Questions tagged [terminology]
This tag is for questions seeking or discussing a term (or terms) belonging or peculiar to a science, art, or specialized subject (e.g. linguistics, mathematics, physics, biology, finance, theatre, music, philosophy, astronomy, medical, nautical etc.). Consider adding [single-word-requests] and [phrase-requests] tags also if relevant.
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What scientific literary English term describes a person who makes money from the misfortunes of others?
I forgot the scientific term in English that describes a person who makes money from the misfortunes/problems of other people.
«Nineteen Eighty-Four» (1984) mentioned the term "prole", which ...
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What is the general term for terms that end in -ian, -ist etc.?
All the terms with a definition starting with 'One who... ', what is the term to describe these terms?
Like, Occupation is the general term for a particular line of work; Mechanic, Doctor, Dentist, ...
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Slang words describing the persons in the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme? [closed]
¿Are there slang words describing each of the three persons in the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme:
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What is a Word for the Repetition of a Theme Song throughout a Show [duplicate]
What is a word to describe the theme song of a show, such as a movie or cartoon, in which it recurs often, but in a toned-down mode such as played softly by a single horn or string instrument. The ...
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What does it mean to "drop one's line of sight" [migrated]
In the wake of the Donald Trump assassination attempt several bloggers are referring to this tweet by a former secret service agent. He is explaining why the snipers did not take out the attacker ...
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How are called the fouls made with the sole? Translation of ‘planchazo’
Need help for an English equivalent of this action, I didn't find anything:
planchazo (also plancha)
Adelantamiento frontal de la suela del pie, que constituye una infracción en varios deportes.
???
...
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I’m confused by how the term “syntactic marker” is used in CGEL
I am confused about the term syntactic marker as
used in The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL),
by Huddleston and Pullum.
They say that to, for, that, but, and, nor, either,
neither etc....
2
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1
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What do you call the difference between when a verb expresses an actual state vs a potential state? [closed]
Sometimes, the exact same verb can express two different but closely related meanings:
The subject [S] is actually performing an action [V]
The subject [S] is capable of performing an action [V]
To ...
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1
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What is a word or term to describe two things that are directly related in an opposite manner? [duplicate]
I’m looking for a word or term that describes two things that are directly related to eachother in an opposite manner. They go hand-in-hand but are not necessarily opposite in a dictionary, yet can be ...
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1
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Correct term for the question as many possible answers
I'm trying to think of a word. So my brother does things without thinking and I try to think of everything that could happen as a result of that decision. Almost a chain effect result. But I can't ...
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What is the word for the sky opposite the sunset? [duplicate]
This question landed me here on this site. I’ve Googled, looked on Reddit, Quora, looked in Websters, Encarta, and asked people I know, but haven’t found any satisfying (to me, anyway) answers. I’ve ...
3
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1
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Specific term for a "Synonym Phrase"?
Is there a specific term for a pair of phrases where each word technically has the same or similar meaning, but when taken together, has a completely different meaning or implication?
I used Synonym ...
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3
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Term for pronouncing every letter, like t in water
Native USA English speakers frequently skip (or elide?) certain letters, like the t in water, and modify others.
What is a term for someone who (self-consciously?) pronounces every voiceable letter?
P....
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1
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Meaning of phrase "We meet you where you are"? [duplicate]
A local homeless shelter has the following paragraph on their website:
... We accept people unconditionally, and we meet them where they are. People get a chance to really see Christ here, instead of ...
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1
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Looking for a word that is grouping a bunch of supportive phrases [duplicate]
What would the word be for a list of phrases you would say to someone if they posted that something negative happened to them? People reply things like
sorry to hear that
hope you're ok
but you're ...
0
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1
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What is the machine that the beer taps are attached to called? [closed]
A beer dispenser? A beer dispensing system?
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1
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Is there a term for this?: When you act like someone doing something offensive isn't offensive because you personally don't find it offensive?
I was on one of many of Reddit's "circlejerk" subreddits (pretty much troll pages) and I came across an interesting question:
What's the opposite of virtue signaling? You know,when you act ...
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1
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A word encompassing both extraploation and interpolation?
Interpolation is predicting values within a range of data.
Extrapolation is predicting values outside a range of data.
Is there a word that encompasses both meanings, such that I could use it to refer ...
0
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0
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Term for the belief in the inherent value of the natural as opposed to the artificial
What is the term for the belief that natural things are generally superior to their manufactured counterparts, as when people wish to buy "natural" foods without "chemicals"?
4
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1
answer
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Is there a term in business for when employees do not give their ideas or inventions to the employer?
Let's say you work for a big corporation. And you come up with an idea that may be worth billions. But you don't share your idea with your employer, like you are supposed to. You leave the company to ...
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These stereocilia become progressively longer on the side of the hair cell away from the modiolus [closed]
Can someone paraphrase this for me? Does it mean the largest cilia is the nearest to the modiolus or it means the largest cilia is the farthest from the modiolus?
2
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Is there a word or phrase that describes when there is a mismatch between a standard call and response type interaction e.g. greetings & farewells
I have noticed this especially in children when they reach around 5-9 years old, when you ask them questions like, "What's up?", they will automatically respond with, "Good!". Or, &...
2
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1
answer
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Is there a rhetorical device to describe the use of ", then,"?
Is there a name to describe the use of ", then," after the subject of a sentence for dramatic effect when reaching a conclusion?
Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, ...
3
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1
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What is a Reggie in slang? Origins and Characteristics
I read a blog and the blog told me that "Reggie" is a slang term often used to refer to low-quality or mid-grade marijuana. It's derived from the term "regular," indicating that it'...
5
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1
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What is a night equivalent for words referring to day parts?
I'm looking for exact equivalents for words like Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. I'm on a graveyard shift and I dislike specifying the actual hour, plus it makes greetings weird. Currently I just use ...
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2
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What is the U.S. equivalent of the term "grassroots employees" in the field of management?
The term "grassroots employees" is used in an academic paper to mean employees who are not supervisors, managers, or leaders. This term has only 29,000 google hits. A cursory google search ...
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3
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What is it called when someone does not know their purpose in life? [closed]
what is it called when someone does not know their true purpose or role in life?
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What is the word for (style of) answering a question/problem with a question to "deflect" answering the original question back?
See also: Is there a word for answering a question with a question?
Looking specifically for the type of question, style or technique that shifts the responsibility for finding the solution for the ...
3
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1
answer
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Etymology of "guard" as a position in grappling
In grappling martial arts and combat sports, particularly Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the word "guard" refers to a type of body position on the ground. In a guard position, one person (the one who &...
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Is there a good term for a 'paper trail' that actually consists of e-mail communication?
I've seen "digital paper trail" and "electronic paper trail", but I'm wondering if there is a better (more elegant, widely used?) term for a record of electronic communication that ...
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1
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Is "work routine" the correct term for a strictly defined work process?
The place I'm currently consulting at has defined a strict set of workflows to follow when different types of incidents happen.
To me, "workflows" are more guides that have been created to ...
4
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3
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What does one call the left and right sides of a building, in order to fix a point of view?
With shields, we have sinister and dexter, meaning the bearer's left and right respectively.
With ships, we have port and starboard, which are the left and right sides as viewed from aboard facing the ...
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3
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Term for a single piece of jargon
I believe there’s a three-word phrase that means “a specific piece of jargon, used in a different sense than it’s normal meaning.” It’s something like word of practice or word of field. It feels more ...
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What’s the term for the common part of coordination?
What do you call the part that is common to a list?
Example:
I buy apples, bananas and citrus fruit.
can be expanded to three sentences
I buy apples.
I buy bananas.
I buy citrus fruit.
How do you ...
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2
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What is the origin of the term "post" as in "post a journal to the general ledger"?
I understand what it means to post a journal, but I'd love to know the origin of the term.
I've not been able to find an explanation from Google. My intuition is that it might refer to a historic time ...
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Origin of “best-in-class”
This snippet was taken from the Stack Overflow Blog, featured 29 February, 2024
Defining socially responsible AI: How we select partners
[…] Together with Stack's strong developer community and ...
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What's a pithy term to describe what a spy does when he/she socializes with a target to get information?
I'm working on a roleplaying game, and I want a pithy name for a skill that modern intelligence agents call "elicitation of intelligence." Setting is the interwar period in Europe (between ...
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What is the metric name or designation for nominal ½″ copper pipe in the various English dialects where metric dimensions are used?
I hope this question is as on-topic as this question about distances.
I need to know what people call nominal ½″ copper pipe (the stiff unbendable kind used in domestic plumbing) in English dialects ...
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Word for the final instance of awarding a perpetual trophy
We have a perpetual trophy that has been awarded for almost four decades. The Award is being retired, and presented to a worthy recipient one last time. How do I refer to this instance of the awarding?...
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What kind of word is "Brother" or "Sister"? [duplicate]
Some Christians use "Brother" or "Sister" before referring to someone, and usually they prefix the word before their name (e.g. Brother Aaron).
I am asking what the use of this ...
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Why ternary not ternal?
Why is is the base-2 numeral system called binary, the base-3 one called ternary, when base-8 is octal and base-10 is decimal?
The different suffixes, -ary vs -al, are what I am concerned about.
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2
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Is there a term for when people use a definition from a different context?
This type of thing happens a lot online.
People will say something like "strawberries aren't actually berries technically" or "tomatoes are actually fruit" when people are taking ...
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0
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What term describes a phrase like "in English, please"? [duplicate]
The phrase "in English, please" has different meanings in different social contexts. In one context it might mean literal English language, and in another it could imply a response in layman'...
2
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3
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What do you call an answer that disagrees with the question?
For example, if person A said "Why should we do x?" and person B said "I don't think we should do x", what would you call this?
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3
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What is a more inclusive version of "pedestrian"?
A pedestrian [noun] is a "person going on foot" (Merriam Webster).
Is there a more inclusive term that also includes people in wheelchairs and other mobility devices, but excluding people in ...
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1
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What is the category name used for words describing mathematical operations?
Refer to this question for more examples.
We have multiplication, which has "multiply" as the verb. But we say "a times b".
Similarly, we have division, which has "divide"...
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Is there a word for when the name of something describes or defines how it is made?
I am wondering if there is a word for this as described in the title.
My example: I am writing about a SWANA ingredient/food product by the name of "Freekeh", which is based on the Arabic ...
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2
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interlock vs intersect, which one is precise?
I would like to use word interlock for FIG.A
and not sure I could use it for FIG.B, is insert or slide better for FIG.B,
anyone could help with this?
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Drinking vs drinkable
Knowing that drinkable refers to safe to drink, why do we often say drinking water in stead of drinkable water?
I find potable water (i.e.water fit/ safe to drink) synonymous with drinking water. So, ...
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2
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What word can be used for one who values the original version of literature over the altered one?
I'm wanting to refer to someone who would not appreciate anyone overlooking the fact that monks altered Beowulf and I'm wanting to say "be sensitive to the originalists" when speaking about ...