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

detention
In law, depriving a person of liberty following arrest. In England and Wales, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 established a wide-ranging statutory framework for the regime of detention. Limitations were placed on the length of time that suspects may be held in custody by the police without being charged (to a maximum of 96 hours) and ...

Degenerate Art
Art condemned by the Nazi regime in Germany from 1933. The name was taken from a travelling exhibition mounted by the Nazi Party in 1937 to show modern art as `sick` and `decadent` – a view that fitted with Nazi racial theories. The exhibition was paralleled by the official Great German Art Exhibition to display officially ...

detention centre
In the UK penal system, an institution where young offenders (aged 14–21) are confined for short periods. Treatment is designed to be disciplinary; for example, the `short, sharp shock` regime introduced by the Conservative government in 1982. Detention centres were introduced to deal with young offenders for whom a long period o...

debt-for-environment swap
Agreement under which a proportion of a country's debts are written off in exchange for a commitment by the debtor country to undertake projects for environmental protection. Debt-for-environment swaps were set up by environment groups in the 1980s in an attempt to reduce the debt problem of poor countries, while simultaneously promotin...

decoder
In computing, an electronic circuit used to select one of several possible data pathways. Decoders are, for example, used to direct data to individual memory locations within a computer's immediate access memory

death rate
Number of deaths per 1,000 of the population of an area over the period of a year. Death rate is a factor in demographic transition. Death rate is linked to a number of social and economic factors such as standard of living, diet, and access to clean water and medical services. The death rate is therefore lower in wealthier countries; for examp...

decentralization
(population) The dispersion of a population or industry away from a central point. A common form is counter-urbanization (in developed countries, the movement of industries and people away from cities). Examples in the UK include the move of the Department of Social Security to Newcastle a...

demographic transition
Any change in birth and death rates; over time, these generally shift from a situation where both are high to a situation where both are low. This may be caused by a variety of social factors (among them education and the changing role of women) and economic factors (such as higher standard of living and improved diet). The demographic transiti...

developing world
Those countries that are less developed than the industrialized free-market countries of the West and the industrialized former communist countries. Countries of the developing world are the poorest, as measured by their income per head of population, and are concentrated in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The early 1970s saw the beginnings of...

depression
(meteorology) In meteorology, a region of relatively low atmospheric pressure. In mid-latitudes a depression forms as warm, moist air from the tropics mixes with cold, dry polar air, producing warm and cold boundaries (fronts) and...

della Robbia
Italian family of artists; see Robbia, della

decimal number system
Most commonly used number system, to the base ten. Decimal numbers do not necessarily contain a decimal point; 563, 5.63, and -563 are all decimal numbers. Other systems are mainly used in computing and include the binary number system, octal number system, and hexadecimal number system. The decimals 0.3, 0.51, and 0.023 can be expressed as...

decimal point
Dot dividing a decimal number's whole part from its fractional part (the digits to the left of the point are unit digits). It is usually printed on the line but hand written above the line, for example 3^.5. Some European countries use a comma to denote the decimal point, for example 3,56

Devoy, Susan
New Zealand squash player who won the World Open Championship a record four times. She was the youngest ever player to be ranked first in the world, at the age of 20. Career highlights World Open 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992 British Open 1984–90, 1992

Delhi
(city) Click images to enlargeCity of India, and administrative capital of the Union Territory of Delhi (state); population (2001 est) 9,817,400. It borders on New Delhi, capital of India, to the south. Manufactured goods include electronic goods...

demonstrative
In grammar, of a pronoun, adjective, or determiner, pointing out or distinguishing (`I like this book; you can keep that`)

determiner
In grammar, a word that specifies the referent of a noun phrase. In English determiners comprise definite and indefinite articles, possessive and demonstrative adjectives and pronouns. Determiners characteristically begin noun phrases (`my dog`, `this house`, `some pe...

derivation
The source of a word or expression. English words are derived from a variety of other languages (see borrowing), especially Greek (for example, hexagon from hex and -gonos meaning `six-angled`), Latin (for example, mission from mittere meaning `to send`), Anglo-...

deposition
In Christian art, a depiction of the body of Christ being taken down from the cross. Notable examples include van der Weyden's Deposition (c. 1430; Prado, Madrid) and Ruben's Descent from the Cross (1612–14; Notre Dame Cathedral, Antwerp)

denim
Cotton twill fabric with coloured warp (lengthwise yarns) and undyed weft, originating in France (hence the name `de Nîmes`). In its most classic form, indigo blue and heavyweight, it is used for jeans and dungarees. It became fashionable in the early 1970s, and many variations followed, including lighter-weight dress fabrics and...

deconstruction
In literary theory, a radical form of structuralism, pioneered by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, which views text as a `decentred` play of structures, lacking any ultimately determinable meaning. Through analysis of the internal structure of a text, particularly its contradictions, deconstructionists demonstrate the existence of ...

design
The conceptual and practical working out of the appearance of an artefact or a building, with special reference to its effective functioning and its aesthetic quality. The term derives from the Italian word disegno, which in Renaissance art theory meant the essential idea of a work of art and the expression of that idea through d...

delete
Remove or erase. In computing, the deletion of a character removes it from the file; the deletion of a file normally means removing it from its directory rather than actually deleting it from the disk. Many systems now have an undelete or undo facility that allows the restoration of deleted material. Deleted files may be recovered by specialist...

desktop
In computing, a graphical representation of file systems, in which applications and files are represented by pictures (icons), which can be triggered by a single or double click with a mouse button. Such a graphical user interface can be compared with the command line interface, which is character-based

Dehaene, Jean-Luc
Belgian politician, prime minister 1992–99. In 1993 he successfully negotiated constitutional changes to make Belgium a federal state. His centre-left coalition was re-elected in 1995. Born in Montpellier, France, where his parents were fleeing German troops, and educated at the University of Namur, he entered politics by joining the t...

Demon Internet
In computing, Britain's first and largest mass-market Internet Service Provider. Founded in 1992 by English hardware salesperson Cliff Stanford with 200 founding subscribers who each paid £120 in advance for a year's service, Demon set the price (£10 a month plus VAT) for Internet access in the UK. The number of Demon users gr...

Desmond revolt
Two Catholic rebellions against Protestant rule in Ireland in 1569 and 1579, sparked by the proposed plantations of Munster and Connacht by Protestants. The Geraldine Clan rose in protest, led by Sir James Fitzmaurice, a cousin of the Earl of Desmond. The revolt was suppressed in 1573 and Fitzmaurice fled overseas. He settled in Lisbon but returned...

dental caries
In medicine, another name for caries

death's-head moth
Largest British hawk moth with downy wings measuring 13 cm/5 in from tip to tip, and its thorax is marked as though with a skull. When it is at rest it sometimes gives out a squeaking noise, produced probably by rubbing the palpi (sense organs close to the mouthparts) upon the proboscis. The caterpillar is about 10 cm/4 in long and is brigh...

Dee
(Wales) River that flows through Wales and England; length 112 km/70 mi. Rising in Bala Lake, Gwynedd, it flows into the Irish Sea west of Chester. There is another River Dee (61 km/38 mi) in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Democratic Unionist Party
Northern Ireland political party orientated towards the Protestant Unionist community. It opposes union with the Republic of Ireland. The DUP originated in 1971 as a breakaway from the Official Ulster Unionist Party. It was co-founded by the Reverend Ian Paisley, a Presbyterian minister and militant Unionist MP for North Antrim, who continues t...

Depeche Mode
English synth-rock group formed in 1980. Among their 32 singles to have reached the UK Top Thirty chart were `New Life`, `Just Can't Get Enough`, and `The Meaning Of Love` (all 1982). Their albums include Violator (1990), featuring the hit singles `Enjoy the Silence` and `Perso...

de Ruyter, Michiel Adriaanszoon
Dutch admiral; see Michiel Adriaanszoon de Ruyter

de la Hoya, Oscar
US boxer who has won world titles at super-featherweight, lightweight, super-lightweight, welterweight, light-middleweight, and middleweight. Skilful and fast-footed, he is regarded by many boxing experts as the best fighter of his generation. He turned professional in 1992 after winning the lightweight gold medal at the Olympic Gam...

deportation
Expulsion from a country of an alien who is living there illegally, or whose presence is considered contrary to the public good. In the United Kingdom legislation concerning deportation began with the 1905 Aliens Act, giving the government the right to deport an alien convicted of a criminal offence if deportation was recommended by the court. Sinc...

Desai, Anita
Indian novelist. Her calm, sensitive, and often humorous style is much admired. Her early novels concentrate on the internal workings of the mind, often the mind of a woman trying to make time and a place for herself in Indian society. She has sometimes been accused of being a `subjective writer` – one who does not place their charac...

declarative sentence
Most common type of sentence, making a statement, assertion, or declaration, as in `The chicken crossed the road`

decoration
In art, the adornment or embellishment of an artefact with ornament, including painted patterns and images, and techniques such as sgraffito (scratched designs) or decoupage (cut-out pictures)

device
Conventional technique in literature and in rhetoric, employed by the author or speaker to influence a reader's thoughts, feelings or understanding, and to allude to previous instances which have used this technique. For example, in tragicomedy, an actor might portray a death scene which recalls the elaborate death scenes of tragedy, but is don...

denomination
Body or branch within the Christian church. With the growth and spread of Christianity, different groups of Christians split away from each other in order to worship in the way they believed to be right, such as schism (formal split) between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches in 1054. These differences have led to intolerance, persecution and...

Deer Park
Buddhist site at Sarnath, near Benares, India, where the Buddha gave his first sermon under a bodhi tree. It used to have a large monastic complex, a centre of the arts, religion, and learning, but this was destroyed in AD 1194. The Deer Park is still a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists

deposition
(earth science) In earth science, the dumping of the load carried by a river, glacier, or the sea. Deposition occurs when the river, glacier, or sea is no longer able to carry its load for some reason, for example a shallowing of grad...

design drawing
Drawing used to convey information. Design drawings can range from rough sketches outlining ideas to neat, accurate presentation drawings explaining how a product is put together. Rough sketches are sometimes called concept sketches. They are a way of putting down ideas on paper to clarify the designer's thought process. They may be simple, fla...

design process
Stage in the production of an artefact, which must take place before the manufacturing process begins

de Villepin, Dominique
French diplomat and right-wing politician, prime minister 2005–2007. Formerly a diplomat, he became one of President Jacques Chirac's closest advisers, when he served as secretary general of the presidency 1995–2002, although his advice to dissolve parliament in 1997 ushered in five years of power-sharing with a Socialist-...

Dhofar
Mountainous southwestern governorate of Oman, on the border with Yemen; population (1993) 189,100. South Yemen supported left-wing guerrilla activity here against the Oman government in the 1970s, while Britain and Iran supported the government's military operations. The guerrillas were defeated in 1975. The capital is Salalah

dhole
Wild dog Cuon alpinus found in Asia from Siberia to Java. With head and body up to 1 m/39 in long, variable in colour but often reddish above and lighter below, the dhole lives in groups of from 3 to 30 individuals. The species is becoming rare and is protected in some areas. Dholes can chase prey for long distances; a pa...

dharma
(Hinduism) In Hinduism, the consciousness of forming part of an ordered universe, and hence the moral duty of accepting one's station in life. For Hindus, correct performance of dharma has a favourable effect on their karma (fate); this may enable them to be reborn to a higher caste or...

Dhaka
Capital of Bangladesh since 1971 following the war of independence from Pakistan, in Dhaka region, west of the River Meghna on the Ganges delta; population (2001 est) 4,255,000. It is served by the river port of Narayangani which lies 16 km/10 mi to the south, and trades in rice, oilseed, sug...

dharma
(Buddhism) In Buddhism, teaching and scriptures of the Buddha, whose words and principles lead to enlightenment; also the `universal law`. The doctrine of the dharma is summed up in the Four Noble Truths: 1. all of existence is suffering (dukkha); 2. suffering begins with...

Dhegiha
Branch of the American Indian Siouan language family

Diaz, Bartholomeu
Portuguese explorer, the first European to reach the Cape of Good Hope, in 1488, and to establish a route around Africa. He drowned during an expedition with Pedro Cabral

Diana, Princess of Wales
Member of the UK royal family. Daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer, Diana married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral, London, in 1981. She had two sons, William and Harry, before her separation from Charles in 1992. In February 1996, she agreed to a divorce, after which she became known as Diana,...

Diaghilev, Sergei Pavlovich
Russian ballet impresario. In 1909 he founded the Ballets Russes/Russian Ballet (headquarters in Monaco), which he directed for 20 years. Through this company he brought Russian ballet to the West, introducing and encouraging a dazzling array of dancers, choreographers, composers, and artists, such as Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bronislava N...

diamond
Generally colourless, transparent mineral, an allotrope of carbon. It is regarded as a precious gemstone, and is the hardest substance known (10 on the Mohs scale). Industrial diamonds, which may be natural or synthetic, are used for cutting, grinding, and polishing. Diamond crystallizes in the cubic system as octahedral crystals, some with curved ...

District of Columbia
Federal district and seat of the federal government of the USA, coextensive with the capital city, Washington, DC, situated on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers; area 158 sq km/61 sq mi; population (2006 est) 581,500. The area was selected by President George Washington and approved by Con...

diary
Informal record of day-to-day events, observations, or reflections, usually not intended for a general readership. One of the earliest diaries still in existence is that of a Japanese noblewoman, the Kagero Nikki (954–974), and the earliest known diary in English is that of Edward VI (ruled 1547–53). Notable dia...

diarrhoea
Frequent or excessive action of the bowels so that the faeces are liquid or semiliquid. It is caused by intestinal irritants (including some drugs and poisons), infection with harmful organisms (as in dysentery, salmonella, or cholera), or allergies. Diarrhoea is the biggest killer of children in the world. In 2006 the World Health Organization rep...

Diana
In Roman mythology, the goddess of chastity, hunting, and the Moon; daughter of Jupiter and twin of Apollo. Her Greek equivalent is the goddess Artemis. The huntress was depicted as an athlete bearing a bow and arrow, and sometimes a shield against Cupid's love darts. Hounds, stags, and nymphs were her companions, including Callisto transfo...

dialectical materialism
Political, philosophical, and economic theory of the 19th-century German thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, also known as Marxism

dill
Herb belonging to the carrot family, whose bitter seeds and aromatic leaves are used in cooking and in medicine. (Anethum graveolens, family Umbelliferae.)

diabetes
Disease that can be caused by reduced production of the hormone insulin, or a reduced response of the liver, muscle, and fat cells to insulin. This affects the body's ability to use and regulate sugars effectively. Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that prevents the production of insulin. Treatment is b...

digitalis
(plant) Any of a group of plants belonging to the figwort family, which includes the foxgloves. (Genus Digitalis, family Scrophulariaceae.)

disinfectant
Agent that kills, or prevents the growth of, bacteria and other micro-organisms. Chemical disinfectants include carbolic acid (phenol, used by Joseph Lister in surgery in the 1870s), ethanol, methanol, chlorine, and iodine

dioxin
Any of a family of over 200 organic chemicals, all of which are heterocyclic hydrocarbons (see cyclic compounds). The term is commonly applied, however, to only one member of the family, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD), a highly toxic chemical that occurs, for example, as an impurity in the defo...

displacement activity
In animal behaviour, an action that is performed out of its normal context, while the animal is in a state of stress, frustration, or uncertainty. Birds, for example, often peck at grass when uncertain whether to attack or flee from an opponent; similarly, humans scratch their heads when nervous

digestion
Click images to enlargeProcess by which food eaten by an animal is broken down mechanically, and chemically by enzymes, mostly in the stomach and intestines, to make the nutrients available for absorption and cell metabolism. In digestion large molecules of food are broken into smaller, soluble molecules, which are absorb...

differentiation
(biology) In embryology, the process by which cells become increasingly different and specialized, giving rise to more complex structures that have particular functions in the adult organism. For instance, embryonic cells may develop into nerve, muscle, or bone cells

diapause
Period of suspended development that occurs in some species of insects and other invertebrates, characterized by greatly reduced metabolism. Periods of diapause are often timed to coincide with the winter months, and improve the animal's chances of surviving adverse conditions

diploid
Having paired chromosomes in each cell. In sexually reproducing species, one set is derived from each parent, the gametes, or sex cells, of each parent being haploid (having only one set of chromosomes) due to meiosis (reduction cell division)

dicotyledon
Major subdivision of the angiosperms, containing the great majority of flowering plants. Dicotyledons are characterized by the presence of two seed leaves, or cotyledons, in the embryo, which is usually surrounded by the endosperm. They generally have broad leaves with netlike veins

diver
Any of four species of marine bird of the order Gaviiformes, specialized for swimming and diving, found in northern regions of the northern hemisphere. The legs are set so far back that walking is almost impossible, but they are powerful swimmers and good flyers, and only come ashore to nest. They ha...

dipper
Any of various birds of the genus Cinclus, family Cinclidae, order Passeriformes, found in hilly and mountainous regions across Eurasia and North America, where there are clear, fast-flowing streams. It can swim, dive, or walk along the bottom, using the pressure of water on its wings and tail to keep it down, while it search...

diplodocus
Plant-eating sauropod dinosaur that lived about 145 million years ago, the fossils of which have been found in the western USA. Up to 27 m/88 ft long, most of which was neck and tail, it weighed about 11 tonnes. It walked on four elephantine legs, had nostrils on top of the skull, and peglike teeth at the front of the mouth

dinosaur
Any of a group (sometimes considered as two separate orders) of extinct reptiles living between 205 million and 65 million years ago. Their closest living relations are crocodiles and birds. Many species of dinosaur evolved during the millions of years they were the dominant large land animals. Most ...

dingo
Wild dog of Australia. Descended from domestic dogs brought from Asia by Aborigines thousands of years ago, it belongs to the same species Canis familiaris as other domestic dogs. It is reddish brown with a bushy tail, and often hunts at night. It cannot bark

dik-dik
Any of several species of tiny antelope, genus Madoqua, found in Africa south of the Sahara in dry areas with scattered brush. Dik-diks are about 60 cm/2 ft long and 35 cm/1.1 ft tall, and are often seen in pairs. Males have short, pointed horns. The dik-dik is so n...

differential calculus
Branch of calculus involving applications such as the determination of maximum and minimum points and rates of change

digestive system
In the body, all the organs and tissues involved in the digestion of food. In animals, these consist of the mouth, stomach, intestines, and their associated glands. The process of digestion breaks down the food by physical and chemical means into the different elements that are needed by the body for...

distributive operation
In mathematics, an operation, such as multiplication, that bears a relationship to another operation, such as addition, such that a × (b + c) = (a × b) + (a × c). For example, 3 × (2 &#...

dialectic
Greek term, originally associated with the philosopher Socrates' method of argument through dialogue and conversation. Hegelian dialectic, named after the German philosopher Hegel, refers to an interpretive method in which the contradiction between a thesis and its antithesis is resolved through synthesis

diuretic
Any drug that increases the output of urine by the kidneys. It may be used in the treatment of high blood pressure and to relieve oedema associated with heart, lung, kidney or liver disease, and some endocrine disorders

dilatation and curettage
Common gynaecological procedure in which the cervix (neck of the womb) is widened, or dilated, giving access so that the lining of the womb can be scraped away (curettage). It may be carried out to terminate a pregnancy, treat an incomplete miscarriage, discover the cause of heavy menstrual bleeding, or for biopsy

Diderot, Denis
French philosopher. He is closely associated with the Enlightenment, the European intellectual movement for social and scientific progress, and was editor of the enormously influential Encyclopédie (1751–80). An expanded and politicized version of the English encyclopedia...

dialysis
Technique for removing waste products from the blood suffering chronic or acute kidney failure. There are two main methods, haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In haemodialysis, the patient's blood is passed through a pump, where it is separated from sterile dialysis fluid by a semipermeable m...

diagenesis
In geology, the physical, chemical, and biological processes by which a sediment becomes a sedimentary rock. The main processes involved include compaction of the grains, and the cementing of the grains together by the growth of new minerals deposited by percolating groundwater. As a whole, diagenesi...

disinvestment
In economics, the process of reducing capital stock. This may be by the scrapping or non-replacement of capital goods or by selling shares. The term is more popularly applied to the withdrawal of investments in a country for political reasons, such as South Africa in the apartheid era or, more recently, Iran because of its perceived nuclear arm...

dialect
Variation of a spoken language shared by those in a particular area or a particular social or ethnic group. The term is used to indicate a geographical area (`northern dialects` or `Brooklyn dialect`) or social or ethnic group (`African-American dialect`). Geographically, dialects are the result of settlement histo...

dictionary
Book that contains a selection of the words of a language, with their pronunciations and meanings, usually arranged in alphabetical order. The term is also applied to any usually alphabetic work of reference containing specialized information about a particular subject, art, or science; for example, a dictionary of music. Bilingual dictionaries...

digital
(computing) In electronics and computing, a term meaning `coded as numbers`. A digital system uses two-state, either on/off or high/low voltage pulses, to encode, receive, and transmit information. A digital display shows discrete values as numbers (as opposed to an analo...

diplomacy
Process by which states attempt to settle their differences through peaceful means such as negotiation or arbitration. See foreign relations

Diwali
(Hinduism) In Hinduism, festival in October/November celebrating Lakshmi, goddess of light and wealth, as well as the New Year and the story of the Ramayana. It is marked by the lighting of lamps and candles (inviting the goddess into the house), feasting, and the exchan...

diverticulitis
Inflammation of diverticula (pockets of herniation) in the large intestine. It is usually triggered by infection and causes diarrhoea or constipation, and lower abdominal pain. Usually it can be controlled by diet and antibiotics

Dissenter
In Britain, former name for a Protestant refusing to conform to the established Christian church. For example, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Independents (now known as Congregationalists) were Dissenters

discrimination
Distinction made (social, economic, political, or legal) between individuals or groups such that one has the power to treat the other unfavourably. Negative discrimination, often based on stereotype, includes anti-Semitism, caste, racism, sexism, and slavery. Positive discrimination, or affirmative action, is sometimes practised in an attempt t...

disarmament
Reduction of a country's weapons of war. Most disarmament talks since World War II have been concerned with nuclear-arms verification and reduction, but biological, chemical, and conventional weapons have also come under discussion at the United Nations and in other forums. Attempts to limit the arms race (initially between the USA and the ...

Dis
In Roman mythology, the god of the underworld, also known as Orcus; he is equivalent to the Greek god Pluto, ruler of Hades. Dis is also a synonym for the underworld itself

Dirac, Paul Adrien Maurice
English physicist who worked out a version of quantum mechanics consistent with special relativity. The existence of antiparticles, such as the positron (positive electron), was one of its predictions. He shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933 (with Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger) for his work on the development of quantum mechanics

diphtheria
Acute infectious disease in which a membrane forms in the throat (threatening death by asphyxia), along with the production of a powerful toxin that damages the heart and nerves. The organism responsible is a bacterium (Corynebacterium diphtheriae). It is treated with antitoxin and antibiotics. Although its incidence has been red...

Dionysus
In Greek mythology, the god of wine, mystic ecstasy, and orgiastic excess; son of princess Semele and Zeus. In his original savage form he was attended by satyrs, lustful, drunken creatures; and maenads, women considered capable of tearing animals to pieces with their bare hands when under his influence. Later, as a more benign deity, his r...