General Information (A)


Ab
Ab is the 11
month of the Jewish civil year.

Aba
An aba is a sack like garment worn by
Arabs.

Abacus
An abacus is a counting frame with balls sliding on wires. It was first used before the adoption of the ten digit numeric system and is still widely used in
China.

Abaft
Abaft means towards the rear of a
ship.

Abbey
An abbey is a body of
monks or a monastic building.

Abbreviate
Abbreviate means make shorter.

Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a short form of a word or words.

Abdicate
Abdicate means to renounce one's thrown.

Abdomen
The abdomen is the part of a creature's body between
diaphragm and pelvis.

Abduct
Abduct means to take away by force or fraud.

Abecedarian
The Abecedarian were the followers of
Nicholas Storck, a 16th century German Anabaptist. They were so called because they rejected all worldly knowledge including learning the alphabet.

Aberration
Aberration is another word for error.

Ablution
Ablution is ceremonial washing.

Abnormal
Abnormal means deviating from normal.

Abode
Abode is a place where something lives.

Abomasum
An abomasum is the fourth
stomach of a ruminant.

Abort
Abort means to terminate early.

Abortion
Abortion is the expulsion of the
foetus from the uterus.

Aboulia
In
psychology aboulia is the loss of will.

Abracadabra
Abracadabra is a
qabbalistic magic word.

Abrasion
An abrasion is a sore place on the
skin caused by rubbing.

Abridge
Abridge means to shorten by condensing.

Abscess
An abscess is a
pus filled infection of an animal.

Abseil
In
mountaineering abseil means to descend using a rope.

Absinth
Absinth is a strong
alcoholic drink containing from 60 to 80 percent alcohol. It contains wormwood oil which gives it its distinctive taste, but also toxic qualities.

Absolute Temperature
Absolute Temperature is temperature based on the absolute zero of temperature (-273 degrees Celsius or o degrees
Kelvin) at which a body possesses no thermal energy.

Absorber Circuit
In electronics, an absorber
circuit is a combination of a resistor and a capacitor in series, connected across the terminals of a switch or other circuit-breaking device in an oscillatory circuit. Its function is to damp the circuit and thus to prevent sparking or arcing when the current is interrupted.

Absorptiometer
An absorptiometer is an instrument for the accurate measurement of the absorption and transmission of
light by semi-transparent substances and used for the determination of turbidity, fluorimetry, etc.

Abstract
Abstract means theoretical rather than practical.

Acardia
Acardia is the condition of a person born without a
heart.

Accelerating Electrode
An accelerating
electrode is an electrode in an electron tube which is maintained at a positive potential with respect to the cathode and any other electrodes situated between the cathode and the accelerating electrode, thus imparting acceleration to electrons in the direction away from the cathode. Although this definition includes the anode of the tube, the term is usually reserved for accelerating electrodes other than the anode.

Accelerating Grid
In electronics, an accelerating grid is an
accelerating electrode in the form of a grid.

Acceleration
Acceleration is the rate at which a moving body increases in
velocity.

Accelerator
An accelerator is a device for increasing speed.

Accelerator Valve
An
accelerator valve is a thermionic valve employed as a particle accelerator.

Accelerometer
An accelerometer is an apparatus, either mechanical or electromechanical, for measuring
acceleration or deceleration - that is, the rate of increase or decrease in the velocity of a moving object. Accelerometers are used to measure the efficiency of the braking systems on road and rail vehicles; those used in aircraft and spacecraft can determine accelerations in several directions simultaneously. There are also accelerometers for detecting vibrations in machinery.

Accent
An accent is a local mode of pronunciation in speech.

Accolade
An accolade is a gentle blow on the shoulders with the flat of a
sword given by a Sovereign or his representative in conferring knighthood to the recipient.

Accomplice
An accomplice is someone associated with somebody else in the committing of a crime.

Accordion
An accordion is a small portable musical instrument with a keyboard and
bellows. It was invented by Damian in 1829.

Accounts
Accounts are a statement of income and expenditure.

Accumulator
In electrical terms, an accumulator stores electrical
energy.

Ace
An ace is a playing card with one pip.
In
tennis terms an ace is a non-returnable serve.

Acetal
Acetal is a colourless liquid formed by
oxidation of alcohol.

Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is a drug used to treat mild pain or fever. It has the
possible side effects of: Rash, itching and severe
liver damage with
over dosing.

Acetic acid
Acetic
acid is an organic acid with the formulae ch3cooh.

Acetic ether
see "
Ethyl Acetate"

Acetone
Acetone is a colourless liquid with the formulae ch2coch3.

Acetylene
Acetylene is a highly inflammable gas of the
hydrocarbon family used for welding and cutting metals.

Achor
Achor is (was?) a disease of infants, in which the head, face and breast become encrusted with thin, yellowish or greenish scabs.

Acid
An acid is a chemical
compound that reacts with metals to form salts by releasing hydrogen.

ACK
In telecommunications, ACK is the "acknowledge" character in many
data codes; used most commonly for an affirmative response of correct receipt.

Aclinic
The aclinic is a magnetic equator.

Acne
Acne is a
skin eruption due to inflammation of the sebaceous glands.

Aconitine
Aconitine is a
poisonous alkaloid derived from aconite.

Acorn Valve
An acron
valve is a form of thermionic valve used at ultra-high frequencies, in which, by adopting very small dimensions and special constructions, the inter-electrode capacitances, lead inductances and transit time effects are greatly reduced.

Acoustic
The term acoustic refers to hearing.

Acoustic Feedback
Acoustic feedback is the return of acoustic energy from the output of a sound reproducing equipment, such as a microphone-amplifier-loudspeaker combination, to the input or to an intermediate stage, thereby causing the system to generate sustained oscillations which are manifested as continual howling.

Acoustics
see "
acoustic"

Acre
An acre is a measurement of land area being 4840 square
yards.

Acridine
Acridine is an
organic compound with the formulae c13h9n used in dyes and drugs.

Acriflavine
Acriflavine is an
antiseptic powder.

Acromegaly
Acromegaly is a disease due to over activity of the pituitary
gland results in excessive bone growth, especially the skull.

Acronym
An acronym is a word formed from the initials of other words.

Acrophobia
Acrophobia is the fear of high places.

Acropolis
The acropolis was the citadel of ancient
Greek cities.

Acrylic
Acrylic is a synthetic fibre derived from acrylic
acid.

Act of Succession
The Act of Succession in 1534 declared the marriage of
Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon null and void, and settled the succession to the throne on the heirs of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn.

Actinide
An actinide is an
element with an atomic number between 89 and 103.

Actinium
Actinium is a
radioactive element with the symbol Ac.

Actinometer
An actinometer is an instrument for measuring heat
radiation.

Acts of Supremacy
The
Acts of Supremacy were passed in 1534 enacting that the King (Henry VIII) was the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England, with power to redress all heresies and abuses.

Adaptive Equalisation
Adaptive Equalisation is a telecommunications term referring to the equalisation of received digital signals capable of adjustment during actual transmission.

Adcock Aerial
an Adcock
aerial is a radio aerial system consisting of two vertical open-spaced dipoles with screened horizontal connections. It thus responds almost exclusively to the vertically polarised component of a received wave and is used for radio direction finding.

Adhesive
An adhesive is a sticky substance.

Adipocere
Adipocere is a substance in dead bodies formed by decomposition of fatty acids when exposed to moisture.

Adit
An adit is the horizontal entrance to a
mine.

Admiralty
The admiralty was the board of
state charged with the provision, organisation and control of the royal navy. It was founded by Henry VIII and amalgamated in 1964 into the ministry of defence.

Adobe
An adobe is a Mexican
house made of clay bricks.

Adult
An adult is a fully grown being.

Adytum
An adytum is the inner most part of a
temple.

Adze
An adze is a
carpenter's tool for cutting away the surface of wood.

Aeon
An aeon is an immeasurable period.

Aerial
An aerial is a receiving or radiating device used in radio communications.

Aerodrome
An aerodrome is a place where
aircraft are based.

Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a language used in the
Republic of South Africa.

Agar
Agar is a
laxative substance obtained from seaweed.

Agenda
An agenda is a list of tasks.

Aggry Beads
Aggry Beads are
glass beads prized by West African natives as ornaments and having magical and medicinal powers.

Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces.

Air
The air is a mixture of gasses enveloping the
earth.

Aircraft
An aircraft is a flying machine, a vessel which flies through the
air rather than floats on water or travels along a road or rail.

Aisle
An aisle is a passage between rows of seats.

Albugo
Albugo is an affection of the
eye, consisting of a white opacity in the cornea.

Alchemy
Alchemy was the medieval forerunner to
chemistry.

Alcohol
Alcohol is a volatile liquid derived from
hydrocarbons.

Alcoholic
see "
alcohol"

Aldehyde
Aldehyde is a
chemistry term applied to the compounds of alcohol intermediate between the alcohols and the acids.

Ale
Ale is an
alcoholic drink made from malt and hops.

Aleurometer
An aleurometer is a device used in bread making for measuring the quality of wheaten flour.

Algebra
Algebra is a division of mathematics dealing with relations.

Algebraic
see "
algebra"

ALGOL
ALGOL is an
algebraic computer language.

Algorithm
An algorithm is a set of rules.

Alkali
An alkali is a chemical substance.

Alkaloid
The alkaloids are nitrogenous
organic substances.

Alkane
The alkanes are the
paraffin series of hydrocarbons.

Alkanes
see "
alkane"

Alkene
An alkene is a member of the
ethylene series of hydrocarbons.

Alkyl
Alkyl refers to a substance which is derived from or related to the
paraffin series of hydrocarbons.

Allergy
An allergy is a hypersensitivity of body
tissue to a substance.

Alley
An alley is a narrow
street.

Allies
The Allies were various countries that fought the
Axis forces in the Second World War.

Alloy
An alloy is a mixture of a metal and other metals or non-metals.

Alluvium
Alluvium is river transported deposits of
mud, sand and gravel which accumulate to form distinctive features such as levees, flood plains and deltas.

Alpha
Alpha is the first letter of the
Greek alphabet.

Alpha Particles
Alpha Particles are the nuclei of the atom of helium, comprising two neutrons and two protons, and thus exhibiting a positive electric charge.

Alpha Rays
Alpha Rays are a stream of swiftly moving alpha particles. An alpha ray is capable of ionizing gases and of producing fluorescence in certain substances.

Alpha-tocopherol
see "
Vitamin E"

Alphabet
An alphabet is an ordered series of letters used in language.

Altar
An altar is a block used for making offerings to a deity.

Alternating Current
Alternating current is electric current which changes direction rhythmically, rising from zero to a maximum in the positive direction, falling to zero again and then increasing to a maximum in the negative direction before returning again to zero, after which the cycle repeats. The number of cycles per second is the frequency of the alternating phenomenon. British domestic alternating current exhibits 50 cycles per second, where as
American domestic alternating current exhibits 60.

Althing
The althing is the parliament of
Iceland, it was created in 930 and is the oldest parliamentary assembly in the world.

Altimeter
An altimeter is a device measuring
altitude.

Altitude
Altitude is height above mean sea level.

Aluminium
Aluminium is a light-weight silvery metal
element with the symbol Al.

Alundum
Alundum is a form of
aluminium oxide used in the manufacture of thermionic valves for insulating the cathode heater from the tubular cathode.

Ambaree
Ambaree is a fibre similar to
jute and largely used in India. It is obtained from Hibiscus cannabinus.

Amber
Amber is fossilised
resin.

Ambergris
Ambergris is a substance derived from the
intestine of the sperm whale and used in perfume.

Ambidextrous
Ambidextrous is having the facility to use the left
hand as effectively as the right.

Amenorrhoea
Amenorrhoea is a medical condition being the absence or suspension of menstruation.

American
American is a term referring to someone or something which comes from, or is found in,
America.

Americium
Americium is a synthetic chemical
element with the symbol Am that is the most frequently used element for superconducting devices. It is artificially produced from plutonium, and is used commercially in gauges, distance-sensing devices, and smoke alarms. Americium was first synthesized in a nuclear reactor in 1944 by Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James, Leon Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso.

Amice
An amice is a white linen vestment worn by
Roman Catholic and many Anglican priests when officiating at Mass or Holy Eucharist.

Amine
Amines are a class of compounds derived from
ammonia by the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms with organic groups.

Amino acid
Amino acids are fundamental constituents of all
proteins.

Amino acids
see "
amino acid"

Ammeter
An ammeter is a device for measuring electrical current.

Ammonia
Ammonia is a colourless gas. Formulae nh3.

Ammonium
Ammonium is the
basic radical of ammonium salts. It is comprised of one atom of nitrogen and four atoms of hydrogen.

Ammonium Chloride
Ammonium Chloride (Sal Ammoniac) is a fibrous mass prepared by neutralising ammonia with hydrochloric acid. It is used in medicine, dyeing and soldering. It has the formulae NH4Cl.

Amoxicillin Trihydrate
Amoxicillin trihydrate is a drug used to treat systemic infections and
acute and chronic urinary
tract infections. It has the possible side
effects of: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypersensitivity (rash) and
itching.

Amp
see "
ampere"

Ampere
The ampere is the fundamental unit of measurement of electrical current.

Amphetamine
Amphetamine is a drug that induces sleeplessness.

Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is a circular or ovular
arena surrounded by tiers of seats.

Ampicillin Trihydrate
Ampicillin trihydrate is a drug used to treat systemic infections and
acute and chronic urinary
tract infections. It has the possible side
effects of: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, glossitis (inflammation of the
tongue), stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth), hypersensitivity
(rash) and itching.

Amplifier
An amplifier is an apparatus capable of producing a magnified version of the input signal.

Amplitude
Amplitude refers to magnitude or size. It is the voltage or power of an electronic signal.

Amplitude Modulation
Amplitude Modulation is modifying a "carrier" signal by varying its instantaneous power to represent the information it carries. Most commonly called "AM".

Amylum
Amylum is an alternative name for
starch.

Anabaptist
The Anabaptists were a 16th century Christian sect, so called because they rejected infant baptism in reference of
adult baptism. They were a fanatical sect led by Nicholas Storck who intended reorganisation of German society based upon civil and political equality.

Anabaptists
see "
Anabaptist"

Anaemia
Anaemia is the medical condition of lacking
red blood cells.

Analgesic
An analgesic is a pain reliever.

Analogue Computer
An analogue
computer is a computing device in which the variables in a given problem are represented by physical quantities, such as lengths, pressures, electric charges etc., the calculations consisting in the manipulation and measurement of these quantities, the values of which may change continuously.

Anatomical Alloy
Anatomical
alloy is a fusible alloy consisting of 53.5 per cent bismuth, 19 percent tin, 17 per cent lead and 10.5 per cent mercury.

Anchor
An anchor is a heavy
implement used for securing boats at sea.

Andante
Andante is a musical term denoting a movement somewhat slow, graceful, distinct and soothing.

Anemometer
An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed.

Angiosperm
An angiosperm is a flowering
plant in which the seeds are enclosed within an ovary which ripens into a fruit.

Angst
Angst is an emotional
state of anxiety without a specific cause.

Angstrom Unit
The Angstrom Unit is a unit of length employed for the measurement of the wavelengths of
light and X-rays etc.

Aniline
Aniline (Phenylamine) is an oily liquid made by the reduction of nitro-benzene and used in the manufacture of chemicals, dyes and drugs.

Aniline Red
see "
Magenta"

Anion
An anion is a negatively charged
ion which, in an electrolye or in a gas-filled space, travels towards the positive electrode or anode.

Anker
The anker was a measurement used in
Britain and Germany for beer, spirits and the like. It was equivalent to 8.5 gallons.

Anode
An anode is the principal positive
electrode by which the current leaves an electrolyte, electron tube etc.

Anosmia
Anosmia is the inability to smell.

ANSI
ANSI is the
American National Standards Institute. The official repository of standards for the USA.

Anthrax
Anthrax is a disease of
sheep and cattle transmittable to humans.

Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humans as
animals.

Antiarin
Antiarin is a
poison exuded by the Upas tree and used by Javan natives for tipping arrows.

Antibiotic
An antibiotic is a substance that inhibits the
growth of micro organisms.

Antidote
An antidote is a drug used to counteract
poison.

Antimony
Antimony is a brittle, silver-white, pentavalent metal
element with the symbol Sb.

Antiseptic
An antiseptic is a substance which counteracts
blood or tissue poisoning caused by bacteria (sepsis).

Antonine Wall
The Antonine
Wall was a Roman line of fortification built around 142-200 AD as the Roman Empire's North West frontier between the Clyde and Forth in Scotland.

Anvil
An anvil is a block used by metal
smiths.

Anxiolytic
An anxiolytic is a drug used to reduce anxiety.

Apartheid
Apartheid is the policy of racial segregation of people. It was first established in
South Africa in 1948 restricting the rights of non-whites and establishing blacks only homelands.

Aperture
In photography, an aperture is an opening through which
light passes through the lens to strike the film.

Aphasia
Aphasia is difficulty in
reading, writing and speaking due to brain damage.

Aphelion
The aphelion is the point at which an object travelling around the
sun in an elliptical orbit is at its furthest from the sun.

Apogee
Apogee is an astronomical term referring to the position in the
orbit of the Moon which is farthest from the Earth. Opposite to Perigee.

Apollo Asteroid
The
Apollo Asteroids are a group of small asteroids whose orbits cross that of the earth. They were first discovered in 1932 and then lost until 1973.

Apollo Project
The
Apollo Project was the US space project to land a person on the moon. It was achieved by Apollo 11 in July 1969.

Appleton Layer
see "
F Layer"

Applique
Applique is a type of
embroidery used to create pictures or patterns by applying pieces of material to a background fabric.

Aqua
Aqua is another word for
water.

Aquatint
Aquatint is a method of print-making which was popular in the 18th century.

Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a channel in which
water flows by gravity.

Aqueous
Aqueous refers to a
solution based upon water.

Archeozoic
The archeozoic period was the first geological period. It was characterised by an absence of
animal life and extensive volcanic activity.

Archipelago
An archipelago is a group of islands.

Arcnet
Arcnet is a
LAN architecture developed by Datapoint Corporation featuring low cost for connection of groups of (Async) terminals to a (mini) computer within a premises.

Arete
An arete is a steep angular
mountain ridge.

Argon
Argon is an inert
gaseous element found in the air with the symbol Ar.

Aries
Aries is one of the signs of the
zodiac. Represented by the ram.

Armature
An armature is a part of an electrical motor or dynamo.

Armour
Armour is a protective covering.

Arms
Arms is a military term referring to weapons.

Army
An army is an organised fighting force.

Arroba
Arroba was a Spanish unit of weight equal to about 25
lbs. It was also used in South and Central America, where it was equivalent to about 32 lbs.

Arsenal
An arsenal is a place for storing weapons.

Arshin
Arshin is a
Russian unit of measurement equivalent to 28 inches.

ASCII
ASCII is the
American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
The most common code used for asynchronous data transmission by minicomputers and personal computers. Derived from the TWX code of the Bell Model 28 teleprinter, expanded to use all possible character combinations.
ASCII consists of 7 information bits with an 8th parity bit for error checking; numerous variations exist, for example use of the 8th bit in personal computers to extend the code with a number of graphics, special language characters and diacritical marks. Many common carrier data services cannot transmit the 8th bit needed to use that common PC extension of ASCII's alphabet.

Ascorbic acid
see "
Vitamin c"

Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first
day of lent, the seventh Wednesday before Easter.

Asphalt
Asphalt is a material used for road coverings.

Aspirin
Aspirin is an
analgesic.

Assay
Assay is the testing of an
alloy or an ore to determine the proportion of a given metal. An assay officer is someone who certifies the fineness of gold, silver and platinum.

Association Football
Association
Football is a variation of football played at Cambridge in the first half of the 19th century. A code of rules forbidding the use of hands was drawn up in 1863, and officially adopted by the Football Association, the governing body of the game, which was formed in the same year. Association football is played by teams of 11 a side with a spherical inflated leather ball 27-28 inches in circumferance and about 14 ounces in weight. The ground is 120 yards long and 80 yards wide having a goal at each end 8 yards wide with a cross bar 8 feet above the ground. The match is played in two halves each of 45 minutes with a 5 minute interval at half-time.

Astatine
Astatine is an
element with the symbol At

Astern
Astern is a nautical term meaning behind the
ship.

Asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planetary body.

Asthma
Asthma is a disease characterised by breathing difficulties.

Astrology
Astrology is the science of the relationship between events and the
stars.

Astronomy
Astronomy is the study of celestial bodies.

Asynchronous
Asynchronous refers to occurring without central control or in an unpredictable time interval between successive
elements; the typical mode of telegraphy, minicomputers and personal computers; requires s transmission of "start" and "stop" bits to provide decoding synchronisation at the receiver.

Athletics
Athletics is the sport of physical games.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is the
gaseous envelope surrounding a planet, such as that which surrounds the earth which is comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, argon carbon dioxide, helium, water vapour and other gases.

Atoll
An atoll is a circular, or horseshoe-shaped
coral island surrounding a lagoon with one or more openings to the sea.

Atom
An atom is the smallest quantity of a chemical
element which can enter into combination or take part in a chemical reaction.

Atoms
see "
atom"

Atrium
The atrium was the entrance
hall to a Roman house.

Atropine
Atropine is the
poisonous alkaloid found in deadly nightshade.

Attenuation
Attenuation is a term denoting a decrease in power between that transmitted and that received due to loss through equipment, lines, or other transmission devices. Usually expressed as a ratio in
dB (decibels). - Synonym: Loss; Antonym: Gain

Attenuator
In electronics, an attenuator is a network used to deliberately reduce the input signal to some piece of apparatus, or to reduce the degree of amplification of signals of particular frequencies.

Avoirdupois
The avoirdupois scale is a measurement of weight.

Axe
An axe is a metal
tool for chopping and cleaving.