The International Man's Glossary A-Z

"Something about everything!"

Created and maintained by KIM WEISS. As of Friday, May 18, 2012: 6646 entries.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- A -

3 (number):

3 (three) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4.

In religion: there are three main Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism; many world religions contain triple deities or concepts of trinity, including: the Christian Holy Trinity; three people (including Jesus) were crucified at the Crucifixion; the three Theological virtues referred to 1 Corinthians 13; in Roman Catholicism, a group of three martyrs, collectively known as Faith, Hope and Charity (named after the Theological Virtues); also in Roman Catholic doctrine, there are three realms of the afterlife: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory (Limbo is regarded as hypothetical); the three members of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the Wise Men who visited Jesus after His birth left Him three gifts; the Hindu Trimurti and Tridevi; the Three Jewels of Buddhism; the Three Pure Ones of Taoism.

7 (number):

7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8; 7 oceans; 7 seas; Atomic Number 7: a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues; T. E. Lawrence's 7 pillars of wisdom; William Shakespeare's 7 ages of man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, "sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything";

Classical antiquity: 7 emperors: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Galba, Hadrian, Nerva, Sallust and Vespasian; 7 hills of Rome; 7 liberal arts and 7 wonders of the ancient world.

Mathematics: the fourth prime number; a happy number.

Religion: the Number Seven in the 7 days of Creation is typological and the Number Seven appears commonly elsewhere in the Bible; 7 deadly sins; 7 virtues.

8-Thousander:

The Eight-Thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia.

List of eight-thousanders: Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I (aka Hidden Peak or K5), Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II (aka K4), Shishapangma.

9/11:

September 11, 2001, the date on which two hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City and another into the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner crashed in open land in Pennsylvania.

13 (number):

13 (thirteen) is the natural number following 12 and preceding 14. It is the smallest number with eight letters in its name spelled out in English. It is also the first of the teens – the numbers 13 through 19 – the ages of teenagers.

Unlucky 13: the number 13 is considered to be an unlucky number in some countries; Friday the 13th has been considered the unluckiest day of the month; at Jesus Christ's last supper, there were thirteen people around the table, counting Christ and the twelve apostles; on Friday the 13th of October, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar.

19th Hole:

The Nineteenth Hole is a slang term used in golf, generally referring to a pub, bar, or restaurant on or near the golf course, very often the clubhouse itself. A standard round of golf has only eighteen holes, so golfers will say they are at the 'Nineteenth Hole', meaning they are enjoying a drink after the game. The concept is similar to Après-ski in skiing.

21 Grams Theory:

In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall weighed six patients while they were in the process of dying from tuberculosis in an old age home. He took his results (a varying amount of perceived mass loss in most of the six cases) to support his hypothesis that the soul had mass, and when the soul departed the body, so did this mass. The determination of the soul weighing 21 grams was based on the average loss of mass in the six patients.

MacDougall's results have never been reproduced. Nonetheless, MacDougall's finding that the human soul weighed 21 Grams has become a meme in the public consciousness, mostly due to its claiming the titular thesis in the 2003 film 21 Grams.

404 Not Found:

404 Not Found status code definition: the server has not found anything matching the Request-URI. No indication is given of whether the condition is temporary or permanent. The 410 (Gone) status code should be used if the server knows, through some internally configurable mechanism, that an old resource is permanently unavailable and has no forwarding address. This status code is commonly used when the server does not wish to reveal exactly why the request has been refused, or when no other response is applicable.

501(c)(3) Organization:

501(c)(3) exemptions apply to corporations, and any community chest, fund, cooperating association or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, to promote the arts, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

555 (telephone number):

Telephone numbers with the prefix 555 are widely used for fictitious telephone numbers in North American television shows, films, computer games, and other media.

Not all numbers that begin with 555 are fictional - for example, 555-1212 is one of the standard numbers for directory assistance throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are now specifically reserved for fictional use; the other numbers have been released for actual assignment.

$64,000 Question:

The $64,000 Question was an American game show broadcast from 1955-1958, which became embroiled in the scandals involving TV quiz shows of the day.

The phrase the $64,000 Question remains as an idiom. Its definition is loose, but it usually means the crucial or essential question. Something referred to as the $64,000 Question is usually an important issue whose outcome can’t be foreseen and on which much hinges.

A and B Shares:

In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, almost all shares in a public company have equal rights. But in some countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, companies can issue two different kinds of shares, A and B Shares. B Shares are frequently issued to members of a firm's founding family, and each one has the same voting rights as several A Shares. A and B Shares inevitably have a different market value, although it is surprising what a small value investors put on voting rights.

A Capella:

Singing without instrumental accompaniment.

A Human Waldo:

See: Waldo.

À la Carte:

With a separate price for each item on the menu.

À la Mode:

In the current fashion or style.

A-List:

A list or group of the most admired or desirable people, as for a job or social gathering.

The A-List is a term that alludes to major movie stars, and / or the most bankable in the Hollywood movie industry.

The A-List is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood: The Ulmer Scale.

See also: the D-list.

À Propos:

At the right time; opportunely.

By the way: used to introduce a remark.

A Walk in the Park:

Means something easy to do.

AA:

Short for: Alcoholics Anonymous. AA is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol, and subsequently maintain their sobriety. AA suggests members to completely abstain from alcohol, regularly attend meetings with other members, and follow its program to help each other with their common purpose; to help members "stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." AA created the twelve-step program used by similar recovery groups like Al-Anon, an auxiliary group for friends and family members of alcoholics; and Narcotics Anonymous, a group for substance abusers who may or may not also identify as alcoholics. Although AA's attrition rates are high, it can be effective as a treatment for alcoholism.

AAA:

Triple A, the highest classification that an individual, a company or country can receive from a credit-rating agency, e.g. Standard & Poor's.

Abattoir:

A slaughterhouse.

Abdicate:

To relinquish formally a high office or responsibility.

ABH:

Short for: Actual Bodily Harm.

Ability:

The quality of being able to do something, especially the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to accomplish something.

The quality of being suitable for or receptive to a specified treatment; capacity.

Aboveboard:

Without deceit or trickery; straightforward.

Abracadabra:

A spoken formula, used especially by conjurors.

A magical charm or incantation having the power to ward off disease or disaster.

Foolish or unintelligible talk.

ABS:

Short for: Anti-Lock Braking System. ABS (from the German: Antiblockiersystem) is a safety system which prevents the wheels on a motor vehicle from locking while braking.

Absolution:

The act of absolving or the state of being absolved.

The formal remission of sin imparted by a priest, as in the sacrament of penance.

Abstract:

Considered apart from concrete existence.

Not applied or practical; theoretical.

Difficult to understand; abstruse.

Thought of or stated without reference to a specific instance.

Academic:

A member of an institution of higher learning.

Theoretical or speculative without a practical purpose or intention; having no practical purpose or use.

Academic Question:

A query which has an interesting answer but is of no practical use or importance.

Accent:

Distinctive manner of oral expression.

Accessory:

A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct.

Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result.

Accolade:

A tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction.

Accommodation:

The act of Accommodating or the state of being accommodated; adjustment.

Something that meets a need; a convenience.

Room and board; lodgings.

Accomodation Address:

See: maildrops and serviced offices.

Accompaniment:

Music: a vocal or instrumental part that supports another, often solo, part.

Something added for embellishment, completeness, or symmetry; complement.

Accomplishment:

Something completed successfully; an achievement.

An acquired skill or expertise.

Accord:

To be in agreement, unity, or harmony.

Accountability:

Responsibility to someone or for some activity.

Accounts:

The financial records of a company's transactions kept according to the principles of double-entry book-keeping. For every debit there is an equal and opposite credit. There are a number of different types of accounts.

Accrued Interest:

Interest that has been earned but not yet paid. If interest on a bank deposit is paid every six months, then five months after the last payment five-sixths of the next interest payment can be said to have accrued. None of it, however, will be paid for another month.

Achievement:

The act of accomplishing or finishing.

Something accomplished successfully, especially by means of exertion, skill, practice, or perseverance.

Achilles' Heel:

A seemingly small but actual mortal weakness.

See history of origin here.

Acknowledgement:

The act of admitting or owning to something.

Recognition of another's existence, validity, authority, or right.

An answer or response in return for something done.

An expression of thanks or a token of appreciation.

A formal declaration made to authoritative witnesses to ensure legal validity.

Acme:

Acme (Greek: the peak, zenith, prime) denotes the best of something.

Acoustics:

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of sound, ultrasound and infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids). A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician. The application of Acoustics in technology is called acoustical engineering. There is often much overlap and interaction between the interests of acousticians and acoustical engineers.

Acquaintance:

Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.

Knowledge or information about something or someone.

Acquisition:

The purchase by one company of a controlling interest in another; an alternative to organic growth for any company in a hurry to become bigger. Acquisitions can be friendly - when both companies reach agreement about a deal and it is called a merger - or hostile, when some shareholders and/or the management resist the attempt to buy them.

Acronym:

Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name.

Visit: AcronymFinder - find definitions for more than 5 million Acronyms abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms.

Acrophobia:

An abnormal fear of high places.

Across-the-Board:

Including or applying to all categories or members.

Act:

The process of doing or performing something.

A product, such as a statute, decree, or enactment, resulting from a decision by a legislative or judicial body.

One of the major divisions of a play or opera.

To play the part of; assume the dramatic role of.

Act of God:

Act of God is a legal term for events outside of human control, such as sudden floods or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.

Action:

The state or process of acting or doing.

Something done or accomplished; a deed.

Organized activity to accomplish an objective.

A movement or a series of movements, as of an actor.

Habitual or vigorous activity; energy.

The series of events and episodes that form the plot of a story or play.

Law: a judicial proceeding whose purpose is to obtain relief at the hands of a court.

The most important or exciting work or activity in a specific field or area.

Active:

Being in physical motion.

Functioning or capable of functioning.

Being in a state of action; not quiescent.

Marked by or involving direct participation.

Producing an intended action or effect.

Activity:

The state of being active.

A specified pursuit in which a person partakes; an educational process or procedure intended to stimulate learning through actual experience.

Actor's Actor:

An Actor’s Actor is someone who defers to the director for his vision of what he wants to present and then internalizes it, thus projecting it on screen in one’s own mould. The audience is drawn into the character, almost forgetting the actor and living vicariously in the role as projected on screen after careful home work and nuanced juxtaposition of real life character studies in imaginative situations. These are the actors every other aspiring actor wants to act like on screen.

Actuary:

A person who calculates the risk associated with various kinds of long-term insurance policies. In particular, an actuary calculates the probability that someone of a specific age and profile will die within a given period of time. Actuaries are disparagingly said to be people who find accounting too exciting.

Acupuncture:

Stimulation of specific "energy points" on the body by the insertion of small, fine needles. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment commonly used to relieve pain.

ACV:

Short for: Air-Cushion Vehicle. A Hovercraft or Air-Cushion Vehicle (ACV) is a craft designed to travel over any smooth surface supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air, ejected downwards against the surface below, and contained within a "skirt." Hovercraft are used throughout the world as a method of specialized transport wherever there is the need to travel over multiple types of surfaces. Because they are supported by a cushion of air, hovercraft are unique among all forms of ground transportation in their ability to travel equally well over land, ice, and water. Small hovercraft are often used in physical activity, combustion, or passenger service, while giant hovercraft have been built for civilian and military applications to transport cars, tanks, and large equipment into difficult or hostile environments and terrain.

AD:

See: Anno Domini.

Ad Acta:

To archives. Not actual any more.

Ad Exchange:

Ad Exchanges are technology platforms for buying and selling online ad impressions.

Ad Hoc:

For the specific purpose, case, or situation at hand and for no other.

Improvised and often impromptu.

Ad Lib:

To improvise and deliver extemporaneously.

Ad Libitum:

Without advance preparation; often shortened to: ad lib.

Music: at the discretion of the performer. Used chiefly as a direction giving license to alter or omit a part.

Ad Valorem:

Something (such as tax) that is based on the value of goods and not on their quantity. Thus VAT is an ad valorem tax; so too is sales tax in the United States. A fixed-sum tax levied on the owner of a car is not since it bears no relation to the value of the car or the use that it makes of the roads.

Adage:

A saying that sets forth a general truth and that has gained credit through long use.

See also: proverb.

Added Value:

The concept behind value added tax (VAT); the idea that value is added to goods and services at many discrete stages during their production. VAT seeks to tax that value at each of those stages.

Addendum:

Something that is added to a contract as an afterthought.

Something added or to be added, especially a supplement to a book.

Addiction:

Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance.

The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.

Adfix:

A type of affix, which is attached to the outside of a stem (an existing word), to form a new word.

ADHD or AD/HD:

Short for: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Usually first diagnosed in childhood (mostly in boys), that is characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and, in some cases, hyperactivity.

Adjournment:

The brief postponement of a meeting in midstream. A board meeting, for example, might be adjourned for lunch. If an adjournement lasts longer than a few hours, the meeting has to be brought to a proper close and reconvened at another time.

Administrative Office:

An Administrative Office is frequently located in a country other than that of the headquarters office, the parent company or a country of operation. The role of such an Administrative Office may be to co-ordinate international or regional activities, to provide particular services (such as management analysis, financial or other related services) or to perform a given function (such as marketing).

A number of otherwise high tax jurisdictions (such as the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Greece) grant special tax treatment in order to attract the Administrative Offices of multinationals. In the case of Monaco which has been particularly successful in this regard, not only may the Administrative Office benefit from favoured tax treatment, but its employees resident in Monaco would not be subject to tax there.

Administrator:

One who administers, especially one who works as a manager in a business, government agency, or school.

Law: someone appointed by a court to run a company that is under administration. Also someone appointed by a court to handle a dead person's affairs when there is no will, or when the executors appointed by the will are unable to carry out their responsibilities.

Adobe Flash Player:

Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing animations and movies using computer programs such as a web browser; in common usage, Flash lets you put animation and movies on a web site.

Click here to download the latest version free.

Adobe Reader:

Adobe Reader(formerly Acrobat Reader) is available as a no-charge download from Adobe's web site, and allows the viewing and printing of PDF files. Acrobat and Reader are widely used as a way to present information with a fixed layout similar to a paper publication.

Click here to download the latest version free.

ADR:

Short for: American Depositary Receipt, a certificate issued by an American bank to an American investor in lieu of a foreign security. ADRs are traded in the United States as if they were domestic stock. In particular, the issuer (the bank) arranges for the dividends to be paid in dollars.

Adrenaline:

Adrenaline (also referred to as epinephrine) is a hormone and neurotransmitter. When produced in the body it increases heart rate, contracts blood vessels and dilates air passages and participates in the "fight or flight" response of the sympathetic nervous system. It is a catecholamine, a sympathomimetic monoamine produced only by the adrenal glands from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.

The term Adrenaline is derived from the Latin roots ad- and renes, and literally means on the kidney, in reference to the gland's anatomic location. The Greek roots epi- and nephros have similar meanings, and give rise to epinephrine. The term epinephrine is often shortened to epi in medical jargon.

ADSL:

Short for: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

Advantage:

A beneficial factor or combination of factors.

Benefit or profit; gain.

A relatively favorable position; superiority of means.

Sports: the first point scored in tennis after deuce; the resulting score.

Advantage Player:

Advantage gambling, or Advantage Play, refers to a practice of using legal ways to gain a mathematical advantage while gambling. The term usually refers to house-banked games, but can also refer to games played against other players, such as poker. Someone who practices advantage gambling is often referred to as an Advantage Player, or AP.

A skillfull or knowledgeable player can gain an advantage at a number of games. Blackjack can usually be beaten with card-counting and sometimes with shuffle tracking. Some video poker games can be beaten by the use of a strategy card devised by computer analysis of the game. Some progressive slot machines can eventually have such a high jackpot that they offer a positive return when played. Online games can be beaten with bonus hunting.

Advertainment:

Advertainment refers to combination forms of advertising and entertainment. The term originated in radio and television as broadcasters sought to prevent their audiences from switching stations during commercial content but has since been popularized across media platforms.

Advertising:

Advertising is a non-personal form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon products, ideals, or services.

Advertisement:

A notice, such as a poster or a paid announcement in the print, broadcast, or electronic media, designed to attract public attention or patronage.

Advisory Board of Directors:

An Advisory Board of Directors are individuals appointed to advise the elected board of directors. An advisory board is not bound by the duties imposed upon elected board members, and the corporation is not required to follow the recommendations of the advisory board.

Advocate:

To speak, plead, or argue in favor of.

One that pleads in another's behalf; an intercessor.

A lawyer.

ADX:

Short for: Administrative Maximum Facility. ADX is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, USA. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies. It is operated by the federal government and is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex (FCC). ADX houses the prisoners who are deemed the most dangerous and in need of the tightest control.

Aerobic Exercise:

Aerobic Exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the Aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via Aerobic metabolism. Generally, light-to-moderate intensity activities that are sufficiently supported by Aerobic metabolism can be performed for extended periods of time.

Aesthete:

A person who has or who affects a highly developed appreciation of beauty, especially in poetry and the visual arts.

One who cultivates an unusually high sensitivity to beauty, as in art or nature; one whose pursuit and admiration of beauty is regarded as excessive or affected.

Aestheticism:

Aestheticism (or the Aesthetic Movement) was a 19th century European art movement that emphasized aesthetic values more than socio-political themes for literature, fine art, the decorative arts, and interior design.

Aesthetics:

Philosophy: the studybranch of philosophy concerned with the study of such concepts as beauty, taste, etc.

Fine Arts & Visual Arts: the study of the rules and principles of art.

Affair:

Something done or to be done; business.

An occurrence, event, or matter.

A social function.

A matter causing public scandal and controversy.

A romantic and sexual relationship, sometimes one of brief duration, between two people who are not married to each other.

Affidavit:

A sworn statement made in front of a person authorised by the courts to witness statements made under oath.

Affiliate:

A company that is partly owned by another company. Non-corporate entities that have close links with each other are also sometimes said to be affiliates. Individual trade unions, for instance, are affiliated to their central organisation.

To associate (oneself) as a subordinate, subsidiary, employee, or member; to assign the origin of; to become closely connected or associated.

Affiliate Marketing:

See: affiliate program.

Affiliate Program:

An Affiliate Program is an Internet marketing practice that connects businesses selling products online with websites related to those products. The websites are run by third parties who sell products and services for the Internet company and in return receive a small commission.

Affinity Marketing:

Affinity Marketing (or Partnership Marketing) is a targeted way of marketing products and services. By linking complementary brands, it can develop them into lasting partnerships and strategic alliances.

Affirmative Action:

A policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.

Affix:

A linguistic element added to a word to produce an inflected or derived form.

Aficionado:

A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee.

After Party:

A party that is held after another event.

Afternoon Tea:

Afternoon Tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3 pm and 5 pm. The custom of drinking tea originated in England when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal. Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons only take afternoon tea on special or formal occasions.

Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in teacups with milk and sugar. This is accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam — see cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food is often served on a tiered stand: there may be no sandwiches but bread or scones with butter or margarine and optional jam or other spread.

See also: high tea.

AG:

Short for: Aktiengesellschaft. German company limited by shares.

Agency:

An administrative unit of government.

Agenda:

A written list of the items to be discussed at a meeting. An Agenda is prepared before the meeting and is circulated in advance to all those who are attending. The last item is normally "any other business", which provides those attending with an opportunity to raise unanticipated issues.

A temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to.

Agent:

An Agent is anyone who is authorized to act on behalf of another. A corporation can only act through its Agents; therefore, it is important to define what actions an Agent is authorized to perform.

A means by which something is done or caused; instrument.

Agent Provocateur:

A person employed to associate with suspected individuals or groups with the purpose of inciting them to commit acts that will make them liable to punishment.

AGL:

Short for: Above Ground Level. In aviation and atmospheric sciences, an altitude is said to be above ground level (AGL) when it is measured with respect to the underlying ground surface. This is as opposed to above mean sea level (AMSL), or in broadcast engineering, height above average terrain (HAAT). In other words, these expressions (AGL, AMSL, or HAAT) indicate where the "zero level" or "reference altitude" is located.

Agnostic:

One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.

One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.

Agreement:

Harmony of opinion; accord.

A properly executed and legally binding contract.

Aide-de-Camp:

A military officer acting as secretary and confidential assistant to a superior officer of general or flag rank.

Aiguilette:

Ornamental tagged cord or braid on the shoulder of a uniform.

Aim:

A purpose or intention toward which one's efforts are directed.

Air Force One:

Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two specifically configured, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft – tail codes Special Air Mission (SAM) "28000" and SAM "29000" – with Air Force designation "VC-25A". While these aircraft have the call sign "Air Force One" only while the president is on board, the term is colloquially used to describe either of the two aircraft normally used and maintained by the U.S. Air Force solely for the president, as well as any additional Air Force aircraft used by the president, including a C-37A Gulfstream.

See also: Car One and Marine One.

Air Kiss:

A facial expression in which the lips are pursed as if kissing.

Air Marshal:

A security officer who travels undercover on a commercial airliner to prevent hijacking.

Air Mile:

A unit of distance in air travel, equal to one international nautical mile (6,076.115 feet).

Air Waybill:

A document that lists goods that are to be transported internationally by a shipper. The Air Waybill constitutes an agreement between the shipper and the owner of the goods that the goods will be delivered to an agreed destination in the same condition in which they were received.

Airbag:

An Airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly in an automobile collision, to prevent vehicle occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or window.

Airbrush:

An atomizer using compressed air to spray a liquid, such as paint, on a surface.

To improve the image of (a person or thing) by concealing defects beneath a bland exterior.

Airtight:

Impermeable by air.

Having no weak points; sound.

AIS:

Short for: Automatic Identification System. AIS is a short range coastal tracking system used on ships and by Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and VTS stations. Information such as unique identification, position, course, and speed can be displayed on a screen or an ECDIS. AIS is intended to assist the vessel's watchstanding officers and allow maritime authorities to track and monitor vessel movements, and integrates a standardized VHF transceiver system such as a LORAN-C or Global Positioning System receiver, with other electronic navigation sensors, such as a gyrocompass or rate of turn indicator.

Visit: Live Ship Map.

Àjour:

Of or pertaining to objects which are pierced or decorated with an openwork pattern.

aka (a.k.a.):

Short for: Also Known As.

See also: alias.

Akte van Opricht:

Statutes of a Dutch company.

Al Dente:

In cooking, the adjective al dente describes pasta and (less commonly) rice or beans that have been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. "Al dente" also describes vegetables that are cooked to the "tender crisp" phase - still offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through. It is often considered to be the ideal form of cooked pasta. Keeping the pasta firm is especially important in baked or "al forno" pasta dishes. The term comes from Italian and means "to the tooth" or "to the bite", referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness. The term is also very commonly used as a name for Italian restaurants around the world.

Al Fresco:

In the fresh air; outdoors.

Al-Qaeda:

Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled Al-Qaida and sometimes Al-Qa'ida, is an Islamist group founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989 and early 1990. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless arm and a fundamentalist Sunni movement calling for global jihad.

Aladdin’s Cave:

A place that is full of exciting and unexpected things.

Albion:

Archaic name for England or Great Britain; often used poetically.

Album:

A book with blank pages for the insertion and preservation of collections, as of stamps or photographs.

A recording of different musical pieces.

Alchemy:

A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the panacea, and the preparation of the elixir of longevity.

Alderman:

A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdictions.

Algorithm:

In mathematics, computing, and related subjects, an Algorithm is an effective method for solving a problem using a finite sequence of instructions. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and many other fields.

Algorithmic Trading:

In electronic financial markets, Algorithmic Trading or automated trading, also known as algo trading, black-box trading, high-frequency trading or robo trading, is the use of computer programs for entering trading orders with the computer algorithm deciding on aspects of the order such as the timing, price, or quantity of the order, or in many cases initiating the order without human intervention.

Alias:

An assumed name.

A name that has been assumed temporarily.

In computing, Alias is a command in various command line interpreters (shells) such as Unix shells, 4DOS/4NT and Windows PowerShell.

See also: a.k.a..

Alibi:

A form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed.

The fact of having been elsewhere when a crime in question was committed.

An explanation offered to avoid blame or justify action; an excuse.

Alien:

An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country; a person from another and very different family, people, or place.

A creature from outer space.

Alkaline:

Having a pH greater than 7.

All-in-One Printer:

A single print device that serves several functions, including printing, faxing, scanning, and copying. Also called a multifunction printer (MFP). All-in-One is often abbreviated as AiO.

All Inclusive:

Including everything; comprehensive.

An All-Inclusive resort is a holiday resort that includes all meals, soft drinks, and most alcoholic drinks in the price. Many also offer a selection of sports and other activities included in the price as well.

All Risk:

An insurance policy that covers All Risks except for those specifically stated in the policy.

All Round:

Many-sided.

Allegory:

The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.

A symbolic representation.

Allegro:

In a quick, lively tempo, usually considered to be faster than allegretto but slower than presto.

Alliance:

A close association of nations or other group, formed to advance common interests or causes.

A formal agreement establishing such an association, especially an international treaty of friendship.

A connection based on kinship, marriage, or common interest; a bond or tie.

Allotment:

The amount of stock that is allocated to investors who have subscribed for a new issue of shares.

Allowance:

An amount of something, especially money or food, given or allotted usually at regular intervals.

A sum granted as reimbursement for expenses.

Ally:

To place in a friendly association, as by treaty.

One in helpful association with another.

Alma Mater:

The school, college, or university that one has attended.

The anthem of an institution of higher learning.

Almanach de Gotha:

The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, ducal houses, families of former rulers, and royalty. It was published annually until 1944 when the Soviets destroyed the Almanach de Gotha's archives.

Click here to read more.

Alpha Male:

A term used to describe a macho male character within a romance.

Alphabetical:

Arranged in the customary order of the letters of a language.

Alphanumeric:

Consisting of both letters and numbers.

Consisting of or using letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and mathematical and other conventional symbols.

Alter Ego:

Another side of oneself; a second self.

A very close and trusted friend who seems almost a part of yourself.

Alternate Director:

A person appointed to represent and vote on behalf of a director of a company when he is absent from a meeting of directors.

Altmodisch:

German: Old-fashioned.

Altruism:

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.

Alumni:

A male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university.

Alzheimer's Disease:

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder characterized by premature senility and dementia.

A.M.:

Short for: Ante Meridiem. Before noon; indicating the time period from midnight to midday.

Amanuensis:

One who is employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript.

Amateur:

A person who engages in an art, science, study, or athletic activity as a pastime rather than as a profession.

An athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restrictions specified by a regulatory body, for participating in a competition.

One lacking the skill of a professional, as in an art.

See also: professional.

Ambassador:

A diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time.

An authorized messenger or representative; an unofficial representative.

Ambidekstral:

Using both hands equally well.

Ambient:

Surrounding; encircling; of or relating to the immediate surroundings; creating a relaxing atmosphere.

Ambigram:

An Ambigram is a typographical design or artform that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction, or orientation. The words readable in the other viewpoint, direction or orientation may be the same or different from the original words.

Ambition:

An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.

The object or goal desired.

Ambulance Chaser:

A lawyer who obtains clients by persuading accident victims to sue for damages.

Amduat:

The Amduat (literally "That Which Is In the Afterworld", also translated as "Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld" and "Book of What is in the Underworld") is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom. Like many funerary texts, it was found written on the inside of the pharaoh's tomb for reference. Unlike other funerary texts, however, it was reserved only for pharaohs (until the 21st Dynasty almost exclusively) or very favored nobility.

Amen:

The word Amen ("So be it; truly") is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

Amendment:

An alteration or an addition to a legal document that is signed by all the parties to the document. The amendment has the same legal status as the rest of the document.

AMEX:

Short for: American Stock Exchange. Also an abbreviation for American Express.

Amnesia:

Partial or total loss of memory, usually resulting from shock, psychological disturbance, brain injury, or illness.

Amnesty:

A general pardon, especially for offences against a government.

A period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution.

Amortisation:

The reduction of the value of an asset by prorating its cost over a period of years.

Amphitheater:

Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture: a building, usually circular or oval, in which tiers of seats rise from a central open arena, as in those of ancient Rome.

A place where contests are held; arena.

A lecture room in which seats are tiered away from a central area.

Amphora:

A two-handled jar with a narrow neck used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to carry wine or oil.

Amygdala:

An almond-shaped neural structure in the anterior part of the temporal lobe of the cerebrum; intimately connected with the hypothalamus and the hippocampus and the cingulate gyrus; as part of the limbic system it plays an important role in motivation and emotional behavior.

Ana-:

Ancient Greek prefix meaning: back, again, on, up, above, throughout.

Analog Signal:

A signal in which some feature increases and decreases in the same way as the thing being transmitted.

See also: digital signal.

Analogy:

Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar; a comparison based on such similarity.

Philosophy / Logic: a form of reasoning in which a similarity between two or more things is inferred from a known similarity between them in other respects.

Linguistics: imitation of existing models or regular patterns in the formation of words, inflections, etc.

Analysis:

The separation of an intellectual or material whole into its constituent parts for individual study.

The study of such constituent parts and their interrelationships in making up a whole.

A spoken or written presentation of such study.

Chemistry: the separation of a substance into its constituent elements to determine either their nature.

Anamorphosis:

Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. The word "Anamorphosis" is derived from the Greek prefix ana-, meaning back or again, and the word morphe, meaning shape or form.

Anarchism:

The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.

Rejection of all forms of coercive control and authority.

Anarchy:

No rulership or enforced authority.

Absence of government; a state of lawlessness due to the absence or inefficiency of the supreme power; political disorder.

A social state in which there is no governing person or group of people, but each individual has absolute liberty (without the implication of disorder).

Absence or non-recognition of authority and order in any given sphere.

Ancestor:

A person from whom one is descended, especially if more remote than a grandparent; a forebear.

A forerunner or predecessor.

Law: the person from whom an estate has been inherited.

Biology: the actual or hypothetical organism or stock from which later kinds evolved.

Anchor:

A news presenter (also known as newsreader, newscaster, Anchorman or Anchorwoman, and news Anchor) is a person who presents a news show on television, radio or the Internet.

Anchor Text:

The Anchor Text, link label or link title is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. The words contained in the Anchor Text can determine the ranking that the page will receive by search engines.

Androgynous:

Biology: having both female and male characteristics; hermaphroditic.

Being neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior.

Android (operating system):

Android is a software platform for mobile devices, powered by the Linux kernel, initially developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance. It allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

Visit: Android.

Anecdote:

A short account of an interesting or humorous incident.

Angel:

Spiritual being attendant upon God.

Informal: a financial backer of an enterprise, especially a dramatic production or a political campaign.

Angel Investor:

An Angel Investor or Angel (also known as a Business Angel or Informal Investor) is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. A small but increasing number of angel investors organize themselves into angel groups or angel networks to share research and pool their investment capital.

Anger Management:

The term Anger Management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state. In some countries, courses in anger management may be mandated by their legal system.

Angina:

A condition, such as severe sore throat, in which spasmodic attacks of suffocating pain occur.

Angle:

Mathematics: The figure formed by two lines diverging from a common point.

An aspect, as of a problem, seen from a specific point of view.

Angst:

A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.

Anno Domini:

Anno Domini (abbreviated as AD or A.D.) and Before Christ (abbreviated as BC or B.C.) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with AD counting years after the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of the epoch. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525, but was not widely used until after 800.

See also: Before Present.

Annual Physical:

The Annual Physical examination has been replaced by the periodic health examination: a physical examination is an evaluation of the body and its functions using inspection, palpation (feeling with the hands), percussion (tapping with the fingers), and auscultation (listening). A complete health assessment also includes gathering information about a person's medical history and lifestyle, doing laboratory tests, and screening for disease.

Annual Report:

The printed document that contains the annual accounts of a company. The annual report is posted to all shareholders every year. The quality of companies' annual reports varies greatly.

Annuity:

An investment that yields a fixed annual income for the investor until his or her death. The payment of an Annuity used to be annual, but it is now frequently more frequent.

Anonymous:

Having no known name or identity or known source.

Anorak:

A heavy jacket with a hood; a parka.

Anorexia Nervosa:

Anorexia Nervosa is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating disorder characterized by extremely low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Individuals with Anorexia are known to control body weight commonly through the means of voluntary starvation, purging, excessive exercise or other weight control measures such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. While the condition primarily affects adolescent females approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male. Anorexia Nervosa, involving neurobiological, psychological, and sociological components is a complex condition that can lead to death in severe cases.

See also: bulimia nervosa and orthorexia nervosa.

Anstalt:

Establishment, a legal entity without shares established in Liechtenstein, with some features of a trust but with corporate personality. Do not have shares.

Answered Prayers:

"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers." - Saint Teresa of Ávila.

Antebellum:

Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.

Anthem:

A hymn of praise or loyalty.

A choral composition having a sacred or moralizing text in English.

Anthology:

Literary & Literary Critical Terms: a collection of literary passages or works, especially poems, by various authors.

An Anthology of articles on a related subject or an Anthology of the works of a single author.

Anthropology:

The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

Anthropometric:

The study of human body measurement for use in anthropological classification and comparison.

Anti-Trust:

Laws in the United States which make it illegal for firms to fix prices among themselves or to discriminate in the prices that they ask different buyers for the same goods. The same body of legislation makes it illegal for companies to form a monopoly.

Anti-Avoidance Measures:

The object of Anti-Avoidance Measures, insofar as they relate to tax havens, is to prevent the avoidance or reduction of tax through the displacement of one or more connecting factors (i.e. the basis of tax liability) from the taxing jurisdiction concerned to a tax haven jurisdiction.

Anti-Avoidance Measures may be of general application or may refer to specific tax havens. Any measures usually appear in domestic tax systems; they may however be imposed by tax treaties.

Antioxidant:

An Antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves. As a result, antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols or polyphenols.

Although oxidation reactions are crucial for life, they can also be damaging; hence, plants and animals maintain complex systems of multiple types of antioxidants, such as glutathione, vitamin C, and vitamin E as well as enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and various peroxidases. Low levels of antioxidants, or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes, causes oxidative stress and may damage or kill cells.

See also: polyphenol antioxidant.

Antipasti:

An appetizer usually consisting of an assortment of foods, such as smoked meats, cheese, fish, and vegetables.

Antique:

Belonging to, made in, or typical of an earlier period.

Of or belonging to ancient times, especially of, from, or characteristic of ancient Greece or Rome.

Old-fashioned.

An object having special value because of its age, especially a domestic item or piece of furniture or handicraft esteemed for its artistry, beauty, or period of origin.

Antiquity:

Any period before the Middle Ages (476-1453), but still within the period of human history or prehistory. The term is most often used of Classical Antiquity, the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Antisocial Personality Disorder:

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others and inability or unwillingness to conform to what are considered to be the norms of society.

See also: sociopath.

Antivirus Software:

Antivirus (or anti-virus) Software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including computer viruses, worms, and trojan horses. Such programs may also prevent and remove adware, spyware, and other forms of malware.

A variety of strategies are typically employed. Signature-based detection involves searching for known malicious patterns in executable code. However, it is possible for a user to be infected with new malware in which no signature exists yet. To counter such so called zero-day threats, heuristics can be used. One type of heuristic approach, generic signatures, can identify new viruses or variants of existing viruses for looking for known malicious code (or slight variations of such code) in files. Some Antivirus Software can also predict what a file will do if opened/run by emulating it in a sandbox and analyzing what it does to see if it performs any malicious actions. If it does, this could mean the file is malicious.

However, no matter how useful Antivirus Software is, it can sometimes have drawbacks. Antivirus Software can degrade computer performance if it is not designed efficiently. Inexperienced users may have trouble understanding the prompts and decisions that Antivirus Software presents them with. An incorrect decision may lead to a security breach. If the Antivirus Software employs heuristic detection (of any kind), the success of it is going to depend on whether it achieves the right balance between false positives and false negatives. False positives can be as destructive as false negatives. In one case, a faulty virus signature issued by Symantec mistakenly removed essential operating system files, leaving thousands of PCs unable to boot. Finally, Antivirus Software generally runs at the highly trusted kernel level of the operating system, creating a potential avenue of attack.

Antonym:

A word having a meaning opposite to that of another word.

Apanage:

Any customary and rightful perquisite appropriate to your station in life.

Apartheid:

An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites.

A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.

Apathy:

An absence of emotion or enthusiasm; lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.

APEC:

Short for: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries (styled "Member Economies") that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Apex:

The highest point; the vertex.

The point of culmination.

The usually pointed end of an object; the tip.

Apgar Score | Test:

The Apgar Score was devised in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after childbirth. Apgar was an anesthesiologist who developed the score in order to ascertain the effects of obstetric anesthesia on babies.

The Apgar Score is determined by evaluating the newborn baby on five simple criteria on a scale from zero to two, then summing up the five values thus obtained. The resulting Apgar Score ranges from zero to 10. The five criteria (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) are used as a mnemonic learning aid.

Aphonia:

Loss of the voice resulting from disease, injury to the vocal cords, or various psychological causes, such as hysteria.

Aphorism:

A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage.

A brief statement of a principle.

See also: epigram.

Aphrodisiac:

Arousing or intensifying sexual desire.

Something, such as a drug or food, having such an effect.

API:

Short for: Application Programming Interface. In computer science an API is an interface that defines the ways by which an application program may request services from libraries and/or operating systems. An API determines the vocabulary and calling conventions the programmer should employ to use the services. It may include specifications for routines, data structures, object classes and protocols used to communicate between the requesting software and the library.

Apocalypse:

Bible: The Book of Revelation.

Great or total devastation; doom.

A prophetic disclosure; a revelation.

Apostille:

Certificate of Good Standing in connection with corporations according to the Convention of The Hague of October 05, 1961.

Apotheosis:

Christian Religious Writings / Theology: the elevation of a person to the rank of a god; deification.

Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification.

An exalted or glorified example; a glorified ideal.

Apparatchik:

A member of a Communist apparat.

An unquestioningly loyal subordinate, especially of a political leader or organization.

Apparatus:

An appliance or device for a particular purpose.

A political organization or an underground political movement.

Apparel:

Clothing, especially outer garments; attire.

Appeal:

The transfer of a case from a lower to a higher court for a new hearing.

A request for relief, aid, etc.

The power to attract, please, stimulate, or interest.

Appellation:

A name, title, or designation.

A protected name under which a wine may be sold, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district.

Appendage:

Something added or attached to an entity of greater importance or size; an adjunct.

See also: accessory.

Appetizer:

A food or drink served usually before a meal to stimulate the appetite.

Any stimulating foretaste.

Appliance:

A device or instrument designed to perform a specific function, especially an electrical device, such as a toaster, for household use.

Application:

Computer Science: a program with a user interface, enabling people to use the computer as a tool to accomplish a specific task.

Appointment:

An arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time.

The act of placing in a job or position.

The act of directing the disposition of property by virtue of a power granted for this purpose.

Appraiser:

One who estimates officially the worth or value or quality of things.

One who determines authenticity (as of works of art) or who guarantees validity.

Apprentice:

One bound by legal agreement to work for another for a specific amount of time in return for instruction in a trade, art, or business.

One who is learning a trade or occupation, especially as a member of a labor union.

A beginner; a learner.

Approval Rating:

An official approbation; favorable regard.

APPS:

Short for: APPlicationS. The term has been used as shorthand for "Application" in the IT community for decades but became newly popular for mobile Applications, especially since the advent of Apple's App Store in 2008. To many, it implies an Application that is relatively small in comparison to comprehensive desktop Applications; however, mobile Apps can be quite sophisticated.

APR:

Short for: Annual Percentage Rate. The terms Annual Percentage of Rate (APR), nominal APR, and effective APR (EAR) describe the interest rate for a whole year (annualized), rather than just a monthly fee/rate, as applied on a loan, mortgage, credit card, etc.

Après-Ski:

Social events or activities that take place after skiing.

April Fools' Day:

April 1, celebrated in various countries, including the United States and Great Britain, and marked by the playing of practical jokes. Also called All Fools' Day.

Arab Spring:

The Arab Spring; (also known as the Arabic Rebellions or the Arab Revolutions) is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on 18 December 2010. Revolutions occurred in Tunisia, Egypt; and a civil war in Libya; civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen; major protests in Israel, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman, and minor protests in Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara.

Arabesque:

A ballet position in which the dancer bends forward while standing on one straight leg with the arm extended forward and the other arm and leg extended backward.

A complex, ornate design of intertwined floral, foliate, and geometric figures.

Music: an ornate, whimsical composition especially for piano.

Arbiter:

One chosen or appointed to judge or decide a disputed issue; an Arbitrator.

One who has the power to judge or ordain at will.

Arbitrage:

A form of hedged investment meant to capture slight differences in the prices of two related securties.

Arbitration:

A procedure for solving commercial disputes that avoids going to court. The parties to the dispute turn to an independent third party whose judgment they agree in advance to accept. A number of industries have set up special international bodies for the purpose of Arbitrating in disputes within their industry.

Arbitrator:

A person who acts as an intermediary in a case of Arbitration; an independent third party whose opinion the disputing parties agree to be bound by. In some cases the Arbitrator may consist of a panel of individuals.

Arch:

A structure, especially one of masonry, forming the curved, pointed, or flat upper edge of an open space and supporting the weight above it, as in a bridge or doorway; a structure, such as a freestanding monument, shaped like an inverted U.

Chief; principal.

Archaic:

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive period, especially one that develops into a classical stage of civilization.

No longer current or applicable; antiquated.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of words and language that were once in regular use but are now relatively rare and suggestive of an earlier style or period.

Archetype:

An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype.

An ideal example of a type; quintessence.

Architect:

One who designs and supervises the construction of buildings or other large structures.

One that plans or devises.

Architecture:

The art and science of designing and erecting buildings.

Buildings and other large structures.

A style and method of design and construction.

Computer Science: the overall design or structure of a computer system, including the hardware and the software required to run it, especially the internal structure of the microprocessor.

Archive:

A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest.

Area:

A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

A subject of study.

Sphere: a particular environment or walk of life.

A part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function.

Area 51:

Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas.

The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore.

Visit also: FBI's UFO files.

Arena:

An enclosed area for the presentation of sports events and spectacles.

The Area in the center of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and other spectacles were held.

Argon:

A colorless and odorless inert gas; one of the six inert gases; comprises approximately 1% of the earth's atmosphere.

Argot:

A specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group.

Argue:

To put forth reasons for or against; debate.

To give evidence of; indicate.

To persuade or influence (another), as by presenting reasons.

Argument:

In logic, an Argument is a set of one or more meaningful declarative sentences (or "propositions") known as the premises along with another meaningful declarative sentence (or "proposition") known as the conclusion. A deductive Argument asserts that the truth of the conclusion is a logical consequence of the premises; an inductive Argument asserts that the truth of the conclusion is supported by the premises. Deductive Arguments are valid or invalid, and sound or not sound. An Argument is valid if and only if the truth of the conclusion is a logical consequence of the premises and (consequently) its corresponding conditional is a necessary truth. A sound argument is a valid Argument with true premises.

Each premise and the conclusion are only either true or false, i.e. are truth bearers. The sentences composing an Argument are referred to as being either true or false, not as being valid or invalid; deductive Arguments are referred to as being valid or invalid, not as being true or false. Some authors refer to the premises and conclusion using the terms declarative sentence, statement, proposition, sentence, or even indicative utterance. The reason for the variety is concern about the ontological significance of the terms, proposition in particular. Whichever term is used, each premise and the conclusion must be capable of being true or false and nothing else: they are truthbearers.

Aristocracy:

A hereditary ruling class; nobility.

A group or class considered superior to others.

Ark:

The chest containing the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets, carried by the Hebrews during their desert wanderings.

The boat built by Noah for survival during the Flood.

Arm's Length Relationship:

An Arm's Length Relationship is a term used to describe a type of business relationship a corporation should have with a close associate to avoid a conflict of interest. For example, when you negotiate with your banker or your supplier, any agreement which results will likely reflect market value and commercially reasonable terms and conditions. When you loan money to your son or daughter, you may be inclined to provide much more favorable terms and conditions. The first example would be considered to be an Arm's Length Relationship, while the second example would not. When your corporation does business with or makes loans to corporate officers and directors, the relationship must be at Arm's Length to avoid conflicts of interest.

Armada:

Military: a large number of ships or aircraft.

A large group of moving things.

Arms Race:

Military: the continuing competitive attempt by two or more nations each to have available to it more and more powerful weapons than the other(s).

Aroma:

A quality that can be perceived by the olfactory sense.

A pleasant characteristic odor, as of a plant, spice, or food.

A distinctive, intangible quality; an aura.

Arrangement:

A provision or plan made in preparation for an undertaking; an agreement or settlement; a disposition.

Music: an adaptation of a composition for other instruments or voices or for another style of performance.

Arrears:

The making of a regular payment (of rent or interest, for example) after the period to which it relates.

Arrest:

The act of detaining in legal custody; the state of being so detained.

The act of stopping or the condition of being stopped.

Arriviste:

A person who has recently attained high position or great power but not general acceptance or respect; an upstart.

A social climber; a bounder.

Arrogant:

Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.

Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others.

Arrondissement:

The chief administrative subdivision of a department in France.

A municipal subdivision in some large French cities.

Art:

Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.

The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.

A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.

A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities.

Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation.

Art Director:

Performing Arts: a person responsible for the sets and costumes in a film.

Art Deco:

A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.

Visit also: Art Deco - Wikipedia.

Articles of Association (also Bye-Laws or By-Laws):

The set of rules by which a company is run. They must contain: 1) the company's name; 2) its registered address; 3) its objects and aims; 4) its capitalization; 5) a statement that the company is a limited liability organization.

The articles state, for instance, what percentage of the shareholders are required to vote in favour of major changes before they can be put into effect. Such changes frequently require more than a simple majority. The articles of association are lodged with the relevant authority at the time when a company is first registered. As such, they become a part of the public record.

Articles of Incorporation:

Must contain: 1) the corporation’s name; 2) its registered address; 3) its objects and aims; 4) its capitalisation; 5) a statement that the company is a limited liability organization.

Artifact:

An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.

Something viewed as a product of human conception or agency rather than an inherent element.

Artificial Intelligence:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science which aims to create it. Major AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents," where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions which maximize its chances of success. John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1956, defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines."

Artisan:

A skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft.

Artistic License:

The liberty taken by an artist or a writer in deviating from conventional form or fact to achieve a desired effect.

Arty-Farty:

Informal: artistic in a pretentious way.

As the Crow Flies:

In a straight line distance between two locations, as opposed to the road distance or over land distance.

ASAP:

Short for: As Soon As Possible.

Ash Wednesday:

The seventh Wednesday before Easter and the first day of Lent, on which many Christians receive a mark of ashes on the forehead as a token of penitence and mortality.

Ashram:

A usually secluded residence of a religious community and its guru.

Asperger Syndrome:

Asperger Syndrome or Asperger's Syndrome or Asperger Disorder is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Aspirate:

Linguistics: the speech sound represented by English h; the puff of air accompanying the release of a stop consonant.

Aspiration:

A will to succeed.

Assalamu Alaikum:

An Arabic spoken greeting used whenever people meet; the response is: wa alaikum assalam.

Assembly Line:

Mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it.

A process in which finished products are turned out in a mechanically efficient, though impersonal, manner.

Asset:

Something that a company or individual owns to which can be ascribed a value, from plant to patents, and from property to products.

Asset Management:

The business of managing assets to make them produce maximum revenue over the longer term. The expression is generally used in the context of financial assets.

Asset Protection Trust (APT):

A new type of trust which places the trust’s assets beyond the reach of potential foreign governments, litigious plaintiffs, creditors and contingent fee lawyers.

Asset Stripping:

A process in which a company or an individual buys an asset (frequently a quoted company) and then proceeds to sell it bit by bit. Asset stripping is most common when the stockmarket's valuation of the whole of a business is less than the sum of its parts.

Assign:

To record the transfer of the ownerships of an asset from one person to another. Some contracts impose restrictions on the assignment of their benefits and obligations.

Assignment:

A duty that you are assigned to perform.

Assimilation:

The social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another.

Associate:

A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or colleague.

Company A is an Associated company of company B if more than 20%, but less than 50%, of its equity is owned by company B. Associated companies have to be consolidated into the accounts of the company that owns the equity stake only if that company also controls the composition of the board of the Associated company.

Association:

An organized body of people who have an interest, activity, or purpose in common; a society.

A mental connection or relation between thoughts, feelings, ideas, or sensations.

"Assume the Position":

To tell someone to get down on all fours (hands and knees); doggie style.

Law Enforcement: to turn away, with your hands in a visible and unmovable position so that you can be searched.

Astrology:

The study of the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs.

Astronaut:

A person trained to travel in a spacecraft. The Russians calls their Astronauts cosmonauts. The Chinese: yuhangyan.

Astronomy:

The scientific study of matter in outer space, especially the positions, dimensions, distribution, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial bodies and phenomena.

A system of knowledge or beliefs about celestial phenomena.

At Sign:

The typographic character @, called the At Sign or At symbol, is an abbreviation of the word at. Its most common modern use is in e-mail addresses, where it stands for "located at". Increasingly, @ is also used as a prefix to user names (e.g. "@username") on social websites such as Twitter to denote a link, attribution or indirect reference.

Atavism:

The reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence, usually caused by the chance recombination of genes.

The return of a trait or recurrence of previous behavior after a period of absence.

Atlantis:

A legendary island in the Atlantic Ocean west of Gibraltar, said by Plato to have sunk beneath the sea during an earthquake.

ATM:

Short for: Automatic Teller Machine. Also: Cash Dispenser; Cashpoint.

Used for cash withdrawals with your credit card or debit card at over 1,500,000 ATMs worldwide.

Atmosphere:

The gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, especially the one surrounding the earth, and retained by the celestial body's gravitational field.

A dominant intellectual or emotional environment or attitude.

An aesthetic quality or effect, especially a distinctive and pleasing one, associated with a particular place.

Atom:

The name Atom applies to a pair of related standards. The Atom Syndication Format is an XML language used for web feeds, while the Atom Publishing Protocol (AtomPub or APP) is a simple HTTP-based protocol for creating and updating web resources.

Web feeds allow software programs to check for updates published on a web site. To provide a web feed, a site owner may use specialized software (such as a content management system) that publishes a list (or "feed") of recent articles or content in a standardized, machine-readable format. The feed can then be downloaded by web sites that syndicate content from the feed, or by feed reader programs that allow Internet users to subscribe to feeds and view their content.

The Atom format was developed as an alternative to RSS.

Free RSS Reader displays any RSS and Atom news feed.

Physics: the smallest quantity of an element that can take part in a chemical reaction; this entity as a source of nuclear energy.

Atomic Number:

The number of protons in an atomic nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z.

Attaché Case:

A slim briefcase with flat, rigid sides, hinges, and usually a lock.

See also: briefcase.

Attachment (computing):

A file that arrives with an e-mail.

Attention Deficit Disorder:

See: performance-enhancing drugs.

Attention Span:

The length of time you can concentrate on some idea or activity.

Attention Span is the amount of time a person can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus one's attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one's goals.

Attitude:

The way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way.

Informal: a hostile manner.

Attorney-Client Privilege:

Attorney-Client Privilege is a legal concept that protects communications between a client and his or her attorney and keeps those communications confidential.

The policy underlying this privilege is that of encouraging open and honest communication between clients and attorneys, which is thought to promote obedience to law and reduce the chance of illegal behavior, whether intentional or inadvertent. As such, the attorney-client privilege is considered as one of the strongest privileges available under law.

See also: client confidentiality.

Au Courant:

Informed on current affairs; up-to-date; fully familiar; knowledgeable.

Au Naturel:

In the natural state; naked.

Cooked or served simply.

Au Pair:

A young foreigner who does domestic work for a family in exchange for room and board and a chance to learn the family's language.

Auction:

A public sale in which property or items of merchandise are sold to the highest bidder.

Audience:

The spectators or listeners assembled at a performance, for example, or attracted by a radio or television program.

The act of hearing or attending.

Audio:

Of or relating to humanly audible sound.

Of or relating to the broadcasting, reproduction, or reception of sound.

Audit:

The regular and systematic process of checking that a company's accounts are true and fair. The Audit is carried out by an independent accountant from a firm that has an arm's length relationship with the company whose accounts it is auditing. The word comes from the Latin auditus, meaning hearing. In olden times it referred to the hearing that landowners gave to the manager of their land (urban or agricultural), while the manager accounted for his stewardship.

Audition:

A trial performance, as by an actor, dancer, or musician, to demonstrate suitability or skill.

Auditorium:

A large room to accommodate an audience in a building such as a school or theater.

A large building for public meetings or performances.

Auditors:

The last body needed in connection with a corporation: required to inspect the company’s bookkeeping and verify the correctness of annual accounts. Usually not employees or directors of the corporation but an outside firm.

Augmented Reality:

Augmented Reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality.

Aura:

An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation.

A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.

Aureole:

A circle of light or radiance surrounding the head or body of a representation of a deity or holy person; a halo.

Aussensteuergesetz:

Anti-avoidance German law whereby German citizens remain subject to the principal German taxes for a period of ten years if they emigrate to a country designated in the legislation (as from time to time amended) as a low tax country.

Auteur:

A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.

Authentic:

Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief.

Having a claimed and verifiable origin or authorship; not counterfeit or copied.

Authority:

The power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine, or judge.

Power assigned to another; authorization.

An accepted source of expert information or advice.

A conclusive statement or decision that may be taken as a guide or precedent.

Authorized:

The shares that a company is legally permitted to issue under its articles of association. A company may issue fewer shares if it wishes, but it may not issue more without first changing its articles.

Autism:

A pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors.

Autodafé:

A judgment of the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal condemning or acquitting persons accused of religious offenses; the burning to death of heretics (as during the Spanish Inquisition).

Autodidact:

A self-taught person.

Auto(matic) Pilot:

A navigation mechanism, as on an aircraft, that automatically maintains a preset course.

A state of mind in which one acts without deliberate effort or self-awareness.

Autocracy:

An Autocracy is a form of government in which one person possesses unlimited power.

Automotive:

Moving by means of its own power; self-moving.

Of or having to do with automobiles or other motor vehicles.

Autonomous:

Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent.

Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.

Independent of the laws of another state or government; self-governing.

Autopilot:

A navigational device that automatically keeps ships or planes or spacecraft on a steady course.

A cognitive state in which you act without self-awareness.

Autostereoscopic:

Autostereoscopy is a method of displaying three-dimensional images that can be viewed without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the user.

AV:

The term Audio-Visual (AV) may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or the equipment involved in presenting such works. Movies and television shows are examples of audio-visual presentations.

Avantgarde:

A group active in the invention and application of new techniques in a given field, especially in the arts.

Avatar:

The incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form.

An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype.

A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity.

For the film, see: Avatar - official movie web site.

Avoirdupois:

The Avoirdupois system is a system of weights (or, properly, mass) based on a pound of 16 ounces.

Award:

Something Awarded or granted, as for merit.

A decision, such as one made by a judge or arbitrator.

Awareness:

Having knowledge or cognizance.

Awareness Ribbon:

Visit: awareness ribbon - (Wikipedia).

AWACS:

Short for: Airborne Warning and Control System.

Axiom:

A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim.

An established rule, principle, or law.

A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.

Ayatollah:

A high-ranking Shiite religious authority regarded as worthy of imitation in matters of religious law and interpretation.

Used as a title for such a leader.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- B -

B Movie:

A B Movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture conceived neither as an arthouse film nor as pornography. In its original usage, during the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature.

Babushka Doll:

A matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nested doll or a Babushka Doll, is a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other. The word "matryoshka" is derived from the Russian female first name "Matryona". The word "babushka" is the Russian word for grandmother.

Baby Boomers:

Baby Boomers is the name given to the generation of Americans who were born in a "baby boom" following World War II. The Boomers were born between 1944 and 1964.

Baby Step:

A small effort made towards the completion of a much larger task.

Bachelor:

An unmarried man.

A person who has completed the undergraduate curriculum of a college or university and holds a bachelor's degree.

Bachelor's Degree:

An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete the undergraduate curriculum.

Back End:

Required or incurred after a project has been completed.

Back Office:

A business's behind-the-scenes operations. In financial institutions it is the people who sort out the paperwork; in manufacturing operations it is the people who make the paperwork.

Back Pay:

A salary of wage that is unpaid from a previous period. For weekly paid workers it is pay due from the week before last; for monthly paid workers it is pay due for work done in the month before last.

Back-to-Back:

An importer that wishes to establish its creditworthiness with an exporter from another country can set up a bank account in the exporter's country and place funds in that account. Such funds act as collateral for goods that the importer subsequently buys from the exporter. They are referred to as a back-to-back facility.

Back-to-Back Loan:

Back-to-Back Loans are matching deposit arrangements. They may be used in order to solve a financing or exchange control problem. However, in the case of certain tax havens, the function of back-to-back loans is to reduce the taxable base subject to withholding taxes on interest payments, by interposing an intermediary subsidiary company between the source of the income and the recipient. For example, an intermediary company located in the Netherlands or the Netherlands Antilles may be interposed so as to take advantage of a favourable tax treaty. In such cases the authorities usually require a certain spread or "turn" on the rates so as to create a small profit which is subject to tax locally.

Back to the Drawing Board:

Back to the Drawing Board return to an earlier stage in an enterprise because a planned undertaking has failed.

Back Yard:

A yard at the rear of a house.

(In one's own back yard): close at hand; involving or implicating one.

Backbencher:

Chiefly British: the rear benches in the House of Commons where junior members of Parliament sit behind government officeholders and their counterparts in the opposition party.

New members of Congress considered as a group.

Backcountry Skiing:

See: off-piste.

Backdoor:

Secret or surreptitious; clandestine.

Backer:

A person who gives financial or other support.

Backfire:

An explosion of prematurely ignited fuel or of unburned exhaust gases in an internal-combustion engine.

To produce an unexpected, undesired result.

Backlog:

A reserve supply or source.

An accumulation, especially of unfinished work or unfilled orders.

Backpacking:

Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used interchangeably with Backpacking. The factors that traditionally differentiate Backpacking from other forms of tourism include but are not limited to the following: use of public transport as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to traditional hotels, length of the trip vs. conventional vacations, use of a backpack, an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.

The definition of a Backpacker has evolved as travelers from different cultures and regions participate and will continue to do so, preventing an air-tight definition. Recent research has found that, "...Backpackers constituted a heterogeneous group with respect to the diversity of rationales and meanings attached to their travel experiences. ...They also displayed a common commitment to a non-institutionalised form of travel, which was central to their self-identification as Backpackers." Backpacking as a lifestyle and as a business has grown considerably in the 2000s as the commonplace of low-cost airlines, hostels or budget accommodation in many parts of the world, and digital communication and resources make planning, executing, and continuing a long-term Backpacking trip easier than ever before.

Backstage:

In or toward the area behind the performing space in a theater, especially the area comprising the dressing rooms.

In secret; privately; out of view of the public; behind the scenes.

Backup:

A reserve or substitute.

Computer Science: A copy of a program or file that is stored separately from the original.

Support or backing.

Backup Singer:

Backup Singer or sometimes background singer) is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. In some cases, a backing singer may sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry.

Bad Debt:

A bill of loan that is not paid within a reasonable period of time after its due-by date. Such late payments are described as doubtful debts for a while, but eventually they become bad debts. When that happens they have to be written off in the business' accounts.

Bad Standing:

You screwed up bigtime so you are a goof in the eyes of the other members (in a motorcycle club).

See also: good standing.

Badge:

A device or emblem worn as an insignia of rank, office, or membership in an organization.

An emblem given as an award or honor.

Bag-in-Box:

In packaging, a Bag-in-Box or BiB is a type of container for the storage and transportation of liquids.

Baisemain:

Historical: in feudalism, homage which the vassal used to give to the fief seigneur, by kissing him his hand.

Polite manner to greet or leave a lady, by kissing her her hand, hand-kissing.

See also: la bise.

Baize:

Baize is a coarse woollen (or in cheaper variants cotton) cloth, sometimes called "felt" in American English based on a similarity in appearance.

Baize is most often used on snooker and billiards tables to cover the slate and cushions.

Bakshish:

A relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter).

A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

Balaclava:

A close-fitting garment covering the whole head and neck except for parts of the face, typically made of wool.

Balance:

The difference between the credit and debit items in an account. If the credit items exceed the debit ones, the account is said to have a credit balance. If they do not, the account is said to be overdrawn.

Balance of Payments:

The record of a country's transactions with the rest of the world. The current account of the balance of payments consists of visible trade in goods; invisible trade in services; private transfer payments, such as money sent home by nationals working abroad; and official transfers, such as payments to international organisations. The capital account consists of long-term and short-term transactions relation to a country's assets and liabilities (for example, loans and borrowings). Adding the current to the capital account gives the overall balance, which should be matched by net monetary movements and changes in reserves. In practice, the data recorded never add up as they should in theory, and the gap is filled by an item called "errors and omissions".

Balance of Trade:

A statement of a country's trading account with the rest of the world. This covers the import and export of goods and services.

Balance Sheet:

The part of a company's accounts which lists its assets and liabilities. Fundamental to all such accounts is the idea that assets and liabilities are in balance, that is, they are equal. The Balance Sheet is, of course, a snapshot of a company's position. A short time after it is compiled that position can, and sometimes does, change significantly.

Balconing:

Jumping from a balcony to a pool below. Or missing...

Ball (dance):

A Ball is a formal dance. Attendees wear evening attire, which is specified on the invitation as black tie or white tie. Social dance forms a large part of the evening; actual ballroom dancing may or may not occur.

Ballad:

A narrative song with a recurrent refrain; a narrative poem of popular origin.

Ballistic Standards:

Visit: International small arms ballistic standards.

Ballistic Vest:

A Ballistic Vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of protective clothing that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso. Soft vests are made from many layers of woven or laminated fibers and can be capable of protecting the wearer from small caliber handgun and shotgun projectiles, and small fragments from explosives such as hand grenades.

Metal or ceramic plates can be used with a soft vest, providing additional protection from rifle rounds, and metallic components or tightly-woven fiber layers can give soft armor resistance to stab and slash attacks from a knife. Soft vests are commonly worn by police forces, private citizens and private security guards or bodyguards, whereas hard-plate reinforced vests are mainly worn by combat soldiers, police tactical units and hostage rescue teams.

Modern body armor may combine a Ballistic Vest with other items of protective clothing, such as a helmet. Vests intended for police and military use may also include ballistic shoulder and side protection armor components, and bomb disposal officers wear heavy armor and helmets with face visors and spine protection.

Balloon Payment:

The final payment on a loan that is being repaid in instalments. A Balloon Payment exceeds by some considerable amount the preceding payments. The repayments balloon as the maturity of the loan draws nigh.

Ballot:

The act, process, or method of voting, especially in secret.

A list of candidates running for office; a ticket.

Ballpark:

A park or stadium in which ball games are played.

Slang: the approximately proper range, as of possibilities or alternatives.

Ballroom Dance:

Ballroom Dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, Ballroom Dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television.

Balustrade:

A railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling.

Bamboo Curtain:

The Bamboo Curtain was a euphemism for a political and ideological barrier between the West and the Communist states of East Asia after the Chinese revolution of 1949.

See also: iron curtain

Ban:

A prohibition imposed by law or official decree.

Banana Republic:

A small country (especially in Central America) that is politically unstable and whose economy is dominated by foreign companies and depends on a single export commodity (such as bananas), and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.

Band (music):

A group of musicians playing together, especially on brass or percussion instruments.

Bandana:

A large handkerchief usually figured and brightly colored, often used as a neckerchief.

Banderole:

A narrow forked flag or streamer attached to a staff or lance or flown from a ship's masthead.

A representation of a ribbon or scroll bearing an inscription.

Bandwagon:

Informal: a cause or party that attracts increasing numbers of adherents.

Informal: a current trend.

Bandwidth:

Measure (in kilobytes of data transferred) of the traffic on a website.

Bank:

A financial institution that carries out three basic functions:

Collects deposits from savers.

Makes loans to borrowers.

Enables money to be transmitted from one bank account to another by means of cheques, standing orders, direct debits, and so on.

There are a number of specialised banks that carry out particular functions. For example, a central bank acts as banker of last resort to the banking system; and investment bank acts as banker of last resort to the banking system; an investment bank is concerned with advising companies on how to raise money in the capital market; and a clearing bank is the core of a country's money transmission system.

Bank Charges:

The fees charged by banks for their services, such as money transmission (claring cheques and so on), currency conversion and arranging loans.

Bank Draft:

An order from a seller (or exporter) requesting the bank of the buyer (or importer) to pay to the seller a specified amount. A sight draft is payable on presentation; a time draft is payable at a named future date. A bank draft is also known as a bill of exchange.

Bank Secrecy:

In most countries one of the terms of the relationship between banker and customer is that the banker will keep the customer’s affairs secret. Staff members are normally required to sign a declaration of secrecy as regards the business of the banks.

Where numbered accounts are used their purpose is to limit the number of persons who know the identity of the client. In certain countries (e.g. Switzerland and the Cayman Islands) specific legislation makes breaches of Bank Secrecy subject to criminal law sanctions. However, in all legal systems (including Switzerland) there are specific cases where the duty of secrecy of a banker is discharged, e.g. where fraud, money laundering and narcotics are involved.

The exchange of information clause contained in most tax treaties may enable the tax administration of one treaty country to obtain information concerning bank accounts which its residents have in the other country.

Bankable:

A Bankable star is an actor famous or charismatic enough to be "capable of guaranteeing box-office success simply by showing up in a movie".

In that "stars" are celebrities, Bankable stars are people that are thought dependable entertainment investments. Stars become less Bankable by being controversial, doing illegal activities, becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, or simply growing older.

Banking:

A considerable volume of international Banking takes place offshore and many of the world’s major banks have Banking and trust company operations in one or more tax havens.

Most tax haven jurisdictions have enacted legislative provisions and set up administrative authorities whose function it is to control Banking and trust company activities.

Banking Passport:

A Banking Passport is simply that you create a "new person" with another nationality and a full set of ID, a separate "legal entity" through a second passport (or third) in a name of your choice.

Bankroll:

Informal: one's ready cash.

Bankruptcy:

Being formally declared by a court unable to repay debts. A person who has been declared Bankrupt is deprived of certain powers; for example, he or she cannot be a director of a company for a number of years. A Bankrupt's assets are taken over by a trustee who distributes them among the unpaid creditors.

Banner:

A piece of cloth attached to a staff and used as a standard by a monarch, military commander, or knight.

The flag of a nation, state, or army.

A piece of cloth bearing a motto or legend, as of a club.

A headline spanning the width of a newspaper page.

Banner Ad:

A Banner Advertising a product.

An advert along the top of a page of a website.

Banquet:

An elaborate, sumptuous repast.

A ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion.

Banzai:

A Japanese battle cry or patriotic cheer of enthusiasm or triumph, or salutation.

Japanese: (may you live) ten thousand years : ban, ten thousand (from Middle Chinese muanh, uan) + zai, year (from Middle Chinese swiajh, suaj).

Baofahu:

A Chinese colloquial term literally translated as 'explosive wealth'. Upstarts, people who have got rich quick.

See also: nouveaux riches.

Baptism by Fire:

A phrase originating from Europe that describes an employee that is learning something the hard way, like being immersed in their field of employment. Baptism by fire has its roots in battle terminology, describing a soldier's first time in battle.

Baptism by fire is used when the best way for someone to be trained is for that person to experience the actual situations rather than to just study those situations. Jobs that require baptism by fire may include: police officers, firemen, military personnel, etc.

Bar:

A retail establishment that serves alcoholic beverages.

The counter from which drinks are dispensed.

An ingot or gold bar.

Chocolate bar or candy bar.

Bar examination (law).

A unit of pressure equal to one million dynes per square centimeter.

Bar Chart:

A diagram consisting of a number of vertical bars placed next to each other. For example, a chart showing the number of cars sold by a dealer each month might have the number of cars plotted along the vertical axis and the months of the year along the horizontal axis.

Bar Code:

A rectangle of vertical black lines of varying thickness displayed on the side of consumer goods. The lines are read by a laser beam which records electronically the product's details, such as its price, size, model number and so on.

Bar Mitzvah:

Judaism: Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah are Jewish coming of age rituals. According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach 13 years of age, they become responsible for their actions.

Barbarian:

A member of a people considered by those of another nation or group to have a primitive civilization.

A fierce, brutal, or cruel person; an insensitive, uncultured person; a boor.

Bard:

One of an ancient Celtic order of minstrel poets who composed and recited verses celebrating the legendary exploits of chieftains and heroes.

A poet, especially a lyric poet.

Bargain:

A Bargain is a deal done at a price below the acknowledged market price.

Used as a verb: it refers to the process whereby a buyer and a seller reach agreement on a price.

Barista:

In English, Barista is a name applied to a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks. The word is borrowed from Italian, where it has a wider meaning of "bartender". The term persists in American coffeehouse jargon, with many employers such as Starbucks officially utilizing the title for such employees. Often, among coffee enthusiasts, the term is reserved for one who has acquired some level of expertise or particular skill in the preparation of such drinks. Within certain circles, its meaning is expanding to include what might be called a "coffee sommelier" - a professional who is highly skilled in coffee preparation with a comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends, espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roast degree, espresso equipment and maintenance, latte art, etc.

Baroque:

A style of architecture and decorative art that flourished throughout Europe from the late 16th to the early 18th century, characterized by extensive ornamentation.

Barracks:

A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel; a large, unadorned building used for temporary occupancy. Often used in the plural.

Barracuda:

Any of a genus (Sphyraena of the family Sphyraenidae) of elongate predaceous often large bony fishes of warm seas that includes food and sport fishes as well as some forms frequently causing ciguatera poisoning.

One that uses aggressive, selfish, and sometimes unethical methods to obtain a goal especially in business.

Barrel:

Oil production is often given in numbers of barrels per day. One barrel = 159 litres, 0.159 cubic metres. In English the abbreviations bll (barrel) or stb (stock tank barrel) are often used. Barrels of oil equivalents Unit of volume for petroleum products. Used when oil, gas and NGL are to be summarised. Abbreviated BOE in English. Also see oil equivalents.

Barrel Roll:

Engineering / Aeronautics: a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft rolls about its longitudinal axis while following a spiral course in line with the direction of flight.

Barrier to Entry:

The obstacles that a company entering a market for the first time has to surmount to thrive in that market. These include things like a shortage of suitable sites (for retailing), the absence of economies of scale (for mass market goods), and government regulations that protect domestic producers (for imports).

Barrier to Exit:

The obstacles that prevent a company leaving a market when it no longer sees a prospect of making money in that market. These include things like the cost of laying off staff and of severing long-term supply contracts.

Barrister:

A lawyer admitted to plead at the bar in the superior courts.

Barter:

Paying for goods and services with other goods and services: that is, transactions that do not involve and exchange of money. Barter can occur at a basic level (my eggs for your honey) and at a highly sophisticated level (Russian oil for American planes). The more sophisticated version is often referred to as countertrade.

Base:

A basic or underlying element; infrastructure.

The fundamental principle or underlying concept of a system or theory; a basis.

A facial cosmetic used to even out the complexion or provide a surface for other makeup; a foundation.

Base Camp:

A place used as a temporary store for supplies and from which an activity, especially a mountaineering expedition, starts.

Base Period:

A time in the past used as a yardstick against which to compare future performance of, for example, a business or an economy. It is easy to see how an economy has grown, for example, if its GDP is related to a base period in which it was assumed to be 100 units.

Base Rate:

A declared rate of interest that is used in the UK as a reference point for other rates. Thus a bank might say that its lending rate to a customer is base rate plus three (percentage points).

Basejumping:

B.A.S.E. Jumping, also sometimes written as BASE Jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects. "B.A.S.E." is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridge), and Earth (cliff).

Basilica:

A public building of ancient Rome having a central nave with an apse at one or both ends and two side aisles formed by rows of columns, which was used as a courtroom or assembly hall.

A Christian church building of a similar design, having a nave with a semicircular apse, two or four side aisles, a narthex, and a clerestory.

Basic:

An essential, fundamental element or entity.

Basic Tastes:

Bitterness; saltiness; sourness; sweetness and umami.

For a long period, it was commonly accepted that there is a finite and small number of "Basic Tastes" of which all seemingly complex tastes are ultimately composed. Just as with primary colors, the "basic" quality of those sensations derives chiefly from the nature of human perception, in this case the different sorts of tastes the human tongue can identify. Until the 2000s, the number of "basic" tastes was considered to be four (bitterness, saltiness, sourness, and sweetness). More recently, a fifth taste, "savory" or "umami", has been proposed by a large number of authorities associated with this field. In Asian countries within the sphere of mainly Chinese, Indian and Japanese cultural influence, Piquance has traditionally been considered a sixth Basic Taste.

Basis:

The fundamental principle; a foundation upon which something rests; the chief constituent; the fundamental ingredient.

Basis, a tax and accounting term, is the measuring rod against which gain or loss is measured. With stock, basis is what you pay for stock or the fair market value of property you contribute in exchange for the stock.

Basis Point:

The smallest unit in a measure of interest rates. Thus one basis point in 9.7% is 0.1; one basis point in 9.76% is 0.01.

Basket Case:

Slang: one that is in a completely hopeless or useless condition.

Bastard:

A child born out of wedlock.

Something that is of irregular, inferior, or dubious origin.

Slang: a person, especially one who is held to be mean or disagreeable.

Bathtub Memory:

The ability to acquire a vast amount of knowledge about a specific subject and then after its use to delete it from one's memory; e.g., especially useful for trial lawyers.

Batik:

Batik is cloth which traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Due to modern advances in the textile industry, the term has been extended to include fabrics which incorporate traditional batik patterns even if they are not produced using the wax-resist dyeing techniques. Silk batik is especially popular.

Baton:

Music: a slender wooden stick or rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra or band.

Bauhaus:

The architectural school of Walter Gropius, founded in Germany, 1919: it promoted a synthesis of painting, sculpture, and architecture, the adaptation of science and technology to architecture, and an emphasis on functionalism.

B & B:

See: bed and breakfast.

BBB:

Short for: Bottle Blond Bimbo. The Bottle Blond Bimbo is a typical young female usually around 17 to 20+ years of age typically from the United States of America. The Bottle Blond Bimbo also known as Triple B or simply BBB for short, is a ditsy, lascivious, empty headed and all around cum dumpster that often casts normal women in a negative light.

Bcc:

Short for: Blind Carbon Copy. The field in an e-mail header that names additional recipients for the message. It is similar to carbon copy (cc), but the names do not appear in the recipient's message. Not all e-mail systems support the bcc feature.

BCI:

Short for: Brain-Computer Interface. A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface, is a direct communication pathway between a brain and an external device. BCIs were aimed at assisting, augmenting or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.

Research on BCIs began in the 1970s at the University of California Los Angeles under a grant from the National Science Foundation followed by a contract from DARPA. These papers also mark the first appearance of the expression brain–computer interface in the scientific literature.

The field has since blossomed spectacularly, mostly toward neuroprosthetics applications that aim at restoring damaged hearing, sight and movement. Thanks to the remarkable cortical plasticity of the brain, signals from implanted prostheses can, after adaptation, be handled by the brain like natural sensor or effector channels. Following years of animal experimentation, the first neuroprosthetic devices implanted in humans appeared in the mid-nineties.

BDSM:

BDSM is a compound acronym derived from the terms Bondage and Discipline (B&D, B/D, or BD), Dominance and Submission (D&s, D/s, or Ds), Sadism and Masochism (S&M, S/M, or SM).

BDSM includes a wide spectrum of activities, forms of interpersonal relationships, and distinct subcultures. While not always overtly sexual in nature, the activities and relationships within a BDSM context are almost always eroticized by the participants in some fashion. Many of these practices fall outside of conventional sexual activities and human relationships.

Beacon:

A source of guidance or inspiration.

Bean Counter:

An unflattering name for an accountant. It implies that accountants spend their time sitting around counting beans - beans once having been used as a primitive form of money to store and exchange value.

Beanie:

A small brimless cap; a round close-fitting hat resembling a skullcap.

Beantown:

Colloquialism for the City of Boston, MA, U.S.A.: back in colonial days, a favorite Boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours. Today, Boston baked beans are something of a rarity - there are no companies in the city making it and only a few restaurants serve it. If you want to try it yourself, here's a Boston baked beans recipe.

"Beam me up, Scotty!":

"Beam me up, Scotty!" is a catch phrase that made its way into pop culture from the science fiction television series Star Trek. It comes from the command Captain Kirk gives his transporter chief, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, when he needs to transport back to the ship.

Bear:

An investor who thinks that the price of a security is going to fall. A Bear sells securities in the expectation of being able to buy them back in future at a lower price. Contrast with bull.

Bear Hug:

A rough, tight hug.

A wrestling hold in which the arms are locked tightly round an opponent's chest and arms.

An approach to the board of one company by another to indicate that an offer is to be made for their shares.

Bearer Bond:

A Bond issued in Bearer form rather than being registered in a specific owner’s name. Ownership is d determined by possession.

Bearer Security:

A bond of share that gives the rights of ownership (such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends) to whoever holds (or bears) them. This is in contrast to registered securities, which belong to the person or organization in whose name they are registered.

Bearer Shares:

Shares in the capital of a company which are transferable by delivery of the certificate. They do not display a shareholder's name but instead grant ownership rigths to any individual who is in actual physical possession of the certificate(s) Unlike registered shares, which are transferred by an instrument of transfer and display the shareholder's name on the actual share certificate, the name of the holder is not registered in the books of the company.

Beatification:

Beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek makarios and Latin facere, make) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name (intercession of saints). Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process. A person who is beatified is given the title "Blessed".

Beau:

A man who is the lover of a girl or young woman.

Beau Geste:

A gracious (but usually meaningless) gesture.

Beauty:

The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality.

One that is beautiful, especially a beautiful woman.

A quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling.

Beautiful People:

Wealthy or famous people, often members of the "Jet Set", who mingle in glamorous social circles and who, because of their celebrity, often establish trends or fashions.

Bed and Breakfast:

A Bed and Breakfast (or B & B) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Typically, Bed and Breakfasts are private homes with fewer than 10 bedrooms available for commercial use.

Bedouin:

A member of a nomadic tribe of Arabs.

Bedsit:

A furnished sitting room containing sleeping accommodation and sometimes cooking and washing facilities.

Beef Wellington:

Beef Wellington is a preparation of fillet steak coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.

Beefcake:

Slang: a photograph of a muscular man in minimal attire.

Beer Garden:

An outdoor tavern or an outdoor area adjoining a tavern where alcohol is served.

Before Present:

Before Present (BP) years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon dating became practicable in the 1950s.

See also: Anno Domini.

Behavior:

The manner in which one behaves.

The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external or internal stimuli.

Bel Canto:

A style of operatic singing characterized by full, even tones and a brilliant display of vocal technique.

Bell Rocket Belt:

The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances.

Visit also: The Martin Jetpack.

Bella Figura:

Italian: fine appearance or impression.

Belle:

A popular, attractive girl or woman, especially the most attractive one of a group.

Belle Époque:

The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" for the upper classes, as peace prevailed among the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives that were unclouded by income tax, and the commercial arts adopted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms. In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the "Gilded Age".

Belle of the Ball:

The most attractive woman at a social gathering.

Bellwether:

One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends.

Below the Line:

Items in a profit and loss account that appear below the net profit figure; that is, items that are taken into account after the figure for net profit has been calculated. Contrast with above the line.

Belt-and-Braces:

Providing double security, in case one security measure should fail.

Bench:

Law: the office or position of a judge.

Sports: the place where the players on a team sit when not participating in a game.

Benchmark:

The measure of a business function or process that is considered to be best practice for a particular industry. The number of cars produced per month by the most efficient up-to-date car factory will be a Benchmark for all car manufacturers. So will the lowest percentage of quality defects that any factory achieves.

Benefactor:

One that gives aid, especially financial aid.

Beneficiary:

A person to whom a trust’s proceeds are distributed.

Benefit:

An advantage gained by the addition of something extra. For example, customers gain a Benefit when companies add extra staff to handle their enquiries; products Benefit from the addition of new machinery that improves their quality. The addition of these extras bears a cost, however, and needs to be subjected to a cost benefit analysis.

BENELUX:

The countries of BElgium, the NEtherlands, and LUXembourg, and the economic union between them. This exists within the rules and structure of the European Union, all three countries being EU members.

Bermuda Triangle:

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared and cannot be explained as human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed some of these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings.

Berne Convention:

An international agreement on the protection of copyright. Signatory countries agree to treat artistic works from all member countries equally.

Berne Union:

An association of national export-credit agencies based in Berne, Switzerland. The agencies meet at the Berne Union to discuss issues of common concern.

Bespoke:

British for: made to individual order; custom made. Bespoke is employed in a variety of applications to mean an item custom-made to the buyer's specification. While applied to many items now, from computer software to luxury car appointments, the term historically was only applied to tailored clothing, shirts and other parts of men's apparel involving measurement and fitting.

The distinguishing points of bespoke tailoring are the buyer's total control over the fabric used, the features and fit, and the way the garment should be made. More generally, bespoke describes a high degree of customisation, and involvement of the end-user, in the production of the good.

See also: Savile Row.

Bespoke Couturier:

Bespoke Couturier is a term coined by tailor and designer Ozwald Boateng.

Besserwisser:

One who claims to know everything and rejects advice or information from others: Know-It-All.

Bestseller:

Bestseller: a book that has had a large and rapid sale.

Beta Test:

In software development, a Beta Test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out. Beta testing can be considered "pre-release testing." Beta test versions of software are now distributed to a wide audience on the Web partly to give the program a "real-world" test and partly to provide a preview of the next release.

Better Safe than Sorry:

It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to suffer afterwards.

Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts:

Meaning: don't trust your enemies.

Origin: an allusion to the story of the wooden horse of Troy, used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city. It is recorded in Virgil's Aeneid Book 2.

BFF:

Short for: (chat) Best Friends Forever.

Bias:

A partiality that prevents objectivel consideration of an issue or situation.

Bible Belt:

Bible Belt is an informal term for an area of the United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is extremely high.

Bibliophilia:

Bibliophilia or Bibliophilism is the love of books. Accordingly a Bibliophile is an individual who loves books. More commonly referred to as a bookworm, the individual loves books for their content, or otherwise loves reading.

BIC:

Short for: Bank Identifier Code. Related: IBAN and S.W.I.F.T.

Bid:

The price offered for a security, a company or a painting. At the moment that it is offered, a Bid is the highest price that any potential buyer is prepared to pay for what is on offer.

Biennale:

A Biennial show; especially, an art show held every two years.

Bier:

A Bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin, or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.

Big Band:

A large dance or jazz band usually featuring improvised solos by lead players.

Big Bang:

The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the initial conditions and subsequent development of the Universe that is supported by the most comprehensive and accurate explanations from current scientific evidence and observation. As used by cosmologists, the term Big Bang generally refers to the idea that the Universe has expanded from a primordial hot and dense initial condition at some finite time in the past (currently estimated to have been approximately 13.7 billion years ago), and continues to expand to this day.

Big Brother:

Your (un)friendly local government watching over your shoulder. Famous quote: "Big Brother is watching you!" - by author George Orwell in his book Nineteen Eighty Four. Also, visit Echelon.

Big Picture:

The overall perspective or objective, not the fine detail.

Big Spender:

One who spends lavishly and ostentatiously on entertainment.

Big-Ticket Item:

Consumer goods that are of such a high price, such as cars or cookers, that customers often buy them on credit.

Big Time:

The most prestigious level of attainment in a competitive field.

Big-Wig:

Slang: a very important person.

Bigot:

A prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own.

Bikini:

The Bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts, the other the groin (and optionally the buttocks), leaving an uncovered area between the two.

The modern Bikini was invented by French engineer Louis Réard in 1946. He named it after Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, the site of the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests in July that year.

Bill:

A written claim in respect of a debt.

An advertisement of goods or services for sale, as in Bill of Fare, or Billboard.

Bill Clinton's Hair:

Bill Clinton's Hair is a metaphor for arrogance referring to the story was that planes were kept circling as President Bill Clinton had his hair clipped on Air Force One at Los Angeles airport in May 1993.

Billboard:

Boards to which are attached bills; that is, advertisements. Billboards (also known as hoardings) are usually found close to major transport arteries. In some countries they are strictly controlled by law; in others less so.

Bill of Lading:

The documents giving title to goods in transit. They describe the goods, their condition and their destination. They are particularly important as backing for a letter of credit. A clean bill is a bill of lading that is attached by a shipping company to goods that are delivered in perfect condition. Hence the expression "a clean bill of health". If the goods are not as they should be, then the bill contains a clause to that effect, and it is said to be a dirty bill.

Bimbo:

A woman regarded as vacuous or as having an exaggerated interest in her sexual appeal.

See also: himbo.

Bingo:

A game of chance in which each player has one or more cards printed with differently numbered squares on which to place markers when the respective numbers are drawn and announced by a caller. The first player to mark a complete row of numbers is the winner.

Used to express the sudden completion of an event, occurrence of an idea, or confirmation of a guess.

Biography:

An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another.

Biology:

The science of life and of living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. It includes botany and zoology and all their subdivisions.

The life processes or characteristic phenomena of a group or category of living organisms.

The plant and animal life of a specific area or region.

Biometric Passport:

A Biometric Passport is a combined paper and electronic identity document that uses biometrics to authenticate the identity of travelers. The passport's critical information is stored on a tiny RFID computer chip, much like information stored on smartcards. Like some smartcards, the passport book design calls for an embedded contactless chip that is able to hold digital signature data to ensure the integrity of the passport and the biometric data.

The currently standardized biometrics used for this type of identification system are facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, and iris recognition. These were adopted after assessment of several different kinds of biometrics including retinal scan.

See also: multimodal biometrics.

Biometrics:

Biometrics refers to methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. In information technology, in particular, Biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance.

Bionic:

Having anatomical structures or physiological processes that are replaced or enhanced by electronic or mechanical components.

Having extraordinary strength, powers, or capabilities; superhuman.

Biopsy:

The removal and examination of a sample of tissue from a living body for diagnostic purposes.

BIOS:

Short for: Basic Input / Output System.

In IBM PC Compatible computers, the Basic Input / Output System (BIOS), also known as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface.

The BIOS is boot firmware, designed to be the first code run by a PC when powered on. The initial function of the BIOS is to identify, test, and initialize system devices such as the video display card, hard disk, and floppy disk and other hardware. This is to prepare the machine into a known state, so that software stored on compatible media can be loaded, executed, and given control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.

Bird's Eye View:

A situation or topic as if viewed from an altitude or distance.

Birdie:

Golf: a score of one stroke under par for a hole.

Birkin Bag:

Aka "the Holy Grail of purses". Read more here.

See also: the Kelly bag.

BIS:

Short for: the Bank for International Settlements, a Basle-based financial institution that acts as a central bank for central banks. Through it they can clear funds among themselves. The BIS also acts as a talking-shop for bank regulators from around the world.

Bistro:

A small, informal restaurant serving wine.

Bit:

In computing and telecommunications a Bit is a basic unit of information storage and communication (a contraction of "binary digit"). It is the maximum amount of information that can be stored by a device or other physical system that can normally exist in only two distinct states. These states are often interpreted (especially in the storage of numerical data) as the binary digits 0 and 1. They may be interpreted also as logical values, either "true" or "false"; or two settings of a flag or switch, either "on" or "off".

bit.ly:

"Shorten, share and track your links." A simple URL shortener. Offers URL redirection service with real-time link tracking. bit.ly allows users to shorten, share, and track links (URLs). Reducing the URL length makes sharing easier.

Visit: bit.ly for more.

Bitcoin:

Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009.

Bitcoin enables rapid payments (and micropayments) at very low cost, and avoids the need for central authorities and issuers. Digitally signed transactions, with one node signing over some amount of the currency to another node, are broadcast to all nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

BitTorrent (protocol):

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used for distributing large amounts of data. BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files, and it has been estimated that it accounts for approximately 27-55% of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location) as of February 2009.

Click here to download BitTorrent.

Black Book:

A book containing names of people or organizations to blacklist.

A list of persons or things out of favor, as in Tom's in my Black Book these days. This usage dates from the 14th century and in time became more ominous. In 1536 the agents of King Henry VIII wrote in a Black Book the names of those to be censured or punished, specifically "sinful" English monasteries (whose lands Henry wanted to acquire). Today being in someone's Black Book still signifies being in trouble, at least with that person.

A list of measures or facts involved in the unfriendly takeover of one company by another. This usage is employed mainly in business and commerce.

Black Box:

Equipment that records information about the performance of an aircraft during flight.

Something that is mysterious, especially as to function.

Black Death:

A widespread epidemic of bubonic plague that occurred in several outbreaks between 1347 and 1400. It originated in Asia and then swept through Europe, where it killed over 50 million people.

Black Economy:

The value of all the black market transactions that take place in an economy. By definition these are immeasurable, but many estimates are made nevertheless. In the United States, the Black Economy is reckoned to be worth less than 5% of GDP. In Italy some estimates put it as high as 25%; and in many low-income developing countries it is undoubtledly much higher.

Black Friday (shopping):

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

See also: Black Friday for other uses.

Black Friday:

Any Friday on which a public disaster has occurred.

See also: List of Black Fridays.

Black Hole:

An area of space-time with a gravitational field so intense that its escape velocity is equal to or exceeds the speed of light.

A great void; an abyss.

Black Hole Site:

A Black Hole Site is created when an tier 1 authority site ceases to link out to other sites. If a reference is needed, the information is rewritten and a reference page is created within the black hole. All (or virtually all) external links on the site are made nofollow.

Black Market:

A market that operates outside the law and government regulation. Black Market transactions are largely untaxed and unrecorded. They may involve the sale of smuggled goods, stolen goods, or illegally copied goods (watches, for instance).

Black Mass:

A travesty of the Roman Catholic Mass, ascribed to worshipers of Satanism.

Black Monday:

October 19, 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 22% in a single day. That event marked the beginning of a global stock market decline, making Black Monday one of the most notorious days in recent financial history. By the end of the month, most of the major exchanges had dropped more than 20%.

Black Sheep:

A member of a family or other group who is considered undesirable or disreputable.

A reckless and unprincipled reprobate.

Black Tie:

Black Tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions derived from Anglo-American costume conventions of the Nineteenth century. Worn only for events after six p.m., Black Tie is less formal than white tie but more formal than informal or business dress.

For males, the elements of Black Tie are a suit, usually of black wool, in which the jacket lapels and trouser braid are of silk or other contrasting material, a white dress shirt, a black bow-tie, a waistcoat or cummerbund, and black dress shoes. Women's dress for Black Tie occasions has varied greatly through the years; traditionally it was dinner (ankle) or tea (below mid-calf) length sleeveless dress, often accompanied by a wrap or stole, gloves, and evening shoes. Today, cocktail (knee) length dresses are considered equally appropriate in most places.

Black Tuesday:

A widely used reference to October 29, 1929, the date of the greatest frenzy on the New York Stock Exchange during the Great Crash.

Blackball:

A negative vote, especially one that blocks the admission of an applicant to an organization.

Blackjack:

A leather-covered bludgeon with a short, flexible shaft or strap, used as a hand weapon.

Games: a card game in which the object is to accumulate cards with a higher count than that of the dealer but not exceeding 21. Also called twenty-one, vingt-et-un.

Blacklist:

A list of individuals, companies or countries from which certain privileges are withheld. For example, companies that disobey a government-imposed boycott may find themselves Blacklisted and unable to bid for future government contracts.

Blackmail:

Extortion of money or something else of value from a person by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information.

Blackout:

A cutoff of electrical power, especially as a result of a shortage, a mechanical failure, or overuse by consumers.

A temporary loss of memory or consciousness.

Blank Cheque:

A cheque that is signed by the payer but is left blank as to the payee and/or the amount of money to be paid.

Blank Verse:

Unrhymed verse having a regular meter, usually of iambic pentameter.

Blanket License:

A license that gives the licensee the right to perform all of the works in the repertory for a single stated fee that does not vary depending on how much music from the repertory the licensee actually uses.

Blasé:

Indifferent to something because of familiarity or surfeit; lacking enthusiasm; bored; unconcerned; nonchalant; very sophisticated.

Blasphemy:

A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity.

The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.

An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.

Blazer:

A Blazer is a type of single breasted coat, closely related to a suit jacket. Generally, it differs from a suit jacket in that the buttons are usually metallic, and the outer material generally more durable. They occur most often in blue colors, but Blazers of other colors are not unheard of. They are included often in uniforms of civilian bodies, such as airlines, boys schools, yacht clubs, and private security organizations.

Blind Date:

A social engagement between two persons who have not previously met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.

Either of the persons participating in such a social engagement.

Blind Spot:

A part of an area that cannot be directly observed under existing circumstances; an area where radio reception is weak or nonexistent.

A subject about which one is markedly ignorant or prejudiced.

Blind Taste Test:

In marketing, a Blind Taste Test is often used as a tool for companies to compare their brand to another brand.

To ensure impartial judgment of a wine, it should be served blind — that is, without the taster(s) having seen the label or bottle shape. Blind Tasting may also involve serving the wine from a black wine glass to mask the color of the wine. A taster's judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine, such as geographic origin, price, reputation, color, or other considerations.

Blind Trust:

A Trust in which the executors have full discretion over the assets, and the Trust beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings of the Trust.

Blind Trusts are generally used when a trustor wishes to keep the beneficiary unaware of the specific assets in the trust, such as to avoid conflict of interest between the beneficiary and the investments.

Bling:

Flashy jewellery worn especially as an indication of wealth. Broadly: expensive and ostentatious possessions.

Bling Bling:

Something that shows wealth, usually large items of jewellery (rings, necklaces). Also refers to gold jewellery in particular e.g. neckchains, rings.

Jamaican slang that has been adopted by some American rappers and inserted into popular culture. The term "Bling Bling" refers to the imaginary "sound" that is produced from light reflected by a diamond.

Any of a variety of stylish or expensive accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc.

A celebration of success through ostentatious spending habits.

Blini:

A small light pancake served with melted butter, sour cream, and other garnishes such as caviar.

Blip:

A spot of light on a radar or sonar screen indicating the position of a detected object, such as an aircraft or a submarine.

A high-pitched electronic sound; a bleep.

A temporary or insignificant phenomenon, especially a brief departure from the normal.

Blister Packaging:

A form of packaging that allows a potential purchaser to see a wrapped-up product before purchasing it.

Blitz:

An intense campaign.

Blitzkrieg:

German for: lightning war. German tank general Heinz Guderian is generally accepted to have outlined the principles.

A swift, sudden military offensive, usually by combined air and mobile land forces.

Blockbuster:

Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales.

Blocked Account:

A bank account which a court or a government has blocked, thus preventing funds from being withdrawn from it.

Block Trading:

Trading in big blocks of shares, an activity carried out more often by financial institutions than by individuals. It is the wholesale end of the equity market.

Blog:

A Blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a Blog.

Many Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical Blog combines text, images, and links to other Blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many Blogs. Most Blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 Blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, one which consists of Blogs with very short posts.

Create your free Blog here and start sharing your thoughts, photos, and more with your friends and the world.

See also: micro-blogging and soapbox.

Blood Diamond:

In relation to diamond trading, Blood Diamond (also called a converted diamond, Conflict Diamond, hot diamond or a war diamond) refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity, usually in Africa.

Blood Money:

Money paid by a killer as compensation to the next of kin of a murder victim.

Bloodline:

Direct line of descent; pedigree.

Blowback:

The effect caused by recirculation into the source country of disinformation previously planted abroad by that country's intelligence service in an effort to mislead the government of another country.

BLT Sandwich:

The BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato) is a type of bacon sandwich. The BLT traditionally has several strips of well-cooked or even crispy bacon, leaves of lettuce (traditionally iceberg or romaine), and slices of tomato, between slices of bread (commonly toasted). Mayonnaise is the traditional condiment for the BLT. The BLT is recorded as being the second most popular sandwich in the United States, after the ham sandwich.

Blu-ray Disc:

Blu-ray Disc (also known as Blu-ray or BD) is an optical disc storage medium. Its main uses are high-definition video and data storage. The disc has the same physical dimensions as standard DVDs and CDs.

The name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blue laser (violet-colored) used to read and write to this type of disc. Because of the wavelength (405 nanometres), substantially more data can be stored on a Blu-ray Disc than on the DVD format, which uses a red (650 nm) laser. A dual-layer Blu-ray Disc can store 50 gigabytes, almost six times the capacity of a dual-layer DVD, or ten and a half times that of a single-layer DVD.

Blue Blood:

A member of the aristocracy.

Blue Chip:

A common stock of a nationally known quoted company that has a long record of steadily rising profits and uninterrupted dividend payments; typically have high price and low yield; "blue chips are usually safe investments".

Blue Collar:

Employees who work in a factory are sometimes referred to as Blue Collar workers to distinguish them from their managers (who work in offices and are known as white-collar workers). It was once customary for factory workers to wear blue overalls.

Blue Hole:

Blue Holes are roughly circular, steep-walled depressions, and so named for the dramatic contrast between the dark blue, deep waters of their depths and the lighter blue of the shallows around them.

Blue Moon:

A Blue Moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons.

Informal: a relatively long period of time.

Blue Ocean Strategy:

Blue Ocean Strategy generally refers to the creation by a company of a new, uncontested market space that makes competitors irrelevant and that creates new consumer value often while decreasing costs. It was introduced by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in their best-selling book of the same name.

For in-depth information, read the book Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, or visit Wikipedia.

Blue Ribbon:

In symbolism, Blue Ribbon is a term used to describe something of high quality. The usage came from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners.

Bluebeard:

A man who first marries and then murders one wife after another.

Bluebeard (French: La Barbe bleue) is a French literary folktale written by Charles Perrault and is one of eight tales by the author first published by Barbin in Paris in January 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her predecessors.

Blueprint:

Originally the rough outline of a drawing executed on blue paper and used by printers for guidance. More generally, it is a model of a business plan or process.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is an open wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs). It was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS232 data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.

Visit the official Bluetooth technology info site.

Bluff:

To mislead or deceive.

To impress, deter, or intimidate by a false display of confidence.

To try to mislead (opponents) in a card game by heavy betting on a poor hand or by little or no betting on a good one.

Bluing (steel):

Bluing is most commonly used by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths and gun owners to improve the cosmetic appearance of, and provide a measure of corrosion resistance to, their firearms. Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish.

BMI:

Short for: Body Mass Index. A measure of someone's weight in relation to height; to calculate one's BMI, multiply one's weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one's height in inches; overweight is a BMI greater than 25; obese is a BMI greater than 30.

The Body Mass Index, or Quetelet index, is a statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is a useful tool to estimate a healthy body weight based on how tall a person is. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problem within a population including: underweight, overweight and obesity. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing "social physics". Body mass index is defined as the individual's body weight divided by the square of his height. The formulas universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of kg/m2. BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of weight (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colours for different BMI categories.

See also: Body Volume Index.

Board:

A group of people (called directors) who are appointed by the shareholders of a company to look after their interests. A board will usually have a number of executive directors, who are also fulltime managers of the business; a number of non-executive directors, who may represent particular groups of shareholders; and a secretary, who keeps the minutes.

Board Game:

A Board Game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game). Like other forms of entertainment, board games can represent nearly any subject.

Visit: list of board games.

Board Meeting:

A meeting of the board. Board meetings usually occur once a month and they follow a prescribed agenda and formal rules (which are often laid down by law).

Board of Directors:

The company’s "cabinet" - as specified in the Articles of Association - is supposed to make decisions on the issues that are too specific for the general meeting to discuss but which are beyond the day-to-day responsibility of the company management.

Boarding School:

A private school where students are lodged and fed as well as taught.

Bodega:

A small grocery store, sometimes combined with a wineshop, in certain Hispanic communities.

Body:

The entire material or physical structure of an organism, especially of a human or animal; a human; a person.

A group of individuals regarded as an entity; a corporation.

A number of persons, concepts, or things regarded as a group; a mass of matter that is distinct from other masses.

Printing: the part of a block of type underlying the impression surface.

Body Armor:

Protective clothing that can shield the wearer from weapons and projectiles.

See also: ballistic vest and visit: Second Chance Armor.

Body Double:

Performing Arts / Films: a movie actor who substitutes for a leading performer, especially in distance shots or scenes not involving the face, such as close-ups of a portion of the body.

See also: stand-in.

Body Hacking:

See: body modification.

Body Language:

Body Language is a form of non-verbal communication, consisting of body pose, gestures, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals unconsciously. It is often said that human communication consists of 93% body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves.

Body Modification:

Body Modification (or body alteration) is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression.

Bodyguard:

A person or group of persons, usually armed, responsible for the safety of one or more other persons.

Bogus:

Counterfeit or fake; not genuine.

Bohème:

The literal definition and original meaning of the term "Bohemian," is a native or inhabitant of the region and former province of western Czechoslovakia.

The term Bohemian, of French origin, was first used in the English language in the nineteenth century to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities.

Boîte:

French colloquialism for nightclub.

Bon Mot:

A clever and fitting remark; a witticism.

Bon Vivant:

A person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink.

Bon Viveur:

A person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink.

Bona Fide:

Undertaken in good faith; authentic; genuine.

Bonanza:

A rich mine, vein, or pocket of ore.

A source of great wealth or prosperity.

Bond:

An IOU issued by a company or a government in return for an interest-bearing long-term loan. These IOUs can be ought and sold by investors in a secondary market.

Bond Street:

Bond Street is a major shopping street in London which runs through Mayfair from Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. It is one of the principal streets in the West End shopping district and is more upmarket than nearby Regent Street and Oxford Street. It is in the Mayfair district of London, and has been a fashionable shopping street since the 18th century. Technically "Bond Street" does not exist: The southern section is known as Old Bond Street, and the northern section, which is rather more than half the total length, is known as New Bond Street. This distinction, however, is not generally made in everyday usage.

Bonded:

When imported goods are held (duty-free) in a secure depot, called a bonded warehouse, in their country of destination. The goods are removed from the warehouse as and when they are needed, and only then does any duty on them become due.

Bonding:

The formation of a close human relationship, as between friends.

Bonds:

A Bond certificate is simply an IOU. It certifies that you have loaned money to a government or corporation and describes the terms of the loan. Only corporations can issue stocks, but bonds can be issued by corporations or governments.

Bonsai:

Bonsai (lit. tree-in-a-tray) is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees, or of developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.

Bonus:

Something given or paid in addition to what is usual or expected.

A payment to shareholders or employees that is over and above what they can contractually expect. In some companies, employees receive an annual Bonus that is dependent on the company's performance.

Book of Condolence:

A book, containing blank leaves, in which people may sign their name and write a short message as a symbol of sympathy; often in response to a high profile death or series of deaths.

Book-Keeping:

The business of maintaining a financial record of a company's day-to-day transactions. This record forms the basis of the company's annual accounts.

Book Value:

The value of an asset as it is recorded in a company's books. This value may be different from the asset's market value because, for example, accounting convention may dictate that the asset be valued in the books at its purchase price. The purchase price may be well above or well below the asset's current market value.

Booker:

Someone who engages a person or company for performances.

Bookmark:

Also called Bookmarker. A strip or band of some material, such as leather or ribbon, put between the pages of a book to mark a place.

Computing: an address for a website stored on a computer so that the user can easily return to the site; an identifier placed in a document so that part of the document can be accessed easily.

Books:

A company's basic accounting records in which are recorded the financial details of all transactions undertaken by the company.

Boom:

A deep resonant sound, as of an explosion.

A time of economic prosperity.

A sudden increase, as in popularity.

Boomer:

Informal: a member of the baby boom generation in the 1950s.

A nuclear submarine armed with ballistic missiles.

Boomerang:

A flat, curved, usually wooden missile configured so that when hurled it returns to the thrower.

A statement or course of action that backfires.

Boot:

The process of starting up a computer, running the small programs that enable the computer to run larger ones.

Boot Camp:

A training camp for military recruits.

A correctional facility that uses the training techniques applied to military recruits to teach usually youthful offenders socially acceptable patterns of behavior.

Bootleg:

To make, sell, or transport (alcoholic liquor) for sale illegally.

To produce, distribute, or sell without permission or illegally.

Borderline:

A line that establishes or marks a border.

An indefinite area intermediate between two qualities or conditions.

Born-Again:

Having discovered or renewed a commitment to Jesus as one's personal savior.

Characterized by renewal, resurgence, or return.

Boss:

An employer or a supervisor.

One who makes decisions or exercises authority.

Bossy:

Given to ordering others around; domineering.

To give orders to, especially in an arrogant or domineering manner.

Boston Tea Party:

The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, and reference is often made to it in other political protests.

Botox:

Botox is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults younger than 65 years of age for a short period of time.

Botox is a trade name for BOtulinum TOXin A. In this way, Botox is related to botulism. Botulism is a form of food poisoning that occurs when someone eats something containing a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Botox (BOtulinum TOXin type A) is successfully used to treat blepharospasm, strabismus, and cervical dystonia -- these are all conditions that in some way involve spasms, involuntary muscle contractions.

Within a few hours to a couple of days after the botulinum toxin is injected into the affected muscle(s), the spasms or contractions are reduced or eliminated altogether. The effects of the treatment are not permanent, reportedly lasting anywhere from three to eight months. By injecting the toxin directly into a certain muscle or muscle group, the risk of it spreading to other areas of the body is greatly diminished.

Bottle Blond:

A person whose hair has been bleached blond.

See also: BBB.

Bottle Message:

A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass bottle, but could be any medium) and released into the sea or ocean. Such messages are not intended for a specific person, but to end up wherever the currents carry them.

Bottom Line:

The net profit or loss figure in a company's accounts. More generally, it is the final result of a series of actions or statements. "The Bottom Line is that the company is bankrupt."

Boudoir:

A woman's private sitting room, dressing room, or bedroom.

Boulevard:

A wide usually tree-lined road in a city, often used as a promenade.

Bounce:

If a cheque is returned to the payee by the payer's bank because of a lack of funds it is said to bounce. The payee is asked to represent the cheque in the hope that funds have appeared in the meantime and it can be cleared. If not, it might be returned to the payee yet again, like a rubber ball.

Bounce Rate:

Bounce Rate is a term used in web site traffic analysis. It essentially represents the percentage of initial visitors to a site who "bounce" away to a different site, rather than continue on to other pages within the same site.

Bouncer:

Slang: a person employed to expel disorderly persons from a public place, especially a bar.

Baseball: a ground ball hit in such a way that it bounces.

Bourbon Street (New Orleans, LA, U.S.A.):

Bourbon Street (French: Rue Bourbon) is a famous and historic street that runs the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter. New Orleans has since expanded, but "The Quarter" remains the cultural hub, and Bourbon Street is the street best known by visitors.

Bourgeoisie:

Middle class: the social class between the lower and upper classes. Historically, the Bourgeoisie were a social class of people, characterized by their ownership of capital and the related culture.

Bourse:

French for stock exchange, widely used in the non-English-speaking world.

Boutique:

A small retail shop that specializes in gifts, fashionable clothes, accessories, or food, for example; a small shop located within a large department store or supermarket.

A small business offering specialized products and services.

Boutique Hotel:

Boutique Hotel is a term popularised in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments. Boutique Hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain / branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities. Sometimes known as "design hotels" or "lifestyle hotels".

Boutique Hotels began appearing in the 1980s in major cities like London, New York, and San Francisco. Typically Boutique Hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and / or aspirational manner. They usually are considerably smaller than mainstream hotels, often ranging from 3 to 50 guest rooms. Boutique Hotels are always individual and are therefore extremely unlikely to be found amongst the homogeneity of large chain hotel groups. Guest rooms and suites may be fitted with telephony and Wi-Fi Internet, air-conditioning, honesty bars and often cable/pay TV, but equally may have none of these, focusing on quiet and comfort rather than gadgetry. Guest services are often attended to by 24-hour hotel staff. Many Boutique Hotels have on-site dining facilities, and the majority offer bars and lounges which may also be open to the general public.

See also: design hotel.

Boutonnière:

A flower or small bunch of flowers worn in a buttonhole.

Bowtie:

A man's tie that ties in a bow.

Box Office:

Total admission receipts for an entertainment.

Boxing Day:

Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday commonly occurring on the 26th of December. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill.

Boycott:

A deliberate decision not to do business with somebody.

BPR:

Short for: Business Process Re-Engineering, what happens when business processes are radically re-designed to achieve a dramatic improvement in a company's performance.

Brain Drain:

The loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional environments.

Brain-Teaser:

Informal: a difficult problem.

Brainchild:

An original idea or plan attributed to a person or group.

Brainstorming:

An unstructured meeting in which the participants attempt to come up with original solutions to corporate problems. The first step is usually an attempt to gather as many ideas as possible. Only later are the ideas evaluated.

Brainwashing:

Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs.

The application of a concentrated means of persuasion, such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion, in order to develop a specific belief or motivation.

Branch:

The retail outlet of a financial institution. In many countries bank Branches occupy the most prestigious (and expensive) sites on the high streets of towns and cities.

A division of a family, categorized by descent from a particular ancestor.

Brand:

The set of values that are signified by a company's name or symbol and that differentiate it from its competitors. The marketing potential of Brands has received much attention in recent years as companies such as Nike, Virgin and Levi have gained great benefit from developing their Brands so that they represent more a lifestyle than a product.

Brand Extension:

Extending a brand's name to new products or services. For example, the Swatch car extends the use of the Swatch watch brand to a Mercedes car.

Brandicide:

The killing of a brand by over-extension. When many different products carry one brand name there is a danger that the failure of one of the products will reflect badly on all of them. One rotten apple in the barrel can cause the lot to rot.

Brand Management:

The process of nurturing and marketing brands so that their value to the business increases.

Branded Content:

Advertainment is a relatively new form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment.

Bras d'Honneur:

A Bras d'Honneur (French: "arm of honor") is an obscene gesture. To form the gesture, an arm is bent to make an L-shape, while the other hand then grips the biceps of the bent arm, and the bent forearm is then raised vertically emphatically. It has the same meaning as giving the finger (known as le doigt d'honneur), though this particular usage is often connotated as relating to the phrase "Up Yours". Occasionally, the middle finger of the bent arm is also raised to add emphasis.

See also: the finger.

Brass:

A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc.

Music: the section of a band or an orchestra composed of Brass instruments; Brass instruments or their players considered as a group.

A memorial plaque or tablet made of Brass, especially one on which an effigy is incised.

Slang: high-ranking military officers or other high officials.

Chiefly British: money.

Brasserie:

A restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. A Brasserie can be expected to have professional service, printed menus, and, traditionally, white linen (unlike a bistro which may have none of these). Typically, a Brasserie is open every day of the week and serves the same menu all day.

Bravado:

Defiant or swaggering behavior.

A pretense of courage; a false show of bravery.

A disposition toward showy defiance or false expressions of courage.

Bravo:

Used to express approval, especially of a performance.

Breach:

The non-performance of something that has been agreed between the parties to a contract. A Breach of contract by one party entitles the other to certain remedies prescribed in law.

Break:

To make known, as news.

To surpass or outdo.

To overcome or put an end to, especially by force or strong opposition.

To fail to fulfill; cancel.

"Break a Leg":

"Break a Leg" is a well-known saying in theatre which means "good luck". It is typically said to actors before they go out onto stage to perform.

The expression reflects a theatrical superstition in which wishing a person "good luck" is considered bad luck. The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use.

Break-Even Point:

The point in the life of a business where its revenue exceeds its costs. Any new venture's business plan should contain a clear analysis of when its break-even point will be achieved, and how much it will cost to get there.

Break-Up Value:

The value of a company when broken up into individual businesses or business units. This may be more or less than the value of the company as a whole. If the value is more and it is a quoted company, it is highly vulnerable to asset stripping.

Breaking News:

News that is happening and being reported or revealed at this moment.

See also: rolling news.

Breeding:

One's line of descent; ancestry.

Elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression.

Brent Crude Oil:

A reference oil for the various types of oil in the North Sea, used as a basis for pricing. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Dubai are other reference oils.

Bretton Woods System:

A landmark system for monetary and exchange rate management established in 1944. The Bretton Woods Agreement was developed at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, from July 1 to July 22, 1944. Even as World War II raged on, 730 delegates from the 44 Allied nations attended the conference. John Maynard Keynes was one of the architects.

Major outcomes of the Bretton Woods conference included the formation of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and, most importantly, the proposed introduction of an adjustable pegged foreign exchange rate system. Currencies were pegged to gold and the IMF was given the authority to intervene when an imbalance of payments arose.

The Bretton Woods System ended on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon ended trading of gold at the fixed price of US$35/ounce, referred to as the Nixon shock. At that point for the first time in history, formal links between the major world currencies and real commodities were severed.

Bric-a-Brac:

Small, usually ornamental objects valued for their antiquity, rarity, originality, or sentimental associations.

Bridezilla:

A woman who, in the course of planning her wedding, exercises or attempts to exercise an high degree of control over all or many minor details of the ceremony and reception.

Bridging Loan:

A short-term loan designed to act as a bridge between an item of expenditure and the revenue to meet that expenditure. Frequently used in housing finance to fund the purchase of a new home until the borrowers are able to sell their old one.

Briefcase:

A portable, often flat case with a handle, used for carrying papers or books.

See also: attaché case.

Briefing:

The act or an instance of giving instructions or preparatory information to someone.

Brightest Knife in the Drawer:

See: sharpest knife in the drawer.

Brio:

Quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous.

British Commonwealth of Nations:

The 54 member states, with year of admission:

Antigua and Barbuda (1981), Australia (1931) (1), Bahamas (1973), Bangladesh (1972), Barbados (1966), Belize (1981), Botswana (1966), Brunei (1984) (2), Britain (1931), Cameroon (1995), Canada (1931) (1), Cyprus (1961), Dominica (1978), Fiji Islands (1997) (3), Gambia (1965), Ghana (1957), Grenada (1974), Guyana (1966), India (1947), Jamaica (1962), Kenya (1963), Kiribati (1979), Lesotho (1966, Malawi (1964), Malaysia (1957), Maldives (1982), Malta (1964), Mauritius (1968), Mozambique (1995), Namibia (1990), Nauru (1968) (4), New Zealand (1931) (1), Nigeria (1960) (5), Pakistan (1989) (6), Papua New Guinea (1975), St Kitts and Nevis (1983), St Lucia (1979), St Vincent and Grenadines (1979), Samoa (1970), Seychelles (1976), Sierra Leone (1961), Singapore (1965), Solomon Islands (1978), South Africa (1994) (7), Sri Lanka (1948), Swaziland (1968), Tanzania (1961), Tonga (1970) (2), Trinidad and Tobago (1962), Tuvalu (1978), Uganda (1982), Vanuatu (1980), Zambia (1964) and Zimbabwe (1980).

(1): Independence given legal effect by the Statute of Westminster 1931. (2): Brunei and Tonga had been sovereign states in treaty relationship with Britain. (3): Fiji left 1987; but rejoined in 1997. It changed its name to 'Fiji Islands' in 1998. (4): Nauru was first a Mandate, then a Trust territory. (5): Membership suspended 1995. (6): Left 1992, rejoined 1989. (7): Left 1961, rejoined 1994.

Broadband:

Broadband in telecommunications refers to a signaling method that includes or handles a relatively wide range (or band) of frequencies, which may be divided into channels or frequency bins. Broadband is always a relative term, understood according to its context. The wider the bandwidth, the greater the information-carrying capacity. In radio, for example, a very narrow-band signal will carry Morse code; a broader band will carry speech; a still broader band is required to carry music without losing the high audio frequencies required for realistic sound reproduction.

Broadband in data can refer to broadband networks or broadband Internet and may have the same meaning as above, so that data transmission over a fiber optic cable would be referred to as broadband as compared to a telephone modem operating at 56,000 bits per second. However, a world-wide standard for what level of bandwidth and network speeds actually constitute Broadband has not been determined.

Broadsheet Newspaper:

Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages (typically 22 inches / 559 millimetres or more).

In some countries, especially Australia, Canada, UK, and USA, Broadsheet newspapers are commonly perceived to be more intellectual in content than their tabloid counterparts, using their greater size to examine stories in more depth, while carrying less sensationalist and celebrity material. This distinction is most obvious on the front page: whereas tabloids tend to have a single story dominated by a headline, Broadsheets allow two or more stories to be displayed, the most important at the top of the page.

Broker:

An agent who buys and sells assets (usually financial assets) on behalf of others, and who is rewarded by a commission related to the value of the transactions undertaken. A broker can be an individual or a firm.

Brotherhood:

The state or relationship of being brothers; fellowship.

An association of men, such as a fraternity or union, united for common purposes.

Brown Goods:

Electrical consumer goods that used to be encased in brown veneer, such as radios and televisions.

Brownstone:

A nineteenth-century-style house, usually having 4 or 5 stories with a stoop leading up to the first floor. There are common side walls with a house on either side.

Browser:

A program used to locate and view HTML documents (Microsoft Explorer 8, FireFox, Opera, Safari 4, Chrome, Linux, for example).

Brunch:

A meal typically eaten late in the morning as a combination of a late breakfast and an early lunch.

BS:

Short for: bullshit.

Bubba:

Chiefly Southern U.S.: brother.

A white working-class man of the southern United States, stereotypically regarded as uneducated and gregarious with his peers.

Bubble:

An artificially inflated financial market. The most famous Bubble in history was the South Sea Bubble of 1720 in which the shares of the UK's South Sea Company increased tenfold before collapsing to next to nothing.

Something insubstantial, groundless, or ephemeral.

A thin, usually spherical or hemispherical film of liquid filled with air or gas.

A usually transparent glass or plastic dome.

Bucket Shop:

A firm of brokers that deals in securities (or airline tickets) of dubious provenance.

Buddy List:

See: contact list.

Budget:

An estimate of future revenue and costs over a specific period. Budgets are usually prepared on an annual or a monthly basis. They are drawn up for the finances of large countries and of tiny business units alike.

Buff:

One who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a subject.

Buffer:

Something that lessens or absorbs the shock of an impact.

Something that separates potentially antagonistic entities, as an area between two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict.

Computer Science: a device or area used to store data temporarily.

To act as a Buffer for or between.

Buffer Stock:

A stock of materials held in reserve. Large commodity markets retain Buffer Stocks to smooth out the flow of supply and demand. Businesses aim to keep their Buffer Stocks as low as possible so that they minimise the cost of retaining materials unnecessarily.

Buffet:

A large sideboard with drawers and cupboards.

A counter or table from which meals or refreshments are served.

A meal at which guests serve themselves from various dishes displayed on a table or sideboard.

Bulimia Nervosa:

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors. The most common form—practiced by more than 75% of people with bulimia nervosa is self-induced vomiting, sometimes called purging; fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics, and over exercising are also common.

See also: anorexia nervosa and orthorexia nervosa.

Bulk:

Size, mass, or volume, especially when very large.

The major portion or greater part.

Bull:

An investor who expects the price of a security (or of a securities market) to rise. Bulls buy securities now in the expectation of being able to sell them in the future for profit. Bulls who are changing their minds are known as stale Bulls. Contrast with bear.

An official document issued by the pope and sealed with a Bulla.

Bull's Eye:

The small central circle on a target; a shot that hits this circle; a direct hit.

The precise accomplishment of a goal or purpose.

Bulldog Drummond:

Bulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile (1888–1937), and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.

Bullhorn:

A portable device consisting of a microphone attached to a loudspeaker, used especially to amplify the voice.

Bullet Loan:

A loan on which the borrower pays only interest during the life of the loan. The capital is repaid all at once (in a single Bullet) at the end of the term of the loan.

Bullet Train:

A high-speed passenger train.

Visit also: Japan Railways Group.

Bulletin:

A brief report, especially an official statement on a matter of public interest issued for immediate publication or broadcast.

A brief update or summary of current news, as on television or radio or in a newspaper.

Bulletin Board:

A board on which notices are posted.

A system that enables users to send or read electronic messages, files, and other data that are of general interest and addressed to no particular person.

Bullhorn:

A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, Bullhorn, blowhorn or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, funnel cone-shaped device whose application is to amplify a person’s voice towards a targeted direction.

Bullion:

Silver or gold that has not been turned into coins. Gold Bullion is usually kept in the form of ingots of a standard shape and weight.

Bullshit:

Vulgar Slang: foolish, deceitful, or boastful language; something worthless, deceptive, or insincere; insolent talk or behavior.

Bully:

A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

A hired ruffian; a thug.

Bunching:

The practice of accelerating payments (and bringing them closer together) to take advantage of tax rules.

Bundling:

The practice of offering other products or services that are related to the product that is being sold at a special price. Software packages, for example, are often bundled with the purchase of hardware.

Bunga Bunga:

The Daily Beast reported Bunga Bunga as being "an erotic ritual ... which is said to be a sort of underwater orgy where nude young women allegedly encircled the nude prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and/or his friends in his swimming pool. Bunga Bunga has become a popular catchphrase in Italy, even inspiring a song to the tune of Shakira's Waka Waka world cup tribute song".

Read also The Sydney Morning Herald's in-depth article.

Bungalow:

A small house or cottage usually having a single story and sometimes an additional attic story.

A thatched or tiled one-story house in India surrounded by a wide verandah.

Bungee Jumping:

Individual Sports & Recreations / Extreme Sports: the sport of jumping usually head-first from a great height while attached to a secured rubber cord (bungee cord) attached to the ankles.

Bunker:

An underground fortification, often with a concrete projection above ground level for observation or gun emplacements.

Sports: a sand trap serving as an obstacle on a golf course.

Bunny:

A young waitress in a nightclub whose costume includes the tail and ears of a rabbit.

Slang: a devotee of a specified pastime or activity.

Bunny Dip:

This is required a Bunny with Hugh Hefner's Playboy Clubs to lean gracefully backwards while bending at the knees, with the left knee lifted and tucked behind the right leg.

Bureaucracy:

Management or administration marked by hierarchical authority among numerous offices and by fixed procedures.

Burka:

A loose, usually black or light blue robe that is worn by Muslim women, especially in Afghanistan, and that covers the body from head to toe.

Burkini:

A Burkini (or Burqini) - origin: Burka + Bikini - swimsuit is a type of swimsuit for women designed by Lebanese Australian Aheda Zanetti under the company name Ahiida.

The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (enough to preserve Muslim modesty), whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for Muslim women who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits.

Burlesque:

A variety show characterized by broad ribald comedy, dancing, and striptease.

A literary or dramatic work that ridicules a subject either by presenting a solemn subject in an undignified style or an inconsequential subject in a dignified style.

Burn Card:

In card games, a Burn Card is a playing card dealt from the top of a deck, and discarded ("burned"), unused by the players. Burn Cards are almost always placed face down next to the discard pile without being revealed to the players.

In Texas hold 'em, a card is burned before the flop, before the turn, and before the river.

The Burn Card's main reason for existence is to foil cheaters. Some cheaters will mark the backs of cards, so discarding the top card prior to dealing will reduce the advantage someone would get from knowing what that card is from its markings. Other cheaters will do what is called "second dealing," which is dealing the second card in the deck, rather than the first, in order to save the first card (which is known to the dealer) to be dealt to a specific player. By burning the first card, that known card is eliminated from play.

Bus (computing):

In computer architecture, a Bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components inside a computer or between computers.

Bus Boy:

A restaurant attendant who sets tables and assists waiters and clears away dirty dishes.

Busey:

The lesser, crappier, or worse version of two similar people / ideas / objects. Originating from the idea that actor Gary Busey is a poor man's Nick Nolte; Dolph Lundgren is the "Busey" of Arnold Schwartzenegger, etc.

Busey-ism:

A "Busey-ism" is like an acronym in reverse - you take the letters that spell out a word and break them down into new words that create a definition for it. Examples: FUN: Finally Understanding Nothing; ANGER: Another Negative Grievance Explaining Rage.

Bush Telegraph:

Social Science / Anthropology & Ethnology: a means of communication between primitive peoples over large areas, as by drum beats.

A means of spreading rumor, gossip, etc.

Business:

An organization run for profit, be it a company, partnership or sole trader.

The collection of all such organizations.

The main activity of all of the above.

Business Agent:

An agent who handles business affairs for another; especially one who deals with employers.

Business Angel:

A private individual who invests smaller sums, usually in small or start up businesses and who may be able and willing to provide hands on experience and involvement.

Business Card:

A small card printed or engraved with a person's name and business affiliation, including such information as title, address, and telephone number.

Visit: business card - Wikipedia.

Business Class:

A class of service on airlines (also known as executive class or upper class) that is usually situated between first class and coach and offers amenities as larger seats, free cocktails, and early check-in.

Business Cycle:

The economies of most countries move in a cycle of recession followed by recovery, followed by another recession. This cycle is known as the business cycle, and it can vary greatly in duration.

Business Ethics:

The moral code by which businessmen and women conduct their professional relationships with shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, and so on. Typical issues in business ethics today are:

Is it acceptable to pay bribes in countries where this is standard practice?

To what extent should businesses be held responsible for clearing up industrial sites that they abandon?

Business Jet:

Business Jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of business people. Business Jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and a few may be used by public bodies, governments or the armed forces. The more formal terms of corporate jet, executive jet, VIP transport or business jet tend to be used by the firms that build, sell, buy and charter these aircraft.

Visit: Business Jets.

Business Model:

A Business Model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value - economic, social, or other forms of value. The process of Business Model design is part of business strategy.

Business Plan:

A Business Plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals.

Business Reply Card:

A prepaid postcard designed to elicit a response from a consumer. Consumers are often asked to reply to questions on the card relating to a product that they have just purchased.

Business School:

An educational institution that teaches courses on business and often provides customised management development programmes for companies. Most business education used to be done at postgraduate level or on the job. But a growing number of universities now offer undergraduate business courses.

Business-to-Business Advertising:

Advertising which a business aims at other businesses. A supplier of metal hardness testers, for example, does not want to advertise directly to all consumers but only to companies that need to test metal, such as aircraft manufacturers. Business-to-Business Advertising generally uses written copy (which can sometimes be highly technical) rather than eye-catching images.

Bustier:

A formfitting sleeveless and usually strapless woman's top, worn as lingerie and often as evening attire.

Butler:

A Butler is a servant in a large household. In the great houses of the past, the household was sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance. Housekeepers are occasionally portrayed in literature as being the most senior staff member and as even making recommendations for the hiring of the Butler.

See also: gentleman.

Butterfly Effect:

The Butterfly Effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory.

Buy-Back:

A clause in a purchasing contract whereby a vendor agrees to buy back goods in certain circumstances. For example, a builder might agree to buy back a property at a prearranged price should the purchaser be relocated by his employer within a prescribed period of time.

Buy-In:

Stock: amass so as to keep for future use or sale or for a particular occasion or use; when an investor is forced to repurchase shares because the seller did not deliver the securities in a timely fashion, or did not deliver them at all.

The amount of chips you bring to table when you take a seat. Each table has a minimum buy-in and a maximum buy-in.

Buyer:

A person or organization that has decided to make a purchase.

Buyer's Market:

A market in which the buyer has the upper hand, where there is more supply than demand. In such a market competition should bring prices down. This in turn should eliminate some suppliers (who are no longer able to make a profit) thus restoring the balance between buyers and sellers.

Buzz:

To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an under tone; to spread, as report, by whispers, or secretly.

Buzzword:

A Buzzword (also fashion word and vogue word) is a term of art or technical jargon that has begun to see use in the wider society outside of its originally narrow technical context by nonspecialists who use the term vaguely or imprecisely.

BV:

Short for: Besloten Vennootschap met Beperkte Aansprakelijkheid. A BV is a Dutch limited company for small commercial enterprise, not required to publish accounts; used as a Substantial Holding Company.

BVI:

Short for: Body Volume Index. BVI is a proposed new and improved international anthropometric benchmark for healthcare and obesity measurement.

Visit also: Official BVI Launch and Body Mass Index.

By Appointment Only:

See also: appointment.

By-Product:

Something sellable that is produced as an accidental side-effect of manufacturing something else. Sawdust, for example, is a by-product of carpentry, and gas is often a by-product of the oil industry.

Bye-Laws or By-Laws:

Articles of Association of a company (in certain jurisdictions).

BYOB:

Short for: Bring Your Own Beer or Bring Your Own Booze.

BYOB is often placed on an invitation to indicate that the host will not be providing alcohol and that guests are welcome to bring their own. It is also frequently used by regular bars, restaurants, or strip clubs which do not have licenses to serve liquor or alcoholic beverages in general. This practice is congruent with corkage, the practice of restaurants where guests are allowed to bring their own bottles by paying a fee to the restaurant.

Byte:

A unit for measuring the capacity of a computer. A Byte is equal to eight bits (BI…nary digi…TS.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- C -

Cabal:

A conspiratorial group of plotters or intriguers.

A secret scheme or plot.

Cabaret:

A restaurant or nightclub providing short programs of live entertainment.

The floor show presented by such a restaurant or nightclub.

Cable Television:

A television distribution system in which station signals, picked up by elevated antennas, are delivered by Cable to the receivers of subscribers.

Cabotage:

Cabotage is the transport of goods or passengers between two points in the same country. Originally starting with shipping, Cabotage now also covers aviation, railways and road transport. Cabotage is "trade or navigation in coastal waters, or, the exclusive right of a country to operate the air traffic within its territory."

Rights given by law which allow national shippers to carry all cargo (and passengers) transported within the country's territory (by land and sea).

Cabriolet:

An automobile with a folding top; a convertible coupe.

Cache:

In computer science, a Cache is a collection of data duplicating original values stored elsewhere or computed earlier, where the original data is expensive to fetch (owing to longer access time) or to compute, compared to the cost of reading the Cache. In other words, a Cache is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access. Once the data is stored in the Cache, it can be used in the future by accessing the cached copy rather than re-fetching or recomputing the original data.

A Cache has proven to be extremely effective in many areas of computing because access patterns in typical computer applications have locality of reference. There are several kinds of locality, but this article primarily deals with data that are accessed close together in time (temporal locality). The data might or might not be located physically close to each other (spatial locality).

A hidden storage space (for money or provisions or weapons).

Cachet:

An indication of approved or superior status.

Cacophony:

A discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds.

CAD / CAM:

Short for: Computer-Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing. These are software programs that assist in design and manufacturing, two business processes that have been dramatically changed by the introduction of computers.

Cadet:

A student at a military school who is training to be an officer.

A younger son or brother; a youngest son.

Caddie:

One hired to serve as an attendant to a golfer, especially by carrying the golf clubs.

Cadre:

A nucleus of trained personnel around which a larger organization can be built and trained.

A framework; key group.

Caesar (title):

Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator. The change from being a familial name to an imperial title can be loosely dated to AD 68 / 69, the so-called "Year of the Four Emperors".

Caesar Salad:

A Caesar Salad has romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. It may be prepared tableside.

Visit: The History of Caesar Salad.

Café:

A coffeehouse, restaurant, or bar.

Café Society:

Café Society was the collective description for the so-called "Beautiful People" and "bright young things" who gathered in fashionable cafes and restaurants in Paris, London, Rome or New York, beginning in the late 1800s. Lucius Beebe, noted American author, journalist, gourmand, and railroad enthusiast is generally credited with creating the term "café society," which he chronicled in his weekly column, This New York, for the New York Herald Tribune during the 1920s and 1930s.

Although members of Café Society were not necessarily members of The Establishment or other ruling class groups, they were people who attended each other's private dinners and balls, took holidays in exotic locations or at elegant resorts, and whose children tended to marry the children of other café society members.

In the United States, Café Society came to the fore with the end of Prohition on December 05, 1933 and the rise of photo journalism, to describe the set of people who tended to do their entertaining semi-publicly, in restaurants and night clubs and who would include among them movie stars and sports celebrities. Some of the American night clubs and restaurants frequented by the denizens of Café Society included El Morocco, the Stork Club, 21 Club, and the Pump Room.

In the late 1950s the term Jet Set began to take the place of "Café Society", but "Café Society" may still be used informally in some countries to describe people who habitually visit coffeehouses and give their parties in restaurants rather than at home.

Caftan:

A full-length garment with elbow-length or long sleeves, worn chiefly in eastern Mediterranean countries.

A westernized version of this garment consisting of a loose, usually brightly colored waist-length or ankle-length tunic.

Calibrate:

To check, adjust, or determine by comparison with a standard (the graduations of a quantitative measuring instrument).

Caliph:

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate.

Islam: the title of the successors of Mohammed as rulers of the Islamic world, later assumed by the Sultans of Turkey.

Caliphate:

The office or jurisdiction of a caliph.

Call:

A request made to company's investors for payment of what they still owe on shares that the company originally issued as partly paid.

Call Centre:

A place where a number of telephone operators are gathered together to take orders on behalf of a company or to answer customers' queries. Most call centres are part of a large corporation and are used exclusively by its customers and staff. But some work as independent organizations and have a number of different clients.

Call Option:

A contractual right to buy an asset (often shares) at a stated price (the strike price) within a specified period of time. If not exercised, a call option expires at the end of the period.

Calligraphy:

The art of fine handwriting.

Calisthenics:

Calling:

A strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.

The vocation or profession in which one customarily engages.

Callisthenics:

Callisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using only one's body weight for resistance. They are usually conducted in concert with stretches.

Calorie:

The Calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. The unit was first defined by Professor Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat. This definition entered French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule. However, in many countries it remains in common use as a unit of food energy. In the context of nutrition, and especially food labelling, the terms Calorie and kilocalorie are interchangeable. In either case the unit is approximately equal to 4.2 kJ.

Camaraderie:

Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship.

Camera Obscura:

A darkened chamber in which the real image of an object is received through a small opening or lens and focused in natural color onto a facing surface rather than recorded on a film or plate.

Camero Role / Appearance:

A Cameo Role or Cameo Appearance (often shortened to just Cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and most of them non-speaking. As an example, director Alfred Hitchcock enjoyed inserting himself, often as a passive by-stander, in scenes of his films.

Camorra:

A Neapolitan secret society organized about 1820, notorious for practicing violence and blackmail.

Camouflage:

Concealment by disguise or protective coloring.

Camouflage Passport:

A Camouflage Passport is a passport issued in the name of a non-existent country that is intended to look like a real country’s passport.

Camp David:

Naval Support Facility Thurmont, popularly known as Camp David, is a mountain based military camp in Frederick County, Maryland used as a country retreat and for high alert base of the President of the United States and his guests.

Campaign:

Usually used with reference to advertising. An advertising Campaign is a concerted plan to use a number of media over given period of time to get a message - such as "this product or company is outstanding" or "don't drink and drive" - from the advertiser across to the general public. A public relations Campaign is a planned effort to improve the image of something (a company, a product or a politician) in the public's eye.

A series of military operations undertaken to achieve a large-scale objective during a war.

An operation or series of operations energetically pursued to accomplish a purpose.

Campus:

The grounds of a school, college, university, or hospital.

Canapé:

A sofa or divan.

Cookery: an appetizer consisting of a thin slice or piece of bread toasted or fried in butter or oil, on which anchovies, mushrooms, caviar, cheese, or other savory foods, are served.

Candid Camera:

A small, easily operated camera with a fast lens for taking unposed or informal photographs.

The practice of secretly filming subjects who are likely to do something amusing in situations that are often stage-managed for the sake of viewers’ entertainment.

Candidate:

A person who seeks or is nominated for an office, prize, or honor.

A student who has nearly completed the requirements for a degree.

A politician who is running for public office.

Canned Laughter:

A laugh track (a.k.a. laughter soundtrack, laughter track, LFN [laughter from nowhere], laugh in a can, laughing audience, fake laughter) is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into TV comedy shows and sitcoms. The first American television show to incorporate a laugh track was the American sitcom The Hank McCune Show in 1950.

Canon:

The books, music, and art that have been the most influential in shaping Western culture.

CAP:

Short for: Common Agricultural Policy, the European Union's scheme for protecting the incomes of farmers within EU.

Cap:

An upper limit placed on the interest or capital repayments on a loan. Capping can only apply to interest payments whose rates are adjusted according to market conditions. Fixed interest payments are automatically Capped.

Capacity:

The maximum that can be produced by a given unit of labor or capital in a given period of time.

Caper:

Slang: an illegal plot or enterprise, especially one involving theft.

Capex:

Short for: Capital Expenditures. CAPEX or Capex are expenditures creating future benefits. A Capital Expenditure is incurred when a business spends money either to buy fixed assets or to add to the value of an existing fixed asset with a useful life that extends beyond the taxable year. Capex are used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as equipment, property, or industrial buildings. In accounting, a Capital Expenditure is added to an asset account ("capitalized"), thus increasing the asset's basis (the cost or value of an asset as adjusted for tax purposes). Capex is commonly found on the Cash Flow Statement as "Investment in Plant Property and Equipment" or something similar in the Investing subsection.

For tax purposes, Capital Expenditures are costs that cannot be deducted in the year in which they are paid or incurred, and must be capitalized. The general rule is that if the property acquired has a useful life longer than the taxable year, the cost must be capitalized. The Capital Expenditure costs are then amortized or depreciated over the life of the asset in question. As stated above, Capital Expenditures create or add basis to the asset or property, which once adjusted, will determine tax liability in the event of sale or transfer. In the US, Internal Revenue Code §§263 and 263A deal extensively with capitalization requirements and exceptions.

Capital:

Wealth in the form of money or property, used or accumulated in a business by a person, partnership, or corporation.

The money that is invested in a business and that is raised by issuing shares or long-term bonds. People who invest money in businesses are known as capitalists, and an economic system that allows them to do this is called capitalism.

A town or city that is the official seat of government in a political entity, such as a state or nation.

Architecture: in several traditions of architecture including Classical architecture, the capital (from the Latin caput, 'head') forms the crowning member of a column or a pilaster.

Capital Allowance:

A part (usually a percentage) of the cost of capital equipment that a company is allowed to set against its annual income for the purposes of calculating its tax bill. The rules on capital allowances are to be found in a country's tax legislation.

Capital Flows:

The movement of capital between countries. Inflows come in, outflows go out.

Capital Gain:

The profit from the sale of a capital asset (property, art, securities, and so on). In many countries capital gains are subject to special tax rules.

Capital Goods:

Goods that are used in the production of other goods: all industrial machinery and office buildings, as well as road diggers and computers.

Capital Intensive:

A business, or business process, that needs a large of capital to operate. Capital-Intensive businesses include those like steelmaking and vehicle manufacturing which need expensive chunks of plant and equipment in order to function.

Capitalisation:

The attribution of a capital value to a stream of income; the amount of money that someone is prepared to pay now in order to receive a stream due in the future.

A company' market Capitalisation is the value that is put on it by a stockmarket, that is the market's value of one share multiplied by the number of shares that have been issued.

Capitalise:

To turn into capital. Companies sometimes Capitalise expenditure and treat it as a balance sheet asset to be depreciated over a number of years rather than charge it all aginst the current year's income statement. For example, many companies capitalise expenditure on R & D.

Capital Market:

A market in which are traded the financial instruments (such as shares and bonds) which represent the capital of companies.

Capitulate:

To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms.

To give up all resistance; acquiesce.

Captain America:

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. For nearly all of the character's publication history Captain America was the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a sickly young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States war effort. Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible shield that can be thrown as a weapon.

Captain of Industry:

A phrase that is sometimes used to describe business people who are especially successful and powerful.

CAPTCHA:

A CAPTCHA or Captcha (acronym for: Completely Automatic Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. The process usually involves one computer (a server) asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade. Because other computers are unable to solve the CAPTCHA, any user entering a correct solution is presumed to be human.

Caption:

A title, short explanation, or description accompanying an illustration or a photograph; a title or heading, as of a document or article.

A series of words superimposed on the bottom of television or motion picture frames that communicate dialogue to the hearing-impaired or translate foreign dialogue.

Captive:

A service organisation (usually an insurance business) which is owned by a conglomerate and meets all the conglomerate's needs in its own specialist area. Some Captive insurance companies also provide services for customers outside their own conglomerate.

Captive Bank:

Bank intended to provide services to the promoter and associates of the promoter, usually an international group of companies.

Captive Insurance Company:

Insurance company established by a company or international group to provide insurance (or reinsurance) for the promoter and associates of the promoter.

Captive Market:

A market over which a supplier has special control. For instance, the only newspaper shop in a community of elderly retired people could be said to have a captive market.

Car One:

The Presidential State Car is the official state car used by the President of the United States. Throughout history, a variety of vehicles have both officially and unofficially been acknowledged as the presidential vehicle. Since the late 1930s, the U.S. government has specially commissioned vehicles for presidential use, often specifying advanced communications equipment, special convenience features, armor plating, and defense countermeasures. American cars are traditionally chosen for the role. The most recent vehicle to be used as the presidential car is a GMC Topkick-based, Cadillac-badged DTS limousine often referred to as "Cadillac One" (a reference to the U.S. presidential aircraft, Air Force One) or as "The Beast" or "Car One".

See also: Air Force One and Marine One.

Car Pool:

An arrangement whereby several participants or their children travel together in one vehicle, the participants sharing the costs and often taking turns as the driver.

A group, as of commuters or parents, participating in a Carpool.

Carat:

The Carat is a unit of mass used for measuring gems and pearls. Currently a Carat is defined as exactly 200 mg (0.007055 oz, 3.086 grains).

Carbon Dating:

RadioCarbon Dating, or Carbon Dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" (BP), "Present" being defined as AD 1950. Such raw ages can be calibrated to give calendar dates.

One of the most frequent uses of radioCarbon Dating is to estimate the age of organic remains from archaeological sites. When plants fix atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic material during photosynthesis they incorporate a quantity of 14C that approximately matches the level of this isotope in the atmosphere (a small difference occurs because of isotope fractionation, but this is corrected after laboratory analysis). After plants die or they are consumed by other organisms (for example, by humans or other animals) the 14C fraction of this organic material declines at a fixed exponential rate due to the radioactive decay of 14C. Comparing the remaining 14C fraction of a sample to that expected from atmospheric 14C allows the age of the sample to be estimated.

The technique of radioCarbon Dating was developed by Willard Libby and his colleagues at the University of Chicago in 1949. Libby estimated that the steady state radioactivity concentration of exchangeable carbon-14 would be about 14 disintegrations per minute (dpm) per gram. In 1960, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this work. He first demonstrated the accuracy of radioCarbon Dating by accurately measuring the age of wood from an ancient Egyptian royal barge whose age was known from historical documents.

Carbon Dioxide:

Carbon Dioxide (chemical formula: CO2) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state.

Carbon Dioxide is used by plants during photosynthesis to make sugars, which may either be consumed in respiration or used as the raw material to produce other organic compounds needed for plant growth and development. It is produced during respiration by plants, and by all animals, fungi and microorganisms that depend either directly or indirectly on plants for food. It is thus a major component of the carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is generated as a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels or the burning of vegetable matter, among other chemical processes. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted from volcanoes and other geothermal processes such as hot springs and geysers and by the dissolution of carbonates in crustal rocks.

Visit: carbon footprint.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer:

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP or CRP), is a very strong, light, and expensive composite material or fiber reinforced polymer. Similar to fiberglass (glass reinforced polymer), the composite material is commonly referred to by the name of its reinforcing fibers (carbon fiber). The polymer is most often epoxy, but other polymers, such as polyester, vinyl ester or nylon, are also sometimes used. Some composites contain both carbon fiber and other fibers such as kevlar, aluminium and fiberglass reinforcement. The terms graphite-reinforced polymer or graphite fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) are also used but less commonly, since glass-(fiber)-reinforced polymer can also be called GFRP. In product advertisements, it is sometimes referred to simply as graphite fiber (or graphite fibre), for short.

It has many applications in aerospace and automotive fields, as well as in sailboats, and notably in modern bicycles and motorcycles, where its high strength to weight ratio is of importance. Improved manufacturing techniques are reducing the costs and time to manufacture making it increasingly common in small consumer goods as well, such as laptops, tripods, fishing rods, paintball equipment, archery equipment, racquet frames, stringed instrument bodies, classical guitar strings, drum shells, golf clubs, and pool/billiards/snooker cues.

Carbon Footprint:

A Carbon Footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product". For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.

Carbs:

Carbohydrates, the class of foods including sugars and starches.

Card Security Code (CSC):

CSV, CVC, CVV, CVV2, CVVC, CVC, V-Code & V Code - is a security feature for credit card or debit card transactions, giving increased protection against credit card fraud. This code is often asked for by merchants for them to secure "card not present" transactions occurring over the Internet, by mail, fax or over the phone.

Visit: Card Security Code<.

Card Verification Value (CVV):

See: card security code.

Cardigan:

A knitted garment, such as a sweater or jacket, that opens down the full length of the front. (Named after the Seventh Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), British army officer.)

Cardinal Rule:

A fundamental rule, upon which other matters hinge.

Cardinal Virtues:

Philosophy: the most important moral qualities, traditionally justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude.

Career:

A way of making a living, used by some to refer only to certain ways of doing so; for example, lawyers have Careers; electricians have jobs.

Career Path:

The planned direction of a person's career. Choosing a Career Path determines what training and future jobs a person should undertake to maintain that direction.

Cargo:

The freight carried by a ship, an aircraft, or another vehicle.

Caricature:

A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect.

To represent or imitate in an exaggerated, distorted manner.

Carnet:

A document authorizing its holder to bring samples through customs and excise without incurring any duty (within prescribed limits).

Carol:

A song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas.

Carpe Diem:

Carpe Diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace. It is popularly translated as "seize the day". The general definition of carpe is "pick, pluck, pluck off, gather" as in plucking, although Horace uses the word in the sense of "enjoy, make use of."

Carpetbagger:

A Northerner who went to the South after the Civil War for political or financial advantage.

An outsider, especially a politician, who presumptuously seeks a position or success in a new locality.

Carry Forward / Carry Back:

The shifting of payments from one accounting period to another, usually to gain a financial advantage. Carrying a payment forward takes it into a future period; carrying it back takes it into a previous period.

Carry-On Baggage:

Also: Hand Baggage. Accompanied baggage carried onboard an airplane cabin by the passengers and which fits in the space provided for it.

Each piece of hand baggage may not be larger than 55 x 40 x 20 cm and may not weigh more than 8 kg. An exception are foldable garment bags. They count as hand baggage up to a size of 57 x 54 x 15 cm. (Lufthansa).

Carte Blanche:

Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority.

Cartel:

A combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members.

An official agreement between governments at war, especially one concerning the exchange of prisoners.

A group of parties, factions, or nations united in a common cause; a bloc.

Cartoon:

A drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption; a drawing representing current public figures or issues symbolically and often satirically.

A preliminary sketch similar in size to the work, such as a fresco, that is to be copied from it.

An animated Cartoon; a comic strip.

Cartouche:

A structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription.

An oval or oblong figure in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that encloses characters expressing the names or epithets of royal or divine personages.

Casbah:

An older or native quarter of many cities in northern Africa; the quarter in which the citadel is located.

Case Sensitive:

Text sometimes exhibits case sensitivity; that is, words can differ in meaning based on differing use of uppercase and lowercase letters.

Case Study:

A formal written description of a business problem. Case Studies are much used by business schools as a method of teaching management. Most Case Studies are of real issues that have been faced by real companies; a few are fiction.

Cash:

Notes, coins are other assets that can be turned rapidly into notes and coins; for example, shortterm bank balances or highly liquid securities.

Cash and Carry:

A half-way house between wholesaling and retailing. An outlet that sells products to the general public at low prices but with a minimum of service. Cash-and-Carry outlets frequently demand that customers buy in bulk.

Also nickname for the marriage (1942-1945) between Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and actor Cary Grant. The couple were derisively nicknamed "Cash and Cary", although in an extensive prenuptial agreement Grant refused any financial settlement in the event of a divorce.

Cash Book:

A company's record of its cash transactions, both receipts and payments.

Cash Cow:

A business within a group of businesses that generates a lot of cash which can be used (like the milk of a cow) to nourish other businesses.

Cash Discount:

A discount in the price of a product granted by a vendor in return for payment in cash. Credit card companies often stipulate that outlets which accept their cards may not offer cash discounts to customers.

Cash Flow:

The amount of Cash Flowing through an organization in a given period. A company's Cash Flow is equal to its trading profit plus any depreciation, plus any new money raised through a share issue or a loan during the period.

Cash Register:

A machine which registers the cash received by vendors from their sales. Often known as the till.

Casino:

A public room or building for gambling and other entertainment.

Cassandra:

Greek Mythology: a daughter of Priam, the king of Troy, endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated by Apollo never to be believed.

One that utters unheeded prophecies.

Caste:

A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.

Casting:

The selection of actors or performers for the parts of a presentation.

Casting Couch:

The granting of usually sexual favors in return for work in a film, television, or other production.

Casting Vote:

When there is an equal number of votes in favor of and against a proposal, the voting procedures may lay down that somebody has a casting vote to end the deadlock. The chairman of a company's board of directors, for example, frequently has a casting vote. In effect a person with a casting vote votes twice on issues where the votes are equally divided.

Castle:

A large and stately mansion; a large fortified building or group of buildings with thick walls, usually dominating the surrounding country; a fortified stronghold converted to residential use.

Castle in the Air:

A hope or desire unlikely to be realized; daydream.

Castrum Doloris:

Castrum Doloris (Latin for Castle of grief) is a name for the structure and decorations sheltering or accompanying the catafalque or bier that signify the prestige or high estate of the deceased. A Castrum Doloris might feature an elaborate baldachin and would include candles, possibly flowers, and in most cases coats of arms, epitaphs and possibly allegorical statues. Many extensive Castra Doloris can be traced to the customs of 17th century and 18th century or even earlier, since Pope Sixtus V's funeral arrangements included a Castrum Doloris in the mid 14th Century.

Casual Friday:

Friday designated as a day on which employees are allowed to dress less formally than on other workdays.

Casual Friday along with dressing casually during the week became very prevalent during the Dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and early 2000s rooted in a relaxed California-based business culture.

Casual Game:

A Casual Game is a video game or online game targeted at or used by a mass audience of Casual Gamers. Casual Games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre.

Casual Games are typically played on a personal computer online in web browsers, although they now are starting to become popular on game consoles and mobile phones, too. Casual Gamers are typically older than traditional computer gamers, and more oftentimes female, with over 74% of Casual Gamers female.

Casual Labour:

Workers who do not have full-time employment and who move from one job to another. In many cases Casual Labour also moves from one place to another to find paid work. It is often used in agriculture.

Catafalque:

A Catafalque is a raised bier, soapbox, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of the deceased during a funeral or memorial service.

Catalogue:

A list or itemized display, as of titles, course offerings, or articles for exhibition or sale, usually including descriptive information or illustrations; A publication, such as a book or pamphlet, containing such a list or display.

A list or enumeration.

Catalyst:

Something which, when added to something else, creates a reaction which neither of the two things could have created on their own. In business, management consultants are often said to be Catalysts, enabling firms by their mere presence to take action that they would not otherwise have done.

Catamaran:

A boat with two parallel hulls or floats, especially a light sailboat with a mast mounted on a transverse frame joining the hulls.

Catapult:

A military machine for hurling missiles, such as large stones or spears, used in ancient and medieval times.

A mechanism for launching aircraft at a speed sufficient for flight, as from the deck of a carrier.

Catch-22:

Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller.

A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.

Catch Phrase:

A phrase in wide or popular use, especially one serving as a slogan for a group or movement.

Categorical Imperative:

The Categorical Imperative is the central philosophical concept in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, as well as modern deontological ethics. Introduced in Kant's ("Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals"), it may be defined as the standard of rationality from which all moral requirements derive.

Category:

A specifically defined division in a system of classification; a class.

A general class of ideas, terms, or things that mark divisions or coordinations within a conceptual scheme.

Linguistics: a classificatory structural unit or property of a language, such as a part of speech, verb phrase, or object.

Catering:

To provide food service.

To attend to the wants or needs of.

Catfight:

Informal: a fight between two women.

Catwalk:

Narrow platform where models display clothes in a fashion show.

Caucasian:

Anthropology: of or being a human racial classification distinguished especially by very light to brown skin pigmentation and straight to wavy or curly hair, and including peoples indigenous to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, and India.

Of or relating to a racial group having white skin, especially one of European origin; white.

Caucus:

A Caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.

A meeting of the local members of a political party especially to select delegates to a convention or register preferences for candidates running for office; a closed meeting of party members within a legislative body to decide on questions of policy or leadership; a group within a legislative or decision-making body seeking to represent a specific interest or influence a particular area of policy.

Cause:

A person, thing, event, state, or action that produces an effect.

The ideals, etc., of a group or movement.

A matter of widespread concern or importance.

The welfare or interests of a person or group in a dispute.

Cause Célèbre:

An incident that attracts great public attention.

Cavalier:

A gallant or chivalrous man, especially one serving as escort to a woman of high social position; a gentleman.

Showing arrogant or offhand disregard; dismissive; carefree and nonchalant; jaunty.

Caveat:

A warning or caution; a qualification or explanation.

Law: formal notice filed by an interested party with a court or officer, requesting the postponement of a proceeding until the filer is heard.

Caveat Emptor:

A Latin expression meaning Buyer Beware. The best legal advice for consumers in the days before legislation provided them with protection against the sale of shoddy or defective merchandise.

CC:

Short for: Carbon Copy. The field in an e-mail header that names additional recipients for the message.

See also: bcc & fcc.

CCD:

Short for: Charge-Coupled Device. CCD is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time.

CCTV:

Short for: Closed-Circuit Television. A system of remote monitoring using cameras.

CCW:

Short for: CounterClockWise.

CD:

Short for: Compact Disc. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was developed to store music at the start, but later it also allowed the storing of other kinds of data. CD have been available since October 1982. In 2009, they are still the standard physical medium for commercial audio recordings.

Standard CDs have a diameter of 120 mm and can hold up to 80 minutes of audio (700 MB of data). The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 mm; they are sometimes used for CD singles or device drivers, storing up to 24 minutes of audio.

The technology was later adapted and expanded to include data storage CD-ROM, write-once audio and data storage CD-R, rewritable media CD-RW, Video Compact Discs (VCD), Super Video Compact Discs (SVCD), PhotoCD, PictureCD, CD-i, and Enhanced CD.

CD-ROMs and CD-Rs remain widely used technologies in the computer industry. The CD and its extensions are successful: in 2004, worldwide sales of CD audio, CD-ROM, and CD-R reached about 30 billion discs. By 2007, 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide.

CDO:

Short for: Collateralized Debt Obligation. An asset-backed security backed by the receivables on loans, bonds, or other debt. Banks package and sell their receivables on debt to investors in order to reduce the risk of loss due to default.

CDS:

Short for: Credit Default Swap. A Credit Default Swap is an agreement that the seller of the CDS will compensate the buyer in the event of loan default. In the event of default the buyer of the CDS receives compensation (usually the face value of the loan), and the seller of the CDS takes possession of the defaulted loan.

CED:

Short for: Conductive Energy Device. Also known as Stun Gun. An electroshock weapon is an incapacitant weapon used for subduing a person by administering electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle functions. One type is a Conductive Energy Device, an electroshock gun popularly known by the brand name "Taser", which fires projectiles that administer the shock through a thin, flexible wire. Other electroshock weapons such as stun guns, stun batons, and electroshock belts administer an electric shock by direct contact.

Cedula:

National ID in Spanish speaking countries.

Celibacy:

Abstinence from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.

The condition of being unmarried.

Celebration:

A joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event.

Celebrity:

A Celebrity is a widely-recognized or notable person who commands a high degree of public and media attention.

The word stems from the Latin verb "celebrare" but one may not become a Celebrity unless public and mass media interest is piqued.

See also: superstar and diva.

Celebutard:

A celebrity viewed as unintelligent; especially a celebrity who behaves badly in public.

Cell:

A narrow confining room, as in a prison or convent.

Biology: the smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning, consisting of one or more nuclei, cytoplasm, and various organelles, all surrounded by a semipermeable Cell membrane.

The smallest organizational unit of a centralized group or movement, especially of a political party of Leninist structure.

Computer Science: a basic unit of storage in a computer memory that can hold one unit of information, such as a character or word.

Cellulitis:

A spreading inflammation of subcutaneous or connective tissue.

Celsius:

Celsius (also known as Centigrade) is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death. The degree Celsius (°C) can refer to a specific temperature on the Celsius scale as well as serve as a unit increment to indicate a temperature interval (a difference between two temperatures or an uncertainty).

From 1744 until 1954, 0°C was defined as the freezing point of water and 100 °C was defined as the boiling point of water, both at a pressure of one standard atmosphere. Although these defining correlations are commonly taught in schools today, by international agreement the unit "degree Celsius" and the Celsius scale are currently defined by two different points: absolute zero, and the triple point of VSMOW (specially prepared water). This definition also precisely relates the Celsius scale to the Kelvin scale, which is the SI base unit of temperature (symbol: K). Absolute zero, the hypothetical but unattainable temperature at which matter exhibits zero entropy, is defined as being precisely 0 K and -273.15 °C. The temperature value of the triple point of water is defined as being precisely 273.16 K and 0.01 °C.

See also: fahrenheit.

Censor:

A person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable.

One of two officials in ancient Rome responsible for taking the public census and supervising public behavior and morals.

To examine and expurgate.

Census:

An official, usually periodic enumeration of a population, often including the collection of related demographic information.

In ancient Rome, a count of the citizens and an evaluation of their property for taxation purposes.

Center:

An area that is approximately central within some larger region.

A building dedicated to a particular activity.

A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure.

Center Stage:

The center of a theater stage.

A position of great prominence or importance.

Central Bank:

An institution that acts as banker to a country's banking system and to its government. Central banks are also in charge of issuing notes and coins, and they act as a lender of last resort should there be a crisis within the financial system.

Centralization:

The process of concentrating control of a business's operations at its centre, usually its headquarters.

CEO:

Short for: Chief Executive Officer, the person in charge of the day-to-day running of an organisation. He (or, more rarely, she) is answerable to the board of directors for the organisation's day-to-day performance.

Ceremony:

A formal act or set of acts performed as prescribed by ritual or custom.

A conventional social gesture or act of courtesy.

Strict observance of formalities or etiquette.

Certificate:

A document testifying to the truth of something.

A document issued to a person completing a course of study not leading to a diploma.

A document certifying that a person may officially practice in certain professions.

A document certifying ownership.

Certificate of Authority (U.S.):

The Certificate of Authority is a document issued by the secretary of state to a foreign corporation after approving its completed application to do business in the state.

Certificate of Deposit:

A document issued by a financial institution as proof of the ownership of a large deposit of money held with that institution. Certificates of deposit (know as CDs) are negotiable instruments and can be bought and sold in a secondary market.

Certificate of Incorporation:

Certificate issued to companies who have complied with all the statutory requirements for registration.

Certificate of Inspection:

A document certifying that transported goods were in good condition when they began their journey.

Certificate of Origin:

A document signed by an exporter or by an official body (such as a Chamber of Commerce) establishing in which country the goods to which the document is attached originated.

Certified check:

A check which the bank guarantees to be good, and against which a stop payment is ineffective.

Cf.:

Latin: C(onfe)r - compare (used in texts to point the reader to another location in the text).

CFO:

Short for: Chief Financial Officer, the person in charge of a company's accounts and of its finances (raising loans or issuing new securities). The CFO is normally a director of the company and has a seat on the board.

CGI:

Short for: Computer-Generated Imagery. CGI is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. Video games usually use real-time computer graphics (rarely referred to as CGI)[citation needed], but may also include pre-rendered "cut scenes" and intro movies that would be typical CGI applications. These are sometimes referred to as FMV (Full motion video).

CGI is used for visual effects because computer generated effects are more controllable than other more physically based processes, such as constructing miniatures for effects shots or hiring extras for crowd scenes, and because it allows the creation of images that would not be feasible using any other technology. It can also allow a single artist to produce content without the use of actors, expensive set pieces, or props.

Computer software such as 3ds Max, Blender, LightWave 3D, Maya and Autodesk Softimage is used to make computer-generated imagery for movies, etc. Recent availability of CGI software and increased computer speeds have allowed individual artists and small companies to produce professional grade films, games, and fine art from their home computers. This has brought about an Internet subculture with its own set of global celebrities, clichés, and technical vocabulary.

Chaebol:

A type of conglomerate peculiar to South Korea. A Chaebol is similar to a Japanese keiretsu, but it is usually family-owned and has less close ties to its suppliers and distributors.

Chain:

A number of establishments, such as stores, theaters, or hotels, under common ownership or management.

Chain of Command:

A system whereby authority passes down from the top through a series of executive positions or military ranks in which each is accountable to the one directly superior.

Chain Reaction:

A series of events in which each induces or influences the next.

Chair:

The function of leading a meeting, and also the office of the person who carries out that function. For example: "Today Mr. Jones will take the chair."

Chairman:

The person who takes the chair at a meeting. A company's chairman is the person who takes the chair at the company's board meetings.

Chalet:

A wooden dwelling with a sloping roof and widely overhanging eaves, common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions.

A cottage or lodge built in this style.

The hut of a herder in the Swiss Alps.

Chamber of Commerce:

A local grouping of businessmen who set out to promote trade in their area by acting as a contact point and by providing information.

Champion:

One that wins first place or first prize in a competition.

One that is clearly superior or has the attributes of a winner.

An ardent defender or supporter of a cause or another person.

One who fights; a warrior.

Chance:

The unknown and unpredictable element in happenings that seems to have no assignable cause.

The likelihood of something happening; possibility or probability.

An accidental or unpredictable event.

A favorable set of circumstances; an opportunity.

A risk or hazard; a gamble.

Chandelier Bidding:

A practice, especially by high-end art auctioneers, of raising false bids at crucial times in the bidding process in order to create the appearance of greater demand or to extend bidding momentum for a work on offer. To call out these nonexistent bids, auctioneers might fix their gaze at a point in the auction room that is difficult for the audience to pin down.

Change Management:

The business of Managing Changes that are out of the ordinary - a takeover or the re-engineering of a company, for example.

Chanukah:

Variant of Hanukkah.

Chaology:

Alternative term for chaos theory.

Chaos Theory:

The Chaos Theory pioneered by French mathematician Jules Henri Poincaré and later by American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz is a branch of mathematics which studies the behavior of certain dynamical systems that may be highly sensitive to initial conditions. This sensitivity is popularly referred to as the butterfly effect. As a result of this sensitivity, which manifests itself as an exponential growth of error, the behavior of chaotic systems appears to be random. That is, tiny differences in the starting state of the system can lead to enormous differences in the final state of the system even over fairly small timescales. This gives the impression that the system is behaving randomly. This happens even though these systems are deterministic, meaning that their future dynamics are fully determined by their initial conditions with no random elements involved. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos.

Chaotic behavior is also observed in natural systems, such as weather. This may be explained by analysis of a chaotic mathematical model which represents such a system. Quantum chaos investigates the relationship between chaos and quantum mechanics.

Chaparone:

A person, especially an older or married woman, who accompanies a young unmarried woman in public.

A guide or companion whose purpose is to ensure propriety or restrict activity.

Chapter 11:

Chapter 11 is a legal status for corporations in the United States that are half-way to bankruptcy. Companies can seek legal protection from their creditors under Chapter 11 of the 1978 Bankruptcy Act. This gives them some time to work out an acceptable solution to their financial difficulties.

Character:

The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another; moral or ethical strength.

A notable or well-known person; a personage; a person, especially one who is peculiar or eccentric; a person portrayed in an artistic piece, such as a drama or novel.

A mark or symbol used in a writing system.

Character Witness:

A witness who testifies under oath as to the good reputation of another person in the community where that person lives.

Charade:

A composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way.

A readily perceived pretense; a travesty.

Charades or Charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to convey the meaning to another party.

Charge:

The cost of certain goods and services. Bank Charges, for example, are the price paid for receiving banking services.

A legal document giving rights to property if certain prescribed conditions are met. Banks often take Charges on a business's assets when they lend it money. The loan is then secured and the bank gets its money back - from the sale of the assets - in the event of the business failing.

Charge Card:

A plastic card issued to consumers which enables them to make cashless purchases at outlets which accept the card. Some charge cards have a credit facilitiy attached which enables cardholders to pay for their purchases over an extended period of time. Charge cards without a credit facility demand that payment be made in full at the end of the month in which the purchases were made.

Charge d'Affaires:

A diplomatic representative, or minister of an inferior grade, accredited by the government of one state to the minister of foreign affairs of another; also, a substitute, ad interim, for an ambassador or minister plenipotentiary.

Charible Organization:

A Charitable Organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). The term is relatively general and can technically refer to a public charity (also called "charitable foundation," "public foundation" or simply "foundation") or a private foundation. It differs from other types of NPOs in that its focus is centered around goals of a general philanthropic nature (e.g. charitable, educational, religious, or other activities serving the public interest or common good).

Charisma:

A rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm.

Personal magnetism or charm.

Charity:

Something given to help the needy; alms.

An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.

Charlatan:

A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud.

Charleston:

A fast ballroom dance in 4/4 time, popular during the 1920s.

Charm:

The power or quality of pleasing or delighting; attractiveness.

A particular quality that attracts; a delightful characteristic.

A small ornament, such as one worn on a bracelet.

Charm School:

See: finishing school.

Charmed Life:

A life that seems to have been protected by a charm or spell.

Charter:

To hire (a bus or airplane, for example) for the exclusive, temporary use of a group of travelers.

A document issued by a sovereign, legislature, or other authority, creating a public or private corporation, such as a city, college, or bank, and defining its privileges and purposes.

A written grant from the sovereign power of a country conferring certain rights and privileges on a person, a corporation, or the people.

A document outlining the principles, functions, and organization of a corporate body; a constitution.

See also: Memorandum of Association.

Charter Member:

An original member or a founder of an organization.

Chassé:

A movement in dancing, as across or to the right or left.

Chat (computing):

A means of communicating with people more or less instantaneously by typing messages which then appear on your computer screen, and are transmitted over the internet to be read by everyone.

See also: instant messaging (IM).

Chat Room:

A site on the Internet where a number of users can communicate in real time (typically one dedicated to a particular topic).

Chatbot (computing):

A computer program in the form of a virtual e-mail correspondent that can reply to messages from computer users.

Chatelaine:

The mistress of a chateau or large country house.

Chauvinism:

Militant devotion to and glorification of one's country; fanatical patriotism.

Prejudiced belief in the superiority of one's own gender, group, or kind.

Cheat Sheet:

A document, especially a sheet of paper, containing information, such as test answers, used for cheating.

A document containing summarized information used for quick reference.

Check:

A Cheque or Check (American English) is a written order directing a bank to pay money.

The four main items on a Check are: Drawer, the person or entity who makes the Check; Payee, the recipient of the money; Drawee, the bank or other financial institution where the Check can be presented for payment; Amount, the currency amount.

Checklist:

A list of items to be noted, checked, or remembered.

See also: to-do list.

Cheerleader:

One who leads the cheering of spectators, as at a sports contest.

One who expresses or promotes thoughtless praise; an adulator.

Chef:

A Chef is a cook, especially the chief cook of a large kitchen staff.

Chemistry:

The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.

Mutual attraction or sympathy; rapport.

Cheque:

See: check.

Cherchez la Femme:

Cherchez la Femme, is a French phrase which literally means "look for the woman."

In the sense that, a man behaves out of character or in an otherwise inexplicable manner because he is trying to cover up an affair with a woman. Or that same man is trying to impress or gain favor with that woman.

The expression comes from the 1854 novel The Mohicans of Paris by Alexandre Dumas (père).

Cherub:

A winged celestial being.

Christianity: the second of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.

Chiaroscuro:

Fine Arts: the technique of using light and shade in pictorial representation.

Chic:

The quality or state of being stylish; fashionableness. Sophistication in dress and manner; elegance.

Chicane:

To resort to tricks or subterfuges.

Motor Racing: a short section of sharp narrow bends formed by barriers placed on a motor-racing circuit to provide an additional test of driving skill.

Chick Lit:

Novels written for, about, or by young educated women.

Child's Play:

Something very easy to do; a trivial matter.

Chill Factor:

The temperature a person feels because of the wind.

China:

High-quality porcelain or ceramic ware, originally made in China.

Porcelain or earthenware used for the table.

China Syndrome:

Catastrophic nuclear accident: a hypothetical accident in which the core of a nuclear reactor melts, allowing the radioactive fuel to burn through the floor of its container and straight down into the ground.

Chi-Rho:

The Greek letters "Chi" and "Rho" (XP). The first two Greek letters in the name Christ, used as a monogram (Christogram). The symbol was created by Emperor Constantine I.

Chitchat:

Casual conversation; small talk; gossip.

Choke Point:

A narrow passage, such as a strait, through which shipping must pass.

A point of congestion or obstruction.

Choleric:

A person who is Choleric is a doer. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were Cholerics.

See also: melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.

Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy alcohol found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, but small quantities are synthesized in other eukaryotes, such as plants and fungi. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes, which include bacteria. Cholesterol is classified as a sterol (a contraction of steroid and alcohol).

Although Cholesterol is essential for life, high levels in circulation are associated with atherosclerosis. Cholesterol can be ingested in the diet, recycled within the body through reabsorption of bile in the digestive tract, and produced de novo. For a person of about 150 pounds (68 kg), typical total body cholesterol content is about 35 g, typical daily dietary intake is 200–300 mg in the United States and societies with similar dietary patterns and 1 g per day is synthesized de novo.

The name Cholesterol originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -o/ for an alcohol, as François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones, in 1769. However, it was only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound "Cholesterine".

Choreography:

The art of creating and arranging dances or ballets.

Christmas:

Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday generally observed on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

Christogram:

See: Chi-Rho.

Chroma Key:

Chroma Key is a technique for mixing two images or frames together in which a color (or a small color range) from one image is removed (or made transparent), revealing another image behind it. This technique is also referred to as color keying, colour-separation overlay, greenscreen, and bluescreen. It is commonly used for weather forecast broadcasts, wherein the presenter appears to be standing in front of a large map, but in the studio it is actually a large blue or green background.

Chronograph:

A Chronograph is a timepiece or watch with both timekeeping and stopwatch functions. Pocket watch chronographs were produced as early as the 18th century but did not become popular until the 1820s.

Chronology:

The science that deals with the determination of dates and the sequence of events.

The arrangement of events in time.

Churn:

To buy and sell (a client's securities) frequently, especially in order to generate commissions.

Churnalism:

Churnalism is a form of journalism in which press releases, wire stories and other forms of pre-packaged material are used to create articles in newspapers and other news media in order to meet increasing pressures of time and cost without undertaking further research or checking.

Chutzpah:

Utter nerve; effrontery.

CID:

Short for: Custom ID card.

Cilice:

A Cilice was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt) used in some religious traditions to induce some degree of discomfort or pain as a sign of repentance and atonement.

A leather strap studded with metallic barbs that cut into flesh as a constant reminder of Christ's suffering.

Cinéma Vérité:

Cinéma Vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects.

Cinematography:

The art or technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film.

Cipher:

A message written in a secret code.

Circa:

Latin: about; around; abbreviations: c., ca.

Circle:

A plane curve everywhere equidistant from a given fixed point, the center.

A group of people sharing an interest, activity, or achievement.

Circulation:

Movement in a circle or circuit.

The passing of something, such as money or news, from place to place or person to person.

Circus:

A travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals.

Historical Terms (in ancient Rome): an open-air stadium, usually oval or oblong, for chariot races or public games.

Informal: something suggestive of a Circus, as in frenetic activity or noisy disorder.

Citadel:

A fortress in a commanding position in or near a city.

A stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle.

Citizen:

A person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation.

A resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.

A native, inhabitant, or denizen of a particular place; a civilian.

Citizen's Arrest:

A Citizen's Arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, in which sheriffs encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.

Despite the practice's name, the arresting person is usually designated as any person with arrest powers, who need not be a citizen of the jurisdiction in which he is acting.

Citizenship:

The status of a citizen with its attendant duties, rights, and privileges.

City:

A center of population, commerce, and culture; a town of significant size and importance.

The financial and commercial center of London. Used with the.

City Boy:

A city dweller with sophisticated manners and clothing.

Visit also: Cityboy, Geraint Anderson.

Civil:

Applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military; of or relating to or befitting citizens as individuals.

Of or in accordance with organized society; civilized.

Sufficiently observing or befitting accepted social usages; not rude.

Law: relating to the rights of private individuals and legal proceedings concerning these rights as distinguished from criminal, military, or international regulations or proceedings.

Civil Disobedience:

Civil Disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical violence. It is one of the primary tactics of nonviolent resistance.

Also visit Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Civil Religion:

A set of religious beliefs shared by most citizens about "the sacred nature, the sacred ideals, the sacred character, and sacred meanings of their country – its blessedness by God, and its special place and role in the world and in human history." The term was created by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his writing "On the Social Contract" 1762.

Civil Service:

Those branches of public service that are not legislative, judicial, or military and in which employment is usually based on competitive examination.

The entire body of persons employed by the civil branches of a government.

Civilization:

A Civilization (or Civilisation) is a complex society or culture group characterized by dependence upon agriculture, long-distance trade, state form of government, occupational specialization, urbanism, and class stratification. Aside from these core elements, Civilization is often marked by any combination of a number of secondary elements, including a developed transportation system, writing, standards of measurement (currency, etc.), formal legal system, great art style, monumental architecture, mathematics, sophisticated metallurgy, and astronomy.

For an in-depth insight, read the book: Civilisation A Personal View by Kenneth Clark.

Claim:

A right or title to something.

A demand for something rightfully or allegedly due.

A statement, as a fact, of something that may be called into question; assertion.

Clairvoyance:

The term Clairvoyance (from 17th century French with clair meaning "clear" and voyance meaning "vision") is used to refer to the alleged ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception. A person said to have the ability of Clairvoyance is referred to as a clairvoyant ("one who sees clearly").

Clan:

A traditional social unit in the Scottish Highlands, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor and following the same hereditary chieftain.

A division of a tribe tracing descent from a common ancestor; a large group of relatives, friends, or associates.

Clandestine:

Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

Claret:

Any of the wines of Bordeaux. The British affinity for these wines may be traced to the Middle Ages, when the area containing the region was held by the Norman crown. After King John granted the region tax exemptions in hopes of shoring up shaky loyalties, Bordeaux became a main source of wines (including its typical Clairet for England.

Class:

A set, collection, group, or configuration containing members regarded as having certain attributes or traits in common; a kind or category.

A division based on quality, rank, or grade.

A social stratum whose members share certain economic, social, or cultural characteristics.

Elegance of style, taste, and manner.

Class Action:

In law, a Class Action or a representative action is a form of lawsuit brought by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of a large group of others who have a common legal claim.

Classic:

Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.

An artist, author, or work generally considered to be of the highest rank or excellence, especially one of enduring significance.

A work recognized as definitive in its field.

A literary work of ancient Greece or Rome.

A typical or traditional example.

A traditional event, especially a major sporting event that is held annually.

Classification:

Systematic placement in categories.

A category or class.

Classified Ad:

A short Ad in a newspaper or magazine (usually in small print) and appearing along with other ads of the same type.

Classified Information:

Classification levels. Although the classification systems vary from country to country, most have levels corresponding to the following British definitions (from the highest level to lowest):

Top Secret (TS): the highest level of classification of material on a national level. Such material would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security if publicly available.

Secret: such material would cause "grave damage" to national security if publicly available.

Confidential: such material would cause "damage" or be "prejudicial" to national security if publicly available.

Restricted: such material would cause "undesirable effects" if publicly available. Some countries do not have such a classification.

Unclassified: technically not a classification level, but is used for government documentsthat do not have a classification listed above. Such documents can sometimes be viewed by those without security clearance.

Clause:

Grammar: a group of words containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence.

A distinct article, stipulation, or provision in a document.

Claustrophobia:

An abnormal fear of being in narrow or enclosed spaces.

Clave:

Music: a cylindrical hardwood stick used in a pair as a percussion instrument; a syncopated two-bar musical pattern.

Clawback:

Previously given monies or benefits that are taken back due to specially arising circumstances.

Cleaning the Augean Stables:

A job so dirty and so huge that no-one can hope to succeed at it.

Clemency:

Disposition to be merciful and especially to moderate the severity of punishment due; an act or instance of leniency.

Clérambault's Syndrome:

See: erotomania.

Cliché:

A trite or overused expression or idea.

A person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficial.

Click:

Pressing down once and releasing a mouse button.

Client:

The party for which professional service are rendered, as by an attorney.

A customer or patron.

Computer Science: a computer or program that can download files for manipulation, run applications, or request application-based services from a file server.

Client Confidentiality:

Client Confidentiality is the principle that an institution or individual should not reveal information about their clients to a third party without the consent of the client or a clear legal reason. This concept is commonly provided for in law in most countries.

See also: attorney-client privilege.

Client State:

A country that is dependent on the economic or military support of a larger, more powerful country.

Cliffhanger:

Performing Arts: a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film; a suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode.

A contest so closely matched that the outcome is uncertain until the end.

Climate:

The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region.

A prevailing condition or set of attitudes in human affairs.

Clinch:

To fix or secure (a nail or bolt, for example) by bending down or flattening the pointed end that protrudes.

To settle definitely and conclusively; make final.

Sports: to hold a boxing opponent's body with one or both arms to prevent or hinder punches.

Slang: to embrace amorously.

Clipart:

A library of drawings or photographs that you can use in documents.

Cloak-and-Dagger:

Marked by melodramatic intrigue and often by espionage.

Clone:

A cell, group of cells, or organism that is descended from and genetically identical to a single common ancestor, such as a bacterial colony whose members arose from a single original cell.

A DNA sequence, such as a gene, that is transferred from one organism to another and replicated by genetic engineering techniques.

One that copies or closely resembles another, as in appearance or function.

Clotheshorse:

A frame on which clothes are hung to dry or air.

A person excessively concerned with dress.

Cloud Computing:

Cloud Computing refers to the use of Internet ("Cloud") based computer technology for a variety of services. It is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the Cloud" that supports them.

The concept incorporates software as a service (SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. Often-quoted examples are Salesforce.com and Google Apps which provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

The Cloud is a metaphor for the Internet, based on how it is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.

See also Creative Commons' open cloud manifesto.

Club:

A Club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service Club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are Clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities Clubs, political and religious Clubs, and so forth.

Historically, Clubs occurred in all ancient states of which we have detailed knowledge. Once people started living together in larger groups, there was need for people with a common interest to be able to associate despite having no ties of kinship.

Sports: an implement used in some games to drive a ball, especially a stick with a protruding head used in golf; an athletic team or organization.

A nightclub.

Club Sandwich:

A Club Sandwich, also called a Clubhouse Sandwich or Double-Decker, is a sandwich with two layers of fillings between 3 slices of bread. It is often cut into quarters and held together by cocktail sticks.

The traditional club ingredients are turkey on the bottom layer, and bacon, lettuce, and tomato on the top (it is sometimes called the "turkey club"). Other Club Sandwich variations generally vary the bottom layer, for example a "chicken club" or a "roast beef club." As with a BLT sandwich, the Club Sandwich is usually served on toasted bread, but untoasted bread can be used. Mayonnaise is a common condiment, but honey mustard is sometimes used. Some versions also contain ham. Cheese is often added to the sandwich as well, usually Swiss, American, or Cheddar.

It is thought that the Club Sandwich was invented in an exclusive Saratoga Springs, New York, gambling club in the late 19th century by a maverick line cook named Danny Mears.

The sandwich has appeared on US restaurant menus since 1899, if not earlier.

Cluster:

A group of the same or similar elements gathered or occurring closely together; a bunch.

CMS:

Short for: Content Management System. CMS is a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based.

List of content management systems.

Co-Operative:

A type of business organisation that is owned collectively by its members. Members run the business for their own mutual benefit rather than for profit. Co-operatives have been particularly popular in the agricultural industry and among savings banks.

Coach:

A person who gives instruction.

An economical class of passenger accommodations on a commercial airplane or a train.

Coalition:

An alliance, especially a temporary one, of people, factions, parties, or nations.

Coat of Arms:

The heraldic bearings of a person, family, or corporation.

Cocktail:

Any of various mixed alcoholic drinks consisting usually of brandy, whiskey, vodka, or gin combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled.

Cocktail Dress:

A short knee length dress shape of the 1920s, lightweight wool, satin, silk and velvet fabrics are usual and often cut to reveal the shoulders and arms.

A Cocktail Dress or cocktail gown is a woman's dress worn at cocktail parties, and (semi-)formal occasions.

Cocoon:

Silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs.

Something suggestive of a Cocoon in appearance or purpose.

C.O.D.:

Short for: Cash On Delivery. Commonly known by the initials C.O.D. Goods that are shipped on C.O.D. terms to a customer must be paid for at the time they are delivered. In the United States the term used is collect on delivery.

Code:

A system of signals used to represent letters or numbers in transmitting messages.

To convert (a message, for example) into Code.

A system of symbol, letters, or words given certain arbitrary meanings, used for transmitting messages requiring secrecy or brevity.

A system of symbols and rules used to represent instructions to a computer; a computer program.

A systematic collection of regulations and rules of procedure or conduct.

Codex:

A manuscript volume, especially of a classic work or of the Scriptures.

Codicil:

A supplement or appendix to a will.

Coed:

A woman who attends a coeducational college or university.

Coffee Table Book:

An oversize book of elaborate design that may be used for display, as on a coffee table.

Cognition:

The psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning.

Cognitive Interview:

The Cognitive Interview (CI) is a method of interviewing in which eyewitnesses and victims report what they remember from a crime scene. Using four retrievals, the primary focus of the Cognitive Interview is to make witnesses and victims of a situation aware of all the events that transpired. The CI aids in minimizing misinterpretation together with uncertainty that is otherwise seen in the questioning process of a standard police interview. Cognitive Interview reliably enhances the process of memory retrieval and has been found to elicit memories without generating inaccurate accounts of information or confabulations.

Cognitive Mapping:

A process composed of a series of psychological transformations by which an individual acquires, codes, stores, recalls, and decodes information about the relative locations and attributes of phenomena in their everyday spatial environment.

Cohiba Cigars:

Cohiba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for General Cigar. The name cohíba derives from the Taíno word for "tobacco." The Cuban brand is filled with tobacco which, unique to Cohiba, has undergone an extra fermentation process; as such, it is a type as well as a brand.

Cohíba was originally a private brand supplied exclusively to Fidel Castro and high-level officials in the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban government. Often given as diplomatic gifts, the Cohíba brand gradually developed a "cult" status. It was released commercially for sale to the public in 1982.

Cold Call:

A telephone call or visit made to someone who is not known or not expecting contact, often in order to sell something.

Cold Case:

A criminal investigation that has not been solved after a considerable time but remains "on the books"; may be reopened when new evidence appears.

Cold Feet:

Informal: loss or lack of courage or confidence; fearfulness or timidity preventing the completion of a course of action.

Cold Turkey:

Complete and abrupt withdrawal of all addictive drugs or anything else on which you have become dependent.

Cold War:

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political tension and military rivalry between nations that stops short of full-scale war, especially that which existed between the United States and Soviet Union following World War II.

A state of rivalry and tension between two factions, groups, or individuals that stops short of open, violent confrontation.

Collaborative Consumption:

The term Collaborative Consumption is used to describe an economic model based on sharing, swapping, bartering, trading or renting access to products as opposed to ownership.

Collapse:

To break down suddenly in strength or health and thereby cease to function.

Collateral:

Property acceptable as security for a loan or other obligation.

Collateral Damage:

Unintended Damage, injuries, or deaths caused by an action, especially unintended civilian casualties caused by a military operation.

Collectible:

One of a group or Class of objects, such as period glass or historical memorabilia, sought by collectors.

Worthy of being collected.

Collection:

The act or process of collecting.

A group of objects or works to be seen, studied, or kept together.

An accumulation; a deposit.

A collecting of money, as in church; the sum so collected.

Collector:

A person whose work is collecting taxes, overdue bills, etc.

A person who collects stamps, books, etc. as a hobby.

Collector's Item:

The outstanding item (the prize piece or main exhibit) in a collection.

College:

An institution of higher learning that grants the bachelor's degree in liberal arts or science or both.

An undergraduate division or school of a university offering courses and granting degrees in a particular field.

Chiefly British: a self-governing society of scholars for study or instruction, incorporated within a university.

Colloquialism:

A word or phrase appropriate to conversation and other informal situations.

Collyer's Syndrome:

Also know as Collyer Brothers Syndrome or Collier Brothers Syndrome is compulsive / obsessive hoarding, named after two American brothers Homer Lusk Collyer and Langley Collyer who became famous because of their snobbish nature, filth in their home, and compulsive hoarding. For decades, neighborhood rumors swirled around the rarely seen, unemployed men and their home at 2078 Fifth Avenue (at the corner of 128th Street), in Manhattan, where they obsessively collected newspapers, books, furniture, musical instruments, and many other items, with booby traps set up in corridors and doorways to protect against intruders. Both were eventually found dead in the Harlem brownstone where they had lived as hermits, surrounded by over 130 tons of waste that they had amassed over several decades.

Visit also: Disposophobia.

Cologne:

Cologne or Eau de Cologne is a toiletry, a perfume in a style that originated from Cologne, Germany. It is nowadays a generic term for scented formulations in typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils. Colognes may be used by men or women.

Colophon:

An inscription placed usually at the end of a book, giving facts about its publication.

A publisher's emblem or trademark placed usually on the title page of a book.

Colors (neckties):

Read about the psycology with the choice of Colors in connection with neckties here.

Colostomy Bag:

A bag worn over the stoma to receive fecal discharge after colostomy.

Column:

Architecture: a supporting pillar consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital.

Printing: one of two or more vertical sections of typed lines lying side by side on a page and separated by a rule or a blank space.

A feature article that appears regularly in a publication, such as a newspaper.

A formation, as of troops or vehicles, in which all elements follow one behind the other.

Coma:

A state of deep, often prolonged unconsciousness, usually the result of injury, disease, or poison, in which an individual is incapable of sensing or responding to external stimuli and internal needs.

Combatant:

A person or group engaged in or prepared for a fight, struggle, or dispute.

Combine:

To bring into a state of unity; merge; to join (two or more substances) to make a single substance, such as a chemical compound; mix.

Comeback:

A return to formerly enjoyed status or prosperity; A return to popularity.

A reply, especially a quick witty one; a retort.

Comedian:

A professional entertainer who tells jokes or performs various other comic acts.

A person who amuses or tries to be amusing; a clown.

Comedy:

A dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.

Popular entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance.

See also: tragedy.

Comfort:

A condition or feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being, and contentment.

Comfort Food:

Food that is simply prepared and gives a sense of wellbeing; typically food with a high sugar or carbohydrate content that is associated with childhood or with home cooking.

Comfort Zone:

Psychology: a situation or position in which a person feels secure, comfortable, or in control.

The temperature range (between 28 and 30 degrees Centigrade) at which the naked human body is able to maintain a heat balance without shivering or sweating.

Command:

To direct with authority; give orders to; An order given with authority.

Computer Science: a signal that initiates an operation defined by an instruction.

Comme il Faut:

Being in accord with conventions or accepted standards; proper.

Commentary:

A series of explanations or interpretations.

An expository treatise or series of annotations; an exegesis.

A personal narrative; a memoir.

Commerce:

The buying and selling of goods, especially on a large scale, as between cities or nations.

Commercial:

Of or relating to commerce.

Involved in work that is intended for the mass market.

Having profit as a chief aim.

Sponsored by an advertiser or supported by advertising.

Commission:

The act of granting certain powers or the authority to carry out a particular task or duty.

A fee or percentage allowed to a sales representative or an agent for services rendered.

An official document issued by a government, conferring on the recipient the rank of a Commissioned officer in the armed forces.

Committee:

A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering, reporting, or acting on a matter.

Commodity:

A Commodity is some good for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. It is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, notebook paper, or milk. In other words, copper is copper. The price of copper is universal, and fluctuates daily based on global supply and demand.

One of the characteristics of a Commodity good is that its price is determined as a function of its market as a whole. Well-established physical Commodities have actively traded spot and derivative markets. Generally, these are basic resources and agricultural products such as iron ore, crude oil, coal, ethanol, salt, sugar, coffee beans, soybeans, aluminum, copper, rice, wheat, gold, silver and platinum.

Commoditization occurs as a goods or services market loses differentiation across its supply base, often by the diffusion of the intellectual capital necessary to acquire or produce it efficiently. As such, goods that formerly carried premium margins for market participants have become Commodities, such as generic pharmaceuticals and silicon chips.

Common Law:

Common Law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals (also called case law), rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action. A "Common Law system" is a legal system that gives great precedential weight to Common Law, on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different occasions. The body of precedent is called "Common Law" and it binds future decisions. In cases where the parties disagree on what the law is, an idealized Common Law court looks to past precedential decisions of relevant courts. If a similar dispute has been resolved in the past, the court is bound to follow the reasoning used in the prior decision (this principle is known as stare decisis). If, however, the court finds that the current dispute is fundamentally distinct from all previous cases (called a "matter of first impression"), judges have the authority and duty to make law by creating precedent Thereafter, the new decision becomes precedent, and will bind future courts.

Common Trust Fund:

A trust that operates by the process of pooling funds from a number of participants in the trust, who as beneficiaries under the trust, share in the income or other gains derived from the acquisition, holding, management or disposal of assets acquired for the trust.

Commonwealth of Nations:

The Commonwealth of Nations normally referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states, all but two of which were formerly part of the British Empire.

Commune:

A relatively small, often rural community whose members share common interests, work, and income and often own property collectively.

The smallest local political division of various European countries, governed by a mayor and municipal council.

Communication:

The activity of Communicating; the activity of conveying information.

Something that is Communicated by or to or between people or groups.

Community:

A group of people living in the same locality and under the same government.

A group of people having common interests.

Society as a whole; the public.

Commuter:

One that travels regularly from one place to another, as from suburb to city and back.

An airplane or airline that carries passengers relatively short distances and often serves remote communities and small airports.

Commuter Town:

See: dormitory town.

Compact:

Closely and firmly united or packed together; dense.

Brief and to the point; concise.

A small case containing a mirror, pressed powder, and a powder puff.

An automobile that is bigger in size than a subcompact but smaller than an intermediate.

Compact Camera:

A point-and-shoot camera, also called a Compact Camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation.

Companion:

A person who is an associate of another or others; comrade.

An employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp an elderly woman.

Company:

A legal entity formed by a group of individuals for the purpose of doing business. A Company has a legal existence that is separate from the individuals who found it.

Company Secretary:

Called the corporate secretary in the United States, this is the person charged with seeing that a company fulfils its legal obligations: that it registers in the proper way; holds formal board meetings as and when it should; and keeps its shareholders properly informed.

Comparative Advantage:

An economic theory first put forward by David Ricardo in the early 19th century. The theory says that all countries will be better off if each of them concentrates on doing the things it does best, even if what it does second best is better than what another country does best.

Compatibility:

A device, such as a computer or computer software, that can be integrated into or used with another device or system of its type.

A feeling of sympathetic understanding.

Compendium:

A concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work.

A list or collection of various items.

Compensation:

The total package of rewards received by an employee, including salary, pension and non-monetary perks such as holiday entitlement.

The award by a court or tribunal for damages caused to plaintiff.

Competency:

The collection of skills, knowledge and personal qualities required to carry out a job. For example, call centre operators need to have adequate computer skills and be good with people.

Competition:

A test of skill or ability; a contest.

The battle between individual firms to provide the best value for money to their customers. Competition encourages the most efficient firms to flourish. To maximise economic efficiency, national regulators attempt to create conditions in which Competition is as fair as possible. Hence the anti-trust type of laws that exist in many countries across the world.

Competitive Advantage:

Something which gives one firm an edge in competing with others. Such an advantage could be the quality of its intellectual property or its ability to source high-quality, low-price raw materials or labor.

Competitor:

Any business that is chasing the same customers in the same market as you.

One that competes with another, as in sports or business; a rival.

Complementary:

Costing nothing.

Complementary Colors:

Complementary Colors are pairs of colors that are of "opposite" hue in some color model.

In color theory, two colors are called complementary if, when mixed in the proper proportion, they produce a neutral color (grey, white, or black).

See also: primary colors and secondary colors.

Complication (horology):

In horology, the term Complication refers to any feature beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds in a timepiece.

Component:

An integral part of another product that is required for its manufacture, such as a microchip in a computer or a headlamp in an automobile.

Composition:

The spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole.

A musical work that has been created.

Compound:

A whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts.

An enclosure of residences and other building.

Compound Interest:

The interest that is earned during a period when calculated as a percentage of the capital sum plus any interest that has been earned in previous periods. Compound interest assumes that previous interest payments are added to the capital sum and thus increase it.

Compromise:

A trade-off of points of equal value in an attempt to reach agreement with another party. The essence of any process of negotiation is a willingness to Compromise.

Compulsory Retirement:

The enforced retirement of an employee because of company rules or national legislation; for example, that directors or judges retire at 70.

Computer:

A Computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.

Although mechanical examples of Computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic Computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PC.s). Modern Computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space. Simple Computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal Computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "Computers". The embedded Computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.

The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes Computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any Computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other Computer can perform. Therefore Computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.

See also: laptop, netbook, notebook, PC and tablet PC.

Computer Game:

A personal Computer Game (also known as a Computer Game or PC game) is a game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine.

Computer Glitch:

An electronics glitch is an electrical pulse of short duration that is usually the result of a fault or design error, particularly in a digital circuit.

Computer Literacy:

Computer Literacy is the knowledge and ability to use computers and technology efficiently. Computer literacy can also refer to the comfort level someone has with using computer programs and other applications that are associated with computers. Another valuable component of computer literacy is knowing how computers work and operate. Having basic computer skills is a significant asset in the developed countries.

Computer Virus:

See: virus.

Comrade:

A person who shares one's interests or activities; a friend or companion.

A fellow member of a group, especially a fellow member of the Communist Party.

Con:

In opposition or disagreement; against: debated the issue pro and con.

One who holds an opposing opinion or view.

A swindle.

Slang: a convict.

Con Amore:

With devotion or zeal.

Con Artist:

A swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim.

Con Man:

A person who swindles another by means of a confidence trick.

Concentration:

The extent to which a market is supplied by a small number of organisations. For example, the market for jet aircraft is highly concentrated while the market for chocolate bars is not.

Intense mental application; complete attention.

Concept:

A general idea derived or inferred from specific instances or occurrences.

Something formed in the mind; a thought or notion.

A scheme; a plan.

Concert Party:

A small number of investors who act together in an attempt to control a company in which they hold shares. This is usually achieved by the investors between them obtaining over 50% of the voting rights in the company.

Concession:

A special right given to someone in return (usually) for a monetary consideration. For example, the right to mine a certain piece of land or to sell goods on a particular area of floorspace within a department store.

Concierge Service:

Today there are numerous independently owned and operated concierge companies. Many of these companies provide errand services, as well as informational services for their members. Services include informational requests, setting dinner reservations, theatre and events reservations, making telephone calls, researching travel arrangements and more. Typically, concierge companies will bill on an hourly rate, and depending upon the type of task at hand fees can fluctuate drastically. Other companies bill a flat monthly fee based upon the number of requests a member is allowed to place each month. This service offering is also know as lifestyle management. The number of independently owned concierge companies has skyrocketed as the start up costs and barriers of entry are quite feasible for many entrepreneurs.

Conciliation:

The process of attempting to bring together negotiation parties who have ceased to talk to each other, such as management and a trade union.

Conclave:

A secret or confidential meeting.

Roman Catholic Church: the private rooms in which the cardinals meet to elect a new pope.

A meeting of family members or associates.

Conclusion:

A position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration.

Concordance:

Agreement; concord.

An alphabetical index of all the words in a text or corpus of texts, showing every contextual occurrence of a word.

Concubinage:

Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status.

Concubine:

Law: a woman who cohabits with a man without being legally married to him.

A woman slave in a harem.

Condition:

A mode or state of being.

Social position; rank.

Law: a declaration or provision in a will, contract, etc., that makes some right or liability contingent upon the happening of some event.

Condo:

A Condominium.

Condolence:

Sympathy with a person who has experienced pain, grief, or misfortune.

An expression or declaration of such sympathy.

Condominium:

A building or complex in which units of property, such as apartments, are owned by individuals and common parts of the property, such as the grounds and building structure, are owned jointly by the unit owners.

Joint sovereignty, especially joint rule of territory by two or more nations.

A politically dependent territory.

Conference:

A formal gathering of people for the purpose of discussing a particular business issue.

An agreement between a group of international shippers about the routes that they will sail and the rates that they will charge; an oligopoly.

Conference Call:

A telephone call involving more than two people in more than two places. Conference Calls enable managers in different offices of the same corporations to have extended discussions without having to travel long distances. Conference Calls need to be carefully scheduled in much the same way as face-to-face meetings.

Confetti:

Small pieces or streamers of colored paper that are scattered around during the course of festive occasions.

Confidence Trick:

A swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property.

Confidential:

Done or communicated in confidence; secret.

Entrusted with the confidence of another.

Containing information, the unauthorized disclosure of which poses a threat to national security.

Confidentiality Clause:

See also: non-disclosure agreement.

Configure (computing):

To tweak the functions of software or hardware to particular settings you require.

Conflict:

A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.

A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.

Conflict Diamonds:

Conflict Diamonds are diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council of United Nations.

See also: blood diamond.

Conflict of Interest:

A clash between the best interests of a person or firm in one guise and their best interests in another; for example, as suppliers of services to two different clients who are competitors.

Conformist:

A person who uncritically or habitually conforms to the customs, rules, or styles of a group.

Conglomerate:

A large group of businesses that are held together in a single corporate structure by cross-share-holdings. The businesses within a conglomerate cover a wide range of unrelated industries.

Connection:

An association or relationship.

The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination.

The cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered.

The connection of isolated facts by a general hypothesis.

Connector:

A person who stands at the intersection of many social networks.

Connoisseur:

A Connoisseur (French connaisseur, from Middle-French connoistre, then connaître meaning "to be acquainted with" or "to know somebody / something.") is a person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts.

A person of informed and discriminating taste.

Conquistador:

A conqueror, especially one of the 16th-century Spanish soldiers who defeated the Indian civilizations of Mexico, Central America, or Peru.

Consent Resolution:

A Consent Resolution is any resolution signed by all of the directors or shareholders, which authorizes a particular action. This act eliminates the need for face-to-face meetings of directors and shareholders.

Consensus:

In general, any agreement. More specifically, the agreement among the member countries of the OPEC about how far they will subsidise the interest rates on loans to buyers of their countries' exports.

Consequence:

Something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition.

The relation of a result to its cause.

A logical conclusion or inference.

Significance; importance.

Conservative:

a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas.

Traditional or restrained in style; moderate; cautious.

Consignment:

The supply of goods to a vendor on the understanding that the vendor will pay for whatever goods he or she is able to sell, and will return the rest to the supplier.

Consignor:

The individual or company named in shipping documents as being the original shipper of the goods.

Consolidate:

To bring together into a single set of accounts the separate sets of all the companies within a single group. In effect, this nets out from the accounts those transactions that have been made between companies within the group.

Also, a number of shipments of freight can be consolidated into one in order to save costs - the larger the shipment, the lower (in theory) is the cost of freight. Moreover, small shipments are often subject to minimum charges.

Consortium:

A group of companies that come together in some shape for a specific purpose. Most commonly, the members of a Consortium take shares in a new entity that is formed expressly for the purpose.

Conspicuous Consumption:

Conspicuous Consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status.

See also: Veblen good.

Conspiracy:

Law: an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.

Conspiracy Theory:

A Conspiracy Theory is a fringe theory which explains a historical or current event as the result of a secret plot by exceptionally powerful and cunning conspirators to achieve a malevolent end.

Conspirator:

One that engages in a conspiracy.

Constituency:

The body of voters who elect a representative for their area.

Constitution:

The system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functionsfunctions, and limits of a government or another institution.

The physical makeup of a person.

Constitutional Monarchy:

A Constitutional Monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written (i.e., codified), unwritten (i.e., uncodified) or blended constitution. It differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution.

Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch is the ceremonial head of state and a directly or indirectly elected prime minister is the head of government and exercises effective political power. In the past, constitutional monarchs have co-existed with fascist and quasi-fascist constitutions (Fascist Italy, Francoist Spain) and with military dictatorships.

Contemporary constitutional monarchies include Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

See also: monarchy.

Constructive Dismissal:

When there are sufficient ground for an employee to leave his or her employment, even though he or she has not actually been formally dismissed from that employment. Someone who has been constructively dismissed may be entitled to compensation for unfair dismissal.

Consultant:

An individual (or a firm) that provides professional advice to an organization for a fee.

Consumer:

Any individual that manufacturers target as a market for their output.

The Consumer's choice is between: need to have or nice to have - or both...

Consumer Credit:

Loans given to consumers to enable them to buy the output of producers.

Consumer Durable:

A large product sold to the general public and designed to last for a length of time, such as a washing machine.

Consumer Goods:

Products which consumers buy regularly to satisfy basic household demands. Contrast with luxury goods.

Consumer Price Index:

An index that measures increases in the prices of goods and services that are sold to the general public.

Contact List:

A Contact List is a collection of screen names in an instant messaging or e-mail program or online game or mobile phone. It has various trademarked and proprietary names in different contexts.

Container:

A standardised unit in which goods are transported by road, rail or sea.

Contender:

A Contender is a stock character found in stories and films depicting the development and triumph of an individual through athletic achievement.

Content:

Something contained, as in a receptacle. Often used in the plural.

What a communication that is about something is about.

Contextual Advertising:

Contextual Advertising is a form of targeted advertising for advertisements appearing on websites or other media, such as content displayed in mobile browsers. The advertisements themselves are selected and served by automated systems based on the content displayed to the user.

Contingency:

A financial or commercial possibility. Thus Contingency planning is the forming of a plan to seize a commercial opportunity or deal with setbacks in the future.

Contingency Fee.

A Contingency Fee is a fee that is paid to a lawyer only if the outcome of the case is favourable; it is usually a percentage of the damages or compensation awarded in the case.

Contingent Liability:

Something that might become a liability if something else happens. If a company is involved in a lawsuit for damages, for instance, there is a liability contingent on the company losing the case.

Continuous Improvement:

A translation of the Japanese word kaizen, the management idea that by making small improvements to all processes all the time, a company can quite quickly make a dramatic change in its competitiveness.

Contract:

A legally binding agreement between two or more people in which each promises to do (or not to do) something. Nobody can be bound by a Contract to do something which is itself illegal. Contracts in business are usually made in writing, although verbal Contract can be just as binding. The terms of a Contract can be express or implied. Express terms have been explicitly stated. Implied terms are those that it is reasonable to imply that the parties agreed to even though they did not "express" them.

Contractor:

Law: a person who is a party to a contract.

Contribution:

The amount by which a business's revenue exceeds its variable costs. This amount is a contribution to the business's fixed costs. Only if the contribution exceeds the fixed costs will the business make a profit. The contribution after variable costs is sometimes referred to as the gross contribution, with the term net contribution being used to refer to the contribution after both variable and fixed costs; that is, the profit.

Control:

Authority or ability to manage or direct.

An investor is said to Control a company when the investor owns 51% or more of the company's share capital.

In marketing, a Control is a standard response to a marketing effort against which other efforts can be measured.

Control System:

A method of ensuring that production or management processes are carried out correctly. Control systems may be embedded into computer programs, or they may be mechanical systems that are built into production lines to ensure that the right parts arrive at the right time.

Controlled Environment:

To adjust to a requirement in a closed area.

Controlled Foreign Corporation:

A company incorporated outside the United States but under control of a United States resident and subject to the anti-tax haven measures contained in Subpart F.

Controversy:

A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement.

Conundrum:

A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun.

Convalescence:

The period needed for returning to health after illness.

Convenience Store:

A retail outlet whose unique appeal is its convenience for customers. To be successful it needs to:

Be open for long hours.

Be located near to its regular customers, and

Sell products that those customers particularly need.

Convention:

A formal meeting of members, representatives, or delegates, as of a political party, fraternal society, profession, or industry; the body of persons attending such an assembly.

An agreement between states, sides, or military forces, especially an international agreement dealing with a specific subject, such as the treatment of prisoners of war.

General agreement on or acceptance of certain practices or attitudes.

Conversation:

The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk.

An informal discussion of a matter by representatives of governments, institutions, or organizations.

Convertible:

Finance: a security that can be changed from one form to another when certain circumstances occur. For instance, a bond that can be converted into equity after a certain date, or an ordinary share that can be converted into a preference share.

A convertible automobile: having a top that can be folded back or removed.

Conveyance:

A transfer of the title to property from one person to another.

Conveyor Belt Sushi:

Conveyor Belt Sushi (also called sushi-go-round, kuru kuru sushi), mainly by foreigners living in Japan or "yasu-zushi"), is the popular English translation for Japanese fast-food sushi. In Australia, it is also known as sushi train (as the sushi goes around a track on a train, rather than a conveyor belt).

Conviction:

An unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.

CO2:

See: carbon dioxide.

COO:

Short for: Chief Operating Officer, the person who has hands-on responsibility for the day-to-day operation of a business.

Cookbook:

A book containing recipes and other information about the preparation of food.

A manual that describes how to assemble and deploy a biological or chemical weapon.

Cookie (computing):

Persistent client-state HTTP Cookies are files containing information about visitors to a web site (e.g., user name and preferences). This information is provided by the user during the first visit to a web server. The server records this information in a text file and stores this file on the visitor's hard drive. When the visitor accesses the same web site again, the server looks for the Cookie and configures itself based on the information provided.

Cooking the Books:

To distort a firm's financial statements. For example, a manager may intentionally overstate sales or understate expenses in order to create high net income.

Cool:

Marked by calm self-control. Marked by indifference, disdain, or dislike; unfriendly or unresponsive.

Be yourself and don't conform to anyone else. Follow your own dreams, form your own opinions and treat others with respect. Otherwise you are just another photocopy of todays society.

Cooling-Off Period:

A period of time that is required to pass between the signing and the full coming into force of a contract. In particular, it applies to the time between the filing of a prospectus for a new issue of securities in the United States and the offering of those securities to the public. Cooling-Off Periods are designed to protect consumers from over-zealous sales techniques.

Cooperate:

To work or act together toward a common end or purpose.

To form an association for common, usually economic, benefit.

Coordinate:

One that is equal in importance, rank, or degree.

Mathematics: any of a set of two or more numbers used to determine the position of a point, line, curve, or plane in a space of a given dimension with respect to a system of lines or other fixed references.

To harmonize in a common action or effort.

A set of articles, as of clothing or luggage, designed to match or complement one other, as in style or color.

COP:

Short for: COnference of Parties. Last held in Copenhagen on December 7-18, 2009: COP15 | UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE.

Cope:

To contend or strive, especially on even terms or with success.

To contend with difficulties and act to overcome them.

Copy:

An imitation or reproduction of an original; a duplicate.

Material, such as a manuscript, that is to be set in type.

Suitable source material for journalism.

Copy and Paste:

To copy files and folders from one location to another or to copy text and images from one document to another.

The term "Copy-and-Paste" refers to the popular, simple method of reproducing text or other data from a source to a destination.

See also: cut and paste

Copycat:

One that closely imitates or mimics another.

Copyright:

An intellectual property right, Copyright is the ownership of words or other things that can be written down or portrayed graphically.

Core Competence:

The set of skills and knowledge that sit at the heart of an organization.

Corkage Fee:

A fee charged in restaurants for opening a bottle of wine brought in by a patron.

See also: BYOB.

Corner the Market:

To control so much of the market for a product that you control the price. For example: "Together, the two companies were able to Corner the silver Market."

Corny:

Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental.

Corollary:

A practical consequence that follows naturally; an obvious deduction.

Philosophy / Logic: a proposition that follows directly from the proof of another proposition.

Corona:

The luminous irregular envelope of highly ionized gas outside the chromosphere of the sun.

Corporate Bond:

A debt instrument issued by a private corporation.

Corporate Charter:

See: Articles of Incorporation.

Corporate Finance:

The process of raising capital (equity or long-term debt) on behalf of corporations and governments. Corporate finance has traditionally been a speciality of merchant banks in London and of investment banks in New York.

Corporate Governance:

Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions affecting the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal stakeholders are the shareholders/members, management, and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include labor (employees), customers, creditors (e.g., banks, bond holders), suppliers, regulators, and the community at large. For Not-For-Profit Corporations or other membership Organizations the "shareholders" means "members" in the text below (if applicable).

Corporate Identity:

The collection of characteristics that uniquely identify an organisation; for example, the arches in the "M" of McDonald's, the colour of the pumps at a Shell filling station, or the environmentally friendly ethos of the Body Shop.

Corporate Officers:

Another "cabinetlike" institution, sometime part of the Board of Directors: president, secretary and treasurer etc. These individuals have the right to represent the company to third parties, to negotiate and make commitments in its name.

Corporation:

The basic existence of a Corporation usually derives from two documents: the Articles of Association and the Certificate of Incorporation.

Corporation Tax:

The tax that is charged on a company's profit. Rates of corporation tax vary around the world and multinational companies organize themselves to minimise the amount that they have to pay.

Corporation Tax Company:

A company incorporated in Jersey but not trading in Jersey and thereby designated as non-resident for tax purposes; liable only to low fixed annual rate of tax.

Corpus:

A large collection of writings of a specific kind or on a specific subject.

Economics: The capital or principal amount, as of an estate or trust; the principal of a bond.

Correction:

A sudden reversal in the movement of a market. For example, a stock market that has been rising strongly all day might have a correction at the end of the day as investors have second thoughts about the market's optimism.

Correspondence:

The act, fact, or state of agreeing or conforming; similarity or analogy.

Communication by the exchange of letters; the letters written or received.

Corridor:

A narrow hallway, passageway, or gallery, often with rooms or apartments opening onto it.

A tract of land forming a passageway, such as one that allows an inland country access to the sea through another country.

Corruption:

Lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain.

Corsair:

A pirate, especially along the Barbary Coast.

A swift pirate ship, often operating with official sanction.

COSA:

Short for: Comfortable Outdoor Smoking Area.

Cosmetics:

A preparation, such as powder or a skin cream, designed to beautify the body by direct application.

Something superficial that is used to cover a deficiency or defect.

Cosmonaut:

A Russian (or Soviet) astronaut.

Cosmopolitan:

Pertinent or common to the whole world.

Having constituent elements from all over the world or from many different parts of the world.

So sophisticated as to be at home in all parts of the world or conversant with many spheres of interest.

A Cosmopolitan person or organism; a Cosmopolite.

Cosmos:

The universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious whole.

Cosplay:

Literally "Costume Play." Dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, or anime character).

Cost:

The amount of money paid to purchase something. (See also: average, current, direct, fixed, historic, indirect, marginal, opportunity, replacement, transfer, unit and variable cost.)

Cost Accounting:

A detailed breakdown of the cost of producing goods or services to help calculate a price at which to sell them.

Cost-Benefit Analysis:

A type of analysis that tries to measure the benefit to be gained from an extra cost. For example, what would be the cost of providing a same-day mail service within a major city center, and how much would customers pay for it?

Cost Center:

A business unit which costs can be specifically allocated. A cost center can be as small as a single machine or as large as a major subsidiary.

Cost Effective:

Something that produces enough benefit to justify its cost is said to be cost effective.

Cost of Capital:

The average cost to a company of servicing its capital: its equity (through dividend payments) and its loans (through interest payments).

Cost of Living:

The average cost of the basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter, and clothing; the cost of basic necessities as defined by an accepted standard.

Cost Overrun:

The amount by which a project exceeds its budget.

Cost-Plus:

A method of calculating the price at which something is to be sold based on the cost of manufacturing it. Cost-plus starts with this cost and then adds a percentage for profit and for any other hidden costs.

Costume:

The attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball.

Cotillion:

A formal ball, especially one at which young women are presented to society.

A lively dance, originating in France in the 18th century, having varied, intricate patterns and steps; a quadrille; music for these dances.

Cottage Industry:

A usually small-scale industry carried on at home by family members using their own equipment.

Cougar:

A middle-aged woman who seeks out much younger men.

See also: toy boy.

"Count Your Blessings":

Meaning: when people Count their Blessings, they concentrate on all the good things in their lives instead of the negative ones.

To think about the good things in your life, often to stop yourself becoming too unhappy about the bad things.

Counter Cyclical:

Something that occurs contrary to the normal business cycle. For example, when an economy is depressed the business of bankruptcy lawyers booms. Their business is said to be counter cyclical.

Counter Offer:

An offer made in response to another offer. A Counter Offer has to be more generous than the original offer for it to stand a chance of being accepted.

Counterfactual:

Going counter to the facts (usually as a hypothesis).

Philosophy / Logic: expressing what has not happened but could, would, or might under differing conditions.

Counterfeit:

To imitate the goods or services produced by another manufacturer so closely that they are mistaken for the goods of the other manufacturer. Luxury goods (like Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags) are particularly susceptible to counterfeit. Some say it is mankind's second-oldest profession - and no more likely to be stamped out than the oldest.

Counterintelligence:

The branch of an intelligence service charged with keeping sensitive information from an enemy, deceiving that enemy, preventing subversion and sabotage, and collecting political and military information.

Counterpoint:

Melodic material that is added above or below an existing melody.

A contrasting but parallel element, item, or theme.

Countervailing Duty:

A duty that is imposed by a country on imported goods to counting a subsidy that has been granted to the goods by the exporting country.

Country:

A nation or state; the territory of a nation or state; land; ;the people of a nation or state; populace.

The land of a person's birth or citizenship.

A region, territory, or large tract of land distinguishable by features of topography, biology, or culture.

An area or expanse outside cities and towns; a rural area.

Informal: country music.

Country of Origin:

The country from which goods originate. Where quotas are in operation it is important that goods are marked clearly with their country of origin to keep imports within their quota.

Coup d'État:

A Coup d'État is a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force.

Coup de Foudre:

A sudden, intense feeling of love.

A sudden and amazing action or event.

Coup de Grâce:

From French: Coup de Grâce (stroke of grace). Originally referring to a merciful stroke putting a fatally wounded person out of misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after facing a firing squad.

Coup Droit:

Tennis: forehand; drive.

Coupé:

A closed two-door automobile.

Coupon:

A detachable part of a bearer bond. The Coupon gives its holder the right to the interest payments that are due on the bond.

A certificate accompanying a product that may be redeemed for a cash discount.

Couponsteuer:

Tax charged on distributions of certain Liechtenstein legal entities (AG and Anstalt with share capital).

Courier:

A messenger, especially one on official diplomatic business.

A spy carrying secret information.

Court:

Law: a legislative assembly.

The place of residence of a sovereign or dignitary; a royal mansion or palace; a large open section of a building, often with a glass roof or skylight.

Sports: an open level area marked with appropriate lines, upon which a game, such as tennis, handball, or basketball, is played.

Courtesan:

A woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are members of a royal court or men of high social standing.

Courtesy:

A Courteous or respectful or considerate act.

Free of charge.

Courtesy Call:

A "Courtesy Call" previously was seen as a polite phone call meant to welcome someone to the neighborhood or to thank someone for their valued business. However, now-a-days with so many telemarketers calling home phone lines and starting off with, "Good evening, Mr. Smith, this is a courtesy call from __", these calls are seen more as a disturbance than a nice gesture.

Courtier:

An attendant at a sovereign's court.

One who seeks favor, especially by insincere flattery or obsequious behavior.

Covenant:

Law:: a contractual promise to do (or not to do) some sort of business or financial activity. Someone working for a firm in a sensitive industry, such as defence, might Covenant not to work for any of the firm's rivals for a certain period of time after their employment has ended.

In the Bible, God's promise to the human race.

Cover:

To place something upon or over, so as to protect or conceal.

Protection against financial loss, as provided by insurance or by buying assets that reduce the risk of future loss.

To hide or screen from view or knowledge; conceal.

Something that covers or is laid, placed, or spread over or upon something else.

Cover Girl:

An attractive young woman whose picture is featured on a magazine cover.

Cover Letter:

A letter sent with other documents to explain more fully or provide more information.

Cover Sheet:

A page of explanation sent as the first page of a fax transmission.

Cover-Up:

Hide from view or knowledge.

Covert:

Not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown.

Cowboy:

A hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback.

An adventurous hero.

A reckless person, such as a driver, pilot, or manager, who ignores potential risks.

CPC:

Short for: Cost-Per-Click. You earn commissions with CPC campaigns simply by providing a link that visitors to your web site or readers of your newsletter click on and get redirected to the campaign's landing page.

CPM:

Short for: Cost Per Mille (that is, cost per thousand), a basis for comparing the costs of advertising in different media. The CPM is the cost of reaching an audience of 1,000. It does not take into account how many of the 1,000 are awake when the message is conveyed.

CPR:

Short for: CardioPulmonary Resuscitation. CPR is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest. CPR is performed in hospitals, or in the community by laypersons or by emergency response professionals.

See also: recovery position.

CPU:

A Central Processing Unit (CPU) or processor is an electronic circuit that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. The term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.

Early CPUs were custom-designed as a part of a larger, sometimes one-of-a-kind, computer. However, this costly method of designing custom CPUs for a particular application has largely given way to the development of mass-produced processors that are made for one or many purposes. This standardization trend generally began in the era of discrete transistor mainframes and minicomputers and has rapidly accelerated with the popularization of the integrated circuit (IC). The IC has allowed increasingly complex CPUs to be designed and manufactured to tolerances on the order of nanometers. Both the miniaturization and standardization of CPUs have increased the presence of these digital devices in modern life far beyond the limited application of dedicated computing machines. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones to children's toys.

Cradle to Cradle:

It's the idea that at the end of life, any product can be turned into something else to close the cycle so that ultimately there is no waste.

Crash Course:

A rapid and intense course of training or research (usually undertaken in an emergency).

Creative Accounting:

Since many of the things that accountants measure are subject to interpretation, it is possible to put a more (or less) favourable tint on a company's accounts by being creative with that interpretation.

Credit:

A sum of money made available for a person's (or a company's) use. "His Credit is good" means that a person has access to funds which enable him to pay his bills as and when they fall due. "She bought it on Credit" means that the purchaser will have a sum of money available in future that will enable her to pay for the goods.

Belief or confidence in the truth of something.

A reputation for sound character or quality; standing.

Recognition or approval for an act, ability, or quality; influence based on the good opinion or confidence of others.

An acknowledgment of work done, as in the production of a motion picture or publication.

Credit Card:

With an old-fashioned Credit Card, you charge to your heart's content and receive a bill at the end of the month. The Credit Card company hopes that you will eventually pay off the balance. In other words, the card company trusts you to pay.

Credit Control:

The process of controlling the total amount of credit granted by either a firm or an economy. Governments or central banks can control credit by raising the interest rate; firms can control credit by calling in overdue debts.

Credit Default Swap:

A Credit Default Swap (CDS) is a swap contract in which the buyer of the CDS makes a series of payments to the seller and, in exchange, receives a payoff if a credit instrument (typically a bond or loan) goes into default (fails to pay). Less commonly, the credit event that triggers the payoff can be a company undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy, or even just having its credit rating downgraded.

Credit Line:

An amount of credit that a bank agrees, in principle, to a customer's account. The customer is then able to draw funds from the account at any time, and up to that limit. In some cases the bank lays down the purposes for which the money may be used.

Credit Note:

Formal notice that a customer's account with a supplier has been credited with a specific amount. The credit may have arisen because the customer has returned faulty goods, or was supplied less than the amount invoiced for.

Credit Rating:

The contentious practice of ranking the debt instruments of corporations, governments and people according to an independent analyst's assesment of the debtor's ability to repay them on time.

Standard & Poor's Long-term Credit Ratings:

S&P rates borrowers on a scale from AAA to D. Intermediate ratings are offered at each level between AA and CCC (i.e., BBB+, BBB and BBB-). For some borrowers, S&P may also offer guidance (termed a "credit watch") as to whether it is likely to be upgraded (positive), downgraded (negative) or uncertain (neutral).

Investment Grade:

  *  AAA: the best quality borrowers, reliable and stable (many of them governments).
  *  AA: quality borrowers, a bit higher risk than AAA.
  *  A: economic situation can affect finance.
  *  BBB: medium class borrowers, which are satisfactory at the moment.


Non-Investment Grade (also known as junk bonds):

  *  BB: more prone to changes in the economy.
  *  B: financial situation varies noticeably.
  *  CCC: currently vulnerable and dependent on favorable economic conditions to meet its commitments.
  *  CC: highly vulnerable, very speculative bonds.
  *  C: highly vulnerable, perhaps in bankruptcy or in arrears but still continuing to pay out on obligations.
  *  CI: past due on interest.
  *  R: under regulatory supervision due to its financial situation.
  *  SD: has selectively defaulted on some obligations.
  *  D: has defaulted on obligations and S&P believes that it will generally default on most or all obligations.
  *  NR: not rated.

Credit-Rating Agency:

An organisation that assesses the ability of borrowers to repay their debts on time, and that ranks their ability along the lines of old-fashioned exam results: A+, B-, and so on.

Creditor:

An individual or organization to whom money is owed. The opposite of debtor.

Credo:

Any formal or authorized statement of beliefs, principles, or opinions.

Crema:

Tan-colored foam that forms on top of an espresso shot as a result of the brewing process.

The Crema is composed of minuscule air bubbles composed of espresso film and forms a "cap" that protects the espresso proper from being exposed to the air.

Crème de la Crème:

Something superlative; the very best.

People of the highest social level.

Cretin:

A person of subnormal intelligence.

Slang: an idiot.

Crime Passionnel:

A crime committed from passion, especially sexual passion. Also called crime of passion.

Crime Scene:

A Crime Scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators (CSIs) or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists.

Crisis:

A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point; an unstable condition, as in political, social, or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change.

An emotionally stressful event or traumatic change in a person's life.

Crisis Management:

The process of managing a crisis, an event or a series of events that are out of the ordinary.

CRM:

Short for: Customer Relationship Management. CRM is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer information.

Short for: Credit Risk Management.

Short for: Cockpit / Crew Resource Management.

Crocodile Smile:

Being fake to someone. Acting like you're cool with someone then going and talking shit behind their back. Similar to crocodile tears but more of a "happy" fake.

Crocodile Tears:

An insincere display of grief; false tears.

Crooner:

Crooner is an epithet given to a male singer of a certain style of popular songs, dubbed pop standards. A Crooner is a singer of popular ballads and thus a "balladeer". The singer is normally backed by a full orchestra or big band. Generally, Crooners sang and popularized the songs from the Great American Songbook. "Crooner" was originally used as a negative term, and many people given the term, such as Russ Colombo, did not consider themselves to be Crooners. In an interview, Frank Sinatra said that he did not consider himself or Bing Crosby to be Crooners.

Crop Circle:

Crop Circles are patterns created by the flattening of crops such as wheat, barley, rapeseed (also called "canola"), rye, corn, linseed and soy.

The term was first used by researcher Colin Andrews to describe simple circles he was researching. Although, since 1990, the circles have evolved into complex geometries, the term circle has stuck.

Many circles are known to be man-made, such as those created by Doug Bower, Dave Chorley, and John Lundberg. Bower and Chorley were awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in 1992 for their crop circle hoaxing.

Various hypotheses have been offered to explain the formation of crop circles of unknown origin, ranging from the naturalistic to the paranormal. The main naturalistic explanation is that all crop circles are man-made, primarily as a hoax. Paranormal explanations suggest that, while some crop circles are man-made, others are the product of alien visitors or supernatural processes.

Also visit: Skeptical Inquirer Magazine.

Croquis:

Croquis drawing is quick and sketchy drawing of a live model. Croquis drawings are usually made in a few minutes, after which the model changes pose and another Croquis is drawn.

Cross-Default:

A condition in a loan contract that says that if the borrower defaults on any of its other loans or securities it may be deemed to have defaulted on this one. The lender is then free to seek repayment of the loan as if it were in default.

Cross Dressing:

The practice of adopting the clothes or the manner or the sexual role of the opposite sex.

Cross My Heart (and Hope to Die):

Said to show that what you have just said or promised is completely true or sincere.

Cross-Rate:

The exchange rate between two currencies calculated via a third rate. For example, if there are 2 dollars to 1 pound and 1,000 lira to 1 dollar, the pound/lira cross-rate is 2,000 lira to the pound.

Cross-Selling:

The practice of placing products that are linked together in the consumer's mind next to each other on a retailer's shelves; for example, the bacon next to the eggs, or the ties next to the shirts. Also, the attempt to sell one product to a customer who has already bought something completely different from the same seller - when a bank that gave you a loan attempts to sell you insurance as well.

Cross-Subsidising:

Purposely selling one product at a loss in the knowledge that is being subsidised by another; for example, a café selling coffee at a low price to entice customers in to buy its cakes at a high price.

Crossing Over:

The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes that occurs during meiosis and contributes to genetic variability.

"Crossing the Rubicon":

"Crossing the Rubicon" is a popular idiom meaning to pass a point of no return. It refers to Caesar's 49 BC crossing of the river, which was considered an act of war.

Crossover:

Music: the adaptation of a musical style, as by blending elements of two or more styles or categories, to appeal to a wider audience.

Automotive: a mixture of a stationcar and a SUV.

Crossroads:

A place where two or more roads meet; a place that is centrally located.

A crucial point; the point at which an important choice has to be made.

Crossword:

A puzzle in which an arrangement of numbered squares is to be filled with words running both across and down in answer to correspondingly numbered clues.

Croupier:

A Croupier or dealer is a casino employee who takes and pays out bets or otherwise assists at a gambling table. In American usage, dealer may imply a card game, but this is not always the case. For example it is common to refer to a craps dealer.

Crowd Funding:

Crowd Funding (sometimes called crowd financing or crowd sourced capital) describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money together, usually via the Internet, in order to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.

Crowd Surfing:

The action or diversion of being passed by hand above a densely packed crowd, as at a rock concert.

Crowdsourcing:

Crowdsourcing is a neologism for the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call. For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task (also known as community-based design and distributed participatory design), refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm, or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data.

The term has become popular with business authors and journalists as shorthand for the trend of leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies to achieve business goals. However, both the term and its underlying business models have attracted controversy and criticism.

Crown Jewels:

The jewels, such as those in a crown or scepter, used ceremonially by a sovereign.

The most prized asset or possession in a group; a part of a company sought by another party in a hostile takeover attempt.

Crude Oil

The oil produced from a reservoir, after associated gas is removed in separation. Crude Oil is a fossil fuel formed by plant and animal matter several million years ago.

Cruise:

To sail or travel about, as for pleasure or reconnaissance.

To go or move along, especially in an unhurried or unconcerned fashion.

Informal: to move leisurely about an area in the hope of discovering something.

Slang: to look for a sexual partner, as in a public place.

Crunch:

To chew with a noisy crackling sound.

Slang: to perform operations on; manipulate or process (numerical or mathematical data).

A period of financial difficulty characterized by tight money and unavailability of credit.

Crusader:

Any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.

A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or against an abuse.

Crypto-:

From Greek kruptos, hidden, from kruptein, to hide.

Secret, hidden, or concealed.

Crypto Officer (ICANN):

Read about the rules regarding ICANN's appointment of "Crypto Officers" and a "Recovery Key Share Holder" here.

Cryptogram:

A piece of writing in code or cipher; a figure or representation having a secret or occult significance.

Cryptography:

The process or skill of communicating in or deciphering secret writings or ciphers.

Secret writing.

Cryptonym:

A code name or Cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industry to protect secret projects and the like from business rivals.

Crystal Ball:

A globe of quartz crystal or glass in which images, especially those believed to portend the future, are supposedly visible to fortune tellers.

A vehicle or technique for making predictions.

CSP:

Short for: Carrier Service Provider. A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as mobile phone operator (or simply mobile operator or mobo ), carrier service provider (CSP), wireless service provider, wireless carrier, mobile phone operator, or cellular company, is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.

CSR:

Short for: Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR is also known as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social performance' is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. Ideally, CSR policy would function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business would monitor and ensure their adherence to law, ethical standards, and international norms. Business would embrace responsibility for the impact of their activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, business would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality. Essentially, CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.

The practice of CSR is subject to much debate and criticism. Proponents argue that there is a strong business case for CSR, in that corporations benefit in multiple ways by operating with a perspective broader and longer than their own immediate, short-term profits. Critics argue that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations.

CT-Scanning:

Short for: Computed Tomography. CT is a medical imaging method employing tomography. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation. The word "tomography" is derived from the Greek tomos (slice) and graphein (to write). Computed tomography was originally known as the "EMI scan" as it was developed at a research branch of EMI, a company best known today for its music and recording business. It was later known as computed axial tomography (CAT or CT Scan) and body section röntgenography.

CT produces a volume of data which can be manipulated, through a process known as "windowing", in order to demonstrate various bodily structures based on their ability to block the X-ray/Röntgen beam.

Cuba Clause:

The so-called "Cuba Clause" allows the situs and proper law of a trust to be transferred from one jurisdiction to another.

Cube:

Mathematics: a regular solid having six congruent square faces.

Cubicle:

A small compartment, as for work or study.

A small sleeping compartment, especially within a dormitory.

Cue Card:

A large card held out of the audience's sight, bearing words or dialogue in large letters as an aid for a speaker or actor chiefly in television broadcasting.

Cul-de-Sac:

A dead-end street; an impasse.

Cuisine:

Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking; culinary art; kitchen"; ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook") is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from.

Cult:

Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.

Followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices.

Followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

A religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false; "it was a satanic Cult".

Culture:

The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought; these patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population; these patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression.

A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual training.

The unique ways of doing things and of thinking about things that differentiate one organisation from another. These are influenced by the organisation's history (by notorious disasters, for example), by its more powerful managers and by its habits (who gets access to the corporate car park).

Biology: The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.

Cum Dividend:

A share that is being sold together with the rights to a dividend that has been announced by the company but not yet paid.

Cumulative Voting (U.S.):

Cumulative Voting is a voting right which, when applicable, is intended to preserve the voting strength of minority shareholders. For example, if John has 25 voting shares and there are three directors to be elected, John has 75 votes which he may allocate in any manner chooses. In some states, Cumulative Voting exists unless the articles reject it. In other states, Cumulative Voting does not exist unless the artciles permit it.

Cup:

A small open container, usually with a flat bottom and a handle, used for drinking.

A decorative cup-shaped vessel awarded as a prize or trophy.

Cup of Joe:

Slang: a cup of coffee.

See also: Joe.

Cupcake:

A Cupcake is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, are common on Cupcakes.

Read also: The cupcake revival.

Cupid:

Roman Mythology: the god of love; the son of Venus.

A representation of Cupid as a naked cherubic boy usually having wings and holding a bow and arrow, used as a symbol of love.

Curare:

A dark resinous extract obtained from several tropical American woody plants, especially Chondrodendron tomentosum or certain species of Strychnos, used as an arrow poison by some Indian peoples of South America.

Curator:

One who manages or oversees, as the administrative director of a museum collection or a library.

Curfew:

A regulation requiring certain or all people to leave the streets or be at home at a prescribed hour.

Curio:

A curious or unusual object of art or piece of bric-a-brac.

A small article valued as a collector's item, especially something fascinating or unusual.

Currency:

The denomination of the notes and coins in circulation in an economy. The UK Currency is the pound sterling (GBP); the US Currency is the dollar (USD); the new European Currency is the euro (EUR).

Current Account:

A bank account, known in the United States as a checking account, the funds of which are used mainly for the purposes of money transmission. Checks are drawn on current accounts, and standing orders are debited against them. Current accounts rarely pay significant rates of interest on credit balances.

Current Asset:

Assets on a company's balance sheet that are likely to be sold or transferred (if they are financial assets) during the next accounting period. Current assets include things like cash, stock and accounts receivable.

Current Cost:

The present market value of an asset.

Current Ratio:

The ratio of a firm's current assets to its current liabilities (that is, its short-term loans and trade debts). The ratio is used as an indicator of a company's ability to pay its debts on time, and thus of its liquidity.

Curriculum:

All the courses of study offered by an educational institution.

A group of related courses, often in a special field of study.

Cursor:

This blinking indicator shows you where you are in your file.

Curtsy:

A Curtsey (also spelled Curtsy) is a traditional gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. It is the female equivalent of male bowing in Western cultures.

Custom:

A practice followed by people of a particular group or region.

A habitual practice of a person.

Law: a common tradition or usage so long established that it has the force or validity of law.

Customer:

A person of organization who buys finished goods or services, and at whom, therefore, all industrial activity is directed.

Customer Care:

A systematic attempt by an organisation to take greater care of its customers, and to teach its employees the value of so doing.

Customized:

A product or service that is adapted specially to suit an individual customer.

Customs Duty:

A tax imposed on imported goods.

Customs Union:

An alliance of a number of countries that agree to remove customs and excise controls on goods and services that pass among them.

Cut and Paste:

To move files and folders from one location to another or to move text and images from one document to another.

See also: copy and paste

Cutting-Edge:

The leading position in any movement or field.

CV:

Short for: Curriculum Vitae. résumé. Course of your career.

CW:

Short for: ClockWise. In the same direction as the rotating hands of a clock.

Cyber Attack:

Also known as Cyber War. A successful one is generally seen as targeting vulnerable computers and making them malfunction or resulting in disrupted flows of data that disable businesses, financial institutions, medical institutions, and government agencies. For example, cyber exploits that alter credit card transaction data at e-commerce Websites could cause the altered information to spread into banking systems - thus eroding public confidence in the financial sector. The same rippling effect could be seen in computer systems used for global commerce. In short, a cyber attack has the potential to create extreme economic damage that is out of proportion to the relatively low cost of initiating the attack.

Cyber Attacks can also target applications and databases. It is important to know that some of the most successful cyber attacks have not disrupted data or the computer's functioning; instead, they involve information theft with little evidence of the attack being left behind.

Although some security experts believe that terrorists will shy away from using cyber attacks to create havoc against a targeted nation because it would involve less drama and media attention as compared to a physical bombing or a chemical attack, thus saving the Internet for surveillance and espionage, other experts believe that terrorists could induce a coordinated terrorist attack using the Internet and bringing down critical infrastructures. The result could be a cyber Apocalypse.

Cyberculture:

Cyberculture is the culture that has emerged, or is emerging, from the use of computer networks for communication, entertainment and business.

Cybersex:

Cybersex, computer sex, internet sex or net sex is a virtual sex encounter in which two or more persons connected remotely via a computer network send one another sexually explicit messages describing a sexual experience. It is a form of role-playing in which the participants pretend they are having actual sexual relations. In one iteration, this fantasy sex is accomplished by the participants describing their actions and responding to their chat partners in a mostly written form designed to stimulate their own sexual feelings and fantasies. Cybersex may also be accomplished through the use of avatars in a multiuser software environment.

Cybersex sometimes includes real life masturbation. The quality of a cybersex encounter typically depends upon the participants' abilities to evoke a vivid, visceral mental picture in the minds of their partners. Imagination and suspension of disbelief are also critically important. Cybersex can occur either within the context of existing or intimate relationships, e.g. among lovers who are geographically separated, or among individuals who have no prior knowledge of one another and meet in virtual spaces or cyberspaces and may even remain anonymous to one another. In some contexts cybersex is enhanced by the use of webcams to transmit real-time video of the partners.

Cyberspace:

The word "Cyberspace" (from cybernetics and space) was coined by science fiction novelist and seminal cyberpunk author William Gibson in his 1982 story "Burning Chrome" and popularized by his 1984 novel Neuromancer. The portion of Neuromancer cited in this respect is usually the following:

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding."

The scientific definition: Cyberspace (from Greek: kyberne-te-s meaning "steersman", "governor", "pilot", or "rudder") is the global domain of electromagnetics as accessed and exploited through electronic technology and the modulation of electromagnetic energy to achieve a wide range of communication and control system capabilities. The term is rooted in the science of cybernetics and Norbert Wiener’s pioneering work in electronic communication and control science, a forerunner to current information theory and computer science. Through its electromagnetic nature, cyberspace integrates a number of capabilities (sensors, signals, connections, transmissions, processors, controllers) and generates a virtual interactive experience accessed for the purpose of communication and control regardless of a geographic location. In pragmatic terms, cyberspace allows the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures (ITI), telecommunications networks - such as the internet, computer systems, integrated sensors, system control networks and embedded processors and controllers common to global control and communications. As a social experience, individuals can interact, exchange ideas, share information, provide social support, conduct business, direct actions, create artistic media, play games, engage in political discussion, and so on. The term was coined by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson. Now ubiquitous, the term has become a conventional means to describe anything associated with computers, information technology, the internet and the diverse internet culture. Cyberspace is recognized as part of the US National Critical Infrastructure.

Cyborg:

A Cyborg is a cybernetic organism (i.e., an organism that has both artificial and natural systems).

Cycle:

An interval of time during which a characteristic, often regularly repeated event or sequence of events occurs.

Cyclical:

The occurrence of events in accordance with a cycle, in particular, the business cycle. A Cyclical stock is one that rises and falls in line with the rhythms of the business cycle.

Cynicism:

An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- D -

D&O:

A legal award of monetary compensation to a person or business who has suffered loss or injury caused by another. For example, a business may have suffered a loss as a result of a breach of contract, or an employee may have been injured as a result of using an unsafe piece of equipment at his or her place of work.

D-list:

A very minor celebrity according to The Ulmer Scale of bankability.

See also: the A-list.

Da Capo:

(Music): from the beginning. Used as a direction to repeat a passage.

DAB:

Short for: Digital Audio Broadcasting, also known as Eureka 147. DAB is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in the UK and Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format.

The DAB standard was designed in the 1980s, and receivers have been available in many countries for several years. Proponents claim the standard offers several benefits over existing analogue FM radio, such as more stations in the same broadcast spectrum, and increased resistance to noise, multipath, fading, and co-channel interference. However, listening tests carried out by experts in the field of audio have shown that the audio quality on DAB is lower than on FM in the UK on stationary receivers, due to 98% of stereo stations using a bit rate of 128 kbit/s with the MP2 audio codec, which requires double that amount to achieve perceived CD quality.

An upgraded version of the system was released in February 2007, which is called DAB+. This is not backward-compatible with DAB, which means that DAB-only receivers will not be able to receive DAB+ broadcasts. DAB+ is approximately twice as efficient as DAB due to the adoption of the AAC+ audio codec, and DAB+ can provide high quality audio with as low as 64kbit/s. Reception quality will also be more robust on DAB+ than on DAB due to the addition of Reed-Solomon error correction coding.

Also visit: WorldDAB.

Dacha:

A country house or cottage in Russia.

Damage Control:

An effort to minimize or curtail damage or loss.

Damages:

A legal award of monetary compensation to a person or business who has suffered loss or injury caused by another. For example, a business may have suffered a loss as a result of a breach of contract, or an employee may have been injured as a result of using an unsafe piece of equipment at his or her place of work.

Dance Card:

A Dance Card is used by a woman to record the names of the gentlemen with whom she intends to dance each successive dance at a formal ball.

In modern times the expression "Dance Card" is often used metaphorically, as when someone says "pencil me into your Dance Card," meaning "find some time to spend with me", or, conversely, someone's "Dance Card is full" implies they have no time for, or interest in another person.

Dandy:

A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners.

Daredevil:

One who is recklessly bold.

Darling:

One that is greatly liked or preferred; a favorite.

Informal: charming or amusing.

DAT:

Short for: Digital Audio Tape. DAT or R-DAT is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987.

Data:

In computer science, Data is anything in a form suitable for use with a computer. Data is often distinguished from programs. A program is a set of instructions that detail a task for the computer to perform. In this sense, data is thus everything that is not program code.

Database:

A collection of information stored electronically on a computer.

Data Mining:

The use of sophisticated computer programs to search systematically through a large database. Such programs are particularly useful to marketing departments which want to identify a subset of a large population (all the males in Arkansas, for instance, whose birthdays are next Monday).

Data Warehousing:

The process of organizing the storage of large quantities of electronic data in such a way that it best meets the needs of the organization to whom It belongs.

Data Protection:

The right of individuals to have access to information about themselves that is held by other parties, such as financial institutions, credit-rating agencies or government offices. Individuals usually have to submit a formal request to gain access to the information. Such rights are established in many countries by so-called data protection legislation.

Date:

An engagement to go out socially with another person, often out of romantic interest.

One's companion on such an outing.

Time stated in terms of the day, month, and year.

A particular point or period of time at which something happened or existed, or is expected to happen.

Date Rape Drugs:

See also: Rohypnol.

Date Stamp:

A mark on perishable goods indicating the date by which they should be sold, and also the date by which they should be consumed. In many countries date stamping is required by law.

Dating:

An engagement to go out socially with another person, often out of romantic interest.

Dauphin of France:

The Dauphin of France (French: Dauphin de France)—strictly, The Dauphin of Viennois (Dauphin de Viennois)—was the title given to the heir apparent of the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word is literally the French for Dolphin, as a reference to the animal they bore on their flag.

Dawn Raid:

The purchase in the early hours of the morning, as soon as the stock market opens, of a substantial chunk of a company's shares, frequently to strengthen a subsequent takeover bid. Hence, any early-morning business practice that is designed to catch someone (especially a competitor) unawares.

Day Trader:

Very active stock trader who holds positions for a very short time and makes several trades each day.

Daydream:

A dreamlike musing or fantasy while awake, especially of the fulfillment of wishes or hopes.

Absentminded dreaming while awake.

Daylight Saving Time:

Daylight Saving Time. DST is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less.

Visit: summer time.

De Facto:

De Facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it is meant to mean "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established".

De Jure:

De Jure (in Classical Latin de iure) is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".

De Luxe:

See: deluxe.

DEA:

Short for: Drug Enforcement Agency (U.S.).

Deacon:

A cleric ranking just below a priest in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches; a Protestant layperson who assists the minister in various functions.

Dead Letterbox:

A dead drop or Dead Letter Box, is a location used to secretly pass items between two people, without requiring them to meet. This stands in contrast to the live drop, so called because two live persons meet to exchange items or information.

Dead Man Walking:

US: a term traditionally used to describe a person currently alive but facing imminent death, such as a death row inmate awaiting execution.

An employee who is certain to be fired in the near future.

Dead Man's Hand:

The Dead Man's Hand is a two-pair poker hand, namely "aces and eights". The hand gets its name from the legend of it being the five-card-draw hand held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his murder (August 2, 1876). It is accepted that the hand included the aces and eights of both the black suits; although his biographer, Joseph Rosa, says no contemporary citation for his hand has been found, the "accepted version is that the cards were the ace of spades, the ace of clubs, two black eights (clubs and spades), and either the jack of diamonds or the queen of diamonds as the "kicker". The term, before the murder of Hickok, referred to a variety of hands. The earliest found reference to a "dead man's hand" is 1886, where it was described as "three jacks and a pair of tens."

There are various claims as to the identity of Hickok's fifth card and there is also some reason to believe that he had discarded one card. The draw was interrupted by the shooting and he never got the fifth card he was due.

The Stardust in Las Vegas had a 5 of diamonds on display as the fifth card; in the HBO television series Deadwood, a 9 of diamonds is used; the modern town of Deadwood, South Dakota also uses the 9 of diamonds in displays; and Ripley's Believe it or Not shows a queen of clubs. Saloon no. 10 in Deadwood, South Dakota, the saloon in which Wild Bill Hickock was shot while holding the infamous "dead man's hand," shows the fifth card as the 9 of diamonds. At least two of John Ford's films feature the aces and eights hand as a foreshadowing of death. In Stagecoach (1939), the hand is held by Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler), soon to be shot by the Ringo Kid (John Wayne) while in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Liberty Valance draws the hand just prior to his death.

Dead Man's Switch:

A switch that automatically stops a machine or vehicle after a set period of inactivity from the operator.

A Dead Man's Switch may also be used to activate a harmful device, such as a bomb or IED.

Dead Weight:

The unrelieved weight of a heavy, motionless mass; an oppressive burden or difficulty.

Deadline:

A time scheduled for the completion of a task commonly used to describe the time by which journalists must file their stories to their newspapers. If Deadline that has been set in a contract is not met, legal consequences may follow.

Deal:

A business transaction; an agreement, especially one that is mutually beneficial.

Games: distribution of playing cards; the right or turn of a player to distribute the cards; the playing of one hand.

Informal: sale favorable especially to the buyer; a bargain.

Treatment received: raw deal; a fair deal.

The act or a round of apportioning or distributing.

Dealer:

A person who deals in goods or services, buying them in his own right to sell them on to someone else. Contrast with a broker, who never takes title to the goods he is broking.

Dean:

An administrative officer in charge of a college, faculty, or division in a university.

In some countries, the longest-serving ambassador to a country or the apostolic nuncio is given the title Dean, or Doyen, of the Diplomatic Corps and is sometimes accorded a high position in the order of precedence.

Dear Jane letter:

A letter in which someone writes to his wife or girlfriend to break off the relationship, is referred to as a "Dear Jane letter."

Dear John letter:

A Dear John letter is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend by his wife or girlfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the person face to face.

See also: Dear Jane letter.

Death & Taxes:

"Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin quote.

Debauchery:

Extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures.

Debenture:

An unsecured bond backed only by the general credit of the issuing corporation.

Debit Card:

A rectangular plastic card with a black magnetic strip on the back that can be used to purchase goods and services. A debit card is a bit like a credit card, but with one crucial difference. A debit card pays for the goods immediately out of a bank account somewhere. If there is no credit in the account the purchase will not be authorized. A credit card, however, allows payment to be made later and provides the user with a loan to make the purchase.

Debit, Credit Card:

Almost as tricky to get these days as the good old "Credit, Credit Card", a Debit Card is directly tied to a bank account. Whatever charges the user runs up are debited to the bank account, and monthly statements do not carry a remittance slip. The same account may have a checkbook tied to it as well. Credit as such, however, is not extended since you are not allowed to use the card if the balance on the bank account wanders into the red.

Debonair:

Having a sophisticated charm; having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air.

Debriefing:

A management practice in which an employee describes their experience (with, say, a potential overseas customer) to others within their organization. The idea is that everyone should learn from the experience of each individual. This is at the heart of a learning organization.

Debt:

An obligation on a person or organization to pay something (usually money) to another person or organization.

Debt Ceiling:

The maximum borrowing power of a governmental entity.

Debt-Equity Ratio:

The ratio of a company's debt to its equity, more commonly known as gearing, or in the United States as leverage. If the ratio is high, banks are reluctant to lend the company more money.

Debt Service:

The ability of an organization (be it a company or a country) to service its debts - that is, to pay interest and capital as and when due - out of its cash flow.

Debtor:

A person or organization that owes somebody something.

Debut:

A first public appearance, as of a performer.

The formal presentation of a young woman to society.

Débutante:

A young woman making a formal debut into society.

Decade:

A period of ten years; a group or series of ten.

Decadence:

Decadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society (or segment of it). Used to describe a person's lifestyle, it describes a lack of moral and intellectual discipline, or in the Concise Oxford Dictionary: "a luxurious self-indulgence". In a society, it describes corrosive decline due to a perceived erosion of necessary moral traditions. (A society that discards unnecessary and outmoded values would not be considered Decadent, although perceptions of "unnecessary and outmoded" significantly vary.) Due to arguments over the nature of morality, whether a society is Decadent or not is a matter of debate, though certain historical societies (such as ancient Rome near its end) are generally held to have been Decadent, as Decadence often leads to objective decline.

Decentralization:

The process of moving corporate functions (and the decision-making powers that go with them) away from a company's head office. Many companies are highly decentralized in some respects (say, marketing) and highly centralized in others (accounts or human resources).

Decibel (dB):

The Decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit of measurement that expresses the magnitude of a physical quantity (usually power or intensity) relative to a specified or implied reference level. Since it expresses a ratio of two quantities with the same unit, it is a dimensionless unit. A decibel is one tenth of a bel, a seldom-used unit.

The Decibel is useful for a wide variety of measurements in science and engineering (specifically, acoustics and electronics) and other disciplines. It confers a number of advantages, such as the ability to conveniently represent very large or small numbers, a logarithmic scaling that roughly corresponds to the human perception of, for example, sound and light, and the ability to carry out multiplication of ratios by simple addition and subtraction.

The Decibel symbol is often qualified with a suffix, which indicates which reference quantity or frequency weighting function has been used. For example, "dBm" indicates that the reference quantity is one milliwatt, while "dBu" is referenced to 0.775 volts RMS.

Decision Tree:

A diagram that illustrated the consequences of making different decisions, and of the decisions that flow from those consequences.

Decisive Moment:

Henri Cartier-Bresson is famous for his photographs that capture that "Decisive Moment" when random actions intersect in a single instant that makes an arresting photograph.

Deckchair:

A folding chair for use out of doors, consisting of a wooden frame suspending a length of canvas.

Declaration:

An explicit, formal announcement, either oral or written.

A statement of taxable goods or of properties subject to duty.

Declining Balance:

A method of depreciation that depreciates an asset by a fixed percentage of its outstanding value at the end of each year, instead of by a fixed percentage of its original value.

Decoration:

An emblem of honor, such as a medal or badge.

An addition that renders something more attractive or ornate; adornment.

Decorum:

Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety.

The conventions or requirements of polite behavior.

The appropriateness of an element of an artistic or literary work, such as style or tone, to its particular circumstance or to the composition as a whole.

Decoupage:

The technique of decorating a surface with cutouts, as of paper.

Decoy:

A person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure.

Decree:

An authoritative order having the force of law.

Deductible:

An expense that can be deducted from a company's revenue for the purposes of calculating its tax liability.

Deduction:

The drawing of a conclusion by reasoning; the act of Deducing.

Logic: the process of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises; inference by reasoning from the general to the specific; a conclusion reached by this process.

Deed:

Something that is carried out; an act or action; a usually praiseworthy act; a feat or exploit.

Law: a document sealed as an instrument of bond, contract, or conveyance, especially relating to property.

Deelnemingsvrijstelling:

Substantial Holding Company (in The Netherlands).

Deep Discount:

A large discount on the price of goods or services, probably more than 25%.

Deep Linking:

Deep Linking, on the World Wide Web, is making a hyperlink that points to a specific page or image on a website, instead of that website's main or home page. Such links are called Deep Links.

Defamation:

A false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions.

Default:

Not legally binding, as in defective title to a property. A defective title may have been obtained fraudulently, or there may have been an error in drawing up the contract.

Defective goods are those that do not meet the standard that a consumer might reasonably expect. In most countries a consumer is legally entitled to exchange defective goods or obtain a refund.

A standard hardware or software setting.

Law: failure to make a required court appearance.

DEFCON:

A DEFense readiness CONdition (DEFCON) is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military, and increase in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations.

Defector:

A person who repudiates his or her country when beyond its jurisdiction or control.

Defendant:

A Defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute.

Deferred:

The postponement of a payment (or receipt) from one accounting period into another; for example, Deferred tax.

Deferred Share:

A share in a company that receives no payment in the event of a liquidation until all preference and ordinary shareholders have been paid the nominal value of their shares in full. Deferred shares are usually held by people who have a special relationship with the company, such as its founders.

Deficit:

An excess of spending over revenue. This may be by a government (as in the federal budget deficit), by a country (as in a trade deficit), or by a company (which then needs to fund its deficit).

Definition:

A concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol.

Deflation:

An across-the-board decrease in prices. Falling prices are dangerous for business since they can result in acompany having to sell its output for less that its cost.

Degree:

One of a series of steps in a process, course, or progression; a stage.

Relative social or official rank, dignity, or position.

A unit division of a temperature scale.

An academic title given by a college or university to a student who has completed a course of study.

Deity:

A god or goddess.

Any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force.

Déjà Vue:

The experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before.

Delayering:

The removal of layers of management from the middle levels of an organization, thus flattening the organization and shortening the lines of communication within it.

Deleb:

Deleb is a colloquialism for a deceased celebrity.

Delegation:

The transfer of authority from one person to another (who is generally lower down the corporate hierarchy). Delegation involves the transfer of authority but not of responsibility. Empowerment attempts to transfer both.

Delinquency:

In business, the failure to make payments as and when they fall due.

Delisting:

The removal of a quoted share from a stock exchange's list, usually for failing to follow the rules of the exchange. A company's shares may also be delisted if the company has been taken over by another and has ceased to have an independent existence.

Delivery:

The transfer of the title to an asset from one owner to another. Thus a delivery note is the document authorizing the transfer; the delivery date is the date on which the transfer formally takes places.

Deluxe:

Rich and superior in quality; elegant and sumptuous.

Demagogue:

A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices.

Demand:

A fundamental concept in economics (see also: supply). The extent to which titleconsumers are prepared to pay for goods and services. It is also the right to instantaneous gratification, as in payable on Demand or Demand deposit - money in an account that can be withdrawn on Demand.

Dementia:

Dementia (meaning "deprived of mind") is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously-unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body. Although Dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood.

Demerger:

The unravelling of a merger, or the separation of companies (or of business units) that are being run under one corporate umbrella.

Demimonde:

A class of women kept by wealthy lovers or protectors; women prostitutes considered as a group.

A group whose respectability is dubious or whose success is marginal.

Democracy:

Democracy is a system of government in which either the actual governing is carried out by the people governed (direct Democracy), or the power to do so is granted by them (as in representative Democracy).

Demographics:

The study of populations according to social characteristics such as their age, income, familiarize, and so on. Demographics is particularly helpful to advertisers and marketing departments.

Demon:

An evil supernatural being; a devil.

A persistently tormenting person, force, or passion.

One who is extremely zealous, skillful, or diligent.

Denim:

A coarse twilled cloth, usually cotton, used for jeans, overalls, and work uniforms.

Denomination:

The number of units of a single note or coin; for example, 1 D-mark, 10 francs, 100 dollars.

Department:

A distinct, usually specialized division of a large organization, especially: a principal administrative division of a government; a division of a business specializing in a particular product or service; a division of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge.

An administrative district in France; one of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer; a section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise.

Department Store:

A large retail outlet that stocks a wide range of goods, from kitchen utensils to make-up. Traditionally located in the center of big cities, department stores have been hit by the growth of out-of-town shopping malls and of city-center rents.

Deposit:

Money left as security before the receipt of a service, as when renting an apartment.

Money left with a bank for safe-keeping.

Raw materials found underground, such as mineral Deposits.

Deposit Account:

An account at a bank in which a customer leaves money for some period of time and on which the earns interest.

Deposit Protection:

A form of insurance which covers depositors against the loss of their money should their bank go bust. Deposit protection schemes are usually backed by the state, and they usually over only a percentage of the total deposits.

Deposition:

Law: sworn testimony recorded for use in court at a later date.

Depreciation:

The loss of an asset's value as a result of wear and tear and the passage of time. Companies are allowed to set off this amount against their taxable profits - in theory enabling them to put aside untaxed funds with which to replace the depreciating asset at the end of its useful life.

Depression:

A prolonged and steep decline in a country's GNP, a period when much industrial activity ceases.

Deregulation:

The removal of government regulations and of red tape that restrict the ability of firms within an industry to compete freely. Industries such as telecoms, banking and aviation have been considerably deregulated in recent years.

Derivatives:

Derivatives are financial contracts, or financial instruments, whose prices are derived from the price of something else (known as the underlying). The underlying price on which a derivative is based can be that of an asset (e.g., commodities, equities (stock), residential mortgages, commercial real estate, loans, bonds), an index (e.g., interest rates, exchange rates, stock market indices, consumer price index (CPI) — see inflation derivatives), or other items. Credit derivatives are based on loans, bonds or other forms of credit.

The main types of derivatives: are forwards, futures, options, and swaps.

Derivatives can be used to mitigate the risk of economic loss arising from changes in the value of the underlying. This activity is known as hedging. Alternatively, derivatives can be used by investors to increase the profit arising if the value of the underlying moves in the direction they expect. This activity is known as speculation.

- also named "the financial weapons of mass destruction" by 'The Oracle of Omaha' investment guru Warren Buffet.

Derived Demand:

Demand for things that occurs because of the demand for other things. Thus the demand for capital goods can be said to be derived from the demand for consumer goods. Once consumers start spending, producers begin to invest in plant and equipment.

Derogatory:

Expressive of low opinion.

Déroute:

Total collapse.

DES:

Short for: Department of Education Standards (United Kingdom).

Design:

A graphic representation, especially a detailed plan for construction or manufacture.

The purposeful or inventive arrangement of parts or details.

A plan; a project.

A secretive plot or scheme.

Design Hotel:

A hotel that is designed around a theme.

See also: boutique hotel.

Designer Drug:

A drug with properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure, especially such a drug created in order to evade restrictions against illegal substances.

Designer Label:

The term Designer Label refers to clothing and other personal accessory items sold under an often prestigious marquee which is commonly named after a designer. The term is most often only applied to luxury items.

Desktop Publishing:

Using a collection of computers, software and printers that can fit on a desk in order to produce publications of a quality that used to be possible only in printing plants.

Despot:

A ruler with absolute power; a person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.

Destination:

The place to which one is going or directed.

The ultimate purpose for which something is created or intended.

Destiny:

The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot.

A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.

The power or agency thought to predetermine events.

Détente:

The easing of tensions or strained relations (especially between nations), as by agreement, negotiation, or tacit understandings.

Detox:

Treatment designed to rid the body of poisonous substances, esp. alcohol and drugs.

Deus Ex Machina:

Any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an insoluble difficulty.

Devaluation:

A lowering of the value of a country's currency vis-à-vis other countries' currencies. This can be done either by market forces or by government forces.

Developer:

Someone who adds value to land by building on it or by otherwise turning it into an asset that can produce a stream of income.

Device:

A contrivance or an invention serving a particular purpose, especially a machine used to perform one or more relatively simple schemetasks.

A technique or means; a plan or scheme, especially a malign one.

A literary contrivance, such as parallelism or personification, used to achieve a particular effect.

A decorative design, figure, or pattern, as one used in embroidery.

A graphic symbol or motto, especially in heraldry.

Devil's Advocate:

In common parlance, a Devil's Advocate is someone who takes a position he or she does not agree with for the sake of argument. This process can be used to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure.

Diagnosis:

The act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history, examination, and review of laboratory data; the opinion derived from such an evaluation.

Diagram:

A drawing intended to explain how something works; a drawing showing the relation between the parts.

Dialect:

The usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people.

Dialogue:

A conversation between two or more people.

Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative.

An exchange of Idea or opinions.

Diary:

A daily record, especially a personal record of events, experiences, and observations; a journal.

A book for use in keeping a personal record, as of experiences.

Diaspora:

A dispersion of an originally homogeneous entity, such as a language or culture.

The scattering of the Jews after the period of Babylonian exile.

Diatonic:

Of or using only the seven tones of a standard scale without chromatic alterations.

Diatribe:

A bitter, abusive denunciation.

Dictaphone:

A trademark used for an apparatus that records and reproduces dictation for transcription.

Dictator:

An ancient Roman magistrate appointed temporarily to deal with an immediate crisis or emergency.

A ruler who is unconstrained by law.

Dictionary:

A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them.

Dictum:

An authoritative declaration.

Diet:

The usual food and drink of a person or animal.

A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.

"Different Strokes For Different Folks":

This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.

Differentiation:

The process of establishing the way in which a company's products or services differ from those of its rivals (how Pepsi tastes different from Coca-Cola, for example), and then reinforcing that difference in the consumer's mind by advertising and promotion.

Digestive:

Relating to or aiding digestion.

Functioning to digest food.

Digital:

The representation of data by a series of digits. In a Digital computer, information is transmitted as a row of binary digits, 0 or 1, represented by "on" or "off". In an analog computer, information is represented by some variable physical property (such as an alectric voltage).

Digital Fingerprint:

Digital Fingerprinting is a technology to protect multimedia from unauthorized redistribution. It embeds a unique ID into each user's copy, which can be extracted to help identify culprits when an unauthorized leak is found.

Digital Signal:

A signal in which the original information is converted into a string of bits before being transmitted. A radio signal, for example, will be either on or off. Digital signals can be sent for long distances and suffer less interference than analog signals. The communications industry worldwide is in the midst of a switch to digital signals. Sound storage in a compact disc is in digital form.

Digital Signature:

A Digital Signature or Digital Signature Scheme is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. A valid Digital Signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender, and that it was not altered in transit. Digital Signatures are commonly used for software distribution, financial transactions, and in other cases where it is important to detect forgery and tampering.

Digital Signatures are often used to implement electronic signatures, a broader term that refers to any electronic data that carries the intent of a signature, but not all electronic signatures use Digital Signatures. In some countries, including the United States, and in the European Union, electronic signatures have legal significance. However, laws concerning electronic signatures do not always make clear whether they are digital cryptographic signatures in the sense used here, leaving the legal definition, and so their importance, somewhat confused.

Digital Signatures employ a type of asymmetric cryptography. For messages sent through an insecure channel, a properly implemented Digital Signature gives the receiver reason to believe the message was sent by the claimed sender. Digital Signatures are equivalent to traditional handwritten signatures in many respects; properly implemented Digital Signatures are more difficult to forge than the handwritten type. Digital Signature schemes in the sense used here are cryptographically based, and must be implemented properly to be effective. Digital Signatures can also provide non-repudiation, meaning that the signer cannot successfully claim they did not sign a message, while also claiming their private key remains secret; further, some non-repudiation schemes offer a time stamp for the Digital Signature, so that even if the private key is exposed, the signature is valid nonetheless. Digitally signed messages may be anything representable as a bitstring: examples include electronic mail, contracts, or a message sent via some other cryptographic protocol.

See also: signature.

Dignitary:

A person of high rank or position.

Dignity:

The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect.

Inherent nobility and worth.

The respect and honor associated with an important position.

Dilemma:

A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.

Dilute:

To reduce the value of existing shares in a company by issuing new shares at a price lower than the shares' current market value.

Dimension:

A measure of spatial extent, especially width, height, or length.

Extent or magnitude; scope; aspect; element.

Diminishing Returns:

The phenomenon whereby the addition of extra resources to a production process fails to produce the same additional value. The law of diminishing returns is said to have set in.

Diner:

A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter and booths and housed in a building designed to resemble a dining car.

Dinghy:

A Dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility Dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor, but some are rigged for sailing. They are used for off-ship excursions from larger boats, outside of docking at suitably-sized ports or marinas. Because the smaller sailing Dinghy responds more quickly to maneuvers, whether correct or incorrect, it is more suitable for beginner training in sailing than full-sized sloops.

A small wheeled vehicle towed behind a motorhome is sometimes referred to as a Dinghy, by analogy with the watercraft.

Diocese:

The district or churches under the jurisdiction of a bishop; a bishopric.

Dioptre:

Mathematics & Measurements / Units: a unit for measuring the refractive power of a lens: the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens expressed in metres.

Diorama:

A three-dimensional miniature or life-size scene in which figures, stuffed wildlife, or other objects are arranged in a naturalistic setting against a painted background.

Diploma:

A document issued by an educational institution, such as a university, testifying that the recipient has earned a degree or has successfully completed a particular course of study.

A certificate conferring a privilege or honor.

An official document or charter.

Diploma Mill:

A Diploma Mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit. These degrees are often awarded based on vaguely construed life experience.

Diplomacy:

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states. It usually refers to international Diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomat with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, war, economics and culture. International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians.

In an informal or social sense, Diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage or to find mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge, one set of tools being the phrasing of statements in a non-confrontational, or polite manner.

Diplomat:

A Diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of Diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and friendly relations.

Diplomatic Bag:

A Diplomatic Bag is a bag or container in which mail is sent to and from foreign embassies. Diplomatic Bags are protected by law, so that they are not opened by anyone except the official or embassy they are addressed to, as codified in article 27 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Diplomatic Pouch:

A mail pouch that is sealed shut and that is used to carry communications between a legation and its home office.

Direct Cost:

A cost that can be directly attributed to a particular production process. Direct costs rise in proportion to the number units produced.

Direct Debit:

An instruction from a customer to a bank requesting the bank to debit the customer's account with whatever sums are demanded by a named creditor. Direct debits make life easier (and therefore cheaper) for organizations like telephone and electric utilities which receive payments that are regular in time but irregular in amount.

Direct Mail:

The sale and promotion of goods and services by mail. Direct Mail is a fast-growing distribution channel in many countries, despite a widespread belief that most direct mail is thrown away unread.

Direct Marketing:

The selling of products and services directly to the final consumer by the original producer. Direct marketing cuts out intermediatries (such as shops) in the supply chain. But it often involves substantial costs in reaching the consumer in other ways; for example, by direct mail.

Direct Taxation:

Taxation that is imposed directly on an individual (for example, income tax) or a company (corporation tax). Contrast with indirect taxation.

Direction:

Management, supervision, or guidance of an action or operation.

Music: a word or phrase in a score indicating how a passage is to be played or sung.

An instruction or series of instructions for doing or finding something. Often used in the plural.

An authoritative indication; an order or command.

Director:

A member of the board of a company who has been properly appointed by the company's shareholders to look after their interest. In many companies, however, people have titles containing the work director even though they are not on the board. In this context, a director is no more than a senior manager.

A person who supervises the creative aspects of a dramatic production or film and instructs the actors and crew.

The conductor of an orchestra or chorus.

Directory:

A book containing an alphabetical or classified listing of names, addresses, and other data, such as telephone numbers, of specific persons, groups, or firms.

Computer Science: a listing of the files contained in a storage device, such as a magnetic disk; a description of the various characteristics of a file, such as the layout of the fields in it.

A group or body of directors.

Dirty:

Slang: possessing or using illegal drugs.

Obscene or indecent; squalid or filthy; run-down.

Dirty Float:

A government policy of generally allowing its currency's exchange rate to float freely according to market demand, but on occasions deciding to intervene in order to adjust the rate to suit other priorities. This is also known as a managed float.

Disambiguation:

To establish a unique semantic interpretation of something.

Disc Jockey:

A Disc Jockey (also known as Disk Jockey, DJ or Deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, disk referred to phonograph records, while disc refers to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling.

There are several types of Disc Jockeys. Radio DJs introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave, digital, or internet radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in bars, nightclubs, discothèques, at raves, or even in a stadium. Hip hop Disc Jockeys select and play music using multiple turntables, often to back up one or more MCs, and they may also do turntable scratching to create percussive sounds. In reggae, the Disc Jockey (deejay) is a vocalist who raps, "toasts", or chats over pre-recorded rhythm tracks while the individual choosing and playing them is referred to as a selector. Mobile Disc Jockeys travel with portable sound systems and play recorded music at a variety of events.

Discharge:

The fullfilment of (and release from) an obligation. In many countries the restrictions on people declared bankrupt apply only for a certain length of time. At the end of that time, the bankrupt is said to be discharged.

Disciple:

Someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another.

Discipline:

Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.

Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order; a systematic method to obtain obedience.

Punishment intended to correct or train.

A branch of knowledge or teaching.

Disclosure:

The legal requirement of companies to reveal information to certain parties at certain times. Hence, for example, a director must disclose to fellow directors if he has a financial interest in a company to which the board is about to award a contract.

Discount:

The verb to Discount means to sell at a reduced price; the noun Discount is the amount by which the price is reduced.

Discount Rate:

In general, the rate of interest that is represented by the discount to its value on maturity at which a financial instrument is sold. Thus if a $100 bond is due to be repaid in a year's time, and somebody is prepared to pay $95 for it today, the Discount Rate is the $5 discount at which the bond is being sold, divided by the $95 that is being paid for it (that is, 5.26%).

Discount Store:

A store selling a wide variety of goods, many of them at a discount to their normal retail price.

Discounted Cash Flow:

Popularly known as DCF, a method of calculating the present value of a future stream of income and/or capital. It discounts the future value of expected flows of cash in order to find their net present value.

Discretion:

The quality of being discreet; circumspection.

Ability or power to decide responsibly.

Freedom to act or judge on one's own.

Discretionary Trust:

A highly flexible arrangement in which the beneficiary has no fixed interest in any part of the income of the trust or its assets except perhaps at the termination of the trust. The Trustees usually hold the property and income for a broad class of beneficiaries to whom they distribute the assets at their discretion. However, the Trustees may be guided by an informal memorandum written by the settlor which outlines his wishes but has no legal status. One advantage of this arrangement is that benefits can be varied according to changes in circumstances with little difficulty. Another is that the beneficiary has a somewhat nebulous hope of receiving anything and therefore it is difficult for any creditors to find an interest to which to attach a liability.

Discrimination:

Treating someone differently because of a particular attribute that they have, such as their sex, their religion, or their color. In many countries Discrimination in the workplace is illegal.

Discussion:

Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation.

A formal discourse on a topic; an exposition.

Disinflation:

A slowing down in the rate of inflation. Not to be confused with deflation.

Disinformation:

Deliberately misleading information announced publicly or leaked by a government or especially by an intelligence agency in order to influence public opinion or the government in another nation.

Dissemination of such misleading information.

Disintermediation:

The process by which financial intermediaries are cut out of the business of allocating savings. This happens in a number of ways; for example, when companies raise equity directly from the public, or when governments promote savings schemes that attract money directly from consumers.

Disk:

The part of a computer where information is stored and which acts as its memory. Floppy Disks are light and detachable (but far from floppy) rectangular pieces of plastic and metal on which can be stored electronic data. They enable information to be transferred easily from one stand-alone computer to another. Optical Disks and compact Disks are disks that hold considerably more data than floppy disks. The non-detachable part of a computer's memory is called the hard disk.

Dismissal:

The ending of an individual's contract of employment with an organization. Depending on the nature of the dismissal (for example, by redundancy) the individual may be entitled to a lump sum on the termination of the contract. If individuals think that they have been unfairly dismissed they may have the right to sue their employer.

Disorder:

A physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning.

Display:

Something intended to communicate a particular impression.

Disposable Income:

Income (after taxes) that is available to you for saving or spending.

Disposophobia:

Fear of disposing. See: Collyer's Syndrome.

Dissenters' Rights (U.S.):

Dissenters' Rights or shareholder appraisal rights are a mechanism designed to protect minority shareholders. Business corporation laws prescribe the procedures by which these rights may be exercised. If a corporation proposes to sell substantially all of its assets or merge with another corporation, minority shareholders may be able to force the corporation to purchase their shares.

Dissolution / Liquidation:

Dissolution and Liquidation are procedures by which a corporation concludes its activities and prepares to liquidate its assets for the purpose of paying bills and creditors, and if funds remain, make distributions to shareholders. Dissolution can be voluntary, initiated by the corporation, or involuntary, initiated by creditors. When in dissolution, activities of the corporation must be geared to winding up corporate business, not expanding it.

Distinct:

Not alike; different in nature or quality.

Distinguished:

Characterized by excellence or Distinction; eminent.

Dignified in conduct or appearance.

Distress Sale:

A sale that occurs when owners of goods find themselves in a position of having to sell those goods at a deep discount - often because of cash flow difficulties.

Distribution:

The process of getting finished goods into the hands of consumers.

The way in which something is shared out; a product in a particular market, for example, or wealth in a country.

Distribution Channel:

A route by which goods are distributed by a manufacturer to a final consumer.

District:

A region marked off for administrative or other purposes.

Ditto:

The same as stated above or before.

A duplicate; a copy.

Diva:

A Diva is a celebrated female singer. The Italian term is used to describe a woman of rare, outstanding talent in the world of opera, and by extension in theatre and popular music. The meaning of Diva is closely related to that of "prima donna".

Legendarily, these "prima donnas" (prime donne in Italian) were often regarded as egotistical, unreasonable and irritable, with a rather high opinion of themselves not shared by others. Although whether they are truly more vain or more hot-tempered than other singers (or than any other people in the opera houses) is not substantiated, the term often describes a vain, obnoxious and temperamental person who, although irritating, cannot be done without.

The basic sense of the term is "goddess".

See also: Divo.

Diversification:

The spreading of a company's risk by its participation in a number of different businesses. A move by an insurance company into retailing is one example of Diversification. It is a way of ensuring that not all the company's eggs are in one industrial basket.

Divertissement:

A short performance, typically a ballet, that is presented as an interlude in an opera or play.

Divestment:

The selling off by a company of businesses that do not fit in with its general strategy.

Dividend:

A Dividend is a distribution of cash or property by a corporation to a shareholder. Dividends are paid out of the corporation's net earnings and profits. If there are no earnings and profits, Dividends cannot be paid. Generally, there is no right to have a Dividend declared, and the board of directors can decide whether or not to declare a Dividend. Certain classes of preferred stock may limit this discretion of the board.

Dividend Cover:

The number of times that a company's annual dividend is covered by its annual earnings, that is, its profit divided by its dividend.

Divine Inspiration:

An act or process that is purportedly inspired by a deity; inspiration endowed by God upon spiritually gifted persons.

Division:

The proportional distribution of a quantity or entity.

An independent unit within a company.

Division of Labour:

The breaking up of a production process and its distribution among a number of workers so that it is carried out in the most efficient way.

Divo:

Divo is an Italian word used sometimes to describe male superstars, celebrities.

Although not as commonly used as it's female version (Diva), many famous male stars have been described with this word too.

DIY:

Short for: Do It Yourself, is a term used by various communities that focus on people (called do-it-yourselfers or DIYers) creating or repairing things for themselves without the aid of professionals.

The notion is related in philosophy to the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many modern DIY subcultures take the traditional Arts and Crafts movement's rebellion against the perceived lack of soul of industrial aesthetics a step further. DIY subculture explicitly critiques modern consumer culture, which emphasizes that the solution to our needs is to purchase things, and instead encourages people to take technologies into their own hands to solve needs.

The phrase "do it yourself" came into common usage in the 1950s in reference to various jobs that people could do in and around their own houses without the help of professionals. A very active community of people continues to use the term DIY to refer to fabricating or repairing things for home needs, on one's own rather than purchasing them or paying for professional repair. In other words, home improvement done by the householder without the aid of paid professionals.

In recent years, the term DIY has taken on a broader meaning that covers a wide range of skill sets. Today, for example, DIY is associated with the international alternative and hardcore music scenes. Members of these subcultures strive to blur the lines between creator and consumer by constructing a social network that ties users and makers close together. There are various communities of media-makers that consider themselves DIY, for example the indymedia network, pirate radio stations, and the zine community.

DJ:

See: disc jockey.

DLNA:

Short for: Digital Living Network Alliance. DLNA is a standard used by manufacturers of consumer electronics to allow entertainment devices within the home to share their content with each other across a home network.

DNA:

Short for: DeoxyriboNucleic Acid. DNA is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints or a recipe, or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information.

Chemically, DNA consists of two long polymers of simple units called nucleotides, with backbones made of sugars and phosphate groups joined by ester bonds. These two strands run in opposite directions to each other and are therefore anti-parallel. Attached to each sugar is one of four types of molecules called bases. It is the sequence of these four bases along the backbone that encodes information. This information is read using the genetic code, which specifies the sequence of the amino acids within proteins. The code is read by copying stretches of DNA into the related nucleic acid RNA, in a process called transcription.

Within cells, DNA is organized into structures called chromosomes. These chromosomes are duplicated before cells divide, in a process called DNA replication. Eukaryotic organisms (animals, plants, fungi, and protists) store their DNA inside the cell nucleus, while in prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) it is found in the cell's cytoplasm. Within the chromosomes, chromatin proteins such as histones compact and organize DNA. These compact structures guide the interactions between DNA and other proteins, helping control which parts of the DNA are transcribed.

See also: genome, snip and gene.

DNS:

Short for: Domain Name System. DNS is a hierarchical naming system for computers, services, or any resource participating in the Internet. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participants. Most importantly, it translates domain names meaningful to humans into the numerical (binary) identifiers associated with networking equipment for the purpose of locating and addressing these devices world-wide. An often used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the "phone book" for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, www.example.com translates to 208.77.188.166.

DNS Server:

In computing, a name server (also spelled nameserver) consists of a program or computer server that implements a name-service protocol. It maps a human-recognizable identifier to a system-internal, often numeric, identification or addressing component.

For example, on the Internet, a special case of name servers, so called Domain Name System (DNS) servers, are used to translate a hostname or a domain name (for example, 'en.wikipedia.org') to its corresponding binary identifier (the IP address 145.97.39.155), or vice versa.

Docking Station:

A small cabinet to which a laptop or notebook computer can be attached for use as a desktop computer, usually having a connector for externally connected devices, such as hard drives or scanners, and ports that can be linked to components such as a keyboard, monitor, and printer.

Doctorate:

The degree or status of a doctor as conferred by a university.

Doctrine:

A principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief, as by a religious, political, scientific, or philosophic group; dogma.

A rule or principle of law, especially when established by precedent.

A statement of official government policy, especially in foreign affairs and military strategy.

Doctrine of Laches:

Neglect and unreasonable delay in the assertion of one's claims or rights. Courts expect reasonable diligence from a claimant, in addition to conscience and good faith. Under the legal Doctrine of Laches, they may refuse to enforce or recognize an individual's rights if he or she waits more than a reasonable length of time to assert them. Unlike the statute of limitations this doctrine, however, does not define 'reasonable time' but leaves its determination to the courts. Laches is French for, loose, slack, or sluggish.

Document:

A Document is a written or printed paper that bears the original, official, or legal form of something and can be used to furnish decisive evidence or information; something, such as a recording or a photograph, that can be used to furnish evidence or information; a writing that contains information.

Anything serving as a representation of a person's thinking by means of symbolic marks.

A written account of ownership or obligation.

Computer Science: a piece of work created with an application, as by a word processor. In computing, DOC or doc (an abbreviation of 'Document') is a file extension for word processing documents; most commonly for Microsoft Word. Historically, the extension was used for documentation in plain-text format, particularly of programs or computer hardware, on a wide range of operating systems. During the 1980s, WordPerfect used DOC as the extension of their proprietary format. Later, in the 1990s, Microsoft chose to use the DOC extension for their proprietary Microsoft Word word processing formats.

Documentary:

Consisting of, concerning, or based on documents.

Presenting fact objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film.

Documentary Credit:

A method of financing trade in which the documents proving that a sale has been made are used as collateral for a loan.

Dog Tag:

A metal identification tag worn on a chain around the neck by members of the armed forces.

Doggy Bag:

A bag for leftover food that a customer of a restaurant may take home after a meal, supposedly for the diner's dog.

Doghouse:

A small shelter for a dog.

Idiom / Slang: 'in the Doghouse' meaning: in great disfavor or trouble.

Dogma:

A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a church.

An authoritative principle, belief, or statement of ideas or opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true.

Doigt d'Honneur:

See: the finger.

Dollar Premium:

See also: Investment Currency Premium.

Domain Name:

The text name corresponding to the numeric IP address of a computer on the Internet (i.e., www.example.com).

Domain Name Lookup:

The process of converting a numeric IP address into a text name (for example, 204.245.240.194 is converted www.webtrends.com).

Domestic Partner:

A person, other than a spouse, with whom one cohabits.

Domicile:

The place where an individual has his permanent home, or to which he intends to return, or in some cases the country of origin. In other jurisdictions the place where an individual has a long established residence or in relation to a company, where it is incorporated.

Domesday Book:

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror.

Domino Effect:

A cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events.

Don:

Used as a courtesy title before the name of a man in a Spanish-speaking area.

A head, tutor, or fellow at a college of Oxford or Cambridge; a college or university professor.

The leader of an organized-crime family.

Archaic: an important personage.

Dongle:

A Dongle is a small piece of hardware that connects to a computer, and may be portable like a USB Pen. Although earlier use of dongles was to authenticate a piece of software, the word Dongle is now widely used to refer to a broadband wireless adaptor.

Donor:

One that contributes something, such as money, to a cause or fund.

Medicine: an individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

Don't Be a Stranger:

Usually used as a farewell, inviting one to visit again or communicate more often; don't forget about me; keep in touch.

Doomsday:

Judgment Day. (New Testament) day at the end of time following Armageddon when God will decree the fates of all individual humans according to the good and evil of their earthly lives.

For all time; forever.

Visit also: Doomsday Clock.

Door-to-Door:

A once-popular but now little used method of selling in which a salesman goes from one house to the next, attempting to persuade the occupier to purchase goods or services. Traditionally used for selling insurance and encyclopedias.

Doping:

In sports, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is commonly referred to by the disparaging term "Doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Doppelgänger:

A ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its fleshly counterpart.

Dormant Company:

A company that is not currently trading. It has a registered name, directors, articles of association, and so on. But it has no turnover.

Dormitory Town:

A settlement made up largely of daily commuters who are employed elsewhere in a larger centre. These commuters have displaced the original residents or live in new housing at the edge of the town or village. Dormitory towns are characterized by a relative paucity of retail outlets since the commuters will use services in the centre of the city or in out-of-town shopping centres.

Dossier:

A collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject.

dotBrand Domain Extension:

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the governing body of the Internet's namespace, now allows brands to secure their brand name at the top level of the Internet hierarchy as a domain extension - a generic top-level domain (gTLD). Put your company's name on the right side of the dot in its Internet address. No longer will companies be limited to dot com (or dot info, or any other variant) - it will be .mycompany. By any definition, a branded Top-Level (bTLD) Domain represents a huge opportunity.

Dot-Com Bubble:

See: Internet bubble.

Double Cross:

An act of betraying an ally, a friend, or an associate.

Double-Dip Recession:

A Double-Dip Recession occurs when you have, in this order: a recession; a short period of growth; another recession.

Double-Dip Recessions often have weak recoveries in between the recessions (though the example above included some years of very strong growth); analysts therefore tend to worry about a Double-Dip Recession when a recovery is weak.

List of recessions in the United States - Wikipedia.

Double Dipping:

The practice of drawing two incomes from the government, usually by holding a government job and receiving a pension, as for prior military service.

Double-Edged Sword:

Something that has or can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences.

Double-Entry Book-Keeping:

A fundamental principle of accounting whereby every entry into a company's balance sheet has an equal and opposite counterpart: Every asset has a balancing liability. A new factory is recorded as an asset; the money used to buy it is recorded as a liability.

Double Jeopardy:

The act of putting a person through a second trial for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted or convicted.

Double-Taxation Agreement:

An agreement between two countries designed to ensure that companies and individualsindividuals are not taxed on the same bit of income in both jurisdictions. The agreements lay out rules as to who has the right to tax which bit of profit, dividend, income or whatever.

Double Taxation Agreement (or Double Tax Treaty):

Agreement between two countries intended to relieve persons who would otherwise be subject to tax in both countries from being taxed twice in respect of the same transactions or events.

Double Time:

Any period of time during which an employee is paid double the normal rate - for example, for working on a Sunday or a public holiday.

Doughnut:

A Doughnut is a sweet, deep-fried piece of dough or batter. The two most common types are the torus-shaped ring Doughnut and the filled Doughnut, a flattened sphere injected with jam, jelly, cream, custard, or other sweet filling. A small spherical piece of dough may be cooked as a Doughnut hole. Baked Doughnuts are a variation that is baked in an oven instead of being deep fried.

Dow Jones:

The best-known index of movements in the price of US stocks and shares. The main index, Dow Jones Indexes, was founded in October 1896 and measures the price movements of leading shares quoted on the New York Stock Exchange.

Dowager:

A widow who holds a title or property derived from her deceased husband.

Down Feather:

The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding, pillows and sleeping bags. Powder down is a special kind of down found only in a few birds, being exceptionally fine in natured with a dust between the frons.

Down Market:

A marketing term based on a theoretical division of markets into a top, a middle and a bottom. A product aimed to appeal to the bottom end of the market is said to be downmarket. The division of markets can be based on social class, wealth or lifestyle. Contrast with upmarket.

Down Syndrome:

Down Syndrome, or Down's Syndrome (primarily in the United Kingdom), trisomy 21, or trisomy G is a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866.

Down Under:

Australia and often New Zealand.

Download:

To transmit electronically stored information from one computer to another, or from a hard disk to a floppy disk.

Downsizing:

A corporate strategy aimed at producing the same amount of output from a smaller quantity of resources (of land, labor or capital). The resource that gets hit first in downsizing is usually labor. In the early 1990s Downsizing became almost synonymous with redundancy.

Downstream:

An expression used (particular in the oil industry) to indicate an activity that is close to the final consumer. A filling station is much more Downstream than an oil rig, for example.

Downtime:

The amount ot time that is lost during a production process in maintaining the machinery or in waiting for essential inputs. In most companies the amount of Downtime has been falling sharply in recent years.

Dowry:

Money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage.

A natural endowment or gift; a talent.

Doyen:

A man who is the eldest or senior member of a group.

DRAM:

Short for: Dynamic Random Access Memory. DRAM is a type of random access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. Since real capacitors leak charge, the information eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically. Because of this refresh requirement, it is a dynamic memory as opposed to SRAM and other static memory.

Dram (unit):

A unit of apothecary weight equal to an eighth of an ounce or to 60 grains (3.89 grams).

Drama:

A serious narrative work or program for television, radio, or the cinema.

A situation or succession of events in real life having the Dramatic progression or emotional effect characteristic of a play.

Dramedy:

A television or film drama in which there are important elements of comedy.

Drawing Board:

Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Furniture: a smooth flat rectangular board on which paper, canvas, etc., is placed for making drawings.

Dreadlocks:

A natural hairstyle in which the hair is twisted into long matted or ropelike locks; popularized by Rastafarians.

Dream Team:

A team or group whose members are among the most qualified or talented in their particular fields.

Dress Code:

Clothing is an aspect of human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance. All societies have Dress Codes, most of which are unwritten but understood by most members of the society. The Dress Code has built in rules or signals indicating the message being given by a person's clothing and how it is worn. This message may include indications of the person's social class, income, occupation, ethnic and religious affiliation, attitude, marital status, sexual availability and sexual orientation. Clothes convey other social messages including the stating or claiming personal or cultural identity, the establishing, maintaining, or defying social group norms, and appreciating comfort and functionality.

For example, wearing expensive clothes can communicate wealth, the image of wealth, or cheaper access to quality clothing. All factors apply inversely to the wearing of inexpensive clothing and similar goods.The observer sees the resultant, expensive clothes, but may incorrectly perceive the extent to which these factors apply to the person observed. (cf. conspicuous consumption). Clothing can convey a social message, even if none is intended.

Visit also: Dress code - Wikipedia.

Dress Down:

To reprimand severely or scold (a person).

To dress in a casual or informal manner, especially at work.

Of or relating to a policy adopted by some business organizations of promoting a relaxed atmosphere by wearing informal clothing on certain days, usually Fridays.

Dressy:

Showy or elegant in dress or appearance.

Drifting:

Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed. A car is said to be Drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa), and the driver is controlling these factors. As a motor sport, professional Drifting competitions are held across the world.

Drink & Dial:

See: drunk dialing.

Drive:

To push, propel, or press onward forcibly; urge forward; to supply the motive force or power to and cause to function.

To compel or force to work, often excessively.

Sports: to hit, throw, or impel a ball or other missile forcibly.

Computer Science: a device that reads data from and often writes data onto a storage medium, such as a floppy disk.

Droit du Seigneur:

The supposed right of a feudal lord to have sexual relations with a vassal's bride on her wedding night.

Droit Moral:

French term for Moral Rights. A doctrine that protects artistic integrity (as opposed to the other rights that come with having a copyright, which are economic rights) and prevents others from altering the work of artists, or taking the artist's name off work, without the artist's permission.

Drone:

See: unmanned aerial vehicle.

Dropout:

One who quits school.

One who has withdrawn from a given social group or environment.

Computer Science: the failure to read a bit of stored information.

Drug:

A substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic.

Drunch:

A late morning or early afternoon meal (usually on Saturday or Sunday) at which hipsters and poseurs alike gather at a local hotspot in which they consume more alcohol than food, in an attempt to rid themselves of the previous night's hangover.

A lunch that involves heavy consumption of alcohol to the point where you become 'drunched'. Also known as a liquid lunch.

Drunk Dialing:

Drunk dialing is a pop-culture term denoting an instance in which an intoxicated individual places phone calls that he or she would not likely place if sober. The term often refers to a lonely individual calling former or current love interests.

DSL:

Short for: Digital Subscriber Line. DSL or xDSL is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop, but as of 2009[update] the term digital subscriber line has been widely adopted as a more marketing-friendly term for ADSL, the most popular version of consumer-ready DSL. DSL can be used at the same time and on the same telephone line with regular telephone, as it uses high frequency bands, while regular telephone uses low frequency.

The download speed of consumer DSL services typically ranges from 256 kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 24,000 kbit/s, depending on DSL technology, line conditions and service-level implementation. Typically, upload speed is lower than download speed for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and equal to download speed for the rarer Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL).

DTV:

Short for: Digital Television. DTV is an advanced broadcasting technology that has transformed your television viewing experience. DTV has enable broadcasters to offer television with better picture and sound quality. It also offers multiple programming choices, called multicasting, and interactive capabilities.

Learn more on DTV.gov - "What you need to know about the digital TV transition."

Du Jour:

Made for a particular day - used of an item not specified on the regular menu.

Popular, fashionable, or prominent at a particular time.

Dual Pricing:

Asking different prices for the same goods and services in different markets. Dual Pricing may give rise to accusations of dumping.

Dubbing:

To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood.

To insert a new soundtrack, often a synchronized translation of the original dialogue, into (a film).

Duct Tape:

Duct Tape (sometimes called Duck Tape after a brand name version) is a vinyl, fabric-reinforced, multi-purpose pressure sensitive tape with a soft and tacky pressure sensitive adhesive. It is generally silver or black in color but many other colors and transparent tapes have recently become available. With a standard width of 17/8 inches (48 mm), duct tape was originally developed during World War II in 1942 as a water resistant sealing tape for ammunition cases. Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to add strength. It was also used to repair military equipment quickly, including jeeps, firearms, and aircraft because of these properties. In Canadian military circles, this variant is known as "gun-tape", typically olive-green, and also known for its resistance to oils and greases. Duct Tape is also called "Riggers Tape", "100-MPH tape", or "Hurricane Tape" in the military - a name that comes from the use of a specific variety of Duct-Tape that was supposed to hold up to 100mph winds. Another version attributes this to the fact that soldiers often refer to something that exceeds expectations as "High Speed."

In the post-war period, the housing industry boomed and people started using duct tape for many other purposes. The name "Duct Tape" came from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective. Its strength, low cost, and remarkable versatility make it a household staple throughout North America and Europe for temporary repairs and general-purpose use.

Dude Ranch:

A resort patterned after a Western ranch, featuring camping, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities.

Due Date:

The date on which an obligation is due to be met; for example, the payment of interest or principal on a loan.

Due Diligence:

A thorough search of a company's businesses carried out by the manager of a new issue of the company's securities or by representatives of another company that is interested in taking it over. If the searchers find that things are not as they had been led to believe, they have grounds for withdrawing from the deal.

Duel:

A prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor.

A struggle for domination between two contending persons, groups, or ideas.

Duffle Coat:

A warm, usually hooded coat made of duffel or a similar material and fastened with toggles.

DUI:

Short for: Driving Under the Influence (of alcohol). Driving while intoxicated, drunk driving, operating under the influence, drinking and driving, drink-driving, impaired driving) or other drugs, is the act of operating a vehicle (including bicycle, boat, airplane, wheelchair, or tractor) after consuming alcohol or another drugs. It is a criminal offense in most countries.

Duma:

A Russian national parliament during czarist times.

Dummy:

An imitation of a real or original object, intended to be used as a practical substitute.

A stupid person; a dolt.

A person or an agency secretly in the service of another.

Printing: a set of bound blank pages used as a model to show the size and general appearance of a book being published.

Games: the partner in bridge who exposes his or her hand to be played by the declarer.

Computer Science: a character or other piece of information entered into a computer only to meet prescribed conditions, such as word length, and having no effect on operations.

Dump:

To release or throw down in a large mass.

To empty (material) out of a container or vehicle.

To discard or reject unceremoniously.

To place (goods or stock, for example) on the market in large quantities and at a low price.

Durbar:

The court of a native ruler or a governor in India and British Colonial West Africa.

Duty:

An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, taxsocial custom, law, or religion.

A tax imposed on goods or services as they are traded (for example, import Duties) or as they are consumed (for example, the Duty on tobacco or alcohol.

DVD:

Short for: Digital Versatile Disc. DVD is an optical disc storage media format. Its main uses are video and data storage. Most DVDs are of the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs) but store more than six times as much data.

Variations of the term DVD often describe the way data is stored on the discs: DVD-ROM (Read Only Memory), has data that can only be read and not written, DVD-R and DVD+R can record data only once and then function as a DVD-ROM. DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM can both record and erase data multiple times. The wavelength used by standard DVD lasers is 650 nm, and thus the light has a red color.

DVD-Video and DVD-Audio discs respectively refer to properly formatted and structured video and audio content. Other types of DVDs, including those with video content, may be referred to as DVD-Data discs. As next generation high-definition optical formats also use a disc identical in some aspects yet more advanced than a DVD, such as Blu-ray Disc, the original DVD is occasionally given the retronym SD DVD (for standard definition).

Click here to see the DVD region codes.

DVR:

Short for: Digital Video Recorder. A DVR or personal video recorder (PVR) is a device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other memory medium within a device.

Dyad:

Two individuals or units regarded as a pair; two items of the same kind.

Dynamic:

Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress.

Marked by intensity and vigor; forceful.

Dynasty:

A succession of rulers from the same family or line.

A family or group that maintains power for several generations.

Dyne:

A centimeter-gram-second unit of force, equal to the force required to impart an acceleration of one centimeter per second per second to a mass of one gram.

Dysfunctional:

Abnormal or impaired functioning, especially of a bodily system or social group.

Dyslexia:

A learning disability in which a person finds it difficult to read and write.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- E -

E-Book:

An E-Book (short for: Electronic Book, also written eBook or ebook) is an e-text that forms the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book, sometimes protected with a digital rights management system. E-books are usually read on personal computers or smartphones, or on dedicated hardware devices known as e-Readers or e-book devices. Many mobile phones can also be used to read e-books.

E-Book Reader:

An E-Book Reader, also called an e-book device or e-reader, is a device used to display e-books. It may be a device specifically designed for that purpose, or one intended for other purposes as well. The main advantages of these devices are portability, readability of their screens in bright sunlight, and long battery life. Any Personal Data Assistant (PDA) capable of displaying text on a screen is also capable of being an e-book reader, but without the advantages of an electronic ink display.

E-Commerce:

Short for: Electronic Commerce, the transacting of business electronically, largely via the internet.

E-Ink:

E Ink is a specific proprietary type of electronic paper. It is currently available commercially in grayscale only and is commonly used in mobile devices such as e-Readers and to a lesser extent mobile phones and watches.

E-Mail:

Short for: Electronic Mail. E-mail is the production and distribution of messages electronically; literally, a form of paperless post. There are semi-public ways of sending E-mail (via the Internet) and there are private networks for sending E-mails, between employees of the same firm, for example. Such a private network is referred to as an intranet.

An Electronic Mail message consists of two components, the message header, and the message body, which is the email's content. The message header contains control information, including, minimally, an originator's E-mail address and one or more recipient addresses. Usually additional information is added, such as a subject header field.

E-Waste:

Short for: Electronic Waste. E-Waste may be defined as all secondary computers, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, and other items such as television sets and refrigerators, whether sold, donated, or discarded by their original owners. This definition includes used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal. Others define the reusables (working and repairable electronics) and secondary scrap (copper, steel, plastic, etc.) to be "commodities", and reserve the term "waste" for residue or material which was represented as working or repairable but which is dumped or disposed or discarded by the buyer rather than recycled, including residue from reuse and recycling operations. Because loads of surplus electronics are frequently commingled (good, recyclable, and nonrecyclable), several public policy advocates apply the term "e-waste" broadly to all surplus electronics.

EAN:

Short for: European Article Number.

Earnings:

A commonly used expression in America for a company's net profit.

Earnings per Share:

The net profit (or earnings) of a company divided by the number of ordinary shares in issue. Earnings by the number of ordinary shares in issue. Earnings per share (EPS) is a useful way to measure a company's performance over time, and its performance relative to other companies.

Earn Out:

A method of buying a company which relates the price to its future earnings. This is popular when the company is being sold by its present managers to an outsider who is keen to ensure not only that the managers stay on, but also that they are motivated to maximize the company's earnings in the future.

Easter Egg:

Easter eggs are dyed or decorated eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.

A virtual Easter Egg is an intentional hidden message, in-joke or feature in a work such as a computer program, web page, video game, movie, book or crossword.

EBIT:

Short for: Earnings Before Interest and Taxes.

EBITDA:

EBITDA is the acronym for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a non-GAAP metric that is measured exactly as stated. All interest, tax, depreciation and amortization entries in the Income Statement are reversed out from the bottom line Net Income. Whether it measures anything of value is debated.[citation needed] It purports to measure cash earnings without accrual accounting, canceling tax-jurisdiction effects, and canceling the effects of different capital structures.

EBITDA differs from the operating cash flow in a cash flow statement primarily by excluding payments for taxes or interest as well as changes in working capital. EBITDA also differs from free cash flow because it excludes cash requirements for replacing capital assets (capex).

EBRD:

Short for: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a London-based international financial institution set up to help channel funds from the West to Russia and other countries of eastern Europe as they emerged from decades of communism.

EBT:

Short for: Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). Electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, is a system through which recipients of certain government benefits receive and spend funds electronically, using a plastic EBT card similar to a bank debit card.

All U.S. states now use EBT in addition to traditional paper coupons to distribute food stamp benefits. Some states also use EBT to disburse benefits for other programs, including the US Department of Agriculture's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs.

There are no fees when recipients use EBT cards for purchases, but fees may apply to cash withdrawals from ATMs or electronic balance inquiries.

Eccentric:

Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern.

Deviating from a circular form or path, as in an elliptical orbit.

One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior.

Ecclesiastical:

Of or relating to a church especially as an established institution.

ECG:

Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) is the recording of the electrical activity of the heart over time via skin electrodes. It is a noninvasive recording produced by an electrocardiograph. The etymology of the word is derived from electro, because it is related to electrical activity, cardio, Greek for heart, graph, a Greek root meaning "to write".

Electrical impulses in the heart originate in the sinoatrial node and travel through conducting system to the heart muscle.The impulses stimulate the muscle fibres to contract and thus producing the systole. The electrical waves can be measured at selectively placed electrodes (electrical contacts) on the skin. Electrodes on different sides of the heart measure the activity of different parts of the heart muscle. An ECG displays the voltage between pairs of these electrodes, and the muscle activity that they measure, from different directions, also understood as vectors. This display indicates the overall rhythm of the heart and weaknesses in different parts of the heart muscle. It is the best way to measure and diagnose abnormal rhythms of the heart, particularly abnormal rhythms caused by damage to the conductive tissue that carries electrical signals, or abnormal rhythms caused by levels of dissolved salts (electrolytes), such as potassium, that are too high or low.

Echelon:

Almost all phone calls in the world are routinely scanned for "suspicious words" by various governmental agencies' computers.

You have probably heard of Echelon, the international surveillance system setup by U.S.A.'s NSA (Nation Security Agency) in close collaboration with their counterparts in Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand that listens in on all telephone conversations in the world and scans your faxes, e-mails for "suspicious words", such as 'drugs', 'terrorist' 'bombs', 'money laundering', 'offshore', 'tax havens', etc. etc. - and even your private ATM transactions.

And there are others, and more to come!. The European Union is planning its own EU Phone, Fax & Internet Surveillance System. In Germany, all international calls are already automatically scanned by the Bundes-Nachrichten-Dienst. Even Austria is following suit. Big Brother is indeed listing in on you EVERYWHERE - whether you have something to "hide" or not!

See also: EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) whose web site contains tons and tons of useful privacy information and tools!

Eclectic:

Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles.

Ecology:

The science of the relationships between organisms and their environments.

Economic Life:

The length of time during which a machine or a piece of equipment will produce more revenue than it costs to maintain it.

Economics:

How the world makes a living or, more specifically, how resources (land, labor and capital) are used to produce goods and services to meet human wants. When one early economist, Thomas Malthus, believed that resources were so scarce that the world was permanently on the edge of famine, Economics came to be known as the dismal science.

Economies of Scale:

Factors which cause the average cost of producing something to drop as output is increased, or the savings that can be made by manufacturing goods or supplying services in large quantities. This is the principle behind all mass production. Whereas a company's direct costs increase in direct proportion to the volume of its output, its overheads do not. Whatever number of widgets a company produces, it needs only one headquarters, one board, and one CEO.

Economies of Scope:

The savings that can be made by producing a broad range of goods or services. A bank, for instance, may find that it costs only a little bit more for it to sell insurance products at the same time and the same place as it sells loans.

Ecstasy:

Intense joy or delight.

A state of emotion so intense that one is carried beyond rational thought and self-control.

The trance, frenzy, or rapture associated with mystic or prophetic exaltation.

Slang: MDMA (3,4-MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine), also known as "E", "X", "Thizz", "Rolls" and "XTC". A powerful drug that acts as a stimulant and can produce hallucinations.

EDC:

Short for: Electronic Debit Card.

Edge:

Keenness, sharpness, or urgency; force, effectiveness, or incisiveness.

Edge Enhancement:

Also: seamless, edge-to-edge. Edge Enhancement is an image processing filter that enhances the edge contrast of an image or video in an attempt to improve its acutance (apparent sharpness).

Edition:

The entire number of copies of a publication issued at one time or from a single set of type; a single from this group.

A broadcast of a radio or television news program.

One that closely resembles an original; a version.

Editorial:

An article in a publication expressing the opinion of its editors or publishers.

Education:

A program of instruction of a specified kind or level.

Edwardian:

A person belonging to or exhibiting characteristics (style of life, architecture, dress, etc.) typical of the Edwardian period during the reign (1901-10) of Edward VII (1841-1910).

EEG:

ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp produced by the firing of neurons within the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40 minutes, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp. In neurology, the main diagnostic application of EEG is in the case of epilepsy, as epileptic activity can create clear abnormalities on a standard EEG study. A secondary clinical use of EEG is in the diagnosis of coma and encephalopathies. EEG used to be a first-line method for the diagnosis of tumors, stroke and other focal brain disorders, but this use has decreased with the advent of anatomical imaging techniques such as MRI and CT.

See also: neurofeedback.

Effect:

A phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon.

Efficiency:

The relationship between the input into a machine and the output from the machine. The term is extended to refer to human machines: some workers are more efficient than others.

Effigy:

A crude figure or dummy representing a hated person or group.

e.g.:

Latin: exempli gratia (as an example).

EGM:

Short for: Extraordinary General Meeting, a special meeting of company's shareholders called to consider matters that cannot wait until the company's next annual general meeting.

Ego:

The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.

In psychoanalysis, the division of the psyche that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior, and is most in touch with external reality.

An exaggerated sense of self-importance; conceit; appropriate pride in oneself; self-esteem.

EGOT:

Short for: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award.

Egyptian Cotton:

The term Egyptian Cotton is usually applied to the extra long staple cotton produced in Egypt and favored for the luxury and upmarket brands worldwide.

Eight-Thousander:

The Eight-Thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia.

List of eight-thousanders: Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I (aka Hidden Peak or K5), Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II (aka K4), Shishapangma.

E.I.N.:

Short for: (U.S. Federal) Employer Identification Number.

E.K.I.A.:

Short for: Enemy Killed In Action.

Elan:

A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause); enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness; distinctive and stylish elegance.

Elasticity:

The amount by which one thing changes for each unit change in something else. The elasticity of supply and demand are the amounts by which the production or consumption of goods or services change for each unit change in price.

Electric Car:

An Electric Car, EV, is an alternative fuel automobile that uses electric motors and motor controllers for propulsion, in place of more common propulsion methods such as the internal combustion engine (ICE). Electric cars are a specifically a variety of electric vehicle intended for use as a road-going automobile. Electric cars are commonly powered by on-board battery packs, and as such are battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Other on-board energy storage methods that are expected to come into use in the future include ultracapacitors, or a spinning flywheel, which stores energy as potential energy.

Electric Cars enjoyed popularity between the mid-19th century and early 20th century, when electricity was among the preferred methods for automobile propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time. Advanced in ICE technology soon rendered this advantage moot; the greater range of gasoline cars, quicker refueling times, and growing petroleum infrastructure, along with the mass production of gasoline vehicles by companies such Ford, which reduced prices of gasoline cars to nearly 50% of that of equivalent electric cars, effectively killed off the electric car in important markets such as the United States by the 1930s.

In recent years, increased concerns over the environmental impact of gasoline cars, along with reduced consumer ability to pay for fuel for gasoline cars, has brought about renewed interest in electric cars, which are perceived to be more environmentally friendly and cheaper to maintain and run, despite high initial costs. Electric cars currently enjoy relative popularity in countries around the world, though they are notably absent from the roads of the United States, where electric cars briefly re-appeared in the late 90s as a response to changing government regulations. The hybrid car has become the most common form of electric car, combining a gasoline powertrain with supplementary electric motors to run the car at idle and low speeds, making use of techniques such as regenerative braking to improve its efficiency over comparable gasoline cars, while not being hampered by the limited range inherent to current battery electric cars. Hybrids are now sold by most major manufacturers, with notable models including the Toyota Prius and the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid which uses a fully electric drivetrain supplemented by a gasoline-powered electric generator to extend its range. As of 2009, the world's most popular battery electric car is the REVAi, which is produced by an Indian company and sold in a number of countries in Europe and Asia.

Elegance:

Refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners.

Restraint and grace of style.

Elegant:

Tasteful in dress, style, or design.

Dignified and graceful in appearance, behavior.

Refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style; "Elegant handwriting"; "an Elegant dark suit"; "she was Elegant to her fingertips"; "small churches with Elegant white spires"; "an Elegant mathematical solution - simple and precise and lucid."

Élégantier:

Characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style.

Element:

A fundamental, essential, or irreducible constituent of a composite entity.

One of four substances, earth, air, fire, or water, formerly regarded as a fundamental constituent of the universe.

Elevator Music:

Elevator Music (piped music or lift music in the Commonwealth) refers to the gentle instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), cruise ships, airports, on television shows, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators. The term is also frequently applied as a generic (and often derogatory) term for any form of Easy Listening, smooth jazz, or Middle of the road music, or to the type of recordings once commonly heard on "beautiful music" radio stations.

The Muzak corporation is a supplier of business background music. In fact, the term Muzak has become a generic epithet for excessively bland music. Muzak, however, moved away from this type of music, for the most part, in 1997 and now uses only "original artists" for its music source, except on the Environmental channel.

Elevator Music is typically set to a very simple melody, so that it can be unobtrusively looped back to the beginning. In a mall or shopping center, elevator music (really, any music) of a specific type has been found to have a psychological effect: slower, more relaxed music tends to make people slow down and browse longer. Elevator music (or music without lyrics) has become preferred over broadcast radio stations in some areas because the shopping center won't have to worry about commercial interruptions or that they might offend long-time customers if an explicit song is inadvertantly played.

Elevator Pitch:

An extremely concise presentation of an entrepreneur’s idea, business model, company solution, marketing strategy, and competition delivered to potential investors.

An Elevator Pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an Elevator Pitch should be possible to deliver in the time span of an elevator ride, meaning in a maximum of 30 seconds and in 130 words or fewer.

Elite:

A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status.

The best or most skilled members of a group.

Elitist:

The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.

Elixir:

A sweetened aromatic solution of alcohol and water, serving as a vehicle for medicine.

A substance believed to maintain life indefinitely.

An underlying principle.

Ellipse:

Mathematics: a closed conic section shaped like a flattened circle and formed by an inclined plane that does not cut the base of the cone.

Elo Rating System:

The Elo Rating System is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor.

Embargo:

A ban on transferring something from one party to another. It may be goods, such as a trade Embargo preventing the export of arms to a particular country. Or it may be information, for example: "This news is Embargoed until midday tomorrow".

Embassy:

A mission to a foreign government headed by an ambassador.

Emblem:

Special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group.

Embossing:

Embossing is a printing technique used to create raised surfaces in the converted paper stock. The process relies upon mated dies that press the paper into a shape that can be observed on both the front and back surfaces.

Embryo:

An organism in its early stages of development, especially before it has reached a distinctively recognizable form.

Emcee:

A master of ceremonies.

Emerging Economy:

A country that is on the way to becoming a developed economy in terms of its GDP per head, and its financial and industrial structure.

Emeritus:

One who is retired but retains an honorary title corresponding to that held immediately before retirement.

EMI:

Short for: European Monetary Institute, the Frankfurt-based central bank established as part of EMU.

Emigration:

Emigration to a tax haven or to a country offering special retirement incentives may serve to break totally or in part the link between a taxpayer and the high tax jurisdiction from which he is Emigrating. Normally, it is the change in the place of residence which is material; however, in other cases a change in domicile or even citizenship (in the case of the United States) may be necessary. Anti-avoidance provisions or exchange controls may delay or render extremely difficult the coming into effect of the fiscal advantages of the act of Emigration.

Eminence:

A position of great distinction or superiority.

Emoticon:

An Emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood.

See: list of emoticons & emoticons.

Empire:

A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority.

An extensive enterprise under a unified authority.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a neoclassic style, as in clothing or the decorative arts, prevalent in France during the first part of the 19th century.

Employee:

Someone who works for an organization doing a defined job for an agreed amount of compensation.

Employer:

Someone who employs others to perform stipulated tasks in return for monetary rewards.

Employment Agency:

An agency that tries to match the needs of employers with those of employees. Many agencies specialize in finding workers with particular sorts of skill, such as computer, secretarial or accounting.

Emporium:

A large retail store organized into departments offering a variety of merchandise; commonly part of a retail chain.

Empowerment:

The concept of giving employees the freedom to take as many decisions for themselves as possible.

Empty Leg:

That part of a voyage in which the carrier vessel or vehicle is without any paying cargo.

EMS:

Short for: Electronic Muscle Stimulation. EMS, also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or ElectroMyoStimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses mimic the action potential coming from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract. The electrodes are generally pads that adhere to the skin. EMS is both a form of electrotherapy and of muscle training. It is cited by important authors[1] as complementary technique for sport training, and there is published research[2] on the results obtained. In the United States, EMS devices are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

EMU:

Short for: Economic and Monetary Union, a series of steps whereby the members of the European Union bring their monetary and exchange-rate policies into line.

EMV:

Short for: Europay, MasterCard and VISA. EMV is a standard for interoperation of IC cards ("Chip cards") and IC capable POS terminals and ATMs, for authenticating credit and debit card payments. The name EMV comes from the initial letters of Europay, MasterCard and VISA, the three companies that originally cooperated to develop the standard. Europay International SA was absorbed into Mastercard in 2002. JCB (formerly Japan Credit Bureau) joined the organization in December 2004, and American Express joined in February 2009. IC card systems based on EMV are being phased in across the world, under names such as "IC Credit" and "Chip and PIN".

En Famille:

With one's family; at home.

In a casual way; informally.

En Garde:

Used to warn a fencer to assume the position preparatory to a match.

En Masse:

In one group or body; all together.

En Passant:

In passing; by the way; incidentally.

En Route:

On or along the way; on the road.

Enclave:

A country or part of a country lying wholly within the boundaries of another.

A distinctly bounded area enclosed within a larger unit.

Encore:

A demand by an audience for an additional performance, usually expressed by applause.

Encrypt:

To put into code or cipher.

Computing: to alter (a file, for example) using a secret code so as to be unintelligible to unauthorized parties.

Encyclopedia:

A comprehensive reference work containing articles on a wide range of subjects or on numerous aspects of a particular field, usually arranged alphabetically.

Encyclopedist:

A person who writes for or compiles an encyclopedia.

Endorphin:

Endorphins are endogenous opioid polypeptide compounds. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during strenuous exercise, excitement, pain, and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. Endorphins work as "natural pain relievers", whose effects may be enhanced by other medications.

The term "Endorphin" implies a pharmacological activity (analogous to the activity of the corticosteroid category of biochemicals) as opposed to a specific chemical formulation. It consists of two parts: endo- and -orphin; these are short forms of the words endogenous and morphine, intended to mean "a morphine like substance originating from within the body."

The term Endorphin rush has been adopted in popular speech to refer to feelings of exhilaration brought on by pain, danger, or other forms of stress, supposedly due to the influence of Endorphins. When a nerve impulse reaches the spinal cord, Endorphins are released which prevent nerve cells from releasing more pain signals. Immediately after injury, Endorphins allow humans to feel a sense of power and control over themselves that allows them to persist with activity for an extended time.

Endorse:

To place (one's signature), as on a contract, to indicate approval of its contents or terms.

To give approval of or support to, especially by public statement; sanction.

Endorsement:

A signature on the back of a check or other financial instrument by the payee. It effectively transfers the ownership of the instrument from the signatory to the bearer. In advertising, an endorsement is the recommendation of a product by a well-known person.

End User:

The ultimative user of a product who is not necessarily the purchaser of it; for example the driver of a company car.

Endowment:

Funds or property donated to an institution, individual, or group as a source of income.

A natural gift, ability, or quality.

Enduring Power of Attorney:

A power of attorney that continues even if and after a donor becomes incapacitated.

Enemy Combatant:

An Enemy Combatant is an individual who, under the laws and customs of war, may be detained for the duration of an armed conflict. In the current conflict with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the term includes a member, agent, or associate of al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

Energy:

Physics: a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of Energy are joules or ergs.

The capacity or power to do work, such as the capacity to move an object (of a given mass) by the application of force. Energy can exist in a variety of forms, such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, or nuclear, and can be transformed from one form to another. It is measured by the amount of work done, usually in joules or watts.

Enfant Terrible:

One whose startlingly unconventional behavior, work, or thought embarrasses or disturbs others.

Enfilade:

Gunfire directed along the length of a target, such as a column of troops.

Architecture: a linear arrangement of a series of interior doors, as to a suite of rooms, so as to provide a vista when the doors are open.

Enforcer:

One whose job it is to execute unpleasant tasks for a superior.

Enigma:

One that is puzzling, ambiguous, or inexplicable.

A perplexing speech or text; a riddle.

Enquête:

Survey, review, overview, statistical study.

Ensemble:

A unit or group of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect.

A work for two or more vocalists or instrumentalists.

Enterprise:

An undertaking, especially one of some scope, complication, and risk.

A business organization.

Entertainer:

A person who tries to please or amuse.

Entertainment:

An Entertainment is any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time.

Enthusiasm:

Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.

Entity:

Something that exists as a particular and discrete unit.

The fact of existence; being.

The existence of something considered apart from its properties.

Entourage:

A group of attendants or associates; a retinue.

Entrapment:

Law: the luring, by a police officer, of a person into committing a crime so that he may be prosecuted for it.

Entrepôt:

A place where goods are stored or deposited and from which they are distributed.

A trading or market center.

Entrepreneur:

An Entrepreneur is a person who has possession of an enterprise, or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome. It is an ambitious leader who combines land, labour, and capital to create and market new goods or services. The term is a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to the type of personality who is willing to take upon herself or himself a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome. Jean-Baptiste Say, a french economist, believed to be coined the word Entrepreneur first in about at 1800. He said an Entrepreneur is "one who undertakes an enterprise, especially a contractor, acting as intermediatory between capital and labour".

Entrepreneurship is often difficult and tricky, resulting in many new ventures failing. The word Entrepreneur is often synonymous with founder. Most commonly, the term Entrepreneur applies to someone who creates value by offering a product or service, by carving out a niche in the market that may not exist currently. Entrepreneurs tend to identify a market opportunity and exploit it by organizing their resources effectively to accomplish an outcome that changes existing interactions within a given sector.

Some observers see them as being willing to accept a high level of personal, professional or financial risk to pursue opportunity.

Business Entrepreneurs are viewed as fundamentally important in the capitalistic society. Some distinguish business Entrepreneurs as either "political Entrepreneurs" or "market Entrepreneurs," while social Entrepreneurs' principal objectives include the creation of a social and/or environmental benefit.

Entropy:

A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system; a measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.

Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.

Environment:

The circumstances or conditions that surround one; surroundings; the totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of organisms.

Computer Science: the entire set of conditions under which one operates a computer, as it relates to the hardware, operating platform, or operating system.

Environmental Audit:

An audit of a company's impact on the environment. The International Chamber of Commerce's definition is: "A management tool comprising a systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of how well (the company's) environmental organization, management and equipment are performing.

Environmentalist:

Advocacy for or work toward protecting the natural environment from destruction or pollution.

Envoy:

A diplomat having less authority than an ambassador.

Enzyme:

Any of numerous proteins or conjugated proteins produced by living organisms and functioning as biochemical catalysts.

Epaulet :

A shoulder ornament, especially a fringed strap worn on military uniforms.

Epi-:

A prefix, origin: Greek, from Epi meaning upon, beside, among, on the outside, above, over.

It becomes ep before a vowel, as in epoch, and eph before a Greek aspirate, as in ephemeral.

Epi Leather:

Epi Leather was created in response to the need to have a good, durable leather for use in modern travel conditions. Epi Leather is dyed all the way through and has a grained texture. It is made to pass the test of time. Epi is weather resistant.

Epic:

A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds.

Epicenter:

The point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

A focal point.

Epicurean:

Modern accepted use of the terms Epicurean and Epicureanism refers often to the appreciation of, and indulgement in, good food (gourmet), luxury, hedonism, and sensual pleasure. This strays significantly from the original philoposhic intent of Epicureanism. The philosophy indeed elevated pleasure and happiness as the most worthy pursuit, but specifically warned against fine food and frequent sex, for it could lead to dissatisfaction later. Instead, the goal was a long-term pleasure, marked by serenity and temperance, achieved through moderation rather than indulging. Modern senses of gourmet, luxury, hedonism, sensual pleasure and lust are mostly in contrast with the original ancient teachings.

Epidemic:

Medicine: (especially of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area.

Epidural Blocks:

An Epidural Block is an injection of pain medication (it blocks pain) into the epidural space. You can do Epidurals for the neck or the low back. They are rarely done for the mid-back (thoracic spine).

The Epidural space is the area around your spinal cord and spinal nerves. Medications injected include local anesthetics (drugs like Novocain) and steroids (the strongest anti-inflammatory drugs). These medicines act on the nerves to stop them from transmitting pain signals.

Epidurals for low back pain are similar to the Epidurals given to pregnant women during labor. The needle is placed in about the same location. The medications which are injected for labor are, however, different than those used for back pain.

Epidurals are given in such a way that the medications spread out and cover all of the nerve roots in the low back or the neck. They differ from selective blocks in that selective blocks are done for just one or two nerves.

Epigram:

A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation.

A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement.

Click here to enjoy some of the Master's (Epigrams of Oscar Wilde (People's Pocket Series No. 168) Epigrams: Oscar Wilde quotes.

Epigraph:

A motto or quotation, as at the beginning of a literary composition, setting forth a theme.

Epiphany:

A divine manifestation.

Episode:

A happening that is distinctive in a series of related events.

Epitaph:

An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the one buried there.

A brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person.

Epithet:

A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person.

An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase.

Epitome:

A representative or perfect example of a class or type.

A brief summary, as of a book or article; an abstract.

EPO:

EPO, or ErythroPOietin, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production and sometimes used as a performance-enhancing drug.

Eponym:

A person whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something, such as a city, country, or area. For example, Romulus is the Eponym of Rome.

Époque:

French: Epoch, era, distinct period of time noted for particular events characteristics or developments.

Epoxy:

Epoxy or Polyepoxide is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives.

Equal Opportunity:

The idea that all men and women should have an equal opportunity to do any particular job. Much progress has been made in ensuring that this is the case, but there are still exceptions, as is apparent from the small number of women in senior positions in big corporations.

Equation:

Mathematics: a statement asserting the equality of two expressions, usually written as a linear array of symbols that are separated into left and right sides and joined by an equal sign.

Chemistry: a representation of a chemical reaction, usually written as a linear array in which the symbols and quantities of the reactants are separated from those of the products by an equal sign, an arrow, or a set of opposing arrows.

Equator:

An imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles.

Equilibrium:

A condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system.

Equinox:

Astronomy: either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator.

Either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the length of day and night are approximately equal; the vernal Equinox or the autumnal Equinox.

Equity:

The risk capital supplied by shareholders to a business and the balancing item in a company's balance sheet - the amount by which its assets exceeds its other liabilities (to bankers, suppliers, and so on). This is the company's surplus funds, which belong equitably to its shareholders.

Era:

A period of time as reckoned from a specific date serving as the basis of its chronological system.

Erg:

The centimeter-gram-second unit of energy or work equal to the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter.

Ergo:

Consequently; therefore; hence.

Ergonomics:

The study of the way in which people work, and of the ways in which this (and the machines that they use) can be improved in order to make them more more efficient.

Ermine:

The stoat or Ermine (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. It is also known as a Shorttail (or Short-tailed) Weasel and less frequently as an Ermelin. Sometimes "Ermine" refers to the animal only when it has white fur, while "stoat" only refers to when it has brown fur.

The skins of Ermines are prized by the fur trade, especially in winter coat, and used to trim coats and stoles. The fur from the winter coat is referred to as Ermine. There is also a design, also called Ermine, which is inspired by the winter coat of the stoat but which is painted onto other furs, such as rabbit. In Europe these furs are a symbol of royalty; the ceremonial robes of members of the UK House of Lords are trimmed with Ermine. The Ermine is also considered a symbol of purity in Europe. In the Renaissance era, legend had it that an Ermine would die before allowing its pure white coat to be besmirched. When it was being chased by hunters, it would supposedly turn around and give itself up to the hunters rather than risk soiling itself. Henry Peacham's Emblem 75, which depicts an Ermine being pursued by a hunter and two hounds, is entitled "Cui candor morte redemptus" or "Purity bought with his own death." Peacham goes on to preach that men and women should follow the example of the Ermine and keep their minds and consciences as pure as the legendary Ermine keeps its fur. In some Nordic countries the Ermine is invoked as a symbol of curiosity and timely action. In some areas of Japan, because of its adorable appearance and somewhat elusive nature it is still considered a symbol of good luck.

Erotomania:

Erotomania is a type of delusion in which the affected person believes that another person, usually a stranger or famous person, is in love with him or her.

Erotomania is also called de Clérambault's syndrome, after the French psychiatrist Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault (1872–1934), who published a comprehensive review paper on the subject (Les Psychoses Passionelles) in 1921.

Errata:

Plural of erratum.

Erratum:

An error in printing or writing, especially such an error noted in a list of corrections and bound into a book.

ESC:

Short for: Electronic Stability Control (ESC). ESC is a computerized technology that improves the safety of a vehicle's handling by detecting and preventing skids. When ESC detects loss of steering control, ESC automatically applies individual brakes to help "steer" the vehicle where the driver wants to go. Braking is automatically applied to individual wheels, such as the outer front wheel to counter oversteer, or the inner rear wheel to counter understeer. Some ESC systems also reduce engine power until control is regained.

Escort:

One or more persons accompanying another to guide, protect, or show honor.

A man who is the companion of a woman, especially on a social occasion.

A person, often a prostitute, who is hired to spend time with another as a companion.

One or more vehicles accompanying another vehicle to guide, protect, or honor its passengers.

The state of being accompanied by a person or protective guard.

Escrow:

When a contract or an asset such as money is placed with a third party until certain conditions are met, it is said to be held in escrow. Parties that are in dispute over the ownership of an sset may agree to place the asset in escrow until an arbitrator has had time to decide who is the rightful owner.

Esotericism:

The holding of secret doctrines; the practice of limiting knowledge to a small group.

ESP:

Short for: Extra Sensory Perception - apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses.

Espionage:

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, as the legitimate holder of the information may change plans or take other countermeasures once it is known that the information is in unauthorized hands.

Esplanade:

An Esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk.

Esprit de Corps:

A common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group.

Sociology: consciousness of and pride in belonging to a particular group; the sense of shared purpose and fellowship.

Esquire:

A man or boy who is a member of the gentry in England ranking directly below a knight.

Abbr.: Esq. - used as an honorific usually in its abbreviated form, especially after the name of an attorney or a consular officer.

In medieval times, a candidate for knighthood who served a knight as an attendant and a shield bearer.

Archaic: an English country gentleman; a squire.

Essay:

A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author.

A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing; an initial attempt or endeavor, especially a tentative attempt.

Essence:

The intrinsic or indispensable properties that serve to characterize or identify something.

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience.

Establishment:

Something established, as: an arranged order or system, especially a legal code; a permanent civil, political, or military organization; a place of residence or business with its possessions and staff.

A group of people holding most of the power and influence in a government or society.

An Establishment is a single business location of a company which is engaged in a single activity. See also: Anstalt.

Estate:

A landed property, usually of considerable size.

The whole of one's possessions, especially all the property and debts left by one at death.

The nature and extent of an owner's rights with respect to land or other property.

A major social class, such as the clergy, the nobility, or the commons, formerly possessing distinct political rights.

Esteem:

Favorable regard.

Estimate:

An approximate price given by somebody for something that they with to sell to a potential customer.

etc.:

Abbreviation for: ET Cetera; continuing in the same way.

Ethernet:

Ethernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). The name comes from the physical concept of the ether. It defines a number of wiring and signaling standards for the Physical Layer of the OSI networking model, through means of network access at the Media Access Control (MAC) /Data Link Layer, and a common addressing format.

Ethernet is standardized as IEEE 802.3. The combination of the twisted pair versions of Ethernet for connecting end systems to the network, along with the fiber optic versions for site backbones, is the most widespread wired LAN technology. It has been in use from around 1980 to the present, largely replacing competing LAN standards such as token ring, FDDI, and ARCNET.

Ethical Investment:

The idea, promoted particularly by certain funds in the United States, of investing only in companies that meets specific ethical criteria. Companies that do not do business with fascist regimes, for example, or do not massively pollute the environment.

Ethics:

Philosophy: the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group.

Ethnic:

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage.

Relating to a people not Christian or Jewish.

Ethos:

The disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, culture, or movement.

Etiquette:

Etiquette is a code of behavior that influences expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or groups.

Etude:

A short composition for a solo instrument; intended as an exercise or to demonstrate technical virtuosity.

Etymology:

The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible.

EU:

Short for: The European Union (EU).

Eucharist:

A sacrament and the central act of worship in many Christian churches, which was instituted at the Last Supper and in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed in remembrance of Jesus's death; Communion.

Eulogy:

A laudatory speech or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has died.

High praise or commendation.

Eunuch:

A castrated man employed as a harem attendant or as a functionary in certain Asian courts.

Informal: an ineffectual, powerless, or unmasculine man.

Euphemism:

The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.

Euphoria:

A feeling of great happiness or well-being.

Eureka:

An exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something.

Euro:

The Euro is the single currency shared by (currently) 17 of the 27 European Union's Member States, which together make up the Euro area. The introduction of the Euro in 1999 was a major step in European integration. It has also been one of its major successes: around 329 million EU citizens now use it as their currency and enjoy its benefits, which will spread even more widely as other EU countries adopt the Euro.

Eurobonds:

Eurobonds are long-term loans issued in terms of the United States dollars or other currencies or in terms of composite units of account. They may take the form of loans, debentures or convertible debentures and are issued at a fixed rate of interest. Eurobonds are normally issued in countries where interest payments are not subject to withholding tax. Major issues are frequently handled by international underwriting syndicates.

Eurocurrency/-Dollar:

Eurocurrencies are currencies held outside the country of origin by non-residents of that country and made available to the Eurocurrency market for lending. The market originally developed in Eurodollars, but other currencies, e.g. Deutschemarks, Swiss francs and Yen, now form a major part of the market. The market is not subject to exchange controls or other restrictions, although investors and borrowers may be so subject in their own countries.

Eurodollar:

The name given to dollars held outside the United States, particularly those held by European banks and by American banks in Europe.

Euromarket:

A market in financial instruments that are denominated in a currency other than that of the market in which they are traded; for example, a Zurich-based market in dollar-denominated corporate bonds.

European Commission:

The executive organ of the European Union, run by 20 commissioners (two each from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and one from each of the other ten member states). The commission drafts legislation in the form either of regulations of directives. Regulations are passed through the European Parliament and apply in all member states. Directives leave the means of achieving the desired result up to individual, member states.

Eurotrash:

Eurotrash is a human sub-phylum characterized by its apparent affluence, worldliness, social affectation and addiction to fashion. Males are characterized by a semi-slovenly appearance (including half-shaven faces), greasy hair, rib-hugging shirts, tight jeans and loafers worn without socks. Women are easily distinguished by anorexia, over-bleached hair, gaudy jewellery, plastic surgery (particularly breast-enlargement) and their attachment to the male species. Both sexes greet each other with "air kisses", immediately speak of their last trip (often Paris, Rome, Majorca), spend hours at "see-and-be-seen" restaurants and exhibit a world-weariness and pained sense of irony.

Visit also: Eurotrash (TV series).

Eusocial:

Biology: of or pertaining to certain social animals societies (such as those of ants) in which sterile individuals work for reproductive individuals.

Euthanasia:

Euthanasia refers to the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness).

EV:

Short for: Electric Vehicle.

See also: electric car.

Evaluate:

To ascertain or fix the value or worth of.

To examine and judge carefully; appraise.

Even-Steven:

Having nothing due or owed on either side.

Having an equal score, as in a game or contest.

Event:

Something that takes place; an occurrence.

A significant occurrence or happening.

A social gathering or activity.

The final result; the outcome.

Sports: a contest or an item in a sports program.

Event Planner:

A usually professional planner of parties or social events, as for corporate or government officials.

Evergreen:

An Evergreen tree, shrub, or plant, such as the pine, holly, or rhododendron.

Something that remains perennially fresh, interesting, or well liked.

Evidence:

A thing or things helpful in forming a conclusion or judgment.

Law: the documentary or oral statements and the material objects admissible as testimony in a court of law.

Ex Cathedra:

With the authority derived from one's office or position.

Ex-Dividend:

An expression used to refer to a share price that does not incorporate a dividend payment that has been declared by the company but not yet paid. The dividend in question goes to a previous owner of the share. Ex-Factory:

An annotation added to a price to indicate the point at which the price applies, in this case when it leaves the factory. In other words, the cost of delivery is extra. Similarly, a price could be ex-warehouse or ex-customs.

Ex Gratia:

An extra payment made to an employee "out of thanks". A feature of an Ex-Gratia payment is that the payer is under no contractual obligation to make it.

Ex Libris:

Bookplate: a label identifying the owner of a book in which it is pasted.

Ex Officio:

A Latin expression for something that arises "out of the office" - belonging to somebody because of the office that they hold rather than because of the person that they are. For example, many of the duties of the chairman of a company (such as making the casting vote at a board meeting) arise from the fact that he or she occupies the office of chairman, not because they have been chosen as individuals to carry out that duty.

Ex Parte:

Law: from or on one side only, with the other side absent or unrepresented.

From a one-sided or strongly biased point of view.

Ex-Rights:

A note added to the quotation of a share price to indicate that anybody buying the share at that price does not get the benefit of a declared (but not yet issued) rights issued.

Ex-Works:

The same as ex-factory.

Exact Science:

An Exact Science is any field of science capable of accurate quantitative expression or precise predictions and rigorous methods of testing hypotheses, especially reproducible experiments involving quantifiable predictions and measurements.

Examination:

The act of examining or the state of being examined.

A set of questions or exercises testing knowledge or skill.

Example:

An item of information that is typical of a class or group.

A person, action, thing, etc., that is worthy of imitation; pattern.

Excalibur:

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain.

Excellence:

The state, quality, or condition of excelling; superiority.

Something in which one excels.

Exchange Control:

Regulations whereby a country controls transactions in foreign currencies or securities. In some jurisdictions (e.g. Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom) the regulations may render a contract void unless prior consent is obtained.

Exchange Rate:

The amount of money denominated in one currency that can be obtained for a unit of another. Most countries express their currency first and foremost in terms of the US dollar.

Excise:

A selective tax imposed on the consumption of goods and services.

Exclamation Point:

Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke. (F. Scott Fitzgerald).

Exclusive:

An Exclusive right or privilege, as to market a product.

A news item initially released to only one publication or broadcaster.

Catering to a wealthy clientele; expensive.

Excluding some or most, as from membership or participation.

Not divided or shared with others; excluding or tending to exclude; complete; undivided; not accompanied by others; single or sole.

Excommunicate:

To deprive of the right of church membership by ecclesiastical authority.

To exclude by or as if by decree from membership or participation in a group.

Executive:

Someone who has the power to decide that tasks should be executed. The word usually refers to managers at senior levels.

Executive Branch:

The branch of the United States government that is responsible for carrying out the laws.

Executive Director:

Strictly speaking, a company executive who is also a director, that is, who serves on the company board. The term director is, however, sometimes used loosely as a title for someone not on the board. In this case an executive director is just a senior executive.

Executive Order:

A rule the President of the United States issues that has the force of law, and doesn't require the consent of Congress, or the chief executive of a state which has the effect of law.

Executive Privilege:

The principle that members of the executive branch of government cannot legally be forced to disclose their confidential communications when such disclosure would adversely affect the operations or procedures of the executive branch.

Exegesis:

Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text.

Exempt Company:

A company exempted from tax or from compliance with specified regulations of the country in which it is established.

Exempt Gilt:

Security issued by the British Government with the condition that they will be free of United Kingdom tax when beneficially owned by non-residents.

Exempt Trust:

A trust established in a country where the Government issues a guarantee that the trust income and property will not be taxed for a specified number of years no matter what laws are subsequently passed relating to income, inheritance, estate duty, or capital gains taxes.

Exequatur:

Recognition of a country's consul by a foreign government.

Exercise:

An act of employing or putting into play; use.

The discharge of a duty, function, or office.

Activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness.

Making use of a right given under the terms of a contract. For instance, the option to purchase as share at a certain price and within a certain time; or the right to take up a rights issue.

Executor:

Law: a person who is appointed by a testator to execute the testator's will.

Exhibition:

A public display of art, products, skills, activities.

Exile:

A person who is voluntarily absent from home or country.

Exit Poll:

A poll taken of a sample of voters as they leave a polling place, used especially to predict the outcome of an election or determine the opinions and characteristics of the candidates' supporters.

Exit Route:

The way in which an investor hopes to realize a capital gain from an investment. With investment in a business, this usually involves floating the business on a stockmarket and selling shares to the general public. In a more general sense, an Exit Route can be any strategy for withdrawing from a particular course of action.

Exorcise:

To expel (an evil spirit) by or as if by incantation, command, or prayer.

Exorcism:

The act, practice, or ceremony of exorcising.

Exotic:

Originating in a foreign country, especially one in the tropics; not native.

Having a strange or bizarre allure, beauty, or quality.

A striptease performer.

Expatriate / Expat:

A person living and working in a foreign country. The tax position of expatriates can become complicated because they fall under at least two jurisdictions. Expatriates often enjoy a lifestyle above what they might expect at home because they get perks to compensate for the "hardship" of their posting.

Expense Account:

An allowance given to an executive for the purposes of entertaining and / or traveling in pursuit of business.

Experience:

The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion through the senses or mind.

Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill.

An event or a series of events participated in or lived through.

Expert:

A person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.

Export:

Goods or services that are sold to someone or some organization outside the country in which they are produced.

Export Credit:

A loan given to an exporter in which the goods being exported provide security for the loan. An Export Credit is designed to bridge the gap between the time when an exporter receives an order and the time when it receives payment. With large capital goods this can be many months, if not years.

Export Credit Agency:

An organization set up to administer export credit guarantees. Such agencies also sometimes lend money directly to foreign buyers to enable them to buy goods from the country of the agency. These loans are frequently granted at favorable rates of interest, involving an element of subsidy to the overseas buyer.

Export Credit Guarantee:

A scheme set up (usually by a government or government agency) to help its countries' exporters by giving guarantees to bankers that their loans to those exporters will be repaid.

Export:

An insurance policy taken out to reduce the risk of loss of exported goods while they are in transit.

Exposé:

An exposure or a revelation of something discreditable.

A formal exposition of facts.

Exposure:

The extent to which a creditor is vulnerable to a particular debtor. For example, a bank is exposed to the textiles industry if it has lent considerably more to that industry than to others.

Expression:

The act of Expressing, conveying, or representing in words, art, music, or movement; a manifestation.

Something that expresses or communicates.

The manner in which one Expresses oneself, especially in speaking, depicting, or performing.

Expropriation:

the process of taking over property, especially real property, of another by any process, lawful or not.

Extemporary:

Spoken, done, or composed with little or no preparation or forethought.

External Debt:

The financial obligations of a company or a country to overseas (that is, non-domestic) creditors.

External Funds:

The funds available to an organization that come from outside the organization, usually in the form of bank loans, trade credit, bonds or shares.

Extraordinary Item:

An item in a company's accounts which is out of the ordinary, that is, which does not appear as a matter of course in every year's accounts. Extraordinary items need to be explained to shareholders in the company's annual report.

Extortion:

An excessive or exorbitant charge.

Illegal use of one's official position or powers to obtain property, funds, or patronage.

Extra:

More than or beyond what is usual, normal, expected, or necessary.

Extraordinary Resolution:

A resolution, or statement of intent, to do something that falls outside a company's ordinary course of business. For example, a resolution to take over another company, or to dismiss a director for fraud.

Extraterrestrial:

Originating, located, or occurring outside the Earth or its atmosphere.

Extravagant:

Given to lavish or imprudent expenditure.

Exceeding reasonable bounds; extremely abundant; profuse; unreasonably high; exorbitant.

Extreme Sport:

Extreme Sports (also called action sport and adventure sport) is a media term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger. These activities often involve speed, height, high level of physical exertion, highly specialized gear or spectacular stunts.

Extrovert:

Psychology: a person concerned more with external reality than inner feelings.

Eye:

An organ of vision or of light sensitivity.

The ability to make intellectual or aesthetic judgments; a way of regarding something; a point of view.

The center or focal point of attention or action.

Eye for an Eye:

The meaning of the principle, an Eye for an Eye, is that a person who has injured another person receives the same injury in compensation. The exact Latin (lex talionis) to English translation of this phrase is actually "The law of retaliation." At the root of this principle is that one of the purposes of the law is to provide equitable retribution for an offended party.

Eye in the Sky:

The Eye in the Sky is a term given to casino and other commercial security closed circuit cameras. In casinos, they are positioned to monitor seats, tables, hallways, restaurants, and even elevators closely, often with enough clarity to read the time on the watch of a player at a table.

Eye of the Beholder:

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder means that different people will find different things beautiful and that the differences of opinion don't matter greatly.

Eyewitness:

A person who has seen someone or something and can bear witness to the fact.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- F -

F Word:

See: F-bomb.

Fabianism:

Socialism to be established by gradual reforms within the law.

Fable:

A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.

A deliberately false or improbable account.

Facade:

The face of a building, especially the principal face.

An artificial or deceptive front.

Face Value:

The value printed or written on the face, as of a bill or bond.

Apparent worth or value, as opposed to real worth.

Facebook:

Informal: a school yearbook.

A popular social networking website.

Facelift:

A Facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (literally, surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful appearance. It usually involves the removal of excess facial skin, with or without the tightening of underlying tissues, and the redraping of the skin on the patient's face and neck. The first Facelift was performed in Berlin in 1901 by Eugen Holländer.

Facial Recognition Technology:

A Facial Recognition system is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. One of the ways to do this is by comparing selected facial features from the image and a facial database.

It is typically used in security systems and can be compared to other biometrics such as fingerprint or eye iris recognition systems.

Facilitator:

Someone who makes progress easier.

A person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose.

Facility:

A service made available to customers or employees to use as and when they please. Hence an overdraft facility is a bank overdraft made available to customers to use whenever they need it. A canteen facility is a place serving food for employees to take advantage of as they wish.

Facsimile:

An exact copy or reproduction, as of a document.

At the present time, facsimiles are generally made by the use of some form of photographic technique. It is most often referring to fax machines.

Fact:

Knowledge or information based on real occurrences.

Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed.

A real occurrence; an event.

Something believed to be true or real.

Law: the aspect of a case at law comprising events determined by evidence.

Faction:

A group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group.

Conflict within an organization or nation; internal dissension.

Factor:

One that actively contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process.

Originally, an agent sent from Europe by the East India Company to run its trading posts in far-flung parts of the British Empire. Today a Factor is any agent who is buying and selling something on commission.

Mathematics: one of two or more quantities that divides a given quantity without a remainder. For example, 2 and 3 are Factors of 6; a and b are Factors of ab.

A quantity by which a stated quantity is multiplied or divided, so as to indicate an increase or decrease in a measurement.

Factoring:

A service in which a Factoring house or other financial institution purchases a customer's accounts receivables and assumes all the credit risk of the customer's debtors and the responsibility of collection payments.

Factors of Production:

The essential elements - land, labor and capital - required for any wealth-creating process.

Factory:

Originally, a trading post that was run by a factor. Subsequently, any site where factors of production are used in the manufacture of goods.

Factotum:

A person hired to do all sorts of work; handyman.

Facts of Life:

Something unavoidable that must be faced or dealt with.

The basic physiological functions involved in sex and reproduction; the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring.

Faculty:

An inherent power or ability.

Any of the powers or capacities possessed by the human mind.

The ability to perform or act.

Any of the divisions or comprehensive branches of learning at a college or university.

Fad:

A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze.

Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit usually refers to a temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). Today, the scale has been replaced by the Celsius scale in most countries; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other nations, such as Belize.

On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) and the boiling point 212 °F (at standard atmospheric pressure), placing the boiling and freezing points of water exactly 180 degrees apart. A degree on the Fahrenheit scale is 1?180 of the interval between the freezing point and the boiling point. On the Celsius scale, the freezing and boiling points of water are 100 degrees apart, hence the unit of this scale. A temperature interval of 1 degree Fahrenheit is equal to an interval of 5?9 degrees Celsius. The Fahrenheit and Celsius scales converge at -40 degrees (i.e. -40 °F and -40 °C represent the same temperature).

Absolute zero is -459.67 °F. The Rankine temperature scale was created to use degree intervals the same size as those of the Fahrenheit scale, such that a temperature difference of one Rankine (1 R) is equal to a difference of 1 °F, except that absolute zero is 0 R.

See also: celsius.

Faible:

A moral weakness; a failing; a weak point; a frailty.

Fail-Safe Device:

Engineering: designed to return to a safe condition in the event of a failure or malfunction.

Military: capable of being deactivated in the event of a failure or accident.

Guaranteed not to fail.

Failed State:

The term Failed State is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government. In order to make this definition more precise, the following attributes, proposed by the Fund for Peace, are often used to characterize a Failed State: 1) loss of physical control of its territory, or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force therein; 2) erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions; 3) an inability to provide reasonable public services; and 4) an inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community. Often a failed nation is characterized by social, political, and economic failure.

Fair:

Of pleasing appearance, especially because of a pure or fresh quality; comely.

Consistent with rules, logic, or ethics.

Moderately good; acceptable or satisfactory.

Fair Play:

Conformity to established rules.

A conventional standard of honourable behaviour.

Fair Trade:

Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit and flowers.

Fair Trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to one of security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade. Fair Trade proponents include a wide array of international development aid, social, religious and environmental organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Catholic Relief Services, and Caritas International.

In 2007, Fair Trade certified sales amounted to approximately €2.3 billion (US $3.62 billion) worldwide, a 47% year-to-year increase. While this represents a tiny fraction of world trade in physical merchandise, Fair Trade products generally account for 1-20% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America. In June 2008, it was estimated that over 7.5 million disadvantaged producers and their families were benefiting from Fair Trade funded infrastructure, technical assistance and community development projects.

Fairness:

Conformity with rules or standards.

Ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty.

Fairy:

A tiny imaginary being in human form, depicted as clever, mischievous, and possessing magical powers.

Offensive Slang: used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man.

Fairy Tale:

A fanciful tale about fairies of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children; a fictitious, highly fanciful story or explanation.

Fait Accompli:

An accomplished, presumably irreversible deed or fact.

Falafel:

Falafel is a fried ball or patty made from spiced chickpeas and / or fava beans. Originally from Egypt, Falafel is a popular form of fast food in the Middle East, where it is also served as a mezze.

Falafel is usually served in a pita-like bread called lafa, either inside the bread, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat bread. In many countries Falafel is a popular street food or fast food. The Falafel balls, whole or crushed, may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze. During Ramadan, they are sometimes eaten as part of an iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast after sunset.

Falange:

A member of a fascist organization constituting the official ruling party of Spain after 1939.

An adherent of fascism or other right-wing authoritarian views.

Fall Guy:

A person who is the victim of a confidence trick; a scapegoat; a gullible victim; a dupe.

Fallback:

An alternative plan of action devised in case a primary plan fails.

False Lien:

A False Lien is a lien that has no factual basis, or is based upon false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations. It is sometimes used as a tool of harassment in paper terrorism, often against government officials.

Falsetto:

A male singing voice with artificially high tones in an upper register.

Fame:

Great renown.

Public estimation; reputation.

Family:

A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

A group of like things; a class.

Family Firm:

A company owned and run largely by the members of one or two families. Such firms have special characteristics and special problems, such as how to motivate non-family employees when the most senior positions in the company are probably closed to them.

Family Tree:

A genealogical diagram of a family's ancestry; the ancestors and descendants of a family considered as a group.

Fan:

An ardent devotee; an enthusiast.

Fan Mail:

Mail sent to a public figure by admirers.

Fanaticism:

An extreme and uncritical zeal or enthusiasm, as in religion or politics.

Fancy Dress:

Costume worn at masquerades, etc., usually representing a particular role, historical figure, etc.

Fanfare:

Music: a loud flourish of brass instruments, especially trumpets.

A spectacular public display.

Fannie Mae:

A security issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and secured by a pool of federally insured and conventional mortgages.

See also: Freddie Mac.

FAQ:

Short for: Frequently Asked Questions. A list of Frequently Asked Questions and their answers about a given subject.

Farce:

A light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect.

A ludicrous, empty show; a mockery.

Fascism:

A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

Fashion:

The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior.

Something, such as a garment, that is in the current mode.

The style characteristic of the social elite: a man of Fashion.

To some, Fashion is an art form. To others, it is almost a religion.

For most people it is a method of utilizing clothing, accessories and hair to show or hide something about yourself.

You can use Fashion to express yourself, to serve as an extension of your personality: goth, skater, soccer mom, professional.

Or you can use Fashion to disguise your true self: a conservative in vamp clothing, a vamp in conservative clothing.

Fashion statements can be made with clothes, accessories, shoes, hair, makeup, even your cellphone.

Fashion Police:

"Fashion Police" is a term which refers to the idea of an imaginary police force that make sure that people dress according to fashion. The term is jokingly used for self-appointed individuals who criticise the clothing others wear, and thereby those others' fashion sense. The term can sometimes be used in a disparaging sense, holding that the fashion police have a narrow, rigid or uncreative sense of style or propriety, or it can be used with approval of what the presumed judgment of the fashion police would be if present ("Somebody call the fashion police!"), if the speaker believes someone has committed a fashion faux pas.

Fashionable:

A stylish person.

Conforming to the current style; stylish.

Associated with or frequented by persons of fashion.

Fashionista:

A person who creates or promotes high fashion, i.e. a fashion designer or fashion editor; a person who dresses according to the trends of high fashion, or one who follows those trends.

Fast Food:

Inexpensive food, such as hamburgers and fried chicken, prepared and served quickly.

See also: slow food.

Fast Track:

A separate career path in an organization designed to cater for particularly able people who might not be prepared to wait and make the standard ascent of the corporate ladder.

A procedure in the United States, which allows for the fast passage of legislation concerning trade agreements.

Fata Morgana:

See: mirage.

Fatal:

Bringing death.

Having momentous consequences; of decisive importance.

Fatalism:

A submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable.

Fate:

The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events; the inevitable events predestined by this force.

A final result or consequence; an outcome.

Unfavorable destiny; doom.

FATF:

Short for: G-7's Financial Action Task Force set up in 1989.

Father Figure:

A person often of particular power or influence who serves as an emotional substitute for a father.

Fatwa:

A Fatwa in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any Fatwa is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a Fatwa is called, in that respect, a Mufti, i.e. an issuer of Fatawa. This is not necessarily a formal position, since most Muslims argue that anyone trained in Islamic law may give an opinion (Fatwa) on its teachings.

Fauna:

All the animal life in a particular region or period.

Faux Pas:

A socially embarrassing action or mistake.

Favor:

A gracious, friendly, or obliging act that is freely granted.

A privilege or concession.

Unfair partiality; Favoritism.

Favorite:

One that is trusted, indulged, or preferred above all others, especially by a superior.

A contestant or competitor regarded as most likely to win.

Fax:

A facsimile machine. A machine that makes paper based copies of messages that have been transmitted electronically via telephone lines and computer networks.

A printed page or image transmitted or received by a Fax machine.

F-Bomb:

A word that starts with "F" and rhymes with "truck."

Fuck is an English word that is generally considered profane which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. However, by extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed.

"Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb, adjective, command, interjection, noun, and can logically be used as virtually any word in a sentence (e.g., "Fuck the fucking fuckers"). Moreover, it is one of the few words in the English language which could be applied as an infix (e.g., "Am I sexy? Absofuckinglutely!"; "Bullfuckingshit!"). It has various metaphorical meanings. The verb "to be fucked" can mean "to be cheated" (e.g., "I got fucked by a scam artist"), or alternatively, to be sexually penetrated.

FBI:

Short for: the Federal Bureau Of Investigation (U.S.A.).

FBO:

Short for: Fixed Base Operator. In the aviation industry, a Fixed Base Operator (also known as fixed base of operation), or FBO, is a service center at an airport that may be a private enterprise or may be a department of the municipality that the airport serves. The term is originally North American, but it is becoming more common in Europe and the UK.

At a minimum, most FBOs offer aircraft fuel, oil, and parking, along with access to washrooms and telephones. Some FBOs offer additional aircraft services such as hangar (indoor) storage, maintenance, aircraft charter or rental, flight training, deicing, and ground services such as towing and baggage handling.

FBOs may also offer services not directly related to the aircraft, such as rental cars, lounges, and hotel reservations.

Fcc:

Short for: File Carbon Copy. A function in an e-mail client program that saves an outgoing message to a particular folder.

FDIC:

Short for: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: a U.S. government-sponsored corporation that insures accounts in national banks and other qualified institutions.

Feasibility Study:

A paper-based analysis of the likelihood that a project will meet its planned targets.

Feature:

The overall appearance of the face or its parts.

A prominent or distinctive aspect, quality, or characteristic.

A full-length film.

A special attraction at an entertainment.

Federal:

National; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units.

Fee:

A payment for the provision of professional services; for example, the lawyer's Fee and the accountant's Fee. Other service providers, such as window cleaners and bus conductors, are not paid Fees. They are paid cash.

Feed:

A Feed is a regularly updated summary of web content, along with links to full versions of that content. When you subscribe to a given website's Feeds by using a Feed reader, you'll receive a summary of new content from that website. Important: you must use a Feed reader in order to subscribe to website Feeds. When you click on an RSS or Atom Feed link, your browser may display a page of unformatted gobbledygook.

For more information, visit Google FeedBurner help.

Feedback:

The return of a portion of the output of a process or system to the input, especially when used to maintain performance or to control a system or process.

The return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response.

Feeder Fund:

A fund that conducts virtually all of its investing through another fund (called the master fund that is responsible for managing the underlying investments).

"Feels Like" Temperature:

The "Feels Like" Temperature is the apparent temperature based on temperature, humidity and wind speed. The "Feels Like" Temperature is based on a model of an adult walking outdoors in the shade. The official definition is "the temperature, at the reference humidity level, producing the same amount of discomfort as that experienced under the current ambient temperature and humidity".

What this means is that the "Feels Like" Temperature is an adjustment to the actual temperature to take into account the humidity level. The reference humidity level is chosen as a dewpoint of 14C. If the humidity is higher than this reference, the "Feels Like" Temperature will be higher than the temperature and if the humidity is lower than this reference, the "Feels Like" Temperature will be lower than the temperature. For small variations from the reference humidity level, there will be little difference between the temperature and the "Feels Like" Temperature. It is valid over a wide range of temperature and includes wind chill at lower temperatures.

Feinschmecker:

See: gourmet.

Fellow:

A person who is member of one's class or profession; a member of a learned society.

Felony:

One of several grave crimes, such as murder, rape, or burglary, punishable by a more stringent sentence than that given for a misdemeanor.

Femme Fatale:

A woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations.

An alluring, mysterious woman.

Fender:

A cushioning device, such as a bundle of rope or a piece of timber, used on the side of a vessel or dock to absorb impact or friction; a device at the front end of a locomotive or streetcar designed to push aside obstructions.

Feng Shui:

The Chinese art or practice of positioning objects, especially graves, buildings, and furniture, based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of qi that have positive and negative effects.

Ferris Wheel:

A Ferris Wheel (also known as an Observation Wheel or Big Wheel) is a structure, consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached to the rim.

Visit: the London Eye.

Festival:

An often regularly recurring program of cultural performances, exhibitions, or competitions.

Fête:

A festival or feast.

An elaborate, often outdoor entertainment; an elaborate party.

Fetish:

An object that is believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially such an object associated with animistic or shamanistic religious practices.

An object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence.

Something, such as a material object or a nonsexual part of the body, that arouses sexual desire and may become necessary for sexual gratification.

An abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation.

Feud:

A bitter, often prolonged quarrel or state of enmity, especially such a state of hostilities between two families or clans.

Feudalalism:

A political and economic system of Europe from the 9th to about the 15th century, based on the holding of all land in fief or fee and the resulting relation of lord to vassal and characterized by homage, legal and military service of tenants, and forfeiture.

A political, economic, or social order resembling this medieval system.

Fiasco:

A complete failure.

Fiat Money:

FIAT Money is paper money that has value only because of government regulation or law. The term derives from the Latin fiat, meaning "let it be done", as such money is established by government decree.

Fiat Money originated in 11th century China, and its use became widespread during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The Nixon Shock of 1971 ended the direct convertibility of the United States dollar to gold. Since then all reserve currencies have been Fiat Currencies, including the dollar and the euro.

Fibonacci Number:

The sequence of numbers, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, . . . , in which each successive number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers.

List of Fibonacci numbers.

FICO Credit Score:

FICO is a publicly-traded corporation that created the best-known and most widely used Credit Score model in the United States. The FICO Score is calculated statistically, with information from a consumer's credit files. The FICO score is primarily used in credit decisions made by banks and other providers of secured and unsecured credit.

Fiction:

An imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented; a lie.

A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.

Something untrue that is intentionally represented as true by the narrator.

Fiduciary:

See also: Trustee.

Fiesta:

A festival or celebration.

Fiefdom:

The domain controlled by a feudal lord.

Something over which one dominant person or group exercises control.

FIFO:

Short for: First In, First Out. A fundamental accounting principle which says that any fungible raw materials being used in a business are to be costed on the basis that the first to come in (probably the cheapest) are deemed to be the first to go out. Contrast with its opposite, LIFO.

Fifth Amendment:

An Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1791, that deals with the rights of accused criminals by providing for due process of law, forbidding double jeopardy, and stating that no person may be forced to testify as a witness against himself or herself.

Fifth Column:

A subversive group that supports the enemy and engages in espionage or sabotage; an enemy in your midst.

Figuratively:

Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical.

Figure of Speech:

An expression that uses language in a nonliteral way, such as a metaphor or synecdoche, or in a structured or unusual way, such as anaphora or chiasmus, or that employs sounds, such as alliteration or assonance, to achieve a rhetorical effect.

Figurehead:

A person given a position of nominal leadership but having no actual authority.

File:

A collection of related data or program records stored as a unit with a single name.

To put or keep (papers, for example) in useful order for storage or reference; to enter (a legal document) on public official record.

File Sharing:

File Sharing is the exchange of files over computer networks, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in particular.

Filibuster:

The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action.

An instance of the use of this delaying tactic.

An adventurer who engages in a private military action in a foreign country.

Read also New York Times' article Filibusters and Debate Curbs.

Filler Text:

Filler Text (also Placeholder Text or Dummy Text) is text that shares some characteristics of a real written text, but is random or otherwise generated. It may be used to display a sample of fonts, generate text for testing, or to spoof an e-mail spam filter. The process of using Filler Text is sometimes called Greeking, although the text itself may be nonsense, or largely Latin, as in Lorem ipsum.

Filters:

A means of narrowing the scope of a computer report or view by specifying ranges or types of data to include in or exclude.

Film Noir:

Film Noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Hollywood's classic Film Noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film Noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.

The term Film Noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most American film industry professionals of the era. Cinema historians and critics defined the canon of Film Noir in retrospect; many of those involved in the making of the classic noirs later professed to be unaware of having created a distinctive type of film.

Filthy Rich:

Colloquialism for being extremely rich.

See also: high net worth individual and How rich is filthy rich?.

Fin de Siècle:

Fin de Siècle is French for "end of the century".

Of or characteristic of the last part of the 19th century, especially with reference to its artistic climate of effete sophistication.

Final Assembly:

The last stages in an assembly process before a product rolls off the production line.

Final Cut:

The final edited version of a movie as approved by the director and producer.

Finance:

The commercial activity of providing funds and capital.

Finance Company:

A company engaged in making loans to individuals and businesses. Unlike a bank, a Finance Company does not collect deposits from retail customers. Rather, it raises funds by borrowing from other financial institutions and from the wholesale money markets.

Finance Director:

The executive director on a company's board who is in charge of the company's financial position.

Financial Engineering:

The process of reorganizing a company's finances, either by raising money from one source (a bank, say) to pay off another (trade creditors, perhaps); or by extending the maturity of the company's borrowing, raising long-term bonds, for instance, in order to repay short-term bank loans.

Financial Institution:

Any company or organization whose business is finance. This includes banks, insurance companies, pension funds and factoring companies.

Financial Instrument:

Document (such as a check, draft, bond, share, bill of exchange, futures or options contract) that has a monetary value or evidences a legally enforceable (binding) agreement between two or more parties regarding a right to payment of money.

Financial Leverage:

See: gearing.

Financial Statement:

A written record of the financial position of an organization, consisting normally of a balance sheet, an income statement and a cash flow statement.

Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction:

Derivatives are Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction - Warren Buffett.

Financial Year:

The 12-month period for which an organization prepares its financial statement. This may or may not coincide with the calendar year.

Financier:

a person skilled in large scale financial transactions.

FINCEN:

Short for: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. FINCEN's mission is to enhance U.S. national security, deter and detect criminal activity, and safeguard financial systems from abuse by promoting transparency in the U.S. and international financial systems.

Finder's Fee:

A fee paid to someone for bringing together two (other) parties who make a deal and do business together. The fee may be a flat fee, or it may be calculated as a percentage of the value of business arising from the meeting.

Finesse:

Refinement and delicacy of performance, execution, or artisanship.

Skillful, subtle handling of a situation; tactful, diplomatic maneuvering.

A stratagem in which one appears to decline an advantage.

Finger:

See: the finger.

Fingerprint:

A Fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges on all parts of the finger. A friction ridge is a raised portion of the epidermis on the palmar (palm) or digits (fingers and toes) or plantar (sole) skin, consisting of one or more connected ridge units of friction ridge skin.

Fingerspitzengefühl:

The German term Fingerspitzengefühl is a stated ability of military commanders, such as Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel, to maintain with great accuracy in attention to detail an ever-changing operational and tactical situation by maintaining a mental map of the battlefield. The term literally means "finger tip feeling", and is synonymous with the English expression of "keeping finger on the pulse". The mental image given is of a military commander who is in such intimate communication with the battlefield that it is as though he has a fingertip on each critical point, expressed in the 18th and 19th centuries as "having a feel for combat".

Finished Goods:

Goods which have completed the manufacturing process and are now ready to be sold to a final consumer.

Finishing School:

A Finishing School (or charm school) is defined as "a private school for girls that emphasizes training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows an ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience. It may consist of an intensive course, or a one-year program.

Finishing Touch:

A small change or addition that serves to complete something; a final touch; a crowning achievement; a culmination.

Finlandization:

Government, Politics & Diplomacy: neutralization of a small country by a superpower, using conciliation, as the former Soviet Union did in relation to Finland.

Fino:

A pale, very dry sherry.

Fire:

To bring someone's employment contract to an end, often an abrupt one.

Fire Sale:

A sale of goods at reduced prices after a fire at a shop or factory.

Any instance of offering goods or assets at greatly reduced prices to ensure a quick sale.

Firewater:

Strong liquor, especially whiskey.

Firing Line:

The line of positions from which fire is directed at a target.

The forefront of an activity or pursuit; the vanguard.

Firm:

Strictly speaking, a business entity that is not incorporated; for example, a Firm of lawyers who do business as a partnership and not as a company. The word has come to be used more widely, however, to refer to all but the largest business organizations.

First Amendment to the United States Constitution:

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.

First Blood:

Military: the first killing or wounding in a fight or war.

The first damage or reverse inflicted on an opponent in a conflict.

First Class:

First Class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.

First Impression:

What stays in some body's mind: a lasting effect, opinion, or mental image of somebody or something.

First Mover:

The initial agent that is the cause of all things; a brand or company that starts a new category.

First Mover Advantage:

First Mover Advantage, or FMA, is the advantage gained by the initial occupant of a market segment. This advantage may stem from the fact that the first entrant can gain control of resources that followers may not be able to match. Sometimes the first mover is not able to capitalise on its advantage, leaving the opportunity for another firm to gain second-mover advantage.

First Refusal:

A right given by the owner of an asset to a potential purchaser to match anybody else's offer for that asset. Such rights are often given, either by contract or by law to tenants of state-owned apartment blocks.

Fiscal:

Of the public finances, particularly in relation to the raising and collecting of taxes.

Fiscal Year:

The 12-month period used by governments for their accounting purposes.

Fishing Expedition:

Informal: a legal proceeding mainly for the purpose of interrogating an adversary, or of examining his or her property and documents, in order to gain useful information; any inquiry carried on without any clearly defined plan or purpose in the hope of discovering useful information.

Fitness:

Physical Fitness comprises two related concepts: general Fitness (a state of health and well-being) and specific Fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations).

In previous years, Fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient. These days, physical Fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.

Five Flags Theory:

Flag 1:
Business Base: these are places where you make your money. They must be different from your personal fiscal domicile, the place where you legally reside.

Flag 2:
Passport & Citizenship: these should be from a country unconcerned about offshore citizens and what they do outside its borders.

Flag 3:
Domicile: this should be a tax haven with good communications. A place where wealthy, productive people can be creative, live, relax, prosper and enjoy themselves. Such a place should not be threatened by war or revolution and preferably should enjoy good levels of banking secrecy.

Flag 4:
Asset Repository: this should be a place from which assets, securities and business affairs can be managed anonymously by proxy.

Flag 5:
Playgrounds: these are places where you would actually physically spend your time.

Also visit: PT.

Five Senses:

Five methods of perception, or sense: hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste.

Fives:

Fives is a British sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In Fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.

Fix:

The act of adjusting, correcting, or repairing.

Informal: something that repairs or restores; a solution.

An instance of arranging a special consideration, such as an exemption from a requirement, or an improper or illegal outcome, especially by means of bribery.

Slang: an amount or dose of something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic.

Fixed Asset:

An asset that is used in a business for some period of time and that is not easy to move, such as a building, land or machinery.

Fixed Cost:

A cost that does not vary in proportion to the amount of goods or services that are produced; the opposite of variable cost. Fixed costs, such as the amount paid for rent and depreciation, are unrelated to a company's turnover. They are incurred whether it is selling a lot or a little.

Fixed Income:

Fixed Income refers to any type of investment that yields a regular (or fixed) return.

Fixed Rate:

An interest rate that does not vary until the financial asset to which it is attached comes to maturity. A ten-year fixed-rate loan has its interest rate fixed once and for all at the beginning of its ten-year life.

Fixie:

A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed wheel bicycle) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast — the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving. The sprocket is screwed directly onto the hub. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction. This allows a cyclist to stop without using a brake, by resisting the rotation of the cranks, and also to ride in reverse.

Flacon:

A small, often decorative bottle with a tight-fitting stopper or cap.

Flag:

A piece of cloth, usually rectangular, of distinctive color and design, used as a symbol, standard, signal, or emblem.

A marking device, such as a gummed strip of paper, attached to an object to attract attention or ease identification; a tab.

National or other allegiance, as symbolized by a Flag.

Computer Science: a variable or memory location that stores true-or-false, yes-or-no information.

Flag of Convenience:

The flag of a ship is the flag of the country of its registration. The term "Flag of Convenience" refers to the flag of a country (in particular Liberia and Panama) which is chosen for ship registration in order to achieve fiscal benefits (no income tax being levied by such countries on international shipping operations) and other non-tax advantages relating to lower labour costs and manning scales, officer and crew requirements, trade union practices, etc. Ownership of the ship is normally vested in a company incorporated in the country of the flag.

In addition to Liberia and Panama, the following countries offer or are preparing incentives to offer Flag of Convenience facilities: the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Malta, Morocco, the Netherlands Antilles, Madeira, Singapore and Vanuatu.

Flag Officer:

An officer in the navy or coast guard holding a rank higher than captain, such as rear admiral, vice admiral, or admiral.

Flagrante Delicto:

In the very act of committing an offense; red-handed.

In the act of having sex.

Flagship Stores:

Flagship Stores, or simply Flagships, are main stores from retailers designed to serve a mainstream of customers. Most noticeably, Flagships are found in prominent shopping districts that are targets for a main set of worldwide high-income shoppers. Because of this, shopping at an upscale Flagship is seen as high social / economic status. Flagships are, as well, larger in retail size (bigger than its retailer's outlets and in mall stores) and hold the most volumes in merchandise. These stores become a more preferred shopping destination for the retailers' goods. Flagships are meant to overshadow its sister stores in its area.

Flair:

A natural talent or aptitude; a knack.

Distinctive elegance or style.

Flak Jacket:

A bulletproof jacket or vest.

Flamboyant:

Given to ostentatious or audacious display; highly elaborate; ornate; richly colored; resplendent.

Flâneur:

A person who walks the city in order to experience it.

Refers to an urban, upper-middle class ideal man of society. A Flâneur takes pleasure in observing the modern, progressive, everyday life. He takes in his surroundings, both the fleeting beauty and the universal, timeless beauty, and he is conscious of social distinction.

Flash:

Computer Science: a bandwidth friendly and browser independent vector-graphic animation technology. As long as different browsers are equipped with the necessary plug-ins, Flash animations will look the same..

Flash Mob:

A Flash Mob (or Flashmob) is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

Flash Memory:

Flash Memory is a non-volatile computer storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products.

Flashback:

A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

An unexpected recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug long after its original use.

A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience.

Flat Rate:

A fixed price for goods or services. For example, the unit price for goods is the same whether you buy 10 units or 10,000; there is no discount for buying in bulk. Or the price charged for auditing a firm's accounts is fixed at a flat rate, regardless of how many hours it takes.

Flatter:

To compliment excessively and often insincerely, especially in order to win favor.

To please or gratify the vanity of.

To portray favorably.

To show off becomingly or advantageously.

Flavonoids:

Flavonoids have antioxidant activity. Flavonoids are becoming very popular because they have many health promoting effects. Some of the activities attributed to Flavonoids include: anti-allergic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral. The Flavonoids quercetin is known for its ability to relieve hay fever, eszema, sinusitis and asthma.

Epidemiological studies have illustrated that heart diseases are inversely related to Flavonoid intake. Studies have shown that Flavonoids prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein thereby reducing the risk for the development of atherosclerosis.

The contribution of Flavonoids to the total antioxidant activity of components in food can be very high because daily intake can vary between 50 to 500 mg.

Red wine contains high levels of Flavonoids, mainly quercetin and rutin. The high intake of red wine (and Flavonoids) by the French might explain why they suffer less from coronary heart disease then other Europeans, although their consumption of cholesterol rich foods is higher (French paradox). Many studies have confirmed that one or two glasses of red wine daily can protect against heart disease. Green tea flavonoids have many health benefits. Tea Flavonoids reduce the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, lowers the blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Soy Flavonoids (isoflavones) can also reduce blood cholesterol and can help to prevent osteoporis. Soy Flavonoids are also used to ease menopausal symptoms.

Flavor:

Distinctive taste; savor.

A distinctive yet intangible quality felt to be characteristic of a given thing.

Flavored Water:

Flavored Water is a category of beverage that is water enhanced with natural flavors, herbs, vitamins, and/or sweeteners and generally lower in calories than non-diet commercial soft drinks. The flavored water category of beverage continues to grow in popularity every year and is the fastest growing segment of the still beverage category.

Flea Market:

A market, usually held outdoors, where antiques, used household goods, and curios are sold.

Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a street in London, England, named after the River Fleet, a London stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s.

Fleur-de-Lis:

Heraldry: a device consisting of a stylized three-petaled iris flower, used as the armorial emblem of the kings of France.

An iris, especially a white-flowered form of Iris germanica.

Flexible Manufacturing:

A manufacturing system that can be rapidly switched from making product A to making product B, as and when market demand dictates.

Flexi Time:

A schedule of working that allows employees to choose their working hours around a core period, usually in the middle of the day. They can thus work from 8am to 4pm if they with, or from 10.30am to 6.30pm. Within this framework, employees have to fit a fixed number of working tasks that require a team effort.

Flick:

A cinema film.

Flier:

A pamphlet or circular for mass distribution.

Fling:

Informal: a usually brief attempt; a period or occasion of unrestrained, impulsive, or extravagant behaviour.

A brief sexual or romantic relationship.

Flirting:

To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures.

To deal playfully, triflingly, or superficially with.

Floating Charge:

A charge that floats over all a borrower's assets. If the borrower should fail to repay the debt to which the charge relates, the lender can lay claim to any of the borrowers' assets up to the value of the loan.

Floating Point Operation:

Computing: any simple operation, such as addition, multiplication or division, that a particular computer can perform using a single operation.

Floating Rate:

An interest rate that fluctuates according to market rates, the opposite of fixed rate.

Floor:

The Floor of a stock exchange is the physical room in which brokers transact their business. As their business nowadays almost all takes place by telephone or computer, this sort of floor is becoming increasingly rare.

A lower limit placed on a variable price in a contract. This can be a minimum interest rate to be paid on a floating rate loan, for instance, or it can be the lowest acceptable bid on a painting at auction.

Flop:

To fail utterly.

To drop or lay (something) down heavily and noisily.

To move about loosely or limply.

Floppy Disk:

A Floppy Disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell.

FLOPS:

In computing, FLOPS (or Flops or Flop/s) is an dataacronym meaning FLoating point Operations Per Second. The FLOPS is a measure of a computer's performance, especially in fields of scientific calculations that make heavy use of floating point calculations, similar to the older, simpler, instructions per second.

Flora:

All the plant life in a particular region or period.

Flotation:

The obtaining of a quotation for a company's shares on a recognised stock exchange. Exchanges have extensive rules on how this can be done.

Flotilla:

A group of warships organized as a tactical unit.

Informal: a group of vehicles owned or operated as a unit.

Flow (experience):

To exhibit a smooth or graceful continuity.

An apparent ease or effortlessness of performance.

Flow (psychology):

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.

Flow Chart:

A diagrammatic representation of any process involving a series of steps. It may be a manufacturing process, such as the production of an automobile, or a strategic process, such as the way in which a company intends to enter a new market. The Flow Chart will show which steps need to be taken first and which can wait until later.

Flow Conditioning:

Flow Conditioning ensures that the "real world" environment closely resembles the "laboratory" environment for proper performance of inferential flowmeters like orifice, turbine, coriolis, ultrasonic etc.

Flow of Funds:

The ways in which money moves around a country's financial system, from banks to consumers, to producers, to government, and back to banks again.

Flow Television:

In television programming, flow is how channels and networks try to hold their audience from program to program, or from one segment of a program to another. Thus, it is the "flow" of television material from one element to the next.

Fly on the Wall:

Someone who secretly watches something. like they're a fly on the wall and you don't notice them; an unseen or unnoticed presence in a situation; o be present to listen/see what goes on behind closed doors, that is, in a room closed to the media or other non-participants.

Flying Colors:

Complete success.

Flyleaf:

A blank or specially printed leaf at the beginning or end of a book.

FMCG:

Short for: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, things like foodstuffs and toothpaste that do not stay on shop shelves for long. The key to selling FMCGs profitably lies in the logistics of getting them from producer to consumer.

FOB:

Short for: Free On Board, a term attached to a price quotation given by an exporter. FOB signifies that the exporter undertakes, for the given price, to deliver the goods as far as the buyer's chosen means of transport - a port or railway station, for example. The French expression is franco à bord.

Focus:

The distinctness or clarity of an image rendered by an optical system.

A center of interest or activity.

A condition in which something can be clearly apprehended or perceived.

Focus Group:

A small group of consumers who are brought together for the purposes of market research, usually to discuss in some detail the merits of a particular product or service.

Folder:

Files on a computers hard disk are arranged within a system of Folders, which group related items. Folders have names to describe what is in them, e.g. My Documents.

Folie à Deux:

The simultaneous occurrence of symptoms of a mental disorder (as delusions) in two persons who are closely related (as siblings or man and wife).

Folklore:

The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally.

A popular but unfounded belief.

Folksonomy:

A Folksonomy is a system of classification derived from the practice and method of collaboratively creating and managing tags to annotate and categorize content; this practice is also known as collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging.

Folktale:

A story or legend forming part of an oral tradition.

Follow the Money:

A rule for finding guilty parties by persuing their financial trails. Read more background history here.

Folly:

A lack of good sense, understanding, or foresight; an act or instance of foolishness; a costly undertaking having an absurd or ruinous outcome.

Performing Arts / Theatre: an elaborately costumed revue.

Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture: a building in the form of a castle, temple, etc., built to satisfy a fancy or conceit, often of an eccentric kind.

Fondue:

Cubes of meat or seafood cooked in hot oil and then dipped in any of various sauces.

Font:

A set of letters, numbers and other symbols in a particular style.

Food Chain:

A succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and in turn is preyed upon by a higher member.

Informal: a competitive hierarchy.

Food Stamps:

A stamp or coupon, issued by the government to persons with low incomes, that can be redeemed for food at stores.

Foodie:

Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 The Official Foodie Handbook.

Foolproof:

Designed so as to be impervious to human incompetence, error, or misuse.

Effective; infallible.

Footprint:

Something related to but of lesser importance than a larger work or occurrence.

Footprint:

The area on the ground that is reached by a signal from a satellite. For satellite broadcasters this is their potential market, the bait with which they try to entice advertisers.

A trace suggesting that something was once present or felt or otherwise important.

For the Record:

For public knowledge : on record.

Forage:

The act of looking or searching for food or provisions.

Force:

Strength or energy; might; power.

Intellectual, social, political, or moral influence or strength.

A group of persons organized for particular duties or tasks.

Force Majeure:

A clause in a contract which abrogates the parties from responsibility in the case of events beyond their control - such as an earthquake or the outbreak of war - that prevent them from fulfilling their side of the contract.

Forced Sale:

Any sale that has to take place immediately, denying the seller the opportunity to look around and wait for a better price.

Forecast:

An estimate of future economic or market data.

Foreign Bank Accounts (U.S.):

Every United States resident, partnership, corporation, estate or trust must advise the United States Treasury of any financial interest in or signature authority over a foreign bank, securities or other financial account in a foreign country and must report that relationship each calendar year by filing Form 90-22.1 with the Treasury Department on or before June 30 of the succeeding year. This report must be at the following address: United States Treasury Department, P.O. Box 28309, Central Station, Washington, DC 20005. A "foreign country" includes all geographical areas located outside the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Foreign Branding:

Foreign Branding is an advertising and marketing term describing the implied cachet or superiority of products and services with foreign or foreign-sounding names.

Foreign Corporation:

A corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country and whose parent company in the home country may participate in any percentage of shares of the affiliate corporation.

Foreign Currency:

The currency of a foreign country. For everybody but Americans and Puerto Ricans, the US dollar is a foreign currency.

Foreign Direct Investment:

A substantial investment by a resident of one country in the industry of another. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) includes all purchases of stakes of more than 10% of a foreign company, and all investment in greenfield sites abroad.

Foreign Exchange:

Methods of making payment from one country in the currency of another, either electronically or by the exchange of notes and coins.

FOREX:

The FOReign EXchange market (FOREX, FX, or currency market) is a worldwide decentralized over-the-counter financial market for the trading of currencies. Financial centers around the world function as anchors of trading between a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers around the clock, with the exception of weekends. The Foreign Exchange Market determines the relative values of different currencies.

Forfeiting:

Buying without recourse of obligations, usually trade drafts or promissory notes, arising from international transactions. The buyer of the obligations explicitly foregoes his legal right to a claim upon any previous owner of the debt when endorsing "without recourse." The seller of Forfeitable trade drafts or promissory notes usually is an exporter who has taken the obligations in full or part payment for goods supplied and who wishes to pass on all risks and responsibility for collection of the debt to the Forfeiting financier and receive immediate cash.

Form:

The shape and structure of an object.

The essence of something.

Procedure as determined or governed by regulation or custom.

A document with blanks for the insertion of details or information.

Form Letter:

A usually impersonal letter in a standardized format that may be sent to different people or to large numbers of recipients.

Formal:

Relating to or involving outward form or structure; being or relating to essential form or constitution.

Following or being in accord with accepted forms, conventions, or regulations.

Characterized by strict or meticulous observation of forms; methodical; stiffly ceremonious.

Formality:

The quality or condition of being formal.

Rigorous or ceremonious adherence to established forms, rules, or customs.

An established form, rule, or custom, especially one followed merely for the sake of procedure or decorum.

Format:

A plan for the organization and arrangement of a specified production.

The material form or layout of a publication.

Computer Science: to divide (a disk) into marked sectors so that it may store data; to determine the arrangement of (data) for storage or display.

Formula:

An established form of words or symbols for use in a ceremony or procedure; an utterance of conventional notions or beliefs; a hackneyed expression.

Chemistry: a symbolic representation of the composition or of the composition and structure of a compound; a prescription of ingredients in fixed proportion; a recipe.

Mathematics: a statement, especially an equation, of a fact, rule, principle, or other logical relation.

Forte:

Something in which a person excels.

The strong part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt.

Fortress:

A fortified place, especially a large, permanent military stronghold that often includes a town.

Fortuna:

The Roman goddess of fortune and good luck Greek counterpart Tyche.

Fortune:

The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; luck.

Success, especially when at least partially resulting from luck.

A person's condition or standing in life determined by material possessions or financial wealth.

Extensive amounts of material possessions or money; wealth.

Fate; destiny.

A foretelling of one's destiny.

Fortune Cookie:

A cookie made from a thin layer of dough folded and baked around a slip of paper bearing a prediction of fortune or a maxim.

Forum:

An online community where users read and post topics of common interest.

Forward:

A Forward contract is a contract that specifies the details of a deal to be consummated in the future, such as the sale of wheat next September.

Forward cover is the buying today of the means to meet an obligation in the future.

To Forward something is to act as an intermediary by sending on to a third party something that you have received.

Forwarding Agent:

A business or an individual that arranges for the shipment of freight.

Fossil Fuels:

Fossil Fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, carbon or hydrocarbons found in the earth’s crust.

Fossil Fuel range from volatile materials with low carbon: hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal. Methane can be found in hydrocarbon fields, alone, associated with oil, or in the form of methane clathrates. It is generally accepted that they formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals by exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.

Foulard:

A lightweight twill or plain-woven fabric of silk or silk and cotton, usually having a small printed design.

An article of clothing, especially a necktie or scarf, made of this fabric.

Foundation:

See: Stiftung.

Founding Father:

Someone who founds or is instrumental in founding an institution, nation, etc.

A participant in the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, especially one who signed the document.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a scroll in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals. Jesus Christ opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons forth the four beasts that ride on white, red, black, and pale horses which each symbolize Conquest, War, Famine and Death, respectively. The Christian apocalyptic vision is that the four horsemen are to set a divine apocalypse upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment.

Four Temperaments:

Four Temperaments is a theory of psychology that stems from the ancient medical concept of humorism.

See: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.

Fox Hole:

A small dugout with a pit for individual shelter against enemy fire.

Fracking:

Hydraulic fracturing (called "Frac jobs" or "Frac'ing" in the industry, with the spelling "Fracking" being common in general use) is a process that results in the creation of fractures in rocks, the goal of which is to increase the output of a well. Hydraulic fractures may form naturally, as in the case of veins or dikes, or may be man-made in order to release "Fracking"petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized Fracking fluid, creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels.

Frame:

Informal: to make up evidence or contrive events so as to incriminate (a person) falsely.

Framework:

A fundamental structure, as for a written work.

A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality.

Franchise:

A contractual agreement in which one party (the Franchisee) buys the rights from another (the Franchiser) to sell goods and services as specified by the Franchiser. McDonald's and Benetton are well-known examples of Franchises.

Fraternity:

A social club for male undergraduates.

Fraternize:

To associate on friendly terms with an enemy or opposing group, often in violation of discipline or orders.

Fraud:

An act of deception that is aimed at gaining financial benefit at the expense of others. Tinkering with companies' accounts is a common form of Fraud.

Freak:

A thing or occurrence that is markedly unusual or irregular.

An abnormally formed organism, especially a person or animal regarded as a curiosity or monstrosity.

Slang: a drug user or addict; an eccentric or nonconformist person, especially a member of a counterculture; an enthusiast.

Freckle:

Freckles are clusters of concentrated melanin which are most often visible on people with a fair complexion. A Freckle is also called an "ephelis".

Freddie Mac:

A security issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) and secured by a pool of conventional home mortgages.

See also: Fannie Mae.

Free Agent:

A person whose actions are not constrained by others.

Free Float:

Shares of a public company that are freely available to the investing public.

See: free-float methodology.

Free Port:

A port where no duties are imposed on ships that unload cargo. Free Ports are designed to be places where cargoes are transferred from ship to ship, in transit to their ultimate destination.

Free Running:

Free Running, to summarize, could be described as a form of "urban acrobatics" in which participants (free runners) use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures. It incorporates efficient movements from parkour, adds aesthetic vaults and other acrobatics, such as tricking and street stunts, creating an athletic and aesthetically pleasing way of moving. It is commonly practiced at gymnasiums and in urban areas that are cluttered with obstacles.

The term Free Running was coined during the filming of Jump London, as a way to present parkour to the English-speaking world. However, Free Running and parkour are separate, distinct concepts — a distinction which is often missed due to the aesthetic similarities. Parkour as a discipline emphasizes efficiency, whilst free running embodies complete freedom of movement — and includes many acrobatic maneuvers. Although often the two are physically similar, the mindsets of each are vastly different. The founder Sébastien Foucan defines Free Running as a discipline to self development, following your own way.

See also: parkour.

Free Solo Climbing:

A form of climbing without the use of any safety equipment.

Free Spirit:

One who is not restrained, as by convention or obligation; a nonconformist.

Free Trade:

The economic principle that optimal growth is achieved when trade among countries is unhindered by tariffs or visible barriers.

Free Trade Area:

A region, such as the European Union, where a number of national governments agree to remove any existing barriers to trade between them.

Free Zones:

Free Zones are designated areas which receive special treatment through their exclusion from the area to which the country’s normal customs rules apply. A free port is one at which imports may be landed without paying customs duties. The system of Free Zones or free ports favours export processing, transshipment and the entrepôt trade since there is no need to pay and then reclaim customs duties.

Though free zones are often part of a tax incentive package in what would otherwise be a high tax jurisdiction, they may also be found in tax havens, e.g. Freeport in the Bahamas.

Freebie:

Slang: an article or service given free.

Freelance:

Originally, a medieval mercenary who lent his lance and fighting skills to the highest bidder. Then used to refer to a journalist with no affiliation to any particular publication. Now it is used to refer to any person who works for themselves rather than for an employer.

Freelancer:

A Freelancer is a person who is self employed. Freelance work is used in many different professions, but most commonly a Freelancer works in the fields of writing and editing, photography, web design, graphic arts, or computer programming. In any given profession, Freelancers sell or contract their work to a client rather than being employed by a business.

Freeloader:

A person who habitually depends on the charity of others for food, shelter, etc.

Freemasonry:

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in England, Scotland and Ireland. The various forms all share moral and metaphysical ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being.

See also: funny handshakes.

Freemium:

Freemium is a business model that works by offering basic Web services, or a basic downloadable digital product, for free, while charging a premium for advanced or special features. The word "Freemium" is a portmanteau combining the two aspects of the business model: "free" and "premium". The business model has gained popularity with Web 2.0 companies.

Freestyle:

A swimming event or leg of an event in which the contestants may choose any stroke; the crawl.

A competition, as in figure skating, skiing, or surfing, in which any maneuver or movement is allowed and competitors are judged on their artistic expression, acrobatic skill, and athletic expertise.

Freight:

Any goods that are in the process of being transported by road, rail, sea or air.

Freight Forwarder:

An agent who handles the shipment of exports, in particular the documentation required to get goods from their point of manufacture to their shipper.

French:

Latin-derived language originating in what is now northern France.

Slang: coarse or vulgar language.

French Paradox:

The French Paradox is the observation that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. The phenomenon was first noted by Irish physician Samuel Black in 1819. The term French paradox was coined by Dr. Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University in France in 1992.

When a description of this paradox was aired in the United States on 60 Minutes in 1991 with the proposal that red wine decreases the incidence of cardiac diseases, the consumption of red wine increased 44% and some wineries began lobbying for the right to label their products "health food".

However, some health researchers question the validity of this paradox. A systematic review of dietary studies found insufficient evidence of any association of saturated fats and coronary heart disease. Statistics collected by the WHO from 1990–2000 show that the incidence of heart disease in France may have been underestimated, and may in fact be similar to that of neighboring countries. In 2008 it was found that high doses of resveratrol (a constituent of red wine) mimicked some of the benefits of caloric restriction (including reduced effects of aging) in a mice study. However, the effects of resveratrol are insufficient to explain the French paradox.

Frequent-Flyer Program:

A Frequent-Flyer Program (FFP) is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate points corresponding to the distance flown on that airline. Accrued points (also known as frequent flyer miles) can be redeemed for free air travel; for other goods or services; or for increased benefits, such as airport lounge access or priority bookings.

Fresco:

The art of painting on fresh, moist plaster with pigments dissolved in water.

Freshman:

A student in the first-year class of a high school, college, or university.

Friday the 13th:

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of good or bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year.

The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 C.E., whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th.

Friendly Fire:

Fire that injures or kills an ally.

Friends with Benefits:

An agreement between two people who are both friends and physically attracted to one another to have a sexual relationship. Neither party is considered committed to the other, and both can start dating someone else at any time with prior warning. A friends with benefits arrangement is not considered dating, a relationship or even casual dating by most people who use the term.

Fringe Benefits:

Benefits that employees receive in addition to their normal wage or salary. They include such things as pensions, private health insurance, cars, low-interest loans and canteen facilites. In some companies they are worth as much as one-third of a person's total remuneration.

Frog:

Offensive Slang: used as a disparaging term for a French person.

Informal: hoarseness or phlegm in the throat.

the Frog & the Scorpion:

One day a Scorpion is hanging around the side of a stream. A Frog happens by on his way across the stream. The Scorpion cannot swim so he stops the Frog and asks if he can climb on his back for a ride across the water.

"Do you think I am crazy?" The Frog says. "If I let you on my back, you’ll certainly sting me and I’ll sink in the water and die."

The Scorpion replies, "Hey, just think about it for a second, I can’t swim. If I sting you, then you’ll die and I’ll sink and die too."

The Frog thinks for a second and decides that makes sense, so he proceeds to give the Scorpion a ride across the stream.

About half way across the stream, the Scorpion stings the Frog. The Frog screams "What are you doing? Why did you sting me? Now I am going to drown and die and you are going to sink and die too."

The Scorpion says "because I am a Scorpion."

Front:

A position of leadership or superiority; vanguard.

Informal: a business or other activity serving as a respectable cover for another, usually criminal, organization.

Front-End:

Business / Commerce: of or relating to the initial phase of a project.

Front Office:

The opposite of the back office, the place where a business has direct contact with its customers, be it a shop, a showroom, or a telephone sales operation.

Frontispiece:

An illustration that faces or immediately precedes the title page of a book, book section, or magazine.

Architecture: a facade, especially an ornamental façade; a small ornamental pediment, as on top of a door or window.

Froufrou:

Fussy or showy dress or ornamentation.

A rustling sound, as of silk.

Frozen Assets:

Assets that a court has decreed cannot be used by their owner. The Freeze may be only temporary, to be removed once the reason for its imposition has gone. Assets are often Frozen when the ownership of the assets is in question.

Fruitcake:

Slang: a crazy or an eccentric person.

FTP:

Short for: File Transfer Protocol. FTP is a standard method of sending files between computers over the Internet.

FTSE 100:

The FTSE 100 is the most commonly used stockmarket index in the UK, based on the price movements of the 100 largest companies quoted on the London market. Its name is an amalgam of its two founders, the Financial Times and the London Stock Exchange.

Fudge:

Fudge is a type of confectionery which is usually very sweet, extremely rich and sometimes flavoured with cocoa.

Fugu:

Japanese cuisine: literally "river pig", pufferfish.

Fulfillment:

The process of satisfying an order received by direct mail. Much of the fulfillment process these days is carried out by computer.

Full Employment:

An economy is said to have full employment when there are jobs available for every citizen who wants to work.

Full House:

A poker hand containing three of a kind and a pair, ranked above a flush and below four of a kind.

Place that is crowded with people.

Full Monty:

The Full Monty is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It is generally used to mean "everything which is necessary, appropriate, or possible; 'the works'", and has been in common usage in the north of England for many years.

Function:

The action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed.

An official ceremony or a formal social occasion.

The work done by a self-contained part of division of a business; for example, the marketing Function or the personnel Function.

Fund:

A source of supply; a stock.

An organization established to administer and manage a sum of money.

Fundamental:

Something that is an essential or necessary part of a system or object.

Fundamentals:

Economic factors that influence prices in the financial markets.

Fundamentalism:

A usually religious movement or point of view characterized by a return to fundamental principles, by rigid adherence to those principles, and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism.

Fundamentalist:

A supporter of fundamentalism.

Funded:

Usually seen in the phrase "fully Funded", to refer to a pension fund whose investments are sufficient to pay all its obligations as and when they become due. In other words, the fund does not need to rely on future contributions to meet its present obligations.

Funds:

Assets in the form of money.

Fungible:

The quality of things, such as notes and coins or grains of sand, where any one individual specimen is indistinguishable from any other. Anything to be used as a store of value (be it beads or gold coins) has to be fungible.

Funky:

Having a strong, offensive, unwashed odor.

Music:: combining elements of jazz, blues, and soul and characterized by syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive bass line.

Characterized by originality and modishness; unconventional.

Outlandishly vulgar or eccentric in a humorous or tongue-in-cheek manner; campy.

Funny Handshakes:

Freemasonry is a very old society that pre-dates many present day institutions. The earliest Masonic records are to be found in Scotland and date from a time when members of Lodges were mainly illiterate. As stone masons had to travel all over the country, and occasionally overseas, some simple method of recognition had to be devised in order to secure employment appropriate to the degree of skill of each individual. Modern day Freemasonry continues that practice.

Funny Money:

Money gained in a devious or sneaky manner; a highly inflated currency; bills of any foreign currency or of counterfeit origin; play money.

Fusion:

The act or procedure of liquefying or melting by the application of heat.

The merging of different elements into a union.

Physics: a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy.

A style of cooking that combines ingredients and techniques from very different cultures or countries.

Fusion Cuisine:

Fusion Cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not fitting specifically into any. The term generally refers to the innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s.

Futon:

Futon is a Japanese term generally referring, in Japan, to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bed room. The bedding set referred to as futon in Japan fundamentally consists of a shikibuton (bottom mattress) and a kakebuton (thick quilted bedcover).

Futon is a flat, about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) thick mattress with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton or synthetic batting that makes up a Japanese bed. They are sold in Japan at speciality stores called futon-ya as well as at department stores. They are often sold in sets which include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (mo-fu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel, and pillow (makura), generally filled with beans, buckwheat chaff or plastic beads. Futons are designed to be placed on tatami flooring, and are traditionally folded away and stored in a closet during the day to allow the tatami to breathe and to allow for flexibility in the use of the room. Futons must be aired in sunlight regularly, especially if not put away during the day. In addition, many Japanese people beat their futons regularly using a special tool, traditionally made from bamboo, resembling a Western carpet beater.

Futon are available in single, semi-double, and double sizes.

The Western Futon is based on the Japanese original, with several major differences. They are almost always placed on a configurable wood or metal frame for dual use as a bed and a chair or couch. Typically, the frame folds in the middle allowing the futon to be used as a couch and flattens to be used as a bed. They are usually filled with foam as well as batting, often in several layers, and they are often much thicker and larger than Japanese futons, resembling a traditional mattress in size. Western-style futons are a cheap alternative to a bed or other furniture, and are often sold in sets that include the mattress and frame. Futons normally feature a removable and replaceable cover, giving them more versatility.

Futures:

Contracts agreeing to buy something in the future for a price that is fixed in the present. Futures began in agricultural markets in order to enable farmers to sell in advance crops that had not yet ripened. They have spread more recently into financial markets.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- G -

G-7:

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.

G-8:

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.

G-20:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.

G-20 - official website.

G-77:

The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has since expanded to 130 member countries.

G-77 - official website.

G-Force:

The G-force of an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. The unit of measure used is informally but commonly known as the "gee", symbolized as g (also G and g). An acceleration of 1 g is generally considered as equal to standard gravity (symbol: gn), which is defined as precisely 9.80665 metres per second squared.

The G-force of an object is 0 g in any weightless environment such as free-fall or an orbiting satellite and is 1 g (upwards) for a stationary object on the earth's surface. However, G-forces can be much greater than 1 g on, for instance, accelerating rockets, centrifuges, and rollercoasters.

G-Man:

An agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

GAAP:

Short for: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. GAAP is the term used to refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction. GAAP includes the standards, conventions, and rules accountants follow in recording and summarizing transactions, and in the preparation of financial statements.

Gag Order:

A court order forbidding public reporting or commentary, as by the news media, on a case currently before the court.

Gadget:

A small specialized mechanical or electronic device.

A device or control that is very useful for a particular job.

A gadget is a small technological object (such as a device or an appliance) that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty.

See also: gizmo.

Gag Order:

A court order forbidding public reporting or commentary, as by the news media, on a case currently before the court.

Gaia Movement:

Visit: Gaia Movement - the official website.

Gala:

A festive occasion, especially a lavish social event or entertainment.

Gallery:

A room or building for exhibiting works of art.

A covered passageway open on one side or on both sides; a balcony running along or around the inside wall of a church, hall, etc.

A building or room where articles are sold at auction.

Spectators at a golf or tennis match.

A collection; an assortment.

Galley:

Nautical: an ancient Mediterranean seagoing vessel propelled by oars.

The kitchen of an airliner, ship, or camper.

Printing: a long tray, usually of metal, used for holding composed type; Galley proof.

Gallon:

Mathematics & Measurements / Units: a unit of volume in the U.S. Customary System, used in liquid measure, equal to 4 quarts (3.785 liters); a unit of volume in the British Imperial System, used in liquid and dry measure, equal to 4 quarts (4.546 liters).

Gallows Humor:

Humorous treatment of a grave or dire situation.

Gambling:

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value (referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods.

Game:

An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime.

An active interest or pursuit, especially one involving competitive engagement or adherence to rules.

Game of Chance:

A Game of Chance is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device, and upon which contestants may or may not wager money or anything of monetary value. Common devices used include dice, spinning tops, playing cards, roulette wheels or numbered balls drawn from a container.

Game Over:

Game Over is a traditional message in video games which usually signals the game has ended with a negative outcome. Notably used first in pinball machines.

Gamification:

Gamification is the use of game mechanics, feedback loops, and rewards to drive deeper engagement in non-games.

Visit also: The Gamification Encyclopedia.

Gang:

A group of criminals or hoodlums who band together for mutual protection and profit.

A group of adolescents who band together, especially a group of delinquents.

A group of people who associate regularly on a social basis.

Gangsta:

Black English: a member of a youth gang.

Gangster:

A criminal who is a member of gang.

GAO:

Short for: General Accounting Office (U.S.A.).

Gap:

An opening in a solid structure or surface; a cleft or breach.

An opening through mountains; a pass.

A space between objects or points; an aperture.

An interruption of continuity.

A problematic situation resulting from such a disparity.

Gap Analysis:

A technique used by a market researcher to identify gaps in a particular market. Once identified, companies can set out to fill the gaps, thereby meeting unrequited consumer demand.

Garage Sale:

A Garage Sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business licenses or collect sales tax. Typically the goods in a garage sale are unwanted items from the household with the home owners conducting the sale.

Garden City:

A residential suburb or community planned so as to provide a pleasant environment with low-density housing and open public land.

Garotte:

A Garrote or Garrote vil is a handheld weapon, most often referring to a ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line used to strangle someone. The term especially refers to an execution device but is sometimes used in assassination, because it can be completely silent.

Gastronomy:

The art or science of good eating.

See also: molecular gastronomy.

Gate:

A movable barrier in a fence or wall.

A computer circuit with several inputs but only one output that can be activated by particular combinations of inputs.

Total admission receipts at a sports event.

Passageway (as in an air terminal) where passengers can embark or disembark.

Since the Watergate scandal of 1972-74, commentators have referred to some social and political scandals by adding the suffix "-gate" to a related noun or name. This new label has sometimes stuck but often a new name is used. The process, an example of a snowclone, is known as -gate construction.

Gatecrasher:

One who gains admittance, as to a party or concert, without being invited or without paying.

Gatekeeper:

One that is in charge of passage through a gate.

One who monitors or oversees the actions of others.

Gateway:

An opening or a structure framing an opening, such as an arch, that may be closed by a gate.

Something that serves as an entrance or a means of access.

Software or hardware that enables communication between computer networks that use different communications protocols. Also called router.

Gauche:

Lacking social polish; tactless.

Gaze of Orpheus:

Rather than obtained, the object of desire is always displaced. Drawn from darkness to light, its absence or invisibility is re-articulated as a gap, a notion of loss, a signifier, within the frame of language, within a poem of lament.

GBH:

Short for: Grievous Bodily Harm. Term used in English criminal law.

GCP:

Short for: Gross Criminal Product.

GDA:

Short for: Guideline Daily Amounts. GDAs are designed to help consumers make sense of the nutrition information provided on food labels. They translate science into consumer friendly information, providing guidelines on pack that help consumers put the nutrition information they read on a food label into the context of their overall diet.

GDP:

Short for: Gross Domestic Product of a country. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is a basic measure of a country's overall economic output. It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year. It is often positively correlated with the standard of living.

See also: GNP.

Gear:

Clothing and accessories; personal belongings.

Slang: stolen goods; illegal drugs.

Gearing:

A fundamental analysis ratio of a company's level of long-term debt compared to its equity capital. Gearing is expressed in percentage form.

Companies with high Gearing - more long-term liabilities than shareholder equity - are considered speculative.

Geek:

A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.

See also: nerd.

Geisha:

One of a class of professional women in Japan trained from girlhood in conversation, dancing, and singing in order to entertain professional or social gatherings of men.

Gem:

A pearl or mineral that has been cut and polished for use as an ornament.

Gemstone:

Precious or semiprecious stone that may be used as a jewel when cut and polished.

Gender:

Grammar: a grammatical category used in the classification of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and, in some languages, verbs that may be arbitrary or based on characteristics such as sex or animacy and that determines agreement with or selection of modifiers, referents, or grammatical forms.

Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture.

Gene:

A Gene is the basic unit of heredity in a living organism. All living things depend on genes. Genes hold the information to build and maintain their cells and pass genetic traits to offspring.

See also: DNA.

Genealogy:

A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree.

Direct descent from an ancestor; lineage or pedigree.

The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.

General Power of Attorney:

General Power of Attorney is the legal authority given to any person to manage all of his financial and business activities without limiting the scope to any particular transaction or act.

General Strike:

A strike involving almost all sectors of the economy. General Strikes are usually organized as workers' protests against general social conditions rather than against their own specific pay and contract.

Generalíssimo:

Generalissimo or Generalissimus is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to a Field Marshal or Grand Admiral and comparable to commander-in-chief or General of the Armies.

Generation:

All of the offspring that are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor.

Biology: a form or stage in the life cycle of an organism.

The average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes.

A stage or period of sequential technological development and innovation.

The act or process of generating; origination, production, or procreation.

Generation X:

A lifestyle defined in a book of the same name. Generation X's are, roughly, people born between 1965 and 1980, and they differ from other generations in that they are less inclined to seek full-time, lifetime employment. Instead, they prefer a series of short-term contractual arrangements.

Generation Y:

Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next, Gamer Generation or Net Generation, describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers.

Characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.

Generic:

Relating to or descriptive of an entire group or class; general.

Not having a brand name; a product or substance sold under or identified by a Generic name.

A product that is sold with no brand name. Pharmaceuticals are said to become Generic when they are no longer protected by patent and can be manufactured and sold by anybody.

A wine that is a blend of several varieties of grapes with no one grape predominating; a wine that does not carry the name of any specific grape.

Generic Brand:

No-name' or non-decrepit brand that is not advertised, and is sold at a price substantially lower than the comparable branded products.

Generic Top-Level Domain:

See: dotBrand Domain Extension.

Generous:

Liberal in giving or sharing.

Characterized by nobility and forbearance in thought or behavior; magnanimous.

Genetic Engineering:

Genetic Engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/manipulation (GM) and gene splicing are terms that apply to the direct manipulation of an organism's genes. Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly. Genetic engineering uses the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and characteristics of genes directly. Genetic engineering techniques have found some successes in numerous applications. Some examples are in improving crop technology, the manufacture of synthetic human insulin through the use of modified bacteria, the manufacture of erythropoietin in hamster ovary cells, and the production of new types of experimental mice such as the oncomouse (cancer mouse) for research.

The term "Genetic Engineering" was coined in Jack Williamson's science fiction novel Dragon's Island, published in 1951, two years before James Watson and Francis Crick showed that DNA could be the medium of transmission of genetic information.

Genetics:

The branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms.

Genie:

A supernatural creature who does one's bidding when summoned.

Genius:

Genius refers to a person, a body of work, or a singular achievement of surpassing excellence. More than just originality, creativity, or intelligence, Genius is associated with achievement of insight which has transformational power. A work of Genius fundamentally alters the expectations of its audience. Genius may be generalized, or be particular to a discrete field such as sports, statesmanship, science, or art.

Click here for a free test of your IQ!

Genocide:

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.

Genome:

In classical genetics, the Genome of a diploid organism including eukarya refers to a full set of chromosomes or genes in a gamete; thereby, a regular somatic cell contains two full sets of Genomes. In a haploid organism, including bacteria, archaea, virus, and mitochondria, a cell contains only a single set of Genome, usually in a single circular or contiguous linear DNA (or RNA for some viruses). In modern molecular biology the Genome of an organism is its hereditary information encoded in DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA).

See also: dna and snip.

Genre:

A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content.

A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life.

Gentile:

A person who is not Jewish.

Gentleman:

The term Gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or "gens", and "man", cognate with the French word gentilhomme and the Italian gentil uomo or gentiluomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, analogous to the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English-Latin documents). In this sense the word equates with the French gentilhomme (nobleman), which latter term was in Great Britain long confined to the peerage. The term "gentry" (from the Old French genterise for gentelise) has much of the social class significance of the French noblesse or of the German Adel, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions (such as quarters of nobility).

John Selden in Titles of Honour (1614), discussing the title "Gentleman", speaks of "our English use of it" as "convertible with nobilis" (an ambiguous word, like 'noble' meaning elevated either by rank or by personal qualities) and describes in connection with it the forms of ennobling in various European countries.

To a degree, "Gentleman" signified a man with an income derived from property, a legacy or some other source, and was thus independently wealthy and did not need to work. The term was particularly used of those who could not claim nobility or even the rank of esquire. Widening further, it became a politeness for all men, as in the phrase "Ladies and Gentlemen,..." and this was then used (often with the abbreviation Gents) to indicate where men could find a lavatory, without the need to indicate precisely what was being described.

In modern speech, the term is usually democratised so as to include any man of good, courteous conduct, or even to all men (as in indications of gender-separated facilities).

See also: butler.

Gentleman's Gentleman:

A manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer.

Gentlemen's Agreement:

A Gentlemen's Agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties for its fulfillment, rather than being in any way enforceable (by the government). It is, therefore, distinct from a legal agreement or contract, which can be enforced if necessary. The phrase's first recorded use was in 1888 in the Report of the Railway Accounting Officers published by the Association of American Railroads Accounting Division (page 337).

Gentry:

People of gentle birth, good breeding, or high social position.

An upper or ruling class; the class of English landowners ranking just below the nobility.

People of a particular class or group.

Genus:

A class, group, or kind with common attributes.

Geocoaching:

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

Visit: geocoaching.

Geoengineering:

The modern concept of Geoengineering is usually taken to mean proposals to deliberately manipulate the Earth's climate to counteract the effects of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions. The National Academy of Sciences defined Geoengineering as "options that would involve large-scale engineering of our environment in order to combat or counteract the effects of changes in atmospheric chemistry."

Some Geoengineering techniques are based on carbon sequestration. These seek to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere directly. These include direct methods (e.g. carbon dioxide air capture) and indirect methods (e.g. ocean iron fertilization). These techniques can be regarded as mitigation of global warming. Alternatively, solar radiation management techniques (e.g. stratospheric sulfur aerosols) do not reduce greenhouse gas concentrations, and can only address the warming effects of carbon dioxide and other gases; they cannot address problems such as ocean acidification, which are expected as a result for rising carbon dioxide levels. Examples of proposed Geoengineering techniques include the production of stratospheric sulfur aerosols, which was suggested by Paul Crutzen, and cloud reflectivity enhancement. Most techniques have at least some side effects.

To date, no large-scale Geoengineering projects have been undertaken, nor has a consensus been reached that Geoengineering is desirable. Some commentators additionally suggest that consideration of Geoengineering is unhelpful because it threatens to reduce the political and popular pressure for emissions reduction. Typically, the scientists and engineers proposing Geoengineering strategies do not suggest that they are an alternative to emissions control, but rather an accompanying strategy. Some limited tree planting and cool roof projects are already underway, and ocean iron fertilization is at an advanced stage of research, with small scale research trials having been completed.

Visit: Giving us time to act?

Geographic Coordinate System:

Visit: Geographic Coordinate System - Wikipedia. Also visit: GPS.

Geography:

The study of the earth and its features and of the distribution of life on the earth, including human life and the effects of human activity.

The physical characteristics, especially the surface features, of an area.

Geometry:

The mathematics of the properties, measurement, and relationships of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids.

Georgian:

A person of, or whose style is imitative of, either of the reigns of the four Georges who ruled Great Britain from 1714 to 1830 named the Georgian era.

Geosocial Networking:

Geosocial Networking is social networking in which geographic services and capabilities such as geocoding and geotagging are used to enable additional social dynamics. User-submitted location data or geolocation techniques can allow social networks to connect and coordinate users with local people or events that match their interests. For mobile social networks, texted location information or mobile phone tracking can enable location-based services to enrich social networking.

Gerontocracy:

Government based on rule by elders; the system in which the rulers are old men.

Gerrymandering:

Government, Politics & Diplomacy: to divide the constituencies of (a voting area) so as to give one party an unfair advantage. Read more here!

To manipulate or adapt to one's advantage.

Gestell:

This concept was applied to Martin Heidegger's exposition of the essence of technology. The conclusion regarding the essence of technology was that technology is fundamentally enframing. As such, the essence of technology is Gestell. Indeed, "Gestell, literally 'framing', is an all-encompassing view of technology, not as a means to an end, but rather a mode of human existence."

Gesture:

A motion of the limbs or body made to express or help express thought or to emphasize speech.

An act or a remark made as a formality or as a sign of intention or attitude.

Gesundheit:

An expression used to wish good health to someone who has just sneezed.

Getaway Car:

A Getaway Car is a motor vehicle used by a criminal (such as a robber) to flee the scene of a crime.

Ghetto:

A Ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live; especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure."

Ghost Town:

A once thriving town, especially a town of the American West, that has been completely abandoned.

Ghostwriter:

A Ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire Ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written material.

GI:

An enlisted person in or a veteran of any of the U.S. armed forces, especially a person enlisted in the army.

Gibberish:

Unintelligible or nonsensical talk or writing.

GIF:

Short for: Graphics Interchange Format. GIF is an image file format commonly used in HTML documents.

Gift:

Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation.

A talent, endowment, aptitude, or inclination.

Gig:

A light, two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse.

Nautical: a long light ship's boat, usually reserved for use by the ship's captain.

A job, especially a booking for musicians.

Giga Yacht:

A 100+ metres (328 feet) (sail or power) yacht.

As of 2009 yachts above 100 metres (328 feet) are still rare but increasingly more common. They typically have five decks above the water line and one below. The very largest yachts have begun to incorporate such features as helicopter hangars, indoor swimming pools and miniature submarines. The burgeoning number of "small" superyachts has led to the introduction of the hyperbolic terms "Mega Yacht" and "Giga Yacht" to demarcate the elite among luxury yachts.

See also: superyacht, mega yacht & shadow yacht.

Gigabyte:

Gigabyte is an SI-multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. Gigabyte means 1,000,000,000 bytes. However, this term is also often used meaning 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Originally the binary use of SI prefixes (kilo, mega, giga, etc.) was confined to contexts where the quantities were inherently determined in powers of two by the computer word or address size, like memory or disk sizes, so that confusion was unlikely. Later, disk design was not constraint by address word sizes or other physical details and disk blocks were numbered consecutively in decimal numbers (logical block addressing), creating the opportunity for confusion when size was still reported with binary interpretation of the prefix.

Today the usage of the word "gigabyte" is ambiguous: the value depends on the context. When referring to RAM sizes it traditionally has a binary interpretation of 10243 bytes. Some operating systems list file sizes in SI units, but using the binary interpretation. Today, when referring to disk storage capacities it usually means 10003 bytes. This also applies to data transmission volumes over telecommunication lines, as the telecommunications industry has always used the SI prefixes with their standards-based meaning.

See also: megabyte and terabyte.

Gigaflop:

A unit of measure for the calculating speed of a computer equal to one billion (109) floating point operations per second.

Gigolo:

A man who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a woman.

A man who is hired as an escort or a dancing partner for a woman.

Gilded Age:

In American history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century (1865-1901). The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their 1873 book, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. The name refers to the process of gilding and is meant to ridicule ostentatious display.

Gilt:

Security issued and guaranteed by the government.

Gilt-Edged:

A bond that is believed to be exceptionally high quality (in terms of its ability to pay interest and capital as and when they fall due). The term is applied particularly to British government securities, once known as gilts.

Gimmick:

In marketing language, a Gimmick is a quirky feature that distinguishes a product or service without adding any obvious function or value. Thus, a Gimmick sells solely on the basis of distinctiveness and may not appeal to the more savvy or shrewd customer.

Girl Friday:

An efficient and faithful woman aide or employee.

Girl Next Door:

Every guy may have his specific girl-next-door prototype, but in general, she's the girl whom you always admired from afar and were afraid to approach, fearing that any erotic projection toward her would ruin her image as a decent, pure and almost virginal womanly ideal.

She's (in your mind at least) untrodden ground; unspoiled by other men and so sweet-natured it almost frightens you to think of her in explicit sexual situations. Almost.

Girl Power:

Power exercised by girls; specially a self-reliant attitude among girls and young women manifested in ambition, assertiveness, and individualism. Although also used more widely (esp. as a slogan), the term has been particularly and repeatedly associated with popular music; most notably in the early 1990s with the briefly prominent ‘riot girl’ movement in the United States (cf. riot girl n.); then, in the late 1990s, with the British all-female group The Spice Girls.

Gizmo:

A mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown.

See also: gadget.

Glacis:

A slight incline; slope.

Military / Fortifications: an open slope in front of a fortified place.

Gladiator:

Ancient Rome: a professional combatant or a captive who entertained the public by engaging in mortal combat.

A person engaged in a controversy or debate, especially in public; a disputant.

Gladstone Bag:

A Gladstone Bag is a small portmanteau suitcase built over a rigid frame which could separate into two equal sections. Unlike a suitcase, a Gladstone Bag is "deeper in proportion to its length."

Glamma:

Glamorous Grandma; one of the terms adopted by boomer grandparents in favor of more traditional names like Grandmother.

Glamour:

Glamour is an appearance of enhanced attractiveness.

Glamour originally described a magical-occult spell cast on somebody to make them believe that something or somebody was attractive. In the late 19th century terminology a non magical item used to help create a more attractive appearance was 'a Glamour'. Today, Glamour usually denotes the impression of attraction or fascination that a particularly luxurious or elegant appearance creates, an impression which is better than the reality. Typically, a person, event, location, technology, or product such as a piece of clothing can be glamorous.

Glamour Girl:

a girl or woman whose appearance or lifestyle is considered glamorous by popular standards.

Glasnost:

An official policy of the former Soviet government emphasizing candor with regard to discussion of social problems and shortcomings.

Glass Ceiling:

The invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching the top echelons of organizations in the proportion that their numbers in business suggest they should.

Glitterati:

Wealthy or famous people who conspicuously or ostentatiously attend fashionable events.

Glitz:

Ostentatious showiness; flashiness.

To invest with an ostentatiously showy quality.

Global Warming:

Global Warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation.

Globalization:

A strategy in which companies aim to sell their products and services all around the world. Driven by the convergence of consumer tastes from Tvilisi to Timbuctoo, Globalization presents companies with opportunities for achieving economies of scale.

Globetrotter:

A person who travels often to faraway places.

Glory:

Great honor, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent; renown; adoration, praise, and thanksgiving offered in worship.

A height of achievement, enjoyment, or prosperity.

Glossary:

A Glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a Glossary appears at the end of a book and includes terms within that book which are either newly introduced or at least uncommon.

Glossolalia:

See: speaking in tongues.

Glyph:

A Glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written.

GmbH:

Short for: Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung. A German form of incorporation roughly equivalent to a limited company without shares.

GMO:

Short for: Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species. Some GMOs contain no DNA from other species and are therefore not transgenic but cisgenic.

Gnomon:

Indicator provided by the stationary arm whose shadow indicates the time on the sundial.

GNP:

Short for: General National Product. A variety of measures of national income and output are used in economics to estimate total economic activity in a country or region, including gross domestic product (GDP), Gross National Product (GNP).

Go Ahead:

Permission to proceed.

proceed (with a plan of action).

Go-Between:

One who acts as an intermediary or messenger between two sides.

Go Dutch:

To pay one's own expenses on a date or outing.

Go-Getter:

An ambitious enterprising person.

Someone whose career progresses rapidly.

Go On Record:

To embrace a certain position publicly.

Go See:

Modeling term: an appointment to "Go See" a prospective client. A model takes his / her portfolio along with him / her when he/she goes to Go-Sees.

Similar to an audition. You go and visit a client to investigate what a particular assignment entails.

Go South:

To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.

God:

The supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions.

Godfather:

A man who sponsors a person at baptism.

One that has a relationship to another person or to something that is the equivalent of being a baptismal sponsor.

Slang: the leader of an organized crime family.

Godspeed:

An expression of one's good wishes for a person's success and safety.

Gofer:

An employee who runs errands in addition to performing regular duties.

Going Commando:

Going Commando is the practice of not wearing underwear under one's outer clothing. The term is theorised to be related to the much earlier term "going regimental", which refers to wearing the kilt military style, that is, without underwear.

Going Concern:

An assumption made by an accountant when preparing a company's books that the company is going to continue in business for the foreseeable future. If this assumption were not made the company assets would have to be valued at the (low) price that they would realize in a forced sale.

Gold Card:

A credit card or charge card with a number of special privileges (such as a higher credit limit) that are not granted to the holders of ungilded cards.

Gold Clause:

A clause in a loan agreement that relates the borrower's repayment to the value of a fixed volume of gold. Such clauses appear in times of high inflation and when the price of gold is stable.

Gold Digger:

A miner who digs or pans for gold in a gold field.

Woman who seeks money and expensive gifts from men.

Gold Fixing:

A twice-daily agreement among the biggest dealers in the gold market as to what the market price of the precious metal should be. This was an important event when governments pegged their currencies to a fixed amount of gold (the days of the so-called gold standard). It is not so any more.

Golden Age:

A time period when some activity or skill was at its peak.

Any period (sometimes imaginary) of great peace and prosperity and happiness.

Classical mythology: the first and best age of the world, a time of ideal happiness, prosperity, and innocence; by extension, any flourishing and outstanding period.

Golden Boy:

A man who is unusually successful at an early age.

Golden Goal:

The Golden Goal is a method used in association football to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time.

Golden Goose:

Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend: a goose in folklore that laid a golden egg a day until its greedy owner killed it in an attempt to get all the gold at once.

Golden Handcuffs:

The terms of an employment contract designed to deter a key employee from leaving. A stock option which is forfeited (or which has to be realized when the employee leaves) is one form of golden handcuff.

Golden Handshake:

A generous upfront payment designed to persuade a person to leave their current employment and to join the organization offering the payment.

Golden Mean:

See: golden section.

Golden Parachute:

A clause written into the contract of senior employees guaranteeing them a generous payment if they should lose their job for any reason, or be downgraded. Golden parachutes provide protection to senior executives in the case of a takeover. They also discourage new owners from laying off the existing management and replacing them with their own employees.

Golden Rule:

The biblical teaching that one should behave toward others as one would have others behave toward oneself.

See also: King James Bible chapter 7, verse 12.

Golden Section:

Latin: sectio aurea. A ratio, observed especially in the fine arts, between the two dimensions of a plane figure or the two divisions of a line such that the smaller is to the larger as the larger is to the sum of the two, a ratio of roughly three to five.

Visit also: golden ratio - Wikipedia.

Golden Share:

A share which gives the holder special rights, in particular the right of veto when there is a takeover bid for the company. Governments often like to retain such shares when privatizing sensitive industries, such as telecoms or defense.

Gonzo Journalism:

Gonzo Journalism is a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative. The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasize an underlying message and engage the reader.

Good Faith:

The principle of acting reasonably and honestly. In many countries there is a legal duty for all parties to agreements to act in good faith.

Good Samaritan:

A compassionate person who unselfishly helps others.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus and is mentioned in only one of the Canonical gospels. According to the Gospel of Luke 10:25-37 a Jewish traveler is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by. Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured Jew. Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to a question regarding the identity of the "neighbour" which Leviticus 19:18 says should be loved.

Good Standing:

As applied to a member of an organization, it usually means that he or she has paid the necessary dues and conformed to the other requirements.

As applied to a corporation, that it has made all necessary periodic filings with the state authorities (e.g., secretary of state).

As applied to a licensed professional, that he or she has paid the necessary fees, and there are no suspensions or other restrictions on the practice.

See also: bad standing.

Goods:

Movable property manufactured for the purpose of being sold to customers.

A Good is contrasted with a service. In this sense, a Good is defined as a physical (tangible) product, capable of being delivered to a purchaser and involves the transfer of ownership from seller to customer.

See also: Veblen good.

Goodwill:

An attitude of kindness or friendliness; benevolence; cheerful acquiescence or willingness.

A good relationship, as of a business with its customers or a nation with other nations.

An accounting term for the difference between the amount that a company pays for another company and the market value of the other company's assets. Goodwill is thus an intangible asset representing things like the value of the company's brand names and the skills of its employees.

Goody Bag:

A bag containing gifts and promotional material handed out at a conference, exhibition or similar event.

Google (verb):

The verb to Google (also spelled to Google) refers to using the Google search engine to obtain information on the Web. A neologism arising from the popularity and dominance of the eponymous search engine, the American Dialect Society chose it as the "most useful word of 2002." It was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006. The first recorded usage of google used as a verb was on July 8, 1998, by Larry Page himself, who wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep Googling!"

Goose Pimple:

Automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus.

Gordian Knot:

An exceedingly complicated problem or deadlock.

An intricate knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after hearing an oracle promise that whoever could undo it would be the next ruler of Asia.

Gore-Tex:

Gore-Tex is a waterproof / breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W.L. Gore & Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore (1912-1986), Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore for use in space. Robert Gore was granted U.S. Patent 3,953,566 on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a micro-structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. Robert Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Samuel Allen were granted U.S. Patent 4,194,041 on March 18, 1980 for a "waterproof laminate." For its invention, Robert W. Gore was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.

Gospel:

The proclamation of the redemption preached by Jesus and the Apostles, which is the central content of Christian revelation.

A teaching or doctrine of a religious teacher.

Something, such as an idea or principle, accepted as unquestionably true.

Music: gospel music.

Gossip:

Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has a personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation.

The term is sometimes used to specifically refer to the spreading of dirt and misinformation, as (for example) through excited discussion of scandals. Some newspapers carry "Gossip columns" which detail the social and personal lives of celebrities or of élite members of certain communities.

Gotham City:

Gotham City, a fictional city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman and all the villains. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 (Winter 1940).

Gothic:

Of or relating to the Middle Ages; medieval. Gothic art or architecture.

Of or relating to a style of fiction that emphasizes the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate.

Gothic Novel:

Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance.

Götterdämmerung:

German mythology: a myth about the ultimate destruction of the gods in a battle with evil.

Gourmand:

A Gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food. The word has different connotations from the similar word gourmet, which emphasises an individual with a highly refined discerning palate, but in practice the two terms are closely linked, as both imply the enjoyment of good food.

An older usage of the word is to describe a person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink, synonymous with "glutton".

Gourmet:

An expert on good food and drink.

See also: gourmand.

Gourmet Food:

Gourmet Food is food skillfully prepared and served meals that are as pleasing to the palate as to the eye.

Gov 2.0:

Gov(ernment) 2.0 is neologism for attempts to apply the social networking and integration advantages of Web 2.0 to the practice of government. William (Bill) Eggers claims to have coined the term in his 2005 book, Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy. Government 2.0 is an attempt to provide more effective processes for government service delivery to individuals and businesses. Integration of tools such as wikis, development of government-specific social networking sites and the use of blogs, RSS feeds and Google Maps are all helping governments provide information to people in a manner that is more immediately useful to the people concerned.

Governance:

The form and style in which a company is governed, by the law, by its own statutes and by custom. This can vary greatly from country to country. The roles of the state in France, of banks in Germany and of shareholders in the United States in the governance of corporations are uniquely powerful.

Government:

The system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed.

Goy:

Goy is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "gentile". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.

GPOA:

Short for: General Power of Attorney.

GPRS:

Short for: General Packet Radio Service. GPRS is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G cellular communication systems global system for mobile communications (GSM), as well as in the 3G systems. In the 2G systems, GPRS provides data rates of 56-114 kbit/s.

GPRS data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of traffic transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user actually is using the capacity or is in an idle state. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, where a certain quality of service (QoS) is guaranteed during the connection for non-mobile users.

GPS:

Short for: Global Positioning System. GPS is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) developed by the United States Department of Defense and managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. It is the only fully functional GNSS in the world, can be used freely, and is often used by civilians for navigation purposes. It uses a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, which allow GPS receivers to determine their current location, the time, and their velocity. Its official name is NAVSTAR GPS. Although NAVSTAR is not an acronym, a few backronyms have been created for it.

Since it became fully operational in 1993, GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, commerce, scientific uses, and hobbies such as geocaching. Also, the precise time reference is used in many applications including the scientific study of earthquakes. GPS is also a required key synchronization resource of cellular networks, such as the Qualcomm CDMA air interface used by many wireless carriers in a multitude of countries. Also see geographic coordinate system.

Grace:

Christian theology: a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence.

Elegance and beauty of movement, form, expression, or proportion; a pleasing or charming quality.

Goodwill or favour; the granting of a favour or the manifestation of goodwill, especially by a superior.

Christianity / Ecclesiastical terms: a short prayer recited before or after a meal to invoke a blessing upon the food or give thanks for it.

Grace-and-Favour:

Government, Politics & Diplomacy (modifier) Brit: (of a house, flat, etc.) owned by the sovereign and granted free of rent to a person to whom the sovereign wishes to express gratitude.

Grace Period:

The time between the granting of a loan and the first repayment. It is also the amount of time allowed by a loan or insurance contract between an overdue payment and cancellation of the contract.

Graft:

Unscrupulous use of one's position to derive profit or advantages; extortion.

Money or an advantage gained or yielded by unscrupulous means.

Graffiti:

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is sometimes regarded as a form of art and other times regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted.

Graffiti is any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. In modern times, spray paint, normal paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with Graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes Graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism. Graffiti has since evolved into a pop culture existence often related to underground hip hop music and b-boying creating a lifestyle that remains hidden from the general public. Graffiti is used as a gang signal to mark territory or to serve as an indicator or "tag" for gang-related activity. The controversies that surround Graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials / law enforcement and Graffitists looking to display their work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of Graffiti and it is a rapidly developing artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

Grammar:

The study of how words and their component parts combine to form sentences.

The study of structural relationships in language or in a language, sometimes including pronunciation, meaning, and linguistic history.

Grand:

Large and impressive in size, scope, or extent; magnificent.

Grand Jury:

A jury of 12 to 23 persons convened in private session to evaluate accusations against persons charged with crime and to determine whether the evidence warrants a bill of indictment.

Grand Old Man:

A venerated practitioner or former practitioner of an art, profession, or sport.

Grand Prix:

Any of several competitive international road races for sports cars of specific engine size over an exacting, usually risky course.

Grand Slam:

The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand in bridge and other whist-derived card games.

Sports: the winning of all the major or specified events, especially on a professional circuit.

Grand Tour:

An extended cultural tour of Europe taken by wealthy young Englishmen (especially in the 18th century) as part of their education.

Grandee:

A nobleman of the highest rank in Spain or Portugal; used as the title for such a nobleman.

A person of eminence or high rank.

Grandfather Clause:

A clause in an agreement (especially in the GATT) which allows the parties to the agreement to exempt certain things that were in existence in their own laws before the agreement was reached.

Grandstand:

A stand at a racecourse or stadium consisting of tiers with rows of individual seats that are under a protective roof.

Grandstanding:

To perform ostentatiously in order to impress the audience and with an eye to the applause.

Grant:

Money provided for a business project from outside normal commercial sources. For example, a government Grant that is given to encourage a company to build a new factory in a particular place.

Law: a transfer of property by deed.

Grapevine:

The informal transmission of information, gossip, or rumor from person to person.

A usually unrevealed source of confidential information.

Graphology:

The study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing character.

Grass Roots:

People or society at a local level rather than at the center of major political activity.

The groundwork or source of something.

Gratuity:

A favor or gift, usually in the form of money, given in return for service.

Gravity:

The natural force of attraction exerted by a celestial body, such as Earth, upon objects at or near its surface, tending to draw them toward the center of the body.

Gray (unit):

The Gray (symbol: Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation (for example, X-rays), and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiation by one kilogram of matter (usually human tissue). Named after the British physicist Louis Harold Gray in 1975.

The Gray measures the deposited energy of radiation. The biological effects vary by the type and energy of the radiation and the organism and tissues involved. The sievert attempts to account for these variations.

Great American Novel:

The "Great American Novel" is the concept of a novel that is distinguished in both craft and theme as being the most accurate representative of the zeitgeist in the United States at the time of its writing.

Books that are considered to deserve to be called "the Great American Novel" include Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gone with the Wind and The Grapes of Wrath.

Great Hall:

The principal hall in a castle or mansion; can be used for dining or entertainment.

Great Power:

One of the nations having great political, social, and economic influence in international affairs.

Greek Tragedy:

A Greek Tragedy depicts the downfall of a noble hero or heroine, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods. The tragic hero's powerful wish to achieve some goal inevitably encounters limits, usually those of human frailty (flaws in reason, hubris, society), the gods (through oracles, prophets, fate), or nature. Aristotle says that the tragic hero should have a flaw and/or make some mistake (hamartia). The hero need not die at the end, but he / she must undergo a change in fortune. In addition, the tragic hero may achieve some revelation or recognition (anagnorisis--"knowing again" or "knowing back" or "knowing throughout" ) about human fate, destiny, and the will of the gods. Aristotle quite nicely terms this sort of recognition "a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of love or hate."

Green Card:

An official document issued by the U.S. government to aliens, allowing them to work legally in the United States.

Green Landing:

Visit: green landings save fuel and more.

Greenfield Site:

A previously agricultural site outside an urban area on which a company builds a factory or office.

Greenhouse Gas:

Greenhouse Gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The main Greenhouse Gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. In our solar system, the atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan also contain gases that cause greenhouse effects. Greenhouse Gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth's surface would be on average about 33°C (59°F) colder than at present.

Greenmail:

A company buying back its own shares for more than the going market price to avoid a threatened hostile takeover.

Greenscreen:

See: chroma key.

Greenwash:

Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources.

Gregorian Calendar:

The Gregorian Calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter gravissimas.

See also: Julian calendar and Roman calendar.

Grey Market:

A market for trading in shares not yet issued; before a new issue has been allocated to investors the shares are traded on a basis of "when issued", denoted by the letters WI.

Grid:

A framework of crisscrossed or parallel bars; a grating or mesh.

Something resembling a framework of crisscrossed parallel bars, as in rigidity or organization.

A pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines forming squares on a map, a chart, an aerial photograph, or an optical device, used as a reference for locating points.

Electricity: an interconnected system for the distribution of electricity or electromagnetic signals over a wide area, especially a network of high-tension cables and power stations.

Grill:

A cooking surface of parallel metal bars; a gridiron.

A series of marks grilled or embossed on a surface.

Informal: to question relentlessly; cross-examine.

Grills:

In hip hop culture, a Grill (also front or golds) is a type of jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are made of metal and are generally removable.

Gringo:

Used as a disparaging term for a foreigner in Latin America, especially an American or English person.

Groggy:

Stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or drunkenness or exhaustion).

Grooming:

Activity leading to skilled behavior.

To care for the appearance of; to make neat and trim.

To prepare, as for a specific position or purpose.

Groove:

Slang: a settled routine; a situation or an activity that one enjoys or to which one is especially well suited; a very pleasurable experience.

Gross:

The total amount of something - gross sales, gross profit, and so on - before taking into account a number of costs, such as tax or depreciation.

Ground Rule:

A basic rule of procedure or behavior. Often used in the plural.

Sports: a rule governing the playing of a game on a particular field, course, or court.

Ground Zero:

The point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs.

The center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change.

The very beginning. See also: square one.

Groundwork:

Preliminary work as a foundation or basis.

Group:

An assemblage of persons or objects gathered or located together; an aggregation.

A number of individuals or things considered together because of similarities.

A number of companies which are owned by each other or by a common holding company. Most Groups consist of a parent company and several subsidiaries.

Group Accounts:

The accounts of a group in which all transactions between members of the group are netted out. So the group's sales, for example, are less than the sum of the sales of the individual companies within the group, assuming that at least one of them has sold something to one of the others.

Groupie:

A Groupie is a person who seeks sexual and/or emotional intimacy with a celebrity or other authority figure. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but now has more general application.

Groupware:

A software program which links people with a common interest and enables them to communicate rapidly and easily with each other.

Growth:

An increase in some measure or other of a company's performance between one accounting period and another, most often the increase in the value of either its sales or its profit. A country's economic growth rate is the percentage by which its GDP changes over a given period, usually a year.

GRT:

Short for: Gross Register Tonnage. Gross register tonnage (GRT, grt, g.r.t.) represents the total internal volume of a vessel, with some exemptions for non-productive spaces. A register ton is equal to a volume of 100 cubic feet. Gross register tonnage is not a measure of the ship's weight or displacement and should not be confused with terms such as gross tonnage, deadweight tonnage, net tonnage, or displacement.

GSM:

Short for: Global System for Mobile Communications. GSM is the digital transmission technique widely adopted in Europe and supported in North America for PCS. GSM uses 900 MHz and 1800 MHz in Europe. In North America, GSM uses the 1900 MHz.

See also: SMS and MMS.

GSP:

Short for: Generalized System of Preferences, and agreement among developed countries that they will give preferential treatment to certain imports from developing countries. The GSP allows countries to break the no favoritism rules of the GATT.

GT:

Short for: Gran Turismo. A car GT is usually a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement.

The term derives from the Italian phrase Gran Turismo, homage to the tradition of the "Grand Tour", used to represent automobiles regarded as grand tourers abilities to make long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style. The English translation is "Grand Touring", the French "Grand Tourisme".

Guarantee:

An undertaking by someone that they will be responsible for an obligation (a debt or a promise of good behavior) if the person who is bound by the obligation fails to fulfill it. To be binding in court, a Guarantee needs to be made in writing.

Guarantees are often given by manufacturers, promising consumers that their goods will meet certain standards for a certain length of time. These days, however, such promises often provide little more protection to consumer than the ordinary law of the land.

Guardian:

Law: one who is legally responsible for the care and management of the person or property of an incompetent or a minor.

Guardian Angel:

An angel believed to have special affection for a particular individual.

Guerilla:

A member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment.

Guerilla Dining:

Eating experience in which chefs and restauranteurs create temporary and exclusive dining opportunities in various untraditional locations; usually housed in makeshift structures and situated off every beaten track, with top chefs but a deliberately limited lifespan. For those drawn to restaurants with three-month waiting lists and secret phone numbers for the privileged few, this is the next step - a restaurant so exclusive that there's no advertising, it's very hard to find, and that if you're not in the loop it will have vanished by the time you even discover it.

Visit also: underground restaurant - Wikipedia.

Guestbook:

A Guestbook is a paper or electronic means for a visitor to acknowledge their visitation to a site, physical or web-based, and leave their name, postal or electronic address (if desired), and a comment or note, if desired.

Guide:

One who shows the way by leading, directing, or advising.

One who serves as a model for others, as in a course of conduct.

Something, such as a pamphlet, that offers basic information or instruction.

Guided Democracy:

Guided Democracy, also called managed democracy, is a term for a democratic government with increased autocracy. Governments are legitimated by elections that, while free and fair, are used by the government to continue their same policies and goals.

Guideline:

A statement or other indication of policy or procedure by which to determine a course of action.

Guiding Star:

Ambition, aspiration, basis, calling, cause, goal, ground, ideal, inspiration, vocation.

Guild:

A formal association of people with similar interests.

Guinea:

A former British gold coin worth 21 shillings.

Guinea Pig:

Any of various small, short-eared domesticated rodents of the genus Cavia, having variously colored hair and no visible tail. They are widely kept as pets and often used as experimental animals.

A person who is used as a subject for experimentation or research.

Gulag:

The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labour camps of the Soviet Union. Gulag is the Russian acronym for The Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Colonies of the NKVD. Eventually, by metonymy, the usage of "Gulag" began generally denoting the entire penal labor system in the USSR, then any such penal system.

Visit also: gulag - Wikipedia.

Gum Shoe:

Slang: an investigator, especially a detective.

Gunboat Diplomacy:

Diplomacy involving intimidation by threat or use of military force.

Gunmetal:

Gunmetal, also known as red brass in the United States, is a type of bronze – an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Originally used chiefly for making guns, Gunmetal was superseded by steel.

James Bond carried his cigarettes in a trademarked monogrammed Gunmetal cigarette case.

Guru:

A personal spiritual teacher.

A business academic or a management consultant who is known for his or her expertise in a particular business area. Gurus are much in demand in the media.

Gut Feeling:

An instinct or intuition; an immediate or basic feeling or reaction without a logical rationale.

Gynecocracy:

rule by women; a political system governed by a woman.

Gypsy:

A member of a people that arrived in Europe in migrations from northern India around the 14th century, now also living in North America and Australia. Many Gypsy groups have preserved elements of their traditional culture, including an itinerant existence and the Romany language.

One inclined to a nomadic, unconventional way of life.

Gyro Stabilization:

Gyros consist of a gyroscope with two perpendicular spinning wheels and a battery pack. The gyro attaches to your tripod socket and acts like an "invisible tripod".

Unlike optically stabilized lenses which are limited to the same manufacturer (Canon's IS or Nikon's VR series), Gyroscopic Stabilizers can be used with any camera or binocular (stabilized or otherwise) to ensure sharper pictures and smoother pans. Just hook up a gryo, and the entire mass of your camera and lens will be stabilized. Mass stabilization allows slower shutter speeds for special effects; a crisp car zooming along a blurred road for example.

Gyroscope:

A device consisting of a spinning mass, typically a disk or wheel, mounted on a base so that its axis can turn freely in one or more directions and thereby maintain its orientation regardless of any movement of the base.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- H -

H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu):

H1N1 (Swine Influenza - also Swine Flu) refers to influenza caused by any virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae, that is endemic to pig (swine) populations. Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV), and all known strains of SIV are classified as Influenzavirus A (common) or Influenzavirus C (rare). Influenzavirus B has not been reported in swine. All three clades, Influenzavirus A, B, and C, are endemic in humans.

People who work with poultry and swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of infection from these animals if the animals carry a strain that is also able to infect humans. SIV can mutate into a form that allows it to pass from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone this mutation.

In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general.

To learn more abouth the current 2009 Swine Flu outbreak, visit: Wikipedia.

Habeas Corpus:

Habeas Corpus is a legal action, or writ, through which a person can seek relief from the unlawful detention of him or herself, or of another person. It protects the individual from harming him or herself, or from being harmed by the judicial system. Of English origin, the writ of Habeas Corpus has historically been an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action.

Haberdasher:

A merchant who sells men's clothing.

Habit:

An established custom.

Habitat:

Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology: the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs.

Sociology: the place in which a person, group, class, etc., is normally found.

Hack:

To gain unauthorised access into somebody's computer system from a computer outside it.

One who undertakes unpleasant or distasteful tasks for money or reward; a hireling; a writer hired to produce routine or commercial writing.

Hacker:

A person, often young, who is skilled at gaining unauthorised access into other people's computer systems.

Haggis:

Haggis is a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours.

The Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, considered the national dish of Scotland as a result of Robert Burns' poem Address to a Haggis of 1787.

Haiku:

A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

Hail Mary:

A prayer based on the greetings of Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary. Also called Ave Maria.

Hair Extension:

Hair Extension or Integration are methods of adding commercial hair to natural hair. These methods are used to conceal thinning or hair loss in concentrated areas.

Invisible Hair Weave is a new method of extension that uses no braids or glue to attach the commercial hair to the natural hair.

Haircut (finance):

The difference between prices at which a market maker can buy and sell a security. The term Haircut comes from the fact that market makers can trade at such a thin spread.

The percentage by which an asset's market value is reduced for the purpose of calculating capital requirement, margin and collateral levels. When they are used as collateral, securities will generally be devalued since a cushion is required by the lending parties in case the market value falls.

Hajj:

The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (God). The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. In 2007, the Hajj was from December 17–21; in 2008 from December 6–10, and in 2009 will be November 25–29. Ihram is the name given to the special state in which Muslims live whilst on the pilgrimage.

The Hajj is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Ibrahim (Abraham). Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times about the Ka'bah, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer; kisses the Black Stone in the corner of the Ka'bah; runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah; drinks from the Zamzam Well; goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil; and throws stones in a ritual Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of Eid al-Adha.

Halal:

The word 'halal' literally means permissible - and in translation it is usually used as lawful.

The Halal Food Authority rules for halal are based on Islamic Shari'ah. Opposite to Halal is haram, which means unlawful or forbidden.

It is well known in the meat trade that Muslims consume Halal meat. However, at times questions are asked, what is Halal? In Arabic it simply means permissible or allowed. Opposite to it is haram, which means forbidden or not allowed. Arabic is the language of Qur`an, a scripture revealed to the Holy Prophet of Islam by the Almighty Allah to be followed in its entirety by the Muslims.

Half-Time:

Sport: a rest period between the two halves of a game.

Halfway House:

A rehabilitation center where people who have left an institution, such as a hospital or prison, are helped to readjust to the outside world.

Hall:

A corridor or passageway in a building.

A large entrance room or vestibule in a building; a lobby.

A building for public gatherings or entertainments.

A building belonging to a school, college, or university that provides classroom, dormitory, or dining facilities.

The main house on a landed estate.

The castle or house of a medieval monarch or noble.

Hall of Fame:

A Hall of Fame is a type of museum established for any a field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field.

Hall of Shame:

The collection of the worst or most dishonored entries in a specific subject, media form, field, etc.

Hallelujah:

Hallelujah is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yahweh". It is an exclamation used chiefly in songs of praise or thanksgiving to God, and as an expression of gratitude or adoration.

Hallmark:

A mark indicating quality or excellence. The use of Hallmarks, at first, on silver has a long history dating back to the 4th century AD and represents the oldest known form of consumer protection.

A conspicuous feature or characteristic.

Halloween:

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America during Ireland's Great Famine of the 1840s.

The day is often associated with orange and black, and is strongly associated with symbols like the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, reading scary stories, and watching horror films.

Hallucination:

Perception of visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or gustatory experiences without an external stimulus and with a compelling sense of their reality, usually resulting from a mental disorder or as a response to a drug.

A false or mistaken idea; a delusion.

Halo:

A circular band of colored light around a light source, as around the sun or moon, caused by the refraction and reflection of light by ice particles suspended in the intervening atmosphere.

A luminous ring or disk of light surrounding the heads or bodies of sacred figures, such as saints, in religious paintings; a nimbus.

The aura of majesty or glory surrounding a person or thing that is regarded with reverence, awe, or sentiment.

Hamper:

A large basket, usually with a cover.

HAN:

Short for: Home Area Network.

See also: home network.

Handbags:

Birkin Bag: aka "the Holy Grail of purses". Read more here.

Clutch Bag: a woman's purse that is strapless and carried in the hand.

Drawstring Bag: it means a bag of gatherable closure with drawstring. The earlist one is Louis Vuitton’s Noé in 1932. You can not image that it is firstly designed to carry champagne for the convenience of nobility’s travelling. Now, the drawstring become an ornamental item, other than an functional one.

Duffel Bag: Duffel is the name of a thick material. It’s traceable from an Belgian town where produced this kind of material primitively. Duffel today often means a good-sized travelling bag.
Representative: Louis Vuitton’s Keepall(the former kind of Speedy).

Hobo: definition of it are clear relatively. Generally speaking, its handle and bag body form a round shape, with which gives a comfortable feeling to people. The name can be origined from Hermes Trim in 1958.

Kelly Bag: named after Grace Kelly in 1956, originally created as Sac à Dépêches in 1935. Read more here.

Satchel: a Satchel is a transverse and quadrate bag.

Shoulder Bag: properly, a Shoulder Bag is carried on shoulder. Compared with Satchel, a shoulder bag has longer shoulder straps. What’s more, it can be north/south.

Tote: a tote usually means a hand-hold bag having great capacity and short handles. The open-top one are named to Shopper.

Weekender: a Weekender bag is just a life style. It has no special pattern, as long as can contain clothes for travelling and some storybook to kill the time.

Hand Baggage:

See: Carry-On Baggage.

Handicap:

Sports & Games: a race or contest in which contestants are given advantages or compensations to equalize the chances of winning.

A physical or mental disability.

A hindrance.

Handle:

The part of a utensil, drawer, etc., designed to be held in order to move, use, or pick up the object.

Slang: a person's name or title.

An opportunity, reason, or excuse for doing something.

Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles: the quality, as of textiles, perceived by touching or feeling.

Informal: to become suddenly extremely angry.

Handmade:

Made or prepared by hand rather than by machine.

Handyman:

A man who does odd jobs or various small tasks.

See also: factotum.

Hanger-On:

A sycophant; a parasite.

One who hangs on, or sticks to, a person, place, or service; a dependent; one who adheres to others’ society longer than he is wanted.

Hanukkah:

The eight-day Jewish festival of lights beginning on the 25th of Kislev and commemorating the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 B.C. Also called: Feast of Dedication, Feast of Lights.

Happening:

Something that takes place.

An improvised, often spontaneous spectacle or performance, especially one involving audience participation.

Happy Ending:

A Happy Ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which most everything turns out for the best for the hero or heroine, their sidekicks, and just about everyone but the villains.

Happy Hour:

A period of time, usually in late afternoon and early evening, during which a bar or lounge features drinks at reduced prices.

Happy Shooting:

Celebrating by shooting your firearm in the air; especially popular in the Arab world.

Click here for YouTube clip of Sultan Qaboos of Oman shooting in the air Saddam Hussein style.

Happy Slapping:

Happy Slapping is a fad in which someone assaults an unsuspecting victim while an accomplice records the assault (commonly with a camera phone or a smartphone). Most Happy-Slappers are teenagers or young adults. Several incidents are extremely violent, and some victims of "Happy-Slapping" have even been killed. Though the name will usually refer to minor acts of violence such as hitting (slapping) or jumping on the victim, more serious crimes such as rape and sexual assaults have been "classified as Happy Slapping" by the media.

Filming attacks seems to be common in modern bullying, and not unique to Happy Slapping. The core defining feature of Happy Slapping is an effort by the attacker to make the assault seem like a comical surprise at the victim's expense. When the "Happy Slapping" craze first started, it was seen amongst youngsters as harmless fun. Despite the increased level of violence, this perception sometimes persists. Often those found performing such activities will say they were just "Happy Slapping", asserting their belief that no significant harm was caused to the victim (often contradicting the obvious) with the only result being humorous entertainment.

Harakiri:

Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by samurai in the traditional Japanese society.

Hard Copy:

A printed copy, especially of the output of a computer or word processor.

Hard Currency:

A currency that does not normally depreciate (that is, lose its value) against other currencies over time. For this reason Hard Currencies - the US dollar, the D-mark and the Swiss franc - are favoured for denominating international trade. The Euro is widely expected to become a Hard Currency to rival the dollar.

Hard Disk Drive:

A Hard Disk Drive (often shortened as Hard Disk, hard drive, or HDD) is a non-volatile storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Strictly speaking, "drive" refers to the motorized mechanical aspect that is distinct from its medium, such as a tape drive and its tape, or a floppy disk drive and its floppy disk. Early HDDs had removable media; however, an HDD today is typically a sealed unit (except for a filtered vent hole to equalize air pressure) with fixed media. Hard drives have a reputation for the potential of catastrophic "crashing" with such failure leading to a total data loss, however they continue to be a popular component of computers because they are much cheaper than solid state "drives".

Hard Sell:

An exceptionally forceful attempt by a salesman to sell goods or services to a consumer. A Hard Sell can backfire it is intimidates the consumer to such an extent that it puts him off making a purchase. The opposite of a soft sell.

Hardcore:

Intensely loyal; die-hard.

Stubbornly resistant to improvement or change.

Extremely graphic or explicit.

Hardware:

The bits and pieces of any computer system that can be kicked, that is, they take up physical space. The opposite of software.

Harem:

A house or a section of a house reserved for women members of a Muslim household; the wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying such a place.

A group of women sexual partners for one man.

Harley Street:

Harley Street is a road in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is noted for its large number of private dentists, surgeons, and doctors. Its name is synonymous with private medical care in the United Kingdom.

Harmony:

Agreement in feeling or opinion; accord.

A combination of sounds considered pleasing to the ear.

Haute Couture:

Haute Couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; pronounced refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.

It originally referred to Englishman Charles Frederick Worth's work, produced in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. In modern France, haute couture is a "protected name" that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Rome, New York and Tokyo.

Haute Cuisine:

Haute Cuisine (French: literally "High Cooking") or grande cuisine refers to the cooking of the grand restaurants and hotels of the Western world. Created by Marie-Antoine (Antonin) Carême, it is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations; large meals of small, often quite rich courses; extensive wine cellars; and large, hierarchical and efficiently run service staffs. Aaron Macias, his first sous chef, also played an extensive part in his rise to the hierarchical presentations. The cuisine was defined by the French phrase cuisine classique until the 1970s, when cuisine classique was supplanted by nouvelle cuisine. Nowadays, haute cuisine is not defined by any particular style – there are haute cuisine restaurants serving fusion cuisine, regional cuisine and postmodern cuisine – but are defined rather by careful preparations, elaborate service, critical acclaim, and, most importantly, obsessive attention to detail - not to mention high price. Culinary guides such as the Michelin Guide and Gault Millau have helped to define modern haute cuisine.

Hawala Banking:

Hawala (also known as hundi) is an informal value transfer system based on the performance and honor of a huge network of money brokers, which are primarily located in the Middle East, North and Northeast Africa, and South Asia.

An informal value transfer system (IVTS) refers to any system, mechanism, or network of people that receives money for the purpose of making the funds or an equivalent value payable to a third party in another geographic location, whether or not in the same form. Informal value transfers generally take place outside of the conventional banking system through non-bank financial institutions or other business entities whose primary business activity may not be the transmission of money. The IVTS transactions occasionally interconnect with formal banking systems, for example, through the use of bank accounts held by the IVTS operator.

See also: Islamic banking.

HD:

Short for: High Definition.

See: high definition video.

HDMI:

Short for: High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

Visit HDMI.

HDTV:

Short for: High-Definition TeleVision. HDTV (1080i) is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition TV, or SDTV). HDTV is digitally broadcast; the earliest implementations used analog broadcasting, but today digital television (DTV) signals are used, requiring less bandwidth due to digital video compression.

Headhunter:

A person or firm employed by a company to help recruit someone to fill a senior post, usually by persuading skilled employees elsewhere to change jobs. Headhunters are more pompously known as executive search consultant.

Heads or Tails:

Heads or Tails is a coin-tossing game. Most coins have a side where the imprint of a person's head, such as a current or former head of state, is impressed — this side is called the "heads" side. The other side is called the "tails" side, irrespective of its design. Technically, the heads and tails sides are known as the obverse and reverse, respectively.

Headquarter(s):

The place where a company's senior executives have their offices and where its board holds its meetings. It may or may not be the officially registered address of the company.

The offices of a commander, as of a military unit, from which orders are issued; a center of operations or administration.

Healing:

The natural process by which the body repairs itself.

To restore to health or soundness; cure; to restore (a person) to spiritual wholeness.

Health:

The overall condition of an organism at a given time; soundness, especially of body or mind; freedom from disease or abnormality.

A condition of optimal well-being.

Hearsay:

Unverified information heard or received from another; rumor.

Law: evidence based on the reports of others rather than the personal knowledge of a witness and therefore generally not admissible as testimony.

Hearts and Minds:

Hearts and Minds was a euphemism for a campaign by the United States military during the Vietnam War, intended to win the popular support of the Vietnamese people by protecting civilians and helping them (re)build schools and infrastructure in order to pry their allegiance away from the incumbent regime or local allegiances.

Heavy Industry:

An industry which produces heavy goods and uses heavy equipment to do it. Examples are the steel, automobile and shipbuilding industries, which are both labour intensive and capital intensive. The opposite of light industry.

Hectopascal:

Hectopascal, in meteorology, for atmospheric pressure, the modern equivalent of the traditional millibar. See millibar.

Hedge:

A means of reducing the risk of loss from future good Hedge against the reduction in the value of money that occurs at a time of inflation. International businesses seek to Hedge against the risk from movements in foreign-exchange markets. Those that do not have on occasions lost out badly.

Hedge Fund:

A flexible investment fund for a limited number of large investors (the minimum investment is typically US$1 million). Hedge Funds use almost all investment techniques, including those forbidden to mutual funds, such as short-selling and heavy leveraging.

Hedging:

Taking two positions whose gains and losses will offset each other if prices change, in order to limit financial risk.

Hedonism:

Hedonism is a type of philosophy for that the pleasure is an ultimate importance and the most important pursuit for the man.

Hedonist:

Someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures.

Hegemony:

The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.

Heimlich Maneuver:

It is important to be able to recognize when someone is choking. A choking victim usually coughs and then instinctively places his hands at his throat. If the victim can cough, encourage him to cough out the blockage. If the victim cannot make a sound, his airway is blocked. Use your fingers to clear away material in his mouth and proceed.

Assuming the choking victim is still conscious, stand behind him, with arms under his. Make one hand into a fist and press its thumb inwards above the navel and below the bone. Put your other hand around the fist and pull sharply up and towards yourself, four times. Check to see if the blockage is removed. If this didn't work, give 4 sharp blows to the back between the shoulder blades (to help dislodge material) and then repeat the maneuver. Don't stop!

For a pregnant woman, put your fist against the breastbone.

You can give yourself a Heimlich Maneuver by pushing against a blunt object (e.g. a chair back).

Heir:

A person who inherits or is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another.

A person who succeeds or is in line to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office.

Heiress:

A woman who is an heir, especially to great wealth.

Heirloom:

Law: any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance.

Something that has been in a family for generations.

Helvetica Fontface:

Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger.

Hemisphere:

Half of the terrestrial globe.

Hen Night:

A party for women only, especially held for a woman shortly before she is married.

See also: stag night.

Henley:

A Henley shirt is a collarless men's casualwear pullover shirt, characterized by a 4-6" long slit beneath the round neckline, usually having 2-5 buttons. It essentially resembles a collarless polo shirt. The sleeves may be either short or long sleeve, and it can be made in almost any fabric, although cotton and cotton-polyester blends are by far the most popular. Henley shirts are generally regarded as menswear, although women sometimes wear them, too.

Herald:

A person who carries or proclaims important news; a messenger.

One that gives a sign or indication of something to come; a harbinger.

An official formerly charged with making royal proclamations and bearing messages of state between sovereigns; an official who formerly made proclamations and conveyed challenges at a tournament.

Heraldry:

The profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms, tracing genealogies, and determining and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms.

A branch of knowledge dealing with the history and description in proper terms of armorial bearings and their accessories.

Armorial ensigns or similar insignia.

Pomp and ceremony, especially attended with armorial trappings; pageantry.

Herb:

A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season.

Any of various often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning.

Slang: marijuana.

Herbivorous:

Feeding on plants; plant-eating.

Hereditary:

Law: descending from an ancestor to a legal heir; passing down by inheritance; having title or possession through inheritance.

Appearing in or characteristic of successive generations.

Heresy:

Any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position.

Hermaphroditic:

An animal or plant exhibiting Hermaphroditism.

Something that is a combination of disparate or contradictory elements.

Heyday:

The period of greatest popularity, success, or power; prime.

Hickey:

A reddish mark on the skin caused by amorous kissing, biting, or sucking.

Hidden Agenda:

The undisclosed objectives that a person has, usually when participating in a meeting.

Hidden Reserves:

The reserves of a company that are not disclosed in its balance sheet. These may arise from an under-evaluation of its assets or from hidden bank accounts (abroad).

Hierarchy:

A Hierarchy (Greek: Hierarchia, from Hierarches, "leader of sacred rites") is an arrangement of items (object, names, values, categories, etc.) in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another and with only one "neighbor" above and below each level. These classifications are made with regard to rank, importance, seniority, power status or authority. A Hierarchy of power is called a power structure. Abstractly, a Hierarchy is simply an ordered set or an acyclic graph.

A Hierarchy can link entity either directly or indirectly, and either vertically or horizontally. The only direct links in a Hierarchy, insofar as they are Hierarchical, are to one's immediate superior or to one of one's subordinates, although a system that is largely Hierarchical can also incorporate other organizational patterns. Indirect Hierarchical links can extend "vertically" upwards or downwards via multiple links in the same direction, following a path. All parts of the Hierarchy which are not linked vertically to one another nevertheless can be "horizontally" linked through a path by traveling up the Hierarchy to find a common direct or indirect superior, and then down again. This is akin to two co-workers or colleagues; each reports to a common superior, but they have the same relative amount of authority.

High:

Of more than normal height; extending upward a (specified) distance; situated far above the ground or some other level.

Slang: drunk; intoxicated; under the influence of a drug.

High-Class:

Of superior quality; first-class.

High-Definition Video:

High-Definition Video or HD Video refers to any video of higher resolution than standard-definition (SD) video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1280×720 pixels (720p) or 1920×1080 pixels (1080i/1080p).

High-End:

Sophisticated and discerning.

High Fashion:

The latest in trendsetting fashion or design, usually intended for or adopted by an exclusive clientele.

See also: haute couture.

High Five:

A gesture of greeting, elation, or victory in which one person slaps an upraised palm against that of another person.

High Living:

A feeding upon rich, pampering food.

High Net Worth Individual:

See: HNWI.

High Office:

Key position, leading position, top job.

High Priest:

A preeminent authority or major proponent of a movement or doctrine.

High Profile:

An intentionally conspicuous, well-publicized presence or stance.

High Roller:

One who spends freely and extravagantly, as for luxuries or entertainment.

One who gambles rashly or for high stakes.

An organization, such as a large corporation, that spends or invests liberally or rashly.

High School:

A secondary school that usually includes grades 9 or 10 through 12.

High Society:

The upper class is a concept in sociology that refers to the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class often have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.

The phrase "upper class" has had a complex range of meanings and usages. In many traditional societies, membership of the upper class was hard or even impossible to acquire by any means other than being born into it.

See also: socialite.

High Status:

A position of superior status.

High Table:

At Oxford and Cambridge colleges - and other, similarly traditional, academic institutions - the High Table is a table for the use of fellows (members of the Senior Common Room) and their guests. The table is normally on a raised platform and at the end of the dining hall, although not always. On more formal evening occasions, dinner jackets are worn. It is also normal to wear academic gowns.

High Tea:

High Tea (also known as meat tea is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm in the evening. It would be eaten as a substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal.

It would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal.

See also: afternoon tea.

High Tech:

Short for: High Technology. Modern advances in science that have found industrial and commercial uses. Often associated with developments in information technology.

Hijack:

To seize control of (a moving vehicle) by use of force, especially in order to reach an alternate destination.

Himbo:

A male bimbo, male who uses his good lucks but is superficial and unintelligent.

Hinterland:

The land directly adjacent to and inland from a coast.

A region situated beyond metropolitan centers of culture.

Hip:

Usually used to begin a cheer.

Slang: keenly aware of or knowledgeable about the latest trends or developments; very fashionable or stylish.

Hippie (Hippy):

A person who opposes and rejects many of the conventional standards and customs of society, especially one who advocates extreme liberalism in sociopolitical attitudes and lifestyles.

Hipster:

A "Hipster" is what "Hipsters" call other "Hipsters" to detract attention away from their own "Hipsterness." A "Hipster" was once the word du jour for cool and hip people, but now that its uncool and unhip to be hip and cool.

Historic Cost:

The cost of an asset on the day that it was purchased; its original cost. Contrast with replacement cost. In the United States it is known as historical cost.

Hit:

An action on the web site, such as when a user views a page or downloads a file.

A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.

A successful or popular venture.

A collision or impact.

A murder planned and carried out usually by a member of an underworld syndicate.

Hit & Run:

Being or involving the driver of a motor vehicle who leaves the scene of an accident, especially one in which a pedestrian or another vehicle has been struck.

Involving or designed for swift specific action or effect.

Hit Man:

A man hired by a crime syndicate as a professional killer.

Hit Parade:

A ranked group or listing of the currently most popular songs.

A collection or listing of the most popular or excellent items or people of a certain kind.

HMMWV:

Short for: The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a military 4WD motor vehicle created by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the M561 "Gama Goat", their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV, and other light trucks with the United States military, as well as being used by a number of other countries and organizations.

HNWI:

Short for: High Net Worth Individual. A HNWI is someone who has more than US$1 million in financial assets, excluding their primary residence.

See also: millionaire, ultra-high net worth individual and World Wealth Report 2011.

Hoax:

An act intended to deceive or trick.

Something that has been established or accepted by fraudulent means.

Hobby:

An activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.

Hobo:

One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood; a disreputable vagrant.

Hocus Pocus:

Nonsense words or phrases used as a formula by quack conjurers.

A trick performed by a magician or juggler; sleight-of-hand.

To play tricks on; deceive.

Hörensagen:

German for: Hearsay.

Holding Company:

A company whose activity is limited to holding and managing investments or property but not having ordinary commercial or trading activities. The requirements to achieve Holding Company status vary in different countries (in particular Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Nauru and the Netherlands).

Holiday:

A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observation is warranted.

Holism:

Holism (from holos, a Greek word meaning all, entire, total) is the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave.

The general principle of holism was concisely summarized by Aristotle in the Metaphysics: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts".

Holocaust:

The Holocaust (from the Greek: holos, "whole" and kaustos, "burnt"), also known as Shoah, Latinized ha'shoah; Latinized churben or hurban) is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a program of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, and its collaborators. Some scholars maintain that the definition of the Holocaust should also include the Nazis' systematic murder of millions of people in other groups, including ethnic Poles, the Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, gay men, and political and religious opponents, which would bring the total number of Holocaust victims to between 11 million and 17 million people.

Holography:

Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that it appears as if the object is in the same position relative to the recording medium as it was when recorded. The image changes as the position and orientation of the viewing system changes in exactly the same way as if the object were still present, thus making the recorded image (hologram) appear three dimensional.

Holy Grail:

A cup or plate that, according to medieval legend, was used by Jesus at the Last Supper and that later became the law object of many chivalrous quests.

The object of a prolonged endeavor.

Homage:

Ceremonial acknowledgment by a vassal of allegiance to his lord under feudal law.

Special honor or respect shown or expressed publicly.

Home Network:

A Home Network or home area network (HAN) is a residential local area network. It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices. An important function is the sharing of Internet access, often a broadband service through a cable tv or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) provider.

Home Page:

The main page of a web site. The home page provides visitors with an overview and links to the rest of the site. It often contains or links to a Table of Contents for the site.

Home Page URL:

The local path or Internet URL to the default page of the web site.

Home Run:

Baseball: a hit that allows the batter to make a complete circuit of the diamond and score a run.

Home Worker:

A person who works from home using some basic sort of equipment, for example, a computer, a telephone or a knitting machine.

Homeland:

One's native land.

A state, region, or territory that is closely identified with a particular people or ethnic group.

Homeopathy:

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine that treats patients with heavily diluted preparations that are thought to cause effects similar to the symptoms presented, first expounded by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. Homeopathic remedies are prepared by serial dilution with shaking ("succussing") after each step under the assumption that this increases the effect of the treatment. This dilution often continues until none of the original substance remains.

Honeymoon:

A holiday or trip taken by a newly married couple.

An early harmonious period in a relationship.

Honeytrap:

A scheme in which a victim is lured into a compromising sexual situation to provide an opportunity for blackmail.

Honor:

High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem.

Glory or recognition; distinction.

A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction.

The dignity accorded to position.

Special recognition for unusual academic achievement.

Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for certain officials, such as judges and mayors.

Honor Killing:

An ancient tradition still sometimes observed; a male member of the family kills a female relative for tarnishing the family image.

Honorable:

Abbr. Hon. Used as a courtesy title.

Hoodie:

A Hoodie (or Hoody), short for "hooded sweatshirt", is a heavy upper-body garment with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and (usually) a drawstring to adjust the hood opening.

Hook:

Slang: a means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement.

Sports: a short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm.

Hook, Line, and Sinker:

Without reservation; completely.

See also: Lock, Stock, & Barrel.

Hooligan:

A tough and aggressive or violent youth.

Hope Chest:

A chest used by a young woman for clothing and household goods, such as linens and silver, in anticipation of marriage.

Horizontal Integration:

The integration of companies that are in more or less the same line of business. Daimler-Benz merging with Chrysler is a case of Horizontal Integration; Daimler-Benz getting into the defense industry is not.

Horizon:

The apparent intersection of the earth and sky as seen by an observer.

Astronomy: the sensible horizon; the celestial horizon.

The range of one's knowledge, experience, or interest.

Horology:

Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.

Horse Power (HP):

Horsepower (hp or HP or Hp) is several non-SI units of power. It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses. The horsepower was widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, turbines, electric motors and other machinery. Different regions adopted different definitions of the unit. Most countries now use the SI unit watt for measurement of power.

Hospice:

A shelter or lodging for travelers, pilgrims, foundlings, or the destitute, especially one maintained by a monastic order.

A program that provides palliative care and attends to the emotional and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients at an inpatient facility or at the patient's home.

Hospitality:

Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

Hostel:

Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, sometimes a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available. Hostels are generally cheaper for both the operator and the occupants; many hostels employ their long-term residents as desk clerks or housekeeping staff in exchange for free accommodation.

Hostess:

A woman who receives or entertains guests in a social or official capacity.

A woman who is the emcee or interviewer on a radio or television program.

A woman who is employed to greet and assist patrons, as in a restaurant.

Hostile Takeover:

A takeover in which the company being taken over does not wish to be bought. A company subject to such an offer sets about resisting it or finding an alternative.

Hostile Witness:

Law: a witness who gives evidence against the party calling him.

Hot Money:

Capital with no allegiance to any particular market. It flows rapidly and frequently across borders in search of nothing more than the highest shortterm return. Hot money may also be moving rapidly because it is being chased by tax inspectors or fraud investigators.

Hot Swapping:

Hot Swapping and hot plugging are terms used to separately describe the functions of replacing system components without shutting down the system. Hot swapping describes changing components without significant interruption to the system, while hot plugging describes changing or adding components which interact with the operating system. Both terms describe the ability to remove and replace components of a machine, usually a computer, while it is operating.

Hot Tub:

A very large Tub made of ceramic, acrylic, wood, or another substance and filled with hot water in which one or more bathers may soak.

Hotel:

An establishment that provides lodging and usually meals and other services for travelers and other paying guests.

Hotel Chain:

A hotel chain is a group of hotels managed together under a business arrangement known as franchising.

Hotel Group:

A large public company which owns a chain of hotels.

Hôtel Particulier:

In French contexts an Hôtel Particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an Hôtel Particulier was often free-standing, and by the eighteenth century it would always be located entre cour et jardin, between the entrance court, the cour d'honneur, and the garden behind.

Hotel Suite:

A suite in a hotel or other public accommodation, denotes a class of luxury accommodations, the key feature of which is multiple rooms. Many properties have one or more "honeymoon suites", and sometimes the best accommodation is called the "presidential suite".

Suites offer multiple rooms, with more space and furniture than a standard hotel room. In addition to one or more beds and bedroom fixtures, a suite will include a living or sitting room, usually with a couch that converts into a bed. Dining, office and kitchen facilities are also added in many suites. Some properties now offer only suites. In addition to the luxurious suites mentioned in the first paragraph, regular suites are particularly marketed to business travelers who would both appreciate additional space and may use it to host small meetings or entertain clients.

Hotelier:

A manager or owner of a hotel.

Hotline:

A direct and immediate telephone linkup, especially between heads of government, as for use in a crisis.

A telephone line that gives quick and direct access to a source of information or help.

Hotlink:

Inline linking (also known as Hotlinking, leeching, piggy-backing, direct linking, offsite image grabs and bandwidth theft) is the use of a linked object, often an image, from one site into a web page belonging to a second site. The second site is said to have an inline link to the site where the object is located.

Hotshot:

A person of impressive skill and daring, especially one who is highly successful and self-assured.

Hotspot:

A Hotspot is a venue that offers Internet access over a wireless LAN through the use of a shared internet connection and a single router. Hotspots can typically be found in coffee shops and various other public establishments throughout much of North America and Europe.

A place of political unrest and potential violence; a point of relatively intense heat or radiation.

A lively entertainment spot.

Hottie:

Slang: a physically or sexually attractive person.

Household:

A domestic unit consisting of the members of a family who live together along with nonrelatives such as servants; the living spaces and possessions belonging to such a unit.

A person or group of people occupying a single dwelling.

Household Name:

A person or thing that is very well known.

Housewarming:

A celebration of the occupancy of a new home.

How the Other Half Lives:

Something people say when they see or hear about the lives of people who are richer than them.

How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (1890) was an early publication of photojournalism by Danish American social reformer Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. It served as a basis for future "muckraking" journalism by exposing the slums to New York City’s upper and middle classes.

For an in-depth insight, read the book: How the Other Half Lives: A Jacob Riis Classic (Including Photography)

HQ:

Short for: HeadQuarters.

HTML:

Short for: Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML is used to write documents for the World Wide Web to specify hypertext links between related objects and documents.

HTTP:

Short for: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP is a standard method of transferring data between a Web server and a Web browser.

HTTPS:

HTTPS stands for: HyperText Transfer Protocol over SSL (Secure Socket Layer). It is a TCP/IP protocol used by Web servers to transfer and display Web content securely. The data transferred is encrypted so that it cannot be read by anyone except the recipient.

Hub:

A center of interest, importance, or activity; a focal point.

The center part of a wheel, fan, or propeller.

Hubby:

An informal word for husband.

Hubris:

Hubris is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening pride, haughtiness, or arrogance, often resulting in fatal retribution or nemesis.

Human Resources:

The people who make up the workforce of an organization with their various strengths and weaknesses. Human Resource management is concerned with getting the best out of these resources for the benefit of the organization.

Human Waldo:

See: Waldo.

Humanitarian:

One who is devoted to the promotion of human welfare and the advancement of social reforms; a philanthropist.

Humbug:

Something intended to deceive; a hoax or fraud.

A person who claims to be other than what he or she is; an impostor.

Nonsense; rubbish.

Humor:

The quality of being funny.

Also called sense of humor the ability to appreciate or express that which is Humorous.

Situations, speech, or writings that are thought to be Humorous.

Humvee:

See: HMMWV.

Hunk:

A sexually attractive man with a well-developed physique.

Hurdle:

An obstacle or difficulty to be overcome.

Sports: a light portable barrier over which competitors must leap in certain races.

Hurdle Rate:

The rate of return that has to be achieved by an investment for it to be considered a success. This may be its cost of funds, or it may be the return on equity (roe) achieved by other firms in the same industry.

Hustler:

To misrepresent one's ability in order to deceive someone, especially in gambling.

To sell or get by questionable or aggressive means.

To misrepresent one's skill in (a game or activity) in order to deceive someone, especially in gambling.

Hybrid:

The offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock, especially the offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties, species, or races.

Something of mixed origin or composition, such as a word whose elements are derived from different languages.

Hymn:

A song of praise or thanksgiving to God or a deity.

A song of praise or joy; a paean.

To praise, glorify, or worship in or as if in a Hymn.

Hype:

Media circus describes a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype. The term is meant to critique the media by comparing it to a circus and, as such, is an idiom and not an objective observation. Media hype, orgy and frenzy are similar terms used in reference to a critique of news and entertainment media.

Hyper-:

A prefix that means excessive or excessively; over; above; beyond; existing in more than three dimensions (hyperspace); linked or arranged nonsequentially (hypertext).

Hyperinflation:

A level of inflation that is so extraordinarily high that paper money becomes worthless almost overnight. Under such conditions, with no recognizable store of value, it is virtually impossible to do business in conventional ways.

Hyperlink:

In computing, a Hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically.

Hypertext:

Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the underlying concept defining the structure of the World Wide Web, making it an easy-to-use and flexible format to share information over the Internet.

Hypnosis:

The words 'Hypnosis' and 'Hypnotism' both derive from the term "neuro-Hypnotism" (nervous sleep) coined by the Scottish physician and surgeon James Braid around 1841.

Hypnosis is a mental state (state theory) or set of attitudes (non-state theory) usually induced by a procedure known as a Hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a Hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be self-administered ("self-suggestion" or "autosuggestion").

Hypochondria:

The persistent conviction that one is or is likely to become ill, often involving symptoms when illness is neither present nor likely, and persisting despite reassurance and medical evidence to the contrary.

Hypocrisy:

The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Hypothesis:

A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption.

The antecedent of a conditional statement.

Hysteria:

State of violent mental agitation.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- I -

"I walk the walk, and talk the talk!"

Visit: Psalm 15:2.

IATA or IATAN:

Short for: International Air Transport Association or International Airlines Travel Agency Network.

IBAN:

Short for: International Bank Account Number. IBAN is an international standard for identifying bank accounts across national borders.

See also: SWIFT.

IBC:

Short for: International Business Corporation.

In addition to its everyday usage, this term has a special meaning in the legislation of Antigua, Bahamas (highly recommended!), Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent and refers to companies registered in a foreign country that can conduct business anywhere in the world, except for the country it is registered in.

An IBC also requires a minimum of only one Director instead of multiple director requirements. The Director may also serve as the Shareholder. (A Bahamian IBC only requires ONE Shareholder!).

IBIT:

Short for: International Business and Investment Trust.

Ibsenism:

The dramatic practice or purpose characteristic of the writings of Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), Norwegian poet and dramatist, whose best-known plays deal with conventional hypocrisies, the story in each play thus developing a definite moral problem.

IC Codes:

IC codes are shorthand terms used by the British police in radio communications to describe the apparent ethnicity of a suspect. The codes are based on a police officer's perceived view of an individual's ethnicity, as opposed to that individual's self-definition.

In most circumstances where an individual's ethnicity is recorded after spoken contact with police (such as a "Stop and Search" or arrest), police are required to use a different set of codes called SDE (Self Defined Ethnicity), or "16 + 1".

The IC codes are: IC1 – White European; IC2 – Dark European; IC3 – Afro-Caribbean; IC4 – Asian (in the British sense - ie. Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani); IC5 – Oriental; IC6 – Arab/North African; IC7 - unknown ethnicity; IC0 – Unknown ethnicity.

ICC:

Short for: International Chamber of Commerce, a Paris-based organization that acts as the international forum for national chambers of commerce. The ICC also acts as an arbitrator in many international trade disputes.

ICC Card:

Short for: Integrated Circuit Card.

See: smart card.

ICE Train:

Short for: InterCityExpress, a high-speed train.

Icing on the Cake:

An additional benefit to something already good.

Icon:

An image; a representation.

A representation or picture of a sacred or sanctified Christian personage, traditionally used and venerated in the Eastern Church.

An important and enduring symbol: "Voyager will take its place ... alongside such Icons of airborne adventure as The Spirit of St. Louis,

One who is the object of great attention and devotion; an idol: "He is ... a pop Icon designed and manufactured for the video generation".

Computer Science: a picture on a screen that represents a specific file, directory, window, option, or program.

Iconoclast:

One who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions.

One who destroys sacred religious images.

ID:

Short for: Identification Document. An identity document (also called a piece of identification or ID) is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card (IC). In some countries the possession of a government-produced identity card is compulsory while in others it may be voluntary. In countries which do not have formal identity documents, informal ones may in some circumstances be required.

IDA:

Short for: Irish Development Authority.

Idea:

Something, such as a thought or conception, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity.

A plan, scheme, or method; a notion; a fancy; an opinion, conviction, or principle.

Ideal:

A conception of something in its absolute perfection.

An honorable or worthy principle or aim.

Idealist:

One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations.

Idem:

Latin: something that has been mentioned previously; the same.

Identity:

The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known.

The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.

The quality or condition of being the same as something else.

The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting ; individuality.

Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account.

Identity Theft:

The co-option of another person's personal information (e.g., name, Social Security number, credit card number, passport) without that person's knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge.

Law: the crime of setting up and using bank accounts and credit facilities fraudulently in another person's name without his or her knowledge.

Ideogram:

An Ideogram or Ideograph is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept. Some Ideograms are comprehensible only by familiarity with prior convention; others convey their meaning through pictorial resemblance to a physical object, and thus may also be referred to as pictograms.

Ideology:

The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture.

A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.

Idiom:

An Idiom (Latin: Idioma, "special property", from Greek: Idioma, "special phrasing", from Greek: Idios, "one’s own") is an expression, word, or phrase that has figurative meaning - its implication comprehended only through common use; whereas the literal definition of the Idiom, itself, does not communicate its meaning as a figurative usage.

Idiom Blend:

Example: It’s not rocket science + It’s not brain surgery = It’s not rocket surgery.

Idiot Card:

A large card that shows people on television what to say.

Idle Capacity:

Industrial Capacity that is lying idle for some reason, such as a shortage of Raw Materials or , or a lack of orders.

Idol:

An image used as an object of worship; a false god.

One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.

Idyl:

A short poem or prose piece depicting a rural or pastoral scene, usually in idealized terms; a narrative poem treating an epic or romantic theme.

A scene or event of a simple and tranquil nature.

A carefree episode or experience; a romantic interlude.

i.e.:

Abbr. Latin: id est (that is).

IED:

Short for: Improvised Explosive Device. An IED is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. One may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery round, attached to a detonating mechanism.

IEEE 802.11:

IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards carrying out wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands.

IFC:

Short for: International Finance Company.

Igloo:

An Inuit or Eskimo dwelling, especially a dome-shaped winter dwelling built of blocks of packed snow.

A dome-shaped structure or building.

Ignoramus:

An ignorant person; fool.

IGO:

Short for: InterGovernmental Organizations, also known as international governmental organizations (IGOs): the type of organization most closely associated with the term 'international organization', these are organizations that are made up primarily of sovereign states (referred to as member states).

IHC:

Short for: Intelligent Home Control. IHC is a building automation system using a star configured topology with wires to each device.

Il Punto di Fuga:

Italian for: vanishing point; perspective.

Illusion:

An erroneous perception of reality; an erroneous concept or belief.

Something, such as a fantastic plan or desire, that causes an erroneous belief or perception.

IM:

Short for: instant messaging.

Image:

A physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible.

The character projected to the public, as by a person or institution, especially as interpreted by the mass media.

Computer Science: an exact replica of the contents of a storage device, such as a hard disk, stored on a second storage device, such as a network server.

Image Stitching:

Image Stitching or photo stitching is the process of combining multiple photographic images with overlapping fields of view to produce a segmented panorama or high-resolution image. Commonly performed through the use of computer software, most approaches to image stitching require nearly exact overlaps between images and identical exposures to produce seamless results.

IMEI:

Short for: International Mobile Equipment Identity. IMEI is a unique identification number associated with each GSM phone. In effect, a serial number that aids in tracking a particular device and is useful in fraud prevention. The IMEI is assigned by the manufacturer.

IMF:

Short for: International Monetary Fund.

An International Monetary Fund aims to promote international monetary cooperation and currency stabilization and expansion of international trade. The IMF was designed to enable to enable member countries to borrow from each other in order to iron out irregularities in their exchange rates and reserves. Countries are required to meet strict economic and financial conditions if they want to become borrowers.

IMing:

Instant Messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via devices connected over a network such as the Internet.

Imitate:

To use or follow as a model.

To copy exactly; reproduce; to appear like; resemble.

Imitation:

Something derived or copied from an original.

Immaterial:

Of no importance or relevance; inconsequential or irrelevant.

Having no material body or form.

Immolation:

Killing or offering as a sacrifice.

To kill (oneself) by fire.

See also: suttee.

Immune:

Not subject to an obligation imposed on others; exempt.

Not affected by a given influence; unresponsive.

Immune System:

An Immune System is a collection of biological processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumour cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy cells and tissues in order to function properly. Detection is complicated as pathogens can evolve rapidly, producing adaptations that avoid the Immune System and allow the pathogens to successfully infect their hosts.

Immunity:

Exemption from legal prosecution, often granted a witness in exchange for self-incriminating testimony.

Impact Factor:

The Impact Factor is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to articles published in science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher Impact Factors deemed to be more important than those with lower ones. The Impact Factor was devised by Eugene Garfield, the founder of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), now part of Thomson Reuters.

Impeach:

To make an accusation against.

To charge (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal.

Impeachment:

When an irate citizen demands that a disfavored public official be impeached, the citizen clearly intends for the official to be removed from office. This popular use of impeach as a synonym of "throw out" (even if by due process) does not accord with the legal meaning of the word.

Impetus:

A force that moves something along.

Imports:

Goods or services that are bought by someone or some organization in a country other than the one in which they are produced.

Impresario:

One who sponsors or produces entertainment, especially the director of an opera company.

A manager; a producer.

Impression:

An effect, feeling, or image retained as a consequence of experience.

A vague notion, remembrance, or belief.

Impromptu:

Prompted by the occasion rather than being planned in advance; spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous.

Improvise:

To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation.

To play or sing (music) extemporaneously, especially by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies in accordance with a set progression of chords.

To make or provide from available materials.

Impulse Buying:

The purchase of goods on impulse; buying something because it has been seen in a shop window rather than because of a predetermined need for it. We buy chocolates on impulse; but rarely diamonds.

In Absentia:

While absent; although absent; "he was sentenced In Absentia."

In Effigie:

In (the form of) an image.

In Extremis:

Literary & Literary Critical Terms: in extremity; in dire straits; at the point of death.

In Flagrante Delicto:

Medieval Latin: "while the crime is blazing".

In the very act of committing a misdeed; red-handed.

In the midst of sexual activity.

In-House:

Within the company or organization. Doing something In-House means that it is being done by somebody on the company's payroll rather than by an outsider. The opposite of outsourcing.

In Lieu of:

Translation: In place of; instead of.

In Memoriam:

In memory of; as a memorial to. Used especially in epitaphs.

In Mente:

To have in mind.

In Mint Condition:

In perfect condition; as if new.

In Play:

An expression used to refer to a quoted company that is known to be vulnerable to a contested takeover.

In Specie:

(Of money) in coin; in kind.

Law: in the actual form specified.

In Vino Veritas:

A well-known Latin phrase. It means "in wine [there is the] truth". The author of the Latin phrase is Pliny the Elder.

Incarnation:

Christianity: the doctrine that the Son of God was conceived in the womb of Mary and that Jesus is true God and true man.

One who is believed to personify a given abstract quality or idea.

A period of time passed in a given bodily form or condition.

Incentive:

A promised reward that motivates an employee to work harder and be more productive. An incentive bonus is a payment made for production that is in excess of an agreed amount.

Incognito:

With one's identity disguised or concealed.

Income:

The monetary reward that comes from the productive use of land, labor and / or capital.

Income Statement:

Called the profit and loss account in the UK, this is the US term for the accounting statement that shows an organization's revenue and its costs over a period (usually the organizations's financial year), and its resulting profit or loss.

Income Tax:

A tax imposed on individuals or businesses and calculated as a proportion of their income. For most governments it is the largest revenue-earner of all taxes.

Incommunicado:

Without the means or right to communicate.

Incorporation Haven:

An Incorporation Haven is a country, such as Liberia and Marshall Islands, which has no infrastructure of local attorneys or accountants. It is simply in the business of registering corporations and ships. There are no other services offered and the tax haven clientele never goes there. The registration of new companies is carried out by represenative offices in New York, Zurich, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rotterdam and Piraeus, in the case of Liberia and Marshall Islands.

Incorporator:

An Incorporator is the person who signs the articles of incorporation. Incorporators may have personal liability for false statements contained in the articles of incorporation.

Incorporation:

The process of obtaining the approval of the authorities to organize and run a corporation. In the United States an organization that is incorporated must include the letters Inc after its name.

Incubation:

Medicine: the development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.

Indemnity:

Indemnity means to reimburse or compensate. Many corporate directors and officers will require that they be reimbursed for all cost, expenses, and liability which they incur while acting on behalf of the corporation.

Index:

Something that serves to guide, point out, or otherwise facilitate reference.

A way of comparing disparate things (often their prices) related to an earlier base period, which is often given the value of 100. The things may be consumer goods (as in the consumer price index) or stocks and shares (as in the stockmarket index).

Indexation:

The process of linking the cost or price of something to an index. Wages that move in line with the consumer price index (to enable them to take account of generally rising prices, that is, inflation) are said to be indexed.

Indian Summer:

Earth Sciences / Physical Geography: a period of mild weather occurring in late autumn.

A pleasant, tranquil, or flourishing period occurring near the end of something; a period of ease and tranquillity or of renewed productivity towards the end of a person's life or of an epoch.

Indictment:

Law: a written statement charging a party with the commission of a crime or other offense, drawn up by a prosecuting attorney and found and presented by a grand jury.

Indie:

Short for: Independent.

One, such as a studio or producer, that is unaffiliated with a larger or more commercial organization.

An artistic work produced by an independent company or group.

Indirect Cost:

The costs involved in manufacturing or in providing a service which cannot be attributed to a particular product or service. The cost of the electricity required to heat a company's headquarters, or the premiums paid to insure factories against fire damage, are both examples of indirect costs. An indirect cost is also known as an overhead.

Indirect Taxation:

A tax that is not imposed directly on an individual or organization. For example, VAT in Europe or sales tax in the US, which are levied on the turnover of a product. Also customs duty, which is an ad valorem tax on imported goods.

Individual:

A single human considered apart from a society or community.

A human regarded as a unique personality.

A member of a collection or set; a specimen.

Indochina:

A peninsula of southeast Asia comprising Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and the mainland territory of Malaysia. The area was influenced in early times by India (particularly the Hindu culture) and China.

Indoctrination:

Teaching someone to accept doctrines uncritically.

Induction:

A formalised way of introducing someone to a new place of work. An Induction course can include lectures about the history of the company, a guided tour of its premises and visits to customers.

Inductive Coupling:

In electrical engineering, two conductors are referred to as mutual-inductively coupled or magnetically coupled when they are configured such that change in current flow through one wire induces a voltage across the ends of the other wire through electromagnetic induction.

Indulgence:

Roman Catholic Church: Indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment still due for a sin that has been sacramentally absolved.

Industrial Espionage:

Industrial Espionage or corporate espionage is espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of national security purposes.

Industrial Relations:

The relations between employers, employees, trade unions and government.

Industrial Robot:

An Industrial Robot is officially defined by ISO as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes.

Industrialization:

The process of becoming an economy that is based on industry: one with a large number of factories involved in manufacturing goods.

Industry:

A sector of the business world, such as manufacturing Industry or the steel Industry. Also all these sectors taken together.

The people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise.

Inertia:

The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change.

Infante or Infanta:

Infante (masculine) or Infanta (feminine), also anglicised as infant, was the title and rank given in the European kingdoms of Spain (includings the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre and León) and Portugal to a son or daughter of the king, or to a grandson or granddaughter in the male line of a reigning monarch (and also to a princess's children if she was the heir apparent to the throne). Female consorts of princes of the blood when married automatically gained the title Infanta, while male consorts did not have an inherent right to the title, style and rank of Infante upon marriage to a princess of the blood.

Infection:

Invasion by and multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms in a bodily part or tissue, which may produce subsequent tissue injury and progress to overt disease through a variety of cellular or toxic mechanisms.

Moral contamination or corruption; ready communication of an emotion or attitude by contact or example.

Inferno:

Any place of pain and turmoil.

Christianity: the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment.

Infinity Pool:

An Infinity Edge Pool (also named negative edge, zero edge, disappearing edge or vanishing edge pool) is a swimming or reflecting pool which produces a visual effect of water extending to the horizon, vanishing, or extending to "infinity".

Infix:

An Infix is an affix inserted inside a stem (an existing word). It contrasts with adfix, a rare term for an affix attached to the end of a stem, such as a prefix or suffix.

Inflation:

An increase over time in the prices of goods and services. Inflation is usually measured by the consumer price index, a basket of the goods and services bought by the average householder.

Inflation Accounting:

A way of coping with inflation when preparing a company's accounts; a way of addressing the fact that the dollar that bought something at the beginning of the year is not worth the same as the dollar that it was sold for at the end of the year. On paper it could look as if there was no loss on the purchase and sale, but that would be misleading.

Influence:

A power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially one that operates without any direct or apparent effort.

Power to sway or affect based on prestige, wealth, ability, or position.

Infomercial:

A relatively long commercial in the format of a television program.

Informal:

Not formal or ceremonious; casual.

Not being in accord with prescribed regulations or forms; unofficial.

Suited for everyday wear or use.

Information:

Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction.

A collection of facts or data.

Information Technology:

The technologies that enables the rapid and widespread dissemination of information, essentially the technology of the computer and the telephone, and the interplay between them. Frequently abbreviated to IT.

Infrastructure:

The basic plant and services underpinning the operation of business or of a country.

Ingénue:

A naive, innocent girl or young woman.

INGO:

Short for: International Nongovernmental Organization. An INGO is a voluntary association of organizations or individuals for worldwide or regional action.

See also: NGO.

Inheritance:

Hereditary succession to a title or an office or property.

That which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner.

Initial:

Of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first.

The first letter of a proper name.

To mark or sign with Initials, especially for purposes of authorization or approval.

Initialism:

An abbreviation consisting of the first letter or letters of words in a signphrase (e.g., IRS for Internal Revenue Service), syllables or components of a word (TNT for TriNitroToluene), or a combination of words and syllables (ESP for ExtraSensory Perception) and pronounced by spelling out the letters one by one rather than as a solid word.

Initiate:

To set going by taking the first step; begin.

To introduce to a new field, interest, skill, or activity.

To admit into membership, as with ceremonies or ritual.

Injunction:

A legal measure to restrain someone from doing something on the grounds that it may, for example, cause injury or inequity.

Inning:

Baseball: one of nine divisions or periods of a regulation game, in which each team has a turn at bat as limited by three outs.

Cricket: the division or period of a cricket game during which one team is at bat.

Innovation:

The addition of new elements to products and services, or to the methods of producing and marketing them. Innovation is a continuous process of adding improvements at the margin. It is not the same invention, which involves an element of sudden and dramatic discovery.

Innovator:

To begin or introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.

Input:

Something put into a system or expended in its operation to achieve output or a result.

Contribution of information or a comment or viewpoint.

INR:

Short for: The State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (U.S.A.).

I.N.R.I.:

An acronym of the Latin inscription IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM (Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum), which translates to English as "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

Inside Information:

Information which is received because the recipient is in a privileged position. Thus an investment banker working on a takeover will know about it before the general public, and so will the directors of the company doing the taking over. They would all be deemed to be in possession of Inside Information.

Inside Track:

An advantageous position, as in a competition.

Insider:

An accepted member of a group.

A person who is in possession of inside information.

Insider Dealing:

Dealing in stocks and shares on the basis of inside information. In many developed countries this is illegal. Although hard to prove, a few people have served time in prison for it.

Insider Information:

Important facts about the conditions or plans of a corporation that have not been released to the general public.

Insight:

The capacity to discern the true nature of a situation; penetration.

The act or outcome of grasping the inward or hidden nature of things or of perceiving in an intuitive manner.

Insignia:

A badge of office, rank, membership, or nationality; an emblem.

A distinguishing sign.

Insolvency:

The state of a company that is unable to pay its debts on time. If the company can manage to reschedule its debts before any of its debtors press their claims through the courts, it may avoid going into liquidation.

Inspiration:

Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention.

Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind.

Installation Art:

Art that is created for a specific site, often incorporating materials or physical features of the site.

Installment Credit:

A loan provided for the purchase of consumer goods which is repaid in a number of regular equal instalments over an agreed period of time.

Instant Messaging:

Instant Messaging (IM) is a form of real-time direct text-based communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet. More advanced Instant Messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

IM falls under the umbrella term online chat, as it is a real-time text-based networked communication system, but is distinct in that it is based on clients that facilitate connections between specified known users (often using "Buddy List", "Friend List" or "Contact List"), whereas online 'chat' also includes web-based applications that allow communication between (often anonymous) users in a multi-user environment.

Instant Messaging services: AIM, eBuddy, Facebook, ICQ, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger.

Instinct:

An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli.

A powerful motivation or impulse.

Institute:

An organization founded to promote a cause.

To establish, organize, and set in operation.

An educational institution, especially one for the instruction of technical subjects; the building or buildings housing such an institution.

Institution:

A custom, practice, relationship, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society.

Informal: one long associated with a specified place, position, or function.

An established organization or foundation, especially one dedicated to education, public service, or culture.

The building or buildings housing such an organization.

A place for the care of persons who are destitute, disabled, or mentally ill.

Institutional Investors:

Any organization that trades securities in large volumes over a long period of time; for example, pension funds, insurance companies and investment banks. The market behaviour of institutional investors is very different from that of retail investors.

Instruction:

A message describing how something is to be done.

Computing: a part of a program consisting of a coded command to the computer to perform a specified function.

Instrument:

A means by which something is done; an agency.

A legal document, such as a deed, will, mortgage, or insurance policy.

A device that requires skill for proper use.

Insurance:

A contract between one party (the insurer) and another (the insured) in which the insurer agrees to reimburse the insured for defined losses over a defined period of time. This is called casualty insurance to differentiate it from life assurance.

Insurance Premium:

A payment made to obtain insurance.

Intangible Asset:

A business asset which cannot be kicket, such as goodwill, a brand name, or the inventiveness of a company's R&D department. Intangibles obviously have considerable value, but it is hard for an accountant to put a number on it.

Integration:

The bringing of people of different racial or ethnic groups into unrestricted and equal association, as in society or an organization; desegregation.

The act of combining or adding parts to make a unified whole.

Integrity:

Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Intellect:

The ability to learn and reason; the capacity for knowledge and understanding; The ability to think abstractly or profoundly.

A person of great intellectual ability.

Intellectual:

A person of superior intellect.

A person professionally engaged in mental labor, as a writer or teacher.

Intellectual Property:

Ownership conferring right to possess, use or dispose of products created by human ingenuity, including patents, trademarks and copyrights.

Visit IPR for examples of confidentiality and intellectual property rights agreements.

Intelligence:

The ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience.

News.

Secret information, especially about an actual or potential enemy.

Intelligent Design:

Intelligent Design is the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a modern form of the traditional teleological argument for the existence of God that avoids specifying the nature or identity of the designer.

Intelligentsia:

The intellectual elite of a society.

Inter-Company Pricing:

Tax havens may be used for the purpose of Inter-Company Pricing in a number of ways. In the first place, a manufactoring company located in a high tax jurisdiction could effect sales to a related company in a tax haven jurisdiction at cost or at prices involving a very small profit margin; the tax haven company could then in turn sell the goods to one or more related marketing companies in high tax jurisdictions at high prices which would produce a low profit in the hands of the latter company or companies. A variation of this technique would involve selling to unrelated marketing companies at arm’s length prices, the primary object of the exercise still being achieved since the manufacturing company would have avoided taxation on the real profits that would otherwise have accrued to it.

Secondly, raw materials or goods or components manufactured at a very low cost abroad, could be purchased by a company and then sold to a related company in a high tax jurisdiction at high prices which would give the latter company a substantially lower profit than if purchases had been effected directly.

Often Inter-Company Pricing takes place by companies merely passing invoices without the subject matter of the sale actually being transferred to or by the intermediary company.

Interactive:

Any means of communication between two parties in which both parties can communicate simultaneously with each other. So the telephone is interactive, but the television is not (yet)

Interbank Market:

The Interbank Market is the top-level foreign exchange market where banks exchange different currencies. The banks can either deal with one another directly, or through electronic brokering platforms. The Electronic Brokering Services (EBS) and Reuters Dealing 3000 Matching are the two competitors in the electronic brokering platform business and together connect over 1000 banks. The currencies of most developed countries have floating exchange rates. These currencies do not have fixed values but, rather, values that fluctuate relative to other currencies.

Interbank Rate:

The rate of interest that banks charge each other for borrowing and lending money among themselves.

Intercom:

An electronic intercommunication system, as between two rooms.

Interest:

A state of curiosity or concern about or attention to something.

The cost of borrowing money.

Interest Cover:

The number of times a company can cover (out of profits) the cost of the interest payments it has to make on loans. In other words, profit over the year (before interest and tax) divided by the amount of interest paid out over the same period. The lower the interest cover, the lower is the likelihood that a company will be able to pay its shareholders a dividend.

Interest Rate:

The amount charged for borrowing money for a year, expressed as a percentage of the amount borrowed.

Interest Rate Swap:

An agreement involving exchange of interest coupons at a fixed rate for coupons at a floating rate. Both parties' liabilities under the swap are in the same currency and for an equal amount. Thus, there is no exchange of principal. Interest Swap transactions are arranged between entities, one of which wishes to reduce the cost of its floating rate obligation and/or to obtain other benefits and the other wishes to borrow fixed rate funds without recourse to the bond market.

Interface:

The hardware and software that lie between two computers and that allow them to communicate with each other. From this specialist meaning the word has come to be used for any bridge that connects things, people or ideas.

Interim:

An interval of time between one event, process, or period and another.

Interim Accounts:

Accounts produced somewhere between the beginning and the end of a company's financial year. Some stock exchanges demand that quoted companies produce interim accounts six months after their full-year accounts. Banks may demand that companies produce interim accounts to support a request for a loan.

Interim Dividend:

Part of a company's annual dividend that is paid in stages (usually six-monthly or three-monthly) during the year.

Interim Manager:

A manager who is employed by a company at a senior level for only a short period of time. An interim manager's job usually focuses on sorting out a particular problem or seeing through a particular strategy or course of action.

Interlude:

An intervening episode, feature, or period of time.

A short farcical entertainment performed between the acts of a medieval mystery or morality play; a 16th-century genre of comedy derived from this; an entertainment between the acts of a play.

Music: a short piece inserted between the parts of a longer composition.

Intermediary:

Any organization or individual that acts as a go-between.

Intermediate Goods:

Goods which lie somewhere on the production line between raw materials and finished products. Rolls of steel, for example, are intermediate goods in the manufacture of cars. Iron ore is the raw material; the car is the finished product.

Intermediate Technology:

Technology which is appropriate to the state of development of a country or an industry, particularly used with reference to developing countries that are not at the frontier of technical knowledge. For example, encouraging the use of handicraft skills and tools for the manufacture of furniture in central Africa, rather than investing in high-tech factories full of robots.

Intermediation:

The addition of new intermediaries into a business process.

Intermodal:

The use of several different modes of transport (road, rail, sea or air) to ship goods from one place to another.

Intern:

A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.

Internal Funds:

Funds which a company generates from its own efforts. These are available to be paid out as dividends to shareholders or for investment. Compare with external funds.

Internal Rate of Return:

The rate at which a future cash flow has to be discounted to give an amount exactly equal to the investment in the project. If the internal rate of return (IRR) is higher than the interest that could be earned from leaving the money in a bank, than the project would appear to be a reasonable one.

International:

Anything that is carried on between two or more different nations.

International Financial Centers:

The term "International Financial Center" which is occasionally used - incorrectly - as a synonym for "tax havens", refers more correctly to centers such as London, Luxembourg, Paris, Singapore and Zurich. One of the important requirements of a successful International Financial Center is that international financial business transacted there should not be subject to inconvenient controls or withholding taxes.

International Man:

A person who extends traditional and national boundaries and customs.

International Tax Planning:

The object of International Tax Planning is to determine, from the tax point of view, whether or not to embark on a project; and, if it is embarked upon or has already been commenced, then to minimize or defer the imposition of the tax burden falling on taxable persons and events and to do so lawfully, in the attainment of the desired business and other objectives, while taking into consideration all relevant tax factors with particular regard to the danger of double taxation and the advantages which may be derived from the inter-relationship of two or more tax systems, and in the light of the material non-tax factors.

The role of tax havens in International Tax Planning lies in the possibility of situating a taxable person or a taxable event in a tax haven with a view to displacing the connecting factor with a high tax jurisdiction and thus permitting a modification in the incidence of tax.

Internet:

A worldwide network of interlinked computers "created" by Sir Tim Berners-Lee on March 13, 1989 that can be accessed by anybody with a personal computer and a modem. The Internet is used to disseminate information (via the World Wide Web messages (by e-mail), and to enable groups with common interests to communicate.

Internet Addiction Disorder:

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), or, more broadly, Internet overuse, problematic computer use or pathological computer use, is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life.

Internet Bot:

Internet Bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone.

Internet Bubble:

The Internet Bubble of the late-1990s (peaking on March 10, 2000 with the NASDAQ peaking at 5132.52 in intraday trading before closing at 5048.62) is often considered a benchmark case of investors abandoning fundamentals in their search for the next big thing. As consumers flocked to the Internet, investors were afraid that not becoming involved would be a huge missed opportunity. Venture capital companies and speculators poured money into internet startups during the 1990s in the hope that those companies would one day become profitable.

Internet Meme:

The term Internet Meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of Memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

Interpret:

To explain the meaning of.

To translate orally.

Interval:

A space between two objects, points, or units.

A definite length of time marked off by two instants.

Intervention:

Any interference in the affairs of others, especially by one state in the affairs of another.

Law: to enter into a suit as a third party for one's own interests.

Interview:

A formal meeting in person, especially one arranged for the assessment of the qualifications of an applicant.

A conversation, such as one conducted by a reporter, in which facts or statements are elicited from another.

Intranet:

A network of computer links set up within an organization to enable the members of that organization to communicate (exclusively) with each other. An Intranet may also have a link to the internet and the outside world.

Intrigue:

A secret or underhand scheme; a plot.

A clandestine love affair.

Introduction:

The act or process of introducing or the state of being introduced.

A means, such as a personal letter, of presenting one person to another.

Something spoken, written, or otherwise presented in beginning or introducing something, especially: a preface, as to a book; Music: a short preliminary passage in a larger movement or work.

Intuition:

The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.

Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.

A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

Invasion:

The act of invading, especially the entrance of an armed force into a territory to conquer.

Investigative Journalism:

Investigative Journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing.

Investment:

The purchase of a capital asset with the intention of gaining an income from it or of making a capital gain. Buying stocks and shares is Investment, so too is buying property for rent or a company for its profits. By and large, buying jewellery is not an Investment.

Investment Appraisal:

The process of determining the likely rate of return of an investments.

Investment Bank:

A financial institution that arranges the initial issuance of stocks and bonds and offers companies about acquisitions and divestitures.

Investment Currency Premium:

Premium payable to persons resident in the Scheduled Territories for exchange control purposes in order to purchase investment currency, namely foreign currency from a limited pool of such currency designated as eligible for use for certain investments and payments abroad (in particular for portfolio or property investment and direct investment which cannot be shown to provide benefits over a short period to the balance of payments of countries in the Scheduled Territories).

Investment Grade:

The rating that a security needs to obtain from credit-rating agencies if institutional investors are to be allowed (by their statutes) to buy it.

Investment Grant:

A grant given for the purpose of investment.

Investment Holding Company:

A company organized in a tax haven country by an investor which purchses and subsequently handles for him his personal investment portfolio through the anonymity of a nominee company. Consideration for the purchase is the establishment on the investment company’s books of a debt to the investor equivalent to the value of the investments transferred whereby the income generated from the Investment Holding Company’s assets are not taxable.

Investment Incentive:

Investment Incentives are incentives of various linds which are granted in order to attract local or foreign investment capital to certain activities (e.g. exports, technological development) or particular areas (e.g. backward regions or designated areas as part of a decentralization policy). Such incentives may be of various types, e.g. grants, interest-free loans, factory sites, exemption from exchange restrictions, and are frequently granted as a package together with tax incentives.

Inventory:

The inputs a company holds that are necessary for its production processes plus the unsold finished goods that it holds in its warehouse or wherever. In the UK the term used is stock.

Investigative Journalism:

Investigative Journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing.

Investiture:

The act or formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of a high office.

Investor:

An organization or an individual who makes an investment.

Investor Relations:

That part of a company's activity designed to maintain good relations with its shareholders.

Invisibles:

Traded items that never see the inside of a container, such as banking services, tourism and software design.

Invitation:

A request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something.

Invoice:

A document prepared by a seller of goods and sent to the buyer demanding payment.

Invoice Discounting:

The selling of a company's invoices to a financial firm at a discount to their face value. Companies do this to improve their cash flow.

Iota:

The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet.

A very small amount; a bit.

IOU:

Short for: I Owe You.

Signed document bearing these letters followed by specified sum, constituting formal acknowledgement of debt.

IP Address:

Short for: Internet Protocol Address identifying a computer connected to the Internet.

An Internet Protocol (IP) Address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes. An IP address serves two principal functions in networking: host identification and location addressing. The role of the IP address has also been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there."

IP Code:

The IP Code (or International Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as Ingress Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. As defined in international standard IEC 60529, it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as "waterproof".

Visit: IP Code - Wikipedia.

IPO:

Short for: Initial Public Offering.

IQ:

Short for: Intelligence Quotient. IQ is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests attempting to measure intelligence. The term "IQ," from the German Intelligenz-Quotient, was coined by the German psychologist William Stern in 1912 as a proposed method of scoring early modern children's intelligence tests such as those developed by Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon in the early 20th Century. Although the term "IQ" is still in common use, the scoring of modern IQ tests such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is now based on a projection of the subject's measured rank on the Gaussian bell curve with a center value (average IQ) of 100, and a standard deviation of 15, although different tests may have different standard deviations.

To check your IQ visit: Free IQ Test.

Also visit: Mensa International.

IRC:

Short for: Inland Revenue Commissioners (United Kingdom tax authority).

Iron Curtain:

The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the military, political, and ideological barrier established between the Soviet bloc and western Europe from 1945 to 1990.

A barrier that prevents free exchange of ideas and information.

See also: bamboo curtain

Irony:

The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.

See also: sarcasm and wit.

Irregular:

Contrary to rule, accepted order, or general practice.

Not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention.

Falling below the manufacturer's standard or usual specifications; imperfect.

Irrelevant:

Unrelated to the matter being considered; lack of importance.

IRS:

Short for: Internal Revenue Service (United States tax authority).

ISBN:

Short for: International Standard Book Number. The International ISBN Agency.

ISDN:

Short for: Integrated Services Digital Network, a telecommunications technology that promises to revolutionize the way in which voice and data communications are transmitted.

-ish:

Of, relating to, or being; characteristic of; having the usually undesirable qualities of.

Approximately; somewhat; tending toward; preoccupied with.

iSheep:

iSheep is a term used in tech sites and forums to describe a person who is an Apple Inc. products fan.

ISIN:

Short for: International Securities Identifying Number. Click here to visit the: ISIN Codes Search Engine..

Islam:

A monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of submission to God and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God.

Islamic Banking:

System of banking consistent with principles of Islamic law and Islamic economics. Islamic law prohibits the collection of interest, commonly called riba, although revenue-sharing arrangements are generally permitted.

See also: Hawala banking.

-ism:

A distinctive doctrine, system, or theory.

ISO:

Short for: International Standards Organization, an association of almost 100 countries that tries to standardize technical and industrial processes. It publishes a series of International Standards which recommend a minimum quality and/or performance for manufactured goods.

ISP:

Short for: Internet Service Provider. An ISP is a company that offers its customers access to the Internet. The ISP connects to its customers using a data transmission technology appropriate for delivering Internet Protocol datagrams, such as dial-up, DSL, cable modem, wireless or dedicated high-speed interconnects.

ISPs may provide Internet e-mail accounts to users which allow them to communicate with one another by sending and receiving electronic messages through their ISPs' servers. (As part of their e-mail service, ISPs usually offer the user an e-mail client software package, developed either internally or through an outside contract arrangement.) ISPs may provide other services such as remotely storing data files on behalf of their customers, as well as other services unique to each particular ISP.

-issimo:

The suffix -issimo, from Latin -issimus, means "utmost, to the highest grade", e.g. generalissimo.

ISSN:

Short for: International Standard Serial Number. ISSN, the international identifier for serials and other continuing resources, in the electronic and print world.

Issue:

The act of circulating, distributing, or publishing by an office or official group.

Offspring; progeny.

A point or matter of discussion, debate, or dispute.

A large block of securities that are sold all together at one go.

Isthmus:

A narrow strip of land connecting two larger masses of land.

IT:

Short for: Internet technology. IT is the branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers and telecommunications to retrieve and store and transmit information.

It Girl:

An It Girl or It-Girl is a charming, sexy young woman who receives intense media coverage unrelated or disproportional to personal achievements. The reign of an "It Girl" is usually temporary; some of the rising It Girls will either become fully-fledged celebrities or their popularity will fade.

IT Platform:

The operating system (i.e. Windows 98, Windows 7, etc.) used by a visitor to a web site.

Item:

A single article or unit in a collection, enumeration, or series.

A clause of a document, such as a bill or charter.

An entry in an account.

A romantically involved couple.

Itemized Billing:

Invoices for things like telephone calls that are broken down item-by-item. Computerized analysis allows customers to receive details of each call to which the invoice relates.

Itinerary:

Day by day plan.

It’s not Brain Surgery:

Meaning: not that difficult.

It's not Rocket Science:

Meaning: not that difficult.

Ivy League:

An association of eight universities and colleges in the northeast United States, comprising Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. Visit: U.S. universities.

The term also has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism.

Also known as a Princeton. A very clean-cut style named for its popularity among men attending the "Ivy League" universities (Princeton, Harvard, Yale, et. al). Generally, the hair is cut very short all over, gradually getting slightly longer in front. Enough hair is left to part and comb neatly. This haircut conforms to the shape of the head and the emphasis is on neatness. Jerry Lewis wore an Ivy League haircut in "Nutty Professor."

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- J -

J'Accuse:

J'Accuse ("I accuse") was an open letter published on January 13, 1898, in the newspaper L'Aurore by the influential writer Émile Zola.

A malicious speech meant to blame someone for an error or wrongdoing; any strong denunciation.

Jack of all trades:

"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person that is competent with many skills but is not necessarily outstanding in any particular one.

Jackpot:

The accumulated stakes in a kind of poker that requires one to hold a pair of jacks or better in order to open the betting.

A cumulative pool in a competition, lottery, or various other games.

A top prize or reward.

Jam:

To activate or apply (a brake) suddenly.

Electronics: to interfere with or prevent the clear reception of (broadcast signals) by electronic means.

Jam Session:

An informal gathering of musicians to play improvised or unrehearsed music.

Informal: an impromptu discussion.

Jamboree:

A noisy celebration.

A large assembly, often international.

Jargon:

Nonsensical, incoherent, or meaningless talk.

A hybrid language or dialect; a pidgin.

The specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group.

Jealous:

Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

Resentful or bitter in rivalry; envious.

Intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity; autocratic.

Jeans:

Jeans are pants, or trousers, made from denim. Mainly designed for work, they became popular among teenagers starting in the 1950s. Historic brands include Levi's and Wrangler.

Jeans are now a very popular form of casual dress around the world. They come in many styles and colors, however "blue Jeans" are particularly identified with American culture, especially the American Old West. Americans spent more than $14 billion on Jeans in 2004.

See also: denim.

Jeroboam:

A wine bottle holding 4/5 of a gallon (3.03 liters; approximately 104 ounces; also called double-magnum).

Jersey:

Clothing: a machine-knitted slightly elastic cloth of wool, silk, nylon, etc.

A football shirt.

Jester:

A Jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically by a European monarch.

Jet Lag:

The physical condition resulting from long distance travel and changes in time zones, the symptoms include insomnia, lack of appetite, and a short temper.

Jet Set:

In the late 1950s the term "Jet Set" began to take the place of "café society", but "café society" may still be used informally in some countries to describe people who habitually visit coffeehouses and give their parties in restaurants rather than at home.

"Jet Set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating in social activities all around the world that are unreachable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of traveling from one stylish or exotic place to another via jet airplanes.

The term Jet-Set is attributed to Igor Cassini, a reporter for the Journal-American who wrote under the pen name "Cholly Knickerbocker".

Jet Setter:

A member of the "Jet Set", a rich person who travels for pleasure.

Jewellery:

An adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems.

Jihad:

Jihad, an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word Jihad is a noun meaning "struggle." Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah (al-Jihad fi sabil Allah)". A person engaged in Jihad is called a mujahid, the plural is mujahideen.

Jingle:

A catchy, often musical advertising slogan.

JIT:

The acronym for Just In Time, a Japanese management system based on the principle that no stock should arrive for processing until the minute that it is actually required. JIT saves large sums of money by eliminating unnecessary inventory, but it requires highly sophisticated logistics systems to operate properly.

Jobbing:

A system of production used when the quantity of goods to be manufactured is too small to justify the cost of setting up a system of mass production.

Job Description:

A formal written description of a job, laying down all that is expected of the person who is employed to do that job.

Job Evaluation:

A regular, systematic process in which employees' performances in their jobs are assessed by senior managers. The assessment includes recommendations about training and individual development.

Job Lot:

A collection of miscellaneous goods of uncertain value. The goods may, for example, have been soiled in a fire or be past their sell-by date.

Job Security:

The extent to which there is a risk of redundancy attached to a particular job, or the extent to which an employee believes that there is such a risk.

Job Sharing:

The division of one job between two or more part-time employees. Job Sharing particularly suits jobs which involve serving a list of clients, such as home nursing.

Job Specification:

A detailed description of the qualifications, skills and experience required to do a particular job.

Joe:

Informal: brewed coffee. Named after Josephus Daniels.

Slang: (US and Canadian) a man or fellow; a GI; soldier.

Jogging:

Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.

The definition of jogging as compared with running is not standard. Dr. George Sheehan, a running expert, is quoted to have said "the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank".[1] Others are usually more specific, defining jogging as running slower than 6 mph (10 minute per mile pace, 10 km/h, 6 min/km).

See also: power walking.

John:

John the Baptist. John the Apostle.

Slang: a toilet; a man who is a prostitute's customer.

John Birch Society:

The John Birch Society is a far right anti-communist political advocacy group that supports limited government and what it considers to be personal freedom. It has been also described by various sources as an "ultraconservative", "radical right", and "extremist" institution.

John Bull:

John Bull is a national personification of Great Britain in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged man, often wearing a Union Flag waistcoat.

John Doe:

The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name for a male party in a legal action, case or discussion whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown.

Joie de Vivre:

Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life.

Joint and Several Liability:

A liability which is the responsibility of a group of people and for which the people can be sued either jointly or individually.

Joint Liability:

A type of liability which is the responsibility of a whole group of people (a guarantee of a bank loan to a company that has been signed by all the company's directors, for example). Anyone wishing to take legal action for the liability must sue the group as a whole.

Joint Stock Company:

A company that is owned jointly by its stockholders, that is, its shareholders.

Joint Venture:

A type of business partnership involving joint management and the sharing of risks and profits as between two or more enterprises based in different countries. When the capital of the partnership is known as a Joint Venture.

Joke:

Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.

A mischievous trick; a prank.

An amusing or ludicrous incident or situation.

Joule:

The International System unit of electrical, mechanical, and thermal energy.

Journal:

A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary.

An official record of daily proceedings, as of a legislative body.

A newspaper.

A periodical presenting articles on a particular subject.

Journalism:

The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.

Material written for publication in a newspaper or magazine or for broadcast.

Journeyman:

One who has fully served an apprenticeship in a trade or craft and is a qualified worker in another's employ.

A worker hired on a daily wage.

Joystick:

A Joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks are often used to control video games, and usually have one or more push-buttons whose state can also be read by the computer. A popular variation of the Joystick used on modern video game consoles is the analog stick.

The Joystick has been the principal flight control in the cockpit of many aircraft, particularly military fast jets, where centre stick or side-stick location may be employed.

Joysticks are also used for controlling machines such as cranes, trucks, underwater unmanned vehicles and zero turning radius lawn mowers. Miniature finger-operated joysticks have been adopted as input devices for smaller electronic equipment such as mobile phones.

JPEG:

The name "JPEG" stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the name of the committee that created the standard.

In computing, JPEG is a commonly used method of compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality.

JPEG compression is used in a number of image file formats. JPEG/Exif is the most common image format used by digital cameras and other photographic image capture devices; along with JPEG/JFIF, it is the most common format for storing and transmitting photographic images on the World Wide Web. These format variations are often not distinguished, and are simply called JPEG.

Judas:

One who betrays another under the guise of friendship.

Judas Hole:

A peephole or secret opening for spying.

Judas Kiss:

See: Kiss of Judas.

Juice:

A fluid naturally contained in plant or animal tissue.

Slang: vigorous life; vitality; political power or influence; clout; electric current; fuel for an engine; funds; money; alcoholic drink; liquor; racy or scandalous gossip.

Julian Calendar:

The Julian Calendar began in 45 BC (709 AUC) as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. The Julian Calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months with a leap day added to February every four years. The Julian year is, therefore, on average 365.25 days long.

See also: Gregorian Calendar and Roman calendar.

Jump Start:

The act, process, or an instance of starting a motor vehicle by using a booster cable or suddenly releasing the clutch while the vehicle is being pushed.

The act or an instance of starting or setting in motion a stalled or sluggish system or process.

Jumpsuit:

A parachutist's uniform; a one-piece garment fashioned after a parachutist's uniform consisting of a blouse or shirt with attached slacks or shorts.

Jungle Drum:

See: grapevine.

Junior:

Lower in rank or length of service; subordinate.

Junior Partner:

A partner within the context of a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position.

Junk Bonds:

Are bonds issued by companies with low credit ratings. They typically pay relatively high interest rates because of fear of default.

Junk Food:

A high-calorie food that is low in nutritional value.

Junk Mail:

Unsolicited promotional and advertising material that is delivered by mail. Increasingly, the expression embraces such mail delivered electronically, as well as by the postman.

Junket:

A party, banquet, or outing.

A trip or tour, especially: one taken by an official at public expense; one taken by a person who is the guest of a business or agency seeking favor or patronage.

Junkie:

A narcotics addict, especially one using heroin.

One who has an insatiable interest or devotion.

Junta:

A group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power.

A council or small legislative body in a government, especially in Central or South America.

Jurisdiction:

The right and power to interpret and apply the law.

The territorial range of authority or control.

Jurisprudence:

The philosophy or science of law.

Jury:

Law: a body of persons sworn to judge and give a verdict on a given matter, especially a body of persons summoned by law and sworn to hear and hand down a verdict upon a case presented in court.

A committee, usually of experts, that judges contestants or applicants, as in a competition or exhibition; a panel of judges.

Just Cause:

Just Cause means a legally sufficient reason. Just Cause is sometimes referred to as good cause, lawful cause or sufficient cause. A litigant must often prove to a court that just cause exists and therefore the requested action or ruling should be granted.

Justice:

The principle of moral rightness; equity; conformity to moral rightness in action or attitude; righteousness.

Law: the administration and procedure of law.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- K -

K2:

K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth after Mount Everest. With a peak elevation of 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is part of the Karakoram Range, and is located on the border between the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China, and Gilgit, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan.

K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the 2nd highest fatality rate among the "eight thousanders" for those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter.

Kafkaesque:

"Kafkaesque" is an eponym used to describe concepts, situations, and ideas which are reminiscent of the literary work of the Austro-Hungarian writer Franz Kafka, particularly his novels The Trial and The Castle, and the novella The Metamorphosis.

Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger.

Kaleidoscope:

A Kaleidoscope is a tube of mirrors containing loose colored beads, pebbles, or other small coloured objects.

Kamikaze:

A Japanese pilot trained in World War II to make a suicidal crash attack, especially upon a ship.

An extremely reckless person who seems to court death.

Kangaroo Court:

A mock Court set up in violation of established legal procedure.

Kaput:

Incapacitated or destroyed.

Karaoke:

A music entertainment system providing prerecorded accompaniment to popular songs that a performer sings live, usually by following the words on a video screen. Invented by Inoue Daisuke in 1971.

Karma:

Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a person's reincarnated lives.

Kebab:

Kebab (also occasionally transliterated as kebap, kabab, kebob, kabob, kibob, kebhav, kephav) refers to a variety of meat dishes in Mediterranean, Central Asian, South Asian and some of the African cuisines, consisting of grilled or broiled meats on a skewer or stick.

The most common Kebabs include lamb and beef, although others use goat, chicken, fish, or shellfish. Observant Muslims and Jews do not use pork for Kebabs because of religious and cultural prohibition, but pork Kebabs can be found in Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and India, especially in the state of Goa. Like other ethnic foods brought by immigrants and travelers, the Kebab has become part of everyday cuisine in multicultural countries around the globe.

Keiretsu:

A type of corporate structure found in Japan in which a large number of companies own small stakes in each other. These companies work together in a vertically integrated chain that provides everything from the raw materials to the consumer credit that enables the final consumer to buy the keiretsu's finished products. The keiretsu model has aroused much interest in the West.

Kelly Bag:

Kelly Bag: named after Grace Kelly in 1956, originally created as Sac à Dépêches in 1935. Read more here.

See also: the Birkin bag.

Kennel:

A shelter for a dog; an establishment where dogs are bred, trained, or boarded.

A pack of dogs, especially hounds.

Kernel (computing):

In computing, the Kernel is the central component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level.

Kevlar:

Visit: Kevlar.

Key:

A Key is a symbol of all forces that open and close, bind and release. It stands for liberation and incarceration. A key is always tied to the concept of locking or unlocking.

Key Money:

Money that has to be paid in advance as a deposit to secure a rented property.

Key Person:

A senior executive in a company whose life and/or health is insured by the company. If the person should die or be ill within a certain period the company receives compensation from the insurer.

Keyboard (computing):

In computing, a Keyboard is an input device, partially modeled after the typewriter Keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. A Keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on the keys and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol.

Keycard:

A Keycard, while not actually considered a key, is a plastic card which stores a digital signature that is used with electronic access control locks. It is normally a flat, rectangular piece of plastic and may also serve as an ID card.

Keychest:

Disney's Keychest Technology: the technology, code-named Keychest, could contribute to a shift in what it means for a consumer to own a movie or a TV show, by redefining ownership as access rights, not physical possession.

The technology would allow consumers to pay a single price for permanent access to a movie or TV show across multiple digital platforms and devices - from the Web, to mobile gadgets like iPhones and cable services that allow on-demand viewing. It could also facilitate other services such as online movie subscriptions.

Keylogger:

A Keylogger is a type of surveillance software (considered to be either software or spyware) that has the capability to record every keystroke you make to a log file, usually encrypted.

Keyword:

A significant or descriptive word.

The words, or sequence of symbols, that are fed into the search engine of an electronic database to extract specific information. The care given to selecting keywords determines the relevance of the information retrieved.

Keyword Modifier:

A Modifier is a word that in combination with your core Keyword creates your long tail strategy. Most often a thematic Modifier can be: a word of a general meaning (e.g. "guide", "best", etc); a word related to your niche (e.g. "quote" for the finance niche or a related brand); a geo-specific word (e.g. "Las Vegas", "Nevada", etc).

KGOY:

Short for: Kids Grow Older Younger. Visit: The Thinking Mother.

Khat:

An evergreen shrub (Catha edulis) native to tropical East Africa, having dark green opposite leaves that are chewed fresh for their stimulating effects.

Kick:

Slang: power; force; a feeling of pleasurable stimulation.

Kick Off:

A vigorous blow with the foot.

Sports: the act or an instance of kicking a ball; the motion of the legs that propels the body in swimming.

Slang: a complaint; a protest; power; force; a feeling of pleasurable stimulation; temporary, often obsessive interest; a sudden, striking surprise; a twist.

Kick Start:

To start (a motor, motorcycle, etc.) by means of a lever attached to a pedal that one pushes sharply downward with the foot.

Informal: to start, energize, revive, etc.

Kickback:

A payment made to an individual who is responsible for awarding a contract (or for making a purchase) to persuade them to award it in favor of the payer of the Kickback. In most circumstances Kickbacks are illegal.

Killer Instinct:

A ruthless determination to succeed or win.

Kilobit:

A Kilobit is an expression of grouped bits meaning 1,000 bits.

The term 'Kilobit' is most commonly used in the expression of data rates (digital communication speeds) in the abbreviated form "kbps", "kb/s", or "kbit/s", meaning "kilobits per second".

Kilobyte:

The Kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix "kilo-", meaning 1,000) is a unit of digital information storage equal to either 1,000 bytes or 1,024 bytes, depending on context.

It is abbreviated in a number of ways: KB, kB, K and Kbyte.

Kilt:

The Kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century.

Kimono:

A long, wide-sleeved Japanese robe worn with an obi and often elaborately decorated.

Kinetic:

Of, relating to, or produced by motion.

Kinetic Energy:

The Kinetic Energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its current velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes. Negative work of the same magnitude would be required to return the body to a state of rest from that velocity.

King Kong Complex:

When a big (big being tall or large) guy is into short girls.

King Ludwig Syndrome:

King Ludwig Syndrome was coined to describe the psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden for the Bavarian royal family who drowned with his patient King Ludwig II on a boat trip on June 13, 1886. After years of treating the mad king, he is said to have become just like his patient.

Today, you are likely to see King Ludwig Syndrome anywhere where money has been made quickly and - on the surface, at least - painlessly. If the man sharing your office is worth $1bn, it's easy to start believing that you are too. Modern celebrities often invite their staff into their inner world, where, pretty soon, they also come to feel that they are entitled to the private jet. After all, their boss can hardly get out of bed before noon. The cure is good old-fashioned boundaries and / or separate offices. Never letting a PA near the bank statements and credit cards also helps. In the days when you called the boss 'sir' and saw him once a year at the Christmas party, no-one had a problem.

King of Diamonds:

Playing card: the King of Diamonds (along with The Jack of Spades and the Jack of Hearts) are drawn in profile, while the rest of the courts are shown in full face; these cards are commonly called "one-eyed". The axe held by the King of Diamonds is behind his head with the blade facing toward him. This leads to the nickname "suicide kings".

King's Ransom:

A very large treasure; accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.

Kingmaker:

One who has the political power to influence the selection of a candidate for high public office.

Kingpin:

Sports: The innermost or central pin in an arrangement of bowling pins.

The most important person or element in an enterprise or system.

Kinky:

Showing or appealing to bizarre or deviant tastes, especially of a sexual or erotic nature.

Kippah:

A Kippah, or yarmulke is a thin, slightly-rounded skullcap traditionally worn at all times by observant Jewish men, and sometimes by both men and women in Conservative and Reform communities.

Kiss of Judas:

A Judas Kiss refers to an act appearing to be an act of friendship, which is in fact harmful to the recipient.

Kiss-Off:

Slang: a dismissal, as from a job.

KISS Principle:

KISS is an acronym coined by Kelly Johnson for the design principle "Keep It Simple, Stupid!". Other variations include "Keep It Short and Simple", "Keep It Simple AND Stupid", "Keep It Simple or be Stupid" or "Keep It Simple and Straightforward".

The KISS Principle states that simplicity should be a key goal in design, and that unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

Kitchenalia:

Cookery: cooking equipment and other items found in a kitchen.

Kitsch:

Art, decorative objects and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively garish or sentimental art; usually considered in bad taste.

Klondike Gold Rush:

The Klondike Gold Rush, sometimes referred to as the Yukon Gold Rush, was a frenzy of gold rush immigration to and for gold prospecting, along the Klondike River near Dawson City, Yukon, Canada after gold was discovered there in 1896 and ended the following year. In total, about 12.5 million ounces of gold (about 390 tonnes) have been taken from the Klondike area in the century since its discovery.

Know-How:

A special technique or skill which a company has developed and which has a value to that company, either because it gives it a competitive advantage over its rivals, or because it can sell the skill or technique to others.

Know Someone in the Biblical Sense:

Knowing or to Know Someone in the Biblical Sense refers to have had sex with someone.

Knowledge:

The state or fact of knowing.

Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study.

The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned.

Knowledge Management:

The process of managing the knowledge that a company owns, either collectively, through such things as its patents and know-how, or individually in the minds of its employees. More and more companies are appointing Knowledge-Management officers to be in charge of this function.

Knowledge Worker:

Knowledge Workers in today's workforce are individuals who are valued for their ability to interpret information within a specific subject area. They will often advance the overall understanding of that subject through focused analysis, design and/or development. They use research skills to define problems and to identify alternatives. Fueled by their expertise and insight, they work to solve those problems, in an effort to influence company decisions, priorities and strategies.

Kokusaika:

The Japanese word for internationalization, something that is interpreted as the rest of the world rather than the spread of the rest of the world's corporations around Japan.

Kosher:

Judaism: conforming to dietary laws; ritually pure.

Slang: legitimate; permissible.

Kris:

A Malayan dagger with a wavy double-edged blade.

Kübler-Ross Model:

The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as The Five Stages of Grief, was first introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying (Scribner Classics).

Included in the book was a model, The Model of Coping with Dying, which she based on research and interviews with more than 500 dying patients. It describes, in five discrete stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression & acceptance), a process by which people cope and deal with grief and tragedy, especially when diagnosed with a terminal illness or experience a catastrophic loss. In addition to this, her book brought mainstream awareness to the sensitivity required for better treatment of individuals who are dealing with a fatal disease or illness.

Visit also: The Kübler-Ross grief cycle.

Kundalini:

Kundalini is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism. It is one of the components of an esoteric description of man's 'subtle body', which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence).

Through meditation, and various esoteric practices, such as Kundalini yoga, laya-yoga, and kriya yoga, the Kundalini is awakened producing an extremely profound mystical experience.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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La Belle Époque:

See: Belle Époque.

La Bise:

La Bise or Le Bisou means kiss: French family and friends exchange kisses on alternating cheeks upon meeting and separating. Two people introduced by a mutual friend may also faire La Bise, particularly kids and young adults.

Label:

An item used to identify something or someone, as a small piece of paper or cloth attached to an article to designate its origin, owner, contents, use, or destination.

A distinctive name or trademark identifying a product or manufacturer, especially a recording company.

Labor:

Human effort: one of the three factors of production at the root of all studies of economics. The other two are land and capital.

Labor Day:

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September.

Labor Intensive:

A description of products or services that require a high input of labor compared with the amount of land and capital. Postal services and catering are labor intensive; flying planes and making steel (these days) are not.

Labor Mobility:

The willingness of workers to move from one place to another in pursuit of new job.

Labyrinth:

An intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze.

Greek Mythology: the maze in which the Minotaur was confined.

Lady:

A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior.

Chiefly British: a general feminine title of nobility and other rank, specifically: used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.

Slang: Cocaine.

Lady in Waiting:

A woman who is a servant to a Lady. Similar to a valet for a gentleman.

Lady Killer:

A man who takes advantage of women.

Ladyboy:

Informal: a transvestite or transsexual, especially one from the Far East.

Ladylike:

Characteristic of a Lady; well-bred.

Refined and fastidious.

Lackey:

A liveried male servant; a footman.

A servile follower; a toady.

Laid-Back:

Having a relaxed or casual atmosphere or character; easygoing.

Laissez-Faire:

French for: "Let It Happen", an expression used to refer to a particular sort of free-market economics in which government interference with pure market forces is kept to a minimum.

Laissez-Passer:

A pass, especially one used in lieu of a passport.

Lampoon:

A written attack ridiculing a person, group, or institution.

A light, good-humored satire.

LAN:

The acronym for Local Area Network, a computer network that embraces a number of computers whose workers have a common interest: for example, they all work in one particular building, or they all work at one particular function (accounting, say).

Land:

The solid ground of the earth.

A nation; a country.

Public or private landed property; real estate.

Land Grabbing:

Land Grabbing is the contentious issue of large-scale land acquisitions; the buying or leasing of large pieces of land in developing countries, by domestic and transnational companies, governments, and individuals.

Land Line:

A telecommunications wire or cable laid over land.

Landed:

A term used to refer to a shipment of goods at the time and place when and where they are delivered.

Landed Gentry:

The gentry who own land (considered as a class).

Landing Page:

In online marketing a Landing Page, sometimes known as a lead capture page, is a single web page that appears in response to clicking on an advertisement.

Landlord:

A company or an individual who receives income from tenants making use of land and property over which the company or individual has the rights.

Landmark:

Originally, a Landmark literally meant a geographic feature used by explorers and others to find their way back or through an area.

In modern usage, a Landmark includes anything that is easily recognizable, such as a monument, building, or other structure. In American English it is the main term used to designate places that might be of interest to tourists due to notable physical features or historical significance. Landmarks in the British English sense are often used for casual navigation, such as giving directions. This is done in American English as well.

An event marking an important stage of development or a turning point in history.

Language:

A system of signs, symbols, gestures, or rules used in communicating.

Computer Science: a system of symbols and rules used for communication with or between computers.

Lap:

One complete round or circuit, especially of a racetrack; one complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool.

Lap Dance:

An erotic dance that a stripper performs while straddling a customer's lap.

Lap Dog:

A small dog kept as a pet.

Informal: one eager to do another's bidding, especially in order to maintain a position of privilege or favor.

Lapidarium:

Collection of stone monuments.

Lapis Lazuli:

An opaque to translucent blue, violet-blue, or greenish-blue semiprecious gemstone composed mainly of lazurite and calcite.

Laptop Computer:

A Laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile use and small enough to sit on one's lap. A Laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device (a touchpad, also known as a trackpad, and / or a pointing stick), speakers, and often including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The rechargeable battery (if present) is charged from an AC adapter and typically stores enough energy to run the Laptop for two to three hours in its initial state, depending on the configuration and power management of the computer.

See also: netbook, notebook, PC, tablet PC and ultrabook.

Largesse:

Generosity of spirit or attitude.

Last Straw:

The last of a succession of irritations, incidents, remarks, etc., that leads to a loss of patience, a disaster.

Last Supper:

Jesus's Supper with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion, at which he instituted the Eucharist.

Latakia:

Latakia tobacco is a specially prepared tobacco originally produced in Syria and named after the port city of Latakia. Now the tobacco is mainly produced in Cyprus. It is cured over a stone pine or oak wood fire, which gives it an intense smokey-peppery taste and smell. Too strong for most people's tastes to smoke straight, it is used as a "condiment" or "blender" (a basic tobacco mixed with other tobaccos to create a blend), especially in English, Balkan, and some American Classic blends.

Latent:

Potentially existing but not presently evident or realized.

Latex (clothing):

Latex rubber is used in many types of clothing. Rubber has traditionally been used in protective clothing, including gas masks and Wellington boots. Rubber is now generally being replaced in these application by plastics. Mackintoshes have traditionally been made from rubberized cloth.

Latex rubber as a clothing material is common in fetish fashion and among BDSM practitioners, and is often seen worn at fetish clubs. Latex is sometimes also used by couturiers for its dramatic appearance. Worn on the body it tends to be skin-tight, producing a "second skin" effect. There are several magazines dedicated to the use and wearing of it.

Latin:

Latin is the Indo-European language of the ancient Latins and Romans and the most important cultural language of western Europe until the end of the 17th century. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and many schools and universities continue to teach it. Latin is still used in the process of new word production in modern languages of many different families, including English.

Latitude:

The angular distance north or south of the earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on a map or globe.

Freedom from normal restraints, limitations, or regulations.

See also: longitude.

Latte:

A Latte (from the Italian caffèlatte, meaning "coffee (and) milk") is a type of coffee drink made with hot milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as chai, mate or matcha. The word is also sometimes spelled latté or lattè - the incorrect diacritical mark being added as a hypercorrection. It is one of the most pretentious drinks in the world.

In Italian Latte means milk. What in English-speaking countries is now called a Latte is shorthand for "caffelatte" or "caffellatte" ("caffè e latte"). The Italian form means "coffee and milk", similar to the French café au lait, the Spanish café con leche and the Portuguese café com leite. Caffe latte is today part of the defined international coffee menu, which also includes cappuccino and espresso.

Ordering a "latte" (a term used in many English-speaking countries for a coffee with milk) in Italy will get a glass of hot or cold milk.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term caffè latte was first used in English in 1847 (as caffe latto), and in 1867 as caffè latte by William Dean Howells in his essay "Italian Journeys". However, in Kenneth Davids' Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying it is said that "At least until recently, ordering a "latte" in Italy got you a puzzled look and a hot glass of milk. The American-style caffe latte did not exist in Italian caffes, except perhaps in a few places dominated by American tourists... Obviously breakfast drinks of this kind have existed in Europe for generations, but the caffe version of this drink is an American invention..."

Laugh Track:

Recorded laughter added to a soundtrack, as of a television or radio show.

Launch:

The introduction of a new product or service into a market. This usually involves a co-ordinated advertising campaign and intensive distribution.

Launder:

To pass "dirty" money through "clean" places, such as reputable financial centres, so that the money appears to have been acquired legitimately, or to have had any tax due on it paid in full.

Laurels:

A wreath of Laurel conferred as a mark of honor in ancient times upon poets, heroes, and victors in athletic contests. Often used in the plural.

Law:

A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.

A set of rules or principles dealing with a specific area of a legal system.

A piece of enacted legislation.

Law of Diminishing Returns:

The economic principle that, after a certain level of production, the same input produces a diminishing amount of output. This can be because of diseconomies of scale: as things get bigger they may require more management input to produce the same output.

Law of Supply and Demand:

Common sense principle which defines the generally observed relationship between demand, supply, and prices: as demand increases the price goes up which attracts new suppliers who increase the supply bringing the price back to normal. However, in the marketing, of high price (prestige) goods, such as perfumes, jewelry, watches, cars, liquor, a low price may be associated with low quality, and may reduce demand.

Lawsuit:

An action or a suit brought before a court, as to recover a right or redress a grievance.

Lawyer:

One whose profession is to give legal advice and assistance to clients and represent them in court or in other legal matters.

Lawyer's Letter:

The initial shot in a potential legal battle. A letter, for instance, sent by a lawyer to an intransignent debtor demanding payment within a certain time.

Lay An Egg:

To fail, especially in a public performance.

Lay Off:

To end somebody's employment, either temporarily or permanently, because of cuts by the employing organization. A temporary slowdown in demand for cars, for instance, might lead a car manufacturer to lay off some of its production workers for a few months, until demand picks up again.

Layaway:

A payment plan in which a buyer reserves an article of merchandise by placing a deposit with the retailer until the balance is paid in full.

Layman:

Someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person.

Layout:

An arrangement or a plan, especially the schematic arrangement of parts or areas.

LBO:

Short for: Leveraged Buy-Out, a takeover of a company in which most of the purchase price is paid with borrowed money, which (usually) then becomes a liability of the company that has been purchased.

LCD:

Short for: Liquid Crystal Display. A LCD is an electronically-modulated optical device shaped into a thin, flat panel made up of any number of color or monochrome pixels filled with liquid crystals and arrayed in front of a light source (backlight) or reflector. It is often utilized in battery-powered electronic devices because it uses very small amounts of electric power.

LCD TV:

Short for: Lowest Common Denominator Television. Televion program(s) showing the most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people.

Lead:

The first or foremost position.

The margin by which one holds a position of advantage or superiority.

Information pointing toward a possible solution; a clue; an indication of potential opportunity; a tip.

Lead Time:

The amount of time between the placing of an order and the actual receipt of the goods that have been ordered. Lead times are an important variable in the planning of production processes.

Leader:

One that leads or guides.

One who is in charge or in command of others.

One who heads a political party or organization; one who has influence or power, especially of a political nature.

Chiefly British: the main editorial in a newspaper.

Leadership:

A human quality that makes people prepared to follow one person but not another. Some maintain that people are born with Leadership; others maintain that it can be learnt.

League:

An association of states, organizations, or individuals for common action; an alliance.

A class or level of competition.

Sports: an association of teams or clubs that compete chiefly among themselves.

A class or level of competition.

Leak:

Informal: to disclose without authorization or official sanction.

Lean Production:

A term used to refer to a particular method of production devised by Japanese manufacturer in their efforts in the 1960s and 1970s to catch up with their western counterparts. It involved minimizing production costs as much as possible, and wherever possible.

Leap Day:

February 29, known as a Leap Day in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are evenly divisible by 4.

Learning Organization:

The type of organization that makes a systematic attempt to retain and redistribute in an optimum way the information and knowledge that it gathers in it day-to-day business.

Lease:

A contract granting the right to the use of property for a given period of time and for a given payment (or series of payments). If the property is land or buildings, the payment is called rent.

Lease Back:

An arrangement under which an organization which owns land or buildings sells them to a financial intermediary and immediately leases them back from the intermediary. This can have a dramatic effect on the organization's balance sheet.

Leasing:

The hiring (by a manufacturer) or large capital assets (such as machinery) from a financial intermediary. Leasing enables the lessee to exchange what would have been a single large capital payment for a series of installments that can be considered as an expense paid out of income. This can produce tax benefits for both the lessor and the lessee.

Lebensraum:

Additional territory deemed necessary to a nation, especially Nazi Germany, for its continued existence or economic well-being.

Adequate space in which to live, develop, or function.

Lecture:

An exposition of a given subject delivered before an audience or a class, as for the purpose of instruction.

An earnest admonition or reproof; a reprimand.

LED:

Short for: Light Emitting Diode. LED is any Light Emitting Diode whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple "printing" process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colors.

Such systems can be used in television screens, computer displays, small, portable system screens such as cell phones and PDAs, advertising, information and indication. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination, and large-area light-emitting elements. OLEDs typically emit less light per area than inorganic solid-state based LEDs which are usually designed for use as point-light sources.

A significant benefit of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCD) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. Because there is no need for a backlight, an OLED display can be much thinner than an LCD panel. Degradation of OLED materials has limited their use.

Ledger:

A book in which an organization's accounts are formally recorded.

Left Wing:

The liberal or radical faction of a group.

Legacy:

Law: money or property bequeathed to another by will.

Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past

Legal:

Meeting the requirements under law.

Legal Tender:

Any sort of money which is a legally acceptable form for paying a debt. Notes and coins are legal tender. Checks and credit cards are not, since a vendor or a lender is not obliged to accept them as payment.

Legend:

An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.

One that inspires Legends or achieves legendary fame.

Legislation:

Law: the act or process of making laws; enactment.

Legitimate:

Being in compliance with the law; lawful.

Being in accordance with established or accepted patterns and standards.

Leisure:

Freedom from time-consuming duties, responsibilities, or activities.

Lemming:

Any of various small, thickset rodents, especially of the genus Lemmus, inhabiting northern regions and known for periodic mass migrations that sometimes end in drowning.

Doomed conformist: a member of a large group of people who blindly follow one another on a course of action that will lead to destruction for all of them.

Lent:

The 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday until Easter observed by Christians as a season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter.

Les Lanciers:

Les Lanciers is a Square, or a Quadrille, which is the pan-European term for a set dance performed by four couples. It is a composite dance made up of five figures or tours, each performed four times so that all couples will dance the lead part. We find Les Lanciers or The Lancers in many variants in several countries. One in particular, with its own distinctive music and choreography, is danced only in Denmark.

In Denmark, Les Lanciers is danced at the Danish Court, at any University and School Gaudy, and at countless private functions. Les Lanciers is also taught in most of the high schools in Denmark.

The five tours of the Danish dance are: La Dorset, La Victoria, Les Moulinets, Les Visites, Les Lancers.

The Danish music for each part can be found here.

Lèse Majesté:

Lèse Majesté (French law, from the Latin Laesa Maiestas, "injured majesty"; in English, also Lese Majesty or Leze Majesty) is the crime of violating majesty, an offense against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.

L'esprit de l'Escalier:

L'esprit de l'Escalier or L'esprit d'Escalier (literally, staircase wit) is a French term used in English that describes the predicament of thinking of the right comeback too late.

Lessee:

An individual or organization to whom a lease is granted.

"Less is more":

A Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quote.

Lessor:

An individual or organization who grants a lease to another individual or organization.

"Let The Chips Fall Where They May":

Que sera sera: meaning being willing to accept the consequences of a particular course of action - a quote from the 1999 movie Fight Club.

Letter Box Company:

A corporation set up in a tax haven with nothing more than a mailing address to take advantage of tax provisions. Severely criticized in many quarters as an evasive measure, the company whose existence is little more than a name-plate has been outlawed in Monaco but is allowed to function in many other havens.

Letter of Credit:

An arrangement whereby a bank makes funds available to a customer in a foreign country. The bank debits the customer's account at the same time as it sends a letter to a suitable bank abroad asking it to give the customer credit. A Letter of Credit is useful for the finance of trade as well as of foreign travel. The bank abroad will usually have a continuing agreement with the home bank to provide this service for its customers. Such a bank is called the home bank's correspondent.

A Letter of Credit (LC) is a document issued by your bank that essentially acts as an irrevocable guarantee of payment to a beneficiary.

Letter of Intent:

A letter formally expressing an intention to take a particular course of action. A Letter of Intent is written in a way that makes it clear that it is intended not to be; it merely indicates that something is being contemplated.

Letter of Introduction:

The Letter of Introduction, along with the visiting card, was an important part of polite social interaction in the 18th and 19th centuries.

A letter given by one person to another, as an introduction to a third party.

Letters Patent:

Letters Patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government, granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or to some entity such as a corporation.

Letterhead:

The heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper, usually consisting of a name and an address.

Stationery imprinted with such a heading.

Letterman:

A Letterman, in U.S. sports, performing arts or academics, is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation and/or performance on a varsity athletic team, marching band, or in other performance school-sponsored activities.

The term comes from the practice of awarding each such participant a cloth "letter", which is usually the school's initial or initials, for placement on a "letter sweater" or "letter jacket" intended for the display of such an award. In some instances, the sweater or jacket itself may also be awarded, especially for the initial award to a given individual.

Letterpress Printing:

Letterpress is a printing method that requires characters being impressed upon the page. The print may be inked or blind but is typically done in a single color. Motifs or designs may be added as many letterpress machines use movable plates that must be hand-set.

Level:

A position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality.

A relative degree, as of achievement, intensity, or concentration.

Leverage:

The extent to which a purchase was paid for with borrowed money. Amplifies the potential gain or loss for the purchaser.

Leviathan:

Leviathan is a sea monster referred to in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament). The word Leviathan has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. In modern literature (such as the novel Moby-Dick) it refers to great whales, and in Modern Hebrew, it means simply "whale."

Lex Talionis:

Law: the principle or law of retaliation that a punishment inflicted should correspond in degree and kind to the offense of the wrongdoer, as an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; retributive justice.

Lexicon:

A dictionary; a vocabulary.

A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style.

LGBT:

Short for: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.

Visit: LGBT rights by country or territory - Wikipedia.

LHC:

Short for Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator - aka "The Doomsday Machine."

Visit: The LHC Homepage - CERN.

Liability:

An amount of money that is owed.

An obligation to do something in the future.

The legal responsibility for damages for breach of contract or some other civil wrong.

Liaison:

An instance or a means of communication between different groups or units of an organization, especially in the armed forces.

One that maintains communication.

A close relationship, connection, or link.

An adulterous relationship; an affair.

Libel:

A false and malicious publication printed for the purpose of defaming a living person.

Libel Tourism:

Libel Tourism is a term first coined by Geoffrey Robertson QC to describe a form of forum shopping in which plaintiffs choose to file libel suits in jurisdiction thought more likely to give a favourable result.

Liberal:

A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties.

Libertine:

One who acts without moral restraint; a dissolute person.

One who defies established religious precepts; a freethinker.

Libido:

A Freudian term for sexual urge or desire.

Libretto:

The text of a dramatic musical work, such as an opera.

License:

A right granted by one organization to another to use a process, trademark, patent, and so on, belonging to the first organization in return for a fee, or for the payment of a royalty.

Licensee:

An individual or organization to whom a license is granted.

Licensing:

Technology which can be the subject-matter of licensing covers all forms of industrial enterprise. It embraces industrial property which may be protected by patents, trade marks, etc. As well as technology which cannot be patented. Industrial enterprises frequently exploit their technology by transferring it to Licensing companies in tax havens so that royalties and other sums may be received by the Licensing company from related companies or third parties thus reducing the total tax burden. The anti-avoidance provisions of most developed countries have limited the use of tax havens for this purpose.

Licensor:

An individual or organization who grants a license to somebody else.

Lie Dectector:

See: polygraph.

Lie in State:

French: "Étre couché sur un lit de parade." A dead body displayed to the general public.

Liege:

A lord or sovereign to whom allegiance and service are due according to feudal law.

Loyal; faithful.

Lien:

In law, a Lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation.

Life Support:

of or pertaining to equipment or methods used to sustain life.

Lifestyle:

Lifestyle was originally coined by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. The current broader sense of the word dates from 1961.

In sociology, a Lifestyle is the way a person lives. A Lifestyle is a characteristic bundle of behaviors that makes sense to both others and oneself in a given time and place, including social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. The behaviors and practices within Lifestyles are a mixture of habits, conventional ways of doing things, and reasoned actions. A Lifestyle typically also reflects an individual's attitudes, values or worldview. Therefore, a Lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of self and to create cultural symbols that resonate with personal identity. Not all aspects of a Lifestyle are entirely voluntaristic. Surrounding social and technical systems can constrain the Lifestyle choices available to the individual and the symbols she/he is able to project to others and the self.

The lines between personal identity and the everyday doings that signal a particular lifestyle become blurred in modern society. For example, "green lifestyle" means holding beliefs and engaging in activities that consume fewer resources and produce less harmful waste (i.e. a smaller carbon footprint), and deriving a sense of self from holding these beliefs and engaging in these activities. Some commentators argue that, in Modernity, the cornerstone of lifestyle construction is consumption behavior, which offers the possibility to create and further individualize the self with different products or services that signal different ways of life.

Lifetime Employment:

The practice of working for the same employer from the moment that a person enters the workforce to the day that they retire. Lifetime employment is increasingly rare, but immediately after the second world war it was commonplace.

LIFO:

The acronym for: Last In First Out, an accounting principle whereby (for valuation purposes) the last stock-in-trade that was purchased is considered to be the first to be consumed in the production process.

Limbo:

A region or condition of oblivion or neglect; a state or place of confinement; an intermediate place or state.

Performing Arts / Dancing: a Caribbean dance in which dancers pass, while leaning backwards, under a bar.

Limelight:

a focus of public attention.

Limey:

A man of English descent.

Limerick:

A form of comic verse consisting of five anapaestic lines of which the first, second, and fifth have three metrical feet and rhyme together and the third and fourth have two metrical feet and rhyme together.

Limited Edition:

An edition that is restricted to a specific number of copies.

Limited Liability:

The fundamental principle of incorporation whereby a so-called limited company is limited in its obligations to the amount of equity that is raised by its shareholders. A creditor of a limited liability company does not have legal recourse to the directors or the individual shareholders per se for payment of the company's debts.

Limited Partnership:

A form of partnership in which one or more of the partners run the partnership (and have unlimited liability) and a number of other partners contribute only capital to the partnership (and have their liability limited to the amount of capital that they invest). The partners with unlimited liability are called general partners; those with limited liability are called limited partners. The limited partners have no right to participate in the running of the business.

Limousine:

Any of various large passenger vehicles, especially a luxurious automobile usually driven by a chauffeur and sometimes having a partition separating the passenger compartment from the driver's seat.

Line:

Mathematics: a geometric figure formed by a point moving along a fixed direction and the reverse direction.

Merchandise or services of a similar or related nature.

Ancestry or lineage.

Line Extension:

A marketing term for the increase in a product line brought about by adding variations of an existing brand; for example, by adding to a brand of chocolate bars like Mars a brand of Mars ice cream.

Line Management:

The managers responsible for the actual production of an organization's goods and services. The expression comes from the military where line duties are those involved directly in the line of fighting, whereas staff duties are associated with the headquarters and support functions.

Line Producer:

A Line Producer is a key member of the production team for a motion picture. Typically, a line producer manages the budget of a motion picture. Alternatively, or in addition, they may manage the day to day physical aspects of the film production, serving a role similar to the unit production manager.

Line Up:

To arrange in or form a line.

To organize and make ready.

Lingerie:

Lingerie is a term for fashionable and notionally alluring women's undergarments. It derives from the French word linge, "washables" — as in faire le linge, "do the laundry" — and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then from India.

Lingo:

The specialized vocabulary of a particular field or discipline.

Linguistics:

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields: the study of language form, of language meaning, and of language in context.

Link:

One of the rings or loops forming a chain.

A unit in a connected series of units.

An association; a relationship.

Computer Science: a segment of text or a graphical item that serves as a cross-reference between parts of a hypertext document or between files or hypertext documents. Also called: hotlink, hyperlink.

Link Juice:

Jargon that refers to the quality of a web site's link authority and power.

The Link Juice expression was coined by SEO consultant Greg Boser.

Lion's Share:

All, or nearly all; the best or largest part.

Lipizzan (or Lipizzaner):

The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner is a breed of horse closely associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria where the finest representatives demonstrate the haute ecole or "high school" movements of classical dressage, including the highly controlled, stylized jumps and other movements known as the "airs above the ground." The Lipizzan breed dates back to the 16th century, when it was developed with the support of the Habsburg nobility. The breed takes its name from one of the earliest stud farms established, located near the Kras village of Lipica (spelled "Lipizza" in Italian), in modern-day Slovenia.

Liquid:

A substance that is Liquid at room temperature and pressure.

Readily convertible into cash.

Liquidation:

The process of redistributing a company's assets after it has ceased trading. The company may have ceased trading of its own volition, in which case the process is called voluntary Liquidation, or it may have ceased trading on the instructions of a court because it has failed to meet its obligations on time.

Liquidity:

A measure of how quickly a company (or a market) can turn its assets into cash. A bank is highly liquid compared with a hotel company, for instance. Financial institutions like banks have to maintain a certain level of liquidity (imposed by their regulators) so that they can pay out their depositors' money easily should there be a (temporary) loss of confidence in the institution.

List:

A series of names, words, or other items written, printed, or imagined one after the other.

A considerable number; a long series.

List Price:

The formal price of goods and services as recorded on a list produced by the manufacturer or service provider. This may not be the price that customers are actually asked to pay.

Listing:

The adding of a company's securities to the list of those that are traded on a recognized stock exchange.

Listing Requirements:

The things that a company is obliged to do before its securities can obtain a listing on a stock exchange. These usually include:

Being in business for a minimum length of time.

Making a profit for a certain period.

Producing accounts prepared according to the stock exchange's own requirements, which may demand disclosure well beyond what is required by the law of the land.

Lit de Parade:

See: lie in state.

Literati:

The literary intelligentsia.

Lithography:

Lithography is a method for printing using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface. Lithography originally used oil or fat. However, in modern times, the image is now made of polymer applied to anodized aluminium plates.

Litigant:

A party engaged in a lawsuit.

Litmus Test:

A test for chemical acidity or basicity using litmus paper.

A test that uses a single indicator to prompt a decision.

LITS:

Short for: Life Is Too Short.

Little Black Book:

A personal telephone directory listing girlfriends, or, less often, boyfriends.

Little Black Dress:

A little Black Dress is an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel, intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color. Its ubiquity is such that it is often simply referred to as the "LBD".

Liturgy:

A prescribed form or set of forms for public religious worship.

Live Streaming:

Streaming media are multimedia that are constantly received by, and normally presented to, an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider (the term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback). The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather than to the medium itself. The distinction is usually applied to media that are distributed over telecommunications networks, as most other delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g., radio, television) or inherently non-streaming (e.g., books, video cassettes, audio CDs). The verb 'to stream' is also derived from this term, meaning to deliver media in this manner.

Living Will:

A legal document expressing the desires of the author with regard to medical decisions, invoked in the event that the author is incapacitated and unable to act on their own behalf.

LLC:

Short for: Limited Liability Company. LLC is a hybrid between the partnership and the corporation (originates from the German GmbH created by law in 1892).

Lloyd's of London:

Lloyd's of London is a unique London-based insurance market that began in the 18th century in the coffee shop of a man named Edward Lloyd. The market is known particularly for insuring marine risks, but it suffered a series of heavy losses in the 1980s when it went into business with which It was less familiar.

Load:

To put a software program or a quantity of data into a computer.

Load Factor:

The percentage of a carrier's capacity that is occupied. For example, an airline may need, on average, a load factor of 75% - ie to sell more than 75% of its seats in order to be profitable.

Loafer:

A trademark used for a low leather step-in shoe with an upper resembling a moccasin but with a broad, flat heel.

Loan:

A transaction in which the owner of property (the lender) allows another person (the borrower) to have use of that property, usually for an agreed time and for an agreed price. The property in question, of course, is (more often than not) money.

Loan Stock:

That part of a company's capital which is in the form of long-term loans or bonds.

Lobby:

A hall, foyer, or waiting room at or near the entrance to a building, such as a hotel or theater.

A public room next to the assembly chamber of a legislative body.

A group of persons engaged in trying to influence legislators or other public officials in favor of a specific cause.

Lobbying:

Lobbying is the practice of influencing decisions made by government. It includes all attempts to influence legislators and officials, whether by other legislators, constituents or organized groups.

Lobbyist:

A Lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying.

Locale:

A place, especially with reference to a particular event.

The scene or setting, as of a novel.

Location:

A site or position; situation.

The act or process of locating or the state of being located, e.g. 42.059370 N, 73.910663 W (See also: latitude and longitude).

Lock, Stock, and Barrel:

This is an expression that means everything; if someone buys a company lock, stock and barrel, they buy absolutely everything to do with the company.

See also: Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Lock-Out:

The exclusion from a place of work (an office or a factory) of one group of workers by another. Lock-Outs usually occur as part of an industrial dispute between trade unions and managers.

Lock Up:

A garage or storage place separate from the main premises.

Locus:

The scene of any event or action.

Lodge:

A cottage or cabin, often rustic, used as a temporary abode or shelter.

Any of various Native American dwellings, such as a hogan, wigwam, or longhouse.

A local chapter of certain fraternal organizations.

Loft:

Floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space; such a floor converted into an apartment or artist's studio.

Log File:

A File created by a web or proxy server which contains all of the access information regarding the activity on that server.

Log On:

To go through the stages required to gain access to the programs and information contained within a computer.

Loge:

A small compartment, especially a box in a theater.

The front rows of the mezzanine in a theater.

Loggia:

An open-sided, roofed or vaulted gallery, either free-standing or along the front or side of a building, often at an upper level.

An open balcony in a theater.

Logic:

Logic, from the Greek logikosis the study of reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activity, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. Logic examines general forms which arguments may take, which forms are valid, and which are fallacies. It is one kind of critical thinking. In philosophy, the study of Logic falls in the area of epistemology, which asks: "How do we know what we know?" In mathematics, it is the study of valid inferences within some formal language.

As a discipline, Logic dates back to Aristotle, who established its fundamental place in philosophy. The study of Logic is part of the classical trivium.

Logistics:

A term taken from the military where it referred to the science of supplying and moving troops; hence the science of moving goods, services and people in and out of corporations.

Logistics means having the right thing, at the right place, at the right time.

The procurement, maintenance, distribution, and replacement of personnel and materiel.

Logistics is the science of planning and implementing the acquisition and use of the resources necessary to sustain the operation of a system.

The science of planning, design, and support of business operations of procurement, purchasing, inventory, warehousing, distribution, transportation, customer support, financial and human resources.

Logo:

The design or symbol that uniquely identifies a particular organization or brand.

Lone Ranger:

One who acts alone and without consultation or the approval of others.

Lone Wolf:

One who prefers to go without the company or assistance of others.

Long:

An investor is said to be long in a stock when his supply of it and his commitments to buy it in the future are in excess of his commitments to sell it.

Long Shot:

An entry, as in a horserace, with only a slight chance of winning.

A bet made at great odds; a venture that offers a great reward if successful but has very little chance of success.

Long Tail:

Long Tail is the name for a long-known feature of some statistical distributions.

Long-Term:

In corporate life, generally a period in excess of ten years. Long-Term planning is planning for the business world of ten years hence. Longs, as the British government's Long-Term bonds used to be called, were securities with an original maturity of 15 years or more.

Longitude:

Angular distance on the earth's surface, measured east or west from the prime meridian at Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England, to the meridian passing through a position, expressed in degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds.

See also: latitude.

Look:

The feelings expressed on a person's face; physical appearance.

Clothing & Fashion: style; fashion.

See also: New Look.

Lookbook:

A Lookbook is a collection of photographs compiled to show off a model, a photographer, a style, or a clothing line.

Loop:

A length of line, thread, ribbon, or other thin material that is curved or doubled over making an opening.

Electricity: a closed circuit.

Computer Science: a sequence of instructions that repeats either a specified number of times or until a particular condition is met.

A flight maneuver in which an aircraft flies a circular path in a vertical plane with the lateral axis of the aircraft remaining horizontal.

A segment of film or magnetic tape whose ends are joined, making a strip that can be continuously replayed.

Loophole:

A way of escaping a difficulty, especially an omission or ambiguity in the wording of a contract or law that provides a means of evading compliance.

A small hole or slit in a wall, especially one through which small arms may be fired.

Lord:

A man of high rank in a feudal society or in one that retains feudal forms and institutions.

A man of renowned power or authority; a man who has mastery in a given field or activity.

Lord of the Manor:

One who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor, as of a Manor.

Loss:

The condition in which a company's expenses over a given period are greater than its revenue over the same period; or where its income from a particular transaction is less than the cost of the transaction.

Loss Leader:

A product that is sold at a loss by a manufacturer or a retailer to entice (that is, to lead) a customer to buy other things from the same manufacturer or retailer.

Lost Generation:

The "Lost Generation" is a term used to refer to the generation, actually an age cohort, that came of age during World War I. The term was popularized by Ernest Hemingway who used it as one of two contrasting epigraphs for his novel, The Sun Also Rises. In that volume Hemingway credits the phrase to Gertrude Stein, who was then his mentor and patron.

Lottery:

A contest in which tokens are distributed or sold, the winning token or tokens being secretly predetermined or ultimately selected in a random drawing.

An activity or event regarded as having an outcome depending on fate.

Lounge:

A room, as in a hotel or theater, where guests or patrons may go to relax, socialize, smoke, etc.

A living room.

A lobby.

A cocktail lounge.

Love Addiction:

When one person loves another with compulsive intensity and in ways that are not to the best interest of either person.

Love Contract Policy:

A Love Contract Policy establishes workplace guidelines for dating or romantically involved coworkers. The purpose of the policy is to limit the liability of an organization in the event that the romantic relationship of the dating couple ends.

Love Handle:

A deposit of fat at the waistline.

Lovers' Lane:

Any secluded place frequented by young couples so as to engage in lovemaking in their parked vehicles.

Loyalty:

A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection.

The extent to which customers buy the same goods and services again and again. On the whole, a customer's Loyalty decreases as his or her choice gets wider.

Loyalty Card:

The plastic card issued to customers as part of a loyalty program.

Loyalty Program:

A marketing initiative designed to increase customers' loyalty to a particular product or a particular distribution channel. A typical Loyalty Program might include giving customers plastic cards which electronically credit them with points (which can be redeemed for goods) in line with the volume of their purchases.

L.S.D.:

Short for: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.

LTD:

A short version of Limited Liability. An expression added to the end of a company's name to indicate that the company has the protection that limited liability affords. All languages have a similar way of indicating that an organization enjoys the privileges of limited liability.

Luck:

The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; fortune.

Good fortune or prosperity; success.

One's personal fate or lot.

Luggage:

Trunk, a wooden box, generally much larger than other kinds of luggage. Trunks come in smaller sizes as in the case of footlockers and larger ones called steamers. These days trunks are more commonly used for storage than transportation. Items large enough to require a trunk are now usually shipped in transport cases.

Suitcase, a general term that may refer to wheeled or non-wheeled luggage, as well as soft or hard side luggage.

Portmanteau, a large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments.

Wheeled Upright, a relatively new type of luggage that incorporates an extending handle that allows the traveler to roll it in an upright position.

Gladstone bag, (aka "Professor bag") a small portmanteau suitcase built over a rigid frame which could separate into two equal sections. Unlike a suitcase, a Gladstone bag is "deeper in proportion to its length."

Garment bag, a style of luggage that folds over on itself to allow long garments such as suits or dresses to be packed flat to avoid creasing. Garment bags come in both wheeled and non-wheeled models, and are usually one of the largest pieces in any set of luggage.

Tote, a small bag, usually worn on the shoulder, though wheeled models with extending handles have become popular in recent years.

Duffel bag, a barrel-shaped bag, almost exclusively soft side, is well suited to casual travel, with very little organization inside. A small bag, usually worn on the shoulder, though wheeled models with extending handles have become popular in recent years.

Carpet bag, travel luggage traditionally made from carpets.

Rolling luggage, referring to various types of wheeled luggage either with or without telescoping handles. Typically two fixed wheels on one end with the handle located on the opposite for vertical movement.

Backpack, (also called rucksack, knapsack, packsack, pack, or Bergan) is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions. Light weight types of backpacks are sometimes worn on only one shoulder strap.

Trolley case, some suitcases that include a telescopic handle and wheels are known as trolley cases. Trolley cases typically have two fixed wheels on one end with the handle located on the opposite for vertical movement.

Lumen (unit):

The Lumen (symbol: lm) is the SI derived unit of luminous flux, a measure of the power of light perceived by the human eye.

Luxury:

Something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity.

Lavishness: the quality possessed by something that is excessively expensive.

Wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living.

Luxury Goods:

Expensive goods which no reasonable person would consider to be essential to everyday life, such as precious jewellery, high fashion or specially matured alcoholic drinks. Because of their nature, luxury goods are bought in a different way from consumer goods and need to be marketed differently. They are sometimes taxed differently, too.

See also: Veblen good.

Luxury Yacht Tender (Tender To...):

A Luxury Yacht Tender is used to service and to provide support and entertainment to a private or charter luxury yacht. Known commonly as the 'yacht's tender' a luxury yacht tender will often be a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) which features cushioned inflatable rubber inner tubes around its rigid (usually fiberglass) hull to protect the yacht when in close contact.

Other types of Luxury Yacht Tender include inflatable boats, which are almost completely synthetic rubber or plastic, and also rigid inflatable boats (RIB's) which are usually constructed from materials such as fiberglass, wood, steel or aluminum with inflatable synthetic rubber or plastic sponsons. Tenders are motor powered by outboard motor engines or inboard engines burning either petrol/gasoline or diesel. They use either propellers or more recently impellers as utilized by water jet boats.

Lycra:

Spandex, Lycra or elastane, is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor.

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- M -

M&A:

Short for: Mergers and Acquisition. The business of arranging and financing takeovers (of one corporation by another) and mergers (between corporations).

M-Health:

(Mobile-Health). An umbrella term for wireless devices that are used in health care. It includes mobile monitors worn by patients as well as smartphones that physicians and nurses use to obtain and disseminate information.

M-Pesa:

M-PESA (M for mobile, Pesa is Swahili for money) is the product name of a mobile phone based money transfer service.

Ma'am:

UK: Ma'am is mostly obsolete, with a few exceptions. It must be used when addressing the Queen in place of Your Majesty; after having first addressed her as "Your Majesty", it is correct to address the Queen of the United Kingdom as "Ma'am" (pronounced to rhyme with "ham", not "farm") for the remainder of a conversation.

MacGuffin:

A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". Coined (c. 1935) by English film director Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (1899-1980).

Mach Speed:

Mach number (Ma or M) is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance. It is commonly used to represent an object's (such as an aircraft or missile) speed, when it is travelling at (or at multiples of) the speed of sound.

The Mach number is named after Czech/Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach.

Machine Tool:

A piece of equipment used for cutting and shaping metal in a manufacturing process.

Machismo:

Machismo is a prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism. In many cultures, machismo is acceptable and even expected.

Macho:

Strong or exaggerated masculinity.

Mad Cow Disease:

A fatal disease of cattle that affects the central nervous system; causes staggering and agitation.

Madam:

Used formerly as a courtesy title before a woman's given name but now used only before a surname or title indicating rank or office.

Used as a salutation in a letter.

Used as a form of polite address for a woman.

The mistress of a household.

A woman who manages a brothel.

Madame:

Madame, Madam, Ma'am (rhymes with ham), or Mme is a title for a woman. It is derived from the French madame, the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and literally signifying "my lady." The plural of madam in this sense is mesdames. The French madame is in turn derived from the Latin mea domina meaning 'my mistress' of the home (domus).

After addressing her as "Your Majesty" once, it is correct to address The Queen of the United Kingdom as "Ma'am" for the remainder of a conversation, with the pronunciation as in "ham" and not as in "chum" or "farm."

See also: Madam & Sir.

Made-to-Order:

Made in accordance with particular instructions or requirements; custom-made.

Madison Avenue:

The term "Madison Avenue" is often used metonymically for advertising, and Madison Avenue became identified with the advertising industry after the explosive growth in this area in the 1920s.

Madrigal:

A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

A short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music.

Maelstrom:

A powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides).

A violent or turbulent situation.

Maestro:

An artist of consummate skill.

Maestro means "master" or "teacher" in Italian: a term of respect used particularly in the international music world.

Mafia:

The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta) is a Sicilian criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, and the first such society to be referred to as a Mafia (although it is not the first organized criminal society to appear in Italy). It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct. Each group, known as a "family", "clan" or "cosca", claims sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets – usually a town or village or a part of a larger city.

See also: the Japanese equivalent: triad.

Magi:

The biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men, appearing in the Gospel of Matthew and in Christmas imagery.

Magic:

The art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural.

A mysterious quality of enchantment.

Magic Circle:

The British association of magicians, traditionally forbidden to reveal any of the secrets of their art.

A Magic Circle is circle or sphere of space marked out by practitioners of many branches of ritual magic, which they generally believe will contain energy and form a sacred space, or will provide them a form of magical protection, or both. It may be marked physically, drawn in salt or chalk, for example, or merely visualised.

A group of influential people involved in a conspiracy.

Maglev (transport):

Maglev, or MAGnetic LEVitation, is a system of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles, predominantly trains, using magnetic levitation from a very large number of magnets for lift and propulsion. This method has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than wheeled mass transit systems. The power needed for levitation is usually not a particularly large percentage of the overall consumption, most of the power used is needed to overcome air drag, as with any other high speed train.

Magna Carta:

Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum (the Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215. It was written in Latin and is known by its Latin name. The usual English translation of Magna Carta is Great Charter.

Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim certain rights (pertaining to freemen), respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or fettered — and implicitly supported what became the writ of habeas corpus, allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment.

Visit: Magna Carta - Wikipedia.

Magnate:

A powerful or influential person, especially in business or industry.

Magnetometer:

A Magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature. The International System of Units unit of measure for the strength of a magnetic field is the tesla. Magnetometers, which measure magnetic fields, are distinct from metal detectors, which detect hidden metals by their conductivity.

Magnetometers have a very diverse range of applications from locating submarines and Spanish Galleons, positioning weapons systems, detecting unexploded ordenance, locating toxic waste drums, heart beat monitors, sensors in anti-locking brakes, weather prediction (via solar cycles), depths of steel pylons, drill guidance systems, locating hazards for tunnel boring machines, archaeology, Plate Tectonics, finding a wide range of mineral deposits and geological structures, hazards in coal mines, to radio wave propagation and planetary exploration. And there are many more applications.

Magnum:

A bottle, holding about two fifths of a gallon (1.5 liters), for wine or liquor; the amount of liquid that this bottle can hold.

Magpie:

Long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call.

Someone who collects things that have been discarded by others.

An obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker.

Maid of Honor:

An unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding.

Mail Order:

The use of the postal services as a distribution channel for goods. Customers receive a catalogue (a Mail Order catalogue) from which they choose goods that they want to buy. They order and pay for them (by telephone or by post) and are sent the goods within a stated time period.

Mail Shot:

A widespread distribution of printed material by post aimed at persuading the recipients to purchase particular goods or services, to join an organizations, to give money to charity, and so on.

Maildrops and Serviced Offices:

What is a Maildrop? A mail forwarding service - Maildrop - allows a person to use their (the Maildrop's) address to receive mail and then have it forwarded to the address where the person actually wishes to receive mail. Sometimes it's in the same city, other times in another continent. Mail is sent to the Maildrop and is then placed unopened into another envelope and mailed to its final destination. As long as your intentions are legal there is never any problems with authorities. A good, reliable service does not condone fraudulent business activity. You can still use your regular address to receive most of your mail but your confidential mail goes to the mail forwarding service and then to you.

Financial privacy is almost a thing of the past nowadays. With computers, it's eroding rapidly, much quicker than in the past. You might say, "Who needs Privacy? I have nothing to hide!" It seems that whenever you make a simple purchase, they ask for your name and address. Then about a month later you start receiving weekly catalogs, sales literature, promotions, etc. Try giving them a name other than your own with your address. I tried John Doe (!) and sure enough that person started receiving catalogs. Many companies sell our names to others and sooner or later you are getting bombarded with Investment Schemes, Get Rich Quick Letters, Chain Letters, Miracle Health Cures, and other distracting material.

People who use mail forwarding services are a mixed bag of individuals and organizations. Some people have made enemies in life, ex-spouses, business acquaintances and while they may be living in Paris, France, they would like the other party to think they are in London, England, so they use a mail forwarding service.

If you are going to sell a product by mail and have the best product in the world but are located in San Salvador, El Salvador a potential buyer for your product may be hesitant about sending money for your product. If you have a US address, most buyers are not too worried about sending money through the mail.

Many people, maybe they have accumulated great wealth or are celebrities, have to worry about the press, fans and admirers, enemies, kidnappers, robbers, and so on. With a mail drop you can keep distance bewteen you and these people. Companies use mail forwarding services to do thing their competition might find out about if they used their regular address. It's also a good way to check out your competition. You can find out what they are charging the people you are selling to. Another company ran Help Wanted Ads just to see how loyal his employees were to him. Mailing list companies also use mail forwarding services to salt their mailing lists to the people they are renting to, and check to see that the lists are being used on a one time basis.

In using a Maildrop try to find out beforehand how much privacy they give you, some will give information out to anyone calling over the phone - a good one will not as it could be just anyone calling. Try to find out how long they have been in business and if they plan to be in business for awhile. Make sure they don't sell your name to other people's mail order businesses as this can defeat their purpose.

Mail forwarding service combined with serviced business offices: Business centers particularly suit companies setting-up branch office(s) overseas. They prefer to establish themselves before signing a lease, though some companies that arrive intending to use a business center for a few months end up staying with them for years - for the sake of convenience, the comfort of clean modern offices with a prestigious address, without the hassle of maintenance and other problems associated with a lease, becomes too difficult to give up.

Telephone services range from a basic message-taking service to the most up-to-date call diversion system. One business center offers a diversion service called "The London Office". This was designed with the telecommunications company so that your own 0171-telephone number is instantly diverted to a chosen number anywhere in the world, and a programmed announcement saying "This is a call from your London office" pre-warns whoever answers the telephone. Of course you pay for the second leg of the call. The telephone services available from "The London Office" link with another service called "The Virtual Office". This is a package offering clients the flexibility to work from anywhere they choose; local telephone numbers are logged onto a computer system for call diversion. The package includes use of the business center's address, use of meeting rooms and secretarial services.

In most serviced office centers clients can buy services à la carte in order to suit their particular needs. For example, you can rent conference rooms by the hour so as to have an office for, for example in London, when the need arises. The main attraction of the serviced office facility is that the client has the option to walk away when his license expires. Business centers take the operational headaches out of renting office space and of clients having to employ their own staff, which leaves them free to focus their efforts entirely on the success of their business.

Mainframe:

A large powerful computer, often serving many connected terminals and usually used by large complex organizations.

Mainstream:

The prevailing current of thought, influence, or activity.

Representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group.

Maintenance:

The cost of keeping plant and machinery in good working order.

Maître d':

The Maître d'(short for Maître d'Hôtel, in the original French, literally "Master of the Hotel") in a suitably staffed restaurant or hotel is the person in charge of assigning customers to tables in the establishment and dividing the dining area into areas of responsibility for the various servers on duty. He or she may also be the person who receives and records reservations for dining, as well as dealing with any customer complaints. It is also their duty to make sure that all the servers are completing their tasks in an efficient manner. In small restaurants, the post is also known as the headwaiter or host. This term originated from medieval courts, where the holder was an important courtier, like Olivier de la Marche in 15th century Burgundy.

Maîtresse:

See: mistress.

Majestic:

Having or showing lofty dignity or nobility; stately.

Majestic Plural:

See also: pluralis maiestatis.

Majesty:

A royal personage.

The greatness and dignity of a sovereign.

The sovereignty and power of God.

Supreme authority or power.

Royal dignity of bearing or aspect; grandeur.

Make-Believe:

Playful or fanciful pretense; pretense: imaginative intellectual play.

"Make My Day!":

Visit also: The greatest one-liner in movie history.

Make Over:

To redo; renovate.

To change or transfer the ownership of, usually by means of a legal document.

Make-Up:

To apply cosmetics.

To alter one's appearance for a role on the stage, as with a costume and cosmetics.

Make-Up Artist:

A Make-up Artist or MUA (the standard abbreviation) is an artist who creates make-up and prosthetics for theatrical, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions including all aspects of the modeling world. In some cases, the title of Make-up Artist can also encompass the responsibilities of hair styling.

Malapropism:

A Malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes." The Malapropism is the use of "electrical" instead of the correct word, "electoral," which is similar in sound.

Malpractice:

Improper or negligent treatment of a patient, as by a physician, resulting in injury, damage, or loss.

Improper or unethical conduct by the holder of a professional or official position.

Malstrom:

A powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides).

A violent or turbulent situation.

Malware:

Malware, a portmanteau from the words malicious and software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.

Software is considered Malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware and other malicious and unwanted software. In law, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant, for instance in the legal codes of several U.S. states, including California and West Virginia.

See also: antivirus software.

Mammal:

Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, including humans, characterized by a covering of hair on the skin and, in the female, milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young.

Man-Hour:

•A Man-Hour is the amount of work performed by an average worker in one hour.

Man of the World:

A sophisticated, worldly man.

Man of the Year:

See: Person of the Year.

Manage:

An age-old word derived from the Italian Manneggiare, to handle (originally horses, now corporations). People who Manage (managers) are generally expected to carry out certain functions; for example, employ staff, motivate and organize them, plan for the future and innovate (both products and processes).

Management:

The business of managing an organization.

The people who do the managing.

Management Accounts:

A set of accounts prepared solely for the benefit of the managers of an organization. Such accounts need to be non-technical, prepared regularly (every month or every week, for example) and in a consistent format. They often contain forecasts and estimates that break away from the normal constraints of financial facts.

Management And Control:

In certain legal systems (e.g. Ireland) which follow the former United Kingdom law in this regard, a company is treated as being resident in the country in which its management and control is exercised, and not in the country of its place of registration or incorporation. The criterion of residence may be of relevance in international arrangements in involving tax havens, and can be material from both the fiscal and the exchange control points of view.

Management Company:

See: Administrative Offices.

Management Consultant:

A person or organization who advises managers in a number of business areas, including strategy, information technology, marketing and human resources. Management consultants analyze business situations and offer advice on how to improve them. Many go on to get involved in implementing their own advice.

Manager:

One who handles, controls, or directs.

One who is in charge of the business affairs of an entertainer.

Sports: one who is in charge of the training and performance of an athlete or a team.

Managing Director:

A person who directs the management of an organization; the most senior manager in a business, division or function.

Mandate:

An instruction to carry out a particular course of action. The instruction may be given by a court, a customer, or a manager.

Manga:

A Japanese genre consisting of comic books and graphic novels, typically black-and-white and featuring stylized characters with large, round eyes.

Mania:

An excessively intense enthusiasm, interest, or desire; a craze.

A manifestation of bipolar disorder, characterized by profuse and rapidly changing ideas, exaggerated sexuality, gaiety, or irritability, and decreased sleep.

Manifest:

A list of cargo or passengers carried on a ship or plane.

Attest: provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes.

Manifestation:

An indication of the existence, reality, or presence of something.

One of the forms in which someone or something, such as a person, a divine being, or an idea, is revealed.

The materialized form of a spirit.

A public demonstration, usually of a political nature.

Manifesto:

A Manifesto is a public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature.

Manipulate:

To move, arrange, operate, or control by the hands or by mechanical means, especially in a skillful manner.

To influence or manage shrewdly or deviously.

To tamper with or falsify for personal gain.

Medicine: to handle and move in an examination or for therapeutic purposes.

Manner:

How something is done or how it happens.

A way of acting; bearing or behavior.

Manor:

A landed estate.

The main house on an estate; a mansion.

The district over which a lord had domain and could exercise certain rights and privileges in medieval western Europe.

Mansard Roof:

A four-sided roof having a double slope on all sides, with the lower slope much steeper than the upper.

Mansion:

A large stately house; a manor house.

Mantra:

A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities.

A commonly repeated word or phrase.

Manual:

A small reference book, especially one giving instructions.

See also: user guide.

Manufacture:

Originally the making of things by hand - "manu"…"facturing" - but now the making or things by hand or by machine.

Manuscript:

A book, document, or other composition written by hand.

A typewritten or handwritten version of a book, an article, a document, or other work, especially the author's own copy, prepared and submitted for publication in print.

Marangoni Effect:

The Marangoni Effect (also called the Gibbs-Marangoni effect) is the mass transfer along an interface between two fluids due to surface tension gradient.

Marathon:

The Marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards) that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The historical accuracy of this legend is in doubt, contradicted by accounts given by Herodotus, in particular.

The Marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

See also: ultramarathon.

March:

To walk steadily and rhythmically forward in step with others.

Mardi Gras:

The terms "Mardi Gras" and "Mardi Gras season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday.

Margin:

In general, the edge. But the word has come to have a number of specialist meanings in business:

The difference between the cost of something and the price at which it is sold, that is, the profit Margin.

In economic theory, the Margin is that level of production at which the cost of producing one more unit is exactly equal to the revenue to be gained from it.

A method of trading in securities which involves initially putting up only a small percentage of the cost of the securities, known as Margin trading.

Margin lending is a form of lending by a bank which enables a customer to buy shares and then use the value of the shares as security for the lending.

Margin Account:

A brokerage account that allows a person to trade securities on credit.

Marginal Cost:

The extra cost of producing one more unit of a product over and above an agreed output. The marginal cost assumes that all the overheads have been absorbed by the previous production.

Marginal Producer:

A manufacturing unit that is only just able to remain profitable at the current price levels of the industry in which it is operating, and at its own current production levels. When the economic environment becomes less favorable for the industry, the marginal producer is the first to go out of business.

Marginal Propensity:

The proportion of any additional unit of income that will be used in a particular way. Thus if a consumer's marginal propensity to save is 0.3, he or she will save 30 cents out of every extra dollar that they gain.

Margin Call:

A Margin Call is a demand for more collateral on a margin account.

Marina:

A boat basin that has docks, moorings, supplies, and other facilities for small boats.

Marinade:

A liquid mixture, usually of vinegar or wine and oil with various spices and herbs, in which meat, fowl, fish, or vegetables are soaked before cooking.

Marine One:

Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President of the United States. It usually denotes a helicopter operated by the HMX-1 "Nighthawks" squadron, either the large VH-3D or the newer, smaller VH-60N "WhiteHawk". Both were due to be replaced by the VH-71 Kestrel, a derivative of the AgustaWestland EH101 but funding for the project was canceled in April 2009. A Marine Corps aircraft carrying the Vice President has the call sign Marine Two. Marine Corps aircraft carrying the family of the President adds the designator F to have its callsign become Marine One Foxtrot. Those carrying the family of the Vice President use the callsign Marine Two Foxtrot

See also: Air Force One and Car One.

Marionette:

A jointed puppet manipulated from above by strings or wires attached to its limbs.

Mark:

A visible trace or impression, such as a line or spot.

A sign, such as a cross, made in lieu of a signature.

A written or printed symbol used for punctuation; a punctuation Mark.

Mark Down:

To reduce the original selling price of a product, perhaps because it has not been selling well. In particular, to lower the quoted price of a company's shares sharply after the announcement of unfavorable news.

Mark Up:

The difference between the cost price of a product (or service) and its selling price.

Marker:

One that marks or serves as a mark, as: a bookmark; a tombstone; a milestone.

Slang: a written, signed promissory note.

Market:

The place where buyers and sellers come together to exchange goods and services and to determine prices. It is a fundamental concept in economics, where buyers represent demand and sellers represent supply. In marketing terms, a Market refers to a group of consumers with identifiable characteristics in common, such as the teenage Market.

Market can also refer to the total sales of a particular product or industry. For example: "It's a $4 billion Market.

Market Capitalization:

The market value of a company's issued shares; that is, the quoted price of each individual share multiplied by the number of shares in issue.

Market Economy:

A market economy is economy based on the power of division of labor in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system set by supply and demand.

Market Leader:

The organization which has the largest share of any particular market, and whose tactics are watched most closely by the other participants. A market leader's actions set the trend for the rest of the market.

Market Penetration:

The percentage of a target market that has bought a particular product at least once. Also the extent (usually expressed as a percentage) to which a potential market is reached by an advertising message or a distribution channel.

Market Research:

A process of systematically analyzing the market for a potential new product or service, and/or examining how the market for an existing product or service has changed. Much Market Research is based on surveys of consumers in which they are asked a series of questions about their purchasing habits. It is sometimes called Marketing Research.

Market Share:

The proportion of a market served by one participant. For example: "BMW has an x.y% share of the European car market."

Marketing:

The process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying needs (profitably) by means of the standard tools of Marketing, such as market research, advertising and general promotion.

Marketing Mix:

The weight given to various elements involved in marketing a product or service. The elements are sometimes classified as the four Ps: product, price, place and promotion. In the marketing mix for luxury goods, for instance, price is less important than product.

Markup Language:

A coding system, such as HTML and SGML, used to structure, index, and link text files.

Marlboro Man:

An icon used in the visible and supremely successful tobacco advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes, from 1954 to 1999, which projected a rugged and manly cowboy image, conceived as a way to popularise filtered cigarettes, which in 1954 were considered feminine.

The Marlboro Man advertising campaign, created by Leo Burnett Worldwide, is said to be one of the most brilliant advertisement campaigns of all time.

Marque:

A Marque is a brand name, especially in the automobile industry. For example, Chevrolet and Buick are Marques of their maker, General Motors (GM). A company may have many Marques; GM has used more than a dozen in the North American market alone.

Marriage Contract:

A prenuptial agreement or contract.

Marriage of Convenience:

A marriage or joint undertaking arranged for political, economic, or social benefit rather than from personal attachment.

A marriage based on expediency rather than on love.

Martial Arts:

Martial Arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. Martial Arts all have very similar objectives: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat. In addition, some Martial Arts are linked to beliefs such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism or Shinto while others follow a particular code of honor.

Martial Law:

Temporary rule by military authorities, imposed on a civilian population especially in time of war or when civil authority has broken down.

Martyr:

One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.

Mascot:

A person, animal, or object believed to bring good luck.

Mashup (web application hybrid):

In web development, a Mashup is a web page or application that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources to create a new service. The term mashup implies easy, fast integration, frequently using open APIs and data sources to produce results that were not the original reason for producing the raw source data.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs represented in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and lowest levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top, also the needs for people: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. For more, visit: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Wikipedia.

Masquerade:

A party of guests wearing costumes and masks.

A disguise or false outward show; a pretense; an involved scheme; a charade.

Mass:

Public celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches.

A musical setting of certain parts of the Mass, especially the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

A unified body of matter with no specific shape.

Mass Market:

A market consisting of almost everybody in the population. The opposite of niche market.

Master:

One that has control over another or others.

An artist of consummate skill.

An original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made.

Be or become completely proficient or skilled in.

Master Class:

A Master Class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline - usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts.

The difference between a normal class and a Master Class is typically the setup. In a Master Class, all the students (and often spectators) watch and listen as the master takes one student at a time. The student (typically intermediate or advanced, depending on the status of the master) usually performs a single piece which they have prepared, and the master will give them advice on how to play it, often including anecdotes about the composer, demonstrations of how to play certain passages, and admonitions of common technical errors. The student is then usually expected to play the piece again, in light of the master's comments, and the student may be asked to play a passage repeatedly to attain perfection. Master Classes for musical instruments tend to focus on the finer details of attack, tone, phrasing, and overall shape, and the student is expected to have complete control of more basic elements such as rhythm and pitch. The value of the master class setup is that all students can benefit from the master's comments on each piece.

Many concert performers have given Master Classes, including such greats as Franz Liszt, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Luciano Pavarotti, Jascha Heifetz, and Vladimir Horowitz. Often, a touring performer will give a Master Class the day before, or the day of, their performance in a particular city. Giving a Master Class before a concert provides both artistic stimulation for the performer and a means of obtaining a larger audience.

Master Key:

A key that opens all the locks of a set, the individual keys of which are not interchangeable Also called pass key.

Master of Ceremonies:

A person who acts as host at a formal event, making the welcoming speech and introducing other speakers.

A performer who conducts a program of varied entertainment by introducing other performers to the audience.

Masterpiece:

The most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman.

Something superlative of its kind.

Masthead:

The listing in a newspaper or periodical of information about its staff, operation, and circulation; the title of a newspaper or periodical as it appears across the first page, front cover, or title page of each issue.

Matador:

A bullfighter who performs the final passes and kills the bull.

Games: one of the highest trumps in certain card games.

Match:

One that is exactly like another; a counterpart.

One that is able to compete equally with another.

A person viewed as a prospective marriage partner.

Matchmaker:

One who arranges or tries to arrange marriages.

One who arranges athletic competitions, especially in professional boxing.

Material:

The substance or substances out of which a thing is or can be made.

Something, such as an idea or information, that is to be refined and made or incorporated into a finished effort.

Materialism:

The theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena.

The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life.

A great or excessive regard for worldly concerns.

Materials Handling:

The business of moving the materials involved in a process (raw materials, semi-finished goods, or the final product) so that they are in the right place at the right time. The cost of materials handling can be as high as 40% of the total cost of manufacturing.

Maternity Leave:

The (usually unpaid) time off work given to a pregnant employee by an employer. The employee's job is kept available for her to return to once her baby's dependence has diminished.

Mathematics:

The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols.

Matinée:

A performance of a play which takes place in the afternoon, as opposed to the evening.

Matrix:

A situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained.

A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations.

Matrix Organization:

A company whose organizational structure is designed along two axes, giving each employee two lines of authority. The two axes are most frequently geographic and functional. Hence the head of an American multinational company's German accounting operation will report to both his functional head (the finance director in the United States) and his regional head (the managing director of the business's German subsidiary).

Matter:

Physics: something that has mass and exists as a solid, liquid, gas, or plasma.

Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses; a physical body, a physical substance, or the universe as a whole.

A subject of concern, feeling, or action.

Mature Industry:

An industry in which innovative products and processes are rare and in which the market share of individual firms does not change much over time. Such industries include steelmaking, carmaking and innkeeping.

Maturity:

The length of time left until the principal repayment on a bond becomes due. The original Maturity of the bond is its Maturity on the date when it was issued; the residual Maturity is its Maturity now - that is, the length of time from this moment until the repayment becomes due.

Mausolum:

A large stately tomb or a building housing such a tomb or several tombs.

A gloomy, usually large room or building.

Maverick:

One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

Maxim:

A succinct formulation of a fundamental principle, general truth, or rule of conduct.

See also: axiom.

May You Live In Interesting Times:

May you live in interesting times: often referred to as the Chinese curse. It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being: May you come to the attention of those in authority (sometimes rendered May the government be aware of you). This is sometimes quoted as May you come to the attention of powerful people.; May you find what you are looking for.

Mayday:

An international radiotelephone signal word used by aircraft and ships in distress.

Mayhem:

Law: the offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person.

A state of violent disorder or riotous confusion; havoc.

Maze:

Complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost.

Something jumbled or confused.

Mazel Tov:

Used to express congratulations or best wishes, especially at weddings.

The Hebrew way to say "congratulations" or "good luck." After the groom breaks the glass, the guests call out, "Mazel Tov!" - which denotes the end of the solemnity and the beginning of the party.

Mazurka:

A Polish dance resembling the polka, frequently adopted as a ballet form.

A piece of music for such a dance, written in 3/4 or 3/8 time with the second beat heavily accented.

MBA:

Short for: Master's Degree in Business Administration, the main qualification (rapidly becoming indispensable) for managers and people who want to run their own business. The MBA is a postgraduate, post-experience one- or two-year course in which students study strategy, marketing, finance and organizational behavior. MBA courses are particularly popular in the United States; less so in Europe.

MBI:

Short for: Management Buy-In.

MBO:

Short for: Management Buy-Out, the purchasing of an organization by a group of managers. They may already work for the organization, or they may be outsiders who intend to work for it once they have purchased it (in which case the deal is sometimes called a management buy-in). An MBO is often also a leveraged buy-out.

Mea Culpa:

An acknowledgment of a personal error or fault.

Measurement:

The act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule.

Mecca:

A city of western Saudi Arabia near the coast of the Red Sea. The birthplace of Muhammad, it is the holiest city of Islam and a pilgrimage site for all devout believers of the faith. Population: 1,290,000.

A place that is regarded as the center of an activity or interest.

Medal:

An award for winning a championship or commemorating some other event.

Media:

The means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, (and Internet), that reach or influence people widely.

The vehicles that carry advertising (and other things such as entertainment and news) to an audience.

Media Buyer:

A person in an advertising agency or independent firm who buys space in the media in bulk: time during television programs or pages in newspapers and magazines. Media buyers, sometimes referred to as "gorillas with calculators", then resell the space in smaller quantities to advertisers and advertising agencies.

Median:

Relating to or constituting the middle value of an ordered set of values.

Mediate:

To assist two disputants in reaching an agreement, in mediation.

Mediation:

A process of using a third party to resolve a difference of opinion between two other parties. Unlike arbitration, Mediation does not involve the conflicting parties agreeing in advance to accept the third party's decision. The mediator has no legal power to enforce an agreement.

Mediocrity:

Ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding.

Meditate:

To reflect on; contemplate, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.

Buddhism & Hinduism: to train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object.

Medium:

A means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information.

An intervening substance through which signals can travel as a means for communication.

Medley:

An often jumbled assortment; a mixture.

Music: an arrangement made from a series of melodies, often from various sources.

Mega:

Mega (symbol M) is an SI prefix in the SI system of units denoting 1,000,000 (one million).

Mega Yacht:

A 30+ metres (98 feet) (sail or power) yacht.

See also: superyacht, giga yacht & shadow yacht.

Megabit:

A Megabit is an SI-multiple (see prefix mega) of the unit of bit for digital information storage or transmission. The International Electrotechnical Commission's standard IEC 60027 specifies the symbol to be Mbit, but Mb is also in common use.

1 megabit = 1000000 bits.

Megabyte:

Megabyte is a SI-multiple (see prefix mega-) of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission and is equal to 1,000,000 bytes. However, due to historical usage in computer-related fields it is still often used to represent 220 (1024×1024 or 1048576) bytes. In rare cases, it is used to mean 1000×1024 (1,024,000) bytes. It is commonly abbreviated as Mbyte or MB (compare Mb, for the megabit).

1024000 bytes (1000×1024): This is used to describe the formatted capacity of the "1.44 MB" 3.5 inch HD floppy disk, which actually has a capacity of 1474560 bytes.

See also: gigabyte and terabyte.

Megalomania:

A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.

An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.

Megaphone:

A funnel-shaped device used to direct and amplify the voice.

Melancholic:

A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a Melancholic disposition. Often very considerate, Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art - and can become occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. A Melancholic is also often a perfectionist. They are often self-reliant and independent.

See also: choleric, phlegmatic and sanguine.

Melodrama:

An extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization.

Meltdown:

Severe overheating of a nuclear reactor core, resulting in melting of the core and escape of radiation.

Informal: an emotional breakdown.

Member:

A distinct part of a whole.

A part or an organ of a human or animal body.

One that belongs to a group or an organization.

Membership:

The state of being a member.

The total number of members in a group.

Meme:

A Meme is an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture. While genes transmit biological information, Memes are said to transmit ideas and belief information.

Memento:

A reminder of the past; a keepsake; souvenir.

Memento Mori:

Memento Mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality. The phrase has a tradition in art that dates back to antiquity.

Memo:

A Memo is a document typically used for communication within a company.

Memoir:

An account of the personal experiences of an author.

An autobiography.

A biography or biographical sketch.

Memorabilia:

Objects communicationvalued for their connection with historical events, culture, or entertainment.

Memorandum of Association:

See: Articles of Association.

Memorial:

Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.

A written statement of facts or a petition presented to a legislative body or an executive.

Memorial Day:

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

Memory:

The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience.

All that a person can remember.

Computer Science: a unit of a computer that preserves data for retrieval; capacity for storing information.

Memory Card:

A Memory Card or flash Memory Card is solid-state electronic flash memory data storage device capable of storing digital contents. These are mainly used with digital cameras, handheld and Mobile computers, mobile phones, music players, digital cinematography cameras, video game consoles, and other electronics.

Memory Lane:

The past, especially the past shared and remembered by a group of people, thought of as a path that can be traveled along to revisit former times.

Memory Stick:

Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks. In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds; Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the PRO Duo); and the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2). In December 2006 Sony added the Memory Stick PRO-HG, a high speed variant of the PRO, to be used for high definition still and video cameras.

See also: USB flash drive.

Men's Clothing Size Conversions:

Visit: Men's Clothing Size Conversions.

Ménage à Trois:

Household for Three; an arrangement where a married couple and a lover of one of them live together while sharing sexual relations.

Mensa International:

Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised IQ test. Mensa is formally composed of national groups and the umbrella organization Mensa International.

Mensur:

Academic fencing or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations (Studentenverbindungen) in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and recently to a minor extent in Latvia and Flanders as well.

Modern academic fencing, the Mensur, is neither a duel nor a sport. It is a traditional way of training and educating character and personality; thus, in a Mensur bout, there is neither winner nor loser. In comparison to sport fencing, the participants stand their ground at a fixed distance.

Mentor:

A person assigned to work with a senior manager for the specific purpose of offering independent advice on the manager's performance in the workplace. Mentors must be in a position where they can express contrary views without damaging their career prospects.

See also: muse.

Mentorship:

Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person - who can be referred to as a protégé, or apprentice - to develop in a specified capacity.

Menu:

A list of the dishes to be served or available for a meal.

The dishes served or available at a meal.

A list of available options, especially as displayed on a screen.

Mercenary:

Motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain.

Hired for service in a foreign army.

Merchandise:

Goods and services in a finished state, ready to go to the retailer or already in the hands of the retailer.

Merchandising:

The promotion of merchandise sales, as by coordinating production and marketing and developing advertising, display, and sales strategies.

See also: product placement.

Merchant Bank:

The traditional British term for investment bank. Many Merchant Banks (most of them based in the City of London) grew out of the families (the Rothschilds and Hambros, for instance) who financed the trade of Britain's merchants during the years of the British empire. Hence the name.

Merger:

The amicable coming together of two companies into one.

Merger Accounting:

A particular method of taking mergers into account - that is, of putting together the separate accounts of two merged companies. Merger Accounting avoids creating goodwill. It includes assets in the combined accounts at their existing book values rather than at the price that was actually paid for them.

Merger/Consolidation:

A Merger or Consolidation occurs when two corporations combine their assets and operations into one corporation. In merger situations, one of the corporations will survive the merger, and it is referred to as the survivor. The other corporation is referred to as the disappearing corporation. The survivor assumes all of the assets and liabilities of the disappearing corporation.

Meridian:

A Meridian (or line of longitude) is an imaginary arc on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations running along it with a given longitude. The position of a point on the Meridian is given by the latitude. Each Meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude at the intersection points. Each is also the same size, being half of a great circle on the Earth's surface and therefore measuring 20,003.93 km.

Merism:

In rhetoric, a Merism is a figure of speech by which a single thing is referred to by a conventional phrase that enumerates several of its parts, or which lists several synonyms for the same thing.

Merit:

Any admirable quality or attribute.

Meritocracy:

A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.

Message:

A usually short communication transmitted by words, signals, or other means from one person, station, or group to another.

The substance of such a communication; the point or points conveyed.

A statement made or read before a gathering.

A basic thesis or lesson; a moral.

Messiah:

The anticipated savior of the Jews.

Christianity: Jesus.

One who is anticipated as, regarded as, or professes to be a savior or liberator.

Meta:

Greek: beside, after; later in time; at a later stage of development; situated behind.

Metadata:

Metadata is loosely defined as data about data. Metadata is a concept that applies mainly to electronically archived data and is used to describe the definition, structure and administration of data files with all contents in context to ease the use of the captured and archived data for further use. Web pages often include Metadata in the form of meta tags.

Metallurgy:

The science and technology of metals.

Metaphor:

A figure of speech in which a word or phrasel that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare).

One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

Metempsychosis:

After death the soul begins a new cycle of existence in another human body; reincarnation.

Meteor:

Astronomy: any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere.

Meteoric:

Similar to a meteor in speed, brilliance, or brevity.

Meteorology:

The science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.

Method:

A means or manner of procedure, especially a regular and systematic way of accomplishing something.

Method Acting:

Method Acting is a technique in which actors try to engender in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters in an effort to create lifelike performances. It can be contrasted with more classical forms of acting, in which actors simulate thoughts and emotions through external means, such as vocal intonation or facial expression. Though not all Method actors use the same approach, the "method" in Method Acting usually refers to the practice by which actors draw upon their own emotions and memories in their portrayals, aided by a set of exercises and practices including sense memory and affective memory.

Methodology:

The system of methods and principles used in a particular discipline.

Philosophy: the branch of philosophy concerned with the science of method and procedure.

Métier:

An occupation, a trade, or a profession; work or activity for which a person is particularly suited; one's specialty.

Metonymy:

Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. For instance, "London," as the capital of the United Kingdom, could be used as a Metonym for its government.

Metro Man:

A heterosexual man whose masculinity goes beyond the stereotyped masculine, thus, he is not confined to a normative definition of masculinity, defining and expressing his sexuality creatively. They are secure in their sexuality, and their sensitivity, intuition and penchant for grooming, style and fashion doesn't make them feel any less masculine or any less heterosexual. A Metro Man is the image of a modern man.

Metropolis:

A major city, especially the chief city of a country or region.

The mother city or country of an overseas colony, especially in ancient Greece.

Mews:

A group of buildings originally containing private stables, often converted into residential apartments.

A secret place; a hideaway.

Mezzanine:

Intermediate floor just above the ground floor.

Mezzanine Finance:

Any type of finance that falls somewhere between equity and debt in the priority of its claim in the case of a liquidation. If equity is the first floor and debt the ground floor, the mezzanine stands somewhere in between.

MFN:

Short for: Most Favored Nation, a status granted by one country to another whereby the first country agrees to apply its lowest tariffs to the second country's exports will get better treatment.

Michelin Guide Star && Rating System:

Three stars mean: "Exceptional cuisine and worth the journey"; two stars: "Excellent cooking and worth a detour"; one star: "A very good restaurant in its category"; the Bib Gourmand label: "Awarded to restaurants serving three-course meals at an excellent value for money." Restaurants awarded the Rising Star means that they may be in line for a MICHELIN star, or an upgrade from one to two, or from two to three stars.

Mickey Finn:

Slang: term for knockout drops.

See also: Rohypnol.

Mickey Mouse:

Slang: Unimportant; trivial; iritatingly petty; intellectually unchallenging; simple.

Of music: melodramatic or sentimental.

Micro-Blogging:

Micro Blogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or the web.

The content of a micro-blog differs from a traditional blog in that it is typically smaller in actual size and aggregate file size. A single entry could consist of a single sentence or fragment or an image or a brief, ten second video. But, still, its purpose is similar to that of a traditional blog. Users micro-blog about particular topics that can range from the simple, such as "what one is doing at a given moment," to the thematic, such as "sports cars," to business topics, such as particular products. Many micro-blogs provide short commentary on a person-to-person level, share news about a company's products and services, or provide logs of the events of one's life.

Most popular microblog website: Twitter.

Microchip:

A small piece of semiconductor material carrying many integrated circuits.

Microcosm:

A miniature model of something.

Microcredit:

Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit. Microcredit is a part of microfinance, which is the provision of a wider range of financial services to the very poor.

Microcredit is a financial innovation that is generally considered to have originated with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. In that country, it has successfully enabled extremely impoverished people to engage in self-employment projects that allow them to generate an income and, in many cases, begin to build wealth and exit poverty. Due to the success of microcredit, many in the traditional banking industry have begun to realize that these microcredit borrowers should more correctly be categorized as pre-bankable; thus, microcredit is increasingly gaining credibility in the mainstream finance industry, and many traditional large finance organizations are contemplating microcredit projects as a source of future growth, even though almost everyone in larger development organizations discounted the likelihood of success of microcredit when it was begun. The United Nations declared 2005 the International Year of Microcredit.

Microfiche:

A sheet of microfilm, 6in x 4in, holding several hundred reduced images of document pages; read using a Microfiche reader or microfilm reader.

Micron:

A Micrometre or Micron (American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a millimetre. It is also commonly known as a micron. It can be written in scientific notation as 1×10-6 m, meaning 1/1 000 000 m.

A strand of human hair is about 100 µm wide. Red blood cells are 7 µm in diameter.

Micropayment:

Micropayments are a means for transferring very small amounts of money, in situations where collecting such small amounts of money with the usual payment systems is impractical, or very expensive, in terms of the amount of money being collected. "Micropayment" originally meant 1/1000th of a US dollar, meaning a payment system that could efficiently handle payments at least as small as a mill, but now is often defined to mean payments too small to be affordably processed by credit card or other electronic transaction processing mechanism. The use of micropayments may be called Microcommerce.

Midas:

The fabled king of Phrygia to whom Dionysus gave the power of turning to gold all that he touched.

Midas Touch:

The ability to make, manage, and keep huge amounts of money.

Middle Class:

Generally characterized as a person having an income that leaves a surplus after the monthly expenses have been paid.

Middle Manager:

A manager who sits somewhere in the middle of an organization's hierarchy; a general term for the great bulk of managers who are neither managing directors nor new graduate recruits. Many middle managers have been dispensed with as a result of delaying.

Middleman:

A trader who buys from producers and sells to retailers or consumers.

An intermediary; a go-between.

Midlife Crisis:

Midlife Crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age.

Mil:

Slang: a million dollars.

Mile:

A Mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet (1,760 yards, or about 1,609 metres).

Mile High Club:

The Mile High Club is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have engaged in sexual intercourse while on board an aircraft in flight at least 1 mile (5,280 ft/1,609 m AGL) above the Earth. There is no known formally constituted club so named. However, since "membership" of the "club" is really a matter of an individual asserting they have qualified, the qualifications for membership are open to some interpretation.

Some people attribute the allure of the club to the lower atmospheric pressure in the flight cabin, which they claim increases the intensity of orgasms. Another explanation is the vibration of the airplane, which may make arousal easier. Others say they have fantasies about pilots or flight attendants, or a fetish about planes themselves. For many others, perhaps the majority, the appeal of joining the MHC is the thrill of doing something taboo and the thrill of the risk of being discovered.

Visit: Mile High Club.

Milestone:

A stone marker set up on a roadside to indicate the distance in miles from a given point.

An important event.

Milieu:

An environment or a setting.

Millibar:

The bar (symbol: bar), decibar (symbol: dbar) and the Millibar (symbol: mbar, also: mb) are units of pressure. They are not SI units, nor are they cgs units, but they are accepted for use with the SI. The bar is widely used in descriptions of pressure because it is about the same as atmospheric pressure, and is legally recognized in countries of the European Union.

Millionaire:

A person with one million US dollars in liquid funds, excluding his / her primary residence.

See also: high net worth individual, multi-millionaire and rich.

MIME:

Computer Science: a communications protocol that allows for the transmission of data in many forms, such as audio, binary, or video.

Mime:

An actor who communicates entirely by gesture and facial expression.

Act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only.

Mimic:

To copy or imitate closely, especially in speech, expression, and gesture; ape.

To copy or imitate so as to ridicule; mock.

Minaret:

A tall slender tower attached to a mosque, having one or more projecting balconies from which a muezzin summons the people to prayer.

Mind & Body:

Of, involving, or resulting from the interrelationship between one's physical health and the state of one's mind or spirit.

Mindfulness:

Mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of Buddhist meditation where it is affirmed that "correct" or "right" Mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment.

Described as a calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself, it is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path, the practice of which supports analysis resulting in the development of wisdom. The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the foremost early texts dealing with Mindfulness. A key innovative teaching of the Buddha was that meditative stabilisation must be combined with liberating discernment.

Mindfulness practice, inherited from the Buddhist tradition, is increasingly being employed in Western psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety and in the prevention of relapse in depression and drug addiction.

Mineral Rights:

The right to dig for the minerals that lie under a particular piece of ground.

Mingle:

To mix or bring together in combination, usually without loss of individual characteristics.

To join or take part with others.

Minimalism:

Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features.

Being or providing a bare minimum of what is necessary.

Minimum Wage:

The lowest amount that can legally be paid to an employee, often expressed as an hourly sum.

Minion:

An obsequious follower or dependent; a sycophant.

A subordinate official, especially a servile one.

One who is highly esteemed or favored; a darling.

Minister:

One who is authorized to perform religious functions in a Christian church, especially a Protestant church.

A high officer of state appointed to head an executive or administrative department of government.

To attend to the wants and needs of others.

Minor:

Law: one who has not reached full legal age.

Minority:

The smaller in number of two groups forming a whole; a group or party having fewer than a controlling number of votes.

A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part.

Law: the state or period of being under legal age.

Minstrel:

A medieval entertainer who traveled from place to place, especially to sing and recite poetry.

Minute Book:

Used for writing minutes in.

The written record of meeting. Companies retain the minutes of important meetings, such as board meetings, as a formal acknowledgement and reminder of decisions that have been reached.

Minutes:

Brief summary of proceedings of a meeting / assembly / committee.

Minutiae:

A small or trivial detail; finer points.

Miracle:

An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an Act of God.

One that excites admiring awe.

Mirage:

An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called fata morgana.

Something illusory or insubstantial.

Miranda Warning:

A Miranda Warning is a warning given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody, or in a custodial situation, before they are interrogated. A custodial situation is one in which the suspect's freedom of movement is restrained (judged by the "free to leave" test), even if he is not under arrest. An elicited incriminating statement by a suspect will not constitute admissible evidence unless the suspect was informed of his/her "Miranda rights" and made a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of those rights. However, a 2004 Supreme Court ruling upheld state "stop-and-identify" laws, allowing police to require biographical information such as name, date of birth, and address, without arresting suspects or providing them Miranda warnings.

The Miranda Warnings were mandated by the 1966 United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona as a means of protecting a criminal suspect's Fifth Amendment right to avoid coercive self-incrimination (see right to silence). The reading of the Miranda warning might be omitted during arrest, such as if the evidence is already sufficient to indict, or if the suspect is talkative and volunteers information (without being asked). The admissibility of conversations, as evidence, is judged on a case-by-case basis, subject to appeal.

Mirandize:

To advise (a person being arrested) of his or her rights under the Miranda ruling.

Mirror Image:

A likeness in which left and right are reversed.

Mirror Site:

Mirror Sites are sites that contain identical content, but have altogether different URLs.

Misdemeanor:

Law: a criminal offense that is less serious than a felony and generally punishable by a fine, a jail term of up to a year, or both.

Mise en Scène:

French: "placing on stage". The arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage for a theatrical production.

The physical setting of an action.

Misery Index:

An index combining the unemployment rate and inflation rate. The index is used to measure the political significance of the condition of the economy, as well as consumer confidence.

Misinformation:

To provide with incorrect information.

Missing Link:

A theoretical primate postulated to bridge the evolutionary gap between the anthropoid apes and humans. Not in scientific use.

Mission:

A body of persons sent to conduct negotiations or establish relations with a foreign country; the business with which such a body of persons is charged; permanent diplomatic office abroad.

A body of persons sent to a foreign land by a religious organization, especially a Christian organization, to spread its faith or provide educational, medical, and other assistance.

A company's overriding business purpose; something that it aims to do above and beyond making a profit.

A special assignment given to a person or group; a combat operation assigned to a person or military unit.

An inner calling to pursue an activity or perform a service; a vocation.

Mission Statement:

A Mission Statement tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance.

Mistletoe:

Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.

According to ancient Christmas custom, a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of Mistletoe were obliged to kiss. The custom may be of Scandinavian origin.

Mistral:

A dry cold northerly wind that blows in squalls toward the Mediterranean coast of southern France.

Mistress:

A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with a usually married man who is not her husband and from whom she generally receives material support.

A woman in a position of authority, control, or ownership, as the head of a household.

MLAT:

Short for: Mutual Legal Assisstance Treaty created by the U.S. in the hope of accessing foreign records.

MLM:

Short for: Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), also known as Network Marketing, is a marketing strategy that compensates promoters of direct selling companies not only for product sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they introduced to the company. The products and company are usually marketed directly to consumers and potential business partners by means of relationship referrals and word of mouth marketing.

Independent, unsalaried salespeople of Multi-Level Marketing, referred to as distributors (or associates, independent business owners, dealers, franchise owners, sales consultants, consultants, independent agents, etc.), represent the parent company and are awarded a commission based upon the volume of product sold through each of their independent businesses (organizations).

Independent distributors develop their organizations by either building an active customer base, who buy direct from the parent company, or by recruiting a downline of independent distributors who also build a customer base, thereby expanding the overall organization. Additionally, distributors can also earn a profit by retailing products they purchased from the parent company at wholesale price.

Distributors earn a commission based on the sales efforts of their organization, which includes their independent sale efforts as well as the leveraged sales efforts of their downline. This arrangement is similar to franchise arrangements where royalties are paid from the sales of individual franchise operations to the franchisor as well as to an area or region manager. Commissions are paid to Multi-Level Marketing distributors according to the company’s compensation plan. There can be multiple levels of people receiving royalties from one person's sales.

MMO (crime):

Short for: Means, Motive and Opportunity.

MMS:

Short for: Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a telecommunications standard for sending messages that include multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text). MMS is an extension of the SMS standard, allowing longer message lengths and using WAP to display the content. Its most popular use is sending photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering ringtones as well. The standard is developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), although during development it was part of the 3GPP and WAP groups.

See also: SMS.

Mnémo Technique:

Mnemonic, or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory.

A device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering.

MO:

Short for: Modus Operandi. Modus Operandi (often used in the abbreviated forms M.O. or simply Method) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "Method of Operating". The plural is Modi Operandi ("Methods of Operating"). The term is used in English to describe someone's habits or manner of working, the method of operating or functioning.

It is often used in a criminal sense, to profile the methods employed by individuals during the execution of a crime, and may also be used in offender profiling, where it can also be used to find clues to the perpetrator's psychology. It largely consists of the methods used to execute the crime, prevent detection, and facilitate escape.

Mob:

An organized gang of criminals; a crime syndicate.

To crowd around and jostle or annoy, especially in anger or excessive enthusiasm.

Mobile Operating System:

A Mobile Operating System, also known as a Mobile OS, a mobile platform, or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device.

Mobile Phone:

A Mobile Phone or Mobile (also called cellphone and handphone, as well as cell phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, cell, cellular telephone, mobile telephone or cell telephone) is a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. In addition to the standard voice function of a Mobile Phone, telephone, current Mobile Phones may support many additional services, and accessories, such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, gaming, Bluetooth, infrared, camera with video recorder and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video, MP3 player, radio and GPS. Most current Mobile Phones connect to a cellular network consisting of switching points and base stations (cell sites) owned by a mobile network operator (the exception is satellite phones, which are mobile but not cellular). See also: smart phone.

A Mobile Phone, as opposed to a radio telephone, offers full duplex-communication, automatised calling to and paging from a public switched telephone network (PSTN), handoff (American English) or handover (European term) during a phone call when the user moves from one cell (base station coverage area) to another. A Mobile Phone offers wide area service, and should not be confused with a cordless telephone, which also is a wireless phone, but only offer telephony service within a limited range, e.g. within a home or an office, through a fixed line and a base station owned by the subscriber.

See also: postpaid mobile phone and prepaid mobile phone.

Mobile Wealthy Residency Index:

Short: MWRI. Survey by Scorpio Partnership, a business strategy advisor to the wealth management industry, has developed the world’s first index judging the attractiveness of the most popular financial centres/cities to the “mobile wealthy”. The top destinations around the world include Switzerland, London, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong, Jersey, Cayman, Isle of Man, Monaco, Dubai and Guernsey.

Mock-Up:

A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing.

Mockbuster:

A Mockbuster (sometimes also called a knockbuster) is a film, often made with a low budget, created with the apparent intention of piggy-backing on the publicity of a major film with a similar title or theme.

Mod (subculture):

Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised) is a subculture that originated in London, England in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s.

Significant elements of the Mod subculture include: fashion (often tailor-made suits); pop music, including African American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B; and Italian motor scooters. The original Mod scene was also associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs. From the mid to late 1960s onwards, the mass media often used the term Mod in a wider sense to describe anything that was believed to be popular, fashionable or modern.

Mode:

A given condition of functioning; a status.

The current or customary fashion or style.

Model:

A small object, usually built to scale, that represents in detail another, often larger object; a standard to be imitated.

A representative form, style, or pattern.

Model (person):

A Model (from Middle French Modèle), sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed for the purpose of displaying and promoting fashion clothing or other products and for advertising or promotional purposes or who poses for works of art.

Modeling is distinguished from other types of public performance, such as an acting, dancing or mime artistry, although the boundary is not well defined. Appearing in a movie or a play is generally not considered to be modeling, regardless of the nature of the role. However, Models generally have to express emotion in their photographs, and many Models have also described themselves as actors. Models are generally not expected to verbally express themselves unless to visually enhance a photograph through the display of intense emotion.

Types of Models include fashion, glamour, fitness, bikini, fine art, and body-part Models.

Not all Models are what would commonly be considered "beautiful": character Models portray ordinary people and humorous types, mostly in print work and in commercials. Photo manipulation and cosmetic surgery also enable people with body imperfections to model and change their looks to suit a certain role. Many high fashion Models have what could be called 'quirky' attributes and memorably unusual faces. High end brands often use these unusual faces as people are likely to remember their brand name and associate it with an interesting face.

See also: supermodel.

Modem:

An abbreviation of MOdulator-DEModulator, the instrument which sits between a computer and a telephone line and allows electronic messages to be passed in and out of the former via the latter. Without modems there should be no public access to the Internet.

Moderator:

One that arbitrates or mediates.

One who presides over a meeting, forum, or debate.

Modern:

Of or relating to recent times or the present; a contemporary person.

Relating to a recently developed fashion or style; characteristic of present-day art and music and literature and architecture.

Advanced; ahead of the times.

Module:

A standard or unit of measurement.

Modulor:

The Modulor is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier.

Read more here.

Modus Operandi:

See: MO.

Modus Vivendi:

A manner of living; a way of life.

A temporary agreement between contending parties pending a final settlement.

Mogul:

A member of the Muslim dynasty founded by Babur that ruled India 1526-1857.

A very rich or powerful person; a magnate.

Moiré:

A watered or Moiré fabric.

Moiré Effect:

The effect of superimposing a repetitive design, such as a grid, on the same or a different design in order to produce a pattern distinct from its components.

The perceived distortion or flickering of printed or displayed high-contrast images.

Mojo:

Personal magnetism; charm; a person's groove.

Sexual attraction.

A magical charm or, hex or power; a magical power.

An amulet, often a small flannel bag containing one or more magic items, worn by adherents of hoodoo or voodoo.

Mole:

A spy who operates from within an organization, especially a double agent operating against his or her own government from within its intelligence establishment.

Molecular Gastronomy:

Molecular Gastronomy is a scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that that occur while cooking. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general.

Chef Heston Blumentahl's Restaurant The Fat Duck (Bray, Berkshire, England) follows the principles of molecular gastronomy.

Moleskine:

Moleskine is a brand of notebooks, planners, diaries, sketchbooks and albums manufactured by Moleskine Srl. Moleskine notebooks are typically bound in coated paper cardboard, with an elastic band to hold the notebook closed, a sewn spine that allows it to lie flat when opened, cream colour paper, rounded corners, a ribbon bookmark, and an expandable pocket inside the rear cover, packed in a paper banderole.

Notebooks with the same features as the present Moleskine notebooks were a popular standard in 19th and 20th century Europe, handmade by small French bookbinders who supplied the stationery shops of Paris. As documented by many art collections and museums, in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, these nameless notebooks became a prominent creative tool for artists who enjoyed drawing and writing outdoors, putting down impressions on paper, painting from life in the streets and cafés, and capturing extemporary scenes, ideas, and emotions.

The present Moleskine notebook is specifically fashioned after Bruce Chatwin's descriptions of the notebooks he used in his travels. The name itself of "Moleskine" is a nickname that Chatwin uses in one of his most celebrated writings, The Songlines (1986). In this book Chatwin tells the story of his original supplier of notebooks, a Paris stationer who in 1986 informed him that the last notebook manufacturer, a small family-run firm in Tours, had discontinued production that year, after the death of the owner. "Le vrai Moleskine n’est plus" ("The real Moleskine is no more") are the words Chatwin puts in the mouth of the owner of the stationery shop in Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie.

Molotov Cocktail:

The Molotov Cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons. They are frequently used by rioters due to the relative ease of production.

The bombs were derisively named after the then Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, Vyacheslav Molotov, by the Finns during the Winter War.

Momentum:

Impetus of a physical object in motion.

An essential or constituent element; a moment.

Monarch:

One who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right.

A sovereign, such as a king or empress, often with constitutionally limited authority.

One that surpasses others in power or preeminence.

Monarchy:

A Monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged with an individual, who is the head of state, often for life or until abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a Monarchy is called a monarch. It was a common form of government in the world during the ancient and medieval times.

See also: constitutional monarchy.

Money:

Anything that is recognized as a store of value and a medium of exchange by the participants in a market. This could be (and has been) cowrie shells, black beads and dollar bills.

Money Belt:

A belt having a usually concealed pocket for holding money.

Money Laundering:

Money Laundering occurs when criminals seek to make illegally obtained funds look legitimate by funneling them through a string of banks and businesses until the money's origin is obscured.

The term "Money Laundering" is said to originate from Mafia ownership of Laundromats in the United States. Gangsters there were earning huge sums in cash from extortion, prostitution, gambling and bootleg liquor. They needed to show a legitimate source for these monies.

One of the ways in which they were able to do this was by purchasing outwardly legitimate businesses and to mix their illicit earnings with the legitimate earnings they received from these businesses. Laundromats were chosen by these gangsters because they were cash businesses and this was an undoubted advantage to people like Al Capone who purchased them.

Visit: Money Laundering - A Brief History by Billy Steel.

Money Market:

A market in which financial institutions (such as banks) buy and sell short-term financial instruments among themselves.

Money Supply:

The amount of money circulating in an economy. The definition of money varies. In the M0 version it consists of notes and coins only. The M1, M2 and M3 versions include a varying range of short-term financial assets (such as bank deposits) as well as notes and coins.

Money Trail:

The 'fingerprint' most money transactions leave.

Monitor (computing):

A Monitor or display (sometimes called a visual display unit) is a piece of electrical equipment which displays images generated by devices such as computers, without producing a permanent record.

Monkey Class:

= economy class; also known as coach class or travel class.

Monogamy:

The practice or condition of having a single sexual partner during a period of time.

The practice or condition of being married to only one person at a time.

The practice of marrying only once in a lifetime.

Monogram:

A design composed of one or more letters, typically the initials of a name, used as an identifying mark.

Monolith:

A large single block of stone, used in architecture and sculpture.

Anything massive, uniform and unmovable.

Monologue:

A literary composition in the form of a soliloquy.

A continuous series of jokes or comic stories delivered by one comedian.

A long speech made by one person, often monopolizing a conversation.

Monopoly:

The situation where a single producer has a sufficiently large share of a market to be able to control prices in that market. A Monopoly implies the absence of competition. Governments and consumer watchdogs aim to prevent companies with a Monopoly from abusing their dominant position at the expense of the consumer.

Monopsony:

The situation where a single customer has the whole of a market to itself; the mirror image of a monopoly. Monopsonies occur most frequently when a government is virtually the only customer for a particular product, for example, in the defense industry or in certain areas of medical care.

Monotony:

The quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety.

Montage:

A single pictorial composition made by juxtaposing or superimposing many pictures or designs.

A composite of closely juxtaposed elements.

Monument:

A structure, such as a building or sculpture, erected as a memorial.

Something venerated for its enduring historic significance or association with a notable past person or thing.

Moobs:

A plump or untoned breast on a man.

Moody's:

Moody's is one of the world's three main credit-rating agencies. Moody's judgment on the quality of a company or a country's debt can materially affect the price that the company or country has to pay to borrow money.

Mooning:

Slang: to expose one's buttocks in public as a prank or disrespectful gesture.

Moonlighting:

The earning of a second income; for example, night-time taxi driving by someone who is a builder or a civil servant by day. Moonlighting is so called because it frequently (but not necessarily) takes place at night. It also implies that the work is not 100% legal, in particular that it is kept out of sight of the taxman.

Moonwalk:

A kind of dance step in which the dancer seems to be sliding on the spot.

Moore's Law:

Moore's Law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware. The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. The trend has continued for more than half a century and is not expected to stop until 2015 or 2020 or later.

The law is named after Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, who described the trend in his 1965 paper (published in an article 19 April 1965 in Electronics Magazine).

Moral:

Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character.

Teaching or exhibiting goodness or correctness of character and behavior.

Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous.

Arising from conscience or the sense of right and wrong.

Based on strong likelihood or firm conviction, rather than on the actual evidence.

Morale:

The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks.

Moratorium:

A period of time in which a borrower is allowed (with the approval of the lender) to forgo payments of principal on a loan. Financial institutions are rarely prepared to grant borrowers a moratorium on interest payments.

Morphing:

Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or morphs) one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction would be achieved through cross-fading techniques on film. Since the early 1990s, this has been replaced by computer software to create more realistic transitions.

Morse Code:

Morse Code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment.

Visit: Morse Code - Wikipedia.

Mortgage:

A long-term loan for the purpose of buying real estate which uses the real estate as security for the loan.

Mosque:

A Muslim place of worship that usually has a minaret.

Most-Favored-Nation Clause:

Diplomacy: a clause, often inserted in treaties, by which each of the contracting nations binds itself to grant to the other in certain stipulated matters the same terms as are then, or may be thereafter, granted to the nation which receives from it the most favorable terms in respect of those matters. It is used most frequently in treaties regarding the terms of trade between countries, as regarding tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade.

Motel:

An establishment that provides lodging for motorists in rooms usually having direct access to an open parking area.

Motet:

A polyphonic composition based on a sacred text and usually sung without accompaniment.

Mother:

Noun: a woman who has given birth to a child.

Verb: to care for as a mother does; to watch over, (fuss), nourish, and protect maternally (sometimes too much).

Mother's Day:

Mother's Day is an annual holiday that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society.

Motherboard:

A Motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, while providing connectors for other peripherals.

Motion:

A formal proposition made in a meeting which seeks to gain the support of those at the meeting for a particular course of action. Properly formulated Motions are automatically recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Motivation:

Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal. Motivation is the energizer of behavior and mother of all action. It results from the interactions among conscious and unconscious factors such as the intensity of desire or need, incentive or reward value of the goal, and expectations of the individual and of his or her significant others.

Motivator:

A person who provides an incentive; move to action; impel.

Motto:

A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.

A sentence, phrase, or word of appropriate character inscribed on or attached to an object.

A maxim adopted as a guide to one's conduct.

Mountain Bike:

A bicycle with a sturdy frame and fat tires; originally designed for riding in mountainous country.

Mouse:

The small attachment to a computer that allows the user to go in and out of different software programs. The Mouse controls the movements of a cursor on the screen. By clicking the Mouse when the cursor points to a particular icon, the user can switch from one program to another.

Mouse Over:

Computing: to move a computer mouse pointer over (an element of the display).

Movement:

The act or an instance of moving; a change in place or position.

A tendency or trend.

Sociology: a group of people with a common ideology, especially a political or religious one.

Music: a principal self-contained section of a symphony, sonata, etc., usually having its own structure.

Mozart Ear:

A Mozart Ear is a deformity of the pinna where the two crura of the antihelix and the crus of the helix are fixed, giving a bulging appearance of the superior part of the pinna.

MP3:

Short for: MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio storage, as well as a de facto standard of digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on digital audio players.

MPEG-4:

MPEG-4 is a collection of methods defining compression of audio and visual (AV) Digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO / IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) under the formal standard ISO/IEC 14496. Uses of MPEG-4 include compression of AV data for web (streaming media) and CD distribution, voice (telephone, videophone) and broadcast television applications.

MPV:

Short for: Multi-Purpose Vehicle: a type of automobile also known as a minivan.

Mrs. Robinson / Mrs. Robinsoning:

Originating in ideology from the film The Graduate: for a woman to lust after a man at least a generation younger than herself; an older woman who seduces a younger man; deflowerment of a man at least a generation younger than said woman.

MSR:

Short for: Media Social Responsibility.

MTB:

Short for: Mountain Bike. A mountain bike or mountain bicycle (abbreviated MTB or ATB (all terrain bicycle)) is a bicycle created and made for off-road cycling, including jumps, and traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines, on dirt trails, logging roads, and other unpaved environments:mdash;activities usually called mountain biking.

MTCN:

Short for: Money Transfer Control Number. The MTC number is given in connection with a Western Union money transfer.

Münchausen Syndrome:

Münchausen Syndrome is an outdated term for psychiatric disorders known as Factitious disorders wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma in order to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. It is also sometimes known as hospital addiction syndrome or hospital hopper syndrome.

Muffin:

A Muffin is a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread Muffins, also exist. They generally fit in the palm of an adult hand, and are intended to be consumed by an individual in a single sitting.

Mug Shot:

A photograph of a person's face, especially one made for police files.

Multi-Level Marketing:

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), (also called network marketing, direct selling, referral marketing, and pyramid selling) is a term that describes a marketing structure used by some companies as part of their overall marketing strategy. The structure is designed to create a marketing and sales force by compensating promoters of company products not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of other promoters they introduce to the company, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation in the form of a pyramid.

Multi-Millionaire:

A person with who owns capital of at least US$30 million.

See also: high net worth individual, millionaire and rich.

Multimedia:

The use of a number of different media simultaneously. For example, a Multimedia presentation might include a video film (using a television), some sound effects on a CD, a slide show, and a number of graphic posters.

Multimodal Biometrics:

Multimodal Biometric technology uses more then one biometric identifier to compare the identity of the person. Therefore in the case of a system using say three technologies i.e. face mimic and voice. If one of the technologies is unable to identify, the system can still use the other two to accurately identify against. Multimodal technologies have been in use commercially since 1998.

See also: biometric passport.

Multinational:

A company which has production and sales operations in a number of countries, and which coordinates these operations from a single headquarters. The operations are run separately from each other, unlike those of a transnational.

Multiple Choice:

Multiple Choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer (or answers) out of the choices from a list.

Multitasking (human):

Human Multi-Tasking or Multitasking is the performance by an individual of appearing to handle more than one task at the same time. The term is derived from computer Multitasking. An example of Multitasking is listening to a radio interview while typing an e-mail. Some believe that Multitasking can result in time wasted due to human context switching and apparently causing more errors due to insufficient attention. Other research illustrates our brains are capable dealing with certain 'dual multiple tasks' at the same time.

Mumbo Jumbo:

Unintelligible or incomprehensible language; gibberish.

Mundane:

Of, relating to, or typical of this world; secular.

Relating to, characteristic of, or concerned with commonplaces; ordinary.

Murphy's Law:

Murphy's Law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

It is used as either a purely sarcastic musing that things always go wrong, or, less frequently, a reflection of the mathematical idea that, given a sufficiently long time, an event which is possible (non-zero probability) will almost surely take place. Although, in this case, emphasis is put on the possible bad occurrences.

Visit also: Collection of Murphy's Laws.

Muse:

A guiding spirit.

In ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science.

See also: mentor.

Music Recording Sales Certification:

Music Recording Sales Certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped a certain number of copies.

Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond (silver is also used in some countries).

Musical:

A play or movie that contains Musical numbers; a Musical comedy.

Musing:

Contemplation; meditation; a product of contemplation; a thought.

Musketeer's Oath:

"One for all, all for one." "Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno" is a Latin phrase that means "One for all, all for one" in English. It is known as being the motto of Alexandre Dumas's Three Musketeers and is also the traditional motto of Switzerland.

Muslim:

A believer in or follower of Islam.

Mutant:

An individual, organism, or new genetic character arising or resulting from mutation.

Slang: one that is suggestive of a genetic mutant, as in bizarre appearance or inaptitude.

Mutual:

A Mutual organization is one that is run for the benefit of a group of people (its members) who have set it up to provide goods or services for themselves. Savings banks and insurance companies were frequently set up in this way in the 19th century. In general, the members of a mutual Organization also own it.

Mutual Assistance Agreement:

A contract agreement between two or more nations in which the fiscal Governments are empowered to take preference over the civil rights of each others' citizens in ascertaining and collecting crime-related proceeds or tax liability.

Mutual Fund:

Investment company usually formed in a tax haven and issuing shares to the public.

MWRI:

Short for: Mobile Wealthy Residency Index.

Mystery Shopping:

Mystery Shopping or a mystery consumer is a tool used externally by market research companies or watchdog organizations or internally by companies themselves to measure quality of service or compliance to regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services. The mystery consumer's specific identity is generally not known by the establishment being evaluated. Mystery Shoppers perform specific tasks such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way, and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.

Mystery Shopping was standard practice by the early 1940s as a way to measure employee integrity. Tools used for Mystery Shopping assessments range from simple questionnaires to complete audio and video recordings.

Myth:

A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society.

A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal.

A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology.

A fictitious story, person, or thing.

Mythology:

A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes.

A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution.

The field of scholarship dealing with the systematic collection and study of myths.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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N2K:

The acronym for: nice to know.

NAFTA:

The acronym for: North American Free Trade Agreement, an agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico that aims to remove tariffs and other barriers to trade between the three countries.

Naivety:

Artlessness or credulity; lack of sophistication or worldliness.

Name:

A word or words by which an entity is designated and distinguished from others.

A reputation; a distinguished reputation.

An illustrious or outstanding person.

Name-Dropping:

To mention casually the names of illustrious or famous people in order to imply that one is on familiar terms with them, intended as a means of self-promotion.

Nana:

A grandmother.

A nanny.

Nano:

Visit: Nano-.

Nanofood:

Any food created with the help of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology, shortened to "Nanotech", is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size. Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics, to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

There has been much debate on the future of implications of Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with wide-ranging applications, such as in medicine, electronics, and energy production. On the other hand, Nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of Nanotechnology is warranted.

Napalm:

Gasoline jelled with aluminum soaps; highly incendiary liquid used in fire bombs and flamethrowers.

Napoleon Complex:

Napoleon Complex is a colloquial term describing an alleged type of inferiority complex which is said to affect some people who are physically short. The term is also used more generally to describe people who are driven by a perceived handicap to overcompensate in other aspects of their lives.

Narcissism:

Excessive love or admiration of oneself.

Narcolepsy:

A neurological disorder marked by a sudden recurrent uncontrollable compulsion to sleep.

Narcotic:

An addictive drug, such as opium, that reduces pain, alters mood and behavior, and usually induces sleep or stupor. Natural and synthetic Narcotics are used in medicine to control pain.

NAS:

Short for: Network-Attached Storage. Network-attached storage (NAS) is file-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to heterogeneous network clients.

See also: storage area network.

Nasdaq:

Nasdaq is short for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System.

Nation:

A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country; the territory occupied by such group of people.

The government of a sovereign state.

A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language; a nationality.

National Security:

A collective term encompassing both national defense and foreign relations of the United States. Specifically, the condition provided by: a. a military or defense advantage over any foreign nation or group of nations; b. a favorable foreign relations position; or c. a defense posture capable of successfully resisting hostile or destructive action from within or without, overt or covert.

Nationalize:

A privately owned corporation is Nationalized when it is purchased (often compulsorily) by the state. Companies are usually Nationalized for a principle (for example, a belief that the defence industry should be controlled by the state for reasons of security) rather than for profit. Nationalized companies are rarely as profitable as privately owned ones.

Natural Number:

Mathematics: any of the numbers 0,1,2,3,4,... that can be used to count the members of a set; one of the set of positive whole numbers; a positive integer.

Nature:

The material world and its phenomena; the forces and processes that produce and control all the phenomena of the material world.

A kind or sort; the essential characteristics and qualities of a person or thing; the fundamental character or disposition of a person; temperament.

Naturel:

Applied to food cooked plainly and in a very simple fashion.

Nautical Mile:

The Nautical Mile (symbol M, NM, Nm or nmi) is a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. It is a non-SI unit (although accepted for use in the SI by the BIPM) used especially by navigators in the shipping and aviation industries, and also in polar exploration. It is commonly used in international law and treaties, especially regarding the limits of territorial waters. It developed from the sea mile and the related geographical mile.

1 Nautical Mile = 1.85200 kilometers.

Nautical Miles (nm) to kilometers (km) conversion calculator.

See also: air mile.

NCSR:

Short for: National Corporate Social Responsibility.

See also: CSR.

Né:

French for: born. Used before the original name of a man (woman: Née) who has changed his name, assumed a pseudonym, etc.

Near Field Communication:

See: NFC.

Nebengeschäft:

German for: sideline.

Necktie:

A narrow fabric band of varying length worn around the neck and tied in a knot or bow close to the throat.

Necropolis:

A cemetery, especially a large and elaborate one belonging to an ancient city.

Needle in a Haystack:

An item that is very hard or impossible to locate.

Negotiable Instrument:

A financial instrument, such as a bearer bond or a share, which can be transferred from one owner to another without informing the original issuer of the instrument.

Negotiation:

The process of reaching agreement between two parties, one of which has something that the other party wants, and for which the other party is prepared to give something in return.

Nemesis:

Nemesis is now often used as a term to describe one's worst enemy, normally someone or something that is the exact opposite of oneself but is also somehow similar.

Neo-:

New, recent, or a new or modern form or development.

Neologism:

A Neologism is a newly coined word that may be in the of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

Nepotism:

The granting of favors to members of the same family, an issue central to the running of a family firm. How can it remain a family firm without undermining the morale of non-family employees by its nepotism.

Nerd:

A foolish, inept, or unattractive person.

A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.

See also: geek.

Nerve:

A sore point or sensitive subject.

Nestor:

A venerable and wise old man.

Net:

A value that is left after certain deductions have been made from a gross amount.

Net Asset Backing:

The net worth of a company divided by the number of its shares; a rough approximation of the value behind each share.

Net Present Value:

The value today of an amount that is to be paid in the future. This value is calculated by taking into account future interest rates and the risk that the payment will not eventually be made. Net present value is frequently used to judge the viability of an investment project. If the net present value of its expected revenue exceeds the net present value of its future costs then it is worth going ahead.

Net Profit:

An organization's gross income less all its costs, including tax, depreciation and interest payments.

Net Worth:

An organization's assets less its liability. The amount that would be left to shareholders were all the organization's assets to be sold and all its liabilities to be met at the values that the accountants have ascribed to them.

Netbook Computer:

Netbooks are an evolving catogory of small, light and inexpensive laptop computers suited for general computing, accessing web-based applications and rich Internet applications. While the size, weight and specifications of netbooks continue to evolve, the category may offer less computing power than more expensive notebooks and may be less appropriate for complex or resource-intensive applications directly from the netbook itself.

Because netbooks are optimized for small size, low weight, and low cost, they may omit, among other features, the optical drive or ethernet port. The USB port still serves as a (non-wireless) way to load software or to interface hardware like an external drive or a camcorder. A netbook may not substitute for a laptop in cases where more power and ports are recommended; for example, to edit a video, and make a video presentation

Netbooks generally serve well in accessing the Internet for remote access to web-based applications and are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who require a less powerful client computer. Netbooks typically run either Windows XP or Linux operating systems rather than more resource-intensive operating systems like Windows Vista. However, Windows 7 has seen some features that have been shown to run well on the newer generation of netbooks being released currently. The devices range in size from below 5 inches to over 13, typically weigh 2 to 3 pounds and are often significantly cheaper than general purpose laptops at US$ 400, with some even given away for free in Japan and the United Kingdom if the purchaser signs up for a plan.

See also: laptop, notebook, PC and tablet PC.

Network:

Computer Science: the links that exist between computers enabling users of them to share certain centralized data and / or services, and to communicate among themselves.

A chain of radio or television broadcasting stations linked by wire or microwave relay.

To interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support.

Networking:

Making contact with other people in the hope that they might subsequently be useful in business or elsewhere. The expression has grown out of the computer industry's use of the word network.

Neurofeedback:

Neurofeedback (NFB), also called Neurotherapy, Neurobiofeedback or EEG biofeedback (EEGBF) is a therapy technique that presents the user with realtime feedback on brainwave activity, as measured by sensors on the scalp, typically in the form of a video display, sound or vibration. The aim is to provide real-time information to the Central Nervous System (CNS) as to its current activity. Some approaches believe that conscious understanding and mediation of that information is important for the training process; however, this claim has never actually been verified. Those approaches also believe that Neurofeedback training can be understood as being based on a form of operant and/or classical conditioning. In that frame of reference, when brain activity changes in the direction desired by the trainer directing the training, a positive "reward" feedback is given to the individual, and if the change is in the opposite direct from what was intended, then either different feedback is given or the provision of otherwise attained "positive" feedback is inhibited (or blocked). These ideas can be applied in various combinations depending on the protocol decided upon by the trainer. Rewards/Reinforcements can be as simple as a change in pitch of a tone or as complex as a certain type of movement of a character in a video game. This experience could be called operant conditioning for internal states even though no research has yet demonstrated that clear operant response curves occur under those scenarios.

New Age:

The New Age (also referred to as the New Age Movement, New Age spirituality, and Cosmic Humanism) is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks "Universal Truth" and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma.

New Deal:

The New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to a complex package of economic programs he effected between 1933 and 1935 with the goals of what historians call the 3 Rs, of giving Relief to the unemployed and badly hurt farmers, Reform of business and financial practices, and promoting Recovery of the economy during the Great Depression.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933, the nation was deeply troubled. Every bank in the nation had closed its doors and no one could cash a check or get at their savings. The unemployment rate was 25% and higher in major industrial and mining centers. Farm prices had fallen by 50%. Mortgages were being foreclosed by tens of thousands.

Historians distinguish a "First New Deal" (1933) and a "Second New Deal" (1934-36). Some programs were declared unconstitutional, and others were repealed during World War II; in early 1937 almost no new programs were initiated because of the opposition of the new Conservative Coalition.

The "First New Deal" (March 4, 1933)focused on a variety of different groups; from banking and railroads to industry and farming. The New Deal instituted banking reform laws, work relief programs, agricultural programs, and industrial reform (the National Recovery Administration, NRA), and the end of the gold standard.

New Entrant:

A company that enters a market for the first time. New entrants inevitably provoke a strategic response from existing companies within the market.

New Jerusalem:

Christianity: the final resting place of souls redeemed by Jesus.

An ideal community on earth.

New Journalism:

New Journalism was a style of 1960s and 1970s news writing and journalism which used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. The term was codified with its current meaning by Tom Wolfe in a 1973 collection of journalism articles he published as The New Journalism, which included works by himself, Truman Capote, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, Robert Christgau, and others.

New Look:

On February 12, 1947, Christian Dior launched his first fashion collection for Spring-Summer 1947. It was presented in the salons of the company's headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne. The new collection went down in fashion history as the "New Look" after Harper's Bazaar's editor-in-chief Carmel Snow's exclamation, "It's such a New Look!" The signature shape was characterized by a below-mid-calf length, full-skirt, large bust (which fell from style in 1912), and small waist.

Newsletter:

A publication that specializes in breaking news in a narrow area; for example, a country, an industry or a market.

Newspaper:

Printed media usually distributed weekly or daily in the form of a folded book of papers. The publication is typically sectioned off based on subject and content. The most important or interesting news will be displayed on the front page of the publication. Newspapers may also include advertisements, opinions, entertainment and other general interest news.

See also: broadsheet newspaper, tabloid and newspaper formats.

Newton:

The force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram by one meter per second.

Next Big Thing:

The new rage; the latest fad or trend.

Nexus:

The means of connection between things linked in series; the core or center.

NFC:

Short for: Near Field Communication. NFC is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10 centimetre (around 4 inches) distance.

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.

NFC technology is intended mainly for use in mobile phones. There are currently three specific uses for NFC: 1): card emulation: the NFC device behaves like an existing contactless card; 2): reader mode: the NFC device is active and reads a passive RFID tag, for example for interactive advertising; 3): P2P mode: two NFC devices communicating together and exchanging information. Plenty of applications are possible, such as: mobile ticketing in public transport; mobile payment; smart poster; bluetooth pairing, and much more.

NGO:

Short for: Non-Governmental Organization. NGO is a term that has become widely accepted for referring to a legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status therefore it excludes government representatives from membership in the organization. Unlike the term intergovernmental organization, "non-governmental organization" is a term in generalized use but not a legal definition, in many jurisdictions these type of organizations are defined as "civil society organizations" or alternative terms.

The number of internationally operating NGOs is estimated at 40,000. National numbers are even higher: Russia has 277,000 NGOs. India is estimated to have between 1 million and 2 million NGOs.

See also: INGO.

Niche:

A recess in a wall, as for holding a statue or urn.

A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature; a special area of demand for a product or service.

Niche Market:

A small, narrowly defined market, such as the market for Rolls-Royce motor cars, or the market for newsletters about biotechnology. Small, innovative companies are particularly good at identifying and satisfying Niche Markets.

Nickname:

A descriptive name added to or replacing the actual name of a person, place, or thing; a familiar or shortened form of a proper name.

Nielsen Ratings:

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States.

Nifty-Fifty Stocks:

Nifty Fifty was an informal term used to refer to 50 popular large cap stocks on the New York Stock Exchange in the 1960s and 1970s that were widely regarded as solid buy and hold growth stocks.

The fifty are credited with propelling the bull market of the early 1970s. Most are still solid performers, although a few are now defunct or otherwise worthless.

Click here to see list of stocks.

Nightclub:

A Nightclub (or Night Club or Club) is a drinking, dancing and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. People who frequent Nightclubs are known as clubbers. A Nightclub is usually distinguished from bars, pubs or taverns by the inclusion of a dance floor and a DJ booth, where a DJ plays recorded dance and pop music.

Nightmare:

A dream arousing feelings of intense fear, horror, and distress.

An event or experience that is intensely distressing.

Nihilism:

Philosophy: an extreme form of scepticism that systematically rejects all values, belief in existence, the possibility of communication, etc.

Nil:

Nothing; zero.

Nimbus:

A cloudy radiance said to surround a classical deity when on earth.

A radiant light that appears usually in the form of a circle or halo about or over the head in the representation of a god, demigod, saint, or sacred person such as a king or an emperor.

A splendid atmosphere or aura, as of glamour, that surrounds a person or thing.

Nineteenth Hole:

The Nineteenth Hole is a slang term used in golf, generally referring to a pub, bar, or restaurant on or near the golf course, very often the clubhouse itself. A standard round of golf has only eighteen holes, so golfers will say they are at the 'Nineteenth Hole', meaning they are enjoying a drink after the game. The concept is similar to Après-ski in skiing.

Ninja:

A member of a class of 14th-century Japanese mercenary agents who were trained in the martial arts and hired for covert operations such as assassination and sabotage.

Nirvana:

Buddhism: the ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion.

Hinduism: emancipation from ignorance and the extinction of all attachment.

An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy.

N.N.:

Short for: No Name.

No Cure, No Pay:

No Cure, No Pay is a form of salvage contract in which the salvor receives no payment if s/he fails to save any property. The payment will be made under this scheme only if the party makes a successful claim.

No Fly List:

The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States Government, of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States.

No-Fly Zone:

An area in which designated aircraft are not allowed to operate.

Past no-fly zones.

No-Frills:

Basic service on an airplane with no extras.

No Man's Land:

No Man's Land is a term for land that is not occupied or is under dispute between parties that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms. It is most commonly associated with the First World War to describe the area of land between two enemy trenches that neither side wishes to openly move on or take control of due to fear of being attacked by the enemy in the process.

No-Tax Haven:

Term used by certain financial writers to refer to tax havens where there are no relevant taxes.

Nobility:

A quality class of persons distinguished by high birth or rank and in Great Britain including dukes and duchesses, marquises and marchionesses, earls and countesses, viscounts and viscountesses, and barons and baronesses.

Noble rank or status.

The state or quality of being exalted in character.

Nobleman:

A man of noble rank, title, or status; peer; aristocrat.

Noblesse Oblige:

Benevolent, honorable behavior considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank.

Nocturne:

A painting of a night scene.

An instrumental composition of a pensive, dreamy mood, especially one for the piano.

Nom de Guerre:

A fictitious name; a pseudonym.

Nom de Plume:

A pseudonym used by a writer. Also called pen name.

Nomad:

A member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land.

A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wanderer.

Nomenklatura:

The system of patronage in communist countries; controlled by committees in the Communist Party.

Nominal:

A Nominal amount may be one that is too small to mention (as in Nominal damages) or one that exists only in name (as in the Nominal price of potatoes in 1945, a price that is not adjusted for the ravages of inflation, which the so-called real price is). The Nominal value of a share is the value on the share certificate, which may not be a price that anybody has ever actually paid for it.

In name only; theoretical; minimal in comparison with real worth or what is expected; token; of, relating to, constituting, bearing, or giving a name.

Nominate:

Propose as a candidate for some honor.

Nominee:

A person whose name is used in place of somebody else's. A Nominee may open a Swiss bank account, for instance, to disguise the identity of the real beneficiary of the account.

Nominee Director:

Someone who acts on your behalf as a 'front' director of the company. In some jurisdictions the Nominee Director can also be another offshore company.

Non-Disclosure Agreement:

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement, Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to by third parties. It is a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose information covered by the agreement. An NDA creates a confidential relationship between the parties to protect any type of confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets. As such, an NDA protects non-public business information.

Non-Executive Director:

Any director on the board of a company who is not also an executive working for the company. A non-executive director's role is to ensure that there is a healthy balance between the interest of shareholders and the interest of the company's management.

Non Grata:

Not welcome; not approved.

Non-Performing:

A loan on which interest has not been paid for a considerable period of time (usually three months) is said to be non-performing. Financial institutions have to treat such loans in a special way in their accounts, setting aside reserves against the possibility that they will never get their money back.

Non Plus Ultra:

Latin: nothing further; the uttermost point; perfection.

Non-Profit Organization:

A Nonprofit Organization (abbreviated NPO, also not-for-profit) is an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals.

Non-Refundable:

Money cannot be refunded. Any advance payment for a product or service that will not be repaid if the product or service is ultimately not wanted by the payer. For instance, a deposit to secure a house which is not yet built may be non-refundable should the purchase not be completed.

Non-Resident Company:

A company treated by the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated as non-resident for tax purposes or exchange control purposes or both.

Non-Tariff Barrier:

A barrier to trade other than a tariff imposed directly on an import at its point of entry. Non-tariff barriers include things like safety regulations which only domestic firms satisfy; distribution systems that discriminate against imports; and government regulations that demand services (like finance) be supplied by known individuals.

Non-Transferable:

Item is not to be used by any other person than the one named on the item.

Non-Voting Share:

A share in a company that does not give the holder the right to vote at company meetings. Holders of non-voting shares benefit financially in the same way as other shareholders, but they have no say in the running of the company whose shares they own. In some markets the issuing of such shares is frowned upon.

Nonchalant:

Seeming to be coolly unconcerned or indifferent.

Nonsense:

A message that seems to convey no meaning.

Nootropic:

Nootropics, also referred to as smart drugs, memory enhancers, and cognitive enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that are purported to improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration. The word nootropic was coined in 1964 by the Romanian Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea, derived from the Greek words noos, or "mind," and tropein meaning "to bend/turn". Nootropics are thought to work by altering the availability of the brain's supply of neurochemicals (neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones) by improving the brain's oxygen supply or by stimulating nerve growth. However the efficacy of nootropic substances in most cases has not been conclusively determined. This is complicated by the difficulty of defining and quantifying cognition and intelligence.

Norm:

A standard, model, or pattern regarded as typical.

Normal:

Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.

Norse Mythology:

Norse Mythology is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving to the modern day.

Nosferatu:

The name Nosferatu has been presented as a Romanian word, synonymous with "vampire". However, it seems to be largely a literary creation and its basis in Romanian folklore is uncertain.

Nostalgia:

A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

Notary Public:

A person legally empowered to witness and certify the validity of documents and to take affidavits and depositions.

Note:

A brief record, especially one written down to aid the memory.

A brief informal letter.

A formal written diplomatic or official communication.

A written acknowledgement of a debt, as in pound Note or promissory.

Music: a tone of definite pitch.

Importance; consequence: nothing of note happened.

Notebook Computer:

A Notebook Computer is a battery- or AC-powered personal computer generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary offices, and at meetings. A Notebook computer, sometimes called a laptop computer, typically weighs less than 5 pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness. Among the best-known makers of Notebook and laptop computers are IBM, Apple, Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard.

Notebook computers generally cost more than desktop computers with the same capabilities because they are more difficult to design and manufacture. A Notebook can effectively be turned into a desktop computer with a docking station, a hardware frame that supplies connections for peripheral input/output devices such as a printer or larger monitor. The less capable port replicator allows you to connect a Notebook to a number of peripherals through a single plug.

Notebooks usually come with displays that use thin-screen technology. The thin film transistor or active matrix screen is brighter and views better at different angles than the STN or dual-scan screen. Notebooks use several different approaches for integrating a mouse into the keyboard, including the touch pad, the trackball, and the pointing stick. A serial port also allows a regular mouse to be attached. The PC Card is insertable hardware for adding a modem or network interface card to a Notebook. CD-ROM and digital versatile disc drives may be built-in or attachable.

See also: laptop, netbook, PC and tablet PC.

Not-for-Profit Corporation:

A Not-for-Profit Corporation, sometimes referred to as a nonprofit corporation, generally exists for the purpose of carrying out some socially useful objective. Formed under the nonprofit corporation laws of a state, not all of these corporations are tax exempt. And, unlike the name implies, many not-for-profit corporations make money. The money, however, does not get distributed to members, officers, or directors. The money is used to further the socially useful purpose.

Notice:

Advice given in advance. The advice may be of a forthcoming meeting, or of a person's wish to end a period of employment. For example: "Today he handed in his Notice."

Nouveaux Riches:

A person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class.

See also: old money.

Novel:

A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.

Novelty Item:

This term covers a range of small manufactured goods, such as: antiques, collectables, esoterica, executive toys, gadgets, tools and implements. Novelty Items are generally devices that do not fit into another category such as gadgets, by virtue of being impractical, but this distinction is often blurred. Toys for adults are generally classed as novelties.

Novice:

A person new to a field or activity; a beginner.

A person who has entered a religious order but has not yet taken final vows.

NPO:

Short for: Non-Profit Organization.

Nucleus:

A central or essential part around which other parts are gathered or grouped; a core.

Something regarded as a basis for future development and growth; a kernel.

Biology: a large, membrane-bound, usually spherical protoplasmic structure within a living cell, containing the cell's hereditary material and controlling its metabolism, growth, and reproduction.

Nuke:

A nuclear device or weapon.

Number:

The property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals.

One of the separate offerings in a program of music or other entertainment.

Number One:

One that is first in rank, order, or importance.

Slang: one's own interests; oneself.

Numbers:

The fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt.

Games: A Numbers game.

Numbered Account:

A bank account that is known to most of the bank's staff only by its number. No name appears on the account's checks or on the statements. The main purpose of the Numbered Account is to disguise the identity of the account holder. Most countries (include Switzerland) insist nowadays that the true beneficiary of all accounts be known to at least one senior manager in the bank. Numbered Bank Account - Wikipedia.

Numerology:

Numerology is an ancient science which was developed by Pythagoras and is the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their supposed influence on human life.

Today, Numerology is often associated with the occult, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts.

Nunchaku:

A pair of hardwood sticks joined by a chain or cord and used as a weapon.

NV:

Short for: Naamlose Vennootschap. Limited company in the Netherlands used as a Substantial Holding Company, required to publish its accounts.

Nymph:

(Classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden.

A girl, especially a beautiful one.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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O&M:

Short for: Organization and Methods, a once-popular field of management study dedicated to improving the methods and procedures used in office environments.

Oasis:

A fertile or green spot in a desert or wasteland, made so by the presence of water.

A situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge.

Oath:

A solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling on God, a god, or a sacred object as witness.

Obelisk:

A tall, four-sided shaft of stone, usually tapered and monolithic, that rises to a pointed pyramidal top.

Obi:

A wide sash fastened in the back with a large flat bow, worn by women in Japan as a part of the traditional dress.

Obituary:

A published notice of a death, sometimes with a brief of the deceased.

Object:

Something perceptible by one or more of the senses, especially by vision or touch; a material thing.

A focus of attention, feeling, thought, or action.

The purpose, aim, or goal of a specific action or effort.

Objective:

Expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.

See also: subjective.

Obligation:

The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie.

Oblivion:

The state of being disregarded or forgotten.

Obscenity:

An Obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious. The term is also applied to an object that incorporates such a statement or displays such an act.

Observation Wheel:

See: Ferris wheel.

Obsolescence:

The capacity of something to become out-of-date. For example, all fashion garments have a built-in Obsolescence, that is, by their very nature they need to be replaced next season.

Occident:

The countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America.

Occult:

Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena; beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable; hidden from view; concealed.

Occupancy:

A measure of the extent to which a property is occupied. For example, an apartment that is rented for only half the year has a 50% occupancy; a hotel room that is occupied for nine nights out of every ten has a 90% occupancy.

Occupation:

The paid employment that occupies most of an individual's working life.

Occupational Hazard:

A danger that arises as a result of a person's occupation. Hence falling off ladders is an occupational hazard for window-cleaners; backache is an occupational hazard of computer programs.

Occupational Pension:

A pension that is paid by a person's employer by dint of the years of employment and the contributions that were made to the employer's pension fund during that period.

OCD:

Short for: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. An anxiety disorder in which a person experiences recurrent unwanted thoughts or rituals that the individual cannot control. A person who has OCD may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals, such as hand washing or checking.

Ocean Drive (South Beach, FL):

Ocean Drive is a street in South Beach - the southern part of Miami Beach, Florida. It is known for its Art Deco hotels. The street is the center of the city's Art Deco District, which is home to about 800 preserved buildings.

OCR:

Short for: Optical Character Recognition. The recognition of printed or written text characters by a computer.

Octave:

Music: a tone that is eight diatonic degrees above or below another given tone.

OD:

An OverDose of a drug.

Oddball:

A person regarded as a eccentric.

Ode:

Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic Ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode.

Odds:

A certain number of points given beforehand to a weaker side in a contest to equalize the chances of all participants.

The ratio of the probability of an event's occurring to the probability of its not occurring.

Games: a ratio expressing the amount by which the stake of one bettor differs from that of an opposing bettor.

Odyssey:

A long wandering and eventful journey.

OECD:

OECD is short for: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Oedipus Complex:

In psychoanalysis, a subconscious sexual desire in a child, especially a male child, for the parent of the opposite sex, usually accompanied by hostility to the parent of the same sex.

Oenology:

Oenology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting.

Oeuvre:

From French œuvre, from the Latin opus. A work of art.

The sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer.

Off Balance Sheet:

Any transaction by a company that does not appear on its Balance Sheet. Off-Balance-Sheet items include things like leasing deals and fiduciary deposits.

Off-Broadway:

Off-Broadway refers to any production that has satisfied the following requirements: 1. played at a Manhattan theatre with a seating capacity of 100-499; 2. intended to run a closed-ended or open-ended schedule of performances of more than one week; 3. offered itself to critics and general audiences alike.

Off-License:

A shop licensed to sell liquor to be consumed off the premises; the term may be applied to ordinary liquor stores, areas within supermarkets, or spirits shops attached to a pub.

Off-Piste:

Of snow that has not been compacted by overuse; tends to be more exciting but less regulated and more dangerous.

The area beyond the groomed runs of a ski area or backcountry away from developed ski areas.

Off-Roader:

A vehicle that is designed to drive off the road.

An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads and a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks.

Mountain bike: a bicycle with a sturdy frame and fat tires; originally designed for riding in mountainous country.

Off-the Rack:

Of, relating to, or being merchandise, especially clothing, made in standard sizes; ready-made.

Off the Record:

Not for publication or attribution.

Off-the-Shelf:

Something that is purchased straight off a shop's shelf, a product produced in advance in the expectation that it will find a consumer who is prepared to buy it. The opposite of tailor-made or customized.

Off-the-Shelf Company:

An Off-the-Shelf Company is one that is bought with its legal status already established, that is, a company that has never carried out business but which has a name, articles of association and a registered address.

Off the Wagon:

Slang: no longer abstaining from alcoholic beverages.

Off to the Races:

Euphemism for "in a hurry."

Offer:

An indication of willingness to enter into an agreement, and of the terms of such an agreement. An Offer and an acceptance constitute a legally binding contract.

Office:

A position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person, as in a government or corporation.

A room containing a desk and a chair in which people work on paper or on computers.

A clearly defined role within an organization. For example, something that has to be done by the chairman's office is done by whoever happens to be carrying out the function of chairman.

Office Politics:

The art of organizing a group of people who work in offices. More specifically, the expression refers to the psychological games that people play with each other in and out of the office.

Officer:

One who holds an office of authority or trust in an organization, such as a corporation or government.

One who holds a commission in the armed forces.

Officers:

Officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the pleasure of the board. The bylaws usually prescribe the titles and duties of each office. Common Officers are the president, secretary, and the treasurer. Officers direct the daily operations of the corporation.

Official:

One who holds an office or position, especially one who acts in a subordinate capacity for an institution such as a corporation or governmental agency.

Having a formal ceremonial character.

Sports: a referee or umpire.

Official Secrects Act:

The Official Secrets Act is a stock short title used in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, India and Malaysia and formerly in New Zealand for legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.

Offline:

Not connected to a computer or computer network.

Offshore:

Any country other than your own.

In general, any business that is transacted in foreign currencies between parties that is also foreign to the place. A Dutch bank based in London lending dollars to a Brazilian company is transacting offshore business. Such business is often done in order to minimize tax liabilities.

Offshore Center:

A financial center used as a foreign base for overseas operations where the investor may move in and out of his investment freely and which fits the needs of the user.

Offshore Finance Company:

A company organized in a foreign country, almost always in a tax haven country, which handles such financing services as arranging foreign loans in Eurocurrency markets and floating bonds or other forms of indebtedness abroad in United States dollars or other hard currencies. Generally the offshore finance company is created to handle the financing requirements of its parent or related companies but is used occasionally to handle the financing needs of the parent company's distributors or agents overseas.

Offshore Fund:

A mutual fund offering its shares to persons resident outside the country in which it is incorporated.

Offshore Holding Company:

A company organized in a foreign country which controls one or more affiliate companies and which manages, administers or services its affiliate companies usually located outside the country in which the parent company is incorporated.

Offshore Investor:

An investor who is a user of a foreign base company in an offshore center and who may move in and out of his investment freely.

Offshore Trading Company:

A company organized in a foreign country to buy goods from an exporter in one or more other foreign countries and to sell these same goods to importers in other foreign countries. The documents are processed by the Offshore Trading Company and all managerial, administrative and day-to-day financial transactions are handled by it. The goods are shipped from the seller in one country to the buyer in the other country without ever being shipped or landed in the country where the Offshore Trading Company is located.

Offside:

Sports: illegally ahead of the ball or puck in the attacking zone.

Football: illegally beyond the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped or ahead of the ball when the ball is kicked on a kickoff.

OK / Okay:

All correct; approval; agreement.

Okey-Dokey:

OK.

Old Boys Network:

An Old Boys Network, or society, can refer to social and business connections among former pupils of male-only private schools.

An informal, exclusive system of mutual assistance and friendship through which men belonging to a particular group, such as the alumni of a school, exchange favors and connections, as in politics or business.

Old Money:

The inherited wealth of established upper-class families.

A person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth.

See also: nouveaux riches.

Old School:

A group committed to traditional ideas or practices.

Old World:

Earth Sciences / Physical Geography: that part of the world that was known before the discovery of the Americas, comprising Europe, Asia, and Africa; the eastern hemisphere.

OLED:

Short for: Organic Light Emitting Diode. OLED (also Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) and Organic Electro Luminescence (OEL)) is any Light Emitting Diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple "printing" process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colors.

Such systems can be used in television screens, computer displays, small, portable system screens such as cell phones and PDAs, advertising, information and indication. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination, and large-area light-emitting elements. OLEDs typically emit less light per area than inorganic solid-state based LEDs which are usually designed for use as point-light sources.

A significant benefit of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. Because there is no need for a backlight, an OLED display can be much thinner than an LCD panel. Degradation of OLED materials has limited their use.

Olibanum:

Another name for frankincense; an aromatic gum resin obtained from various Arabian or East African trees; formerly valued for worship and for embalming and fumigation.

Oligarch | Oligart:

One of the rulers in an oligarchy.

Oligarchy:

An Oligarchy (Oligocracy) is a form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society distinguished by royal, wealth, intellectual, family, military, or religious hegemony. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" and "rule". Such states are often controlled by politically powerful families whose children are heavily conditioned and mentored to be heirs of the power of the Oligarchy.

Oligopoly:

The control of a market by a few producers. The danger of an Oligopoly is that the few producers get together and agree among themselves to fix prices as if they were a monopoly.

Olympiad:

An interval of four years between celebrations of the Olympic Games, by which the ancient Greeks reckoned dates.

Sports: a celebration of the modern Olympic Games.

Olympic-Size Swimming Pool:

An Olympic-Size Swimming Pool is the type of swimming pool used in the Olympic Games and other "long course" events (meaning 50 meters in length and not 25 meters or 25 yards). The size is commonly used as a casual measure of volume.

Omakase:

Japanese: "it's up to you."

Japanese cuisine: Chef's choice.

Ombudsman:

An independent person appointed to hear and act upon consumers' complaints about manufacturers or service providers. The idea originated in Sweden, where the first Ombudsman was set up to hear complaints about government services.

Omen:

A sign of something about to happen.

Omertà:

Omertà is a popular attitude and code of honor, common in areas of southern Italy, such as Sicily, Calabria, and Campania, where criminal organizations like the Mafia, 'Ndrangheta, and Camorra are strong. A common definition is the "code of silence".

Omnibus:

A printed anthology of the works of one author or of writings on related subjects.

A long motor vehicle for passengers; a bus.

Providing for many things at once.

On A Roll:

Having a streak of good luck or good progress or success.

On Approval:

When goods are supplied on the understanding that the purchaser may return them if they prove not to be what the purchaser wanted. Goods bought by mail order are usually, in effect, sold On Approval.

On Demand:

Something demanded; an urgent requirement or need; the state of being sought after.

Economics: the desire to possess a commodity or make use of a service, combined with the ability to purchase it.

Computer Science: a coding technique in which a command to read or write is initiated as the need for a new block of data occurs, thus eliminating the need to store data.

On Spec:

Idiom: on a speculation basis; with no assurance of profit.

On Record:

Known to have been stated or to have taken a certain position.

See also: for the record.

On Spec:

Work done for a client without a contract or order on the understanding that the client will only pay for the work if and when it is used.

On the House:

Free, complimentary; given free by somebody who would normally charge.

On the Road:

On tour, as a theatrical company.

Traveling, especially as a salesperson.

Wandering, as a vagabond.

On the Wagon:

Slang: abstaining from alcoholic beverages.

Onassis's 10 Golden Rules for Success:

The late bon vivant and billionaire Aristotle Onassis's own recipe for achieving success in an interview in the October 1970 issue of the Success Unlimited Magazine:

Rule #1: take care of your body. Make yourself as good as you can. Don't worry about shortcomings. Look at me. I am no Greek god but I did not waste my life in crying because I wasn't born good looking. Remember nobody is as ugly as he thinks he is.

Rule #2: eat lightly and stay away from the wines and rich food when you have a job to do. Spending several hours at the table in the middle of a working day is the best way to shorten your life.

Rule #3: wait until evening, when you have more time and the day's labor is finished. Then enjoy a good meal with friends, and never talk business while you eat.

Rule #4: exercise and keep yourself trim. The basic yoga exercises help immensely, both mind and body. And if you can manage an hour or two of judo every week, it frees you of all your complexes.

Rule #5: keep a tan even if you have to use a lamp. To most people a tan in winter means only that you have been where the sun is, and in that respect, sun is money.

Rule #6: once you have taken care of your physical appearance, establish a successful way of life. Live in an elegant building - even if you have to take a room in the attic - where you will rub shoulders with wealthy, successful people in the corridors and on the elevators. Frequent luxury cafés even if you have to sip your drinks. Soon you will learn that many people with money are very lonely.

Rule #7: if you are short of money, borrow it. And never ask for small loans. Borrow big but always repay promptly.

Rule #8: keep your troubles to yourself and let people believe you are having a wonderful time.

Rule #9: don't sleep too much or you'll wake up a failure. If you sleep three hours less each night for a year, you will have an extra month and a half to succeed in.

Rule #10: if you aspire for success, do not squander your time reading about things others have done. It is better to get on living your own life than to concern yourself with what others have done.

One-Liner:

A short joke or witticism, usually expressed in a single sentence.

Visit: The greatest one-liner in movie history.

One-Night Stand:

A performance by a traveling musical or dramatic performer or group in one place on one night only.

Slang: a sexual encounter that is limited to only one occasion.

Online:

A computer that is linked directly to a database or to a central processing unit.

Online Community:

Primarily, these are areas on the Internet that cater to people's common interests. They are virtual in the sense that they exist in cyberspace and do not take up physical space. Communities are formed on Web sites, discussion groups, newsgroups, and even in chat rooms, and there are several popular gaming communities online. The Internet represents an extraordinary opportunity to converse with people all over the world; online communities provide a framework in which to exchange ideas and information, build relationships, and interact.

Online Dating Profile:

An Online Dating Profile is the photo personals ad that singles see when they search the personals. It is your advert to the world.

When writing an online dating profile an important approach is to be able to see your work from another person's point of view.

Online Reputation Management:

Online Reputation Management, or ORM, is the practice of consistent research and analysis of one’s personal or professional, business or industry reputation as represented by the content across all types of online media. It is also sometimes referred to as online reputation monitoring, maintaining the same acronym.

Oomph:

Physical or sexual attractiveness.

Spirited vigor.

Open City:

A city that is declared demilitarized during a war, thus gaining immunity from attack under international law.

Open-Market Operations:

Dealings by a central bank in the money market designed to adjust a country's money supply.

Open Marriage:

A marriage in which the partners agree that each is free to engage in extramarital relationships.

Open Outcry:

A method of trading on an exchange in which dealers shout out their offers to buy or sell. A contract is made when a buyer's shouts are matched with those of a seller.

Open Plan:

A way of designing the interior of an office in which the walls dividing the space into individual rooms are removed. All that may stand between employees' desks are potted plants and soundproof screening.

Open Position:

A situation in which an investor has an obligation to buy more securities of a certain type in the future than his future obligation to sell securities of that type. (Or the other way round, he has an obligation to sell more than he has to buy.)

Open Source:

Open Source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code.

Open System:

An expression used to describe information technology that is accessible to all. In other words, any hardware and software that are in the public domain so that manufacturers can make products that are compatible with them.

OpenID:

OpenID is an open, decentralized standard for authenticating users which can be used for access control, allowing users to log on to different services with the same digital identity where these services trust the authentication body. OpenID replaces the common login process that uses a login-name and a password, by allowing a user to log in once and gain access to the resources of multiple software systems. The term OpenID can also refer to an ID used in the standard.

An OpenID is in the form of a unique URL, and is authenticated by the user's 'OpenID provider' (that is, the entity hosting their OpenID URL). The OpenID protocol does not rely on a central authority to authenticate a user's identity. Since neither the OpenID protocol nor Web sites requiring identification may mandate a specific type of authentication, non-standard forms of authentication can be used, such as smart cards, biometrics, or ordinary passwords.

OpenID authentication is now used and provided by several large websites. Providers include AOL, BBC, Google, IBM, Microsoft, MySpace, Orange, PayPal, VeriSign, Yandex, Ustream and Yahoo!.

Visit the OpenID official website.

Operating System (computing):

The fundamental software program that enables a computer to run all the other programs that it contains.

Operations Research:

A mathematically based study of repetitive activity designed to improve the productivity of manufacturing processes. Or, as it is known, makes considerable use of computerised simulation.

Opinion:

A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.

A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert.

The prevailing view.

Opium of the People:

Karl Marx's classic metaphor for religion.

See also: Religion is the Opium of the People.

OPM:

Short for: Other People's Money. Also the name of a film (1991) of the same name starring Danny DeVito as Larry the Liquidator reminiscent of Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street (1987).

A common expression used when talking about the multiplying effect of using borrowed funds to purchase property rather than paying all cash. Investors will say, “I'm using OPM for the deal.”

Opportunist:

One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences.

Opportunity:

A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances; a favorable or suitable occasion or time.

A chance for progress or advancement.

Opportunity Cost:

In general, the amount that could have been gained if factors of production (land, labor or capital.) had been put to an alternative (and more rewarding) use. Hence investing in a bank account earning 3% a year when the stockmarket index rises by 10% has an opportunity cost of 7%.

Optimism:

A tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation.

Philosophy: the doctrine, asserted by Leibniz, that this world is the best of all possible worlds; the belief that the universe is improving and that good will ultimately triumph over evil.

Option:

The power or freedom to choose.

The right to buy or sell a specified amount of a commodity (or of securities) at a specified price within a specified time (usually less than six months). Such a right can be bought and sold during the specified time. If it is not exercised within that time, however, it expires.

Opus:

A creative work, especially a musical composition numbered to designate the order of a composer's works.

Opus Dei:

Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is an organization of the Roman Catholic Church that teaches the Catholic belief that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the governance of a prelate (bishop) appointed by the pope. Opus Dei is Latin for "Work of God", hence the organization is often referred to by members and supporters as "the Work".

Or Else...:

- or suffer the consequences.

Oracle:

A shrine consecrated to the worship and consultation of a prophetic deity, as that of Apollo at Delphi.

A person considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinions.

Oral Contract:

An agreement made with spoken words and either no writing or only partially written. An oral contract is just as valid as a written agreement. The main problem with oral contracts is proving its existence or the terms. As one wag observed: "An oral contract is as good as the paper it's written on." An oral contract is often provable by action taken by one or both parties which is obviously in reliance on the existence of a contract. The other significant difference between oral and written contracts is that the time to sue for breach of an oral contract (the statute of limitations) is sometimes shorter. For example, California's limitation is two years for oral compared to four for written, Connecticut and Washington three for oral rather than six for written, and Georgia four for oral instead of 20 for written.

Orangery:

A sheltered place, especially a greenhouse, used for the cultivation of orange trees in cool climates.

Oratory:

The art of public speaking.

Eloquence or skill in making speeches to the public.

Public speaking marked by the use of overblown rhetoric.

Orbit:

The path of a celestial body or an artificial satellite as it revolves around another body.

A range of activity, experience, or knowledge; a range of control or influence.

Order:

A condition of logical or comprehensible arrangement among the separate elements of a group.

A command given by a superior.

An instruction to buy or sell goods or services which is legally binding.

The established system of social organization.

Order Form:

The document on which an order is formally recorded.

Order of Precedence:

An Order of Precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments. It can also be used in context of decorations, medals and awards.

Visit also: Order of Precedence by Country - Wikipedia.

Ordinary Share:

The most straightforward form of share. It gives the holder the right to vote at formal shareholders' meetings, and the right to a portion of any dividends that are declared, but nothing more.

Organic:

Of, relating to, or derived from living organisms.

Of, relating to, or affecting a bodily organ.

Of, marked by, or involving the use of fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin.

Constituting an integral part of a whole; fundamental.

Law: denoting or relating to the fundamental or constitutional laws and precepts of a government or an organization.

Organic Food:

Foods claiming to be organic must be free of artificial food additives, and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions, such as chemical ripening, food irradiation, and genetically modified ingredients.

They may also be required to be produced using energy-saving technologies and packaged using recyclable or biodegradable materials when possible.

Organic Growth:

The growth of an organization that comes from its own internal efforts rather than from external factors, such as a takeover or a joint venture.

Organization:

An organized structure or whole.

A collection of people who come together for a defined purpose; the way in which those people structure their relationships to best achieve their purpose.

A body of administrative officials, as of a political party, a government department, etc.

Order or system; method.

Organizational Behaviour:

The academic study of the behaviour of people within organizations. It embraces subjects like motivation and leadership.

Organogram:

A diagrammatic representation of an organization's structure, including lines representing the relationships between different functions and different businesses.

Orient:

The countries of Asia.

Origami:

The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes representing objects (e.g., flowers or birds); a decorative object made by folding paper.

Original:

A first form from which other forms are made or developed.

An authentic work of art.

A person who is appealingly odd or curious; a character.

Being the source from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made.

Original Sin:

In Christian theology, the condition of sin that marks all humans as a result of Adam's first act of disobedience.

Ornament:

Anything that enhances the appearance of a person or thing.

Decorations collectively.

A small decorative object.

Something regarded as a source of pride or beauty.

Orthodox:

Adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion.

Orthorexia Nervosa:

Orthorexia, or Orthorexia Nervosa is a term coined by Steven Bratman, a Colorado MD, to denote an eating disorder characterized by excessive focus on eating healthy foods. In rare cases, this focus may turn into a fixation so extreme that it can lead to severe malnutrition or even death.

Bratman coined the term in 1997 from the Greek orthos, "correct or right", and orexis for "appetite". Literally "correct appetite", the word is modeled on anorexia, "without appetite", as used in definition of the condition anorexia nervosa. Bratman describes orthorexia as an unhealthy obsession (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder) with what the sufferer considers to be healthy eating. The subject may avoid certain foods, such as those containing fats, preservatives, animal products, or other ingredients considered by the subject to be unhealthy; if the dietary restrictions are too severe or improperly managed, malnutrition can result. Bratman asserts that "emaciation is common among followers of certain health food diets, such as rawfoodism, and this can at times reach the extremes seen in anorexia nervosa." In addition, he claims that "anorexic orthorexia" can be as dangerous as anorexia. However, he states, "the underlying motivation is quite different. While an anorexic wants to lose weight, an orthorexic wants to feel pure, healthy and natural. Eating disorder specialists may fail to understand this distinction, leading to a disconnect between orthorexic and physician."

See also: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

OS:

See: operating system.

Ossuary:

A container or receptacle, such as an urn or a vault, for holding the bones of the dead.

Ostracize:

To exclude or banish (a person) from a particular group, society, etc.

Historical Terms: (in ancient Greece) to punish by temporary exile.

Ounce:

A unit of weight in the U.S. Customary System, an avoirdupois unit equal to 437.5 grains (28.35 grams); a unit of apothecary weight, equal to 480 grains (31.10 grams).

Out-of-Date:

Old; no longer valid or fashionable; out of style or use; outmoded.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind:

The idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view.

Origin: the use of 'in mind' for 'remembered' and 'out of mind' for 'forgotten' date back to the at least the 13th century. The earliest printed citation of a link with memory and the sight of something is in John Heywood's: Woorkes. A dialogue conteynyng prouerbes and epigrammes, 1562.

Outcast:

One that has been excluded from a society or system.

Outcome:

An end result; a consequence.

A fugitive from the law; a habitual criminal; a rebel; a nonconformist.

A person excluded from normal legal protection and rights.

Outlet:

A store that sells the goods of a particular manufacturer or wholesaler.

Outplacement:

Assistance given to dismissed employees by their former employer to help them to find a new job or career. The function is increasingly carried out by specialist outplacement agencies.

Output:

The act or process of producing; production.

The energy, power, or work produced by a system.

Computer Science: the information produced by a program or process from a specific input.

Outreach:

To surpass (another) in reach.

To be more or greater than; exceed.

A systematic attempt to provide services beyond conventional limits, as to particular segments of a community.

Outsider:

Someone who is excluded from or is not a member of a group.

Individual Sports & Recreations / Horse Racing: a contestant, especially a horse, thought unlikely to win in a race.

Outsource:

To hand over to an outside organization the responsibility for running and developing a discrete function or process within business. For example, an organization might Outsource the running of its computers or its fleet of company cars.

Outsourcing:

Outsourcing is subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering firm or making better use of time and energy costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of land, labor, capital, (information) technology and resources. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labor.

Outstanding:

An obligation that is due and that has not yet been settled.

Outworker:

Someone who works for an organization somewhere outside the organization's own premises Outworkers are used, for example, in the textiles industry, where they assemble garments in their own homes. They are usually paid a piece rate which relates their rewards to the quantity of goods that they produce.

Overall:

A loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work.

Overcharge:

To demand a price for something that is in excess of the price that can be obtained elsewhere, all other things being equal.

Overdraft:

A credit facility granted by a bank which allows the borrower to draw funds from the bank up to a prescribed limit, as and when the borrower wishes. This flexible form of borrowing is common in Europe but not widespread in North America or East Asia.

Overdrive:

A gearing mechanism of a motor vehicle engine that reduces the power output required to maintain driving speed in a specific range by lowering the gear ratio.

Informal: a state of heightened activity or concentration.

Overhead:

A company's Overhead is the sum of its direct costs.

Overkill:

Any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goal.

Oversubscribe:

When the demand for new issue of securities exceeds the supply of securities available, the issue is said to be oversubscribed. If there is a demand for 700,000 securities and there are only 100,000 for sale, the issue is said to be six times oversubscribed.

Over-the-Counter:

An informal stockmarket for trading in shares that are not quoted on a major exchange, known as an OTC market.

Pharmaceuticals that can be sold freely over a shop's counter without the need for a doctor's prescription.

Overtime:

Hours worked by an employee beyond those contractually agreed with the employer; for example, work done in the evenings or at weekends. Overtime is usually paid at a higher rate than work done in normal hours.

Overture:

Music: an instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio.

An act, offer, or proposal that indicates readiness to undertake a course of action or open a relationship.

Overtrading:

Increasing a business's turnover to such an extent and at such a speed that the increase is not supported by other areas of the business. If the accounts department is swamped with new orders, for example, and cannot get invoices out and payments in within a reasonable time, the business might suffer from a liquidity crisis.

Own Label:

Products that are branded with the name of the retailer, such as a supermarket which sells its Own-Label cornflakes and soap powder in competition with established manufacturers' products. The retailer itself does not actually manufacture cornflakes or soap powder. It does not even manufacture the packaging. It just adds its name to products that have been made by someone else, sometimes someone who produces a well-known competing brand.

Owner's Manual:

See: user guide.

Owner-Operator:

Someone who owns and runs their own small business - a taxi-driver or someone who runs a corner shop.

Oxbridge:

Oxford and Cambridge universities, especially when regarded as the seat of traditional academic excellence, privilege, and exclusiveness.

Oyster Card:

An Oyster Card can store up to £90 of credit, which can be used to pay as you go, plus your Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass (London, U.K.).

Visit: Transport for London.

Oyster Rockefeller:

Created in the 1890s at Antoine's in New Orleans - freshly shucked oysters atop rock salt then topped with a mixture of chopped fresh spinach, chopped fresh watercress, chopped fresh parsley, bechamel sauce, perhaps a touch of Parmesan cheese or something comparable, maybe a touch of pernod, and topped with bread crumbs and butter. Roasted or broiled as preferred.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- P -

PA:

Short for Personal Assistant, or Personal Aide. A Personal Assistant is someone who assists in daily business and personal tasks.

For example, a businessman or businesswoman may have a Personal Assistant to help with time and diary management, scheduling of meetings, correspondence and note taking. The title of a business Personal Assistant is often shortened as "PA". There are also Personal Assistants who work specifically for disabled people, and whose salaries may be paid by an individual or by social services on an individual's behalf. Families in which both parents work may also employ Personal Assistants, often referred to as household managers. The role of a Personal Assistant can be varied.

Pacemaker:

Sports: One who sets the pace in a race.

Any of several usually miniaturized and surgically implanted electronic devices used to stimulate or regulate contractions of the heart muscle.

Pacific Rim:

Any grouping of countries which have coastlines on the Pacific Ocean.

Package Deal:

A proposition, offer, or thing for sale in which separate items are offered together as a single or inclusive unit.

Package Tour:

A tour arranged by a travel agent; transportation and food and lodging are all provided at an inclusive price.

Packing List:

A formal list of the contents of a container which is sent with the container. The person who receives the container checks that its contents accord with the packing list to see if anything has gone missing in transit.

Paean:

A song of joyful praise or exultation.

An ancient Greek hymn of thanksgiving or invocation, especially to Apollo.

Pagan:

a person who does not acknowledge your god.

An adherent of a polytheistic religion in antiquity, especially when viewed in contrast to an adherent of a monotheistic religion.

Page-Turner:

Informal: a very interesting, exciting, or suspenseful book, usually a novel.

Page Views:

Also called Page Impressions. Hits to HTML pages only (access to non-HTML documents are not counted).

Pageant:

An elaborate public dramatic presentation that usually depicts a historical or traditional event.

Pagoda:

A Pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves (the edge of a roof) common in Asia. Some Pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most Pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples.

Paid-Up Capital:

That part of a company's authorised capital which has been fully paid for by the company's shareholders.

Pain Management:

Pain Management (also called pain medicine) is the medical discipline concerned with the relief of pain.

Palace:

The official residence of a royal personage.

Chiefly British: the official residence of a high dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop.

A large or splendid residence; a large, often gaudily ornate building used for entertainment or exhibitions.

Palaver:

Idle chatter; talk intended to charm or beguile.

Obsolete: a parley between European explorers and representatives of local populations, especially in Africa.

Palazzo:

A large splendid residence or public building, such as a palace or museum.

Palindrome:

A Palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction. Examples: Anna, Otto, racecar.

Pallet:

A wooden frame on which goods are placed when in transit. A Pallet is designed to reduce damage to the goods and to make them easier to handle.

Palliative:

Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure.

Palmistry:

The practice or art of telling fortunes from the lines, marks, and patterns on the palms of the hands.

Pamphlet:

An unbound printed work, usually with a paper cover.

A short essay or treatise, usually on a current topic, published without a binding.

Pan-:

All; of, comprising, embracing, or common to all or every; the cooperation, unity, or union of all members of (a specified nationality, race, church, etc.).

Prefix: all; involving all of or the union of a specified group; general; whole.

Panache:

A dashing manner; style; swagger.

Pandemic:

A Pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across at least two continents, or even worldwide.

Pandemonium:

A place or gathering of wild persons; originally denoted hell [from Paradise Lost].

Pandora's Box:

A source of many unforeseen troubles.

Panegyric:

A formal public commendation; eulogy.

Panel:

A flat, usually rectangular piece forming a raised, recessed, or framed part of the surface in which it is set.

A board having switches or buttons to control an electric device.

Law: the complete list of persons summoned for jury duty.

A group of people gathered to plan or discuss an issue, judge a contest, or act as a team on a radio or television quiz program.

Pangasius:

Pangasius is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Pangasiidae. On the Top Ten list of the most consumed seafood in America. The Top 10 is based on tonnage of fish sold. According to the NFI, this mild-flavored white-flesh fish is farmed in Asia and is being used increasingly in food service. It is finding its way onto restaurant menus and into stores as well, where you may see it called basa, tra, or swai.

Panic Room:

A room in a house or other building that is invulnerable to attack or intrusion, and from which security operations can be directed. Also called safe room.

Visit also: Panic Room the film.

Panopticon:

An area where everything is visible; A room for the exhibition of novelties.

A circular prison with cells distributed around a central surveillance station.

Panorama:

An unbroken view of an entire surrounding area.

A picture or series of pictures representing a continuous scene, often exhibited a part at a time by being unrolled and passed before the spectator.

Pantheon:

A circular temple in Rome, completed in 27 b.c. and dedicated to all the gods.

A public building commemorating and dedicated to the heroes and heroines of a nation.

A group of persons most highly regarded for contributions to a field or endeavor.

Pantomine:

Communication by means of gesture and facial expression.

An ancient Roman theatrical performance in which one actor played all the parts by means of gesture and movement, accompanied by a narrative chorus.

Paparazzi:

Paparazzi is a plural term (Paparazzo being the Italian singular form) for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographs of celebrities caught unaware. Paparazzi take photos of celebrities at moments when the subjects do not expect to be photographed, such as when they shop, walk through a city or eat at a restaurant. This contrasts with press photography, or photojournalism, that is undertaken at press conferences, red carpet affairs and other events where there is an expectation and desire that the subjects will be photographed. Paparazzi tend to be independent contractors unaffiliated with a mainstream media organization. As the lines between celebrity news and hard news become blurred by the major news agencies, the differences between a Paparazzo and photojournalist are increasingly difficult to distinguish.

The word Paparazzi is an eponym originating in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita directed by Federico Fellini. One of the characters in the film is a news photographer named Paparazzo (played by Walter Santesso). In his book Word and Phrase Origins, Robert Hendrickson writes that Fellini took the name from an Italian dialect that describes a particularly annoying noise, that of a buzzing mosquito. In his school days, Fellini remembered a boy who was nicknamed "Paparazzo" (Mosquito), because of his fast talking and constant blurs (unknown), a name Fellini later applied to the fictional character in La Dolce Vita. This version of the word's origin has been strongly contested. For example, in an interview with Fellini's screenwriter Ennio Flaiano, he said the name came from a southern Italy travel narrative by Victorian writer George Gissing, "By the Ionian Sea." The book, published in 1901, gives the name of a hotel proprietor, Signor Paparazzo. He further states that either Fellini or Flaiano opened the book at random, saw the name, and decided to use it for the photographer. This story is documented by a variety of Gissing scholars and in the book "A Sweet and Glorious Land: Revisiting the Ionian Sea" (St. Martin's Press, 2000) by John Keahey.

Tazio Secchiaroli was an Italian photographer known as one of the original Paparazzi.

Paper:

One or more sheets of paper bearing writing or printing, especially: a formal written composition intended to be published, presented, or read aloud; a scholarly essay or treatise; a piece of written work for school; a report or theme; an official document, especially one establishing the identity of the bearer. Often used in the plural.

Paper Offer:

An offer by one company to buy another in exchange not for cash but for shares in the purchasing company (that is, its paper). The vendor thus merely exchanges the shares of one company fro those of another.

Paper Profit:

An unrealized profit which only appears on paper, that is, as a calculation. For instance, if shares bought for $300 are now worth $500, but their owner has no intention of selling them, the owner can be said to have made a Paper Profit of $200.

Paper Terrorism:

Paper Terrorism is the use of false liens, frivolous lawsuits, bogus letters of credit, and other legal documents lacking sound factual basis as a method of harassment, especially against government officials. It is popular among some anti-government groups and those associated with the redemption movement. The Posse Comitatus pioneered Paper Terrorism. Some victims of Paper Terrorism have been forced to declare bankruptcy. Some Paper Terrorists also have filed reports with the Internal Revenue Service falsely accusing their political enemies of having unreported income. Another method of Paper Terrorism is filing bankruptcy petitions against others in an effort to ruin their credit ratings.

Paper Trail:

The enevitable trail that most transactions leave tracing back to its originator.

Paperback:

Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or cardboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples.

Papyrus:

Paper made from the papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus) by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat; used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Romans.

Par:

The established value of a monetary unit expressed in terms of a monetary unit of another country using the same metal standard.

An amount or level considered to be average; a standard.

An equality of status, level, or value; equal footing.

The face value of a stock, bond, or other negotiable instrument.

The number of golf strokes considered necessary to complete a hole or course in expert play.

Par Excellence:

Being the best or truest of a kind; quintessential.

Par Value:

Par Value, an accounting term which is rapidly being discarded, is the face value assigned to shares of stock. For exemple, if shares have a Par Value of $1 per share, the shares must be sold for at least $1. They may be sold for more, and if so, the first $1 per share is allocated to be paid in capital account of the corporation. If the stock is no par, the board of directors retains the discretion to set a price for the shares and to allocate whatever portion of that price it chooses to the paid in capital account.

Para-:

Beside; near; alongside; beyond; incorrect; abnormal.

Similar to; resembling; subsidiary; assistant.

Parable:

A short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point.

Parabolic Antenna:

A Parabolic Antenna is a high-gain reflector antenna used for radio, television and data communications, and also for radiolocation (radar), on the UHF and SHF parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The relatively short wavelength of electromagnetic (radio) energy at these frequencies allows reasonably sized reflectors to exhibit the very desirable highly directional response for both receiving and transmitting.

Parade:

A Parade (also called march or marchpast) is a ceremonial procession including people marching.

An ostentatious show; an exhibition.

Paradigm:

One that serves as a pattern or model.

A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

Paradox:

A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.

One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects.

A statement contrary to received opinion.

Paragon:

An ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept.

Paralegal:

Paralegal is a term used in most jurisdictions to describe a non-lawyer who assists lawyers in their legal work.

Parallel:

Parallel (latitude): an imaginary east-west line circling a globe.

Parallel Market:

A market that operates outside the standard market for a product or service; for example, European shares that are sold as ADRS in the United States; or the street vendor who sells goods ourside a store which also sells the same goods, but at a different price.

Parameter:

A constant that helps to set a framework for considering issues that are variable. For example, a company's parameters for determining its strategy for the next year could be that the rate of growth of the economy will be 3% and that it wants to increase its market share by 10%.

Paranoia:

Paranoia is a thought process heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat towards oneself.

Paranoid Schizophrenia:

A form of Schizophrenia characterized by delusions (of persecution or grandeur or jealousy); symptoms may include anger and anxiety and aloofness and doubts about gender identity; unlike other types of schizophrenia the patients are usually presentable and (if delusions are not acted on) may function in an apparently normal manner.

Paraphernalia:

Personal belongings.

The articles used in a particular activity; equipment.

Paraphilia:

Abnormal sexual activity.

Paraphrase:

Literary & Literary Critical Terms: an expression of a statement or text in other words, especially in order to clarify; the practice of making Paraphrases.

Rewording for the purpose of clarification.

Parasite:

A person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others.

In ancient Greece: a person who received free meals in return for amusing or impudent conversation, flattering remarks, etc.

Pardon:

Law: exemption of a convicted person from the penalties of an offense or crime by the power of the executor of the laws; an official document or warrant declaring such an exemption.

Allowance or forgiveness for an offense or a discourtesy.

Parent Company:

A company which owns one or more subsidiaries.

Paria:

A social outcast.

An untouchable.

Parish:

An administrative part of a diocese that has its own church in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, and some other churches.

A political subdivision of a British county, usually corresponding in boundaries to an original ecclesiastical Parish.

Parka:

A coat or jacket with a hood and usually a warm lining for cold-weather wear.

Parkinson's Disease:

Parkinson's Disease (also known as Parkinson Disease or PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions.

Parkinson's Law:

Parkinson's Law was first expounded in 1958 in a book written by a history professor, C. Northcote Parkinson. The law says that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Another allied law says that "expenditure rises to meet income."

For an in-depth insight, read his book: Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress.

Parkour:

A sport or athletic activity in which the participant seeks to move quickly and fluidly through an area, often an urban locale, by surmounting obstacles such as walls and railings and leaping across open spaces, as in a stairwell or between buildings.

See also: free running.

Parlance:

A particular manner of speaking; idiom.

Speech, especially a conversation or parley.

Parlor Game:

A game that can be played indoors.

Parnassus:

A mountain, about 2,458 m (8,060 ft) high, of central Greece north of the Gulf of Corinth. In ancient times it was sacred to Apollo, Dionysus, and the Muses. Delphi was at the foot of the mountain.

Literature / Poetry: the name "Parnassus" in literature typically refers to its distinction as the home of poetry, literature, and learning; the world of poetry; a centre of poetic or other creative activity; a collection of verse or belles-lettres.

Parody:

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.

Something so bad as to be equivalent to intentional mockery; a travesty.

Parole:

Law: early release of a prisoner who is then subject to continued monitoring as well as compliance with certain terms and conditions for a specified period.

Linguistics: linguistics language as manifested in the individual speech acts of particular speakers.

Part Shipment:

The shipping of one part of a larger order or consignment of goods. Part Shipments can create problems if the documentation is not handled properly.

Part-Time Work:

Any work that takes up less than a normal full working day. Part-Time Workers are rarely entitled to the same pension and health benefits as full-time workers.

Partisan:

A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.

Partly Paid:

Shares for which a shareholder has paid only part of the amount that is due. The rest of the payment can usually be called for at the issuer's discretion.

Partner:

One that is united or associated with another or others in an activity or a sphere of common interest.

A member of a business partnership.

A spouse.

A domestic Partner.

Partnerships:

A Partnership often offers useful features for the purposes of an overall tax plan. In certain jurisdictions, a Partnership may have corporate attributes and resemble a company. However, even where a Partnership does not have corporate attributes, requirements relating to formations and registration the nationality and/or residence of partners, limited liability, restrictions on activities, should be examined in the context of the general law governing local Partnerships.

Partout:

Universellement; everywhere.

Party:

A social gathering especially for pleasure or amusement; a group of people who have gathered to participate in an activity.

An established political group organized to promote and support its principles and candidates for public office.

Law: a person or group involved in a legal proceeding as a litigant.

Party Girl:

An attractive young woman hired to attend parties and entertain men.

Parure:

A Parure is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in 17th century Europe.

Parvenu:

A person who has suddenly risen to a higher social and economic class and has not yet gained social acceptance by others in that class.

Pas:

A step or dance.

The right to go before; precedence.

Pascal:

A unit of pressure equal to one newton per square meter.

Paso Doble:

A modern ballroom dance in fast duple time; music for or in the rhythm of this dance, set in march time and often played at bullfights.

Pass:

A permit, ticket, or authorization to come and go at will.

Written leave of absence from military duty.

A way, such as a narrow gap between mountains, that affords passage around, over, or through a barrier.

Sports: a transfer of a ball or puck between teammates.

Games: a winning throw of the dice in craps.

Passbook:

A Passbook or bankbook is a paper book used to record bank transactions on a deposit account.

Business / Commerce: a customer's book in which is recorded by a trader a list of credit sales to that customer.

Passé:

Past; gone by; hence, past one's prime; worn; faded; out of fashion.

Passe-Partout:

Something, such as a master key, that permits one to pass or go at will.

A border, such as a mat, that is used to frame or mount a picture.

Passenger Mile:

One airline passenger carried one mile; this is calculated by multiplying the number of miles traveled times the number of passengers.

Passive Investor:

An investor in a start-up company who is looking only for financial gain. A Passive Investor has no interest in being involved in the running and building of the business.

Passive Smoking:

Involuntary inhalation of smoke from a nearby cigarette, cigar, etc., as by a nonsmoker.

Passkey:

Key that secures entrance everywhere.

Passport:

Official document proclaiming the citizenship of an individual.

Password:

A closely guarded sequence of alphanumeric characters which have to be entered into a computer before gaining access to it and its software programs. The Password acts as a security device.

See also: PIN.

Pastebin:

A Pastebin is a type of web application that allows its users to upload snippets of text, usually samples of source code, for public viewing.

Pastiche:

A dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the previous works of other artists, often with satirical intent.

Pastoral:

of, characterized by, or depicting rural life, scenery, etc.

Patent:

A document given to an inventor by a registered authority granting the inventor the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell his invention in a specified market for a specified period of time. When that time is over, the product is said to come off Patent.

Patent Pending:

Notification, often written on the side of a product, to say that a patent for the product has been applied for, but has not yet been granted.

Pater Familias:

A man who is the head of a household or the father of a family.

Pater Noster | Paternoster:

Roman Catholic Church: the Lord's Prayer in Latin (translates as: our father); one of the large beads on a rosary on which the Lord's Prayer is said.

A sequence of words spoken as a prayer or a magic formula.

A weighted fishing line having several jointed attachments for hooks connected by beadlike swivels.

An elevator constructed of a series of doorless compartments hung on chains that move slowly and continuously, allowing passengers to step on and off at will.

Paternity Leave:

Time that a male employee is allowed off work to help his partner with a new-born child. During paternity leave the father's job remains open to him, awaiting his return.

Patina:

A thin greenish layer, usually basic copper sulfate, that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of corrosion.

The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.

A change in appearance produced by long-standing behavior, practice, or use.

Patio:

An outdoor space for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is often paved.

A roofless inner courtyard, typically found in Spanish and Spanish-style dwellings.

Patisserie:

A bakery specializing in French pastry.

Patriot:

A person who vigorously supports his country and its way of life.

Patriot Act:

An Act swiftly passed in the US on October 26, 2001 after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. There are provisions to prevent money laundering, which may affect any transfers of funds into, and ownership of assets in the USA. The Patriot Act also dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States.

Patron:

One that supports, protects, or champions someone or something, such as an institution, event, or cause; a sponsor or benefactor.

A customer, especially a regular customer.

A noble or wealthy person in ancient Rome who granted favor and protection to someone in exchange for certain services.

Patron Saint:

A saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven for a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person.

Patronage:

The support or encouragement of a patron, as for an institution or cause.

The trade given to a commercial establishment by its customers.

Patronym:

A family name derived from name of your father or a paternal ancestor (especially with an affix (such as -son in English or O'- in Irish) added to the name of your father or a paternal ancestor).

Patsy:

A person easily taken advantage of, cheated, blamed, or ridiculed.

A scapegoat.

Pattern:

A model or original used as an archetype.

A person or thing considered worthy of imitation.

A representative sample; a specimen.

Pax Romana:

Historical Terms: the Roman peace; the long period of stability under the Roman Empire. Its span was approximately 207 years (27 BC - 180).

Pay-per-View:

A service offered by cable television companies that allows subscribers to view special programs for an additional charge.

Payback:

The return gained from or paid on an investment.

A benefit gained as the result of a previous action.

Payback Period:

The amount of time that it takes for an investment to pay for itself; that is, the time untilthe discounted income from the investment exactly equals the capital put into the investment.

Payday:

The day on which employees receive their pay.

PAYE:

The acronym for: Pay As You Earn, a way of collecting income tax at source, that is, from full-time employees as and when they are paid.

Payment Date:

The date on which an acknowledged payment is due; for example, dividends that have been declared but not yet paid, or an invoice for work done that is due to be paid a fixed number of days after the work has been completed.

Payment in Kind:

Payment in goods rather than with money.

Payment Method:

The means by which a due payment is made, that is, by cash, check, credit card, bank draft, or whatever.

Payola:

A bribe or a number of bribes given to an influential person in exchange for a promotion of a product or service.

Payroll:

The list of all the employees within an organization that are paid on a regular basis. Also the aggregate total of all that is paid to those employees on a regular basis.

Paywall:

A Paywall (or Pay Wall) blocks access to a webpage with a screen requiring payment.

PC:

Short for: Personal Computer. A PC is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator.

A personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. The most common current operating systems operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, while the most common microprocessors are x86-compatible CPUs, ARM architecture CPUs and PowerPC CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.

A PC may be used at home, or may be found in an office, often connected to a local area network (LAN). This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed large expensive systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently.
While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial software which is provided in ready-to-run form. Since the 1980s, Microsoft and Intel have been dominating much of the personal computer market with the Wintel platform.

See also: laptop, netbook, notebook, tablet PC and ultrabook.

Visit also: personal robot.

PCB:

A Printed Circuit Board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, or traces, etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board (PWB) or etched wiring board. A PCB populated with electronic components is a printed circuit assembly (PCA), also known as a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA).

PCBs are rugged, inexpensive, and can be highly reliable. They require much more layout effort and higher initial cost than either wire-wrapped or point-to-point constructed circuits, but are much cheaper and faster for high-volume production. Much of the electronics industry's PCB design, assembly, and quality control needs are set by standards that are published by the IPC organization.

PDA:

Short for: Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). A PDA is a handheld computer, also known as a palmtop computer. Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (smartphones), web browsers, or portable media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). Many PDAs employ touch screen technology.

PDF Files:

Adobe's portable document format (pdf) is a translation format used primarily for distributing files across a network or on a website. Files with a .pdf extension have been created in another application and then translated into .pdf files so they can viewed by anyone, regardless of platform.

PDO:

Short for: Protected Designation of Origin. PDO is the EU mark for the protection of unique foods that have a good reputation and are authentically linked to the area in which they are produced.

The mark is therefore based on a nice idea to protect unique foods, maintain their basic idea and protect them against imitation. In the shops, the mark is a guide for consumers so that they always know that they are buying a "genuine product", a unique food product.

P/E Ratio:

Short for: Price/Earnings Ratio, the ratio of a share's stockmarket price to its earnings per share. The ratio is seen as a key indicator of whether a company is over-valued or not. Each industry has a P/E ratio that is considered more or less average for that industry.

Peag:

See: wampum.

Peak:

The pointed summit of a mountain.

The point of greatest development, value, or intensity.

Peak State:

The moment when your inner power show up automatically.

The moment all the business you do felt easy.

Peanuts:

Informal: a very small amount of money; a trifling sum.

Pecking Order:

A hierarchy among a group, as of people, classes, or nations.

The social hierarchy in a flock of domestic fowl in which each bird pecks subordinate birds and submits to being pecked by dominant birds.

Peddle:

To travel about selling (wares); to engage in the illicit sale of (narcotics).

Informal: to seek to disseminate; give out.

Pedestal:

An architectural support or base, as for a column or statue.

A position of high regard or adoration.

Pedigree:

A list of ancestors; a family tree; a lineage.

A list of the ancestors of a purebred animal.

Pedometer:

An instrument that gauges the approximate distance traveled on foot by registering the number of steps taken.

Peer:

A person who has equal standing with another or others, as in rank, class, or age.

A nobleman.

PeerIndex:

PeerIndex is a reputation and authority rating platform. PeerIndex evaluates how much authority, influence, eminence or opinion leadership a person has developed across several online social platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora, among the others).

Peer-to-Peer:

A Peer-to-Peer, commonly abbreviated to P2P, distributed network architecture is composed of participants that make a portion of their resources (such as processing power, disk storage or network bandwidth) directly available to other network participants, without the need for central coordination instances (such as servers or stable hosts). Peers are both suppliers and consumers of resources, in contrast to the traditional client-server model where only servers supply, and clients consume.

Peine Forte et Dure:

English law: a punishment formerly inflicted in England, on a person who, being arraigned of felony, refused to plead and put himself on his trial, and stubbornly stood mute. He was to be laid down and as much weight was to be put upon him as he could bear, and more, until he died. This barbarous punishment has been abolished. Vide Mute.

Pejorative:

A disparaging or belittling word or expression.

Pen Name:

A pseudonym used by a writer. Also called nom de plume.

Penchant:

A definite liking; a strong inclination.

Pendle:

To travel as a commuter.

Pendulum:

An apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity.

Peninsula:

A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with the mainland by an isthmus.

Pension:

An income that is paid after someone's retirement from work because of contributions that were made to a fund during their working life. Pension contributions are a standard perk offered by companies to attract and retain good employees.

Pension Fund:

A fund set up to meet the pension obligations of an organization. In many countries pension funds are among the largest investors in the stockmarket.

Pentagon:

A polygon having five sides and five interior angles.

Pentagon: a five-sided building near Washington, D.C., containing the U.S. Department of Defense and the offices of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Pentagram:

A star-shaped figure formed by extending the sides of a regular pentagon to meet at five points.

People Skills:

People Skills are skills dealing with the interaction with other people, such as communication and interpersonal skills. The ability or "skill" to persuade, motivate and/or effectively deliver a message.

PEP:

Short for: Public Exposed Person.

Pep Talk:

A speech of exhortation, as to a team or staff, meant to instill enthusiasm or bolster morale.

Peppercorn Rent:

An extremely low nominal rent paid for business premises, often because the premises are due to be redeveloped at some uncertain future date and may have to be vacated at short notice.

Per Diem:

A daily allowance given to an employee to cover expenses, for things like travel and entertainment, incurred in the course of their work.

Per Se:

In itself; essentially; as such; in essence; by itself; of itself; by definition; intrinsically; by its very nature.

Percussion Instrument:

An instrument, such as a drum, xylophone, piano, or maraca, in which sound is produced by one object striking another or by being scraped or shaken.

Perestroika:

The restructuring of the Soviet economy and bureaucracy that began in the mid 1980s.

Perfect Match:

See also: match.

Perfection:

The quality or condition of being perfect.

A person or thing considered to be perfect.

An instance of excellence.

Perforce:

By necessity; by force of circumstance; unavoidably.

Performance:

The act or style of performing a work or role before an audience.

The way in which someone or something functions.

Performance Bond:

A written commitment to perform a piece of work to a specified standard and within a specified period of time. Failure to meet the criteria of the bond can lead to the payment of heavy penalties. Performance bonds are common in the construction business.

Performance-Enhancing Drugs:

Performance-Enhancing Drugs are substances known or thought to improve performance in a particular activity, e.g. sports (anabolic-androgenic steroids), learning processes. For example, the amphetamine-based drugs Adderall and Ritalin are used against attention disorders.

Performance-Related Pay:

Relating a significant proportion of an employee's pay to their performance. The concept is hard to put into practice because of the difficulty in finding a quantifiable measure that is genuinely related to an individual's performance. The most obvious candidates, share price and profit, have obvious shortcomings.

Performer:

To begin and carry through to completion; do.

To take action in accordance with the requirements of; fulfill.

To enact (a feat or role) before an audience.

To carry on; function.

Perimeter:

Mathematics: the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary.

Period:

An interval of time characterized by the occurrence of a certain condition, event, or phenomenon; characterized by the prevalence of a specified culture, ideology, or technology.

Geology: a unit of time, longer than an epoch and shorter than an era.

Sports & Games: a division of the playing time of a game.

A point or portion of time at which something is ended; a completion or conclusion.

Perishable Goods:

Goods which perish fairly quickly, such as fresh fish, fruit or dairy products.

Perjury:

Law: the deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under oath.

The breach of an oath or promise.

Perk:

Short for Perquisite, an incidental benefit that accrues to an employee because of his or her employment. For example, someone who works in a restaurant might expect free meals to be one of the Perks of the job.

Permalink:

A Permalink, or permanent link, is a URL that points to a specific blog or forum entry after it has passed from the front page to the archives.

Permanent Establishment:

Legal concept applied by a country in order to tax commercial activities realised in its territory by a company or person incorporated or resident outside the jurisdiction. The expression is commonly used in double taxation agreements and is defined in the O.E.C.D. model agreement, although in practice there is no consistent definition adopted either in double taxation agreements or in jurisdictions which recognise the concept under their general tax laws.

Perquisite:

Something claimed as an exclusive right.

Person of the Year:

Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."

Persona:

A voice or character representing the speaker in a literary work; an assumed identity or character.

Psychology (in Jungian psychology): the mechanism that conceals a person's true thoughts and feelings, especially in his adaptation to the outside world.

Persona Non Grata:

Persona Non Grata (Latin, plural: Personae Non Gratae, also abbreviated PNG), literally meaning "an unwelcome person," is a term used in diplomacy with a specialized and legally defined meaning. The opposite of Persona Non Grata is persona grata.

Personal Assistant:

A Personal Assistant, Personal Aide, or simply PA is someone who assists in daily business and personal a HREF="glossary.php#Task">tasks.

For example, a businessman or businesswoman may have a Personal Assistant to help with time and diary management, scheduling of meetings, correspondence and note taking. The title of a business Personal Assistant is often shortened as "PA". There are also Personal Assistants who work specifically for disabled people, and whose salaries may be paid by an individual or by social services on an individual's behalf. Families in which both parents work may also employ Personal Assistants, often referred to as household managers. The role of a Personal Assistant can be varied.

Personal Computer:

See: PC.

Personal Manager:

A Personal Manager, also known as an artist manager, band manager or talent manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the Personal Manager is to oversee the day-to-day business affairs of an artist; advise and counsel talent concerning professional matters, long-term plans and personal decisions which may affect their career.

Personal Robot:

Like the personal computer, the Personal Robot is one that will change the use of robots from being large, expensive, and hard to use, to being small, inexpensive, and easy to use. It is distinguished from industrial robot.

Visit also: The World of Personal Robotics.

Personal Shopper:

A Personal Shopper is someone who assists another with his or her shopping. The Personal Shopper can be a freelancer who hires his skills out to a select group of people. Personal Shoppers can also work for large stores in specific departments.

Personal Trainer:

A Personal Trainer is an exercise professional with the knowledge and experience to offer advice and guidance in the areas of exercise and fitness. These professionals can assist you by designing a safe and effective exercise program to help you reach personal goals. A personal trainer can assist with weight loss, exercise performance and improved wellness.

Personal Touch:

An original or special quality, or something that is done for every single person in a group in order to make them feel special.

Personality:

The quality or condition of being a person.

The totality of qualities and traits, as of character or behavior, that are peculiar to a specific person.

The pattern of collective character, behavioral, temperamental, emotional, and mental traits of a person.

Distinctive qualities of a person, especially those distinguishing personal characteristics that make one socially appealing.

Personality Rights:

Personality Rights is a common or casual reference to the proper term of art "Right of Publicity." The Right of Publicity can be defined simply as the right of an individual to control the commercial use of his or her name, image, likeness or other unequivocal aspects of one's identity. It is generally considered a property right as opposed to a personal right, and as such, the validity of the Right of Publicity can survive the death of the individual (to varying degrees depending on the jurisdiction).

Personen- und Gesellschaftsrecht:

Law applicable to individuals and corporate bodies in Liechtenstein.

Personnel:

Traditionally, the department in an organization which looks after the day-to-day requirements of its employees. Nowadays it is likely to have been rebranded as human resources.

Perspective:

A way of regarding situations or topics.

Fine Arts: the theory or art of suggesting three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface, in order to recreate the appearance and spatial relationships that objects or a scene in recession present to the eye.

Pesticide:

Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, unwanted species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage, transport or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or substances which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or other pests in or on their bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, desiccant or agent for thining fruit or preventing the premature fall of fruit, and substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from deterioration during storage and transport. Definition by FAO.

Pet:

An animal kept for amusement or companionship.

An object of the affections.

A person especially loved or indulged; a favorite.

Petaflop:

Computing: a unit of computing power equal to 1000 (or 1024) teraflops.

Peter Principle, The:

A rule first enunciated in a 1969 book by Laurence J. Peter. The Peter Principle says that every employee eventually rises to their level of incompetence. Also expressed as "cream rises until it sours".

Petition:

Law: a formal application in writing made to a court asking for some specific judicial action.

Visit: Start a petition.

Petri Dish:

A shallow circular dish with a loose-fitting cover, used to culture bacteria or other microorganisms.

Petrodollar:

United States dollars obtained by oil exporting countries.

Petticoat:

Undergarment worn under a skirt.

Petty Cash:

Small amounts of cash retained in the workplace for making occasional small payments in cash - for milk, stamps, and so on.

PGI:

Short for: Protected Geographical Indication. PGI is the EU mark for the protection of unique foods that have a good reputation and are authentically linked to the area in which they are produced.

The mark is therefore based on a nice idea to protect unique foods, maintain their basic idea and protect them against imitation. In the shops, the mark is a guide for consumers so that they always know that they are buying a “genuine product”, a unique food product.

pH:

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, numerically equal to 7 for neutral solutions, increasing with increasing alkalinity and decreasing with increasing acidity. The pH scale commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14.

Phantom:

Something apparently seen, heard, or sensed, but having no physical reality; a ghost or an apparition.

An image that appears only in the mind; an illusion.

Something dreaded or despised.

Phantom Pain:

Phantom Pain sensations are described as perceptions that an individual experiences relating to a limb or an organ that is not physically part of the body.

Pharaoh:

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods.

Pharmacology:

The study of drugs, or medications.

Phase:

Any distinct time period in a sequence of events.

PhD:

Short for: Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy).

Phenomenon:

An occurrence, circumstance, or fact that is perceptible by the senses.

Philanderer:

A man who likes many women and has short sexual relationships with them.

Philanthrocapitalism:

Venture philanthropy (sometimes referred to as "Philanthrocapitalism") takes concepts and techniques from venture capital finance and high technology business management and applies them to achieving philanthropic goals.

Venture philanthropy is characterized by:
*  Willingness to experiment and try new approaches.
*  Focus on measurable results: donors and grantees assess progress based on mutually determined
   benchmarks.
*  Readiness to shift funds between organizations and goals based on tracking those measurable results.
*  Giving financial, intellectual, and human capital.
*  Funding on a multi-year basis - typically a minimum of 3 years, on average 5-7 years.
*  Focus on capacity building, instead of programs or general operating expenses.
*  High involvement by donors with their grantees. For example, some donors will take positions on the boards
   of the non-profits they fund.

For more information, read: Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World.

Philanthropist:

Someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being.

Love of humankind in general.

Philanthropy:

The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations.

Love of humankind in general.

Philistine:

A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is regarded as being indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values.

One who lacks knowledge in a specific area.

Philosophers' Stone:

A substance that was believed to have the power of transmuting base metal into gold. Also called elixir.

Philosophy:

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning subjects such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

Phising:

In the field of computer security, Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT Administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.

A Phishing technique was described in detail in 1987, and the first recorded use of the term "Phishing" was made in 1996. The term is a variant of fishing, probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to baits used to "catch" financial information and passwords.

Phlegmatic:

Phlegmatics tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and diplomats. Unlike the sanguine personality, they may be more dependable.

See also: choleric, melancholic and sanguine.

Phobia:

A Phobia (from the Greek: phóbos, fear or morbid fear), is an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or people.

Phoenix:

Mythology: a bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.

Photo Opportunity:

A brief period reserved for the press to photograph the participants in a newsworthy event.

Photo Stitching:

See: image stitching.

Photocall:

A gathering of theatrical performers in order to be photographed; a session in which a posed celebrity is photographed.

Photographic Memory:

Photographic Memory is popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme accuracy and in abundant volume.

Photojournalism:

Journalism in which a news story is presented primarily through photographs with supplementary written copy.

Photomontage:

Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not use film, is realized today through image-editing software.

Photoshop:

Adobe Photoshop, or simply Photoshop, is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems. It is the current market leader for commercial bitmap and image manipulation software.

Verb: to digitally edit or alter a picture or photograph.

Phrase:

A sequence of words intended to have meaning.

Grammar: two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence.

Music: a short passage or segment, often consisting of four measures or forming part of a larger unit.

Phrasing:

Music: the manner in which a phrase is rendered or interpreted.

Phylum:

A large group of languages that are historically related.

Biology: the major taxonomic group of animals and plants; contains classes.

Physical:

A Physical examination.

Pi:

Pi is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean space; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius. The symbol for Pi was first proposed by the Welsh mathematician William Jones in 1706. It is approximately equal to 3.14159 in the usual decimal notation. Pi is one of the most important mathematical and physical constants: many formulae from mathematics, science, and engineering involve Pi.

P.I.:

Short for: Private Investigator. A private investigator or private detective (often shortened to PI or private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigations. Private investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases.

Piano:

A musical instrument with a manual keyboard actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals.

A passage to be played softly or quietly.

Picket:

An employee who stands at the entrance to his or her place of work during an industrial dispute in order to persuade other employees (and/or suppliers and/or customers) not to enter. In many countries where picketing is legal, secondary picketing (the picketing of somebody else's place of work) is not.

Picnic:

A meal eaten outdoors, as on an excursion.

Slang: an easy task or a pleasant experience.

Pictogram:

A Pictograph (also called Pictogram or Pictogramme) is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Earliest examples of pictographs include ancient or prehistoric drawings or paintings found on rock walls. Pictographs are also used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.

Pidgin:

A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native language.

Pie Chart:

A widely used diagrammatic way of presenting business statistics. A pie is drawn to represent the whole of, say, a market or business, and the pie is then divided into slices whose size is proportional to the shares of the whole that each one represents.

"Piece of Cake":

Something very easy to do.

Pièce de Résistance:

The outstanding item (the prize piece or main exhibit) in a collection.

Piece Rate:

A method of payment for work based on the quantity produced, in contrast to the more common method of payment which is based on the number of hours worked.

Piece Work:

Work that is performed by outsiders who are paid on a piece rate basis; common in the garment industry.

Pied Piper:

A person who offers others strong yet delusive enticements.

Pietà:

Fine Arts: a representation of the dead Christ, attended by the Virgin Mary or by holy women and angels.

Pigeonhole:

A small compartment or recess, as in a desk, for holding papers; a cubbyhole.

A specific, often oversimplified category.

Piggy Bank:

Piggy Bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children.

Pilates:

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany.

Pilgrim:

A person who undertakes a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.

A traveler; any wayfarer.

Pilgrimage:

A journey to a sacred place or shrine.

A long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.

Pilot:

A trial run on a modest scale to test the feasibility of something much bigger. For example, the manufacture of a small number of items of a product to see whether it is worth gearing up for their mass production.

PIN Code:

Short for: Personal Identification Number. PIN is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system.

See also: PUK code.

Pince-Nez:

Eyeglasses clipped to the bridge of the nose.

Ping (blogging):

In blogging, Ping is an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated.

Pinnacle:

Architecture: a small turret or spire on a roof or buttress.

Pint:

Mathematics & Measurements / Units: a unit of liquid measure of capacity equal to one eighth of a gallon. 1 Brit Pint is equal to 0.568 liter, 1 US Pint to 0.473 liter.

Brit informal: a Pint of beer; a drink of beer.

Pioneer:

One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle.

One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development.

Pipeline:

A conduit of pipe, especially one used for the conveyance of water, gas, or petroleum products.

A direct channel by which information is privately transmitted.

A system through which something is conducted, especially as a means of supply.

Piquant:

Having an agreeably pungent taste.

Appealingly provocative; charming, interesting, or attractive.

Pirate:

One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation.

One who makes use of or reproduces the work of another without authorizationauthorization.

One that operates an unlicensed, illegal television or radio station.

Piste:

Individual Sports & Recreations / Skiing: a ski trail densely packed with snow; an unpaved trail or path, especially in mountainous terrain.

Pit Stop:

In motorsports, a Pit Stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above.

Pita:

A round flat bread of Middle Eastern origin that can be opened to form a pocket for filling.

Pitch:

To make a prepared presentation with the aim of securing a contract or sale.

The physical space where a street trader (or a stockbroker who operates on the floor of an exchange) has their stall.

Pixel:

In digital imaging, a Pixel (or picture element) is the smallest item of information in an image. Pixels are normally arranged in a 2-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots, squares, or rectangles. Each Pixel is a sample of an original image, where more samples typically provide more-accurate representations of the original. The intensity of each Pixel is variable; in color systems, each Pixel has typically three or four components such as red, green, and blue, or cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

The word Pixel is based on a contraction of pix ("pictures") and el (for "element"); similar formations with el for "element" include the words: voxel and texel.

Placebo Effect:

The beneficial effect in a patient following a particular treatment that arises from the patient's expectations concerning the treatment rather than from the treatment itself.

Placeholder Name:

Placeholder Names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed.

Placeholder Text:

See: filler text.

Placement:

A method of selling securities in which the securities are placed with a small number of investors. A Placement is usually done privately, in contrast to the other main way of selling shares (which is through a public offering). A Placement is cheaper than a public offering, but the price obtained for the securities may be less.

Plague:

A widespread affliction or calamity, especially one seen as divine retribution.

Plaintiff:

The party that institutes a suit in a court.

Plan:

A scheme, program, or method worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of an objective.

Plan B:

An alternative Plan in the event the main plan proves unsuccessful or impossible to implement.

Planking (fad):

The term "Planking" was coined in Australia and became a fad in 2011. Planking is the action of lying face down with arms to the sides of the body, in unusual public spaces and photographing it - and posting photos on social networking sites such as Facebook. Aficionados lie expressionless with a straight body, hands by their sides and toes pointing into the ground.

Planned Obsolescence:

Planned Obsolescence or built-in obsolescence in industrial design is a policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period of time. Planned Obsolescence has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuing use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer (a replacement part or a newer model), or from a competitor which might also rely on Planned Obsolescence.

Visit also: Centennial Light.

Planning:

The formal process of Planning for the future of a business. Traditionally, this occurs at regular intervals and involves managers outlining a series of actions for the business over, say, the next ten years.

Plant and Equipment:

A collective term for the tools and machines required to carry on a business; everything apart from the buildings and the workforce.

Plaque:

A small pin or brooch worn as an ornament or a badge of membership.

Pathology: a small disk-shaped formation or growth; a patch.

Plasma Display:

A Plasma Display Panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays (32 inches or larger). Many tiny cells between two panels of glass hold an inert mixture of noble gases. The gas in the cells is electrically turned into a plasma which then excites phosphors to emit light. Plasma displays should not be confused with LCDs, another lightweight flatscreen display using different technology.

Plateau:

An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.

A relatively stable level, period, or state.

Platform:

Computer Science: the basic technology of a computer system's hardware and software that defines how a computer is operated and determines what other kinds of software can be used.

A place, means, or opportunity for public expression of opinion.

A formal declaration of the principles on which a group, such as a political party, makes its appeal to the public.

Platinum Triangle (Los Angeles):

"Platinum Triangle" of Los Angeles is an informal name for three adjacent neighborhoods that are generally regarded as the most lavish in the immediate Los Angeles area: Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills.

Platonic:

Speculative or theoretical.

Play with a Full Deck:

To be of sound mind: didn't seem to be playing with a full deck.

Playboy:

Womanizer, philanderer, rake, socialite, man about town, pleasure seeker, lady-killer (informal) roué, lover boy (slang) ladies' man. A (rich) man who is devoted to the pursuit of pleasurable activities such as fast cars, good food, high living, nightclubs and female company.

Player:

Sports: a person who participates in or is skilled at some game or sport; a gambler.

Informal: an active participant, especially a powerful one, in a particular field of activity.

Slang: one who actively seeks out sexual partners and carries on a number of sexual affairs at the same time.

Music: a person who plays a musical instrument.

Performing Arts: an actor.

Playgirl:

A woman devoted to the pursuit of pleasurable activities.

Playground:

An outdoor area set aside for recreation and play, especially one containing equipment such as seesaws and swings.

A field or sphere of unrestricted pleasurable activity.

Plea Bargain:

A Plea Bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a criminal case where by the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.

Plebeian:

One of the common people of ancient Rome.

A member of the lower classes.

A vulgar or coarse person.

Plenum:

An assembly or meeting with all members present.

Plot:

The pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama.

A secret plan to accomplish a hostile or illegal purpose; a scheme.

Plug and Play:

In computing, Plug and Play is a term used to describe the characteristic of a computer bus, or device specification, which facilitates the discovery of a hardware component in a system, without the need for physical device configuration, or user intervention in resolving resource conflicts.

Plug and Play refers to both the traditional boot-time assignment of device resources and driver identification, as well as to hotplug systems such as USB and Firewire.

Pluralis Maiestatis:

The Majestic Plural (Pluralis Maiestatis in Latin) is the use of a plural pronoun to refer to a single person holding a high office, such as a monarch, bishop, pope, or university rector. It is also called the Royal pronoun, the Royal 'we' or the Victorian 'we'. The more general word for the use of "we" to refer to oneself is nosism, from the Latin nos. Its most common use denotes excellence, power and dignity of the person that speaks or writes.

Plusfours:

Loose sports knickers made four inches longer than ordinary knickers.

P.M.:

Short for: Post Meridiem. After noon; indicating the time period from midday to midnight.

Poched:

To cook in a boiling or simmering liquid.

Podcast:

An audio programme in a compressed digital format, delivered via an RSS feed over the Internet to a subscriber and designed for playback on computers or portable digital audio players, such as the iPod.

Poem:

A composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines.

Poet Laureate:

A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events.

Poetic Justice:

An outcome in which virtue triumphs over vice (often ironically).

Poincaré Conjecture:

The question as to whether a compact, simply connected three-dimensional manifold without boundary must be homeomorphic to the three-dimensional sphere.

Point:

A brief version of the essential meaning of something; an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole.

A specified degree, condition, or limit, as in a scale or course.

Sports & Games: a unit of scoring or counting.

Point de Vue:

Opinion, position.

Viewing point.

Point of No Return:

The point in a course of action beyond which reversal is not possible.

The point in the flight of an aircraft beyond which there is insufficient fuel for return to the starting point.

Point of Order:

A question as to whether the present proceedings are in order or allowed by the rules of parliamentary procedure.

Point of Sale:

The place where a sale is made. This is usually a shop, but it can be a telephone or an order form in a mail-order catalogue.

Point-to-Point:

A term for using individual airline fares from city to city.

Poison-Pen Letter:

A usually anonymous letter or note containing abusive or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party.

Poison Pill:

A tactic followed by a company to make itself less attractive to a potential buyer. It might include an agreement to distribute large sums of money to shareholders and employees, a distribution that is triggered only by the appearance of a takeover bid.

Poker:

Any of various card games played by two or more players who bet on the value of their hands.

Visit: poker - Wikipedia.

Poker Face:

Informal: a face without expression, as that of a poker player attempting to conceal the value of his cards.

Poker Terms:

Visit: poker terms - Wikipedia.

See: Texas Hold 'Em.

Polarity:

The possession or manifestation of two opposing attributes, tendencies, or principles.

Polaroid Coprporation:

Polaroid Corporation is a multinational consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February 2008 decision to cease all production in favor of digital photography products. The company's original dominant market was in polarized sunglasses, an outgrowth of Land's self-guided research in polarization after leaving Harvard University after his freshman year—he later returned to Harvard to continue his research.

Pole Dance:

Pole Dancing is a form of performing art, a combination of dancing and gymnastics. It involves dancing sensually with a vertical pole and is often used in strip clubs and gentlemen's clubs, although more recently artistic Pole Dancing (Chinese poles) is used in cabaret/circus and stage performance in a non-erotic environment.

Polemic:

A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.

A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.

Policy:

A plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters.

A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous.

A written contract or certificate of insurance.

Polis:

A Greek city-state.

A state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community.

Politico:

An informal word for a politician.

Politics:

The art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.

Politically Correct:

Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.

Being or perceived as being overconcerned with such change, often to the exclusion of other matters.

Poll:

An inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people.

A Poll of voters as they leave the voting place; usually taken by news media in order to predict the outcome of an election.

Polterabend:

German for: bachelor party; stag party.

Poltergeist:

A ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder.

Polyglot:

A Polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used. The word hyperPolyglot refers to a person who can speak six or more languages fluently, though it is rarely used.

Polygon:

A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.

Polygraph:

A Polygraph (popularly referred to as a lie detector) is an instrument that measures and records several physiological responses such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, breathing rhythms, body temperature and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions, on the theory that false answers will produce distinctive measurements. The Polygraph measures physiological changes caused by the sympathetic nervous system during questioning. Within the US federal government, a Polygraph examination is also referred to as a psychophysiological detection of deception (PDD) examination.

Polygraphs are in some countries used as an interrogation tool with criminal suspects or candidates for sensitive public or private sector employment. The use and effectiveness of the Polygraph is controversial, with the manner of its use and its validity subject to ongoing criticism.

Polyphenol Antioxidant:

A Polyphenol Antioxidant is a type of antioxidant containing a polyphenolic substructure. In human health these compounds, numbering over 4000 distinct species, are thought to be instrumental in combating oxidative stress, a process associated with some neurodegenerative diseases and some cardiovascular diseases.

The main source of Polyphenol Antioxidants is nutritional, since they are found in a wide array of phytonutrient-bearing foods. For example, most legumes; fruits such as apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapes, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries; and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, celery, onion and parsley are rich in polyphenol antioxidants. Red wine, chocolate, green tea, olive oil, bee pollen (honey) and many grains are alternative sources. The principal benefit of ingestion of antioxidants seems to stem from the consumption of a wide array of phytonutrients; correspondingly, the role of dietary supplements as a method of realizing these health benefits is the subject of considerable discussion.

Pomp and Circumstance:

Formal ceremony.

Visit also: Pomp and Circumstance Marches.

Pompous:

Exaggeratedly or ostentatiously dignified or self-important.

Poncho:

A blanketlike cloak having a hole in the center for the head; a similar garment having a hood used as a raincoat.

Ponzi Scheme:

A Ponzi Scheme - named after Charles Ponzi - is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned. The Ponzi Scheme usually offers returns that other investments cannot guarantee in order to entice new investors, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi Scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors in order to keep the scheme going.

The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments. Usually, the scheme is interrupted by legal authorities before it collapses because a Ponzi Scheme is suspected or because the promoter is selling unregistered securities. As more investors become involved, the likelihood of the scheme coming to the attention of authorities increases. While the system eventually will collapse under its own weight, the recent example of Bernie Madoff powerfully illustrates the ability of a Ponzi scheme to delude both individual and institutional investors as well as securities authorities for long periods: Madoff's variant of the Ponzi Scheme stands as the largest financial investor fraud in history committed by a single person. Prosecutors estimate losses at Madoff's hand totalling $64.8 billion.

Pool:

A small body of still water; a swimming pool.

An available supply, the use of which is shared by a group.

Popularity:

The quality or state of being popular, especially the state of being widely admired, accepted, or sought after.

Population:

A marketing expression for the whole of a potential market for a particular product or service.

Porcelain:

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 °C (2,192 °F) and 1,400 °C (2,552 °F). The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass and the mineral mullite within the fired body at these high temperatures.

Portable Pension:

A Pension that is a perk of one particular job and which the beneficiary can take with them (and continue to fund) as and when they change jobs.

Portal:

Internet general-purpose starting point.

Porte-Cochere:

A carriage entrance leading through a building or wall into an inner courtyard.

A roofed structure covering a driveway at the entrance of a building to provide shelter while entering or leaving a vehicle.

Portemonnaie:

A small pocketbook or wallet for carrying money.

Portfolio:

A mixture of assets (usually financial) that belong to a single owner, either an individual or an institution. A portfolio might typically contain shares, bonds, gold and cash.

A hand-held case that contains phoographs of a model's work.

Portfolio Manager:

The person who looks after an investor's portfolio, buying and selling financial assets (on behalf of the investor) in search of a chosen investment target.

Portfolio Work:

A form of work in which an individual has a number of regular jobs which he or she performs at various times throughout the working week.

Portmanteau:

A new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings.

A large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments.

Pose:

To assume or hold a particular position or posture, as in sitting for a portrait.

Affected manners intended to impress others.

Poseur:

One who affects a particular attribute, attitude, or identity to impress or influence others.

A person who habitually pretends to be something he is not.

Posh:

Smart and fashionable.

Position:

Social standing or status; rank.

A particular job in an organization (as in, she has a senior Position at Forbes Magazine).

An investor's stake in a particular financial market (including what it owns and what it is contractually obliged to buy and sell in the future).

The strategic location in a market taken (or aimed for) by a company.

The way in which something is placed; the arrangement of body parts; posture.

Positional Good:

In economics, Positional Goods are products and services whose value is mostly (if not exclusively) a function of their ranking in desirability, in comparison to substitutes. The extent to which a good's value depends on such a ranking is referred to as its positionality. The term was coined by Fred Hirsch in 1976.

Post-Date:

To put a future date on a financial instrument (such as a check) so that the payee cannot obtain payment untill that date.

Post-it Note:

A Post-it Note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and to other surfaces: walls, desks, computer displays, and so forth. While now available in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, Post-it Brand notes are most commonly a 3-inch (76 mm) square, canary yellow in color. The notes use a unique low-tack adhesive that enables Post-it Brand notes to be easily attached and removed without leaving marks or residue, unless used on white boards.

Post-Mortem:

Of or relating to a medical examination of a dead body.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (abbreviated PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more traumatic events that threatened or caused great physical harm.

It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma. This stressor may involve someone's actual death, a threat to the patient's or someone else's life, serious physical injury, an unwanted sexual act, or a threat to physical or psychological integrity, overwhelming psychological defenses.

In some cases it can also be from profound psychological and emotional trauma, apart from any actual physical harm. Often, however, incidents involving both things are found to be the cause.

PTSD is a condition distinct from the normal healthy emotional stress response that every human body feels after it has had a traumatic event which has less intensity and duration.

PTSD has also been recognized in the past as railway spine, stress syndrome, shell shock, battle fatigue, traumatic war neurosis, or Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Diagnostic symptoms include reexperience such as flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, increased arousal such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger and hypervigilance. Per definition, the symptoms last more than six months and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (e.g. problems with work and relationships).

Postcode:

Britain and Australia: a code of letters and digits used as part of a postal address to aid the sorting of mail Also called postal code US equivalent zip code.

Poste Restante:

Poste Restante (French, translation: post which remains) is a service where the post office holds mail until the recipient calls for it. It is a common destination for mail for people who are visiting a particular location and have no need, or no way, of having mail delivered directly to their place of residence at that time.

Poster:

A large, usually printed placard, bill, or announcement, often illustrated, that is posted to advertise or publicize something; an artistic work, often a reproduction of an original painting or photograph, printed on a large sheet of paper.

Poster Boy:

A person who typifies or represents a particular characteristic, cause, opinion, etc.

Posthumous:

Occurring or continuing after one's death.

Published after the writer's death.

Born after the death of the father.

Postpaid Mobile Phone:

The Post-Paid Mobile Phone is a mobile phone for which service is provided by a prior arrangement with a carriage service provider (CSP). The user in this situation is billed after the fact according to their use of mobile services at the end of each month. Typically, the customer's contract specifies a limit or "allowance" of minutes, text messages etc., and the customer will be billed at a flat rate for any usage equal to or less than that allowance. Any usage above that limit incurs extra charges. Theoretically, a user in this situation has no limit on use of mobile services and, as a consequence, unlimited credit.

The alternative billing method is as a prepaid mobile phone where a user pays in advance for credit which is then consumed by use of the mobile phone service.

Potboiler:

A literary or artistic work of poor quality, produced quickly for profit.

Potion:

A liquid or liquid mixture, especially one that is medicinal, poisonous, or magical.

Potpourri:

A combination of incongruous things.

A miscellaneous anthology or collection.

A mixture of dried flower petals and spices used to scent the air.

Pound:

A unit of weight equal to 16 ounces (453.592 grams); a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces (373.242 grams).

The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom, worth 20 shillings or 240 old pence before the decimalization of 1971. Also called Pound sterling.

The Pound key on a telephone.

Pound for Pound:

Pound for Pound is the term used in boxing, mixed martial arts, and other combat sports to describe a fighter's value in relation to fighters of different weight classes.

Power:

Ability to do, act, or produce.

The ability to control others; authority; sway; influence.

A nation, especially one having influence or domination over other nations.

Power Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner:

A working meal at which important discussions may be held, and important decisions made.

Power Color Red:

In connection with neckties this color lets his wearer be full with energy. He is extrovert and wants to advance. Red wants to be the eye-catcher. If you are wearing red, it could be that you express a passion and a way of ruthless power. Red neckties are mostly worn by people who like action and drama. Red stands for a strong sexuality.

Power of Attorney:

A legal document allowing one person to act as the agent of another.

Power Shopping

When well-off people shop quickly, resulting in the rapid accumulation of goods.

Power Suit:

Clothes which you wear at work to make you look important or confident.

Power Walking:

Power Walking is walking at a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, typically 7 km/h to 9 km/h (4.5 to 5.5 mph). In this range walking and jogging are almost equally efficient, and the walking gait gives significantly less impact to the joints.

Recently, Power Walking has been increasingly recommended as an alternative to jogging for a low-to-moderate exercise regime (say 60-80% of maximum heart rate). When used in this way, an exaggerated arm swing is also often used.

To qualify as Power Walking as opposed to jogging or running, at least one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times.

Power Walking is also known as speed walking.

See also: jogging.

Powerhouse:

A highly energetic and indefatigable person.

PowerPoint:

A presentation graphics program from Microsoft for Macintosh and Windows. It was the first desktop presentation program for the Mac and provides the ability to create output for overheads, handouts, speaker notes and film recorders. PowerPoint is an integral part of Microsoft Office and is extensively used worldwide by educators, students, business people and trainers.

PowWow:

A council or meeting with or of Native Americans.

A talk, conference, or meeting.

P.P.:

Parcel Post.

Past Participle.

Per Procurationem (by proxy).

Postpaid.

PPP:

Short for: Purchasing Power Parity, a criterion for an appropriate exchange rate between currencies.

Also short for: Point-to-Point Protocol - a protocol for communication between two computers using a serial interface.

PPS:

Latin: post postscriptum (additional postscript). Short for: parlamentary private secretary.

PPV:

Short for: Pay-Per-View is the system by which a television audience can purchase events to view on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it, as opposed to video on demand systems, which allow viewers to see the event at any time. Events can be purchased using an on-screen guide, an automated telephone system, or through a live customer service representative. Events include feature films, sporting events, pornographic movies and "special" events. The primary draw of Pay-Per-View that separates it from the rest of television is the fact that, since the people are already paying out-of-pocket, there are no commercials.

PR:

Short for: Public Relations. PR is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its public. Public Relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. Because Public Relations places exposure in credible third-party outlets, it offers a third-party legitimacy that advertising does not have. Common activities include speaking at conferences, working with the press, and employee communication.

PR can be used to build rapport with employees, customers, investors, voters, or the general public. Almost any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena employs some level of Public Relations. A number of specialties exist within the field of Public Relations, such as Analyst Relations, Media Relations, Investor Relations or Labor Relations.

Practical Joke:

A mischievous trick played on a person, especially one that causes the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort.

Practice:

A customary way of operation or behavior.

Pramatic:

Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.

Prank Call:

A Prank Call or a crank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. A crank call, although also intended to disturb and harass, is usually more hostile than lighthearted, being made by a "crank," some in anger.

Preamble:

A preliminary statement, especially the introduction to a formal document that serves to explain its purpose.

An introductory occurrence or fact; a preliminary.

Precedence:

The fact, state, or right of preceding; priority.

Priority claimed or received because of preeminence or superiority.

A ceremonial order of rank or preference, especially as observed on formal occasions.

Precious Metal:

Any of several metals, including gold and platinum, that have high economic value.

Précis:

Literary & Literary Critical Terms: a concise summary of a book, article, or other text; an abstract.

Predatory Pricing:

The practice of cutting drastically and deliberately the price of a product or service in order to steal a competitor's market share. By implication, predatory pricing involves cutting prices so that the profit margin is zero or negative. Hence it can only be done as a short-term measure.

Pre-Emption:

The right to purchase something before others can. It refers, in particular, to the right of existing shareholders in a company to purchase any new issue of shares in the company before the shares are offered to others.

Preemptive Rights:

Preemptive Rights (U.S.A.), another device intended to protect shareholders, enable shareholders to retain their proportional share ownership. If John owns 10% of the issued and outstanding stock of John Doe, Inc., and if the corporation proposes to issue an additional 100 shares of its stock, John would have the preemptive right to acquire 10 shares of the new issue on the same terms and conditions as the corporation proposed to offer the shares to outsiders. Like cumulative voting, preemptive rights exist in some state unless the articles reject them. In other states, preemptive rights don't exist unless the articles permit them.

Preference:

Special treatment given by one country to another in respect of trade between them.

Preference Share:

A special sort of share whose dividend payment has preference over the dividend payments to the holders of ordinary shares. In the event of a liquidation, owners of preference shares receive payment efore ordinary shareholders.

Preferential Creditor:

A creditor of an organization who gets priority in certain circumstances, such as a liquidation. Preferential creditors include tax authorities, anyone with a charge on the organization's assets, and lowly paid employees whose wages are overdue.

Preferred Supplier:

A supplier who has a special relationship with a customer. This relationship usually means that the customer will, other things being equal, give the supplier a certain amount of (almost guaranteed) business during the course of a year. In return, the supplier is expected to match certain standards of quality and timeliness.

Prefix:

To put or attach before or in front of.

A title placed before a person's name.

Prelude:

An introductory performance, event, or action preceding a more important one; a preliminary or preface.

Music: music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an opera.

Premises:

The land and building where a business is carried on.

Premium:

A regular payment to an insurer for providing cover against a stated risk.

An amount paid over and above some specified value. In the takeover of a public company, for instance, the Premium is the amount paid over and above the price of the company's shares on the stockmarket before the bid appeared.

Prenup:

A Prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to Prenup , prenupt, or perogie is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other. The content of a Prenuptial agreement can vary widely, but commonly includes provisions for division of property and spousal support in the event of divorce or breakup of marriage.

Prepaid Mobile Phone:

A Prepaid Mobile Phone (also commonly referred to as pay-as-you-go or prepaid wireless) is a mobile phone for which service is purchased in advance of use. By purchasing credit to use on a mobile phone network, a user can access a mobile phone network without ongoing billing. Users can then use the mobile phone network until they run out of credit. The alternative billing method (and what is commonly referred to as a mobile phone contract) is the post-paid mobile phone, where a user enters into a long-term billing arrangement with a mobile network operator or carriage service provider (CSP).

Preparatory School:

A usually private secondary school that prepares students for college.

Prepayment:

The settlement of a debt before it becomes due. Some loan contracts impose a penalty fee if a borrower makes a prepayment.

Preppie:

A student or former student of a preparatory school.

A person whose manner and dress are deemed typical of traditional preparatory schools.

Prequel:

A Prequel is a work that portrays events and/or aspects of a previously completed narrative, but is set prior to the existing narrative. The word is a neologism, formed as a portmanteau from pre-, meaning before, and sequel, a work which takes place after a previous one (although the word sequel comes from the Latin verb sequor, there is no verb "prequor"). Its meaning is easily grasped and it has passed into common usage. An alternative term would be protosequel (though it would literally mean first sequel), as adopted in other languages, like the Spanish "protosecuela" (which however is not so frequently used as precuela).

Presentation:

The formal delivery of a business message.

Presenter:

A Presenter, or host (sometimes hostess, in feminine form), is a person or organization responsible for running an event.

President:

One appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of people, such as an assembly or meeting.

The chief executive of a republic.

The chief executive of the United States, serving as both chief of state and chief political executive.

The chief officer of a branch of government, corporation, board of trustees, university, or similar body.

Press:

The collecting and publishing or broadcasting of news; journalism in general.

The entirety of media and agencies that collect, publish, transmit, or broadcast the news.

The people involved in the media, as news reporters, photographers, publishers, and broadcasters.

Commentary or coverage especially in print media.

Press Kit:

A packaged set of promotional materials, such as photographs and background information, for distribution to the press, as at a news conference or before the release of a new product.

Press Release:

An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press.

Prestige:

The level of respect at which one is regarded by others; standing.

A person's high standing among others; honor or esteem.

Widely recognized prominence, distinction, or importance.

Presto:

Music: in a very fast tempo, usually considered to be faster than allegro but slower than prestissimo. Used chiefly as a direction.

So suddenly that magic seems involved.

Prêt-à-Porter:

Ready-to-Wear or Prêt-à-Porter (Off the Rack or "Off-the-Peg" in casual use) is the term for factory made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes.

Ready-to-wear has rather different connotations in the spheres of fashion and classic clothing. In the fashion industry, designers produce ready-to-wear clothing intended to be worn without significant alteration, because it is by far the most economical, efficient, and profitable way to produce garments. They use standard patterns, factory equipment, and faster construction techniques to keep costs low, compared to a custom-sewn version of the same item. Some fashion houses or fashion designers create ready-to-wear lines that are mass-produced and industrially manufactured, while others offer lines that are very exclusive and produced only in limited numbers for a limited time. Whatever the quantity produced, these garments are never one-of-a-kind.

Preview:

An advance showing, as of a movie or art exhibition, to which a selected audience is invited before public presentation begins.

An introductory or preliminary message, sample, or overview; a foretaste.

Priapos:

In Greek mythology, Priapos, Latinized as Priapus, was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. His Roman equivalent was Mutunus Tutunus. He was best noted for his huge, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term Priapism.

Price:

The cost in money term of a product or service.

Price Sensitive:

A product or service whose sales fluctuate dramatically with any change in its price. Commodity products in markets where there is plenty of competition are particularly price sensitive. A retailer cannot change the price of a basic loaf of bread, for example, without sharply affecting sales.

Price Support:

A minimum price set by a government for a product in order to guarantee that its producers will obtain a certain income for their output. It is usually applied to agricultural products.

Price War:

A fierce form of competition in which vendors successively undercut each others' prices to steal market share.

Priest Hole:

A Priest Hole is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Roman Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.

Prima Facie:

At first sight; before closer inspection.

Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious.

Primacy Effect:

Tendency of an employee performance evaluator or an interviewer to rely on early cues for the first impressions.

Primadonna:

The leading woman soloist in an opera company.

A temperamental, conceited person.

Primal:

Being first in time; original; primeval; of first importance; primary.

Primary Colors:

Primary Colors are sets of colors that can be combined to make a useful range of colors. For human applications, three primary colors are usually used.

See also: complementary colors and secondary colors.

Primary Market:

The market in which financial instruments are sold when they are first issued, that is, when they pass from the issuer to their first purchaser. Thereafter they are bought and sold in a secondary market.

Primate:

A mammal of the order Primates, which includes the anthropoids and prosimians, characterized by refined development of the hands and feet, a shortened snout, and a large brain.

A bishop of highest rank in a province or country.

Prime:

The period of greatest prosperity or productivity.

A number that has no factor but itself and 1.

Prime Market:

The market in which financial instruments are sold when they are first issued, that is, when they pass from the issuer to their first purchaser. Thereafter they are bought and sold in a secondary market.

Prime Mover:

The original or most effective force in an undertaking or work.

Prime Number:

A Prime Number (or a Prime) is a natural number that has exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself. The smallest twenty-five Prime Numbers (all the Prime Numbers under 100) are:

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89 and 97.

Prime Time:

The evening hours, generally between 7 and 11 p.m., when the largest television audience is available.

Priming:

The act of making something ready.

Priming refers to a increased sensitivity to certain stimuli due to prior experience.

Primogeniture:

The state of being the first born or eldest child of the same parents.

Law: the right of the eldest child, especially the eldest son, to inherit the entire estate of one or both parents.

Prince Charming:

A man who fulfills all the romantic expectations of a woman.

A man who ardently seeks the company and affection of women.

Prince of Darkness:

Another name for Satan.

Prince of Wales:

Prince of Wales (Welsh: Tywysog Cymru) is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and formerly the Kingdom of Great Britain and before that the Kingdom of England).

Principal:

One who holds a position of presiding rank, especially the head of an elementary school or high school.

The amount borrowed in a loan or issue of securities. The Principal is the capital sum that has ultimately to be repaid, and on which the interest that has to be paid in the meantime is calculated.

A main participant in a situation; a person having a leading or starring role.

Principle:

A basic truth, law, or assumption.

A fixed or predetermined policy or mode of action.

A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes.

Print-on-Demand:

POD: printing what you want, when you want, where you want.

A book publishing process mainly associated with self-publishing, in which a book is printed in small runs (sometimes as small as a single book).

A technology for book production that only prints a unit when there is demand for it. Contrasted with offset printing. Used especially for books that are intended for a niche market. Not to be confused with vanity publishing, despite the efforts of vanity publishers to hide behind the term.

Printed Circuit Board:

A Printed Circuit Board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, or traces, etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. PCBs are rugged, inexpensive, and can be highly reliable.

Priority:

Precedence, especially established by order of importance or urgency.

Priory:

Religious residence in a monastery governed by a prior or a convent governed by a prioress.

Private Company:

A company whose shares are not available to be bought by the general public. A private company is owned by a small number of shareholders who have no obligations (outside the general laws of the land) to reveal information about their business to the public.

Private Label:

Private Label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private Label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting. They are often positioned as lower cost alternatives to regional, national or international brands, although recently some Private Label brands have been positioned as "premium" brands to compete with existing "name" brands.

Privatize:

To change (an industry or business, for example) from governmental or public ownership or control to private enterprise.

Privatization:

The sale of a state-owned company to the general public.

Privilege:

A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste.

The principle of granting and maintaining a special right or immunity.

Any of the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens of a country by its constitution.

Prize:

Something offered or won as an award for superiority or victory, as in a contest or competition.

Something worth striving for; a highly desirable possession.

Pro Bono:

Done without compensation for the public good.

Pro Forma:

Done as a formality; perfunctory.

A presentation of financial or accounting figures based on a theoretical future occurrence. For instance, a Pro Forma set of accounts might be produced to show what would happen to their accounts if two companies were to merge. A Pro Forma invoice indicates the liability that will arise if an order is made or if certain goods are shipped. In practice, Pro Forma invoices are often issued simply because customs and excise require little relation to what the customer is actually going to pay for the goods.

Pro Se:

Latin for "for himself". A party to a lawsuit who represents himself (acting in propria persona), is appearing in the case "Pro Se."

Proactive:

Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory.

Probability:

The quality or condition of being probable; likelihood.

Statistics: a number expressing the likelihood that a specific event will occur, expressed as the ratio of the number of actual occurrences to the number of possible occurrences.

Procedure:

A manner of proceeding; a way of performing or effecting something.

A series of steps taken to accomplish an end.

A set of established forms or methods for conducting the affairs of an organized body such as a business, club, or government.

Computer Science: a set of instructions that performs a specific task; a subroutine or function.

Process:

A number of activities which, taken together, add value to a business. This can be as wide as something like marketing (the marketing Process) or as narrow as a small part of manufacturing (the paint-handling Process).

Proclamation:

A formal public statement.

Procura:

Power of attorney; proxy.

Procurement:

The purchasing of all the inputs that are required to keep a business running, including raw materials, spare parts and machines.

Prodigy:

A person with exceptional talents or powers.

Produce:

To create by physical or mental effort; to manufacture.

Producer:

One that produces, especially a person or organization that produces goods or services for sale.

One who supervises and controls the finances, creation, and public presentation of a play, film, program, or similar work.

Product:

The final output of a manufacturing process.

Product Liability:

The liability of a manufacturer for any product which it puts on to the market and that subsequently causes damage to a consumer. In developed countries this liability is becoming embedded in law and not dependent on the consumer proving that the manufacturer was negligent.

Product Placement:

Product Placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The Product Placement is often not disclosed at the time that the good or service is featured.

Possibly the first film to feature product placement was Wings (released in 1927), the first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It contained a plug for Hershey's chocolate.

See also: merchandising.

Production Music:

Production Music is the name given to the music owned by production music libraries and licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media.

Unlike popular and classical music publishers, who typically own less than 50 percent of the copyright in a composition, music production libraries own all of the copyrights of their music, meaning that it can be licensed without seeking the composer's permission, as is necessary in licensing music from normal publishers. This is because virtually all music created for music libraries is done on a work for hire basis. Production music is therefore a convenient medium for media producers—they can be assured that they will be able to license any piece of music in the library at a reasonable rate.

Productivity:

An economist's term for the output produced in a given time by a unit of any of the three factors of production (land, labour or capital). For example, the return produced by an investment of $1,000 in a year, or the yield in a year from planting wheat on a hectare of land. Its numerical precision makes productivity a useful way of measuring differences in efficiency over time, or the difference between alternative uses of the factors of production.

Profanity:

Vulgar or irreverent speech or action.

Profession:

The body of people in a learned occupation; an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences).

Professional:

Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession.

Conforming to the standards of a profession.

Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career.

Performed by persons receiving pay.

Having or showing great skill; expert.

See also: amateur.

Professor:

A college or university teacher who ranks above an associate professor.

Profile:

A side view of an object or structure, especially of the human head.

Degree of exposure to public notice; visibility.

A biographical essay presenting the subject's most noteworthy characteristics and achievements.

A formal summary or analysis of data, often in the form of a graph or table, representing distinctive features or characteristics.

Profiler:

A person or device that creates a profile, esp someone with psychological training who assists police investigations by identifying the likely characteristics of the perpetrator of a particular crime.

Profiling:

Recording a person's behavior and analyzing psychological characteristics in order to predict or assess their ability in a certain sphere or to identify a particular group of people.

In software engineering, program Profiling, software Profiling or simply Profiling, is the investigation of a program's behavior using information gathered as the program executes.

The forensic science of constructing an outline of a person's individual characteristics.

Profit:

What is left over in a business after all its bills have been paid.

The difference between the revenue of the business (from selling its output) and the cost of the inputs that were required to produce the output.

Profit and Loss Account:

The accountant's record of a business's revenue and expenditure during a period. Designed to show the profit (or loss) that the business made in that period, it is known in the United States as the income statement.

Profit Centre:

A business unit that prepares its own profit and loss account, recording the theoretical prices at which it buys inputs from other parts of the business, and the theoretical prices at which it sells its output to other parts of the business.

Profit Sharing:

A way of allowing employees to share in the profit of the organization for which they work. Devising profit-sharing schemes in such a way that everyone feels they are fair has proved to be extremely difficult.

Profitability:

The ability of a particular business, product or process to make a profit. There is no single satisfactory measure of a company's Profitability. Proxies include the gross profit margin, the earnings per share and the return on total assets.

Profiteer:

One who makes excessive profits on goods in short supply.

Professional Corporation (U.S.):

Professional Corporations are formed under the professional corporation laws of the state and are limited to professionals, such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers, and accountants. Professional corporation statutes designate which professionals may incorporate under these statutes. Professional corporation shareholders remain personally liable to their clients for professional malpractice.

Progeny:

Offspring or descendants considered as a group.

A result or outcome.

Prognosis:

A prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disease.

A forecast or prediction.

Program:

An ordered list of events to take place or procedures to be followed; a schedule.

A listing of the order of events and other pertinent information for a public presentation.

Program (computing):

A set of instructions which enable a computer to carry out particular actions. A word-processing Program, for example, enables its user to type letters and data.

Progress:

Gradual improvement or growth or development.

Project:

A plan or proposal; a scheme.

An undertaking requiring concerted effort.

An extensive task undertaken by a student or group of students to apply, illustrate, or supplement classroom lessons.

Project Finance:

A way of financing big capital projects, such as hydroelectric schemes or toll roads, that depends primarily on the future cash flow of the project for its return.

Prolific:

Producing abundant works or results.

Prologue:

An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play.

An introduction or introductory chapter, as to a novel.

An introductory act, event, or period.

Prom:

A formal dance held for a high-school or college class typically at or near the end of the academic year.

Promenade:

A public place for such walking.

A leisurely walk, especially one taken in a public place as a social activity.

Prominent:

Having a quality that thrusts itself into attention.

Promissory Note:

A legally binding promise by one party to another that a certain payment will be made on a prescribed date in the future. Often referred to simply as a note.

Promoter:

A Promoter, in a corporation context, is one who generates interest and activity in and on behalf of a corporation before its formation. A Promoter is usually personally liable for all preincorporation activities.

Promotion:

The elevation of an employee to a more senior position.

The concentration of exceptional marketing effort on a particular product or service.

Pronto:

Without delay; quickly.

Prop:

An object placed beneath or against a structure to keep it from falling or shaking; a support.

One that serves as a means of support or assistance.

Propaganda:

The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

Property:

Something owned; a possession.

A piece of real estate.

Something tangible or intangible to which its owner has legal title.

The right of ownership; title.

Prophecy:

An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will.

A prediction of the future, made under divine inspiration.

Prophet:

A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed.

A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression; a predictor; a soothsayer.

Propose:

To put forward for consideration, discussion, or adoption; suggest.

To recommend (a person) for a position, office, or membership; nominate.

To offer (a toast to be drunk).

To make known as one's intention; purpose or intend.

Proposition:

A plan suggested for acceptance; a proposal; a subject for discussion or analysis.

A matter to be dealt with; a task.

An offer of a private bargain, especially a request for sexual relations.

Logic: a statement that affirms or denies something; the meaning expressed in such a statement, as opposed to the way it is expressed.

Mathematics: a theorem.

Proprietary:

A right that endures for some time for a special reason; for example, a right to manufacture a new invention which is protected for a while by a patent. Proprietary medicines are pharmaceuticals which are manufactured by only one company and protected from competition by patent.

Prose:

Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure; commonplace expression or quality.

Prosecco:

A dry Italian sparkling wine.

Proselyte:

A person newly converted to a religious faith or sect; a convert, especially a gentile converted to Judaism.

Prosit:

Used as a toast to someone's health while drinking.

Prospectus:

A document outlining a company's plans for issuing new securities, including what it intends to do with the money that it raises from the issue. In many countries the contents of Prospectuses are laid down by law and are designed to protect investors from misleading information.

Prosperity:

The condition of prospering; success or wealth.

Protagonist:

The main character in a drama or other literary work.

Protectionism:

The erecting of trade barriers to shelter a domestic market from overseas competition.

Protector:

An individual appointed by the settlor of a trust to ensure that the trustee(s) administers and manages the trust assets in accordance with the trust deed and he is often vested with the power to appoint and remove trustees.

Protégé:

A person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the Protégé's career.

See also: mentoring.

Protein:

Any of a group of complex organic macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur and are composed of one or more chains of amino acids. Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and include many substances, such as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, that are necessary for the proper functioning of an organism. They are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, and legumes.

Protocol:

The forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state.

A code of correct conduct.

The first copy of a treaty or other such document before its ratification.

Computing: in computing, a Protocol is a set of rules which is used by computers to communicate with each other across a network. A protocol is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between computing endpoints.

Prototype:

A Prototype is an original type, form, or instance of something serving as a typical example, basis, or standard for other things of the same category.

Provenance:

Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", means the origin, or the source, of something, or the history of the ownership or location of an object. The term was originally mostly used of works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing. Typical uses may cover any artifact found in archaeology or object in paleontology, or some document, such as a manuscript, or a copy of a printed book. In most fields the primary purpose of provenance is to confirm or gather evidence as to the time, place, and if appropriate the person responsible, for the creation, production or discovery of the object, but this will typically be accomplished by tracing the whole history of the object up to the present. Comparative techniques, expert opinions, and the results of various kinds of scientific tests may also be used to these ends, but establishing provenance is essentially a matter of documentation.

Proverb:

A short pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a basic truth or practical precept.

See also: adage.

Provision:

Money put aside by a business out of current Moneyprofit to meet future liabilities. Specific Provisions are set aside against liabilities that can be forecast with a degree of certainty. General Provisions are set aside against unexpected liabilities.

A preparatory action or measure.

A stock of necessary supplies, especially food.

Proxy:

A person authorized to act for another; an agent or substitute.

A Proxy is a written authorization to vote on behalf of another. Shareholders often vote by Proxy, permitting others to vote their shares. Except for close corporations (U.S.), directors may never vote by Proxy. Proxies are usually revocable, but they can be made irrevocable under certain circumstances.

Proxy Fight:

A struggle between two sets of opposing shareholders to collect the proxies of other shareholders in order to pass a resolution at a company meeting, for example, a resolution that their candidate be elected to the board.

Prügelknabe:

German for: whipping boy.

PS:

Short for: Post Script(um); a note appended to a letter after the signature.

Pseudo:

False or counterfeit; fake; a person who makes deceitful pretenses.

Pseudonym:

A fictitious name, especially a pen name.

Psych-Out:

The act or an instance of undermining someone's confidence by psychological means.

Psyche:

The spirit or soul.

Greek Mythology: a young woman who loved and was loved by Eros and was united with him after Aphrodite's jealousy was overcome. She subsequently became the personification of the soul.

Psychiatry: the mind functioning as the center of thought, emotion, and behavior and consciously or unconsciously adjusting or mediating the body's responses to the social and physical environment.

Psychic:

Capable of extraordinary mental processes, such as extrasensory perception and mental telepathy.

Psychoanalysis:

A method of studying the mind and treating mental and emotional disorders based on revealing and investigating the role of the unconscious mind developed by Sigmund Freud.

Psychology:

The science that deals with mental processes and behavior.

The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group, or activity.

Philosophy: the branch of metaphysics that studies the soul, the mind, and the relationship of life and mind to the functions of the body.

Psychometric Testing:

The use of tests which claim to measure characteristics of an individual's personality in order to ascertain whether that individual is suitable for a particular job. It includes the use of graphology.

Psychopath:

A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.

Psychotherapist:

An individual, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or psychiatric social worker, who practices psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy:

The treatment of mental and emotional disorders through the use of psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems, with the goal being relief of symptoms, changes in behavior leading to improved social and vocational functioning, and personality growth.

PT - The Perpetual Traveler:

A PT by definition, is a non-conformist in a highly regulated, highly taxed, first world society. In a nutshell, a PT merely arranges his or her paperwork in such a way that all governments consider him a tourist. A person who is just "Passing Through". The advantage is that being thought of by government officials as a person who is merely "Parked Temporarily", a PT is not subjected to taxes, military service, lawsuits, or persecution for partaking in innocent but forbidden pursuits or pleasures. Unlike most citizens or subjects, the PT will not be persecuted for his beliefs or lack of them. PT stands for many things: a PT can be a "Prior Taxpayer", "Permanent Tourist", "Party Thrower", "Priority Thinker", "Practically Transparent", "Privacy Trained", or "Perpetual Traveler" if he or she wants to be.

The individual who is a PT can stay in one place most of the time. Or all of the time. PT is a concept, a way of life, a way of perceiving the universe and your place in it. One can be a full-time PT or a part-time PT. Some may not want to break out all at once, or become a PT at all. They just want to be aware of the possibilities, and be prepared to modify their lifestyle in the event of a crisis. Knowledge will make you sort of a PT. A "Possibility Thinker" who is "Prepared Thoroughly" for the future.

Also visit: The Five Flags Theory.

PTSD:

Short for: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Pub:

Pub is a public house or bar (establishment).

Pub Crawling:

To visit a series of bars.

Public:

The community or the people as a whole.

A group of people sharing a common interest.

Admirers or followers, especially of a famous person.

Public Company:

A company whose shares can be bought and sold by the public (usually on a recognized stock exchange). The opposite of a private company. Also known as a publicly held company, but not to be confused with a publicly owned company, which is a company that is owned by a government. To confuse matters further, when a publicly owned company is privatised it becomes a public company.

Public Defender:

The term Public Defender is an attorney or a staff of attorneys, usually publicly appointed, having responsibility for the defense of those unable to afford or obtain legal assistance.

Public Domain:

Property rights that are held by the public at large.

Openly available to everyone and not subject to copyright protection. Public Domain often refers to software, but it can also refer more generally to any work of intellectual property.

Public House:

See: pub.

Public Offer:

A new issue of securities that is offered to the general public.

Public Office:

A position concerning the people as a whole.

Public Relations:

The job of communicating an organization's point of view to a number of different audiences; for example, the press, customers and the government. The more specific job of communicating with investorsinvestors is called investor relations.

Public Servant:

A person who holds a government position by election or appointment.

Public Service:

Employment within a governmental system, especially within the civil service.

A service performed for the benefit of the public, especially by a non-profit organization.

The business of supplying an essential commodity, such as water or electricity, or a service, such as communications or transportation, to the public.

Publicity:

In general, the attention of the public. Something that companies seek to gain for their new products or for their good behavior (vis-à-vis the environment, for example). In French, publicité means advertising.

PUK Code:

Short for: Pin Unlock Key / Personal Unblockig Code. A PIN Unlock Code (PUC) or PIN Unlock Key (PUK) is used in GSM mobile phones and some smart cards to unblock a blocked card.

See also: PIN code.

Pull Rank:

To use one's superior rank to gain an advantage.

Pull Strings:

Influence or control shrewdly or deviously; have and exert influence or effect.

Pump Priming:

A one-off course of action designed to act as a catalyst for a broader economic consequence. Once a pump has been primed it should run by itself thereafter.

Pun:

A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

Punch Line:

The climactic phrase or statement of a joke, producing a sudden humorous effect.

Punitive Damages:

Punitive Damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. Although the purpose of punitive damages is not to compensate the plaintiff, the plaintiff will in fact receive all or some portion of the Punitive Damage award.

Punk:

A young person, especially a member of a rebellious counter-culture group.

An inexperienced young man.

Music: Punk rock; a Punk rocker.

Punter:

Slang: a prostitute's client; a victim of a con man.

Puppet:

A figure having jointed parts animated from above by strings or wires; a marionette; a toy representing a human figure; a doll.

One whose behavior is determined by the will of others; a person, group, state, etc., that appears independent but is in fact controlled by another.

Purchase Order:

A detailed written request to a supplier for the delivery of goods or services at a specific price. Once the supplier accepts the terms, the order becomes a legally binding document.

Purchasing Power:

The capacity of consumers to purchase goods and services, itself a function of the taxes that they pay, their propensity to save, and their morale.

Purchasing Power Parity:

The exchange rate between two currencies based on a comparison of how much it takes in each currency to buy an identical basket of consumer goods. Commonly abbreviated to PPP.

Puritanical:

Rigorous in religious observance; marked by stern morality.

Purse:

A woman's bag for carrying keys, a wallet, and other personal items; a handbag.

Available wealth or resources; money.

A sum of money collected as a present or offered as a prize.

Put Option:

An option to sell a fixed number of securities at a specified price within a specified period of time.

Put out to Grass / Put out to Pasture:

Informal: to make someone stop work permanently because they are too old; cause to retire.

Putative:

Purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds.

Putsch:

A sudden attempt by a group to overthrow a government.

Puttin' on the Ritz:

"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz (1930). The title derives from the slang expression "Putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably.

Puzzle:

Something, such as a game, toy, or problem, that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling.

PVC:

PolyVinyl Chloride, (IUPAC Poly(chloroethanediyl)) commonly abbreviated PVC, is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer after polyethylene and polypropylene. In terms of revenue generated, it is one of the most valuable products of the chemical industry. Around the world, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction. As a building material, PVC is cheap, durable, and easy to assemble. The PVC world market grew with an average rate of approximately 5% in the last years and will probably reach a volume of 40 million tons by the year 2016.

PVR:

See: DVR.

Pygmalion:

Greek Mythology: a king of Cyprus who carved and then fell in love with a statue of a woman, which Aphrodite brought to life as Galatea.

Pygmalion is a legendary figure of Cyprus. Though Pygmalion is the Greek version of the Phoenician royal name Pumayyaton, he is most familiar from Ovid's Metamorphoses, X, in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.

Pygmalion Effect:

The Pygmalion Effect, or Rosenthal effect, refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, often children or students and employees, the better they perform.

Pyramid Selling:

A method of selling products through layers and layers of agents who are structured like a pyramid. The top layer of agents sells to the next layer and so on. The last layer gets to sell to the general public. In practice, the last layer more frequently gets left with a load of unsellable stuff.

Pyrrhic Victory:

A Pyrrhic Victory is a victory that is offset by staggering losses.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- Q -

Q & A:

Short for: Questions and Answers (Q&A website).

Q.C.:

Short for: Queen's Counsel. Q.C., known as King's Counsel (postnominal KC) during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of "Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law".

As members wear silk gowns of a particular design (see court dress), the award of Queen's or King's Counsel is known informally as "taking silk". In order to qualify, a lawyer usually has to serve as a barrister or solicitor (or, in Scotland, as an advocate) for at least ten years.

Quack:

An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment.

A charlatan; a mountebank.

Quai d'Orsay:

A street paralleling the southern bank of the Seine River in Paris, France, notable for its governmental ministries. The name is used figuratively to refer to the French foreign office.

Qualified Accounts:

A set of accounts to which auditors have added a qualification saying that for one reason or another they are unable to verify all the figures. The reason may be that the company is involved in a long-running and still unresolved lawsuit, or that it is unable to verify the existence of inventory in a faraway place.

Qualitative Research:

Market research designed to gain unquantifiable insights into consumer's attitudes and perceptions. It relies heavily on group discussions and in-depth interviews.

Quality:

An inherent or distinguishing characteristic.

Essential character; nature.

Superiority of kind; degree or grade of excellence.

Quality Management:

A system developed in Japan after the second world war in which companies aim to improve the quality of everything they do, marginally but continuously. Well expressed in a saying from the Middle East: "Drop by drop we make a lake."

Quality Circle:

A group of employees who get together to consider the quality of their work and how they can improve it. Quality circles rely heavily on charting measurable elements of performance and then rewarding any improvement in those elements.

Quality Control:

The systematic checking of samples of mass-produced goods at various stages in the production process, but particularly just before the goods are dispatched to the shops. Sometimes abbreviated to QC.

Quant:

Slang: an expert in the use of mathematics and related subjects, particularly in investment management and stock trading.

Quantitative Research:

Market research that attempts to obtain quantitative findings about a sample of consumers, usually expressed as a percentage: for example, 75% of the sample said that they ate Gozo for breakfast.

Quantum Leap:

An abrupt change or step, especially in method, information, or knowledge.

Quarantine:

A period of time during which a vehicle, person, or material suspected of carrying a contagious disease is detained at a port of entry under enforced isolation to prevent disease from entering a country.

A condition of enforced isolation.

Quarter Day:

The traditional days on which quarterly payments (of rent, and so on) are paid. These vary from country to country.

Quarter Ratio:

The ratio of a company's current assets (cash, bank accounts, accounts payable) to its current liabilities. The quick ratio gives a rough idea of how well a company could cope with a liquidity crisis.

Quatrain:

A stanza or poem of four lines.

Queen's Counsel:

See: Q.C..

Quest:

The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.

Questionnaire:

A form containing a set of questions, especially one addressed to a statistically significant number of subjects as a way of gathering information for a survey.

Quiche:

French cuisine: a Quiche is a baked dish that is based on a custard made from eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust.

Quickie:

Something made or done rapidly.

A hasty act of sexual intercourse.

Quicksand:

A bed of loose sand mixed with water forming a soft shifting mass that yields easily to pressure and tends to engulf any object resting on its surface.

A place or situation into which entry can be swift and sudden but from which extrication can be difficult or impossible.

Quid:

Chiefly British: a pound sterling.

Quid Pro Quo:

Quid Pro Quo (from the Latin meaning "Something for Something") indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favor for a favor" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "what for what," "give and take," "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours".

Quintessential:

Most typically representative of a quality, state, etc.; perfect.

Quip:

A clever, witty remark often prompted by the occasion.

A clever, often sarcastic remark; a gibe.

Something curious or odd.

Quisling:

A traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country. The term was coined by the British newspaper The Times in its leader of 15 April 1940, entitled "Quislings everywhere."

Quiz:

An examination consisting of a few short questions; examine someone's knowledge of something.

Quorum:

A Quorum is usually at least half of the directors or the holders of at least half of a corporation's issued and outstanding stock. Before directors or shareholders can authorize any action, a Quorum must be present. The bylaws prescribe Quorum requirements.

Quota:

A predetermined amount, particularly of goods that are allowed to cross trade barriers. For example, a country may set a Quota for the number of foreign cars that it is prepared to allow across its borders in any one year.

Quote:

To repeat or copy the words of (another), usually with acknowledgment of the source.

To cite or refer to for illustration or proof.

To state (a price) for securities, goods, or services.

To give a quotation, as from a book.

Quotation:

An explicit reference or allusion in an artistic work to a passage or element from another, usually well-known work.

A price that a supplier "quotes" for the (future) delivery of goods or services.

What a company gets when it becomes quoted on a stock exchange - the price at which buyers and sellers are prepared to deal in its shares.

Quoted Company:

A company whose share price is quoted on a recognized stock exchange.

QWERTY:

QWERTY is the most used modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six characters seen in the far left of the keyboard's top row of letters. The QWERTY design was patented by Christopher Sholes in 1874 and sold to Remington in the same year, when it first appeared in typewriters.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- R -

'R' in the Month:

In the northern hemisphere, the old rule that native oysters should only be eaten when there's an 'R' in the Month still holds true; so eat oysters from September to April.

Why do we only eat oyster in the months that have R's in them? The answer to this also has something to do with an oyster's sex life. During the month without R's, the adult oyster has little interest in sex and, in fact, even less wo work with. During cold weather the oyster's body weight is made up of the glycogen and salts that make it fat and tasty. But in the late spring, the oyster's fancy lightly tunrns to reproduction and it assumes a sex for the season, or at least part of it. It may be either sex, primarily. Having made a choice of which sex it will be, the oyster converts 80 percent of its body weight to sex organs, which are thin and watery and taste like nothing at all. It isn't that oysters are inedible during the summer; just that they aren't as meaty and succulent.

R & D:

Short for: Research and Development. The work that a company does (and the department that does it) to come up with new products and with new ways of developing existing products.

R & R:

Short for: (US Military) Rest and Recreation.

Rabbit Punch:

A chopping blow to the back of the neck.

Rabbit's Foot:

The Foot of a Rabbit, especially the left hind foot carried as a good-luck charm.

Rabid:

Extremely zealous or enthusiastic; fanatical.

Racial Discrimination:

Discrimination between people on the basis of their race. In most countries racial discrimination in the workplace is illegal.

Race:

People who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock.

Any competition; a contest of speed.

Racist:

A person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others.

Discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion.

Racket:

A dishonest business or practice, especially one that obtains money through fraud or extortion.

An easy, profitable means of livelihood.

A business or occupation.

Racol:

Short for: Registered & Authorised Company Logo. Racol is a circled R: ® the registered trademark symbol.

Raconteur:

One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit.

Racquet:

A Racquet is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Collectively, these games are known as Racquet sports.

Rad:

The Rad is a unit of absorbed radiation dose. It has been replaced as a standard scientific unit by the gray.

Radar:

A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of very high frequency radio waves reflected from their surfaces.

Radiation:

Physics: a stream of particles or electromagnetic waves emitted by the atoms and molecules of a radioactive substance as a result of nuclear decay.

Emission and propagation and emission of energy in the form of rays or waves; energy Radiated or transmitted as rays, waves, in the form of particles.

Radical:

Arising from or going to a root or source; basic.

Departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme.

Slang: excellent; wonderful.

Radiocarbon Dating:

Radiocarbon Dating, or Carbon Dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" (BP), "Present" being defined as AD 1950. Such raw ages can be calibrated to give calendar dates.

One of the most frequent uses of Radiocarbon Dating is to estimate the age of organic remains from archaeological sites. When plants fix atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic material during photosynthesis they incorporate a quantity of 14C that approximately matches the level of this isotope in the atmosphere (a small difference occurs because of isotope fractionation, but this is corrected after laboratory analysis). After plants die or they are consumed by other organisms (for example, by humans or other animals) the 14C fraction of this organic material declines at a fixed exponential rate due to the radioactive decay of 14C. Comparing the remaining 14C fraction of a sample to that expected from atmospheric 14C allows the age of the sample to be estimated.

The technique of radiocarbon dating was developed by Willard Libby and his colleagues at the University of Chicago in 1949. Libby estimated that the steady state radioactivity concentration of exchangeable carbon-14 would be about 14 disintegrations per minute (dpm) per gram. In 1960, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this work. He first demonstrated the accuracy of radiocarbon dating by accurately measuring the age of wood from an ancient Egyptian royal barge whose age was known from historical documents.

Rag:

A scrap of cloth.

A newspaper, especially one specializing in sensationalism or gossip.

See also: tabloid.

Ragnarok:

Norse Myth: the so-called "Twilight of the Gods" (called in German Götterdämmerung), the final destruction of the world in the great conflict between the Æsir (gods) on the one hand, and on the other, the giants and the powers of Hel under the leadership of Loki (who is escaped from bondage).

Raid:

A surprise attack by a small armed force; a sudden forcible entry into a place by police.

An attempt to seize control of a company, as by acquiring a majority of its stock; an attempt by speculators to drive stock prices down by coordinated selling.

Rain Check:

A promise that an unaccepted offer will be renewed in the future.

Rainbow:

A Rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. They take the form of a multicoloured arc, with red on the outer part of the arch and violet on the inner section of the arch.

A Rainbow spans a continuous spectrum of colours; the discrete bands are an artefact of human colour vision. The most commonly cited and remembered sequence, in English, is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (popularly memorized by mnemonics like Roy G. Biv). Rainbows can be caused by other forms of water than rain, including mist, spray, and dew.

Rainy Day:

A time of need or trouble.

A (future) time of financial need.

Raison d'être:

Reason or justification for existing.

Rally:

A competition in which automobiles are driven over public roads and under normal traffic regulations but with specified rules as to speed, time, and route.

A resurgence of prices (particular of share prices) after a period in which they have been depressed.

A gathering, especially one intended to inspire enthusiasm for a cause.

To reassemble and restore to order.

An abrupt recovery from a setback or disadvantage.

RAM Disk:

RAM Disk (not to be confused with a RAM drive or Solid-state drive) is a block of RAM (primary storage or volatile memory) that a computer's software is treating as if the memory were a disk drive (secondary storage). It is sometimes referred to as a virtual RAM drive or software RAM drive to distinguish its use of "primary storage" from a "hardware RAM drive" that uses separate hardware containing RAM, such as a solid-state drive.

Because the speed of RAM is so much faster for most kinds of storage, files on a RAM Disk can be accessed much more quickly. Also, because the storage is actually in RAM, it is volatile memory, which means it will be lost when the computer powers off. This is sometimes desirable: for example, when working with a decrypted copy of an encrypted file. In many cases, the data stored on the RAM disk is created, for faster access, from data permanently stored elsewhere, and is re-created on the RAM disk when the system reboots.

Ramadan:

Ramadan (also written Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan, Ramdan, Ramadaan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving forward about ten days each year as it is a moving festival depending on the moon. Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Ranch:

An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised.

Random:

Without a governing design, method, or purpose; unsystematically.

Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective.

Of or relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.

Random Sample:

A sample of a population chosen so that (in mathematical theory, at least) every member of that population has an equal chance of being chosen. It is important that samples are random when companies are test-marketing new products or doing quantitative research.

Rank:

A relative position in a society; an official position or grade; high or eminent station or position.

Games: any of the rows of squares running crosswise to the files on a playing board in chess or checkers.

Rank and File:

Military: the ordinary soldiers of an army, excluding the officers.

The great mass or majority of any group or organization, as opposed to the leadership.

Ransom:

Money demanded for the return of a captured person.

Rap:

A form of popular music developed especially in African-American urban communities and characterized by spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics with a strong rhythmic accompaniment.

Rap Sheet:

A police arrest record.

Rapport:

a relationship of mutual understanding or trust and agreement between people.

Rapprochement:

A reestablishing of cordial relations, as between two countries.

Rapture:

The state of being transported by a lofty emotion; ecstasy.

The final assumption of Christians into heaven during the End Time according to Christian theology referred to in the Biblical passage 1 Thess 4:17, when in the End Times the Christians of the world will be gathered together in the air to meet Jesus Christ. The primary passage used to support the idea of the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:15–7, in which Paul cites "the word of the Lord" about the return of Christ to gather his saints.

Rare Earth:

Any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71).

Rat Race:

Informal: a difficult, tiring, often competitive activity or routine.

Rate of Interest:

The price paid for the use of money over time. This takes into account the rate of inflation in an economy, the demand for money in the economy, and the degree of risk to the lender.

Rate of Return:

The rate at which factors of production (land, labor or capital) produce a return. In analyzing a company's performance (and comparing it with others) various Rates of Return on total assets, the rate of return on equity and the Rate of Return on capital employed.

Rating:

The classifying of the characteristics of something according to a scale. It might be a film's suitability for children, a company's respect for the environment, or the chances of a debt being repaid.

Ratio:

Relation in degree or number between two similar things.

Rationing:

The allocation of scarce goods or services by a method other than price. Rationing can be done on a first-come, first-served basis, as when people queue for tickets to an immensely popular concert. Or, as in wartime, it can be done with coupons entitling the holder to a certain amount of goods, and no more. One of the most problematic areas of Rationing today is in the provision of health services. How do you decided who is to have their hip replaced next?

Rave:

Rave or Rave Party is a term first used in the 1980s and 90s to describe dance parties (often all-night events) with fast-paced electronic music and light shows.

Ravelin:

Military / Fortifications: an outwork having two embankments at a salient angle.

Raw Materials:

The most basic inputs of a manufacturing process. In many cases these are materials taken from the ground, through mining or agriculture. For steel making for example, the raw material include iron; for car making the raw materials include steel.

RDF:

See: reality distortion field.

RDS:

Short for: Radio Data System. RDS is a communications protocol standard from the European Broadcasting Union for sending small amounts of digital information using conventional FM radio broadcasts.

Ready-Made Company:

See Shelf Company.

Real:

Corrected for inflation. The Real price is rarely the same as the nominal price.

Real Estate:

Withholding and other taxes are frequently imposed on rental income deriving from the holding of Real Estate in a foreign country; similarly, capital gains taxes may be imposed on the profits flowing from the sale of property. However, in exceptional cases, the provisions of a tax treaty may be of considerable value in minimizing the total tax burden, e.g. the treaty between the Netherlands Antilles and the United States.

Ownership of Real Estate by individuals may also result in liability to death duties and similar taxes in the country in which the Real Estate is situated, irrespective of the residence or domicile of the individual owner. For this reason it is common to hold foreign Real Estate through a tax haven or other company.

Real Time:

Occurring in the present, with special reference to computer systems that take little or no time to perform computations; that is, they carry out instructions almost instantaneously. Really useful in fighter planes.

Reality:

In philosophy, Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, Reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. A still more broad definition includes everything that has existed, exists, or will exist, not just in the mind, or even more broadly also including what is only in the mind.

Reality Distortion Field:

Reality distortion field (RDF) is a term coined by Bud Tribble at Apple Computer in 1981 that Steve Jobs is able to convince himself and others to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bluster, exaggeration, marketing and persistence. Bud Tribble claimed that the term came from Star Trek.

Reality Television:

Reality Television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Although the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the term reality television is most commonly used to describe programs of this genre produced since 2000. Documentaries and nonfictional programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows.

Reality Television covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (such as Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother.

Such shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen sometimes manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.

Reason:

The basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction; a declaration made to explain or justify action, decision, or conviction.

An underlying fact or cause that provides logical sense for a premise or occurrence.

The capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought; intelligence; good judgment; sound sense.

Logic: a premise, usually the minor premise, of an argument.

Reasonable Doubt:

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is the standard of proof required in most criminal cases within an adversarial system. Generally the prosecution bears the burden of proof and is required to prove their version of events to this standard.

Rebel:

To refuse allegiance to and oppose by force an established government or ruling authority.

To resist or defy an authority or a generally accepted convention.

To feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance.

Rebus:

A representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols, often presented as a puzzle.

Recall:

A call by a manufacturer for all the products purchased at a particular time to be returned (and a refund to be paid). Most frequently used when a product is discovered to be faulty.

Recapitalization:

A major reorganization of the structure of a company's capital, involving, for example, the exchange of shares for loans (or vice versa).

Receipt:

A written acknowledgement of payment received for goods or services.

Receivable:

Money that has not yet been received by a business for bills that it has delivered to its customers.

Receiver:

Somebody appointed by a court to "receive" a shaky company's assets on behalf of the company's creditors. Receivers either attempt to help the company to trade itself back into good health, or they liquidate it.

Reception:

The manner in which something is greeted.

A formal party of people; as after a wedding.

Recession:

An economy is technically said to be in recession when its GDP has fallen for at least two three-month periods in succession. More generally, a Recession is a prolonged period of exceptionally slow economic growth.

Recessionista:

A person who is able to stick to a tight budget while still managing to dress stylishly.

Recipe:

A set of directions with a list of ingredients for making or preparing something, especially food.

A formula for or means to a desired end.

A medical prescription.

Reciprocity:

The granting of favors to A by B in return for the same favors being granted to B by A. A common principle underlying countries' negotiations over trade and tax issues.

Recommend:

To praise or commend (one) to another as being worthy or desirable; endorse.

To commit to the charge of another; entrust.

To advise or counsel.

Recommended Retail Price:

A price which manufacturers recommend that recommendretailers should charge consumers for their products. When Recommended Retail Prices become compulsory they can constitute a restrictive practice. As such, they are illegal in many countries.

Reconciliation:

The reestablishing of cordial relations.

Record:

An account, as of information or facts, set down especially in writing as a means of preserving knowledge.

Information or data on a particular subject collected and preserved.

The known history of performance, activities, or achievement.

An unsurpassed measurement.

Computer Science: a collection of related, often adjacent items of data, treated as a unit.

Law: an account officially written and preserved as evidence or testimony.

A disk designed to be played on a phonograph; something, such as magnetic tape, on which sound or visual images have been recorded.

Recovery Position:

The Recovery Position, more technically the lateral recumbent position, is an airway management technique for assisting people who are unconscious, or nearly so, but are still breathing. It is frequently taught alongside CPR in first aid.

Also visit: recovery position - Wikipedia.

Recreation:

Refreshment of one's mind or body after work through activity that amuses or stimulates; play.

Recreational Drug:

A narcotic drug that is used only occasionally and is claimed to be nonaddictive.

Recruitment:

The process of identifying and choosing new employees. Specialist Recruitment agencies are often called upon to assist in the process.

Recycle:

To reuse industrial and commercial waste as the raw material for a new industrial process; for example, to use waste paper in manufacturing pulp.

The process whereby banks take in surplus savings in one part of the world and invest them in other places where there is a shortage.

Red Carpet:

A strip of Red Carpeting laid down for dignitaries to walk on.

Red Clause:

A clause typed in red on a letter of credit to indicate that an exporter can receive all the amount due on the letter of credit in advance of shipping the goods. Red clause originated in the Australian wool trade.

Red Herring:

A smoked herring having a reddish color.

Something that draws attention away from the central issue.

Red Ink:

A loss. Red Ink used to be used by accountants to indicate that a figure was negative.

Red-Light District:

A district with many brothels.

Red Tape:

The collection or sequence of forms and procedures required to gain bureaucratic approval for something, especially when oppressively complex and time-consuming.

Redemption:

Relating to the time when a financial asset matures, as in Redemption date or Redemption yield.

Redshirting:

The practice of postponing an age-eligible child's kindergarten entry by a year, typically one whose birthday is very close to the cut-off date. Academic Redshirting is often done in order to provide some extra time for social, intellectual or physical maturation.

To keep (a college or school athlete) out of varsity competition for one year in order to extend the athlete's period of eligibility.

Redundancy:

The loss of a job through no fault of the employer. The job is redundant, (that is, no longer needed) not the employee. Employees who are made redundant are often legally entitled to extra payment as compensation for losing their jobs.

Re-Engineering:

A radical redesign of a manufacturing process.

Reference:

Significance in a specified context; meaning or denotation.

A written statement testifying to the character of someone known to the writer. References are often requested by potential employers from job candidates.

Referendum:

Government, Politics & Diplomacy: the submission of a proposed public measure or actual statute to a direct popular vote.

Government, Politics & Diplomacy: a note from a diplomat to the diplomat's government requesting instructions.

Refinance:

To refund an existing debt; borrowing elsewhere to meet a current financial obligation.

Reform:

A change for the better as a result of correcting abuses.

Refrain:

The part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers.

Refreshment:

Something, such as food or drink, that refreshes.

Refreshments: a snack or light meal and drinks.

Refund:

To repay to a consumer the price of goods that has been purchased upon the return of the goods and/or the presentation of evidence that they were faulty.

Regalia:

The emblems and symbols of royalty, such as the crown and scepter.

The distinguishing symbols of a rank, office, order, or society.

Magnificent attire; finery.

Regatta:

A Regatta is a term used to describe either a boat race, or series of boat races.

Régime:

In politics, a Régime is the form of government: the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of government and its interactions with society.

A regulated system, as of diet and exercise; a regimen.

Region:

The geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state.

A specified district or territory.

An area of interest or activity; a sphere.

Video: Region codes are a DVD coding system enforced by the movie industry that is intended to preserve movie distribution rights and agreements. DVD players and DVDs are labeled for operation on within a specific geographical Region in the world. For example, the U.S. is in Region 1. All DVD players sold in the U.S. are made to Region 1 specs. Region 1 players can only play Region 1 discs. Read more here.

Register:

A formal or official recording of items, names, or actions; a book for such entries; an entry in such a record.

Computer Science: a part of the central processing unit used as a storage location.

A device that automatically records a quantity or number.

Registered Address:

Street address of a company's registered office.

Registered Agent:

A Registered Agent is the person or entity designated in the articles of incorporation to receive service of process and other important notices from the state. A corporation must maintain a registered agent at all times or risk forfeiture of the corporate charter.

Registered Company:

A company that is registered with the authorities of the country in which it is established. In most countries it is illegal to operate as a company without being registered.

Registered Office:

The Registered Office is the place where the registered agent can be found. It may be the corporate office, or it may be the office of the corporation's attorney.

Registered Share:

Share which is transferred by an instrument of transfer. The name of the holder is registered in the books of the company and the shareholder's name is displayed on the actual share certificate.

Registered Trademark Symbol:

The Registered Trademark Symbol, designated by ® (the circled "R") and also known as a racol (derived from Registered & Authorized Company Logo), is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office.

Registration:

An entry in a register.

Regulation:

The administering of the laws and government rules imposed upon business.

Regulator:

The person in charge of an agency (or government department) that has been set up for the purpose of regulating a particular industry or market.

Rehab:

To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy and education.

Reimburse:

To pay back or compensate (another party) for money spent or losses incurred.

Reincarnation:

Rebirth of the soul in another body.

A reappearance or revitalization in another form; a new embodiment.

Reinsurance:

The practice among insurance companies of redistributing risk between them. An insurance company that agrees to insure, say, an oilrig may then buy some Reinsurance from another insurer in order to share the risk of the rig sinking.

Relais:

Road house, hotel.

Relation:

A logical or natural association between two or more things; relevance of one to another; connection.

A person connected to another by blood or marriage; a relative.

Relevant:

Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.

Religion:

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe; a personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

"Religion is the Opium of the People":

"Religion is the opium of the people" is one of the most frequently paraphrased statements of Karl Marx. The quotation originates from the introduction of his 1843 work Contribution to Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. The quotation, in context, reads as follows: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the Opium of the People."

Relocation:

The business of moving elsewhere. This can be the moving elsewhere of a whole company, or the moving elsewhere of a whole company, or the moving elsewhere of the individuals who work for it.

REM:

A basic unit used to measure the amount of biological damage caused by various types of ionizing radiation, equal to the dose that produces the same amount of damage in human tissue as one roentgen of X-rays or gamma rays (0.01 sievert).

The rapid, periodic, jerky movement of the eyes during certain stages of the sleep cycle when dreaming takes place.

Remake:

Something in remade form, especially a new version of an earlier movie or song.

See also: spin-off.

Remittance:

The sending of money from one person to another, particularly associated with the cross-border payments made by immigrant communities in Europe and North America to the families that they left behind.

Remix:

To recombine (audio tracks or channels from a recording) to produce a new or modified audio recording.

Remote Control:

The control of an activity, process, or machine from a distance, as by radioed instructions or coded signals.

A device used to control an apparatus or machine from a distance.

Remuneration Committee:

The subcommittee of a company's board which negotiates and decides on the Remuneration of the most senior executives of the company, in particular of the managing director and the other executive directors on the board.

Renaissance:

The Renaissance is a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.

Renaissance Man:

A scholar during the Renaissance who (because knowledge was limited) could know almost everything about many topics.

A modern scholar who is in a position to acquire more than superficial knowledge about many different interests.

A man with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.

Rendezvous:

A meeting at a prearranged time and place.

A popular gathering place.

Renommé:

The quality of being widely honored and acclaimed; fame.

Renounce:

To give up or put aside voluntarily; to give up by formal declaration.

Rent:

Money paid for the use of real estate over time.

A similar payment made for the use of a facility, equipment, or service provided by another.

Rent Control:

Government-imposed rules on the amount of rent that can be charged, designed either to control ruthless landlords or to influence the movement of tenants (for example, out of inner-city areas).

Rent-Free Period:

A period of time in which a tenant is allowed to occupy premises without paying rent. Often granted as part of a package to entice a particularly desirable tenant into a new development.

Repartee:

A swift, witty reply; conversation marked by the exchange of witty retorts.

Repertoire:

The entire range of skills or aptitudes or devices used in a particular field or occupation.

The stock of songs, plays, operas, readings, or other pieces that a player or company is prepared to perform.

The class of compositions in a genre.

Replacement Cost:

The cost today of replacing a waiting asset. Replacement cost accounting attempts to inject these costs into a company's book.

Replacement Demand:

The demand for a product, which arises from consumers wanting to replace old models with new ones. The replacement demand for detergent is high, for cars it is low (and becoming even lower) and for mink coats it is virtually non-existent.

Replevin:

An action to recover personal property said or claimed to be unlawfully taken.

Replica:

An exact copy or reproduction, especially on a smaller scale.

Repo 105:

Repo 105 is an accounting manoeuvre where a short-term loan is classified as a sale. The cash obtained through this "sale" is then used to pay down debt, allowing the company to appear to reduce its leverage by temporarily paying down liabilities—just long enough to reflect on the company's published balance sheet. After the company's financial reports are published, the company borrows cash and repurchases its original assets.

A repurchase agreement, also known as a repo, RP, or sale and repurchase agreement, is the sale of securities together with an agreement for the seller to buy back the securities at a later date. The repurchase price should be greater than the original sale price, the difference effectively representing interest, sometimes called the repo rate. The party that originally buys the securities effectively acts as a lender. The original seller is effectively acting as a borrower, using their security as collateral for a secured cash loan at a fixed rate of interest.

Report:

A written document describing the findings of some individual or group.

Reportage:

The reporting of news or information of general interest.

Repositioning:

Changing consumers' perception of a product or service by altering its packaging or the way in which it is sold.

Representative:

One that serves as an example or type for others of the same classification.

One that serves as a delegate or agent for another.

Reprimand:

To reprove severely, especially in a formal or official way.

Reproduction:

The act of Reproducing or the condition or process of being Reproduced.

Something Reproduced, especially in the faithfulness of its resemblance to the form and elements of the original.

Biology: the sexual or asexual process by which organisms generate new individuals of the same kind; procreation.

Reputation:

The general estimation in which a person is held by the public.

Reputation Management:

Reputation Management is a relatively new public relations specialty that focuses on managing brand, product, or personal perceptions through an active, near real-time program of conscious engagement in social media outlets.

Requiem:

A hymn, composition, or service for the dead.

Requirement:

Something obligatory; a prerequisite.

Reschedule:

To alter the maturity of a borrower's debts (with the agreement of both the borrower and the lender) in order to facilitate the borrower's chances of repaying on time. Formally putting off until tomorrow what cannot be paid today.

Research:

Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.

Close, careful study.

To study (something) thoroughly so as to present in a detailed, accurate manner

Reserve Price:

The price fixed and announced as the minimum at which property will be sold at an auction.

Reserves:

Surplus funds that an organization retains for itself and does not distribute to shareholder. Countries also hold reserves. The foreign currency, gold and facilities with international organizations such as the IMF that they can use if and when they need to intervene in the foreign-exchange markets to stabilize their currencies.

Residence:

The place where an individual or a company is said (by a national tax authority) to reside for the purposes of taxation.

Resident Company:

A company treated by the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated or in which it conducts commercial activities as resident for tax purposes or exchange control purposes or both.

Resignation:

The formal ending by an employee of a contract of employment.

Resolutions:

A Resolution is a formal statement of any decision, which has been voted upon. When the board of directors or shareholders authorize a particular action, the authorization most often comes in the form of a corporate resolution. For example, a corporate resolution could read: "Resolved, that this corporation establish a depositary account with the XXX Bank."

Resort:

A place frequented by people for relaxation or recreation.

Resource:

Something that can be used for support or help.

An available supply that can be drawn on when needed.

Resources:

The input available to a business; in particular, the factors of production (land, labor and capital), but also more abstract things such as information and advice.

Respect:

A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem.

The state of being regarded with honor or esteem.

Respectability:

Meriting respect or esteem; worthy.

Characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals.

Responsibility:

The state, quality, or fact of being responsible.

Something for which one is responsible; a duty, obligation, or burden.

Rest on (One's) Laurels:

To rely on one's past achievements instead of working to maintain or advance one's status or reputation.

See also: laurels.

Restaurant:

A place where meals are served to the public.

Restraining Order:

A court order forbidding someone to bother another.

Restraint of Trade:

Any contract that places a restriction on the way a party to the contract trade. For example, an agreement between an ice-cream manufacturer and a retailer to provide the retailer with refrigerators as long as they are stocked only with the manufacturers own products.

Restrictive Practice:

A business activity that restricts free competition. In free-market economies governments keep an eye out for Restrictive Practices, and clamp down whenever they find them.

Result:

The consequence of a particular action, operation, or course; an outcome.

A favorable or concrete outcome or effect.

Mathematics: the quantity or expression obtained by calculation.

Résumé:

See: CV.

Resveratrol:

Resveratrol (trans-resveratrol) is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol has also been produced by chemical synthesis and is sold as a nutritional supplement derived primarily from Japanese knotweed. In mouse and rat experiments, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar-lowering and other beneficial cardiovascular effects of Resveratrol have been reported. Most of these results have yet to be replicated in humans. In the only positive human trial, extremely high doses (3–5 g) of resveratrol in a proprietary formulation have been necessary to significantly lower blood sugar. Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and is a constituent of red wine, but apparently not in sufficient amounts to explain the French paradox. Experiments have shown that Resveratrol treatment extended the life of fruit flies, nematode worms and short living fish but it did not increase the life span of mice.

Retail:

The selling of goods and services to the final consumer.

Retail Outlet:

Any distribution channel that sells goods and services retail: a shop, a mail order catalogue, or a web site.

Retained Earnings:

That part of a company's net profit, which is not distributed as a dividend.

Retainer:

A fee charged in advance to retain the services of someone.

The act of engaging the services of a professional adviser, such as an attorney, counselor, or consultant.

Retire:

To end full-time employment, that is, to retire from work.

To remove the obligation attached to a debt, either by early payment or through some other arrangement.

Retirement Age:

The standard age within a society at which people retire from work. In most developed countries this is between 60 and 65. Someone who retires before the Retirement Age is said to take early retirement.

Retro:

Involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past; retrospective.

A fashion, decor, design, or style reminiscent of things past.

Retrospective:

Looking back on, contemplating, or directed to the past.

Applying to or influencing the past; retroactive.

Return:

What comes back to someone who makes use on land, labor and/or capital. The return may be in the form of interest (on a loan) or a harvest (from agricultural land). A company's health can be judged by looking at its return on equity (roe), its return on assets (roa) and its return on sales (ros).

Returns:

Products which are returned to their supplier by the purchaser to whom the purchase price is refunded. The term is also used to refer to the responses to a direct mail advertising campaign.

Reunion:

The act of reuniting.

A gathering of the members of a group who have been separated.

Revanche:

The act of retaliating; revenge.

A usually political policy, as of a nation or an ethnic group, intended to regain lost territory or standing.

Reveille:

Military: a signal, given by a bugle, drum, etc., to awaken soldiers or sailors in the morning.

Revenue:

The income from any commercial activity. Originally, it was the income of the state from taxes (as in Inland Revenue).

Reverse Takeover:

A takeover in which the company being taken over fights back by taking over the company that is trying to buy it.

Review:

A reexamination or reconsideration.

An inspection or examination for the purpose of evaluation.

Revolution:

The overthrow of one government and its replacement with another.

A sudden or momentous change in a situation.

Revolving Credit:

A loan which permits the borrower to borrow up to a set limit, again and again. The borrower with a Revolving Credit can borrow up to its limit, repay some of it, and then borrow up to the limit again.

Revue:

A musical show consisting of skits, songs, and dances, often satirizing current events, trends, and personalities.

Reward:

Something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior or in retribution for evil acts.

Money offered or given for some special service, such as the return of a lost article or the capture of a criminal.

A satisfying return or result; profit.

RFID chip:

Short for: Radio-Frequency Identification. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.

Rhetoric:

Rhetoric is one of the arts of using language as a means to persuade.

See also: oratory.

Rhetorical Question:

A statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered.

A question posed only for dramatic or persuasive effect.

Rhinestone:

A Rhinestone or paste or diamante is a diamond simulant made from rock crystal, glass or acrylic.

Originally, Rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. The availability was greatly increased when around 1775 the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass had the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the lower side of glass with metal powder. Hence, Rhinestones are called Strass in many European languages.

Rhinestones may be used as imitations of diamonds, and some manufacturers even manage to capture the glistening effect real diamonds have in the sun.

Rhyme:

Correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds).

A piece of poetry.

Rhythm:

Movement or variation characterized by the regular recurrence or alternation of different quantities or conditions.

The patterned, recurring alternations of contrasting elements of sound or speech.

Music: a specific kind of such a pattern, formed by a series of notes differing in duration and stress.

The pattern of development produced in a literary or dramatic work by repetition of elements such as words, phrases, incidents, themes, images, and symbols.

Rich:

Possessing great material wealth; wealthy people considered as a group.

Having great worth or value; magnificent; sumptuous; having an abundant supply.

Read also: How Much Money Do You Need To Be Wealthy?.

Richie Rich:

A colloquialism for a Rich Kid.

Richter Magnitude Scale:

The Richter Magnitude Scale, also known as the local magnitude (ML) scale, assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude of the largest displacement from zero on a Wood–Anderson torsion seismometer output. So, for example, an earthquake that measures 5.0 on the Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times larger than one that measures 4.0. The effective limit of measurement for local magnitude ML is about 6.8.

To follow current seismic activity, visit IRIS Seismic Monitor.

Rickshaw:

A small two-wheeled cart for one passenger; pulled by one person. Also called jinrikisha.

RICO Act:

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (commonly referred to as RICO Act or RICO) is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

Ricochet:

To rebound at least once from a surface.

Riddle:

A Riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundrums, which are questions relying for their effects on punning in either the question or the answer.

See also: Samson's riddle.

Riemann Hypothesis:

In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis, proposed by Bernhard Riemann (1859), is a conjecture about the distribution of the zeros of the Riemann zeta-function stating that all non-trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function have real part 1/2.

Riff:

A constantly repeated musical phrase used especially as background for a soloist or as the basic theme of a final chorus; a term that originated in jazz music.

Riffraff:

People regarded as disreputable or worthless.

Right:

Conforming with or conformable to justice, law, or morality.

In accordance with fact, reason, or truth; correct.

In or into a satisfactory state or condition.

Right Wing:

The conservative or reactionary faction of a group.

Rights Issue:

An issue of shares which gives existing shareholders the right to buy the issue at a favorable price and within a specified period of time. Rights that are not taken up can usually be sold on the open market before they expire. In most markets a public company has to make all new share issues in this way in order to prevent existing shareholders from involuntarily having their holdings diluted.

Rigor Mortis:

Muscular stiffening following death.

Ringmaster:

A person who is in charge of the performances in a circus ring.

A supervisor or moderator especially of a performance or presentation.

See also: sprechstallmeister.

R.I.P.:

Short for: Rest in Peace. Latin: Requiescat In Pace (may he rest in peace; may she rest in peace).

Rip-Off:

A product or service that is overpriced or of poor quality.

Risk:

The possibility of suffering harm or loss; danger.

The chances of losing money. Investors who buy financial instruments such as US government bonds, where the risks of not being repaid are minimal, are said to be risk averse. Some risks can be reduced by hedging, others by taking out insurance cover.

Risk Analysis:

The systematic analysis and measurement of the risk of different investments. There are other types of risk associated with an investment besides the simple one of an inability of the investment to make a return. They include political risk (that a government may compel the borrower to renege on the debt) and foreign-exchange risk (that a debt denominated in another currency may, through turbulence in the foreign-exchange markets, come to e worth much less by the time it is repaid).

Risk Management:

The task of managing the risks that an organization takes in the course of its business. Ways of reducing risk include insurance, hedging and disinvestment.

Risqué:

Suggestive of or bordering on indelicacy or impropriety.

Ritual:

A Ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community.

Ritzy:

Elegant; fancy; luxuriously elegant. After the Hôtel Ritz Paris, established by César Ritz (1850-1918), Swiss hotelier.

Colloquialism: a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech.

River Styx:

Greek mythology: the Styx was a river in Hades across which Charon carried dead souls.

Riverdance:

Popular dance and music spectacle based on Irish step dance and also featuring Spanish, Russian, folk, and tap.

RMC:

Short for: Rugged Mobile Computer.

Road Map:

A map, especially one for motorists, showing and designating the roads of a region.

A set of guidelines, instructions, plans, or explanations.

Road Movie:

A kind of film in which the main characters travel highways of a country by motor vehicle, having various encounters, adventures, etc. along the way.

Road Pricing:

Road Pricing is a system of making drivers pay money for driving on certain roads by electronically recording the movement of vehicles on those roads.

Road Show:

A show presented by a touring theater company.

A traveling presentation advocating a political idea or agenda.

Roadie:

A person who loads, unloads, and sets up equipment and often performs errands for musicians on tour.

Roadster:

A Roadster, also known as a spyder or spider, is a two-seat car, traditionally without either a roof, side or rear windows.

Roaming Service:

Roaming Service is the ability to get access to the Internet when away from home at the price of a local call or at a charge considerably less than the regular long-distance charges. For example, if you normally get access to the Internet from an access provider in Brooklyn, New York and are travelling to Hong Kong, you can call a designated access provider in Hong Kong. Instead of paying long distance charges to your local provider in Brooklyn, you pay the local phone connection charge in Hong Kong and possibly a modest additional charge for the service.

Robbe-Grillet Mystery:

What is missing from a Robbe-Grillet Mystery plot is a firm resolution of the mystery.

Robber Baron:

Robber Baron is a pejorative term for an American capitalist of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation (as of natural resources, governmental influence, or low wage scales).

A business owner or executive who acquires wealth through ethically questionable tactics.

List of businessmen who were called Robber Barons.

For an in-depth insight, read the book: The Robber Barons.

Robin Hood Tax:

Global tax on banks' financial transactions to fight poverty, protect public services and tackle climate change.

Robocall:

Robocall is a term for an automated phone call that uses both a computerized autodialer and a computer-delivered pre-recorded message. The implication is that a "Robocall" resembles a telephone call from a robot. Robocalls are often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns.

Robot:

A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance.

A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control.

A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others.

Robotics:

The development and use of robots to undertake activity formerly done by humans. In the car industry, in particular, robots have taken over many of the manufacturing processes.

Rock and Roll:

Rock and Roll (often written as Rock & Roll or Rock ’n’ Roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes. Though elements of Rock and Roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s, and in blues records from the 1920s, Rock and Roll did not acquire its name until the 1950s. An early form of Rock and Roll was rockabilly, which combined country and jazz, with influences from traditional Appalachian folk, and gospel music.

The term "Rock and Roll" now has at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both define Rock and Roll as synonymous with rock music. Conversely, Allwords.com defines the term to refer specifically to the music of the 1950s. For the purpose of differentiation, this article uses the latter definition, while the broader musical genre is discussed in the rock music article.

In the earliest Rock and Roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the middle to late 1950s. The beat is essentially a boogie woogie blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, the latter almost always provided by a snare drum. Classic Rock and Roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit.

The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of Rock and Roll gave it a widespread social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, Rock and Roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially characteristic backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply "rock music" or "rock".

Rock Group:

A band of musicians who play rock'n'roll music.

Rocket Science:

An endeavor requiring great intelligence or technical ability.

Rodeo:

A public competition or exhibition in which skills such as riding broncos or roping calves are displayed.

Rodeo Clown:

The primary job of the Rodeo Clown is to protect a fallen rider from the bull, whether the rider has been bucked off or has jumped off of the animal. The Rodeo Clown distracts the bull and provides an alternative target for the bull to attack.

Roger:

Used especially in radio communications to indicate receipt of a message.

Rogue:

A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel.

Rogue State:

Government, Politics & Diplomacy: a state that conducts its policy in a dangerously unpredictable way, disregarding international law or diplomacy.

Rogue's Gallery:

A collection of pictures of criminals; a coterie of undesirable people.

Rohypnol:

Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from resisting sexual assault (commonly referred to in street slang as a "roofie", or sometimes more appropriately as a "groundie"). It can produce "anterograde amnesia," which means that individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the effects of the drug.

The sedative effects of Rohypnol begin to appear approximately 15 to 20 minutes after the drug is ingested. The effects typically last from four to eight hours after administration of the drug, but some cases have been reported in which the effects were experienced for twelve or more hours after administration. In recent news, it has been discovered that scientists can now detect flunitrazepam and related compounds in urine at least up to five days or in hair up to a month after administration of a single dose of Rohypnol.

Rohypnol is also known as a "date rape drug" refers to any drug that can be used to assist in the commission of a sexual assault (date rape). Drink spiking may also be undertaken for amusement purposes as well.[1] The term "date rape drug" originated in journalism and has no strict scientific or legal definition, because a wide variety of substances can be used to incapacitate a person, and all of them have sometimes been taken willingly by people in other situations.

Role:

Also Rôle. A character or part played by a performer.

The characteristic and expected social behavior of an individual.

A function or position.

Role Model:

A person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to emulate.

Roleplaying:

Roleplaying refers to the changing of one's behavior to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the Oxford English Dictionary defines roleplaying as "the changing of one's behavior to fulfill a social role", the term is used more loosely in three senses:

To refer to the playing of roles generally such as in a theater, or educational setting.

To refer to a wide range of games including computer Role-Playing games, play-by-mail games and more.

To refer specifically to role-playing games.

Roll Over:

To extend the maturity of a loan beyond its original repayment date. In some cases this may involve replacing an old loan with a new one.

Rolling News:

A 24 hour, continuously updated news service on radio or television.

See also: breaking news.

Ro-Ro:

A ship where vehicles ROll on and then ROll off; that is, the vehicles are driven down ramps and straight into the hold of the boat, and likewise in reverse when disembarking.

Rolodex:

A Rolodex is a rotating file device used to store business contact information (the name is a portmanteau word of rolling and index) currently manufactured by Newell Rubbermaid Company. The Rolodex holds specially shaped index cards; the user writes the contact information for one person or company on each card.

Roman Calendar:

The Roman Calendar changed its form several times in the time between the founding of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. The original Roman Calendar is believed to have been a lunar calendar, which may have been based on one of the Greek lunar calendars. As the time between new moons averages 29.5 days, its months were constructed to be either hollow (29 days) or full (30 days).

See also: Gregorian Calendar and Julian Calendar.

Romance:

A love affair.

Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people.

A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something.

A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful.

Romance Tourism:

Romance Tourism: female sex tourism is travel by women, partially or fully for the purpose of having sex. The practice differs from male sex tourism in that women do not typically use the structures of the sex industry (e.g. strip clubs, sex shows and organised tours) to meet foreign partners.

RomCom:

ROMantic COMedy films are movies with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles. Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films and often have elements of screwball comedies and stoner comedies.

Rookie:

An untrained or inexperienced recruit, as in the army or police.

An inexperienced person; a novice.

Rorschach Test:

The Rorschach Test (also known as the Rorschach inkblot test or simply as the Inkblot test) is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex scientifically derived algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It has been employed to detect an underlying thought disorder, especially in cases where patients are reluctant to describe their thinking processes openly. The test takes its name from that of its creator, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach.

Rosary:

Roman Catholic Church: a form of devotion to the Virgin Mary, chiefly consisting of three sets of five decades each of the Hail Mary, each decade preceded by the Lord's Prayer and ending with a doxology; a string of 55 or 165 beads used to count these prayers as they are recited.

A bed or garden of roses.

Rosenthal Effect:

See: Pygmalion effect.

Rosh Hashanah:

Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year."

Roswell:

The Roswell UFO Incident was the alleged recovery of extra-terrestrial debris, including alien corpses, from an object which crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, USA, on or about July 8, 1947. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and the subject of conspiracy theories as to the true nature of the object which crashed. The United States military maintains that what was actually recovered was debris from an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program named "Mogul"; however, many UFO proponents maintain that in fact a crashed alien craft and bodies were recovered, and that the military then engaged in a cover-up.

Roué:

One devoted to a life of sensual pleasure; a debauchee; a rake.

Roughneck:

A member of the crew of an oil rig other than the driller.

An uncouth person.

Roulette:

Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for "little wheel". In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a number, a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. To determine the winning number and color, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls on to the wheel and into one of 37 (in French/European Roulette) or 38 (in American Roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel.

Round:

An interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs.

A set of negotiations under the terms of the Gatt, such as the Tokyo Round or the Uruguay Round. The purpose of these rounds is to get the member countries to agree to reduce even further the barriers to trade between them.

Round Robin:

Sports: a tournament in which each contestant is matched in turn against every other contestant.

A petition or protest on which the signatures are arranged in a circle in order to conceal the order of signing.

Route 66:

A famous road in the US that is mentioned in books, films, and songs. It was built in the early 1930s, and was the first road to go a long distance across the US, from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Router:

An electronic device used to connect two or more computers or other electronic devices to each other.

Routine:

A prescribed, detailed course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.

A set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities.

A particular kind of behavior or activity.

Royal:

Of or relating to a monarch.

Of the rank of a monarch.

Befitting royalty; stately.

Royal Pardon:

A Royal Pardon is an official order given by a king or queen to stop the punishment of a person accused of a crime.

Royal Prerogative:

The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone.

Royalty:

All amounts received for the privilege of using intangibles such as patent, copyright, secret processes and formulae, as well as amounts received for the privilege of exploiting mineral, oil and gas deposits.

A person of royal rank or lineage.

RSS:

Short for: Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works - such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's URI (often referred to informally as a "URL" (uniform resource locater), although technically the two terms are not exactly synonymous) into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

Free RSS Reader displays any RSS and Atom news feed.

RSVP:

Short for: Répondez S'il Vous Plaît. RSVP is a French phrase that translates to "please respond" and word for word translation is "respond if you please". It is with this meaning that invitation cards and similar documents.

RTFM:

Short for: Read The Fucking Manual.

Rubber Stamp:

A piece of rubber affixed to a handle and bearing raised characters used to make ink impressions, as of names or dates.

A person or body that gives perfunctory approval or endorsement of a policy without assessing its merit; A perfunctory approval or endorsement.

Rucksack:

A large bag, usually having two straps and a supporting frame, carried on the back and often used by climbers, campers, etc. US and Canadian name backpack. A knapsack.

Rug:

A heavy fabric used to cover a floor.

Slang: a toupee.

Rule:

Governing power or its possession or use; authority.

An authoritative, prescribed direction for conduct, especially one of the regulations governing procedure in a legislative body or a regulation observed by the players in a game, sport, or contest.

A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases.

Mathematics: a standard method or procedure for solving a class of problems.

Rumor:

Information, often a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around verbally.

Gossip or hearsay.

Run:

An unusually intense demand by customers for the same thing at the same time. For example, a run on a bank is a simultaneous demand by the bank's depositors to withdraw their money. Other runs, such as the run on turkeys just before Christmas, are less worrying (and more predictable).

Running Account:

Revolving credit facility offered by a seller under which an approved buyer may continually obtain goods or services up to the agreed limit. Amount paid by the buyer makes the same sum available again for purchases.

Runway:

A strip of level, usually paved ground on which aircraft take off and land.

A narrow walkway extending from a stage into an auditorium.

Rural:

Living in or characteristic of farming or country life.

Russian Roulette:

Russian Roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger. "Russian" refers to the supposed country of origin of the game and roulette to the element of risk-taking and the spinning of the revolver's cylinder being reminiscent of spinning a roulette wheel.

Rustic:

Of, characteristic of, or living in the country; rural.

Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Furniture: denoting or characteristic of a style of furniture popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries, in which the legs and feet of chairs, tables, etc., were made to resemble roots, trunks, and branches of trees.

An unsophisticated country person.

RV:

Short for: Recreational Vehicle. In North America the term recreational vehicle, and its acronym RV, are generally used to refer to a vehicle equiped with living space and amenities found in a home. A Recreational Vehicle normally includes a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room.

RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, to full-time living, for which they are often parked in special trailer parks. (However, many trailer parks are reserved just for mobile homes, not to be confused with RVs and motorhomes.) RVs can also be rented in most major cities and tourist areas.

Furthermore, they are occasionally used as mobile offices for business travelers and often include customizations such as extra desk space, an upgraded electrical system, a generator, and satellite Internet.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- S -

S Corporation (U.S.):

An S Corporation is created under the Internal Revenue Code. A corporation may elect to be treated as an S Corporation. Stringent rules exist with respect to how and when the election is made; the number and type of shareholders; and the means by which the election may be terminated. S Corporations pay no income tax; all items of income, gain, credit, and loss pass through to the shareholders in proportion to their shareholdings.

S.A.:

Short for: Société Anonyme. The French equivalent of a limited company, an indication to the general public that a company enjoys the benefit of limited liability. Usuallly abbreviated to SA.

Sabbatical:

An extended period of leave taken by an employee, often as a right under the terms of their contract of employment. University teachers, for instance, are often allowed to take a one-term sabbatical every seven years.

Sabotage:

Destruction of property or obstruction of normal operations, as by civilians or enemy agents in time of war.

Treacherous action to defeat or hinder a cause or an endeavor; deliberate subversion.

Sabrage:

Sabrage is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a sabre, used for ceremonial occasions. The saber is slid along the body of the bottle toward the neck. The force of the blade hitting the lip breaks the glass to separate the collar from the neck of the bottle. The cork and collar remain together after separating from the neck.

Sabre Rattling:

The ostentatious display of military power (with the implied threat that it might be used).

Saceur:

(Supreme Allied Commander Europe): NATO's top military title - usually a U.S. general.

Sacrament:

A formal religious ceremony conferring a specific grace on those who receive it; the two Protestant ceremonies are baptism and the Lord's Supper; in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church there are seven traditional rites accepted as instituted by Jesus: baptism and confirmation and Holy Eucharist and penance and holy orders and matrimony and extreme unction.

Sacred Cow:

Informal: a person, institution, custom, etc., unreasonably held to be beyond criticism.

Sacrilege:

Desecration, profanation, misuse, or theft of something sacred.

Sacristy:

A room in a church housing the sacred vessels and vestments; a vestry.

Safe Conduct:

An official document or an escort assuring unmolested passage, as through enemy territory.

Safe House:

A house or apartment used as a hiding place or secure refuge by the members of an organization, such as a secret service agency or an underground terrorist group.

Safety Car:

A vehicle employed to lead the competitors in an auto race for the duration of a few laps, with the intention of restricting their speed while a hazard exists on the circuit.

Saffiano Leather:

This is the heavily grained or cross-hatched, waterproof and durable leather used by the Italian luxury goods houses of (signature pattern of) Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Saga:

A narrative telling the adventures of a hero or a family; originally (12th to 14th centuries) a story of the families that settled Iceland and their descendants but now any prose narrative that resembles such an account.

Sage:

One venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom.

Saint:

A person who has died and gone to heaven; a person of exceptional holiness or goodness.

Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms: a person who after death is formally recognized by a Christian Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, as having attained, through holy deeds or behavior, a specially exalted place in heaven and the right to veneration.

Salami Tactics:

Salami Tactics is a divide and conquer process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition.

Salary:

Regular payment to an employee for his or her work. A salary is usually paid monthly. A weekly payment is generally called a wage.

Sale:

Any exchange of goods or services for money, commonly used in the plural. For example: "Last week's Sales were extremely poor."

A special reduction in prices designed to stimulate Sales of the other kind. Retailers hold these Sales in what are for them the quiet periods of the year.

Sale of Return:

A type of contract under which goods are supplied to retailer on the basis that if they are not sold within a given time they can be returned to the supplier without payment.

Sales Pitch:

An argument or other persuasion used in selling.

Sales Promotion:

A special short-term effort used to promote or launch a product or service. To be effective, a sales promotion needs to be conspicious and noticed, and it needs to bring in more revenue than it costs.

Sales Quota:

A target given by a company to its sales staff setting the volume or value of sales that they are expected to achieve within a given period.

Sales Tax:

Any tax based on the volume or value of sales.

Salesman:

A person whose main job it to sell goods or services. The word has come to symbolize the slick entrepreneur trying to pass on low products for high prices.

"Salt of the Earth":

The origin is the Bible, from Jesus' sermon of the Mount (King James version, Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 13: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

Idiomatic for a most worthy person; a decent, dependable, unpretentious person.

Salutation:

A greeting, salute, or address; a hello; the act of greeting.

The title in your name, such as Mr, Mrs, Ms., Dr. or Rev.

Sam Spade:

Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon (1930) and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known books by Hammett.

Sample:

A number of items chosen from all those that exist. Samples are used to test the characteristics of the group as a whole.

A product that is taken as a model for the subsequent mass production of that product; particularly common in the rag trade.

A small example of a product that is given away to consumers to persuade them to buy it in larger quantities.

Sampling (music):

In music, Sampling is the act of taking a portion, or Sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a Sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also possible with tape loops or with vinyl records on a phonograph. People who Sample are commonly referred to as producers or beatmakers. Although beatmaking can be done using various live instruments and synthesizers, Sampling is the method most enjoyed by beatmakers.

Samson's Riddle:

"Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness" (Judges 14:14). The riddle refers to a lion he had just killed, on which he saw bees and honey; he ate some of the lion and the honey.

Samurai:

A Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy.

-San:

Used as a courtesy title in Japanese-speaking areas as a suffix to the given name, surname, or title of the person being addressed, regardless of age or gender.

SAN:

Short for: Storage Area Network. A storage area network (SAN) is an architecture to attach remote computer storage devices (such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes) to servers in such a way that the devices appear as locally attached to the operating system.

See also: network-attached storage.

Sanction:

Formal and explicit approval.

An obstruction placed on a country's ability to trade freely. Sanctions are usually imposed as a penalty for behavior disapproved of by the international community; for example, the Sanctions imposed on South Africa for its policy of apartheid. Confusingly, the word sanction (as a verb) means to authorize. Hence South Africa sanctioned the policy (of apartheid) that brought about sanctions.

Sandwich:

A Sandwich is a food item consisting of two or more slices of bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open Sandwich.

Sangfroid:

Coolness and composure, especially in trying circumstances.

Sanguine:

The Sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted. People of a Sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings and making new friends. They tend to be creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean very sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when pursuing a new hobby, interest is lost quickly when it ceases to be engaging or fun.

See also: choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic.

Sans Serif:

A typeface in which characters have no serifs.

Sanskrit:

Sanskrit is an ancient Indic language that is the language of Hinduism and the Vedas and is the classical literary language of India.

Santa Claus:

Santa Claus, or Santa, is the personification of the spirit of Christmas, usually represented as a jolly fat old man with a white beard and a red suit, who brings gifts to good children on Christmas Eve.

Sarcasm:

A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.

A form of wit that is marked by the use of Sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.

See also: irony and wit.

Sarcophagus:

Elaborate burial casket not sunk underground.

Sardonic:

Scornfully or cynically mocking; characterized by irony, mockery, or derision.

Sartorialism:

An interest in matters of or relating to the tailoring of clothing.

Sashimi:

Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces about 2.5 cm (1") wide by 4 cm (1.5") long by 0.5 cm (0.2") thick, but dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste or other condiments such as grated fresh ginger, or ponzu), depending on the fish, and simple garnishes such as shiso and shredded daikon radish.

See also: sushi.

SAT:

Short for: Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test. SAT is a college admissions test in the United States.

Satellite Dish:

A Satellite Dish is a type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.

Satellite Phone:

A Satellite telePhone, Satellite Phone, or SatPhone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites. Depending on the architecture of a particular system, coverage may include the entire Earth, or only specific regions.

In some countries ruled by oppressive regimes such as Burma, possession of a Satellite Phone is illegal. Their signals will usually bypass local telecoms systems, hindering censorship and wiretapping attempts. In Australia, residents of remote areas may apply for a government subsidy for a Satellite Phone.

See also: mobile phone.

Satire:

A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through Irony, derision, or wit.

Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Saturate:

To have such a generous supply of products in a market that it is difficult for a new entrant to gain a foothold.

Saturated Fat:

Saturated Fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acid radicals. There are several kinds of naturally-occurring saturated fatty acids, which differ by the number of carbon atoms, ranging from 3 carbons (Propionic Acid) to 36 (Hexatriacontanoic acid). Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain and are thus fully saturated with hydrogen atoms.

Fat that occurs naturally in living matter contains varying proportions of saturated and unsaturated fat. Examples of foods containing a high proportion of Saturated Fat include dairy products (especially cream and cheese but also butter and ghee), animal fats such as suet, tallow, lard and fatty meat, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernel oil, chocolate, and some prepared foods.

Serum saturated fatty acid is generally higher in smokers, alcohol drinkers and obese people.

See also: trans fat.

Satyagraha:

Satyagraha (Sanskrit: Satya-graha), loosely translated as "Soul Force," "truth force," or "holding on to truth," is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "Satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as "Mahatma" Gandhi).

Savant:

A learned person; a scholar.

Savile Row:

Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers. The short street is termed the "golden mile of tailoring", where customers have included Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson, and Napoleon III.

Savoir-Faire:

The ability to say or do the right or graceful thing.

Savoriness:

Having an appetizing flavor.

Say:

The chance to speak; express in words; report or maintain; express a supposition; have or contain a certain wording or form.

Saying:

Something, such as an adage or maxim, that is said.

Scale:

A system of ordered marks at fixed intervals used as a reference standard in measurement.

A progressive classification, as of size, amount, importance, or rank; A relative level or degree.

Music: an ascending or descending collection of pitches proceeding by a specified scheme of intervals.

Scalping:

Attempt to take maximum financial benefit of the scarcity of an item (such as tickets to a sellout show) by hoarding it.

Trading strategies in which goods or securities are bought and sold for small, short-term, profit during a trading session, rarely carrying a trading position to the next day.

Spreading favorable but false information about a good or security to boost its demand and then unloading it. Also called pumping and dumping.

Scam:

A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.

Scan:

To read electronically the bar code on the packaging of products in a retail outlet.

Scanner:

Computer peripheral or a stand-alone device that converts a document, film, graphic, or photograph to a digital image, manipulable through an appropriate software. When used with an optical character recognition (OCR) software, a scanner can convert printed, typewritten (and, with some devices, handwritten) text into a digital file that can be read by a word processor.

Scandal:

A publicized incident that brings about disgrace or offends the moral sensibilities of society.

A person, thing, or circumstance that causes or ought to cause disgrace or outrage.

Damage to reputation or character caused by public disclosure of immoral or grossly improper behavior; disgrace.

Scapegoat:

Scapegoating is the practice of singling out one child, employee, member of a group of peers, ethnic or religious group, or country for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Related concepts include frameup, whipping boy, jobber, sucker and fall guy.

Scavenger Hunt:

A game in which individuals or teams try to locate and bring back miscellaneous items on a list.

Scenario:

An outline of the plot of a dramatic or literary work.

An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events.

Scenario Planning:

A method of planning for the future that involves getting an organization's executives to focus on the changes that they think will be the most significant for their business in the future. They are then asked to imagine what such changes might lead to.

Scene:

The place where an action or event, real or imaginary, occurs.

The setting for the action of a play, novel, etc.

Informal: the environment for a specific activity.

Schadenfreude:

Delight in another person's misfortune.

Schedule:

A list of times of departures and arrivals; a timetable.

A plan for performing work or achieving an objective, specifying the order and allotted time for each part.

A printed or written list of items in tabular form.

Scheduled Territories:

Since June 1972, the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar.

Schengen Treaty:

A number of European countries have signed an agreement called the Schengen Treaty which states that if a person secures a visa from one member country, they may use a Schengen Visa to enter all other member countries. Current member countries include: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Austria and Italy have also agreed to become members in the future.

Schlager:

Schlager (German Schlager, literally "hitter" or, more loosely translated, "a hit") is a style of popular music that is prevalent in Central and Northern Europe, in particular Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, but also to a lesser extent in Baltic States, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Typical schlager tracks are either sweet, highly sentimental ballads with a simple, catchy melody or light pop tunes. Lyrics typically center on love, relationships and feelings. The northern variant of schlager, notably in Finland, has taken elements from Nordic and Slavic folk songs, with lyrics tending towards melancholic and elegiac themes. Musically the Schlager has some similarities to other styles like Easy Listening-Music.

The style has been frequently represented at the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been popular since it started in 1956, even though it is increasingly replaced by other pop music styles.

Scheme:

A systematic plan of action.

A secret or devious plan; a plot.

An orderly combination of related parts.

A chart, diagram, or outline of a system or object.

Schism:

Division of a group into opposing factions.

Schizophrenia:

A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities.

Schmooze:

An informal conversation; to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.

Scholar:

A learned person; a savant.

A specialist in a given branch of knowledge.

Scholarship:

A grant of financial aid awarded to a student, as for the purpose of attending a college.

School:

An institution for the instruction of children or people under college age.

An institution for instruction in a skill or business.

The building or group of buildings housing an educational institution.

Schwung:

German: Swing.

Term beloved of critics when describing an idiomatic performance of, for example, Die Fledermaus. Also: schwungvoll, full of go, vigorous.

Science:

Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is, in its broadest sense, any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice.

In its more restricted contemporary sense, science is a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, and to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research.

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi):

Science Fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations on current or future science or technology. Science Fiction is found in books, magazines, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media. In organizational or marketing contexts, Science Fiction can be synonymous with the broader definition of speculative fiction, encompassing creative works incorporating imaginative elements not found in contemporary reality; this includes fantasy, horror, and related genres.

Science Fiction differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of Science Fiction, making it a "literature of ideas". Science Fiction is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.

Scientific Citation:

Scientific Citation is the process by which conclusions of previous scientists are used to justify experimental procedures, apparatus, goals or theses. Typically such citations establish the general framework of influences and the mindset of research, and especially as "part of what science" it is, and to help determine who conducts the peer review.

Scoop:

To top or outmaneuver (a competitor) in acquiring and publishing an important news story.

Scope:

The range of one's perceptions, thoughts, or actions.

Breadth or opportunity to function.

The area covered by a given activity or subject.

Scopophilia:

Psychiatry: also called passive Scopophilia. The deriving of sexual pleasure from viewing nude bodies, sexual acts, or erotic photographs; voyeurism.

Also called active scopophilia, scoptophilia. An abnormal desire to be seen, especially genitally; exhibitionism.

Scorched Earth Policy:

A Scorched Earth Policy is a military strategy of devastating all land and buildings in the course of advancing or retreating troops so as to leave nothing salvageable to the enemy.

Technique used by a company that has become the target of a takeover attempt to make itself unattractive to the acquirer. For example, it may agree to sell off the most attractive parts of its business, called the crown jewels, or it may schedule all debt to become due immediately after a merger.

Score:

A usually numerical record of a competitive event.

The total number of points made by each competitor or side in a contest, either final or at a given stage.

Music: the notation of a musical work; the written form of a composition for orchestral or vocal parts; the music written for a film or a play.

An amount due; a debt.

A sexual conquest.

To achieve; win.

Scotch Tape:

Scotch Tape is a brand name used for certain pressure sensitive tapes manufactured by 3M as part of the company's Scotch brand.

The precursor to the current tapes was developed in the 1930s in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Richard Drew to seal a then-new transparent material known as cellophane.

Scout:

To spy on or explore carefully in order to obtain information; reconnoiter.

One that is dispatched from a main body to gather information, especially in preparation for military action.

Scoville Scale:

The Scoville Scale is a measure of the hotness or piquancy of a chili pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin (a chemical compound which stimulates nerve endings in the skin) present.

Some hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point.

Scrambler:

An electronic device that Scrambles telecommunication signals to make them unintelligible to anyone without a special receiver.

Scrap:

An asset that is no longer of economic value to an organization. But this does not mean that it is of no value to anyone. Scrap can be sold and its value is called the Scrap (or salvage value).

Scrapbook:

An album into which clippings or notes or pictures can be pasted.

Screen Company:

A company incorporated in a country which charges a nil or low rate of tax on receipts or distributions of interest, dividends or royalties received from another country, taking advantage of a favourable double taxation agreement between two countries which reduces the tax withheld at source in the country in which the income arises.

Screen Dump:

The act or process of transferring data on a computer screen to a printer or storage medium.

Screen Name:

A pseudonym used for Internet communications.

Another term for username found in certain programs, such as those from AOL, AIM, Facebook and CompuServe.

Screen Saver:

A software program that displays constantly changing images or dims the brightness of a display screen to protect the screen from having an image etched onto its surface.

Screenshot:

A Screenshot (sometimes called a screen capture or screen dump) is an image taken by the computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device.

Scrip Issue:

A free distribution of shares to a company's existing shareholders in proportion to their shareholding. A scrip issue is little more than an accounting device; it does nothing to increase the value of the company or of any shareholder's stake in it. Also known as bonus issue.

Scroll:

A roll, as of parchment or papyrus, used especially for writing a document.

A list or schedule of names.

An ornament or ornamental design that resembles a partially rolled Scroll of paper, as the volute in Ionic and Corinthian capitals.

Heraldry: a ribbon inscribed with a motto.

SD Card:

Short for Secure Digital Card. A SD Card is a non-volatile memory card format developed by Matsushita, SanDisk, and Toshiba for use in portable devices. Today it is widely used in digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs, Media Players, mobile phones, GPS receivers, and video game consoles. Standard SD Card capacities range from 4 MB to 2 GB, and for high capacity SDHC cards from 4 GB to 32 GB as of 2008. The SDXC (eXtended Capacity), a new specification announced at the 2009 CES, will allow for 2 TB capacity cards.

SDTV:

Short for: Standard-Definition TeleVision. SDTV (480i) is a television system that has a resolution that meets standards but not considered either enhanced-definition television (EDTV) or high-definition television (HDTV). The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same (or similar) resolution as analog systems.

Seal:

Fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters.

A device incised to make an impression; used to secure a closing or to authenticate documents.

Short for: a member of a Naval Special Warfare unit who is trained for unconventional warfare; "SEAL is an acronym for SEa Air and Land".

Sealed Bid:

A bid for a contract that is presented in a sealed envelope. Nobody knows the details until the envelopes of all bidders for the contract have been handed in. They are then all opened at the same (prearranged) time, and the winning bid is announced.

Seance:

A meeting at which spiritualists attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the dead.

Search Engine:

A software program that enables a computer to search its database and retrieve all references to a specified keyword.

Season:

One of the four natural divisions of the year, spring, summer, fall, and winter, in the North and South Temperate zones. Each Season, beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, is characterized by specific meteorological or climatic conditions; the two divisions of the year, rainy and dry, in some tropical regions.

A recurrent period characterized by certain occurrences, occupations, festivities, or crops.

See also: social season.

Season's Greetings:

Sometimes written on a Christmas card as a way of expressing a Christmas greeting, especially to someone who is not from a Christian culture.

Seasonally Adjusted:

The adjustment of statistics to take account of the fact that business activity varies with the seasons; for example, sales figures are distorted during the Christmas and summer holiday periods. Seasonally adjusted data remove the exceptional influence and show the underlying trend.

Seat Filler:

A Seat Filler is a person who fills in an empty seat during an event. There are two types of Seat Fillers:

1): a person who subscribes to a seat-filling theatre club. Members of these clubs help fill in unsold seats for theatre, music, film, sporting events, dance performances and other live events. The producers of the event give complimentary tickets to the seat-filling organization, who pass them on to their members.

2): a person who takes up spare seats when the person allocated the seat is elsewhere. An example of this is the Academy Awards in which many of the audience are either gaining awards, once they win the award the recipient needs to wait for an appropriate time to return to their seat, or because the member of the audience is involved in producing the show. Seat Fillers are primarily employed so that when TV cameras show audience shots there are no empty seats.

SEC:

Short for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, United States federal organisation which supervises information provided by companies whose shares are offered to or dealt in by the public.

Second Chance:

In a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action. The practice is also sometimes referred to as a "do over."

Any minor blunder which is allowed to pass unnoticed or without consequence.

Second Nature:

An acquired behavior or trait that is so long practiced as to seem innate.

Second Opinion:

A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.

A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert.

Second to None:

Better than anyone or anything else.

Secondary Market:

A market in goods or services which have already been sold to a consumer at least once (especially markets in financial instruments such as bonds and shares).

Secondment:

A temporary job taken by an employee with an organization other than the one with which they have a contract of employment. For example: "He normally works for Rolls-Royce, but he is on secondment this year to the Ministry of Defense."

Secrecy Clause:

See: non-disclosure agreement.

Secretary:

A person who does the formal correspondence required by either an individual or an organization. Hence a company Secretary is responsible for all the official correspondence between the company and the government or regulator. Company Secretaires may also have personal Secretaries who type their letters for them. From the French word Secrétaire, meaning a writing table with drawers in which to keep paper and pens.

Sect:

A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice.

A religious body, especially one that has separated from a larger denomination.

A faction united by common interests or beliefs.

Section:

One of several components; a piece.

A subdivision of a written work; a distinct portion of a newspaper.

Law: a division of a statute or code.

A distinct area of a town, county, or country.

Sector:

A group of companies with some sort of commercial activity in common. The transport Sector, for instance, comprises companies involved in transport (airlines, train operators, and so on). The airline companies alone constitute the airline Sector.

Secondary Colors:

A Secondary Color is a color made by mixing two primary colors in a given color space.

See also: complementary colors and primary colors.

Secularism:

Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs.

Secured Credit Card:

A credit card that is linked to a corresponding savings account or other form of collateral. Typically a sum of money equal to or larger than the line of credit is deposited in an interest-bearing savings account. This is used as security against a potential future loss against the card-holder's liabilities. The advantages of a Secured Credit Card are no-questions-asked privacy and the ease of approval of credit.

Secured Loan:

Any loan which gives the lender the right to take possession of assets belonging to the borrower should the loan not be repaid on schedule.

Securities:

Securities can include notes, stock, treasury stock, pre-organization subscriptions, voting trust certificates, partnership interests, investment contracts, and certificates of interest in oil, gas, or mineral rights. Both the offer and sale of securities are regulated by state and federal governments, and care must be taken to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Security:

Freedom from risk or danger; safety; freedom from doubt, anxiety, or fear; confidence.

One who undertakes to fulfill the obligation of another; a surety.

Something which is pledged by a borrower to a lender as collateral for a loan. Should the loan not be repaid, the lender has the right to take the security in place of the repayment. The security for a mortgage is the property that has been purchased with the mortgage loan.

A document which demonstrates its holder's right to a share in a company's equity or to the ownership of one of its bonds. In this sense the word is generally used in the plural (that is, securities).

Sedan:

A closed automobile having two or four doors and a front and rear seat.

Seduce:

To lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct.

Seduction:

Something that seduces or has the qualities to seduce; an enticement.

Seed Money:

The first (small) investment in a project. Seed Money is usually designed to enable the project's backers to prepare a business plan and to do enough market research to persuade a sizeable financial institution to back the project more fully.

Segment:

Any of the parts into which something can be divided.

Mathematics: the portion of a sphere cut off by two parallel planes.

Biology: a clearly differentiated subdivision of an organism or part, such as a metamere.

Segmentation:

The breaking up of a market according to the characteristics of its consumers. This enables a product to be sold in different ways to different ways to different segments of its market. Selling pensions to university students requires a dramatically different approach from the way in which they are sold to middle-aged managers.

Seigneur:

A man of rank, especially a feudal lord in the ancien régime.

In Canada, a man who owned a large estate originally held by a feudal grant from the king of France.

Seismograph:

An instrument for automatically detecting and recording the intensity, direction, and duration of a movement of the ground, especially of an earthquake.

Sekundogenitur:

Back in 17th-18th century common name for secondary lines of royal houses from the Latin "secundus genitus" - the second-born (son).

Self-Employed:

Someone who works for themselves and is not employed by an organization. Self-Employed people have to handle their own tax affairs and have no perks.

Self-Made:

Having achieved wealth, success, status, etc., by one's own efforts.

Self-Regulation:

The regulation of an industry done by the industry itself, as opposed to the regulation that is done by government. Industries have an interest in regulating themselves to ensure that no rogue in their midst blackens the reputation of all of them. Most of them prefer to set the rules by which they are judged themselves rather than have the government do it.

Self Storage:

Self storage facilities are businesses composed of real estate or personal property cargo transit containers divided into self storage spaces that are rented to tenants, usually on a monthly basis.

Seller's Market:

A market in which demand outstrips supply and in which sellers can get rid of as much product as they can lay their hands on.

Sem Fabrica:

Spanish for "without a factory", an expression used widely in Latin America to describe elderly entrepreneurs who have sold their businesses and are now living comfortably on the proceeds.

Semantics:

Of or relating to meaning, especially meaning in language.

Semester:

The period of time each year when the school is open and people are studying.

Semiconductor:

A material with conductive properties between those of a conductor such as a metal and an insulator.

Semiconductor material such as silicon is used as a base for manufacturing integrated circuits and other solid-state components, usually by depositing various types of doping substances on or into its surface.

Seminar:

A small group of advanced students in a college or graduate school engaged in original research or intensive study under the guidance of a professor who meets regularly with them to discuss their reports and findings.

A course of study so pursued.

A meeting for an exchange of ideas; a conference.

Semiotics:

The theory and study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or other systems of communication, and comprising semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics.

Semper Fi:

Short for: Semper Fidelis - latin for "Always Faithful".

Semper Fidelis has served as a slogan for many families and entities, in many countries, dated to have been started no later than the 16th century.

Senior:

Higher in rank or length of service.

Senior Debt:

A loan which has first call on a company's assets in the event of a liquidation of the company. A secured loan is Senior Debt; an unsecured loan is known as junior debt.

Sensationalism:

Subject matter that is calculated to excite and please vulgar tastes.

Sense:

Any of the faculties by which stimuli from outside or inside the body are received and felt, as the faculties of hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste, and equilibrium; a perception or feeling produced by a stimulus; sensation.

Sense Memory:

Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help define a character in a certain situation.

Sensitivity Analysis:

Calculation of the extent to which one business variable is affected by changes in another. For instance, calculating the percentage increase in sales for each 1% reduction in the price of a product.

Sentimental:

Characterized or swayed by sentiment.

Affectedly or extravagantly emotional.

Resulting from or colored by emotion rather than reason or realism.

Appealing to the sentiments, especially to romantic feelings.

Sentimental Value:

The value of an article in terms of its sentimental associations for a particular person.

SEO:

Short for: Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results.

Visit: Beginner's Guide to SEO from SEOmoz.

Sequel:

A Sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.

In many cases, the Sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A Sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear in a number of stories. Although the difference between more than one Sequel and a series is somewhat arbitrary, it is clear that some media franchises have enough Sequels to become series, whether originally planned as such or not.

Sequels are attractive to creators and to publishers because there is less risk involved in returning to a story with known popularity rather than developing new and untested characters and settings. Audiences are sometimes eager for more stories about popular characters or settings, making the production of sequels financially appealing.

If the main character dies at the end of the first work, a new character (perhaps a son or daughter, or a supporting character) may take up the role in the Sequel. In other cases, the main character is simply brought back, or determined not to have died, or simply replaced by a new character.

In movies sequels are quite common.

Sequence:

Serial arrangement in which things follow in logical order or a recurrent pattern.

Serenade:

A complimentary performance given to honor or express love for someone.

Serial Killer:

A Serial Killer is typically defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time (a "cooling off period") between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification.

Serial Number:

A number that is one of a series and is used for identification, as of a machine, weapon, or motor vehicle.

Serif:

In typography, Serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols.

SERP:

A Search Engine Results Page (SERP), is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a keyword query. The results normally include a list of web pages with titles, a link to the page, and a short description showing where the Keywords have matched content within the page.

Serum:

A clear, watery animal fluid, as serous fluid.

Blood Serum containing agents of immunity, taken from an animal made immune to a specific disease by inoculation: it is used as an antitoxin and for diagnosis.

The whey of milk.

Server:

A computer that hosts information available to anyone accessing the Internet.

Service:

An act of help or assistance.

Non-tangible benefits supplied by businesses to consumers.

A religious discourse delivered as part of a church Service.

Service Economy:

An economy in which service industries (those which supply services rather than finished goods or raw materials) predominate. Most rich countries are service economies today.

Service Mark:

A Service Mark or servicemark is a trademark used in some countries, notably the United States, to identify a service rather than a product.

Service Mark Symbol:

The Service Mark Symbol, designated by ℠ (the letters SM written in superscript style), is a symbol commonly used in the United States to provide notice that the preceding mark is a service mark.

Serviced Office:

A Serviced Office also known as 'executive suite' is an office or office building that is fully equipped and managed by a facility management company, which then rents individual offices or floors to other companies. Serviced Offices, which are also referred to as managed offices, business centers, executive suites or executive centers, are often found in the business districts of large cities around the world.

Companies offering Serviced Offices are generally able to offer more flexible rental terms, as opposed to a conventional leased office which may require furnishing, equipment, and more restrictive leases. Space is normally flexible, allowing for additional space to be allocated at short notice, should the size of an individual business change. Serviced Office providers often allow tenants to share reception services, business machines and other resources, providing reduced costs and access to equipment which may otherwise be unaffordable.

See also: maildrop.

Session:

A meeting for execution of a group's functions.

Set:

A group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used.

The manner in which something is positioned.

Set-Off:

The attempt by one party to a contract to reduce its obligations under the contract by the amount of a counter-obligation arising elsewhere. Thus if A owes B $1m for one deal and B owes A $100,00 for a completely different deal, A might pay B $900,000 and call it quits. But what if B does not acknowledge the debt to A?

Settlement:

The act or process of settling.

Establishment, as of a person in a business or of people in a new region; a newly colonized region; a small community.

An arrangement, adjustment, or other understanding reached, as in financial or business proceedings.

Settlor:

The person who creates a trust.

Seven Deadly Sins:

Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

Seven Oceans:

Modern geographical classification schemes count Seven Oceans in the world: the North Pacific Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.

Seven Seas:

After the European discovery of America, some people used the term Seven Seas to refer to seven of the largest bodies of water in the world: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Seven Virtues:

Chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Visit also: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Wikipedia.

Several Liability:

The liability of group of people for which they can only be sued individually, and then only for that part of the overall liability incurred by each of them. Several Liability thus creates Several Liabilities.

Severance Pay:

An amount of money to which employees are contractually entitled if their employment is brought to a premature end through no fault of their own. Severance pay is often related to the individual employee's length of service with the employer.

Sex Appeal:

Physical attractiveness or personal qualities that arouse others sexually.

General appeal; power to interest or attract.

See also: oomph.

Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'Roll:

A nickname for the lifestyle of Rock stars. The three things are stereotypically connected, and none can be separated from the others.

Sfumato:

Sfumato is one of the four canonical painting modes of the Renaissance (the other three being Cangiante, Chiaroscuro, and Unione). It refers to a mode of painting in which there are no extreme darks or lights, as the brightness values are grouped more or less tightly together around middle gray. It corresponds to the concept of 'low-contrast' in photography.

The most prominent practitioner of Sfumato was Leonardo da Vinci and his famous painting of the Mona Lisa exhibits all the advantages of the technique.

SGML:

Short for: Standard Generalized Markup Language. SGML (computer science) a standardized language for the descriptive markup of documents; a set of rules for using whatever markup vocabulary is adopted.

SGPS:

Short for: Sociedades Gestoras de Participatoes Sociais. A Madeira holding company specifically designed to take advantage of European Union Directive 90/435 of July 23, 1990.

Shades of Grey:

The possibility of uncertainty.

Shadow Director:

A person who is not a director of a company but under whose shadow the official directors operate. Shadow directors are often the founders of companies which have gone public. They have been removed from the board, but they will manage to exert considerable influence over it.

Shadow Yacht:

A Shadow Yacht is a trailer yacht for your mega yacht - a floating garage of a sort that tags along with your main yacht to carry your collection of helicopters, cars, motorcycles, jet skis and motorboats. To buy one, visit Shadow Marine.

See also: superyacht, giga yacht & yacht.

Shanghai:

To kidnap (a man) for compulsory service aboard a ship, especially after drugging him.

To induce or compel (someone) to do something, especially by fraud or force.

Shangri-la:

An imaginary remote paradise on earth; utopia.

A distant and secluded hideaway, usually of great beauty and peacefulness.

Shantytown:

A town or a section of a town consisting chiefly of shacks.

SHAPE:

Short for: Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. SHAPE is NATO's military headquarters in the Belgian town of Mons 60 km south of Brussels.

Shapewear:

Shapewear (also known as foundation garment) is a fitted underwear, especially a girdle, that is designed to hold a part of the body in a particular form.

Shard:

A piece of broken pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig; a potsherd.

A fragment of a brittle substance, as of glass or metal; a small piece or part.

Share:

A portion of something, in particular of the equity of a company.

Share Certificate:

Documentary evidence of the holder's ownership of a share in the equity of a company.

Share Index:

An index, such as the FTSE 100, of the prices of leading shares quoted on a particular stock market. Their price movements act as a proxy for the market as a whole.

Share of Stock:

Represents ownership in a corporation.There exist several different types (common and preferred) and classes of shares with different privileges and rights, such as registered shares (with or without par value), preference shares, (non-)redeemable shares, shares with or without voting rights and bearer shares etc.

Share Option:

An option to purchase shares at a given price and within a specified period of time. Share Options are frequently offered to senior managers as part of their remuneration packages. The prices at which the options can be exercised ensure that the managers make a sizeable capital gain if the company performs well while they are running it.

Share Premium:

The amount of money that a company raises from a share issue that is in excess of the nominal value of the shares.

Shareholders / Stockholders:

Shareholders, who own the issued stock of a corporation and are thus its owners, elect directors and vote on fundamental matters, e.g., merger, sale, dissolution. Shareholders do not own specific corporate property; they merely own an interest in the corporation. Some state statutes use the term "shareholder"; others refer to "stockholders."

Shareholders' Funds:

The total value of the shareholders' st