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


disk drive
Mechanical device that reads data from a disk. Many types can also write data to the disk

diameter
Straight line joining two points on the circumference of a circle that passes through the centre of that circle. It divides a circle into two equal halves

discrete data
In mathematics, data that can take only whole-number or fractional values, that is, distinct values. The opposite is continuous data, which can take all in-between values. Examples of discrete data include frequency and population data. However, measurements of time and other dimensions can give rise to continuous data

distribution
(statistics) In statistics, the pattern of frequency for a set of data. This pattern can be displayed as a frequency diagram

division
(mathematics) One of the four basic operations of arithmetic, usually written in the form a ÷ b or a/b. It is the inverse of multiplication. For example, 252 divided by 14 is the same as how many 14s there are...

Diu
Island off the Kathiawar peninsula, northwest India, part of the Union Territory of Daman and Diu

Directory
The five-man ruling executive in France 1795–99. Established by the constitution of 1795, it failed to deal with the political and social tensions in the country and became increasingly unpopular after military defeats. It was overthrown by a military coup 9 November 1799 that brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power. Members of the executive, ...

direct tax
Tax levied (imposed) directly on an individual or organization, in contrast to indirect taxes, levied on goods when they are purchased. Nearly all direct taxes are taxes on income or wealth, such as income tax, capital gain tax, or corporation tax. However, a poll tax is also an example of a direct tax. The opposite of a direct tax is an indirect t...

diabase
Alternative name for dolerite (a form of basalt that contains very little silica), especially dolerite that has metamorphosed

direct object
In grammar, the noun phrase or pronoun on the receiving end of the action of a transitive verb (`He founded the movement`; `They caught colds`; `Don't blame me`). Such sentences as `John sent me a package` have both a direct object (...

dirge
Song of lamentation for the dead. A poem of mourning is usually called an elegy

discourse
Spoken or written intercommunication. In linguistics, the term describes a group of sentences

dialogue
Conversation between two or more people. Dialogue is direct speech, so it is represented in writing as a series of quotations, using quotation marks or, in dramatic dialogue, the characters' names followed by their speeches

direct speech
Exact record of someone's words. When written, direct speech is indicated by quotation marks. For example, `she said: `I will not accept the prize.` Indirect speech (or reported speech) is a report of someone's words. When written, indirect speech is not marked off by quotation marks: She said that she would not accep...

disco music
International style of dance music of the 1970s with a heavily emphasized beat, descended from funk. It was designed to be played in discotheques rather than performed live; hence the production was often more important than the performer, and drum machines came to dominate. Self-produced US disco group KC and the Sunshine Band (formed 1973...

Dix, Otto
German painter. He was a major exponent of the harsh realism current in Germany in the 1920s and closely associated with the Neue Sachlichkeit group. He is known chiefly for his unsettling 1920s paintings of prostitutes and sex murders and for his powerful series of works depicting the hell of trench warfare, for example ...

diptych
Sculpture (usually in ivory) or painting, consisting of two panels hinged together like a book, enabling its use as a free-standing unit when open. Diptychs are often altarpieces, or portable altars containing a portrait facing the portrayal of a saint

Directoire style
French decorative arts style of the period from about 1792 to 1799, following the Revolution. The style, which took its name from the Directory, the government of the day, introduces revolutionary art motifs, such as the pike of freedom, into neoclassicism. A noted furniture designer working in the style was Georges Jacob

dissonance
In music, a combination of two or more notes that `disagree` with each other and so sound displeasing to the ear. It is the opposite of consonance

Dissolution of the Monasteries
Closure of the monasteries of England and Wales from 1536 to 1540 and confiscation of their property by Henry VIII. The operation was organized by Thomas Cromwell and affected about 800 monastic houses with the aim of boosting royal income. Most of the property was later sold off to the gentry

digital versatile disk
Full name for DVD, disk format for storing digital information

distemper
(painting) One of the earliest painting media, known in Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia and used by the Greeks in interior decoration. It is a mixture of powdered colour with chalk or clay, diluted with water and a gel substance (size or gum) instead of oil. Although distemper is a type of tempe...

digital retouching
In computing, technique for touching up digital photographs, similar to airbrushing in the analogue world. It is commonly used in the film industry to remove scratches, change features, or to cover up filming mistakes. In sophisticated programs, the retoucher points out the error to the computer and the computer calculates new colour values for the...

dialog box
In graphical user interfaces, a small on-screen window with blanks for user input

digital camera
Camera that uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) to take pictures that are stored as digital data rather than on film. The output from digital cameras can be downloaded onto a computer for retouching or storage, and can be readily distributed as computer files. The late 1990s saw a large increase in the number of digital cameras being produced. I...

Diplomatic Service, British
Body that represents Britain abroad in regard to its international interests, consisting of diplomatic agents and occasionally consuls, although the latter are in general concerned only with the interests of British subjects resident abroad. Diplomatic agents include ambassadors, or envoys, who are officials permanently accredited (appointed) to a ...

Diocletian
Roman emperor 284–305 who initiated severe persecution of Christians in 303. He was commander of the protectores domestici (Roman staff officers) under the emperor Numerian, and proclaimed emperor by his troops following Numerian's death. He defeated his rival Carinus in 285. In 293 he appointed Maximian (c.<...

diffraction grating
Polished metallic surface (usually a metallic mirror on a block of glass or quartz) or plastic surface on which has been ruled a great number (in thousands) of thin, parallel lines with small gaps between them, used to split light to produce a spectrum. A beam of light travelling through the narrow gaps of a diffraction grating will spread out and ...

Dili
Capital, chief port, and main commercial centre of East Timor, situated on the Ombai Strait on the northern coast; population (2002 est) 49,900. Coffee, cotton, rice, sandalwood, copra, and hides are the chief exports, while industries include soap, perfume, pottery, and textiles, as well as crafts such as basketry and sandalwood carving. Dili ...

disease
(history) Human diseases disturb or damage the functioning of cells, tissues, organs, or systems. They are usually characterized by specific symptoms and signs, and can be mild and short lasting – such as the common cold – or severe enough to kill millions, such as the influenza pand...

direct proportion
In mathematics, term used to describe quantities that increase in the same ratio. For example, if 5 kg of potatoes cost £1.35, the cost of 12 kg of the potatoes will be in direct proportion to the quantities bought. The ratio of the quantities = 12:5, so the ratio of the prices = 12:5. The cost of 12 kg, therefore, is 12 ÷...

digraph
Combination of two letters that represents one simple sound, as in ea in mead, th in thin

diminutive
Word formed from another to express reduction in size or importance, or affection

Dimashq
Arabic for Damascus, the capital city of Syria

Diwali
(Sikhism) Sikh mela, or festival, during which devas (lamps) are lit to symbolize the coming of both light for the world and inner light for Sikhs from God. Diwali is celebrated at the new moon around the end of October or beginning of November, and has similarities with the Hindu festival of ...

dip-coating
Process used to cover metal with plastic. The metal, usually in rod form, is heated in an oven until it is hot, then dipped into a container of plastic powder, which is blown with air in order to create an even spread. The plastic melts onto the metal and sticks to it. The coated metal is put back into the oven until the plastic becomes smooth and ...

Dine
Alternative name for a member of the American Indian Navajo people

Djibouti
(country) Country on the east coast of Africa, at the south end of the Red Sea, bounded east by the Gulf of Aden, southeast by Somalia, south and west by Ethiopia, and northwest by Eritrea. Government Djibouti has a presidential political system, dominated by one ruling party, the right-of...

Djibouti
(city) Chief port and capital of the Republic of Djibouti, on a peninsula 240 km/149 mi southwest of Aden, Yemen, and 565 km/351 mi northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; population (2002 est) 534,700. Industries include petroleum refining, textiles, and rail freighting. The city is a...

Djilas, Milovan
Yugoslav dissident and political writer. A close wartime colleague of Marshal Tito, he was dismissed from high office in 1954 and twice imprisoned 1956–61 and 1962–66 because of his advocacy of greater political pluralism and condemnation of the communist bureaucracy. He was formally rehabilitated in 1989

DNA
Molecular basis of heredity. It is a complex giant molecule that contains, in chemically coded form, the information needed for a cell to make proteins. In other words it determines the order in which amino acids are joined to make a specific protein in a cell. DNA is a ladder-like double-stranded nucleic acid, which forms the basis of gene...

Dnieper
River rising in the Valdai Hills west of Moscow, in the Smolensk region of the Russian Federation, and flowing south through Belarus and Ukraine to enter the Black Sea near Kherson; total length 2,250 km/1,400 mi. The Dnieper is the third longest European river (after the Volga and Danube). The main tributaries of the Dnieper are the Berezi...

Dnipropetrovs'k
City in Ukraine, on the right bank of the River Dnieper and capital of an oblast (region) of the same name; population (2001) 1,065,000. It is the centre of a major industrial region, with iron, steel, chemical, and engineering industries. The city draws much of its power from the Dneproges Dam, 60 km/37 mi downstream

DNA fingerprinting
Another name for genetic fingerprinting

Douglas-Home, Alec
British Conservative politician. He was foreign secretary 1960–63, and succeeded Harold Macmillan as prime minister in 1963. He renounced his peerage (as 14th Earl of Home) and re-entered the Commons after successfully contesting a by-election, but failed to win the 1964 general election, and resigned as party leader in 1965. He was ag...

double coconut
Click images to enlargeTreelike palm plant, also known as coco de mer, of the Seychelles. It produces a two-lobed edible nut, one of the largest known fruits. (Lodoicea maldivica.)

dock
(plant) In botany, any of a number of plants belonging to the buckwheat family. They are tall, annual or perennial herbs, often with lance-shaped leaves and small greenish flowers. Native to temperate regions, there are 30 North American and several British species. (Genus Rumex&l...

double star
Pair of stars that appear close together. Many stars that appear single to the naked eye appear double when viewed through a telescope. Some double stars are physically associated: they orbit each other, forming a genuine binary star. Other double stars are at different distances from Earth, and lie in the same line of sight only by chance. Thr...

dominance
In genetics, the masking of one allele (an alternative form of a gene) by another allele. For example, if a heterozygous person has one allele for blue eyes and one for brown eyes, his or her eye colour will be brown. The allele for blue eyes is described as recessive and the allele for brown eyes as dominant. For every characteristic of a plant or...

dogwood
Any of a group of trees and shrubs belonging to the dogwood family, native to temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) of the eastern USA is often cultivated as an ornamental for its beautiful blooms consisting of clusters of smal...

dove
(zoology) Another name for pigeon

dotterel
Bird Eudromias morinellus of the plover family, in order Charadriiformes, nesting on high moors and tundra in Europe and Asia, and migrating south for the winter. About 23 cm/9 in long, its plumage is patterned with black, brown, and white in summer, duller in winter, but always with white eyebrows and breastband. The female ...

dory
Marine fish Zeus faber found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. It grows up to 60 cm/2 ft, and has nine or ten long spines at the front of the dorsal fin, and four at the front of the anal fin. It is considered to be an excellent food fish and is also known as John Dory. The dory is olive brown or grey, with a conspicuous bla...

donkey
Another name for ass

dormouse
Small rodent, of the family Gliridae, with a hairy tail. There are about ten species, living in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are arboreal (live in trees) and nocturnal, hibernating during winter in cold regions. They eat berries, nuts, pollen, and insects

dolphin
Click images to enlargeAny of various highly intelligent aquatic mammals of the family Delphinidae, which also includes porpoises. There are about 60 species. Most inhabit tropical and temperate oceans, but there are some freshwater forms in rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America. The name `dolphin` is genera...

dogfish
Any of several small sharks found in the northeast Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean

dog
Any carnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, including wild dogs, wolves, jackals, coyotes, and foxes. Specifically, the domestic dog Canis familiaris, the earliest animal descended from the wolf. Dogs were first domesticated around 14,000 years ago, and migrated with humans to all the continents. They have been selectively bred...

dodo
Extinct flightless bird Raphus cucullatus, order Columbiformes, formerly found on the island of Mauritius, but exterminated by early settlers around 1681. Although related to the pigeons, it was larger than a turkey, with a bulky body, rudimentary wings, and short curly tail-feathers. The bill was blackish in colour, forming ...

Dobermann
Breed of smooth-coated dog with a docked tail, much used as a guard dog. It stands up to 70 cm/27.5 in tall, has a long head with a flat, smooth skull, and is often black with brown markings. It takes its name from the man who bred it in 19th-century Germany

dormancy
(botany) In botany, a phase of reduced physiological activity exhibited by certain buds, seeds, and spores. Dormancy can help a plant to survive unfavourable conditions, as in annual plants that pass the cold winter season as dormant seeds, and plants that form dormant buds. For various reason...

doldrums
Area of low atmospheric pressure along the Equator, in the intertropical convergence zone where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge. The doldrums are characterized by calm or very light winds, during which there may be sudden squalls and stormy weather. For this reason the areas are avoided as far as possible by sailing ships

Doll,
(William) English epidemiologist who, working with Austin Bradford Hill, provided the first statistical proof of the link between smoking and lung cancer in 1950. In a later study of the smoking habits of doctors, they were able to show that stopping smoking immediately reduces the risk of can...

Down's syndrome
Condition caused by a chromosomal abnormality (the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21), which in humans produces mental retardation; a flattened face; coarse, straight hair; and a fold of skin at the inner edge of the eye (hence the former name `mongolism`). The condition can be detected by prenatal testing. The incide...

Dorset
Title of English poet Thomas Sackville

Dordogne
(river) River in southwest France, rising on the slopes of the Puy de Sancy in the Massif Central, Puy-de-Dôme département, and flowing southwest and west 490 km/300 mi through Souillac, Bergerac, Castillon, Libourne, and Cubzac, to join the River Garon...

Doomsday Book
Variant spelling of Domesday Book, the English survey of 1086

Dorchester
Market town and administrative headquarters of Dorset, southern England, on the River Frome, north of Weymouth, 192 km/119 mi southwest of London; population (2001) 16,200. It is the service centre of an agricultural region and has light engineering industries. Tourism plays an important role...

Domitian,
(Titus Flavius Domitianus) Roman emperor from AD 81. He finalized the conquest of Britain (see Agricola), strengthened the Rhine–Danube frontier, and suppressed immorality as well as freedom of thought in philosophy and religion. His reign of terror led to his assassination

Dominions
Term formerly used to describe those countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth enjoying complete autonomy in internal and external affairs. In this context the term was first applied to Canada, the formal title of which is the Dominion of Canada. It was subsequently applied as a generic term, though not as a formal title (except in the case ...

Doha
Capital and chief port of Qatar, on the east coast of the peninsula; population (2001 est) 299,300. As well as being the chief commercial and communications centre of Qatar, Doha also has a considerable trade in cargo for other countries of the Gulf, and serves as their centre for vocational trai...

Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge
Real name of English author Lewis Carroll

dodder
Parasitic plant belonging to the morning-glory family, without leaves or roots. The thin stem twines around the host plant, and penetrating suckers withdraw nourishment. (Genus Cuscuta, family Convolvulaceae.)

Doyle, Arthur Conan
Scottish writer. He created the detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson, who first appeared in A Study in Scarlet (1887) and featured in a number of subsequent stories, including The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902). Among Doyle's other works is...

dowsing
Ascertaining the presence of water or minerals beneath the ground with a forked twig or a pendulum. Unconscious muscular action by the dowser is thought to move the twig, usually held with one fork in each hand, possibly in response to a local change in the pattern of electrical forces. The ability has been known since at least the 16th century and...

Downing Street
Street in Westminster, London, leading from Whitehall to St James's Park, named after Sir George Downing (died 1684), a diplomat under Cromwell and Charles II. Number 10 is the official residence of the UK prime minister and number 11 is the residence of the chancellor of the Exchequer. Number 12 is the office of the government whips

Down
(county) Historic county of southeastern Northern Ireland; area 2,448 sq km/945 sq mi. The principal towns and cities are Downpatrick, Bangor, Newtownards, Newry, and Banbridge. The northern part of the county lies within the commuter belt for Belfast, and includes part of the city of ...

Dowland, John
English composer of lute songs. He become known as the greatest composer and finest performer of these `ayres` and is considered the main pioneer in the development of the art song. For the first time the `top` part became more important than the others and the lute was used to provide a real accompaniment. This was different to...

Dover, Strait of
Stretch of water separating England from France, and connecting the English Channel with the North Sea. It is about 35 km/22 mi long and 34 km/21 mi wide at its narrowest part (from Dover pier to Cap Griz-Nez); its greatest depth is 55 m/180 ft. It is one of the world's busiest sea lanes. The main ports are Dover and Folkest...

Dover
(UK) Market town and seaport in Kent, southeast England, on the coast of the English Channel; population (2001) 34,100. It is Britain's nearest point to mainland Europe, 34 km/21 mi from Calais, France. Dover is the world's busiest passenger port and England's principal cro...

Douro
River in Spain and Portugal, the third-largest in the Iberian peninsula; length 775 km/482 mi. It rises in Spain, on the south side of the Peña de Urbión in the province of Soria, and flows west across the plateau of Castile. It follows the Spanish-Portuguese frontier for 105 km/65 mi, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean at...

Doumer, Paul
French politician. He was elected president of the Chamber in 1905, president of the Senate in 1927, and president of the republic in 1931. He was assassinated by Gorgulov, a White Russian emigré

Douglas, Gavin
Scottish poet. He translated into Scots Virgil's Aeneid (1513), including the thirteenth book added by Maffeo Vegio. He wrote the allegorical The Palace of Honour (c. 1501). His language is more archaic than that of some of his predecessors, but Douglas had fire and a power of vivid descr...

Dostoevsky, Fyodor Mihailovich
Russian novelist. Remarkable for their profound psychological insight, Dostoevsky's novels have greatly influenced Russian writers, and since the beginning of the 20th century have been increasingly influential abroad. In 1849 he was sentenced to four years' hard labour in Siberia, followed by army service, for printing socialist propaganda...

Dortmund
City and industrial centre in the Ruhr, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 58 km/36 mi northeast of Düsseldorf; population (2003 est) 587,600. It is the largest mining town of the Westphalian coalfield and the southern terminus of the Dortmund–Ems Canal. The enlargement of the Wesel–Datteln Canal (1989), connecting Dortm...

Dorian
People of ancient Greece. They entered Greece from the north and took most of the Peloponnese from the Achaeans, perhaps destroying the Mycenaean civilization; this invasion appears to have been completed before 1000 BC. Their chief cities were Sparta, Argos, and Corinth

Donne, John
English poet, one of the metaphysical poets. His work consists of love poems, religious poems, verse satires, and sermons. His sermons rank him with the century's greatest orators, and his fervent poems of love and hate, violent, tender, or abusive, give him a unique position among English poets. A Roman Catholic in his youth, he converted to t...

Don Juan
Character of Spanish legend, Don Juan Tenorio, supposed to have lived in the 14th century and notorious for his debauchery. Tirso de Molina, Molière, Mozart, Byron, and George Bernard Shaw have featured the legend in their works. The prototype is found in the Spanish play El burlador de Sevilla y convidado (1630), attributed...

Donizetti,
(Domenico) Italian composer. He wrote more than 70 operas, including Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), La Fille du régiment (1840), La Favorite (1840), and Don Pasquale (1843)....

Donetsk
City in Ukraine; capital of Donetsk region (oblast), situated in the Donets Basin, a major coal-mining area and one of the largest industrial centres in Ukraine, 600 km/372 mi southeast of Kiev; population (2003 est) 984,900; urban agglomeration 1,699,500. Donetsk has blast furnaces, rolling mills, and other heavy industries. Ot...

Donets Basin
Highly industrialized area in Ukraine, situated in the bend formed by the rivers Don and Donets. The Donets Basin has one of Europe's richest coalfields, together with extensive deposits of salt, mercury, and lead

Donegal
Mountainous county in the northwest of the Republic of Ireland, surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, and bordering the counties of Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh (Northern Ireland), and Leitrim (Republic of Ireland); area 4,830 sq km/1,864 sq mi; county town Lifford; population (2002) 137,600. Ballyshannon is the lar...

Doncaster
Industrial town and administrative headquarters of Doncaster metropolitan borough, South Yorkshire, England, on the River Don, 56 km/35 mi southwest of York; population (2001) 286,900. It has been an important centre for railway engineering (locomotives and rolling stock) since the 19th century. Traditional iron, steel, and coal production ...

Donatello
Italian sculptor of the early Renaissance. He was instrumental in reviving the classical style, as in his graceful bronze statue of the youthful David (about 1433; Bargello, Florence) and his equestrian statue of the general Gattamelata (1447–50; Piazza del Santo, Padua). The course of Florentine a...

Don
(Russian Federation) Navigable river in the western Russian Federation; length 1,870 km/1,162 mi; basin covers 422,000 sq km/163,000 sq mi. The Don rises in the central Russian uplands near the city of Tula, flows southeast towards the Volga near Volgograd, then turns southwest...

Dominican order
Roman Catholic order of friars founded in 1215 by St Dominic. The Dominicans are also known as Friars Preachers, Black Friars, or Jacobins. The order is worldwide and there is also an order of contemplative nuns; the habit is black and white

Dominic, St
Founder of the Roman Catholic Dominican order of preaching friars. Feast day 7 August. Canonized 1234. Born in Old Castile, Dominic was sent by Pope Innocent III in 1205 to preach to the heretic Albigensian sect in Provence. In 1208 the Pope instigated the Albigensian crusade to suppress the heretics by force, and this was supported by Dominic. In ...

Domingo, Pla(acute)cido
Spanish lyric tenor. He specializes in Italian and French 19th-century operatic roles to which he brings a finely-tuned dramatic temperament. Since his New York debut in 1965 he has established a world reputation as a sympathetic leading tenor. With José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti he was one of `The Three Tenors` (1990...

Domesday Book
Click images to enlargeRecord of the survey of England carried out in 1086 by officials of William the Conqueror in order to assess land tax and other dues, find out the value of the crown lands, and enable the king to estimate the power of his vassal barons. The name is derived from the belief that its judgement was as f...

dolmen
Click images to enlargePrehistoric megalith in the form of a chamber built of three or more large upright stone slabs, capped by a horizontal flat stone. Dolmens are the burial chambers of Neolithic (New Stone Age) chambered tombs and passage graves, revealed by the removal of the covering burial mound. They are found in ...