes occurs above ships' masts and other pointed objects or about aircraft in stormy weather. Although of high voltage, it is of low current and therefore harmless. St Elmo (or St Erasmus) is the patron saint of sailors

stress and strain
In the science of materials, measures of the deforming force applied to a body (stress) and of the resulting change in its shape (strain). For a perfectly elastic material, stress is proportional to strain (Hooke's law)

stroboscope
Instrument for studying continuous periodic motion by using light flashing at the same frequency as that of the motion; for example, rotating machinery can be optically `stopped` by illuminating it with a stroboscope flashing at the exact rate of rotation

stabilizer
One of a pair of fins fitted to the sides of a ship, especially one governed automatically by a gyroscope mechanism, designed to reduce side-to-side rolling of the ship in rough weather

stereophonic sound
System of sound reproduction using two complementary channels leading to two loudspeakers, which gives a more natural depth to the sound. Stereo recording began with the introduction of two-track magnetic tape in the 1950s. See hi-fi

St Albans
City in Hertfordshire, England, on the River Ver, 40 km/25 mi northwest of London; population (2001) 82,400. The chief industries are electrical engineering, hosiery, clothing, information and legal services, musical instruments, and orchid culture. Printing is very important: one of the early presses set up in the late 15th century by ...

St Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Slaughter of Huguenots (Protestants) in Paris, 24 August–17 September 1572, and until 3 October in the provinces. About 25,000 people are believed to have been killed. When Catherine de' Medici's plot to have Admiral Coligny assassinated failed, she resolved to have all the Huguenot lead...

St George's
Port and capital of Grenada, on the southwest coast; population (2001) 3,900. The port has a well-sheltered harbour, exporting nutmeg, bananas, and rum, and is also an administrative and commercial centre. Refined sugar and alcoholic drinks are leading products and there is an established tou...

St Helena
British island in the south Atlantic, 1,900 km/1,200 mi west of Africa, area 122 sq km/47 sq mi; population (1997) 5,644. Its capital is Jamestown, and it exports fish and timber. Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are dependencies. St Helena became a British possession in 1673, and a colony ...

St Helier
Resort and capital of Jersey, Channel Islands; population (2001) 28,300. The `States of Jersey`, the island legislature, sits here in the salle des états

St Ives
Fishing port and resort in Cornwall, southwest England; population (2001) 11,200. Its artists' colony, founded by Walter Sickert and James Whistler, later included Naum Gabo, Barbara Hepworth (a museum and sculpture gardens commemorate her), and Ben Nicholson. A branch of the Tate Gallery ope...

St John, Order of
Oldest order of Christian chivalry, named after the hospital at Jerusalem founded about 1048 by merchants of Amalfi for pilgrims, whose travel routes the knights defended from the Muslims. Today there are about 8,000 knights (male and female), and the Grand Master is the world's highest-ranki...

St John's
(Canada) Capital and chief port of Newfoundland, Canada; population (2001 est) 99,200. Situated on the east coast of the Avalon peninsula, its deepwater harbour is connected to the Atlantic by a channel named the Narrows. St John's is the administrative, commercial, and service centre ...

St Christopher–Nevis
Alternate form of St Kitts and Nevis

St Louis
City and riverport in Missouri, on the Mississippi River; population (2000 est) 348,200. Occupying a central US location, it is a warehousing and distribution hub, and a major market for livestock, grain, wool, and lumber. The port handles oil, coal, sulphur, cement, and agricultural and manufact...

St Petersburg
(Russian Federation) Capital of the St Petersburg region, Russian Federation, at the head of the Gulf of Finland; population (2002) 4,661,200. Industries include shipbuilding, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. It was renamed Pet...

St-Pierre and Miquelon
Territorial collectivity of France, comprising eight small islands off the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada; area St-Pierre group 26 sq km/10 sq mi; Miquelon-Langlade group 216 sq km/83 sq mi; population (1998 est) 6,900. The capital is St-Pierre. Industries include fishing and tourism. Cattle are raised and there...

stained glass
Pieces of coloured glass held in place by thin strips of metal (usually lead) to form pictures in a window. One of the great medieval arts, it developed with the increase of window space in the Gothic church, and to some extent serves the same purpose as a wall-painting, with the added richness given by translucence and the variations of light ...

sterilization
(reproduction) In medicine, any surgical operation to terminate the possibility of reproduction. In women, this is normally achieved by sealing or tying off the Fallopian tubes (tubal ligation) so that fertilization can no longer take place. In men, the transmission of sperm is blocked by vase...

stethoscope
Instrument used to ascertain the condition of the heart and lungs by listening to their action. It consists of two earpieces connected by flexible tubes to a small plate that is placed against the body. It was invented in 1819 in France by René Théophile Hyacinthe Laënnec

stock
(finance) In finance, the UK term for the fully paid-up capital of a company. It is bought and sold by subscribers not in units or shares, but in terms of its current cash value. In US usage the term stock generally means an ordinary share. See also stocks and shares

stratosphere
That part of the atmosphere 10–40 km/6–25 mi from the Earth's surface, where the temperature slowly rises from a low of -55°C/-67°F to around 0°C/32°F. The air is rarefied and at around 25 km/15 mi much ozone is concentrated

stress
(psychology) In psychology, any event or situation that makes heightened demands on a person's mental or emotional resources. Stress can be caused by overwork, anxiety about exams, money, job security, unemployment, bereavement, poor relationships, marriage breakdown, sexual difficulties, ...

stream of consciousness
Narrative technique in which a writer presents directly the uninterrupted flow of a character's thoughts, impressions, and feelings, without the conventional devices of dialogue and description. It first came to be widely used in the early 20th century. Leading exponents have included the novelists Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and William Faulk...

stone
Imperial unit of mass. One stone is 14 pounds (6.35 kg)

steel band
Musical ensemble common in the West Indies, consisting mostly of percussion instruments made from oil drums. The drums are called `pans` and are cut from a barrel at the depth needed for the overall pitch of the instrument. The head of each pan is beaten into a concave shape and marked into sections that produce a specific pitch with a sw...

state
Territory that forms its own domestic and foreign policy, acting through laws that are typically decided by a government and carried out, by force if necessary, by agents of that government. It can be argued that the growth of regional international bodies such as the European Union (formerly the European Community) means that states no longer enjo...

St Kitts and Nevis
Country in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, part of the Leeward Islands. Government The islands of St Kitts (St Christopher) and Nevis form a federal state within the Commonwealth and have a stable, multiparty parliamentary democracy. The constitution dates from independence in 1983. The governor general is the formal head of state, r...

St Lucia
Click images to enlargeCountry in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, one of the Windward Islands. Government St Lucia has a multiparty parliamentary political executive. Its constitution dates from independence in 1979. Its formal head of state is a governor-general, appointed by and representing the Briti...

St Vincent and the Grenadines
Country in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, part of the Windward Islands. Government St Vincent and the Grenadines has a multiparty parliamentary political executive. Its constitution dates from independence in 1979. The head of state is a resident governor general representing the Brit...

stock
(botany) In botany, any of a group of herbaceous plants commonly grown as garden ornamentals. Many cultivated varieties, including simple-stemmed, queen's, and ten-week stocks, have been derived from the wild stock (M. incana); night-scented (or evening) ...

stinkwood
Any of various trees with unpleasant-smelling wood. The South African tree O. bullata has offensive-smelling wood when newly felled, but fine, durable timber used for furniture. Another stinkwood is G. augusta from tropical America. (Genera Ocotea, family Lauraceae; Gusta...

States General
Former French parliament that consisted of three estates: nobility, clergy, and commons. First summoned in 1302, it declined in importance as the power of the crown grew. It was not called at all between 1614 and 1789 when the crown needed to institute fiscal reforms to avoid financial collapse. ...

strontium
Soft, ductile, pale-yellow, metallic element, atomic number 38, relative atomic mass 87.62. It is one of the alkaline-earth metals, widely distributed in small quantities only as a sulphate or carbonate. Strontium salts burn with a red flame and are used in fireworks and signal flares. The radioactive isotopes Sr-89 and Sr-90 (half&...

stadholder
Leader of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from the 15th to the 18th century. Originally provincial leaders appointed by the central government, stadholders were subsequently elected in the newly independent Dutch republic. For much of their existence they competed with the States General (parliament) for control of the country. The stadhold...

standing committee
Committee of the UK House of Commons that examines parliamentary bills (proposed acts of Parliament) for detailed correction and amendment. The committee comprises members of Parliament from the main political parties, with a majority usually held by the government. Several standing committees may be in existence at any time, each usually created f...

Stamp Act
UK act of Parliament in 1765 that sought to raise enough money from the American colonies to cover the cost of their defence. The act taxed (by requiring an official stamp) all publications and legal documents published in British colonies. The colonists' refusal to use the required tax stamps, and their blockade of British merchant shipping in...

Star Chamber
In English history, a civil and criminal court, named after the star-shaped ceiling decoration of the room in the Palace of Westminster, London, where its first meetings were held. Created in 1487 by Henry VII, the Star Chamber comprised some 20 or 30 judges. It was abolished in 1641 by the Long Parliament. The Star Chamber became notorious und...

St John's
(Antigua) Port and capital of Antigua and Barbuda, on the northwest coast of Antigua; population (2001) 24,500. It exports rum, cotton, and sugar

Staffs
Abbreviation for Staffordshire, an English county

standing order
In banking, an instruction (banker's order) by a depositor with the bank to pay a certain sum of money at regular intervals. In some cases, the bank may be billed by a third party such as a supplier of gas or electricity, who is authorized by the depositor to invoice the bank directly, which in turn will pay out the sum demanded (known as direc...

standard of living
In economics, the measure of consumption and welfare of a country, community, class, or person. Individual standard-of-living expectations are heavily influenced by the income and consumption of other people in similar jobs. Universal measures of standards of living cannot be applied to individuals. National income and gross national produc...

Stanley Cup
Trophy for winning the North American ice hockey playoffs held at the end of the regular season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Stanley Cup was donated in 1893 by Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada 1888–93, and since 1927 has been awarded exclusively to the winner of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs. It w...

Stewart, Jackie
Scottish motor-racing driver. Until surpassed by Alain Prost in 1987, Stewart held the record for the most Formula 1 Grand Prix wins (27). He entered a Formula 1 team in partnership with his son Paul for the 1997–99 championships. Career highlights World Drivers' champion 1969, 1971, 1973 Total Grand Prix raced 99 Grand Prix wins 27 To...

stimulant
Any substance that acts on the brain to increase alertness and activity; for example, amphetamine. When given to children, stimulants may have a paradoxical, calming effect. Stimulants cause liver damage, are habit-forming, have limited therapeutic value, and are now prescribed only to treat narcolepsy and severe obesity

STD
Abbreviation for sexually transmitted disease

Star of David
Six-pointed star (made with two equilateral triangles), a symbol of Judaism since the 17th century. It is the central motif on the flag of Israel, and, since 1897, the emblem of Zionism

Stephenson, Robert
English civil engineer. He constructed railway bridges such as the high-level bridge at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and the Menai and Conway tubular bridges in Wales. He was the son of George Stephenson. The successful Rocket steam locomotive was built under his direction in 1829, as were subsequent improvements to ...

START
Acronym for Strategic Arms Reduction Talks

Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
Phase in peace discussions dealing with disarmament, initially involving the USA and the Soviet Union, from 1992 the USA and Russia, and from 1993 Belarus and the Ukraine. It began with talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1983, leading to the signing of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987. In 1989 proposals for reductions in conventional we...

standard form
Method of writing numbers often used by scientists, particularly for very large or very small numbers. The numbers are written with one digit before the decimal point and multiplied by a power of 10. The number of digits given after the decimal point depends on the accuracy required. For example, the speed of light is 2.9979 × 108&l...

standing wave
In physics, a wave in which the positions of nodes (positions of zero vibration) and antinodes (positions of maximum vibration) do not move. Standing waves result when two similar waves travel in opposite directions through the same space. For example, when a sound wave is reflected back along its own path, as when a stretched string is plucked, st...

states of matter
Click images to enlargeForms (solid, liquid, or gas) in which material can exist. Whether a material is solid, liquid, or gaseous depends on its temperature and pressure. The transition between states takes place at definite temperatures, called the melting point and boiling point. Kinetic theory describes how the state o...

Stallone, Sylvester
(Enzio) US film actor, director, and screenwriter. He became a star as the boxer in Rocky (1976; Academy Award for best picture) and its sequels 1979–2006. He wrote the screenplays for all six of the Rocky series, and directed three of them. He ce...

Sternberg, Josef von
Austrian-born US film director. He made seven films with Marlene Dietrich, including Der blaue Engel/The Blue Angel (1930), Blonde Venus (1932), and The Devil Is a Woman (1935), all of which are marked by his expressive use of light and shadow

Streisand, Barbra
(Joan) US singer, actor, director, and producer. She became established as a film star with her performance in Funny Girl (1968, for which she won an Academy Award). Her subsequent films include Hello Dolly (1969), What's Up Doc? (19...

Stavropol
(territory) Krai (territory) in the southwestern Russian Federation; area 80,600 sq km/31,120 sq mi; population (1996) 2,667,000 (54% urban). The capital is Stavropol. Wheat and sunflowers are grown, and cattle and sheep are raised. Natural gas is piped to Moscow and St Petersb...

stack
(computing) In computing, a method of storing data in which the most recent item stored will be the first to be retrieved. The technique is commonly called `last in, first out`. Stacks are used to solve problems involving nested structures; for example, to analyse an arithmetical...

standard atmosphere
Alternative term for atmosphere, a unit of pressure

standard gravity
Acceleration due to gravity, generally taken as 9.81274 m/32.38204 ft per second per second. See also g scale

standard illuminant
Any of three standard light intensities, A, B, and C, used for illumination when phenomena involving colour are measured. A is the light from a filament at 2,848 K (2,575°C/4,667°F), B is noon sunlight, and C is normal daylight. B and C are defined with respect to A. Standardization is necessary because colours appear different when v...

standard volume
In physics, the volume occupied by one kilogram molecule (the molecular mass in kilograms) of any gas at standard temperature and pressure. Its value is approximately 22.414 cubic metres

steradian
SI unit of measure of solid (three-dimensional) angles, the three-dimensional equivalent of the radian. One steradian is the angle at the centre of a sphere when an area on the surface of the sphere equal to the square of the sphere's radius is joined to the centre

stanza
Group of lines in a poem. A stanza serves the same function in poetry as a paragraph in prose. Stanzas are often of uniform length and separated by a blank line. Each stanza has a set, repeatable pattern of metre and rhyme

steam engine
Click images to enlargeEngine that uses the power of steam to produce useful work. The first successful steam engine was built in 1712 by English inventor Thomas Newcomen at Dudley, West Midlands; it was developed further by Scottish instrument maker James Watt from 1769 and by English mining engineer Richard Trevithi...