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Talk Talk - Communication terms
Category: General technical and industrial
Date & country: 28/05/2010, UK
Words: 18630
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Ad DakhlaPort and southern region in Western Sahara, under the
de facto control of Morocco; population of region (1994 est) 29,800. The town was first established as a Spanish trading port in 1476, when it was known as Villa Cisneros. The small port, which needs to import its drinking water because of the dry desert climate, stands on...
adjournmentIn law, the postponement of the hearing of a case for later consideration. If a hearing is adjourned
sine die (`without day`) it is postponed for an indefinite period. If a party requests an adjournment, the court may find the costs of the adjournment have been unnecessarily incurred and make an order for costs against ...
Adcock,(Kareen) New Zealand poet, based in England. She has developed a distinctive, unsentimental poetic voice with which she coolly explores contemporary life, love, and personal relationships. Her collections include
The Eye of the Hurricane (1964),
High Tide in the Gar...
adenosine triphosphate
Energy-rich compound present in cells. See ATP
adagio
In music, a tempo marking indicating a slow pace, slightly faster than or approximately the same as lento (slow), depending on the historical period in which the music was written. It is also used as the title of a piece of music, or as the distinguishing title of a single movement
Adygeya
Republic in northwestern Caucasia, entirely surrounded by the Krasnodar krai (territory), in the southwest of the Russian Federation; area 7,600 sq km/2,934 sq mi; population (1996) 450,000 (68% Russians, 22% Adygeans). The capital is Maikop. It occupied its present borders from 1936, and attained the status of a republic when t...
address book
In computing, a facility in most e-mail programs that allows the storage and retrieval of e-mail addresses. Address books remove the problem of trying to remember a particular user's exact e-mail address – and it must be exact, as computers are unable to correct human errors. The best address-book software allows a user to ...
ADSL
Standard for transmitting data through existing copper telephone wires. ADSL was developed by US telephone companies as a way of competing with cable television companies in delivering both TV and telephone services. ADSL is one of several types of digital subscriber loops (DSLs) in use and the most popular connection for home internet access. ADSL...
advertising
(computer) In computing, practice of paying to place information about a company's services or products in front of consumers. The earliest advertisers on the Internet used e-mail to distribute their information as widely as possible in a practice quickly dubbed `spamming`
Adorno, Theodor Wiesengrund
German philosopher, social theorist, and musicologist. Deeply influenced by the thought of Karl Marx, Adorno joined the influential Institut für Sozialforschung (Institute for Social Research) in Frankfurt in 1931, becoming known as a member of the `Frankfurt School` of sociologists. At the rise of fascism he fled first to Oxford (19...
adjectival clause
Subordinate clause with the function of an adjective in the whole sentence. This means that the adjectival clause qualifies a noun phrase, as in `The computer, which I inherited, did not work.` An adjectival clause is sometimes called a `relative` clause, because it is joined by a relative pronoun (wh...
adverbial clause
Subordinate clause with the function of an adverb in the whole sentence. This means that the adverbial clause adds information to a main clause about circumstances, including time, place, and cause, as in `He dialled 999 to call the fire brigade.`
adjectival phrase
Group of words that modifies the meaning of an adjective. Words before the adjective are known as `premodifiers` and after `postmodifiers`
adverbial phrase
Group of words that modifies the meaning of an adverb. Words before the adverb are `premodifers` and after `postmodifers`. Adverbial phrases can, in turn, modify another adverb or an adjective
adventure novel
Genre of prose fiction dealing with ventures and enterprises in which hazard or risk is incurred, often unexpectedly. US authors specializing in adventure fiction include Tom Clancy, Jack London, Herman Melville, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Wilbur Smith, and Mark Twain, while English writer C S Forester is also a successful adventure writer
Ad Dawhah
Arabic for Doha, the capital and chief port of Qatar
Adis Abeba
Alternative spelling of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia
adhan
Muslim call to worship. It is broadcast by a muezzin (caller) from the minaret of a mosque at the five times of daily prayer, nowadays usually through a loudspeaker system. The adhan was given in a dream to a companion of the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad asked that it be taught to a convert to Islam, an Abyssinian freed slave called Bilal, who was th...
aeroplane
Click images to enlargePowered heavier-than-air craft supported in flight by fixed wings. Aeroplanes are propelled by the thrust of a jet engine, a rocket engine, or airscrew (propeller), as well as combinations of these. They must be designed aerodynamically, since streamlining ensures maximum flight efficiency. ...
aestivation
In zoology, a state of inactivity and reduced metabolic activity, similar to hibernation, that occurs during the dry season in species such as lungfish and snails. In botany, the term is used to describe the way in which flower petals and sepals are folded in the buds. It is an important feature in plant classification
aerobic
In biology, describing those organisms that require oxygen in order to survive. Aerobic organisms include all plants and animals and many micro-organisms. They use oxygen (usually dissolved in water) to release the energy contained in food molecules such as glucose in a process called aerobic respiration. Oxygen is used to break down carbohydra...
aesthetics
Branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty, especially in art. It emerged as a distinct branch of enquiry in the mid-18th century. Aesthetics attempts to explain the human reaction to beauty, and whether this reaction is objective or subjective; for instance, whether beauty is a universal concept, or whether environment –...
Aesthetic Movement
English artistic movement of the late 19th century, dedicated to the doctrine of `art for art's sake` – that is, art as a self-sufficient entity concerned solely with beauty and not with any moral or social purpose. Associated with the movement were the artists Aubrey Beardsley and James McNeill Whistler and writers Walter Pa...
Aeolian Islands
Another name for the Lipari Islands
aeronautics
Science of travel through the Earth's atmosphere, including aerodynamics, aircraft structures, jet and rocket propulsion, and aerial navigation. It is distinguished from astronautics, which is the science of travel through space. In subsonic aeronautics (below the speed of sound), aerodynamic forces increase at the rate of the square of the spe...
Aeneas
In classical mythology, a Trojan prince who became the ancestral hero of the Romans. According to Homer, he was the son of Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. During the Trojan War he owed his life to the frequent intervention of the gods. The legend on which Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid is based describes his escape from Tr...
Aelfric
English writer and abbot. Between 990 and 998 he wrote in vernacular Old English prose two sets of sermons known as Catholic Homilies, and a further set known as Lives of the Saints, all of them largely translated from Latin. They are notable for their style and rhythm
Aegean Sea
Branch of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, extending as far south as Crete; the Dardanelles connect it with the Sea of Marmara, in turn linked with the Black Sea via the Bosporus. It is about 600 km/372 mi long and 290 km/180 mi wide, and covers some 214,000 sq km/82,625 sq mi, with a maximum depth of 3,540 m/11,600 ...
aerial
In radio and television broadcasting, a conducting device that radiates or receives electromagnetic waves. The design of an aerial depends principally on the wavelength of the signal. Long waves (hundreds of metres in wavelength) may employ long wire aerials; short waves (several centimetres in wavelength) may employ rods and dipoles; micro...
aerodynamics
Branch of fluid physics that studies the forces exerted by air or other gases in motion. Examples include the airflow around bodies moving at speed through the atmosphere (such as land vehicles, bullets, rockets, and aircraft), the behaviour of gas in engines and furnaces, air conditioning of buildings, the deposition of snow, the operation of air&...
Aeschylus
Athenian dramatist. He developed Greek tragedy by introducing the second actor, thus enabling true dialogue and dramatic action to occur independently of the chorus. Ranked with Euripides and Sophocles as one of the three great tragedians, Aeschylus composed some 90 plays between 500 and 456 BC, of which seven complete tragedies survive in his name...
Aesop
By tradition, a writer of Greek fables. According to the historian Herodotus, he lived in the mid-6th century BC and was a slave. The fables that are ascribed to him were collected at a later date and are anecdotal stories using animal characters to illustrate moral or satirical points
aerosol
Particles of liquid or solid suspended in a gas. Fog is a common natural example. Aerosol cans contain material packed under pressure with a device for releasing it as a fine spray. Most aerosols used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants until these were found to cause destruction of the ozone l...
Aegean Islands
Region of Greece comprising the Dodecanese islands, the Cyclades islands, Lesvos, Samos, and Chios; area 9,122 sq km/3,523 sq mi; population (2003 est) 320,000
aerial oxidation
In chemistry, a reaction in which air is used to oxidize another substance, as in the contact process for the manufacture of sulphuric acid: 2SO2 + O2 « 2SO3 and in the souring of wine, where alcohol (ethanol) is oxidized by atmospheric oxygen to produce (ethanoic (ac...
aerobics
Exercises to improve the performance of the heart and lungs, involving strenuous application of movement to raise the heart rate to 120 beats per minute or more for sessions of 5–20 minutes' duration, 3–5 times per week. For interest and pleasure, a combination of dance, stretching exercises, and running aim to improve the performance...
aerogel
Light, transparent, highly porous material composed of more than 90% air. Such materials are formed from silica, metal oxides, and organic chemicals, and are produced by drying gels – networks of linked molecules suspended in a liquid – so that air fills the spaces previously occupied by the liquid. They are excellent heat insulators ...
Aegean art
The art of the civilizations that flourished around the Aegean (an area that included mainland Greece, the Cyclades Islands, and Crete) in the Bronze Age, about 2800–1100 BC. Despite cultural interchange by way of trade with the contemporaneous civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Aegean cultures developed their own highly distinctive s...
Aesculapius
In Roman mythology, the god of medicine, equivalent to the Greek Asclepius
aestheticism
In the arts, the doctrine that holds art is an end in itself and does not need to have any moral, religious, political, or educational purpose. The French writer Théophile Gautier popularized the doctrine `l'art pour l'art` (`art for art's sake`) in 1832, and it was taken up in mid-19th...
afterimage
Persistence of the activity of the retina of the eye after the image producing it has been removed. This leads to persistence of vision, a necessary phenomenon for the illusion of continuous movement in films and television. The term is also used for the persistence of sensations other than vision
afterburning
Method of increasing the thrust of a gas turbine (jet) aeroplane engine by spraying additional fuel into the hot exhaust duct between the turbojet and the tailpipe where it ignites. Used for short-term increase of power during takeoff, or during combat in military aircraft
affinity
(chemistry) In chemistry, the force of attraction (see bond) between atoms that helps to keep them in combination in a molecule. The term is also applied to attraction between molecules, such as those of biochemical significance (for example, between enzymes and substrate molecules). This is t...
Afro-Asiatic language
Any of a family of languages spoken throughout the world. There are two main branches, the languages of North Africa and the languages originating in Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Arabia, but now found from Morocco in the west to the Gulf in the east. The North African languages include ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and Berber, while the Asiatic l...
Afrikaans language
An official language (with English) of the Republic of South Africa and Namibia. Spoken mainly by the Afrikaners – descendants of Dutch and other 17th-century colonists – it is a variety of the Dutch language, modified by circumstance and the influence of German, French, and other immigrant as well as local languages. It became a stan...
Afghan Wars
Three wars waged between Britain and Afghanistan to counter the threat to British India from expanding Russian influence in Afghanistan. First Afghan War (1838–42): the British invaded Afghanistan to protect their own interests after Persia, encouraged by Russia, became involved in the regio...
Africa, Horn of
Projection on the east coast of Africa constituted by Somalia and adjacent territories
affinity
(law) In law, relationship by marriage not blood (for example, between a husband and his wife's blood relatives, between a wife and her husband's blood relatives, or between step-parent and stepchild), which may legally preclude their marriage. It is distinguished from consanguinit...
Afghan hound
Breed of fast hunting dog resembling the saluki in build, though slightly smaller
African art
Art of black African origin, in particular the sculpture and carving of the sub-Saharan domain, from prehistory to the art of ancient civilizations and post-imperialist Africa. Covering a vast range of art forms and styles, it also incorporates two distinct categories: the historic courtly art of Ife and Benin (13th–16th-centur...
African violet
Herbaceous plant from tropical central and East Africa, with velvety green leaves and scentless purple flowers. Different colours and double-flowered varieties have been bred. (Saintpaulia ionantha, family Gesneriaceae.)
African National Congress
South African political party, founded in 1912 as a multiracial nationalist organization with the aim of extending the franchise to the whole population and ending all racial discrimination. Its president from 1997 is Thabo Mbeki. The ANC was banned by the government from 1960 to January 1990. Talks between the ANC and the South African government ...
Afghanistan
Mountainous, landlocked country in south-central Asia, bounded north by Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, west by Iran, and south and east by Pakistan, India, and China. Government Under the 2004 constitution, Afghanistan has a popularly elected executive president and a two-chamber l...
Africa
Second largest of the seven continents. Africa is connected with Asia by the isthmus of Suez, and separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. The name Africa was first given by the Romans to their African provinces with the city of Carthage, and it has since been extended to the whole continent. ...
affirmative action
Policy of positive discrimination to increase opportunities for certain social groups in employment, business, government, and other areas. The policy is designed to counter the effects of long-term discrimination against groups such as women, disabled people, and minority ethnic groups. In Europe, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy ac...
affidavit
Legal document, used in court applications and proceedings, in which a person swears that certain facts are true
Afrikaner
Inhabitant of South Africa descended from the original Dutch, Flemish, and Huguenot settlers of the 17th century. Comprising approximately 60% of the white population in South Africa, Afrikaners were originally farmers but have now become mainly urbanized. Their language is Afrikaans
Afro-Caribbean
West Indian people of African descent. Afro-Caribbeans are the descendants of West Africans captured or obtained in trade from African procurers. European slave traders then shipped them to the West Indies to English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies founded from the 16th century. Since World War II many Afro-Caribbeans have ...
African nationalism
Political movement for the unification of Africa (Pan-Africanism) and for national self-determination. Early African political organizations included the Aborigines Rights Protection Society in the Gold Coast in 1897, the African National Congress in South Africa in 1912, and the National Congress of West Africa in 1920. African nationalism...
afterbirth
In mammals, the placenta, umbilical cord, and ruptured membranes that become detached from the uterus and expelled soon after birth
afforestation
Planting of trees in areas that have not previously held forests. (Reafforestation is the planting of trees in deforested areas.) Trees may be planted (1) to provide timber and wood pulp; (2) to provide firewood in countries where this is an energy source; (3) to bind soil together and prevent soil erosion; and (4) to act as windbreaks....
African literature
African literature was mainly oral until the 20th century and oral traditions of proverbs, mythological narratives, and poetry persist and influence contemporary writing. There exists a wide variety of narrative, dramatic, and lyric forms. In prose narrative, the folk tale, often featuring an animal hero, is one of the most common genres; stori...
afterlife
Belief that life does not end with death but continues in some other form or in some other place, granting some form of immortality. Belief in an afterlife of some kind is a hallmark of all religions. Notions of what happens range from reincarnation into another body (Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs usually teach this) to being resurrected from death ...
African music
Generally, traditional music from the area of Africa south of the Sahara desert. The continent of Africa is the home of thousands of different musical styles, but these divide roughly into two regional traditions: North African music, which is strongly influenced by Islam and Arab music; and the music of sub-Saharan Africa (sometimes ca...
affirmative action, USA
Policy of positive discrimination pursued in the USA for the advancement of disadvantaged US citizens. First promoted by US president Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order 11246 (1965), it was furthered by a 1970 Department of Labor order to federal contractors to develop `an acceptable affirmative action program`, and the Equal Opportunit...
affix
Word or syllable added to the beginning or end, or inserted into, a word or root to produce a derived word or inflection, or to make up a prefix or suffix
agate
Cryptocrystalline (with crystals too small to be seen with an optical microscope) silica, SiO2, composed of cloudy and banded chalcedony, sometimes mixed with opal, that forms in rock cavities. Agate stones, being hard, are also used to burnish and polish gold applied to glass and ceramics and as clean vessels for grinding ro...
aggression
(biology) In biology, behaviour used to intimidate or injure another organism (of the same or of a different species), usually for the purposes of gaining territory, a mate, or food. Aggression often involves an escalating series of threats aimed at intimidating an opponent without having to e...
ageing
In common usage, the period of deterioration of the physical condition of a living organism that leads to death; in biological terms, the entire life process. Three current theories attempt to account for ageing. The first suggests that the process is genetically determined, to remove individuals that can no longer reproduce. The second suggest...
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, a Greek hero of the Trojan wars, son of Atreus, king of Mycenae, and brother of Menelaus. He sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to secure favourable winds for the Greek expedition against Troy and after a ten-year siege sacked the city, receiving Priam's daughter Cassandra as a prize. On his return home, he and C...
Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius
Roman general and admiral. He was instrumental in the successful campaigns and rise to power of the emperor Augustus. He commanded the victorious fleet at the Battle of Actium and married Augustus' daughter Julia. Agrippa used his great wealth to the advantage of the Roman people and Augustus's regime; he built the Pantheon, a new bridg...
Agricola, Gnaeus Julius
Roman general and politician. Born at Forum Julii (Fréjus) in Provence, he became consul in 77, and then governor of Britain 78–85. He extended Roman rule to the Firth of Forth in Scotland and in 84 won the Battle of Mons Graupius. His fleet sailed round the north of Scotland and proved Britain an island. Agricola served in Britain as tri...
Agincourt, Battle of
Battle fought on 25 October 1415 at Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War, between Henry V of England and a much larger force of French under a divided command. Henry completely defeated the French, hastening the English conquest of Normandy. Some 6,000 French died and hundreds, including the richest nobles, were taken prisoner. Henry gained ...
Agadir
Tourist resort and seaport in south Morocco, near the mouth of the River Sus; population (2004) 678,600 (including Inezgane, Ait Melloul). It was rebuilt after being destroyed by an earthquake in 1960. Agadir is one of the main fishing ports of Morocco; other industries include food processing, tourism, and crafts. The mild winter climate i...
ageism
Prejudice against people because of their age. Ageism often takes the form of discrimination against older job applicants
Aga Khan IV,
(Karim) Spiritual head (imam) of the `Ismaili` Muslim sect (see Islam). He succeeded his grandfather in 1957
Agra
Click images to enlargeCity in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, on the River Jumna (or Yamuna), 160 km/100 mi southeast of Delhi; population (2001 est) 1,321,400. It is a centre for commerce, tourism and industry. There are many small-scale engineering plants and grain mills, and cotton textiles, carpets, leathe...
agar
Jellylike carbohydrate, obtained from seaweeds. It is used mainly in microbiological experiments as a culture medium for growing bacteria and other micro-organisms. The agar is resistant to breakdown by micro-organisms, remaining a solid jelly throughout the course of the experiment
agoraphobia
Phobia involving fear of open spaces and public places. The anxiety produced can be so severe that some sufferers are unable to leave their homes for many years. Agoraphobia affects 1 person in 20 at some stage in their lives. The most common time of onset is between the ages of 18 and 28
agouti
Small rodent of the genus Dasyprocta, family Dasyproctidae. It is found in the forests of Central and South America. The agouti is herbivorous, swift-running, and about the size of a rabbit
agaric
Any of a group of fungi (see fungus) of typical mushroom shape. Agarics include the field mushroom Agaricus campestris and the cultivated edible mushroom A. brunnesiens. Closely related is the often poisonous Amanita, which includes the fly agaric A. muscaria. (Genus
agave
Any of several related plants with stiff, sword-shaped, spiny leaves arranged in a rosette. All species come from the warmer parts of the New World. They include Agave sisalana, whose fibres are used for rope making, and the Mexican century plant A. americana...
agriculture
Click images to enlargeThe practice of farming, including the cultivation of the soil (for raising crops) and the raising of domesticated animals. The units for managing agricultural production vary from smallholdings and individually owned farms to corporate-run farms and collective farms run by entire communities or...
agronomy
Study of crops and soils, a branch of agricultural science. Agronomy includes such topics as selective breeding (of plants and animals), irrigation, pest control, and soil analysis and modification
agnosticism
Belief that the existence of God cannot be proven; that in the nature of things the individual cannot know anything of what lies behind or beyond the world of natural phenomena. The term was coined in 1869 by T H Huxley. Whereas an atheist (see atheism) denies the existence of God or gods, an agn...
Agent Orange
Selective defoliant, notorious for its use by US forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate ground cover that could protect enemy forces. It was subsequently discovered to contain highly poisonous dioxin. Agent Orange, named after the distinctive orange stripe on its packaging, combines equal parts of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) ...
agrarian revolution
Until the 1960s historians believed that there had been an 18th-century revolution in agriculture, similar to the revolution that occurred in industry. They claimed that there had been sweeping changes, possibly in response to the increased demand for food from a rapidly expanding population. Maj...
Agassiz,
(Jean) Swiss-born US palaeontologist and geologist who developed the idea of the ice age. He established his name through his work on the classification of fossil fishes. Unlike Charles Darwin, he did not believe that individual species themselves changed, but that new species were created...
agribusiness
Commercial farming on an industrial scale, often financed by companies whose main interests lie outside agriculture, for example multinational corporations. Agribusiness farms are mechanized, large, highly structured, and reliant on chemicals. Many farms now specialize in one particular crop, maximizing yields by extending field sizes and areas und...
agreement
In grammar, the selection of the form of a word so that the parts of a sentence agree in number, case, and gender. The agreement (or concord) of a verb with a noun is especially important, for example a verb, such as to be, will change form (I am/he is/they are). A determiner also has to agree with its noun, as in
Agassi, Andre Kirk
US tennis player who has won eight Grand Slam tournaments. A flamboyant right-handed player, renowned for his service returns and hard-hitting forehand, he turned professional in 1986 at the age of 16. He won the Wimbledon men's singles title in 1992. Two years later he became the first unseeded player since 1966 to win the US Open. In ...
agamid
Lizard in the family Agamidae, containing about 300 species. Agamids include the common agama; the Australian frilled lizard Chlamydosaurus, which runs on its hind legs and has a frill on each side of its neck; the thorny devil Moloch horridus, whose body is covered with large spikes; and the Malays...
Age Concern
UK charity that cares for the elderly. Founded in 1940, it now has nearly 1,000 groups. Its services include the provision of day centres and lunch clubs and home visits to elderly people. As well as offices in London, Age Concern has regional centres in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Agenda 21
Non-binding treaty, signed by representatives of 178 countries in 1992, which sets out a framework of recommendations designed to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development. The treaty highlights the importance of international cooperation, but also discusses the role of individuals, communities, and local authorities in achiev...
agriculture, medieval
In the Middle Ages, the open-field system system of communal farming was prevalent in England during the Saxon period and under the feudal system of landholding which became dominant after the Norman Conquest. Medieval agriculture varied from place to place, depending on the land, the climate, and local customs. However, during the early part o...
agriculture, 19th-century British
After a period of depression following the Napoleonic Wars, agriculture developed rapidly during the 19th century. The landed interests countered the post-war slump in agriculture with protective legislation, although the implementation of the Corn Laws led to rural poverty and discontent in the first half of the 19th century and contributed to...
agricultural revolution
See agrarian revolution
Ahmadabad
City in Gujarat, India, situated on the Sabarmati River, 430 km/260 mi north of Mumbai (formerly Bombay); population (2001 est) 4,519,300. The former state capital and Gujarat's largest city, it is a major industrial centre specializing in cotton manufacturing, and other industries include pharmaceuticals, flour milling, and the manufac...
ahimsa
In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, the doctrine of respect for all life (including the lowest forms and even the elements themselves) and consequently an extreme form of nonviolence. It arises in part from the concept of karma, which holds that a person's actions (and thus any injury caused to any form of life) determine his or her experience ...
Ahura Mazda
In Zoroastrianism, the spirit of supreme good. As god of life and light he will finally prevail over his enemy, Ahriman
