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


conditioning
In psychology, two major principles of behaviour modification. In classical conditioning, described by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, a new stimulus can evoke an automatic response by being repeatedly associated with a stimulus that naturally provokes that response. For example, the sound of a bell repeatedly associated with food will eventually...

Communion, Holy
In the Christian church, another name for the Eucharist

concrete
Building material composed of cement, stone, sand, and water. It has been used since Roman times. Since the late 19th century, it has been increasingly employed as an economical alternative to materials such as brick and wood, and has been combined with steel to increase its tension capacity. Reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete are strengt...

coda
In music, a concluding section of a movement added to emphasize the destination key

coloratura
In music, a rapid ornamental vocal passage with runs and trills. A coloratura soprano is a light, high voice suited to such music

concrete music
See musique concrète

continuo
In music, the bass line on which a keyboard player, accompanied by a bass stringed instrument, builds up a harmonic accompaniment. In 17th-century baroque music, composers wrote figures under a bass part to indicate the chords to be played (also called figured bass) rather than write out each chord in detail. This continuo part was played as a ...

contralto
Low-register female voice, a high (falsetto) male voice, or a low-register boy's voice; also called an alto

community council
In Wales, name for a parish council

cola
Any of several tropical trees, especially Cola acuminata. In West Africa the nuts are chewed for their high caffeine content, and in the West they are used to flavour soft drinks. (Genus Cola, family Sterculiaceae.)

convolvulus
Any of a group of plants belonging to the morning-glory family. They are characterized by their twining stems and by their petals, which are joined into a funnel-shaped tube. (Genus Convolvulus, family Convolvulaceae.)

cork
Light, waterproof outer layers of the bark covering the branches and roots of almost all trees and shrubs. The cork oak (Quercus suber), a native of southern Europe and North Africa, is cultivated in Spain and Portugal; the exceptionally thick outer layers of its bark provide the cork that is used commercially

coup d'état
Forcible takeover of the government of a country by elements from within that country, generally carried out by violent or illegal means. It differs from a revolution in typically being carried out by a small group (for example, of army officers or opposition politicians) to install its leader as head of government, rather than being a mass uprisin...

Confederacy
In US history, popular name for the Confederate States of America, the government established by 7 (later 11) Southern states in February 1861 when they seceded from the Union, precipitating the American Civil War. Richmond, Virginia, was the capital, and Jefferson Davis the president. The Confederacy fell after its army was defeated in 1865 and Ge...

commodity
Something produced for sale. Commodities may be consumer goods such as radios, producer goods such as copper bars, or raw materials such as cotton. Commodity markets deal in raw or semi-raw materials that are amenable to grading and that can be stored for considerable periods without deterioration. Commodity markets developed to their present f...

comic strip
Sequence of several frames of drawings in cartoon style. Strips, which may work independently or form instalments of a serial, are usually humorous or satirical in content. Longer stories in comic-strip form are published separately as comic books. Some have been made into animated films; see animation. The first comic strip was `The Y...

Colombia
Click images to enlargeCountry in South America, bounded north by the Caribbean Sea, west by the Pacific Ocean, northwestern corner by Panama, east and northeast by Venezuela, southeast by Brazil, and southwest by Peru and Ecuador. Government Colombia is a presidential democratic republic. The 1991 constitution, with 397 ...

Comoros
Country in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the east coast of Africa, comprising three islands – Njazidja (Grande Comore), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Mwali (Moheli). A fourth island in the group, Mayotte, is a French dependency. Together the islands are known as the Comoros Islands. Government Under its 2001 constitution, the Union of Comoro...

Congo, Republic of
Country in west-central Africa, bounded north by Cameroon and the Central African Republic, east and south by the Democratic Republic of Congo, west by the Atlantic Ocean, and northwest by Gabon. Government The Republic of Congo has a presidential political executive and a multiparty system, but which is dominated by one party. Under its 2002 c...

Costa Rica
Click images to enlargeCountry in Central America, bounded north by Nicaragua, southeast by Panama, east by the Caribbean Sea, and west by the Pacific Ocean. Government Costa Rica is a multiparty democracy with a presidential political executive. The 1949 constitution provides for a president, elected for a four-year ...

couplet
In literature, a pair of lines of verse, which usually rhyme and are of the same length. The heroic couplet, consisting of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter, was widely adopted for epic poetry, and was a convention of both serious and mock-heroic 18th-century English poetry, as in the work of Alexander Pope. An example, from Pope's ...

Congo, Democratic Republic of
Country in central Africa, formerly Zaire (1971–97), bounded west by the Republic of the Congo, north by the Central African Republic and Sudan, east by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, southeast by Zambia, and southwest by Angola. There is a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Government Under its 2006 constitution, the country has a...

Conrad I
King of the Germans from 911, when he succeeded Louis the Child, the last of the German Carolingians. During his reign the realm was harassed by Magyar invaders

Conrad II
King of the Germans from 1024, Holy Roman Emperor from 1027. He ceded the Sleswick (Schleswig) borderland, south of the Jutland peninsula, to King Canute, but extended his rule into Lombardy and Burgundy

Conrad III
King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor from 1138, the first king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Throughout his reign there was a fierce struggle between his followers, the Ghibellines, and the Guelphs, the followers of Henry the Proud, duke of Saxony and Bavaria (1108–1139), and later of his son Henry the Lion (1129–1195)

Conrad IV
Elected king of the Germans in 1237. Son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, he had to defend his right of succession against Henry Raspe of Thuringia (died 1247) and William of Holland (1227–56)

Cooper, James Fenimore
US writer, considered the first great US novelist. He wrote some 50 novels, mostly about the frontier, wilderness life, and the sea, first becoming popular with The Spy (1821). He is best remembered for his series of Leatherstocking Tales, focusing on the frontier hero Natty Bumppo and the American Indians befo...

county palatine
In medieval England, a county whose lord held particular rights, in lieu of the king, such as pardoning treasons and murders. Under William I there were four counties palatine: Chester, Durham, Kent, and Shropshire

covalent bond
Chemical bond produced when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons (usually each atom contributes an electron). The bond is often represented by a single line drawn between the two atoms. Covalently bonded substances include hydrogen (H2), water (H2
Congress of Racial Equality
US nonviolent civil-rights organization, founded in Chicago in 1942 by James Farmer. CORE first concentrated on housing, then sponsored Freedom Rides into the South in 1961 and a lengthy campaign of voter registration. Its work helped achieve such results as the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In recent years, CORE's politically conservative approa...

coffee
Click images to enlargeDrink made from the roasted and ground beanlike seeds found inside the red berries of any of several species of shrubs, originally native to Ethiopia and now cultivated throughout the tropics. It contains a stimulant, caffeine. (Genus Coffea, family Rubiaceae.) Cultivation The shr...

Coke, Thomas William
English agriculturalist and politician who was renowned for his innovations in both arable farming and animal husbandry. A long-serving member of Parliament for Norfolk (1776–1806 and 1807–32), he introduced new strains of crops and made improvements to the breeding of cattle and sheep on his extensive farms. His innovations included ...

collective farm
Farm in which a group of farmers pool their land, domestic animals, and agricultural implements, retaining as private property enough only for the members' own requirements. The profits of the farm are divided among its members. In cooperative farming, farmers retain private ownership of the land. Collective farming was first developed in the U...

copra
Dried meat from the kernel of the coconut, used to make coconut oil

corn
(cereal) Click images to enlargeGeneral term for the main cereal crop of a region – for example, wheat in the UK, oats in Scotland and Ireland, maize in the USA. Also, another word for maize

cornflour
In the UK, purified, fine, powdery starch made from maize (Indian corn), used as a thickener in cooking; in the USA it is called cornstarch

Condé, Louis II
Prince of Condé and French commander who won brilliant victories during the Thirty Years' War at Rocroi (1643) and Lens (1648), but rebelled in 1651 and entered the Spanish service. Pardoned in 1660, he commanded Louis XIV's armies against the Spanish and the Dutch

Coe, Sebastian Newbold
English middle-distance runner, who was the Olympic 1,500-metre champion in 1980 and 1984. He became the UK's most prolific world-record breaker with eight outdoor world records and three indoor world records 1979–81. In 2005 he led the successful Great Britain bid to bring the Olympic Games to London in 2012. Career highlights...

Commonwealth Games
Multisport gathering of competitors from British Commonwealth countries, held every four years. The first meeting (known as the British Empire Games) was in Hamilton, Canada, in August 1930. It has been held in Britain on five occasions: London in 1934, Cardiff in 1958, Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986, and Manchester in 2002

contract bridge
Card game first played in 1925. From 1930 it quickly outgrew auction bridge in popularity. It is based on auction bridge, but used a different scoring system

Cooper, Henry
English heavyweight boxer, the only man to win three Lonsdale Belts outright (1961, 1965, and 1970). He held the British heavyweight title 1959–71 and lost it to Joe Bugner. He fought for the world heavyweight title but lost in the sixth round to Muhammad Ali in 1966. He received a knighthood in 2000. Career highlights Professional record (195...

Court, Margaret
Australian tennis player. The most prolific winner in the women's game, she won a record 62 Grand Slam titles, including 24 at singles. Career highlights Wimbledon singles: 1963, 1965, 1970; doubles: 1964, 1969; mixed: 1963, 1965–66, 1968, 1975 US Open singles: 1962, 1965, 1969–70, 1973; doubles: 1963, ...

collateral
Security available in return for a loan (for example, stocks, shares, property, or life insurance policies). It may be seized by a lender to recover the value of a loan if the borrower defaults

compound interest
Interest calculated by computing the rate against the original capital plus reinvested interest each time the interest becomes due. When simple interest is calculated, only the interest on the original capital is added

competition, perfect
In commerce, see perfect competition

corporation tax
Tax levied on a company's trading profits. It is a form of income tax, and rates vary according to country, but there is usually a flat rate. It is a large source of revenue for governments

cost–benefit analysis
Process whereby a project is assessed for its social and welfare benefits in addition to considering the financial return on investment. For example, this might take into account the environmental impact of an industrial plant or convenience for users of a new railway. A major difficulty is finding a way to quantify net social costs and benefits fo...

consumers' association
Any group formed to protect consumer interests, usually where the quality and price of goods or services is concerned

codeine
Opium derivative that provides analgesia in mild to moderate pain. It also suppresses the cough centre of the brain. It is an alkaloid, derived from morphine but less toxic and addictive

conjunctivitis
Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the delicate membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the front of the eye. Symptoms include redness, swelling, and a watery or pus-filled discharge. It may be caused by infection, allergy, or other irritant

coeliac disease
Disease in which the small intestine fails to digest and absorb food. The disease can appear at any age but has a peak incidence in the 30–50 age group; it is more common in women. It is caused by an intolerance to gluten (a constituent of wheat, rye and barley) and characterized by diarrhoea and malnutrition. Treatment is by a gluten-...

concussion
Temporary unconsciousness resulting from a blow to the head. It is often followed by amnesia for events immediately preceding the blow

convulsion
Series of violent contractions of the muscles over which the patient has no control. It may be associated with loss of consciousness. Convulsions may arise from any one of a number of causes, including brain disease (such as epilepsy), injury, high fever, poisoning, and electrocution

Conran, Terence Orby
English designer, restaurateur, and retailer of furnishings, fashion, and household goods. He founded the Habitat chain, which pioneered contemporary design for post-war lifestyles. He has also designed and run a number of high-quality restaurants around the world. Conran set up the Conran Design Group in 1956 and opened the first Habitat s...

commune
Group of people or families living together, sharing resources and responsibilities. There have been various kinds of commune through the ages, including a body of burghers or burgesses in medieval times, a religious community in America, and a communal division in communist China

Con rad V
Son of Conrad IV, recognized as king of the Germans, Sicily, and Jerusalem by German supporters of the Hohenstaufens in 1254. He led Ghibelline forces against Charles of Anjou at the Battle of Tagliacozzo, northern Italy, in 1266, and was captured and executed

courtly love
Medieval European code of amorous conduct between noblemen and noblewomen. It inspired a genre of medieval and 16th-century art and literature, including the 14th-century Romance of the Rose and English poet Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, and was closely related to the concepts of chivalry...

compound
Chemical substance made up of two or more elements bonded together, so that they cannot be separated by physical means. Compounds are held together by ionic or covalent bonds. The name of a compound may give a clue to its composition. If the name ends in -ide (with the notable exceptions of hydro...

contempt of court
Behaviour that shows lack of respect for the authority of a court of law, such as disobeying a court order, breach of an injunction, or improper use of legal documents. Behaviour that disrupts, prejudices, or interferes with court proceedings either inside or outside the courtroom may also be contempt. The court may punish contempt with a fine or i...

conveyancing
Administrative process involved in transferring title to land, usually on its sale or purchase

corporal punishment
Physical punishment of wrongdoers – for example, by whipping. It is still used as a punishment for criminals in many countries, especially under Islamic law. Corporal punishment of children by parents is illegal in some countries, including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. Sweden was the first country to introduce a national ban in 1979. ...

Confederation, Articles of
In US history, the initial means by which the 13 former British colonies created a form of national government based on a loose confederation of states. Ratified in 1781, the articles established a unicameral legislature, Congress, with limited powers of raising revenue, regulating currency, and conducting foreign affairs. Fearing the consequences ...

Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
(CFE) Treaty signed by NATO and Warsaw Pact representatives in November 1990, reducing the number of tanks, missiles, aircraft, and other forms of non-nuclear military hardware held by signatory states. It was revised at a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe i...

coastal erosion
Click images to enlargeThe erosion of the land by the constant battering of the sea, primarily by the processes of hydraulic action, corrasion, attrition, and corrosion. Hydraulic action occurs when the force of the waves compresses air pockets in coastal rocks and cliffs. The air expands explosively, breaking the rocks a...

cosmic background radiation
Electromagnetic radiation left over from the original formation of the universe in the Big Bang between 10 and 20 billion years ago. It corresponds to an overall background temperature of 2.73 K (-270.4°C/-454.8°F), or approximately 3°C above absolute zero. Cosmic background radiation was first detected in 1965 by US phys...

conjunction
(astronomy) In astronomy, alignment of two celestial bodies as seen from Earth. A superior planet (or other object) is in conjunction when it lies behind the Sun. An inferior planet (or other object) comes to inferior conjunction when it passes between the Earth and the Sun; it is at super...

compost
Organic material decomposed by bacteria under controlled conditions to make a nutrient-rich natural fertilizer for use in gardening or farming. A well-made compost heap reaches a high temperature during the composting process, killing most weed seeds that might be present

Cortona, Pietro da
Italian baroque painter; see Pietro da Cortona

commonwealth
Body politic founded on law for the common `weal` or good. Political philosophers of the 17th century, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, used the term to mean an organized political community. In Britain it is specifically applied to the period between 1649 and 1660 when, after the execution of Charles I in the English Civil War, Engl...

Coca-Cola
Trade name of a sweetened, carbonated drink, originally made with coca leaves and flavoured with cola nuts, and containing caramel and caffeine. Invented in 1886, Coca-Cola was sold in every state of the USA by 1895 and in nearly 200 countries by 2000. In 2006 it was the 89th largest corporation in the world (according to Fortune
Cordilleras, The
Mountainous western section of North America, including the Rocky Mountains and the coastal ranges parallel to the contact between the North American and the Pacific plates

Contra
Member of a Central American right-wing guerrilla force attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Nicaraguan Sandinista government between 1979 and 1990. The Contras, many of them mercenaries or former members of the deposed dictator Somoza's guard (see Nicaraguan Revolution), operated mainly from bases outside Nicaragua, mostly in...

codex
Book from before the invention of printing: in ancient times wax-coated wooden tablets; later, folded sheets of parchment were attached to the boards, then bound together. The name `codex` was used for all large works, collections of history, philosophy, poetry, and during the Roman empire designated collections of laws. Durin...

colonialism
Another name for imperialism

cold-blooded
Of animals, dependent on the surrounding temperature; see poikilothermy

colic
Spasmodic attack of pain in the abdomen, usually coming in waves. Colicky pains are caused by the painful muscular contraction and subsequent distension of a hollow organ; for example, the bowels, gall bladder (biliary colic), or ureter (renal colic). Intestinal colic is due to partial or complete blockage of the intestine, or constipation;...

Connors, Jimmy
US tennis player who won the Wimbledon singles title in 1974 and 1982, and subsequently won ten Grand Slam events. He was one of the first players to popularize the two-handed backhand, and won 78 career titles. Career highlights Wimbledon singles: 1974, 1982; doubles: 1973 US Open singles: 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982–83; do...

Coronado, Francisco Vásquez de
Spanish explorer who sailed to the New World in 1535 in search of gold. In 1540 he set out with several hundred men from the Gulf of California on an exploration of what are today the southernwestern states. Although he failed to discover any gold, his expedition came across the impressive Grand Canyon of the Colorado and introduced the use of the ...

cornucopia
In Greek mythology, one of the horns of the goat Amalthaea, which Zeus caused to refill perpetually with food and drink. As an artistic symbol it denotes prosperity. In paintings, the cornucopia is depicted as a horn-shaped container spilling over with fruit and flowers. Architecture and sculpture often places the horn in the hands of the godde...

collagen
Protein that is the main constituent of connective tissue. Collagen is present in skin, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Bones are made up of collagen, with the mineral calcium phosphate providing increased rigidity. Collagen is made by fibroblast cells that are found in connective tissue. The collagen molecule consists of three protein chains, e...

control experiment
Essential part of a scientifically valid experiment, designed to show that the factor being tested is actually responsible for the effect observed. In the control experiment all factors, apart from the one under test, are exactly the same as in the test experiments, and all the same measurements are carried out. In drug trials, a placebo (a harmles...

copulation
Act of mating in animals with internal fertilization. Male mammals have a penis or other organ that is used to introduce spermatozoa into the reproductive tract of the female. Most birds transfer sperm by pressing their cloacas (the openings of their reproductive tracts) together

Connery, Sean
Scottish film actor. He was the first interpreter of James Bond in several films based on the spy thrillers of Ian Fleming, including Dr No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Goldfinger (1964). He enjoyed success as a mature actor in such films as The Name of the Rose...

compulsory purchase
In the UK, the right of the state and authorized bodies to buy land required for public purposes even against the wishes of the owner. Under the Land Compensation Act 1973, fair recompense is payable

computer generation
Any of the five broad groups into which computers may be classified chronologically: first generation, the earliest computers, developed in the 1940s and 1950s, made from valves and wire circuits; second generation from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, based on transistors and printed circuits; third generation from the early 1960s to...

computer graphics
Use of computers to display and manipulate information in pictorial form. Input may be achieved by scanning an image, by drawing with a mouse or stylus on a graphics tablet, or by drawing directly on the screen with a light pen. The output may be as simple as a pie chart, or as complex as an animated...

Cook, Robin Robert Finlayson
Scottish Labour politician, leader of the Commons 2002–03. A member of the moderate-left Tribune Group, he entered Parliament in 1974 and became a leading member of Labour's shadow cabinet, specializing in health matters. When John Smith assumed the party leadership in July 1992, Cook remained in the shadow cabinet as spokesperson for ...

concentric circles
Two or more circles that share the same centre

concurrent lines
Two or more lines passing through a single point; for example, the diameters of a circle are all concurrent at the centre of the circle

conjugate
In mathematics, a term indicating that two elements are connected in some way; for example, (a + ib) and (a – ib) are conjugate complex numbers

coplanar
In geometry, describing lines or points that all lie in the same plane

correspondence
In mathematics, the relation between two sets where an operation on the members of one set maps some or all of them onto one or more members of the other. For example, if A is the set of members of a family and B is the set of months in the year, A and B are in corresponden...

commutative operation
In mathematics, an operation that is independent of the order of the numbers or symbols concerned. For example, addition is commutative: the result of adding 4 + 2 is the same as that of adding 2 + 4; subtraction is not as 4 - 2 = 2, but 2 - 4 = -2. Compare associative operation and distributive operation

coordinate
In geometry, a number that defines the position of a point relative to a point or axis (reference line). Cartesian coordinates define a point by its perpendicular distances from two or more axes drawn through a fixed point mutually at right angles to each other. Polar coordinates define a point in a ...

convertiplane
Vertical takeoff and landing craft (VTOL) with rotors on its wings that spin horizontally for takeoff, but tilt to spin in a vertical plane for forward flight. At takeoff it looks like a two-rotor helicopter, with both rotors facing skywards. As forward speed is gained, the rotors tilt slowly forward until they are facing directly ahead. There ...

cochlea
Part of the inner ear. It is equipped with approximately 10,000 hair cells, which move in response to sound waves and thus stimulate nerve cells to send messages to the brain. In this way they turn vibrations of the air into electrical signals

cocktail effect
Effect of two toxic, or potentially toxic, chemicals when taken together rather than separately. Such effects are known to occur with some mixtures of drugs, with the active ingredient of one making the body more sensitive to the other. This sometimes occurs because both drugs require the same enzyme to break them down. Chemicals such as pesticides...

coil
In medicine, another name for an intrauterine device

colouring
Food additive used to alter or improve the colour of processed foods. Colourings include artificial colours, such as tartrazine and amaranth, which are made from petrochemicals, and the `natural` colours such as chlorophyll, caramel, and carotene. Some of the natural colours are actually synthetic copies of the naturally occurring substan...

condom
Barrier contraceptive, made of rubber, which fits over an erect penis and holds in the sperm produced by ejaculation. It is an effective means of preventing pregnancy if used carefully, preferably with a spermicide. A condom with spermicide is 97% effective; one without spermicide is 85% effective as a contraceptive. Condoms can also gi...