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


Thomas, Dylan Marlais
Welsh poet. His poems, characterized by complex imagery and a strong musicality, include the celebration of his 30th birthday `Poem in October` and the evocation of his youth `Fern Hill` (1946). His `play for voices` Under Milk Wood (1954) describes wi...

Thirty-Nine Articles
Set of articles of faith defining the doctrine of the Anglican Church; see under Anglican communion

Thirty Years' War
Click images to enlargeMajor war 1618–48 in central Europe. Beginning as a German conflict between Protestants and Catholics, it was gradually transformed into a struggle to determine whether the ruling Austrian Habsburg family could gain control of all Germany. The war caused serious economic and demographic problem...

Thirteen Colonies
Original North American colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1776. After the Continental Army (the first regular US fighting force, organized in 1775 to supplement local militias) defeated the British army in the American Revolution 1776–81, the 13 colonies became the original 13 United States of America: Co...

Thibault, Jacques Anatole François
French writer who wrote as Anatole France

Thespis
Greek poet. He is said to have introduced the first actor into dramatic performances (previously presented by choruses only), hence the word thespian for an actor. He is also said to have invented tragedy and to have introduced the wearing of linen masks

Thessaly
Region of ancient Greece, and a department on mainland Greece, situated on the northwest corner of the Aegean; area 13,904 sq km/5,368 sq mi; population of Thessaly department (2003 est) 1,062,300. The department is divided into Larisa, Karditsa, Magnesia, and Trikkala prefectures; ch...

thermography
Photographic recording of heat patterns. It is used medically as an imaging technique to identify `hot spots` in the body – for example, tumours, where cells are more active than usual. Thermography was developed in the 1970s and 1980s by the military to assist night vision by detecting the body heat of an enemy or the hot engine of ...

theosophy
Any religious or philosophical system based on intuitive insight into the nature of the divine, but especially that of the Theosophical Society, founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and H S Olcott. It was based on Hindu ideas of karma and reincarnation, with nirvana as the eventual aim

theology
Study of God or gods, either by reasoned deduction from the natural world (natural theology) or through divine revelation (revealed theology), as in the scriptures of Christianity, Islam, or other religions. Other branches of theology include comparative religion (the study of the similarities and differences between faiths) and eschatology (the st...

Theodora
Byzantine empress from 527. She was originally the mistress of Emperor Justinian before marrying him in 525. She earned a reputation for charity, courage, and championing the rights of women. The daughter of a bear-keeper, Theodora became an actor and, as mistress and later wife of the emperor, the most influential woman in Europe, since Justin...

Themistocles
Athenian admiral and politician. His success in persuading the Athenians to build a navy is credited with saving Greece from Persian conquest. During the Persian War, he fought with distinction in the battles of Artemisium and Salamis in 480 BC. After the war he pursued an anti-Spartan line which got him ostracized, possibly in 471. Some years ...

Themis
In Greek mythology, one of the Titans, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. She was the personification of law and order

theft
Dishonest appropriation of another's property with the intention of depriving him or her of it permanently

theism
Belief in the existence of gods, but more specifically in that of a single personal God, at once immanent (active) in the created world and transcendent (separate) from it

Thebes
(Egypt) Click images to enlargeGreek name of an ancient city (Niut-Amen) in Upper Egypt, on the Nile. Probably founded under the first dynasty, it was the centre of the worship of Amen, and the Egyptian capital under the New Kingdom from ab...

Thebes
(Greece) Capital of Boeotia in ancient Greece. In the Peloponnesian War it was allied with Sparta against Athens. For a short time after 371 BC when Thebes defeated Sparta at Leuctra, it was the most powerful state in Greece. Alexander the Great destroyed it in 336 BC and although it was resto...

theatre
Click images to enlargePlace or building in which dramatic performances for an audience take place; these include drama, dancing, music, mime, opera, ballet, and puppet performances. Theatre history can be traced to Egyptian religious ritualistic drama as long ago as 3200 BC. The first known European theatres were in ...

Thanet, Isle of
Northeast corner of Kent, southeast England, bounded by the North Sea at the Thames estuary, and the rivers Stour and Wantsum. It was an island until the 16th century, and includes the coastal resorts of Broadstairs, Margate, and Ramsgate. Traditionally a cereal-growing area, it has now become a major area for the cultivation of vegetables. In ...

Thames
River in south England, flowing through London; length 338 km/210 mi. The longest river in England, it rises in the Cotswold Hills above Cirencester and is tidal as far as Teddington. Below Lon don there is protection from flooding by means of the Thames Barrier (1982). The headstreams unite a...

Thales
Greek philosopher and scientist. He made advances in geometry, predicted an eclipse of the Sun in 585 BC, and, as a philosophical materialist, theorized that water was the first principle of all things. He speculated that the Earth floated on water, and so proposed an explanation for earthquakes. He lived in Miletus in Asia Minor

thalassaemia
Any of a group of chronic hereditary blood disorders that are widespread in the Mediterranean countries, Africa, the Far East, and the Middle East. They are characterized by an abnormality of the red blood cells and bone marrow, with enlargement of the spleen. The genes responsible are carried by about 100 million people worldwide. The diseases can...

Thaïs
Greek courtesan, mistress of Alexander the Great and later wife of Ptolemy I, king of Egypt. She allegedly instigated the burning of Persepolis

Thackeray, William Makepeace
English novelist and essayist. He was a regular contributor to Fraser's Magazine and Punch. His first novel was Vanity Fair (1847–48), significant for the breadth of its canvas as well as for the depth of the characterization. This was followed by Pendennis (1848),...

thulium
Soft, silver-white, malleable and ductile, metallic element of the lanthanide series, atomic number 69, relative atomic mass 168.94. It is the least abundant of the rare earth metals, and was first found in gadolinite and various other minerals. It is used in arc lighting. The X-ray-emitting isotope Tm-170 is used in portable X-...

thallium
Soft, bluish-white, malleable, metallic element, atomic number 81, relative atomic mass 204.38. It is a poor conductor of electricity. Its compounds are poisonous and are used as insecticides and rodent poisons; some are used in the optical-glass and infrared-glass industries and in photocells. Discovered spectroscopically by its gr...

thermoset
Type of plastic that remains rigid when set, and does not soften with heating. Thermosets have this property because the long-chain polymer molecules cross-link with each other to give a rigid structure. Examples include Bakelite, resins, melamine, and urea–formaldehyde resins

thylacine
Another name for the Tasmanian wolf

thermoplastic
Type of plastic that always softens on repeated heating. Thermoplastics include polyethene (polyethylene), polystyrene, nylon, and polyester

thrush
(bird) Any bird of the large family Turdidae, order Passeriformes, found worldwide and known for their song. Thrushes are usually brown with speckles of other colours. They are 12–30 cm/5–12 in long

threadworm
Parasitic nematode that may infest the human gut. Threadworms are relatively harmless and found mainly in children

thrips
Any of a number of tiny insects of the order Thysanoptera, usually with feathery wings. Many of the 3,000 species live in flowers and suck their juices, causing damage and spreading disease. Others eat fungi, decaying matter, or smaller insects

thyroid
Endocrine gland of vertebrates, situated in the neck in front of the trachea. It secretes several hormones, principally thyroxine, an iodine-containing hormone that stimulates growth, metabolism, and other functions of the body. The thyroid gland may be thought of as the regulator gland of the body's metabolic rate. If it is overactive, as ...

thymus
Organ in vertebrates, situated in the upper chest cavity in humans. The thymus processes lymphocyte cells to produce T-lymphocytes (T denotes `thymus-derived`), which are responsible for binding to specific invading organisms and killing them or rendering them harmless. The thymus reaches full size at puberty, and shrinks thereaft...

throat
In human anatomy, the passage that leads from the back of the nose and mouth to the trachea and oesophagus. It includes the pharynx and the larynx, the latter being at the top of the trachea. The word `throat` is also used to mean the front part of the neck, both in humans and other vertebrates; for example, in describing the plumage ...

thiamine
A water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. It is found in seeds and grain. Its absence from the diet causes the disease beriberi

thallus
Any plant body that is not divided into true leaves, stems, and roots. It is often thin and flattened, as in the body of a seaweed, lichen, or liverwort, and the gametophyte generation (prothallus) of a fern. Some flowering plants (angiosperms) that are adapted to an aquatic way of life may have a very simple plant body which is described as a thal...

thorax
Part of the body in four-limbed vertebrates containing the heart and lungs, and protected by the ribcage. It is separated from the abdomen by the diaphragm. During breathing (ventilation) the volume inside the thorax is changed. This then causes air to move in or out of the air passages that lead to the lungs. The volume of the thorax is altere...

thermite process
Method used in incendiary devices and welding operations. It uses a powdered mixture of aluminium and (usually) iron oxide, which, when ignited, gives out enormous heat. The oxide is reduced to iron, which is molten at the high temperatures produced. This can be used to make a weld. The process was discovered in 1895 by German chemist Hans Goldschm...

Thomson, George Paget
English physicist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1937 for his work on interference phenomena in the scattering of electrons by crystals which helped to confirm the wavelike nature of particles. He was knighted in 1943. In the USA, C J Davisson made the same discovery independently, earlier the same year, using a different method

Thatcher, Margaret Hilda
British Conservative politician, prime minister 1979–90. She was education minister 1970–74 and Conservative Party leader 1975–90. In 1982 she sent British troops to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentina. She confronted trade-union power during the miners' strike 1984&#...

Thant, U
Burmese diplomat, secretary general of the United Nations 1962–71. He helped to resolve the US–Soviet crisis over the Soviet installation of missiles in Cuba, and he made the controversial decision to withdraw the UN peacekeeping force from the Egypt–Israel border in 1967 (see Arab-...

Thomson, J(oseph) J(ohn)
English physicist. He discovered the electron in 1897. His work inaugurated the electrical theory of the atom, and his elucidation of positive rays and their application to an analysis of neon led to the discovery of isotopes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906 for his theoretical and experimental work on the conduction of electrici...

thermodynamics
Branch of physics dealing with the transformation of heat into and from other forms of energy. It is the basis of the study of the efficient working of engines, such as steam and internal combustion engines. The three laws of thermodynamics are: (1) energy can be neither created nor destroyed, heat and mechanical work being mutually convertible...

thrift
Any of several perennial low-growing coastal plants. The common sea pink A. maritima occurs in clumps on seashores and cliffs throughout Europe. The leaves are small and linear and the dense round heads of pink flowers rise on straight stems. (Genus Armeria, family Plumbaginaceae.)

thyme
Any of several herbs belonging to the mint family. Garden thyme T. vulgaris, native to the Mediterranean, grows to 30 cm/1 ft high and has small leaves and pinkish flowers. Its aromatic leaves are used for seasoning in cookery. (Genus Thymus, family Labiatae.)

thorium
Dark-grey, radioactive, metallic element of the actinide series, atomic number 90, relative atomic mass 232.038. It occurs throughout the world in small quantities in minerals such as thorite and is widely distributed in monazite beach sands. It is one of the fissile elements (others include uranium and plutonium) and its longest-lived isot...

Theseus
In Greek mythology, a hero of Attica, who was believed to have united the states of the area under a constitutional government in Athens. He killed the monstrous Minotaur with the aid of Ariadne, fought the Amazons, and took part in the expedition of the Argonauts

thermal conductivity
Ability of a substance to conduct heat. Good thermal conductors, like good electrical conductors, are generally materials with many free electrons, such as metals. A poor conductor, called an insulator, has low conductivity. Thermal conductivity is expressed in units of joules per second per metre per kelvin (J s-1 m
thermal expansion
Expansion that is due to a rise in temperature. It can be expressed in terms of linear, area, or volume expansion. The coefficient of linear expansion α is the fractional increase in length per degree temperature rise; area, or superficial, expansion β is the fractional increase in area per degree; and volume, or cubic, expansion ...

thermocouple
Electric temperature measuring device consisting of a circuit having two wires made of different metals welded together at their ends. A current flows in the circuit when the two junctions are maintained at different temperatures (Seebeck effect). The electromotive force generated – measured by a millivoltmeter – is proportional to the te...

thermometer
Instrument for measuring temperature. There are many types, designed to measure different temperature ranges to varying degrees of accuracy. Each makes use of a different physical effect of temperature. Expansion of a liquid is employed in common liquid-in-glass thermometers, such as those co...

thermostat
Temperature-controlling device that makes use of feedback. It employs a temperature sensor (often a bimetallic strip) to operate a switch or valve to control electricity or fuel supply. Thermostats are used in central heating, ovens, and engine cooling systems. At the required preset temperature (for example of a room or gas oven), the movement...

thermic lance
Cutting tool consisting of a tube of mild steel, enclosing tightly packed small steel rods and fed with oxygen. On ignition, temperatures above 3,000°C/5,400°F are produced and the thermic lance becomes its own sustaining fuel. It rapidly penetrates walls and a 23-cm/9-in steel door can be cut through in less than 30 secon...

theodolite
Instrument for the measurement of horizontal and vertical angles, used in surveying. It consists of a small telescope mounted so as to move on two graduated circles, one horizontal and the other vertical, while its axes pass through the centre of the circles. See also triangulation

Thessaloníki
Port in Macedonia, northeastern Greece, at the head of the Gulf of Thessaloníki; the second-largest city in Greece; population (2003 est) 361,200, urban agglomeration 802,200. A major modern port (opened in 1901), and an industrial and commercial centre, its exports include grain, food products, manganese and chrome ores, tobacco, ...

Theravada
One of the two major forms of Buddhism, common in Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar); the other is the later Mahayana. Theravada Buddhism, or the Way of the Elders, is also known as the Hinayana, or Lesser School. It follows the Tripitaka (`three baskets`), or Pali Canon, and emphasizes the monastic life of me...

therm
Unit of energy defined as 105 British thermal units; equivalent to 1.055 × 108 J. It is no longer in scientific use

Thailand
Click images to enlargeCountry in southeast Asia on the Gulf of Siam, bounded east by Laos and Cambodia, south by Malaysia, and west by Myanmar (Burma). Government Thailand has a multiparty democratic system, with a parliamentary executive and a monarch as head of state. However, in September 2006, a military coup resulte...

Thermidor
11th month of the French Revolutionary calendar, which gave its name to the period after the fall of the Jacobins and the proscription of Robespierre by the National Convention on 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794)

Third Reich
Germany during the years of Adolf Hitler's dictatorship after 1933. Hitler and the Nazis wanted to place their government into the history of Germany for both historical precedent and legitimacy. The idea of the Third Reich was based on the existence of two previous German empires: the medieval Holy Roman Empire, and the second empire of 18...

thesaurus
Extensive collection of synonyms or words with related meaning. Thesaurus compilers include Francis Bacon, Comenius, and Peter Mark Roget, whose work was published in 1852

Thompson, Daley Francis Morgan
English decathlete who broke the world record four times since winning the Commonwealth Games decathlon title in 1978. He won gold at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics Games and was world champion in 1983. He retired in 1992. Career highlights Olympic Games gold 1980, 1984 World Championships gold 1983 European Championships gold 1982, 1986 Commonwealth G...

Thomism
In philosophy, the method and approach of Thomas Aquinas. Neo-Thomists apply this philosophical method to contemporary problems. It is a form of scholasticism

thrush
(infection) Infection usually of the mouth (particularly in infants), but also sometimes of the vagina, caused by a yeastlike fungus ( Candida). It is seen as white patches on the mucous membranes. Thrush, also known as candidiasis, may be caused by antibiotics removing natu...

thyrotoxicosis
Synonym for hyperthyroidism

Thutmose I
King (pharaoh) of ancient Egypt, reigned c. 1493–c. 1482 BC. He campaigned in Syria

Thutmose III
King (pharaoh) of ancient Egypt, reigned c. 1479–c. 1426 BC. He extended the empire to the River Euphrates, and conquered Nubia. He was a grandson of Thutmose I

Thai
The majority ethnic group living in Thailand and northern Myanmar (Burma). Thai peoples also live in southwestern China, Laos, and North Vietnam. They speak Tai languages, all of which belong to the Sino-Tibetan language family. There are over 60 million speakers, the majority of whom live in Thailand. Most Thais are Buddhists, but the traditio...

thoroughbred
Horse bred for racing purposes. All racehorses are thoroughbreds, and all are direct descendants of one of three stallions imported into Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries: the Darley Arabian, Byerley Turk, and Godolphin Barb

Thomas,
(Philip) English poet and prose writer. His essays and his poems (including `Adlestrop`) were quiet, stern, melancholy evocations of rural life. Poems was published in October 1917 after his death in World War I, followed by Last Poems in 1918. B...

theory
In science, a set of ideas, concepts, principles, or methods used to explain a wide set of observed facts. Among the major theories of science are relativity, quantum theory, evolution, and plate tectonics

thermistor
Resistor whose resistance changes significantly when its temperature changes. The resistance of a semiconductor thermistor decreases with increase of temperature. As temperature rises, the resistance of the material decreases so that the current passing through a thermistor increases rapidly. They are used to electronically detect changes in temper...

thyristor
Type of rectifier, an electronic device that conducts electricity in one direction only. The thyristor is composed of layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between two electrodes called the anode and cathode. The current can be switched on by using a third electrode called the gate. Thyristors are used to control mains-driven motors and i...

Thalberg, Irving
(Grant) US film-production executive. At the age of 21 he was head of production at Universal Pictures, and in 1924 he became production supervisor of the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was responsible for such prestige films as Ben Hur (1926) and <...

theorbo
Musical instrument, a bass lute or archlute developed around 1500 and incorporating dual sets of strings, a set of freely vibrating bass strings for plucking with the thumb in addition to five to seven courses over a fretted fingerboard. It survived to form part of the Italian baroque orchestra from about 1700

Thetis
In Greek mythology, the most beautiful Nereid (a sea goddess), and mother of Achilles. She dipped the baby in the Styx, rendering him invulnerable except for the heel which she held. In Homer's Iliad she also gave Achilles armour forged by Hephaestus. Fated to have a son more powerful than his father, she was married by the g...

Thyestes
In Greek mythology, the son of Pelops and brother of Atreus. His rivalry with Atreus for the kingship of Mycenae was continued by their sons, Aegisthus and Agamemnon

Three Mile Island
Island in the Susquehana River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is the site of a nuclear power station which was put out of action following a serious accident in March 1979. Opposition to nuclear power in the USA was reinforced after this accident and safety standards reassessed. Only part of the plant was affected and the other reactor re-op...

Third World
Former term used to describe countries of the developing world, now considered derogatory. The classifications First (western industrialized free-market), Second (eastern Communist bloc), and Third (developing or non-aligned) worlds arose during the Cold War, but began to lose their political meaning as the Cold War came to an end in the la...

thermoluminescence
Release, in the form of a light pulse, of stored nuclear energy in a mineral substance when heated to perhaps 500°C/930° F. The energy originates from the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, and is absorbed by crystalline inclusions within the mineral matrix, such as quartz and feldspar. The release of TL from these crystalline ...

Thanksgiving
National holiday in the USA (fourth Thursday in November) and Canada (second Monday in October), first celebrated by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts after their first harvest in 1621

thermal reactor
Nuclear reactor in which the neutrons released by fission of uranium-235 nuclei are slowed down in order to increase their chances of being captured by other uranium-235 nuclei, and so induce further fission. The material (commonly graphite or heavy water) responsible for doing so is called a moderator. When the fast newly emitted neutrons ...

Thousand Islands
Group of islands (1,149, according to the official count) in the upper St Lawrence River, on the border between Canada and the USA. 665 of them are in Ontario, Canada and the other 484 are in New York state. Some are in Canada's St Lawrence Islands National Park (1904); many of the others are privately owned. The largest is Wolfe Island in ...

Thatcherism
Political outlook comprising a belief in the efficacy of market forces, the need for strong central government, and a conviction that self-help is preferable to reliance on the state, combined with a strong element of nationalism. The ideology is associated with the former UK premier Margaret Thatcher, but stems from an individualist view found...

theocracy
Political system run by priests, as was once found in Tibet. In practical terms it means a system where religious values determine political decisions. The closest modern examples have been Iran during the period when Ayatollah Khomeini was its religious leader, 1979–89, and Afghanistan under the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime, 1996...

thermal prospection
An expensive remote-sensing method used in aerial reconnaissance, based on weak variations in temperature which can be found above buried structures whose thermal properties are different from those of their surroundings

Tharp, Twyla
US modern-dance choreographer and dancer. Her work both entertains and challenges audiences; she often attaches an amusing or flippant veneer to serious and beautifully constructed dances. Reflecting her eclectic training, she has fused many dance styles including ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and avant-garde dance. Her works, frequently t...

theme park
Amusement park devised around a central theme or themes. The first theme park, Disneyland, opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California, and features Walt Disney's cartoon characters; there are other Disney parks in Florida, Japan, and France. Disneyland covers 30 hectares/74 acres. Walt Disney World (approximately 11,000 hectares/27,000 a...

Thomas, Michael Tilson
US conductor and pianist. He was appointed principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1988 and became music director of the San Francisco Symphony in 1995. He is an enthusiastic proponent of `authentic` restorations of modern repertoire. He has made first recordings of Steve Reich's The Desert Music (19...

threshold population
In geography, the minimum number of people necessary before a particular good or service will be provided in an area. Typically a low-order shop (such as a grocer or newsagent) may require only 800 or so customers, whereas a higher-order store such as Marks and Spencer may need a threshold of 70,000 to be profitable, and a university may ne...

thunderstorm
Severe storm of very heavy rain, thunder, and lightning. Thunderstorms are usually caused by the intense heating of the ground surface during summer. The warm air rises rapidly to form tall cumulonimbus clouds with a characteristic anvil-shaped top. Electrical charges accumulate in the clouds and are discharged to the ground as flashes of light...

theorem
Mathematical proposition that can be deduced by logic from a set of axioms (basic facts that are taken to be true without proof). Advanced mathematics consists almost entirely of theorems and proofs, but even at a simple level theorems are important

third estate
In pre-revolutionary France, the order of society comprising the common people as distinct from members of the first estate (clergy) or the second estate (nobility). All three met collectively as the States General

Three Kingdoms
Period in Chinese history from 220 to 581, an era of disruptive, intermittent warfare between three powers. Sometimes the term is used to cover only the period 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty when the Wei, Shu, and Wu fought for supremacy. From 265 the Wei established their pre-eminence and united the country under the Western J...

thermopile
Instrument for measuring radiant heat, consisting of a number of thermocouples connected in series with alternate junctions exposed to the radiation. The current generated (measured by an ammeter) is proportional to the radiation falling on the device

theme
In literature, a recurring idea or image in a novel, play, or other text, usually important evidence of the intention of the work. The theme is not the same as the story or plot. For example, a story about a man who regrets some action in his past that led to the death of a friend could have a theme of guilt, even if the word was never mentioned in...

theatre-in-the-round
Theatrical performance that has the audience watching from all sides. In a reaction to the picture-frame stage of the 19th century, a movement began in the mid-20th century to design theatres with the performing area placed centrally in the auditorium. Notable examples are the Arena Stage in Washington, DC, USA (1961) and the Royal Exchange...

Thompson, Emma
English actor. She has worked in cinema, theatre, and television, ranging from song-and-dance to Shakespeare, often playing variations on the independent woman. She won an Academy Award for her performance in Howards End (1992) and another for her film adaptation (1995) of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensib...

thumbnail
In computing, a small version of a larger image used for reference. A clip art collection might initially present images as thumbnails, while publishing programs include the facility for designers to produce thumbnail page layouts. Web pages often show a thumbnail image which when clicked, displays a larger version of the image