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

Antilles
Group of West Indian islands, divided north–south into the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti–Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) and Lesser Antilles, subdivided into the Leeward Islands (Virgin Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe) and the...

antimatter
In physics, form of matter in which most of the attributes (such as electrical charge, magnetic moment, and spin) of elementary particles are reversed. These antiparticles can be created in particle accelerators, such as those at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, and at Fermilab in the USA. In 1996 physicists at CERN created the first atoms of antimatte...

Antigone
In Greek mythology, the daughter of Jocasta by her son Oedipus. She is the subject of a tragedy by Sophocles

Antarctica
Click images to enlargeRegion lying south of the Antarctic Circle that includes the Antarctic continent surrounding the South Pole. Occupying 10% of the world's surface, in summer it is almost one-and-a-half times the size of the USA. Antarctica contains 90% of the world's ice, representing nea...

Antananarivo
Capital and administrative centre of Madagascar, on the interior plateau at a height of 1,250 m/4,100 ft, with a rail link to Toamasina (Tamatave), the chief port of the island; population (2001 est) 1,403,400. Industries include food processing, leather goods, clothing, wood pulp and paper manufacturing, and brewing. Antananarivo is the ho...

Antarctic Ocean
Popular name for the reaches of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans extending south of the Antarctic Circle (66° 32'S). The term is not used by the International Hydrographic Bureau

anticline
In geology, rock layers or beds folded to form a convex arch (seldom preserved intact) in which older rocks comprise the core. Where relative ages of the rock layers, or stratigraphic ages, are not known, convex upward folded rocks are referred to as antiforms. The fold of an anticline may be undulating or steeply curved. A steplike bend in otherwi...

anthropology
The study of humankind. It investigates the cultural, social, and physical diversity of the human species, both past and present. It is divided into two broad categories: biological or physical anthropology, which attempts to explain human biological variation from an evolutionary perspective; and the larger field of social or cultural anth...

Antichrist
In Christian theology, the opponent of Christ. The appearance of the Antichrist was believed to signal the Second Coming, at which Christ would conquer his opponent. The concept may stem from the idea of conflict between Light and Darkness, present in Persian, Babylonian, and Jewish literature, which influenced early Christian thought. The Antichri...

anthrax
Disease of livestock, occasionally transmitted to humans, usually via infected hides and fleeces. It may also be used as a weapon in biological warfare. It develops as black skin pustules or severe pneumonia. Treatment is possible with antibiotics, and vaccination is effective. Anthrax is caused by a bacillus (Bacillus anthracis)...

Annunciation
In the New Testament, the announcement to Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she was to be the mother of Christ; the feast of the Annunciation is 25 March (also known as Lady Day)

Anshan
City in Liaoning province, 89 km/55 mi southeast of Shenyang; population (2000) 1,389,700. The iron and steel centre started here in 1918 was expanded by the Japanese, dismantled by the Russians, and restored by the communist government of China. It produces some 8 million tonnes of steel annually. Other products include chemicals, tractors...

anno Domini
In the Christian chronological system, refers to dates since the birth of Jesus, denoted by the letters AD. There is no year 0, so AD 1 follows immediately after the year 1 BC (before Christ). The system became the standard reckoning in the Western world after being adopted by English historian Bede in the 8th century. The abbreviations CE (Common ...

Anne of Cleves
Fourth wife of Henry VIII of England, whom she married in 1540. She was the daughter of the Duke of Cleves, and was recommended to Henry as a wife by Thomas Cromwell, who wanted an alliance with German Protestantism against the Holy Roman Empire. Henry did not like her looks, had the marriage declared void after six months, pensioned her, and had C...

Anne, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Princess of the UK, second child of Queen Elizabeth II, declared Princess Royal in 1987. She is actively involved in global charity work, especially for children. An excellent horse rider, she won the European Eventing Championship at the age of 21 and competed in the 1976 Olympics. She was married to Capt Mark Phillips (1949– ) 1973–...

Anne of Denmark
Queen consort of James VI of Scotland (from 1603 James I of England). She was the daughter of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway, and married James in 1589. She bore him five children, two of whom survived: Charles I and Elizabeth of Bohemia. Anne was suspected of Catholic leanings and was notably extravagant but seems to have had little influe...

Anne
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1702–14. She was the second daughter of James, Duke of York, who became James II, and his first wife, Anne Hyde, daughter of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. She succeeded William III in 1702. Events of her reign include the War of the Spanish Succession, Marlborough's victories at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oud...

Annapurna
Click images to enlargeMountain 8,075 m/26,502 ft in the Himalayas, Nepal. The north face was first climbed by a French expedition (Maurice Herzog) in 1950 and the south by a British team in 1970

Ankara
Click images to enlargeCapital of Turkey and the country's second-largest city after Istanbul; population (2003 est) 3,456,100, urban agglomeration 3,582,000. Industries include cement, food products, wine, farm machinery, iron and steel, electronics, textiles, and leather products. Grains, vegetables, and fru...

Annam
Former country of Southeast Asia, incorporated in Vietnam in 1946 as Central Vietnam. Its capital was Hué. A Bronze Age civilization was flourishing in the area when China conquered it in about 111 BC. The Chinese named their conquest An-Nam, `peaceful south`. Independent from 1428, Annam signed a treaty with France in 1787 and b...

Anjou
Former province of northern France. Its capital was Angers, and it is now covered by the département of Maine-et-Loire and parts of Indre-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe. In 1154 the count of Anjou became king of England as Henry II, but in 1204 the territory was...

animism
In anthropology, the belief that everything, whether animate or inanimate, possesses a soul or spirit. It is a fundamental system of belief in certain religions, particularly those of some pre-industrial societies. Linked with this is the worship of natural objects such as stones and trees, thought to harbour spirits (naturism); fetishism&#...

Anguilla
Island in the eastern Caribbean; area 160 sq km/62 sq mi; population (2000 est) 11,800. Anguilla is a popular tourist destination because of its white-coral sand beaches. However, 80% of its coral reef has been lost as a result of tourism (pollution and souvenir sales). Its main e...

Anhui
Province of eastern China, bounded to the north by Shandong, to the east by Jiangsu, to the southeast by Zhejiang, to the south by Jiangxi, to the southwest by Hubei, and to the northwest by Henan provinces; area 139,900 sq km/54,000 sq mi; population (2000 est) 62,370,000. The province consists mainly of alluvial lowlands, both of the ...

Angry Young Men
Journalistic term applied to a loose group of British writers who emerged in the 1950s after the creative hiatus that followed World War II. They revolted against the prevailing social mores, class distinction, and `good taste`. Their dissatisfaction was expressed in works such as Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim (1954), J...

Angora
Earlier form of Ankara, Turkey, which gave its name to the Angora goat (see mohair), and hence to other species of long-haired animal, such as the Angora rabbit (a native of the island of Madeira) and the Angora cat. Angora `wool` from these animals has long, smooth fibres, and the demand for the fibre has led to wool farming in Europ...

Anglo-Saxon
One of several groups of Germanic invaders (including Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) that conquered much of Britain between the 5th and 7th centuries. Initially they established conquest kingdoms, commonly referred to as the Heptarchy; these were united in the early 9th century under the overlordship of Wessex. The Norman invasion in 1066 brought A...

Anglican communion
Family of Christian churches including the Church of England, the US Episcopal Church, and those holding the same essential doctrines, that is the Lambeth Quadrilateral 1888 Holy Scripture as the basis of all doctrine, the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, and the historic episcopate. The Anglican communion includes ...

Anglesey
(Wales) Island and unitary authority off the northwest coast of Wales. Area 720 sq km/278 sq mi (34 km/21 mi long and 31 km/19 mi broad) Towns Llangefni (administrative headquarters), Holyhead, Beaumaris, Amlwch Physical c...

Angkor
Site of the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire in northwestern Cambodia, north of Tonle Sap. The remains date mainly from the 10th to 12th centuries, and comprise temples originally dedicated to the Hindu gods, shrines associated with Theravada Buddhism, and royal palaces. Many are grouped within the enclosure called Angkor Thom, but the great tem...

Angers
Ancient French city and administrative centre of Maine-et-Loire département, situated on the River Maine just north of its conjunction with the Loire and just south of its conjunction with the Mayenne; population (1999) 151,300. Its main products include electrical...

Angelico, Fra
Italian painter. He was a monk, active in Florence, and painted religious scenes. His series of frescoes at the monastery of San Marco, Florence, was begun after 1436. He also produced several altarpieces in a style characterized by a delicacy of line and colour. Fra Angelico joined the Dominican order in about 1420. After his novitiate, he resumed...

angel
(religion) In Jewish, Christian, and Muslim belief, a supernatural being intermediate between God and humans. The Christian hierarchy has nine orders, from the top down: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones (who contemplate God and reflect his glory), Dominations, Virtues, Powers (who regulate the ...

Andromache
In Greek mythology, the loyal wife of Hector and mother of Astyanax. After the fall of Troy she was awarded to Neoptolemus, Achilles' son; she later married a Trojan seer called Helenus. Andromache is the heroine of Homer's Iliad and the subject of a play by Euripides

Andrew, St
New Testament apostle and patron saint of Scotland and Greece. According to tradition, he went with John to Ephesus, preached in Scythia, and was martyred at Patrai in Greece on an X-shaped cross (St Andrew's cross). His feast day is 30 November. Andrew was a native of Bethsaida, and Simon Peter's brother. With Peter, James, and John, w...

Andrea del Sarto
Italian Renaissance painter. Active in Florence, he was one of the finest portraitists and religious painters of his time. His frescoes in Florence, such as the Birth of the Virgin (1514; Sta Annunziata), rank among the greatest of the Renaissance. His style is serene and noble, characteristic of High Renaissance art. Andrea ...

Andhra Pradesh
State in east central India; area 276,814 sq km/106,878 sq mi; population (2001 est) 75,727,500. The main cities and towns are Hyderabad (capital), Secunderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinda, Guntur, and Nellore. The state is situated on coastal plains with extensive river valleys (Krishna and Godavari) reaching into the Eastern G...

Andes
Click images to enlargeGreat mountain system or cordillera that forms the western fringe of South America, extending through some 67° of latitude and the republics of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. It is the longest mountain range in the world, 8,000 km/5,000 mi, and its peaks ...

Andersen, Hans Christian
Click images to enlargeDanish writer of fairy tales. Examples include `The Ugly Duckling`, `The Snow Queen`, `The Little Mermaid`, and `The Emperor's New Clothes`. Their inventiveness, sensitivity, and strong sense of wonder have given these stories perennial and universal appea...

Andalusia
Autonomous community of southern Spain, including the provinces of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, and Seville; area 87,268 sq km/33,694 sq mi; population (2001 est) 7,404,000. The Guadalquivir River flows through Andalusia, which is bounde...

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Two groups of islands in the Bay of Bengal, 1,200 km/745 mi off the east coast of India, forming a Union Territory of the Republic of India; capital Port Blair; area 8,293 sq km/3,202 sq mi; population (2001 est) 356,300. Many of the islands are densely forested but the economy is based mainly on agriculture, with rice, maize, c...

Ancona
(town) Italian city, naval base and ferry port; capital of Marche region, situated on the Adriatic Sea 140 km/87 mi northeast of Rome; population (2001) 100,500. There are shipbuilding, chemical, fishing, and engineering industries here. Ancona has a Romanesque cathedral and a form...

anthracite
Hard, dense, shiny variety of coal, containing over 90% carbon and a low percentage of ash and impurities, which causes it to burn without flame, smoke, or smell. Because of its purity, anthracite gives off relatively little sulphur dioxide when burnt. Anthracite gives intense heat, but is slow-burning and slow to light; it is therefore...

Anouilh, Jean
French dramatist. His plays, which are often studies in the contrast between purity and cynical worldliness, include Antigone (1944), L'Invitation au château/Ring Round the Moon (1947), Colombe (1950), and Becket (1959), about St Thomas à Becket and Henry ...

anise
Mediterranean plant belonging to the carrot family, with small creamy-white flowers in clusters; its fragrant seeds, similar to liquorice in taste, are used to flavour foods. Aniseed oil is used in cough medicines. (Pimpinella anisum, family Umbelliferae.)

angelica
Any of a group of tall, perennial herbs with divided leaves and clusters of white or greenish flowers, belonging to the carrot family. Most are found in Europe and Asia. The roots and fruits have long been used in cooking and in medicine. (Genus Angelica, family Umbelliferae.)

Antares
Brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and the 15th-brightest star in the night sky. It is a red supergiant several hundred times larger than the Sun and perhaps 10,000 times as luminous. It lies about 420 light years away from the Sun, and varies in brightness

Andromeda galaxy
Galaxy 2.2 million light years away from Earth in the constellation Andromeda, and the most distant object visible to the naked eye. It is the largest member of the Local Group of galaxies. Like the Milky Way, it is a spiral orbited by several companion galaxies but contains about twice as many stars as the Milky Way. It is about 200,000 light year...

Andromeda
(astronomy) Major constellation of the northern hemisphere, visible in autumn. Its main feature is the Andromeda galaxy. The star Alpha Andromedae forms one corner of the Square of Pegasus. It is named after the princess of Greek mythology

aniline
One of the simplest aromatic chemicals (a substance related to benzene, with its carbon atoms joined in a ring). When pure, it is a colourless oily liquid; it has a characteristic odour, and turns brown on contact with air. It occurs in coal tar, and is used in the rubber industry and to make drugs and dyes. It is highly poisonous. Aniline was ...

Antarctic Territory, Australian
Islands and territories south of 60° south, between 160° and 45° east longitude, excluding Adélie Land; area 6,044,000 sq km/2,333,600 sq mi of land and 75,800 sq km/29,259 sq mi of ice shelf. The population on the Antarctic continent is limited to scientific personnel

anthropoid
Any primate belonging to the suborder Anthropoidea, including monkeys, apes, and humans

animal
Member of the kingdom Animalia, one of the major categories of living things, the science of which is zoology. Animals are all multicellular heterotrophs (they obtain their energy from organic substances produced by other organisms); they have eukaryotic cells (the genetic material is contained within a distinct nucleus) which are bounded by a ...

androgen
General name for any male sex hormone, of which testosterone is the most important. They are all steroids and are principally involved in the production of male secondary sexual characteristics (such as beard growth)

antler
`Horn` of a deer, often branched, and made of bone rather than horn. Antlers, unlike true horns, are shed and regrown each year. Reindeer of both sexes grow them, but in all other types of deer, only the males have antlers. During growth the antler is covered by a sensitive, hairy skin, kno...

antherozoid
Motile (or independently moving) male gamete produced by algae, bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), pteridophytes (ferns, club mosses, and horsetails), and some gymnosperms (notably the cycads). Antherozoids are formed in an antheridium and, after being released, swim by means of one or more flagella, to the female gametes. Higher plants have nonmo...

anther
In a flower, the terminal part of a stamen in which the pollen grains are produced. It is usually borne on a slender stalk or filament, and has two lobes, each containing two chambers, or pollen sacs, within which the pollen is formed

antheridium
Organ producing the male gametes, antherozoids, in algae, bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), and pteridophytes (ferns, club mosses, and horsetails). It may be either single-celled, as in most algae, or multicellular, as in bryophytes and pteridophytes

androecium
Male part of a flower, comprising a number of stamens

anemophily
Type of pollination in which the pollen is carried on the wind. Anemophilous flowers are usually unscented, have either very reduced petals and sepals or lack them altogether, and do not produce nectar. In some species they are borne in catkins. Male and female reproductive structures are commonly found in separate flowers. The male flowers have nu...

annual plant
Plant that completes its life cycle within one year, during which time it germinates, grows to maturity, bears flowers, produces seed, and then dies

anticoagulant
Substance that inhibits the formation of blood clots. Common anticoagulants are heparin, produced by the liver and some white blood cells, and derivatives of coumarin, such as warfarin. Anticoagulants are used medically in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and heart attacks. Anticoagulant substances are also produced by blood-feeding a...

antenna
(zoology) In zoology, an appendage (`feeler`) on the head. Insects, centipedes, and millipedes each have one pair of antennae but there are two pairs in crustaceans, such as shrimps. In insects, the antennae are involved with the senses of smell and touch; they are frequently com...

anaerobic
Not requiring oxygen for the release of energy from food molecules such as glucose. An organism is described as anaerobic if it does not require oxygen in order to survive. Instead, anaerobic organisms use anaerobic respiration to obtain energy from food. Most anaerobic organisms are micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and internal parasi...

angle
Click images to enlargeIn mathematics, the amount of turn or rotation; it may be defined by a pair of rays (half-lines) that share a common endpoint (vertex) but do not lie on the same line. Angles are measured in degrees (°) or radians (rads or ^c) – a complete turn or circle being...

analysis
(mathematics) Branch of mathematics concerned with limiting processes on axiomatic number systems; calculus of variations and infinitesimal calculus is now called analysis

analytical geometry
Another name for coordinate geometry

antipyretic
Any drug, such as aspirin, used to reduce fever

anti-emetic
Any substance that counteracts nausea or vomiting

antidepressant
Any drug used to relieve symptoms in depressive illness. The main groups are the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the tricyclic antidepressants (TCADs), and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). They all act by altering chemicals available to the central nervous system. All may produce serious side effects

antacid
Any substance that neutralizes stomach acid, such as sodium hydrogencarbonate (sodium bicarbonate) or magnesium hydroxide (`milk of magnesia`). Antacids are weak bases, swallowed as solids or emulsions. They may be taken between meals to relieve symptoms of hyperacidity, such as pain, bloating, nausea, and `heartburn`. Excessive...

andesite
Volcanic igneous rock, intermediate in silica content between rhyolite and basalt. It is characterized by a large quantity of feldspar minerals, giving it a light colour. Andesite erupts from volcanoes at destructive plate margins (where one plate of the Earth's surface moves beneath another; see plate tectonics), including the Andes, from ...

Antarctic Circle
Imaginary line that encircles the South Pole at latitude 66° 32' S. The line encompasses the continent of Antarctica and the Antarctic Ocean. The region south of this line experiences at least one night in the southern summer during which the Sun never sets, and at least one day in the southern winter during which the Sun never rises

Anglo-Saxon language
Group of dialects, also known as Old English, spoken between the 5th and 12th centuries by peoples of Saxon origin who invaded and settled in central and southern England in the 5th–7th centuries; thus the term properly does not include the language of the Angles who settled in the areas to the north. See Old English; Old English liter...

analogue computer
Computing device that performs calculations through the interaction of continuously varying physical quantities, such as voltages (as distinct from the more common digital computer, which works with discrete quantities). An analogue computer is said to operate in real time (corresponding to time in the real world), and can therefore be used to moni...

Anubis
In Egyptian mythology, the jackal-headed god of the dead, son of Osiris. Anubis presided over the funeral cult, including the weighing of the heart and embalming, and led the dead to judgement

antibiotic
Drug that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi. The earliest antibiotics, the penicillins, came into use from 1941 and were quickly joined by chloramphenicol, the cephalosporins, erythromycins, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. A range of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the 4-quinolones, was developed in 1989, of which ciproflox...

anode
The positive electrode in an electrolytic cell (see electrolysis), thermionic valve, cathode ray tube, or similar device, towards which negative particles are attracted. The negative particles originate from the cathode. In these cases the flow of electrons is out of the device at the anode. The term is also inconsistently applied in some other cas...

angina
Severe pain in the chest due to impaired blood supply to the heart muscle because a coronary artery is narrowed. Faintness and difficulty in breathing accompany the pain. Treatment is by drugs such as nitroglycerin and amyl nitrate or bypass surgery

annealing
Controlled cooling of a material to increase ductility and strength. The process involves first heating a material (usually glass or metal) for a given time at a given temperature, followed by slow cooling. It is a common form of heat treatment. Normalizing is a type of annealing where a metal is heated to a point above its critical temperature bef...

Anderson, Elizabeth Garrett
English physician, the first English woman to qualify in medicine. In 1859 Anderson met the US doctor Elizabeth Blackwell, who inspired her to become a doctor. Unable to attend medical school because of the legal bar on women entering university, Anderson studied privately and was licensed by the Society of Apothecaries in London in 1865. She set u...

ancestor worship
Religious rituals and beliefs oriented towards deceased members of a family or group as a symbolic expression of values or in the belief that the souls of the dead remain involved in this world and are capable of influencing current events

Anatolia
Asian part of Turkey, consisting of a mountainous peninsula with the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south

anaemia
Condition caused by a shortage of haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells. The main symptoms are fatigue, pallor, breathlessness, palpitations, and poor resistance to infection. Treatment depends on the cause. Anaemia arises either from abnormal loss or defective production of haemoglobin. Excessive loss occurs, for instan...

Angle
Member of the Germanic tribe that occupied the Schleswig-Holstein district of North Germany known as Angeln. The Angles, or Angli, invaded Britain after the Roman withdrawal in the 5th century and settled in East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. The name `England` (Angleland) is derived from this tribe. See Anglo-Saxon

anticyclone
Area of high atmospheric pressure caused by descending air, which becomes warm and dry. Winds radiate from a calm centre, taking a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and an anticlockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. Anticyclones are characterized by clear weather and the absence ...

Anne of Austria
Queen of France from 1615 and regent 1643–61. Daughter of Philip III of Spain, she married Louis XIII of France (whose chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, worked against her). On her husband's death she became regent for their son, Louis XIV, until his majority

anarchism
Political philosophy that society should have no government, laws, police, or other authority, but should be a free association of all its members. It does not mean `without order`, but believes that order can be achieved by cooperation. Anarchism is essentially a pacifist movement and should not be confused with nihilism (a purely negati...

analgesic
Agent for relieving pain. Opiates alter the perception or appreciation of pain and are effective in controlling `deep` visceral (internal) pain. Non-opiates, such as aspirin, paracetamol, and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), relieve musculoskeletal pain and reduce inflammation in soft tissues. Pain is felt when elect...

anaesthetic
Drug that produces loss of sensation or consciousness; the resulting state is anaesthesia, in which the patient is insensitive to stimuli. Anaesthesia may also happen as a result of nerve disorder. Ever since the first successful operation in 1846, on a patient rendered unconscious by ether, advances have been aimed at increasing safety and con...

anabolic steroid
Any hormone of the steroid group that stimulates muscular tissue growth. Its use in medicine is limited to the treatment of some anaemias and breast cancers; it may help to break up blood clots. Side effects include aggressive behaviour, masculinization in women, and, in children, reduced height

Antrim
(county) Historic county of Northern Ireland, occupying the northeastern corner of Northern Ireland, with a coastal eastern boundary; area 2,830 sq km/1,092 sq mi. The principal towns and cities are Belfast, Larne (port), Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Lisburn, and Carrickfergus. The c...

Antwerp
(town) Port in Belgium on the River Schelde, capital of the province of Antwerp, 43 km/27 mi north of Brussels; population (2003 est) 450,000, urban agglomeration 952,600. A commercial and financial centre, it is Belgium's second city and the largest town in Flanders, the Flemish&#...

Anyang
City in Henan province, east China; population (1994) 1,038,000. It lies on the Beijing–Guangzhou railway. Iron- and steel-smelting are the principal industries, using local coal and iron ore from the nearby Hanxing mining area, and the Hebi coalmining complex. Engineering and the manufacture of textiles are also important. The cit...

Anzac
General term for all troops of both countries serving in World War I, particularly one who fought at Gallipoli, and to some extent in World War II. It began as a code name based on the initials of the Corps in January 1915. The term may also be used generally of any Australian or New Zealand soldier, though `digger` is more usual

Anzio, Battle of
In World War II, the beachhead invasion of Italy 22 Jan–23 May 1944 by Allied troops; failure to use information gained by deciphering German codes (see Ultra) led to Allied troops being stranded temporarily after German attacks. Allied troops were held on the beachhead for five months before the breakthrough after Monte Cassino allowed th...

aneroid barometer
Kind of barometer

anodizing
Process that increases the resistance to corrosion of a metal, such as aluminium, by building up a protective oxide layer on the surface. The natural corrosion resistance of aluminium is provided by a thin film of aluminium oxide; anodizing increases the thickness of this film and thus the corrosion protection. It is so called because the metal...

antifreeze
Substance added to a water-cooling system (for example, that of a car) to prevent it freezing in cold weather

anion
Ion carrying a negative charge. An anion is formed from an atom by the gain of electrons, a process known as ionic bonding. Non-metallic elements form anions. During electrolysis, anions in the electrolyte move towards the anode (positive electrode). An electrolyte, such as the salt zinc chloride (ZnCl₂), is dissociated i...