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


tendril
In botany, a slender, threadlike structure that supports a climbing plant by coiling around suitable supports, such as the stems and branches of other plants. It may be a modified stem, leaf, leaflet, flower, leaf stalk, or stipule (a small appendage on either side of the leaf stalk), and may be simple or branched. The tendrils of Virginia creeper ...

tetrapod
Type of vertebrate. The group includes mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Birds are included because they evolved from four-legged ancestors, the forelimbs having become modified to form wings. Even snakes are tetrapods, because they are descended from four-legged reptiles

testis
Organ that produces sperm in male (and hermaphrodite) animals. In vertebrates it is one of a pair of oval structures that are usually internal, but in mammals (other than elephants and marine mammals), the paired testes (or testicles) descend from the body cavity during development, to hang outside t...

tendon
In vertebrates, a cord of very strong, fibrous connective tissue that joins muscle to bone. Tendons are largely composed of bundles of fibres made of the protein collagen, and because of their inelasticity are very efficient at transforming muscle power into movement

tetrahedron
In geometry, a solid figure (polyhedron) with four triangular faces; that is, a pyramid on a triangular base. A regular tetrahedron has equilateral triangles as its faces. The volume (V) of a tetrahedron is given by V = 1/3Bh where ...

tempering
Heat treatment for improving the properties of metals, often used for steel alloys. The metal is heated to a certain temperature and then quenched (cooled suddenly) in a water or oil bath to fix its state. The temperature of steel during this process can be measured by changes in the colour of the metal as it gets hotter: it is light yellow at ...

telex
International telecommunications network that handles telegraph messages in the form of coded signals. It uses teleprinters for transmitting and receiving, and makes use of land lines (cables) and radio and satellite links to make connections between subscribers

teleprinter
Transmitting and receiving device used in telecommunications to handle coded messages. Teleprinters are automatic typewriters keyed telegraphically to convert typed words into electrical signals (using a five-unit Baudot code, see baud) at the transmitting end, and signals into typed words at the receiving end. They are now largely obsolete, th...

Teflon
Trade name for polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), a tough, waxlike, heat-resistant plastic used for coating nonstick cookware and in gaskets and bearings. In 2001 Canadian scientists discovered that Teflon degraded when heated to form trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a pollutant that persists in the environment for many years

temple
Click images to enlargeStructure designed for religious worship. In US usage, temple is another name for synagogue. In Hindu usage a temple is called a mandir. In Buddhism, the temple provides an opportunity for puja, worship. Despite the diversity of practice found within Buddhism, meditation remains a common feature of ...

television
Reproduction of visual images at a distance using radio waves. For transmission, a television camera converts the pattern of light it takes in into a pattern of electrical charges. This is scanned line by line by a beam of electrons from an electron gun, resulting in variable electrical signals that ...

telescope
Click images to enlargeOptical instrument that magnifies images of faint and distant objects; any device for collecting and focusing light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. A telescope with a large aperture, or opening, can distinguish finer detail and fainter objects than one with a small aperture. The re...

telecommunications
Communications over a distance, generally by electronic means. Long-distance voice communication was pioneered in 1876 by Scottish scientist Alexander Graham Bell when he invented the telephone. The telegraph, radio, and television followed. Today it is possible to communicate internationally by ...

Teresa, Mother
Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to working among the sick and poor of Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. She established the Missionaries of Charity, now a multinational organization with 517 centres around the world. More than 4,000 nuns staff the Missionaries of Charity orphanages, Aids hospices, mental homes and basic medical clinics, alongs...

tea
Click images to enlargeEvergreen shrub or small tree whose fermented, dried leaves are soaked in hot water to make a refreshing drink, also called tea. Known in China as early as 2737 BC, tea was first brought to Europe AD 1610 and rapidly became a popular drink. In 1823 the shrub was found growing wild in northern India,...

teak
Tropical Asian timber tree with yellowish wood used in furniture and shipbuilding. (Tectona grandis, family Verbenaceae.)

teasel
Upright prickly biennial herb, native to Europe and Asia. It grows up to 1.5 m/5 ft tall, has prickly stems and leaves, and a large prickly head of purple flowers. The dry, spiny seed heads were once used industrially to tease or fluff up the surface fibres of cloth. (Dipsacus fullonum, family Dipsacaceae.)

technology
The use of tools, power, and materials, generally for the purposes of production. Almost every human process for getting food and shelter depends on complex technological systems, which have been developed over a 3-million-year period. Significant milestones include the advent of the steam engine in 1712, the introduction of electricity and...

telegraphy
Transmission of messages along wires by means of electrical signals. The first modern form of telecommunication, it now uses computer terminals and printers for the transmission and receipt of messages. Telex is an international telegraphy network. Overland cables were developed in the 1830s, but early attempts at underwater telegraphy were largely...

telephone
Click images to enlargeInstrument for communicating at a distance by voice, developed by Scottish-US inventor Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, consisting of an earpiece that receives electrical signals and a mouthpiece that sends electrical signals. The transmitter (mouthpiece) consists of a carbon microphone, with a di...

teletext
Broadcast system of displaying information on a television screen. The information – typically covering news, entertainment, sport, and finance – is constantly updated. Teletext is a form of videotext, pioneered in the UK by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) with Ceefax and by Independent Television (ITN) with Teletext

tear gas
Any of various volatile gases that produce irritation and watering of the eyes, used by police against crowds and used in chemical warfare. The gas is delivered in pressurized, liquid-filled canisters or grenades, thrown by hand or launched from a specially adapted rifle. Gases (such as Mace) cause violent coughing and blinding tears, which pas...

Tenerife
Click images to enlargeLargest of the Canary Islands, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; area 2,060 sq km/795 sq mi; population (1991) 706,900. Fruit and vegetables are produced, especially bananas and tomatoes, and the island is a popular tourist resort. Santa Cruz is the main town here, and Pi...

Tegucigalpa
Capital of Honduras; situated at an altitude of 975 m/3,199 ft in the highlands of south-central Honduras, on the River Choluteca at the foot of the extinct El Pichacho volcano; population (2001) 769,100. Industries include textiles, chemicals, and food-processing, mostly for domestic consumption. It was founded by the Spanish i...

Tennyson, Alfred
English poet. He was poet laureate 1850–92. His verse has a majestic, musical quality, and few poets have surpassed his precision and delicacy of language. His works include `The Lady of Shalott` (1833), `The Lotus Eaters` (1833), `Ulysses` (1842), `Break, Break, Break` (1842), and `The Charge of th...

textile
Fabric produced by weaving, knitting, or bonding. Natural textiles These are made from natural fibres and include cotton, linen, silk, and wool (including angora, llama, and many others). For particular qualities, such as flame resistance or water and stain repellence, these may be combined with a synthetic fibre or treated with various chemicals. ...

tempo
In music, the speed at which a piece should be played. One way of indicating the tempo of a piece of music is to give a metronome marking, which states the number of beats per minute; for example, `crotchet = 60` means that there should be 60 crotchet beats to the minute, that is, one per second. Modern electronic metronomes measu...

tenor
Highest range of the adult male singing voice when not using falsetto, approximately C3–A5. It is the preferred voice for operatic heroic roles. Well-known tenors are Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. It is also used before the name of an instrument that sounds in the same range as the ...

Technicolor
Trade name for a film colour process using three separate negatives of blue, green, and red images. It was invented by Daniel F Comstock and Herbert T Kalmus in the USA in 1922, and became the most commonly used colour process for cinematography. Originally, Technicolor was a two-colour process in which superimposed red and green images were pr...

Test Ban Treaty
Agreement signed by the USA, the USSR, and the UK on 5 August 1963 contracting to test nuclear weapons only underground. All nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water was banned. In the following two years 90 other nations signed the treaty, the only major nonsignatories being France and China, which continued under...

Teutonic Knight
Member of a German Christian military order, the Knights of the Teutonic Order, founded in 1190 by Hermann of Salza in Palestine. They crusaded against the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians from 1228 and controlled Prussia until the 16th century. Their capital was Marienburg (now Malbork, Poland). The Teutonic Knights were originally members of the G...

tequila
Mexican alcoholic drink distilled from the agave plant. It is named after the place, near Guadalajara, where the conquistadors first developed it from Aztec pulque, which would keep for only a day

tennis
Click images to enlargeRacket-and-ball game invented towards the end of the 19th century. Although played on different surfaces (grass, wood, shale, clay, concrete), it is also called `lawn tennis`. The aim of the two or four players (in singles or doubles matches) is to strike the ball into the prescrib...

tenpin bowling
Indoor sport popular in North America and Britain. As in skittles, the object is to bowl a ball down an alley at pins (ten as opposed to nine). The game is usually between two players or teams. A game of tenpins is made up of ten `frames`. The frame is the bowler's turn to play and in each frame he or she may bowl twice. One point is ...

teratogen
Any substance or agent that can induce deformities in the fetus if absorbed by the mother during pregnancy. Teratogens include some drugs (notably alcohol and thalidomide), other chemicals, certain disease organisms, and radioactivity

territorial waters
Area of sea over which the adjoining coastal state claims territorial rights. This is most commonly a distance of 22.2 km/12 nautical mi from the coast, but, increasingly, states claim fishing and other rights up to 370 km/200 mi

Temple of Jerusalem
Centre of Jewish national worship in Jerusalem, in both ancient and modern times, sited on Mount Moriah (or Temple Mount), one of the hills of Mount Zion. The Wailing Wall is the surviving part of the western wall of the enclosure of Herod's Temple. Since the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, J...

tefillin
In Judaism, two small leather boxes containing scrolls from the Torah, that are strapped to the left arm and the forehead by Jewish men for daily prayer. The tefillin on the arm points to the heart, while that on the forehead to the mind and thoughts

Ten Commandments
In the Old Testament, the laws given by God to the Hebrew leader Moses on Mount Sinai, engraved on two tablets of stone. They are: 1. to have no other gods besides Jehovah (the One God); 2. to make no images of anything in heaven or on earth, or in the water under the earth, and not to worshi...

Tegh Bahadur
Indian religious leader, ninth guru (teacher) of Sikhism 1664–75, executed for refusing to renounce his faith. Tegh Bahadurtook over the struggle to maintain the Sikh faith in the face of extreme opposition from the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb, a fanatical Muslim. With Sikhs and Hindus oppressed and prevented from following their religion, Tegh Ba...

televangelist
In North America, a fundamentalist Christian minister, often of a Pentecostal church, who hosts a television show and solicits donations from viewers. Well-known televangelists include Jim Bakker, convicted in 1989 of fraudulent misuse of donations, and Jimmy Swaggart

temperance movement
Societies dedicated to curtailing the consumption of alcohol by total prohibition, local restriction, or encouragement of declarations of personal abstinence (`the pledge`). Temperance movements were first set up in the USA, Ireland, and Scotland, then in northern England in the 1830s. The proponents of temperance were drawn from evangeli...

tesla
SI unit of magnetic flux density. One tesla represents a flux density of one weber per square metre, or 104 gauss. It is named after the Croatian-born US physicist Nikola Tesla

Teller, Edward
Hungarian-born US physicist known as the father of the hydrogen bomb (H-bomb). He worked on the Manhattan Project developing the fission bomb – the first atomic bomb 1942–46, and on the fusion, or hydrogen, bomb 1946–52. Vigorous in his promotion of nuclear weapons and in his opposition to communism, he was, in the 1980s, one...

temperament
In music, a system of tuning (`tempering`) whereby the intervals of the scale are made slightly larger or smaller than the `natural` scale of acoustical theory, to allow for key changes in a piece of music. According to acoustical theory, notes such as D# and Eb are slightly differen...

Telemachus
In Greek mythology, son of Odysseus and Penelope. He was a child when his father set out for the Trojan wars. In Homer's Odyssey, he attempted to control his mother's suitors while his father was believed dead, but on Odysseus' return after 20 years, he helped him to kill them, with the support of the goddess Athena

Temple, Shirley
US actor who became the most successful child star of the 1930s. The charming, curly-haired, dimpled tot's films include Bright Eyes (1934), in which she sang `On the Good Ship Lollipop`; Little Miss Marker (1934); Curly Top (1935); The Little Colonel<...

tetracycline
One of a group of antibiotic compounds having in common the four-ring structure of chlortetracycline, the first member of the group to be isolated. They are prepared synthetically or obtained from certain bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. They are broad-spectrum antibiotics, effective against a wide range of disease-...

Test match
Sporting contest between two nations, the most familiar being those played between the ten nations that play Test cricket (England, Australia, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh). Test matches are also played in Rugby League and Rugby Union. A cricket Test match lasts a maximum of five days ...

testa
Outer coat of a seed, formed after fertilization of the ovule. It has a protective function and is usually hard and dry. In some cases the coat is adapted to aid dispersal, for example by being hairy. Humans have found uses for many types of testa, including the fibre of the cotton seed

terminal velocity
The maximum velocity that can be reached by a given object moving through a fluid (gas or liquid) under the action of an applied force. As the speed of the object increases so does the total magnitude of the forces resisting its motion. Terminal velocity is reached when the resistive forces exactly balance the applied force that has caused the obje...

terminal voltage
Potential difference (pd) or voltage across the terminals of a power supply, such as a battery of cells. When the supply is not connected in circuit its terminal voltage is the same as its electromotive force (emf); however, as soon as it begins to supply current to a circuit its terminal voltage falls because some electric potential energy is ...

Tennessee
State in east-central USA, bordered to the east by North Carolina, to the south by Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, to the west by Arkansas and Missouri, across the Mississippi River, and to the north by Kentucky and Virginia; area 106,752 sq km/41,217 sq mi; population (2006) 6,038...

Texas
Click images to enlargeState in southwestern USA, one of the Great Plains states, bordered to the east by Louisiana (partly along the Sabine River), to the northeast by Arkansas, to the north by Oklahoma (part of this boundary being along the Red River), to the west by New Mexico, to the southwest by the Rio Grande River ...

tetraethyl lead
Compound added to leaded petrol as a component of antiknock to increase the efficiency of combustion in car engines. It is a colourless liquid that is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as benzene, ethanol, and petrol. As lead tends to poison catalytic converters, their use has made the introduction of unleaded petrol necessary

tetrachloromethane
Chlorinated organic compound that is a very efficient solvent for fats and greases, and was at one time the main constituent of household dry-cleaning fluids and of fire extinguishers used with electrical and petrol fires. Its use became restricted after it was discovered to be carcinogenic and it has now been largely removed from educational a...

techno
Dance music in minimalist style played on electronic instruments. It is created with extensive use of studio technology for a futuristic, machine-made sound, sometimes with sampled soul vocals. The German band Kraftwerk (formed in 1970) is an early example, and Germany continued to produce some of the best techno records in the 1990s

Telugu
Language spoken in southeastern India. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, and is also spoken in Malaysia, giving a total number of speakers of around 50 million. Written records in Telugu date from the 7th century AD. Telugu belongs to the Dravidian family

tea tree
Shrub or small tree native to Australia and New Zealand. It is thought that some species of tea tree were used by the explorer Captain Cook to brew tea; it was used in the first years of settlement for this purpose. (Genus Leptospermum, family Myrtaceae.)

Tex-Mex
Mix of Texan and Mexican cultural elements in the southwest USA and Mexico; specifically, accordion-based dance music originating in Texas among the ethnic Mexican community. The accordionist Flaco Jimenez and the band Los Lobos, among others, have popularized the genre beyond Texas

terminal moraine
Linear, slightly curved ridge of rocky debris deposited at the front end, or snout, of a glacier. It represents the furthest point of advance of a glacier, being formed when deposited material (till), which was pushed ahead of the snout as it advanced, became left behind as the glacier retreated

Templars
Military religious order founded in Jerusalem 1119–20 to protect pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. They played an important part in the Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries. Innocent II placed them under direct papal authority in 1139, and their international links allowed them to adapt to the 13th-century decline of the Crusader st...

terms of trade
In international trade, the ratio of export prices to import prices. An improvement in the terms of trade (an increase in the value of the ratio) should mean that the country is better off, having to provide fewer exports for the same number of imports as before. Devaluation of the currency leads to a deterioration of the terms of trade

Tenochtitlán
Capital of the Mexican Aztecs. It was founded c. 1325 on an island among the lakes that occupied much of the Valley of Mexico, on the site of modern Mexico City. Its population reached about 150,000. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés met Aztec ruler Montezuma here in November 1519. Welcomed as guests, the Spaniards cap...

tense
In grammar, the form a verb takes to indicate action in the present, past, or future (`I work; I worked; I will work`). These tenses can each be divided up into simple, continuous, and perfectforms, and a fourth form of future tenses known as future in the past

ternary form
Basic musical form in three sections (ABA). A1 contains a musical statement in the tonic key and is complete in itself. B is usually in a new, but related, key and is a contrast to the music of A1. A2 is a restatement of the music of A1. An example of the te...

Telnet
In computing, Internet utility that enables a user to work on a remote computer as if directly connected. Telnet connections to a remote computer system are typically much cheaper than long-distance telephone calls; the user makes a local call to an Internet access provider and the rest of the connection is handled via the Internet at no ad...

terabyte
In computing, 1,024 gigabytes, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

template
In computing, file that lays down a document's format. Templates are used in word processing, spreadsheet, and other programs to specify all the styles used in a document, such as fonts, margins, macros, formulae and so on. They are widely used to automate the production of documents such as memos, mailings, and reports, making sure that they h...

Tendulkar, Sachin Ramesh
Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he was a child prodigy, and scored a century on his first-class debut for Bombay at the age of 15. In 1989, at 16 years 205 days, he became India's youngest ever Test player, and in 1990, at 17 years 112 days, the second-youngest player to score a Test century. He was appointed captain of In...

tenor horn
Three-valved brass instrument, often referred to as the E flat horn. It is a modern version of the alto saxhorn, with the bell pointing upwards. It is used in brass bands but not British military bands

Telford and Wrekin
Unitary authority in west England, created in 1998 from part of Shropshire. Area 291 sq km/112 sq mi Towns and cities Telford (administrative headquarters), Newport Features The Wrekin, isolated hill (407 m/1,334 ft); Ironbridge Gorge (World Heritage Site) includes world's first iron bridge, built across the River Severn in 1779 by ...

terrorism, Irish
The use of systematic violence in the conflict over British government in Ireland has occurred on a sporadic basis for centuries. Irish nationalism seeks separation and home rule while Protestant unionism wishes to maintain the link between Britain and Ireland. Both sides have resorted to physical force as a legitimate course of action. Terrorists ...

textiles industry
Technological advances in the manufacture of textiles and the industry's contribution to the Industrial Revolution are discussed in Industrial Revolution, textiles industry

texture
(art) In art, the surface quality or appearance of a work; how the surface feels or how a work looks like it would feel. Texture, one of the formal art elements, can be experienced by the senses of sight and touch. Consequently, it can be simulated by the artist, for example making somethi...

Teheran
Alternative spelling of Tehran, the capital of Iran

Tevere
Italian name for the River Tiber, which flows from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea

Ten Moral Precepts
Rules of behaviour or restraint followed by the Sangha (ordained Buddhists) and practised by some members of the Buddhist laity. Ordained Buddhists vow to refrain from: 1. taking life, 2. stealing, 3. all sexual activity, 4. lying, 5. drinking alcohol, 6. receiving money, 7. eating after noon, 8. use of perfume, oils, and decoration, 9. watchin...

Tenakh
Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. The word is formed from the first letters of the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketavim (the three collections of books that make up the Bible) giving `TeNaKh`

text messaging
Sending text messages by mobile phone. Text messaging has evolved its own abbreviated versions of written language due to the limited number of characters allowed per text message. The text messaging service is also referred to as SMS (short message service)

texting
Sending text messages by phone; see text messaging

TFT LCD
Another name for active matrix LCD, a type of colour liquid crystal display commonly used in laptop computers. TFT screens have one or more transistors to control each pixel on the screen, as opposed to the less expensive passive matrix displays where each pixel is not matched with a transistor. TFT LCDs have a faster refresh rate than other types ...

TGV
French electrically powered train that provides the world's fastest rail service. Since it began operating in 1981, it has carried more than 100 million passengers between Paris and Lyon, at average speeds of 214 kph/133 mph. In 1990, a TGV broke the world speed record, reaching a speed of 515.3 kph/320.2 mph (about half that of a passe...

thorn apple
Annual plant belonging to the nightshade family, native to America and naturalized worldwide. It grows to 2 m/6 ft in northern temperate and subtropical areas and has white or violet trumpet-shaped flowers followed by capsulelike fruits that split to release black seeds. All parts of the plant are poisonous. (Datura stramonium
thistle
Any of a group of prickly plants with spiny stems, soft cottony purple flower heads, and deeply indented leaves with prickly edges. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. (Genera include Carduus, Carlina, Onopordum, and Cirsiu...

Thistle, Order of the
Scottish order of knighthood

Thiruvananthapuram
Capital of Kerala, southwest India; population (2001) 744,700. It has chemical, textile, and rubber industries, and there is an international airport. Formerly the capital of the princely state of Travancore, it has many palaces, an old fort, and a shrine

Thuringia
Administrative region (German Land) in central Germany, bounded to the north by Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, to the east by Saxony, to the south by Bavaria, and to the west by Hesse; area 16,172 sq km/6,244 sq mi; population (1999 est) 2,449,100. The capital is E...

Thurber, James Grover
US humorist. His short stories, written mainly for the New Yorker magazine, include `The Secret Life of Walter Mitty` (1932). His doodle drawings include fanciful impressions of dogs

Thunderbird
Legendary bird of the North American Indians, the creator of storms. It is said to produce thunder by flapping its wings and lightning by opening and closing its eyes

thug
Originally a member of a Hindu sect who strangled travellers as sacrifices to Kali, the goddess of destruction. The sect was suppressed in about 1830

Thule
Greek and Roman name for the most northerly land known, originally used by the explorer Pytheas to refer to land he discovered six days after leaving the northern coast of Britain. It has been identified with the Shetlands, the Orkneys, Iceland, and Scandinavia

thrombosis
Condition in which a blood clot forms in a vein or artery, causing loss of circulation to the area served by the vessel. If it breaks away, it often travels to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. Thrombosis in veins of the legs is often seen in association with phlebitis, and in arteries with atheroma. Thrombosis increases the risk of heart atta...

Thrace
Ancient region of the Balkans, southeastern Europe, formed by parts of modern Greece and Bulgaria. It was held successively by the Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, and Romans. The heart of the ancient Thracian Empire was Bulgaria, where since 1945 there have been tomb finds of gold and silver dishes, drinking vessels, and jewellery with animal design...

Thoth
In Egyptian mythology, the god of wisdom, learning, and magic. Inventor of hieroglyphic writing, he was the patron of scribes, and associated with the Moon, whose phases were used for reckoning. He was represented as a dog-faced baboon or as a scribe with the head of an ibis; the bird was sacred to him. He was identified by the Greeks with ...

Thor
In Norse and Teutonic mythology, the god of thunder (his hammer), represented as a man of enormous strength defending humanity against demons and the frost giants. He was the son of Odin and Freya, and one of the Aesir (warrior gods). Thursday is named after him

Thompson, Flora Jane
English novelist. Her trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford (1945) describes Victorian rural life. Born in Juniper Hill, Oxfordshire, which was the inspiration for `Lark Rise`, she began working at the Post Office in Fringford, at age 14. After winning a magazine competition in 1911, she went on to write short stories and new...

Thomas à Kempis
German Augustinian monk, author of De Imitatio Christi/Imitation of Christ (1441), a devotional handbook of the devotio moderna. The work proved quickly popular, being translated into Dutch and French

Thomas, R(onald) S(tuart)
Welsh poet. His verse contrasts traditional Welsh values with encroaching `English` sterility. His poems, including The Stones of the Field (1946), Song at the Year's Turning (1955), and Laboratories of the Spirit (1975), excel at the portrayal of the wild beauty of the Welsh la...

Thomas, St
In the New Testament, one of the 12 Apostles, said to have preached in southern India, hence the ancient churches there were referred to as the `Christians of St Thomas`. He is not the author of the Gospel of St Thomas, the Gnostic collection of Jesus' sayings