The International Man's Glossary A-Z

"- something about everything!"

Created and maintained by KIM WEISS. As of Sunday, February 5, 2012: 6560 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cinema 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.

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.

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 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 to a company of servicing its capital: its equity (through dividend payments) and its loans (through interest payments).

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.

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