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


Trotsky, Leon
Russian revolutionary. He joined the Bolshevik party and took a leading part in the seizure of power in 1917 and in raising the Red Army that fought the Civil War 1918–20. In the struggle for power that followed Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin defeated Trotsky, and this and other differences w...

troposphere
Lower part of the Earth's atmosphere extending about 10.5 km/6.5 mi from the Earth's surface, in which temperature decreases with height to about -60°C/-76°F except in local layers of temperature inversion. The tropopause is the upper boundary of the troposphere, above which the temperature increases slowly with he...

tropics
Area between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, defined by the parallels of latitude approximately 23°30' north and south of the Equator. They are the limits of the area of Earth's surface in which the Sun can be directly overhead. The mean monthly temperature is over 20°C/68°F. Climates within the tropics lie in parall...

Trondheim
Fishing port, and county town of Sor-Trondelag, Norway, at the mouth of the Nid on Trondheim Fjord, 135 km/84 mi northeast of Kristiansund; population (1996) 135,900. It has canning, textile, margarine and soap industries. Originally called Nidaros, it was the medieval capital of Norway. Norwegian kings are crowned in the cathedral (106...

Tromsø
Fishing port and largest town in northwest Norway, on Tromsø Island, and capital of the county of Troms; population (1991) 51,300. A church was founded here in the 13th century and the town grew up around it. Today the town trades in fish and fish products and is used as a base for Arctic expeditions

trombone
Brass instrument with a deep cup-shaped mouthpiece and a mainly cylindrical bore that expands into a moderately flared bell. Instead of valves, the trombone has a movable slide: a U-shaped piece of tubing that can be pushed away or pulled towards the player. This lengthens or shortens the...

Trollope, Anthony
English novelist. He described provincial English middle-class society in a series of novels set in or around the imaginary cathedral city of Barchester. The Warden (1855) began the series, which includes Barchester Towers (1857), Doctor Thorne (1858), and The Last Chronicle of B...

triumvir
One of a group of three administrators sharing power in ancient Rome, as in the First Triumvirate 60 BC: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus; and Second Triumvirate 43 BC: Augustus, Antony, and Lepidus

Triton
(mythology) In Greek mythology, a merman sea god with the lower body of a dolphin; the son of Poseidon and the sea goddess Amphitrite. Traditionally, he is shown blowing on a conch shell to raise or calm a storm

Triton
(astronomy) In astronomy, largest of Neptune's moons. It has a diameter of 2,700 km/1,680 mi, and orbits Neptune every 5.88 days in a retrograde (east to west) direction at a distance of 354,000 km/220,000 mi. It takes the...

Tristan
Legendary Celtic hero of a tragic romance. He fell in love with Isolde, the bride he was sent to win for his uncle King Mark of Cornwall. The story became part of the Arthurian cycle and is the subject of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde (1865)

trireme
Ancient Greek warship with three banks of oars. They were used at the Battle of Salamis and by the Romans until the 4th century AD. Of the most common types of galleys–the bireme, trireme, quadrireme, and quinquereme– the trireme was probably the fastest

Tripura
Hill state of northeast India since 1972, formerly a princely state, between Bangladesh and Assam; area 10,477 sq km/4,045 sq mi; population (2001 est) 3,191,200. The capital is Agartala. The economy is largely dependent on agriculture: rice is the most widely grown crop, while cash crops include jute, cotton, tea, and sugarcane. In...

Tripoli
(Libya) Capital and chief port of Libya, on the Mediterranean coast, 600 km/373 mi west of Benghazi; population (2005 est) 911,600. Products include olive oil, fruit, fish, and textiles; industries include oil refining, food processing, and the manufacture of cotton textiles, soap,...

Trinity
In Christianity, the union of three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost – in one Godhead. The precise meaning of the doctrine has been the cause of unending dispute, and was the chief cause of the split between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Trinity Sunday occurs on the Sunday a...

Trimurti
The Hindu triad of gods, representing Brahman, the Absolute Spirit, in its three aspects: Brahma, personifying creation; Vishnu, preservation; and Shiva, destruction

Trieste
(town) Port and administrative capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, on the Adriatic coast, opposite Venice; population (2001) 211,200. It is the largest seaport on the Adriatic, extending for 13 km/8 mi along the Gulf of Trieste. There are large shipyards, and an oil pipeline l...

Trier
City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the River Moselle, near the Luxembourg border, 115 km/71 mi west of Mainz; population (1995) 99,300. It is a centre for the wine trade. Once the capital of the Treveri, a Celto-Germanic tribe, it became known as Augusta Treverorum under the Roman emperor Augustus about 15 BC and was the capi...

tribune
Roman magistrate of plebeian family, elected annually to defend the interests of the common people; only two were originally chosen in the early 5th century BC, but there were later ten. They could veto the decisions of any other magistrate

tribunal
Strictly, a court of justice, but used in English law for a body appointed by the government to arbitrate in disputes, or investigate certain matters. Tribunals usually consist of a lawyer as chair, sitting with two lay assessors. In English law, there are various kinds of tribunal. Administrative tribunals deal with claims and disputes about right...

Triad
Organization involved in organized crime (drugs, racketeering, prostitution, human trafficking, contract killing) among Chinese mostly living overseas, especially in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. The term was coined for the triangle that played a significant part in the initiation ceremony. Triad societies originated in the 18th century, aiming to ...

Trevithick, Richard
English engineer, constructor of a steam road locomotive in 1801, the first to carry passengers, and probably the first steam engine to run on rails in 1804. He also built steamboats, river dredgers, and threshing machines

trespass
Going on to the land of another without authority. In law, a landowner has the right to eject a trespasser by the use of reasonable force and can sue for any damage caused. A trespasser injured on another's land cannot usually recover damages from the landowner unless the latter can be held to have deliberately done him or her some positive inj...

Trenton
Capital of New Jersey, in Mercer County, on the Delaware River, 50 km/31 km northeast of Philadelphia; population (2000 est) 85,400. Trenton is the head of navigation on the Delaware, which forms the New Jersey–Philadelphia state border. Industries include metalworking, food-processing, and the manufacture of car parts, steel cable...

Trento
(town) Capital of Trentino-Alto Adige region, Italy, on the Adige River and the Brenner Pass route, 160 km/100 mi northeast of Milan; population (1992) 101,500. Industries include the manufacture of electrical goods, cement, agricultural machinery, chemicals, and processed foods an...

Trentino-Alto Adige
Province and special autonomous region of northern Italy, comprising the provinces of Bolzano and Trento; area 13,607 sq km/5,254 sq mi; population (1998 est) 929,600. Its chief towns are Trento (the capital) in the Italian-speaking southern area, and Bolzano (Bozen) in the northern G...

Trent, Council of
Conference held 1545–63 by the Roman Catholic Church at Trento, northern Italy, initiating the so-called Counter-Reformation; see also Reformation

Trent
Third longest river of England; length 275 km/170 mi. Rising in the south Pennines (at Norton in the Moors) by the Staffordshire–Cheshire border, it flows south and then northeast through Derbyshire, along the county boundary of Leicestershire, and through Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, joining the Ouse east of Goole to form the Hum...

treasure trove
In England, any gold or silver, plate or bullion, found concealed in a house or the ground, the owner being unknown. Normally, treasure originally hidden, and not abandoned, belongs to the crown, but if the treasure was casually lost or intentionally abandoned, the first finder is entitled to it against all but the true owner. Objects buried with n...

treason
Act of betrayal, in particular against the sovereign or the state to which the offender owes allegiance. In the USA, treason is defined in the constitution as the crime of `levying war against [the USA], or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort`. Congress has the power to declare the punishment for treason

travel sickness
Nausea and vomiting caused by the motion of cars, boats, or other forms of transport. Constant vibration and movement may stimulate changes in the fluid of the semicircular canals (responsible for balance) of the inner ear, to which the individual fails to adapt, and to which are added visual and psychological factors. Some proprietary remedies con...

Trappist
Member of a Roman Catholic order of monks and nuns, renowned for the strictness of their rule, which includes the maintenance of silence, manual labour, and a vegetarian diet. The order was founded 1664 at La Trappe, in Normandy, France, by Armand de Rancé (1626–1700) as a reformed version of the Cistercian order

Transylvania
Mountainous area of central and northwestern Romania, bounded to the south by the Transylvanian Alps (an extension of the Carpathian Mountains). Formerly a principality, with its capital at Cluj-Napoca, it was part of Hungary from about 1000 until its people voted to unite with Romania 1918. In a...

Transvaal
Former province of northeast South Africa to 1994, when it was divided into Mpumalanga, Northern, and Gauteng provinces. It bordered Zimbabwe to the north, Botswana to the northwest, and Swaziland and Mozambique to the east. It was settled by Voortrekkers, Boers who left Cape Colon...

transubstantiation
In Christian theology, the doctrine that the whole substance of the bread and wine, while retaining its outward appearance, changes into the substance of the body and blood of Jesus when consecrated in the Eucharist

transsexual
Person who identifies himself or herself completely with the opposite sex, believing that the wrong sex was assigned at birth. Unlike transvestites, who desire to dress in clothes traditionally worn by the opposite sex, transsexuals think and feel emotionally in a way typically considered appropriate to members of the opposite sex, and may undergo ...

transportation
Punishment of sending convicted persons to overseas territories to serve their sentences. It was introduced in England towards the end of the 17th century and although it was abolished in 1857 after many thousands had been transported, mostly to Australia, sentences of penal servitude continued to be partly carried out in Western Australia up until...

transmigration of souls
Another name for reincarnation

transplant
Click images to enlargeIn medicine, the transfer of a tissue or organ from one human being to another or from one part of the body to another (skin grafting). In most organ transplants, the operation is for life-saving purposes. The immune system tends to reject foreign tissue, so careful matching and immunosuppressiv...

Transkei
Former independent homeland Black National State within South Africa, part of Eastern Cape Province from 1994; area 43,808 sq km/16,914 sq mi. Its capital was Umtata. It became self-governing in 1963, and achieved full independence in 1976, but this was not recognized outside South Africa. The largest of South Africa's homelands, it...

Transcaucasia
Geographical region south of the Caucasus Mountains, encompassing the independent states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; it is bounded by the Caucasus Mountains in the north, the frontier with Turkey and Iran in the south, and the Black and Caspian Seas in the west and east respectively. Transcaucasia covers a total area of 186,100 sq km&#...

trance
Mental state in which the subject loses the ordinary perceptions of time and space, and even of his or her own body. In this highly aroused state, often induced by rhythmic music, `speaking in tongues` (glossolalia) may occur (see Pentecostal movement); this usually consists of the rhythmic repetition of apparently meaningless syllabl...

Trajan
Roman emperor from AD 98. He conquered Dacia (Romania) in 101–07 and much of Parthia in 113–17, bringing the empire to its greatest extent. Born in Seville, Spain, he was adopted as heir by the Roman emperor Nerva, whom he succeeded in AD 98. He was a just and conscientious ruler, earning the title Optimus Princeps, the best of emperors. ...

Trafalgar, Battle of
During the Napoleonic Wars, victory of the British fleet, commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson, over a combined French and Spanish fleet on 21 October 1805. Nelson was mortally wounded during the action. The victory laid the foundation for British naval supremacy throughout the 19th century. It is nam...

Tractarianism
Another name for the Oxford Movement, 19th-century movement for Catholic revival within the Church of England

Trades Union Congress
Voluntary organization of trade unions, founded in the UK in 1868, in which delegates of affiliated unions meet annually to consider matters affecting their members. In 1997 there were 67 affiliated unions, with an aggregate membership of 6 million. 30% of the employees in the UK belong to trade ...

trachoma
Chronic eye infection, resembling severe conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva becomes inflamed, with scarring and formation of pus, and there may be damage to the cornea. It is caused by a bacterium (chlamydia), and is a disease of dry tropical regions. Although it responds well to antibiotics, numerically it remains the biggest single cause of blindnes...

tritium
Radioactive isotope of hydrogen, three times as heavy as ordinary hydrogen, with a nucleus consisting of one proton and two neutrons. It has a half-life of 12.5 years

transfer orbit
Click images to enlargeElliptical path followed by a spacecraft moving from one orbit to another, designed to save fuel although at the expense of a longer journey time. Space probes have often travelled to other planets on transfer orbits. A probe aimed at Venus has to be `slowed down` relative to the Earth, so...

transuranic element
Chemical element with an atomic number of 93 or more – that is, with a greater number of protons in the nucleus than has uranium. All transuranic elements are radioactive. Neptunium and plutonium are found in nature; the others are synthesized in nuclear reactions. Research in transuranics is pursued mainly at the Lawrence radiation labora...

transition metal
Any of a group of metallic elements that have incomplete inner electron shells and exhibit variable valency – for example, cobalt, copper, iron, and molybdenum. They form a long block in the middle of the periodic table of the elements, between groups 2 and 3. They are excellent conductors of electricity, and generally form highly coloured com...

trace element
Chemical element necessary in minute quantities for the health of a plant or animal. For example, magnesium, which occurs in chlorophyll, is essential to photosynthesis, and iodine is needed by the thyroid gland of mammals for making hormones that control growth and body chemistry

Trojan
In computing, a program that looks as though it will do something entertaining or useful but actually does something unhelpful, such as reformatting the user's hard disk. Trojans are named after the Trojan horse in Greek mythology. A virus is not a Trojan, but inserting a virus into another program – such as virus checker – would make...

trumpeter
Any South American bird of the genus Psophia, family Psophiidae, order Gruiformes, up to 50 cm/20 in tall, related to the cranes. Trumpeters have long legs, a short bill, and dark plumage. The trumpeter swan is unrelated. P. crepitans is a bird of lustrous and brilliantly-coloured plumage and is often d...

trout
Any of various bony fishes in the salmon family, popular for sport and food, usually speckled and found mainly in fresh water. They are native to the northern hemisphere. Trout have thick bodies and blunt heads, and vary in colour. The common trout Salmo trutta is widely distributed in Europe, occurring in British fresh and coast...

trogon
Any species of the family Trogonidae, order Trogoniformes, of tropical birds, up to 50 cm/1.7 ft long, with resplendent plumage, living in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. They are primarily birds of forest or woodland, living in trees. Their diet consists mainly of insects and other arthropods, and sometimes berries and other fruit. Most striki...

trilobite
Any of a large class (Trilobita) of extinct, marine, invertebrate arthropods of the Palaeozoic era, with a flattened, oval body, 1–65 cm/0.4–26 in long. The hard-shelled body was divided by two deep furrows into three lobes. Some were burrowers, others were swimming and floating forms. Their worldwide distribution, many species, a...

trematode
Parasitic flatworm with an oval non-segmented body, of the class Trematoda, including the fluke

triceratops
Any of a genus Triceratops of massive, horned dinosaurs of the order Ornithischia. They had three horns and a neck frill and were up to 8 m/25 ft long; they lived in the Cretaceous period

trophic level
In ecology, the position occupied by a species (or group of species) in a food chain. The main levels are primary producers (photosynthetic plants), primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), and decomposers (bacteria and fungi)

translation
(biology) In biology, alternative name for protein biosynthesis. The term `translation` emphasizes the aspect that the genetic information encoded as a sequence of nucleotides in DNA and in messenger RNA is `translated` into a sequence of amino acids in a peptide chain, acc...

transcription
(biology) In living cells, the process by which the information for the synthesis of a protein is transferred from the DNA strand on which it is carried to the messenger RNA strand involved in the actual synthesis. It occurs by the formation of base pairs when a single strand of unwound DNA se...

tree
Click images to enlargePerennial plant with a woody stem, usually a single stem (trunk), made up of wood and protected by an outer layer of bark. It absorbs water through a root system. There is no clear dividing line between shrubs and trees, but sometimes a minimum achievable height of 6 m/20 ft is used to define a ...

Triassic Period
Period of geological time 245–208 million years ago, the first period of the Mesozoic era. The present continents were fused together in the form of the world continent Pangaea. Triassic sediments contain remains of early dinosaurs and other animals now extinct. By late Triassic times, the first mammals had evolved. There was a mass extinction...

trade wind
Prevailing wind that blows towards the Equator from the northeast and southeast. Trade winds are caused by hot air rising at the Equator and the consequent movement of air from north and south to take its place. The winds are deflected towards the west because of the Earth's west-to-east rotation. The unpredictable calms known as the do...

trefoil
Any of several clover plants of a group belonging to the pea family, the leaves of which are divided into three leaflets. The name is also used for other plants with leaves divided into three lobes. (Genus Trifolium, family Leguminosae.) Bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, also belonging to the pea ...

triggerfish
Any marine bony fish of the family Balistidae, with a laterally compressed body, up to 60 cm/2 ft long, and a deep belly. They have small mouths but strong jaws and teeth. The first spine on the dorsal fin locks into an erect position, allowing them to fasten themselves securely in crevices for protection; it can only be moved by depressing...

tree creeper
Small, short-legged bird of the family Certhiidae, which spirals with a mouselike movement up tree trunks searching for food with its thin down-curved beak. The common tree creeper Certhia familiaris is 12 cm/5 in long, brown above, white below, and is found across Europe, northern Asia, and North America

tragopan
Any of several species of bird of the genus Tragopan, a short-tailed pheasant living in wet forests along the southern Himalayas. Tragopans are brilliantly coloured with arrays of spots, long crown feathers and two blue erectile crests. All have been reduced in numbers by destruction of their habitat. The western tragopan is ...

trampolining
Gymnastics performed on a sprung canvas sheet which allows the performer to reach great heights before landing again. Marks are gained for carrying out difficult manoeuvres. Synchronized trampolining and tumbling are also popular forms of the sport. Used as a circus or show-business act in the early part of the 20th century, trampolining develo...

tropism
Directional growth of a plant, or part of a plant, in response to an external stimulus such as gravity or light. If the movement is directed towards the stimulus it is described as positive; if away from it, it is negative. Geotropism for example, the response of plants to gravity, causes the root (positively geotropic) to grow downwards, and t...

transpiration
Loss of water from a plant by evaporation. Most water is lost by diffusion of water vapour from the leaves through pores known as stomata to the outside air. The primary function of stomata is to allow gas exchange between the plant's internal tissues and the atmosphere. Transpiration from the le...

Tradescant, John
English gardener and botanist who travelled widely in Europe and is thought to have introduced the cos lettuce to England from the Greek island of that name. He was appointed gardener to Charles I and was succeeded by his son, John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662). The younger Tradescant undertook three plant-collecting trips to Virginia...

trachea
Click images to enlargeTube that forms an airway in air-breathing animals. In land-living vertebrates, including humans, it is also known as the windpipe and runs from the larynx to the upper part of the chest. Its diameter is about 1.5 cm/0.6 in and its length 10 cm/4 in. It is strong and flexible, and re...

triangle
(geometry) In geometry, a three-sided plane figure, the sum of whose interior angles is 180°. Triangles can be classified by the relative lengths of their sides. A scalene triangle has three sides of unequal length. An isosce...

trapezium
In geometry, a quadrilateral (a shape with four sides) with two of its sides parallel. If the parallel sides have lengths a and b and the perpendicular distance between them is h (the height of the trapezium), its area A =...

transcendental meditation
Technique of focusing the mind, based in part on Hindu meditation. Meditators are given a mantra (a special word or phrase) to repeat over and over in the mind; such meditation is believed to benefit the practitioner by relieving stress and inducing a feeling of well-being and relaxation. It was introduced to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yo...

transcendentalism
Philosophy inaugurated in the 18th century by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. As opposed to metaphysics in the traditional sense, transcendental philosophy is concerned with the conditions of possibility of experience, rather than the nature of being. It seeks to show the necessary structure of our `point of view` on the world. Intr...

tranquillizer
Common name for any drug for reducing anxiety or tension (anxiolytic), such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. The use of drugs to control anxiety is becoming much less popular, because most of the drugs available are capable of inducing dependence

trypanosomiasis
Any of several debilitating long-term diseases caused by a trypanosome (protozoan of the genus Trypanosoma). They include sleeping sickness in Africa, transmitted by the bites of tsetse flies, and Chagas's disease in Central and South America, spread by assassin bugs. Trypanosomes can live in the bloodstream of humans and...

tremor
(earth science) Minor earthquake

triangulation
(surveying) Technique used in surveying to determine distances, using the properties of the triangle. To begin, surveyors measure a certain length exactly to provide a base line. From each end of this line they then measure the angle to a distant point, using a theodolite. They now have a tria...

Trans-Alaskan Pipeline
One of the world's greatest civil engineering projects, the construction of a pipeline to carry petroleum (crude oil) 1,285 km/800 mi from northern Alaska to the ice-free port of Valdez. It was completed in 1977 after three years' work and much criticism by ecologists. In 1997 the Pipeline delivered more than 20% of US oil produ...

Treasury bill
In Britain, short-term redeemable financial security issued by the Bank of England. Treasury bills are issued for a three month period, are sold at a discount to par, and do not carry interest. They are usually bought by discount houses, companies that buy and sell bills of exchange, in a competitive tender and then resold in the discount marke...

Truman, Harry S
33rd president of the USA 1945–53, a Democrat. In January 1945 he became vice-president to Franklin D Roosevelt, and president when Roosevelt died in April that year. He used the atomic bomb against Japan to end World War II, launched the Marshall Plan to restore Western Europe's post-war economy, and nurtured the European Communit...

tramway
Transport system for use in cities, where wheeled vehicles run along parallel rails. Trams are powered either by electric conductor rails below ground or by conductor arms connected to overhead wires. Greater manoeuvrability is achieved with the trolleybus, similarly powered by conductor arms overhea...

trigonometry
Branch of mathematics that concerns finding lengths and angles in triangles. In a right-angled triangle the sides and angles are related by three trigonometric ratios: sine, cosine, and tangent. Trigonometry is used frequently in navigation, surveying, and simple harmonic motion in physics. U...

transfusion
Intravenous delivery of blood or blood products (plasma, red cells) into a patient's circulation to make up for deficiencies due to disease, injury, or surgical intervention. Cross-matching is carried out to ensure the patient receives the right blood group. Because of worries about blood-borne disease, there is a growing interest in au...

trust
Arrangement whereby a person or group of people (the trustee or trustees) hold property for others (the beneficiaries) entitled to the beneficial interest. A trust can be a legal arrangement under which A is empowered to administer property belonging to B for the benefit of C. A and B may be the same person; B and C may not

Trustee, Public
In England, an official empowered to act as executor and trustee, either alone or with others, of the estate of anyone who appoints him or her. In 1986 powers were extended to cover, among other things, the affairs of mentally ill patients

trust territory
Country or area placed within the United Nations trusteeship system and, as such, administered by a UN member state on the UN's behalf. A trust territory could be one of three types: one administered under a mandate given by the UN, or its predecessor, the League of Nations; a territory which was removed from an enemy state, namely Germ...

tradescantia
Any of a group of plants native to North and Central America, with variegated or striped leaves. The spiderwort T. virginiana is a cultivated garden plant; the wandering jew T. albiflora is a common house plant, with green oval leaves tinged with pink, purple or silver-striped. They are named after Engl...

transformer
Device in which, by electromagnetic induction, an alternating current (AC) of one voltage is transformed to another voltage, without change of frequency. Transformers are widely used in electrical apparatus of all kinds, and in particular in power transmission where high voltages and low currents are...

transistor
Solid-state electronic component, made of semiconductor material, with three or more electrical contacts that can regulate a current passing through it. A transistor can act as an amplifier, oscillator, photocell, or switch, and (unlike earlier thermionic valves) usually operates on a very small ...

tracer
In science, a small quantity of a radioactive isotope (form of an element) used to follow the path of a substance. Certain chemical reactions or physical or biological processes can then be monitored. The location (and possibly concentration) of the tracer is usually detected by using a Geiger–Muller counter. For example, the activity of the t...

Trans-Siberian Railway
The world's longest single-service railway, connecting the cities of European Russia with Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Khabarovsk, and terminating at Nakhodka on the Pacific coast east of Vladivostok. The line was built between 1891 and 1915, and has a total length of 9,289 km/5,772 mi, from Moscow to Vladivostok. The greater part of...

tragedy
In the theatre, a play dealing with a serious theme, traditionally one in which a character meets disaster as a result either of personal failings or circumstances beyond his or her control. Historically the classical view of tragedy, as expressed by the Greek tragedians Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, and the Roman tragedian Seneca, has been ...

tragicomedy
Drama that contains scenes or features of both tragedy and comedy. English dramatist Shakespeare's tragicomedies, such as The Winter's Tale (1610–11), reach a tragic climax but then lighten to a happy conclusion. A tragicomedy is the usual form for plays in the tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd (see Absurd, Thea...

trade union
Click images to enlargeOrganization of workers that exists to promote and defend the interests of its members, to achieve improved working conditions, and to undertake collective bargaining (negotiating on behalf of its members) with employers. Attitudes of government to unions and of unions to management vary greatly fro...

Tracy, Spencer
(Bonaventure) US actor. One of Hollywood's most versatile performers, he was distinguished for his understated, seemingly effortless, natural performances. He won Academy Awards for his performances in Captains Courageous (1937) and Boys' Town (193...