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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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Dunn, Douglas(Eaglesham) Scottish poet and short-story writer. His first book of verse,
Terry Street (1969), mainly reflected working-class life.
Elegies (1985), recalling his wife's death from cancer in 1981, won the Whitbread Book of the Year award. Later...
Duffy, Carol AnnScottish poet. Her poems deal passionately with loss, betrayal, and love, and she brings to life domestic scenes from childhood and adolescence. She has won several awards, including first prize in the 1983 National Poetry Competition, the Scottish Arts Council Awards of Merit for her first collection of poems,
Standing Female Nude
Durga Puja
Bengali Hindu festival commemorating the goddess Durga, known in other parts of India as the festival of Navaratri
Dussehra
In Hindu tradition, festival celebrating the defeat of the ten-headed demon Ravana by Rama, and the victory of good over evil. It is held the day after the festival of Navaratri (`nine nights`), also known as Durga Puja. In the battle, every time Rama chopped off one of Ravana's ten heads, it grew back, until finally, on the tenth...
duologue
Scripted dialogue for two persons, usually actors. Duologues, monologues and discourses were also used in certain periods for non-fiction writing, in order to express ideas in a more entertaining or more comprehensible form (for example, in The Compleat Angler (1653) by Isaak Walton, and in Plato's written dialogues)
Dunkerque
French name for Dunkirk, the most northerly seaport in France
Dutch Republic
Name given to the United Provinces, a federation of states in the northern Netherlands 1579–1795. The United Provinces had formed under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1579 to resist Philip II's policy in the region, declaring their freedom in 1581. The country's independence was finally recognized by Spain in the Peace of Westphalia (1648). ...
Duncan Smith, Iain
British Conservative politician, party leader 2001–03. The candidate of the party's Eurosceptic and socially conservative right wing, he was selected in September 2001 by the party's members to replace leader William Hague, who stood down after the party suffered a second successive general election defeat. Duncan Smith sought to unite...
Dvorák, Antonín Leopold
Czech composer. His Romantic music extends the classical tradition of Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms and displays the influence of Czech folk music. He wrote nine symphonies; tone poems; operas, including Rusalka (1900); large-scale choral works; the Carnival (1891–92) and oth...
DVD
Disk format for storing digital information. Double-layer double-sided DVDs can hold 28 times the data stored on compact discs (CDs). Pre-recorded DVDs have a storage capacity of 4.7 gigabytes per layer per side and can hold a full-length feature film and many extras. As with CDs, inf...
DVD-ROM
Disk format for storing digital information, the DVD equivalent of CD-ROM. Launched in 1997, DVD-ROM disks can store up to 17 gigabytes of data, compared to only 700 megabytes on a CD-ROM. DVD-ROM drives, which are also able to read CD-ROM disks, have a much faster speed of data transfer than CD-ROM drives (a 16× DVD...
Dwarf planet
Any member of one of the three major classes of objects belonging to the solar system (the other two classes being planets and small solar system bodies). At the 2006 meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a dwarf planet was defined as a body that orbits the Sun (as opposed to any other body, such as a planet or satellite); that...
dynamo
Click images to enlargeIn physics, a simple generator or machine for transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy. A dynamo in basic form consists of a powerful field magnet between the poles of which a suitable conductor, usually in the form of a coil (armature), is rotated. The magnetic lines of force are cut b...
dynamics
(physics) In mechanics, the mathematical and physical study of the behaviour of bodies under the action of forces that produce changes of motion in them
Dyfed
Former county of southwest Wales, created in 1974 and, in 1996, divided between the unitary authorities of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire
dyslexia
Malfunction in the brain's synthesis and interpretation of written information, popularly known as `word blindness`. Dyslexia may be described as specific or developmental to distinguish it from reading or writing difficulties which are acquired. It results in poor ability in reading and writing, though the person may excel in other a...
dysprosium
Silver-white, metallic element of the lanthanide series, atomic number 66, relative atomic mass 162.50. It is among the most magnetic of all known substances and has a great capacity to absorb neutrons. It was discovered in 1886 by French chemist Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran (1838–1912)
dynamite
Explosive consisting of a mixture of nitroglycerine and diatomaceous earth (diatomite, an absorbent, chalklike material). It was first devised by Alfred Nobel
Dyck, Anthony van
Flemish painter. He was an assistant to Rubens from 1618 to 1620, then worked briefly in England at the court of James I before moving to Italy in 1622. In 1627 he returned to his native Antwerp, where he continued to paint religious works and portraits. From 1632 he lived in England and produced num...
dye
Substance that, applied in solution to fabrics, stains with a permanent colour. Different types of dye are needed for different types of fibres. Direct dyes combine with cellulose-based fabrics like cotton, linen, and rayon, to colour the fibres. Indirect dyes require the presence of another substance (a mordant), with which the fabric must fir...
Dylan, Bob
US singer and songwriter. His lyrics provided catchphrases for a generation and influenced innumerable songwriters. He began in the folk-music tradition. His early songs, as on his albums The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) and The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964), were associated with the US civi...
dysentery
Infection of the large intestine causing abdominal cramps and painful diarrhoea with blood. There are two kinds of dysentery: amoebic (caused by a protozoan), common in the tropics, which may lead to liver damage; and bacterial, the kind most often seen in the temperate zones. Both forms are successfully treated with antibacterials and flui...
dystopia
Imaginary society whose evil qualities are meant to serve as a moral or political warning. The term was coined in 1868 by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, and is the opposite of a Utopia. George Orwell's 1984, published in 1949 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) are examples of novels a...
dynamics
(music) In music, markings added to show the varying degrees or changes in volume or loudness. They are written as words, abbreviations, letters, or signs. For example: dynamics for volume include f for forte (loud), mf for mezzo forte (medium loud), mp for mezzo piano (medium soft), and p...
dyke
(earth science) In earth science, a sheet of igneous rock created by the intrusion of magma (molten rock) across layers of pre-existing rock. (By contrast, a sill is intruded between layers of rock.) It may form a ridge when exposed on the surface if it is more resistant...
Dynamic HTML
In computing, the fourth version of hypertext markup language (HTML), the language used to create Web pages. It is called Dynamic HTML because it enables dynamic effects to be incorporated in pages without the delays involved in downloading Java applets and without referring back to the server
earthworm
Annelid worm of the class Oligochaeta. Earthworms are hermaphroditic and deposit their eggs in cocoons. They live by burrowing in the soil, feeding on the organic matter it contains. They are vital to the formation of humus, aerating the soil and levelling it by transferring earth from the deeper lev...
eagle
Click images to enlargeAny of several genera of large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, order Falconiformes, including the golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos of Eurasia and North America, which has a 2 m/6 ft wingspan. Eagles occur worldwide, usually building eyries or nests in forests or mounta...
ear
Organ of hearing in animals. It responds to the vibrations that constitute sound, which are translated into nerve signals and passed to the brain. A mammal's ear consists of three parts: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The outer ear is a funnel that collects sound, directing it down a t...
Eastman, George
US entrepreneur and inventor who founded the Eastman Kodak photographic company in 1892. He patented flexible film in 1884, invented the Kodak box camera in 1888, and introduced daylight-loading film in 1892. By 1900 his company was selling a pocket camera for as little as one dollar
East Sussex
Click images to enlargeCounty of southeast England, created in 1974, formerly part of Sussex (since April 1997 Brighton and Hove has been a separate unitary authority). Area 1,725 sq km/666 sq mi Towns Lewes (administrative headquarters), Newhaven (cross-channel port), Eastbourne, Rye, Winchelsea; Bexhill-...
Easter
Click images to enlargeSpring feast of the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. It is a moveable feast, falling on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox (21 March); that is, between 22 March and 25 April. The English name derives from Eostre, Anglo-Saxon goddess of...
Earth
Click images to enlargeThird planet from the Sun. It is almost spherical, flattened slightly at the poles, and is composed of five concentric layers: inner core, outer core, mantle, crust, and atmosphere. About 70% of the surface (including the north and south polar ice caps) is covered with water. The Earth is su...
East Lothian
Unitary authority in southeast Scotland which was previously a district within Lothian region (1975–96) and a county until 1974. Area 677 sq km/261 sq mi Towns Haddington (administrative headquarters), North Berwick, Dunbar Physical area of contrasts, with coastal plains of cliffs, beaches a...
Easter Island
Chilean island in the south Pacific Ocean, part of the Polynesian group, about 3,500 km/2,200 mi west of Chile; area about 166 sq km/64 sq mi; population (1998 est) 2,000. The island consists of three extinct volcanoes, reaching a maximum altitude of 538 m/1,765 ft. It was first reached by Europeans on Easter Sunday 1722. On it ...
East Anglia
Region of eastern England, formerly a Saxon kingdom, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and parts of Essex and Cambridgeshire. Norwich is the principal city of East Anglia. The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, opened in 1978 at the University of East Anglia, has a collection of ethnographic art and sculpture. East Anglian ports such as Harwich and Felixs...
easement
In law, rights that a person may have over the land of another. A common example is a right of way; others are the right to bring water over another's land and the right to a sufficient quantity of light
earthquake
Click images to enlargeAbrupt motion of the Earth's surface. Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release in rocks of strain accumulated over time as a result of plate tectonics. The study of earthquakes is called seismology. Most earthquakes occur along faults (fractures or breaks) and Benioff zones. As two plates mo...
Early English
(architecture) In architecture, the first of the three periods of the English Gothic style, late 12th century to late 13th century. It is characterized by tall, elongated windows (lancets) without mullions (horizontal bars), often gro...
Earl Marshal
In England, one of the great officers of state. The king's marshal early became one of the chief officers of state, and, under the Norman and Plantagenet kings, a judge in the Courts of Chivalry. The Earl Marshal is now head of the College of Arms, through which he regulates all matters connected with armorial bearings and standards, and contro...
earl
In the British peerage, the third title in order of rank, coming between marquess and viscount; it is the oldest of British titles, deriving from the Anglo-Saxon post of ealdorman. For some time earls were called counts, and their wives are still called countesses. Earldoms first became hereditary during the Norman period, and the title of ...
Ealing
Outer borough of west Greater London; population (2001) 300,950. Local industries are engineering and chemicals. The borough was home to Ealing Studios, founded in 1929, the first British sound-film studios (`Ealing comedies` became a noted genre in British film-making). Historic buildings in Ealing include the 18th-centur...
earwig
Nocturnal insect of the order Dermaptera. The forewings are short and leathery and serve to protect the hindwings, which are large and are folded like a fan when at rest. Earwigs seldom fly. They have a pincerlike appendage in the rear. The male is distinguished by curved pincers; those of the female are straight. Earwigs are regarded as pests ...
earth
Electrical connection between an appliance and the ground. In the event of a fault in an electrical appliance, for example, involving connection between the live part of the circuit and the outer casing, the current flows to earth, causing no harm to the user. In most domestic installations, an earth is created by a connection to a metal water-...
earth science
Click images to enlargeScientific study of the planet Earth as a whole. The mining and extraction of minerals and gems, the prediction of weather and earthquakes, the pollution of the atmosphere, and the forces that shape the physical world all fall within its scope of study. The emergence of the discipline reflects scien...
East Germany
See Germany, East
East Timor
Country in southeast Asia, on the island of Timor in the Malay Archipelago. Government The 2002 constitution was modelled on that of Portugal and provides for a democratic parliamentary political system with a non-executive presidency. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The president has some veto powers, but has...
East India Company
(Dutch) Trading monopoly of the 17th and 18th centuries; see Dutch East India Company
Easter Rising
Click images to enlargeIn Irish history, a republican insurrection against the British government that began on Easter Monday, April 1916, in Dublin. The rising was organized by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), led by Patrick Pearse, along with sections of the Irish Volunteers and James Connolly's socialist Iri...
Eakins, Thomas
US painter, a leading realist. His most memorable subjects are medical and sporting scenes, characterized by strong contrasts between light and shade, as in his controversial The Gross Clinic (1875; Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia), a group portrait of a surgeon, his assistants, and students. In his later years he pai...
Ealing Studios
British film-producing company headed by Michael Balcon 1937–58. The studio made a distinctive series of comedies, which had an understated, self-deprecating humour, such as Passport to Pimlico, Kind Hearts and Coronets (which made English actor Alec Guinness an international film star), W...
Earhart, Amelia
US aviation pioneer and author, who in 1928 became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. With copilot Frederick Noonan, she attempted a round-the-world flight in 1937. Somewhere over the Pacific their plane disappeared. Born in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart worked as an army nurse and socia...
East Pakistan
Former province of Pakistan, now Bangladesh
Eastern Front
(World War II) Battlefront between the USSR and Germany during World War II. Initially running along the line of the Polish eastern border agreed between Germany and the Soviet Union in the Ribbentrop–Molotov pact 1939 (more or less where the border lies today), the front fluctuated wildl...
Earth Summit
International meetings aiming at drawing up measures for the environmental protection of the world. The first summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. Treaties were made to combat global warming and protect biodiversity (the latter was not signed by the USA). The second Earth Summit was held in New York in June 1997 to review prog...
Eastern Orthodox Church
See Orthodox Church
Eames
US designers. A husband-and-wife team, they worked together in California 1941–78. They created some of the most highly acclaimed furniture designs of the 20th century: a moulded plywood chair 1945–46; the Lounge Chair, a black leather-upholstered chair, 1956; and a fibreglass armchair 1950–53
East Indies
The Malay Archipelago; the Philippines are sometimes included. The term is also used to refer more generally to Southeast Asia
earnings
Pay including basic pay plus any additional payments such as overtime pay or bonus payments. For example, if a worker is paid £150 for his or her basic week, £20 for overtime work, a £10 bonus for regular attendance, and £15 as a productivity bonus, then the total earnings would be £195. Gross earnings are earnings before d...
Earthwork
(art) An artwork which involves the manipulation of the natural environment and/or the use of natural materials, such as earth, stones, or wood, largely a phenomenon of the late 1960s and 1970s. Although some were exhibited in galleries, most earthworks were vast and usually constructed on...
earthenware
Pottery made of porous clay and fired at relatively low temperatures of up to 1,200°C/2,200°F. It does not vitrify but remains porous, so will continue to absorb fluids. Earthenware may be unglazed (terracotta flowerpots, wine-coolers) or glazed to give a smooth, shiny, waterproof surface (most tableware); the glaze and body c...
early music
Music composed in previous periods. The meaning of the term has changed over the years: originally it referred to Western music composed from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. As the authenticity movement grew during the mid-20th century it came to include music of the baroque period as well. Today early music has no precise limit, ...
Eastern Cape
Click images to enlargeProvince of the Republic of South Africa from 1994, formerly part of Cape Province; area 170,616 sq km/65,875 sq mi; population (2000 est) 6,811,400. The capital is Bisho; the other main towns are East London, Port Elizabeth, and Grahamstown. Much of the terrain is elevated, with the...
East Riding of Yorkshire
Unitary authority in northern England created in 1996 from part of the former county of Humberside. Area 2,416 sq km/933 sq mi Towns Beverley (administrative headquarters), Driffield, Goole, Hornsea, Bridlington Features Humber Estuary to south of authority spanned by Humber Bridge (1981), the lo...
East Ayrshire
Unitary authority in southwest Scotland, created in 1996 from two districts of Strathclyde region. Area 1,269 sq km/490 sq mi Towns Kilmarnock (administrative headquarters), Cumnock, Stewarton, Galston, Crosshouse Physical predominantly low-lying and undulating in the north, mountainous towar...
East Dunbartonshire
Unitary authority in central Scotland, created in 1996 from two districts of Strathclyde region. Area 175 sq km/67 sq mi. Towns Kirkintilloch (administrative headquarters), Bearsden, Milngavie Physical low-lying lands to the south give way dramatically to the Campsie Fells in the north; E...
East Renfrewshire
Unitary authority in central Scotland, created in 1996 from part of Renfrew district in Strathclyde region. Area 174 sq km/67 sq mi Towns Barrhead, Giffnock (administrative headquarters), Newton Mearns, Clarkston Physical low-lying plateau rising from the plain of the River Clyde Industries e...
East India Company, British
Commercial company (1600–1858) that had a monopoly on trade between England and the Far East; see British East India Company
East German revolt
Rebellion by the workers against the communist policies of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) 16–19 June 1953. It was sparked by food shortages in spring 1953 and a subsequent 10% increase in the work norms, the amount of production required from each worker. A strike that broke out on 16 June spread to most of East Germany'...
Eastern Front
(World War I) Battlefront between Russia and Germany/Austria-Hungary during World War I. In 1914 it was effectively the borders of eastern Prussia/Russia, Germany/Poland, Galicia/Poland, and Galicia/Russia. In ...
East China Sea
See China Sea
earth colour
In art, a pigment that is found in its natural state in the earth. Earth colours include yellow, brown, and red ochres, raw sienna (yellowish-brown), raw umber (dark yellowish-brown), and terre-verte (greyish-green). Roasting will change the colour, for instance raw sienna becomes reddish-brown as burnt sienna, and raw umber a d...
easel
In art, an adjustable wooden or metal frame used to support a canvas or other artwork at an angled plane; easels are also used to hold blackboards, open books, and other items for display
earth leakage circuit breaker
Device for protecting electrical appliances from excess current. An earth wire connects the appliance from the plug point to a metal plate in the ground. If excess current flows through the appliance the current will flow through the earth wire in the plug and directly towards the metal plate in the ground. This is called the earth leakage current....
eating disorder
Any obsessive and abnormal eating pattern that has been adopted to cope with inner psychological or emotional stress. Eating disorders include anorexia (a disinclination to eat), bulimia (`binge` eating), and compulsive dieting. Methods used to control food intake may include fasting, purging, or the use of slimming pills, diuretics, or l...
Eboracum
Roman name for the English city of York. The archbishop of York signs himself `Ebor`
ebony
Any of a group of hardwood trees belonging to the ebony family, especially some tropical persimmons native to Africa and Asia. (Genus chiefly Diospyros, family Ebenaceae.)
ecliptic
Path, against the background of stars, that the Sun appears to follow each year as it is orbited by the Earth. It can be thought of as the plane of the Earth's orbit projected onto the celestial sphere. The ecliptic is tilted at about 23.5° with respect to the celestial equator, a result of the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the ...
eclipsing binary
Binary (double) star in which the two stars periodically pass in front of each other as seen from Earth. When one star crosses in front of the other the total light received on Earth from the two stars declines. The first eclipsing binary to be noticed was Algol
echidna
Toothless, egg-laying, spiny mammal of the order Monotremata, found in Australia and New Guinea. There are two species: Tachyglossus aculeatus, the short-nosed echidna, and the rarer Zaglossus bruijni, the long-nosed echidna. They feed entirely up...
ecology
Study of the relationship among organisms and the environments in which they live, including all living and nonliving components. The chief environmental factors governing the distribution of plants and animals are temperature, humidity, soil, light intensity, day length, food supply, and interaction with other organisms. The term ecology was coine...
ecosystem
Click images to enlargeIn ecology, a unit consisting of living organisms and the environment that they live in. A simple example of an ecosystem is a pond. The pond ecosystem includes all the pond plants and animals and also the water and other substances that make up the pond itself. Individual organisms interact with ea...
ectoparasite
Parasite that lives on the outer surface of its host
ectoplasm
Outer layer of a cell's cytoplasm, as opposed to the inner endoplasm
echolocation
Method used by certain animals, notably bats, whales, and dolphins, to detect the positions of objects by using sound. The animal emits a stream of high-pitched sounds, generally at ultrasonic frequencies (beyond the range of human hearing), and listens for the returning echoes reflected off objects to determine their exact location. The locati...
echinoderm
Marine invertebrate of the phylum Echinodermata (`spiny-skinned`), characterized by a five-radial symmetry. Echinoderms have a water-vascular system which transports substances around the body. They include starfishes (or sea stars), brittle-stars, sea lilies, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. The skeleton is external, made ...
ecdysis
Periodic shedding of the exoskeleton by insects and other arthropods to allow growth. Prior to shedding, a new soft and expandable layer is laid down underneath the existing one. The old layer then splits, the animal moves free of it, and the new layer expands and hardens
ectotherm
`Cold-blooded` animal (see poikilothermy), such as a lizard, that relies on external warmth (ultimately from the Sun) to raise its body temperature so that it can become active. To cool the body, ectotherms seek out a cooler environment
eccentricity
In geometry, a property of a conic section (circle, ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola). It is the distance of any point on the curve from a fixed point (the focus) divided by the distance of that point from a fixed line (the directrix). A circle has an eccentricity of zero; for an ellipse it is less than one; for a parabola it is equal to one...
ecumenical movement
Movement for reunification of the various branches, or denominations, of the Christian church. It began in the 19th century with the extension of missionary work to Africa and Asia, where the divisions created in Europe were incomprehensible and hindered the work of spreading the gospel. The movement gathered momentum in the 20th century, mainly fr...
economics
Social science devoted to studying the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth. It consists of the disciplines of microeconomics (the study of individual producers, consumers, or markets), and macroeconomics, (the study of whole economies or systems – in particular, areas such as taxation and public spending). Economics is the stud...
economic community
Organization of autonomous countries formed to promote trade. Examples include the European Union, which was formed as the European Community in 1957, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1973, Latin American Economic System in 1975, and Economic Community of Central African States in 1983
econometrics
Application of mathematical and statistical analysis to the study of economic relationships, including testing economic theories and making quantitative predictions
eczema
Inflammatory skin condition, a form of dermatitis, marked by dryness, rashes, itching, the formation of blisters, and the exudation of fluid. It may be allergic in origin and is sometimes complicated by infection
eclipse
Click images to enlargePassage of one astronomical body through the shadow of another. The term is usually used for solar and lunar eclipses. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun (which can happen only at new Moon), the Moon blocking the Sun's rays and casting a shadow on the Earth'...
echo sounder
Device that detects objects under water by means of sonar – by using reflected sound waves. Most boats are equipped with echo sounders to measure the water depth beneath them. An echo sounder consists of a transmitter, which emits an ultrasonic pulse, and a receiver, which detects the pulse after reflection from the seabed. The time between tr...
echo
Repetition of a sound wave, or of a radar or sonar signal, by reflection from a hard surface such as a wall or building. By accurately measuring the time taken for an echo to return to the transmitter, and by knowing the speed of a radar signal (the speed of light) or a sonar signal (the speed of sound in water), it is possible to calculate the ran...
EC
Former name (to 1993) of the European Union
ECU
A unit of account, the value of which depended on the underlying value of the constituent currencies of participating European Union states. The ECU, which was superseded by the euro on 1 January 1999, was not legal tender and was not represented by official banknotes and coins – unlike the euro which is a true currency in its own right
Ecuador
Click images to enlargeCountry in South America, bounded north by Colombia, east and south by Peru, and west by the Pacific Ocean. Government Ecuador has a multiparty limited presidential political system. As amended in 1998, the constitution provides for a president who is directly elected by universal suffrage for a fou...
