Tagged Questions

3
votes
5answers
155 views

Difference between “jargon” and “technical terms”

Each subject matter has its own set of terms called jargon which is expressed in its particular grammatical rules. Technical terminology or Term of Art is the specialized vocabulary of any specialized ...
0
votes
2answers
95 views

Difference between ‘“folder” and “directory”

What is the difference between folder and directory in the context of computer science?
1
vote
1answer
77 views

Correct translatation of the German word “Folgeverhalten” in the technical domain of control feedback systems

I have asked various online dictionaries about the translation of the German word Folgeverhalten. At these dictionaries it is translated as "subsequent behaviour" or "following behavior". I am in ...
2
votes
1answer
37 views

Word for a pane showing fictional characters in columns [closed]

In the manga/anime world you sometimes come across panes that show some of the characters of a certain manga or anime series arranged into columns. Here are some examples: Bleach Gotei 13 Bleach ...
-2
votes
1answer
83 views

"Science journal” vs. “science magazine”

What is the difference between the terms journal and magazine? Is it correct to call a magazine a journal? For example, I found the Journal of Radio Electronics and the Radio-Electronics Magazine, ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views

Hypernym for “conjunction” and “disjunction”

Is there a hypernym for conjunction and disjunction, in their logical senses? Just using "junction" doesn't seem right to me.
3
votes
5answers
141 views

Is there a word for something that gets “acted upon”?

For instance, say I have two individuals and one is active, the other passive. I know I can call the active person the "actor"—he "acts upon" the passive person. But what do I call the "acted upon"? ...
0
votes
3answers
71 views

Synonyms for 'extra' (noun)

Recently I came across the word 'extra' in following meaning: "a person engaged temporarily to fill out a crowd scene in a film or play". I have a strong feeling that there should be some ...
0
votes
2answers
48 views

Is there a hypernym for persons and companies as entities?

I have to describe owners of certain properties and those can be persons or companies. I was thinking of naming them entities, but that seems too broad.
2
votes
2answers
186 views

What is the term for those cylindrical metal or plastic protrusions?

What is the term for those cylindrical metal or plastic protrusions that are inserted into mounting holes to mount a thing onto another thing? At first I thought of tab, but to me that makes it sound ...
-1
votes
1answer
131 views

What term describes the relationship between 'collectivism' and 'collectivisation'?

What is collectivism, in terms of grammar, of collectivisation? Put another way: Collectivism is the [which word?] of collectivisation? Another example word pair might be centralism and ...
1
vote
4answers
217 views

What's the meaning of boilerplate in programming?

I am not very clear about the word boilerplate when it comes to programming. How is it different to other similar terms such as template and prototype? I would appreciate some examples that clearly ...
0
votes
1answer
126 views

What is the opposite of an agent noun?

Is there a simple phrase to describe the object of an agent noun performing an action? The adviser helped the advisee. The employer fired the employee. Is there a phrase similar to "agent ...
6
votes
4answers
132 views

Name for number format used in “Section 3.2.1”

Does that kind of numbering style have a common name or names? To be fair, it is really more of an "identifier" since it certainly not a scalar (one-dimensional) number. It isn't fair to call it a ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views

Megafauna is to animals as what is to insects?

I'm aware of several species of "giant" insects, such as the Meganeura (giant dragonfly) and the Arthropleura (giant centipede) — but I was wondering if anyone knew of a loose term similar to ...
1
vote
2answers
103 views

Is there a term for referencing the main character in a first-person song?

Is there a specific word for the protagonist when the singer sings from the protagonist's point of view? For example, in the song "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls: I remember what you ...
0
votes
1answer
165 views

Meaning of “permanent crop” [closed]

I came across the phrase "permanent crop" in The World Factbook, in a description of land use. What does it mean?
6
votes
3answers
274 views

What is the process called to change “fire” → “fiery”?

It's clearly not "conjugation", and I'm not even sure which keywords to use for google to help on this. Without having time to dedicate my next few days to read though linguistics textbooks, I thought ...
4
votes
1answer
307 views

What is the word for nouns with gender-specific forms?

Thought I would try a question with visual aid.* The image below shows Claire Danes, "Actor", in a kiosk poster for the Met. The variation in usage between actor and actress for female thespians is ...
7
votes
1answer
105 views

Term for use of descriptor or noun in place of proper name?

What is the term for the literary use of a 'descriptor' in place of a proper name, as in Shakespeare's play Much Ado about Nothing, when Benedict refers to Beatrice as "Lady Disdain" instead of Lady ...
8
votes
6answers
2k views

Is there a single word that expresses “music end-users / enthusiasts”?

To help a soon-to-be sister site out here, I was thinking English.SE perhaps could lend a helping hand as this is the best place for "word choice and usage". I'm not looking for "naming", but rather ...
1
vote
0answers
94 views

How to properly build the “article is <some words> deletable/creatable?” question? [closed]

I have a minimum limit number, 1, a maximum limit number, 10, an "entity", article, and a question whose answer should state (one between true or false) if the number of current articles exceeded the ...
-1
votes
0answers
60 views

What is the antonyms of “capitalize”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Is there an antonym for “capitalize” (as in letter-case) What is the antonyms of "capitalize"? I am referring to the following meaning (original reference): ...
-3
votes
6answers
204 views

What are correct words to use in order to name a user that updates something?

I would like to find correct words to use in order to name a user that updates something. That is, if for a user that creates something I say "creator user", what may I say for a user that updates ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views

Term or phrase representing all objects inside of a parent object

I am programming an iOS App and I have an alert popup that asks a user to confirm the deletion of a directory. I want to show the following message: "DIR is not empty! Deleting this folder will ...
5
votes
1answer
108 views

Technical term for “copy-catting nature”

There is a term for copy-catting nature for practical situations such as cars, systems, etc. For example an engineering project where some part is designed according to bird wing. This methodology of ...
2
votes
3answers
355 views

Term for buzzing or hissing sound often created by vibration

Specifically, I am referring to the hissing, buzzing, S-like, or fuzzy sound that is created when electronic speakers play sounds or music near their volume or frequency limits. I recall having ...
3
votes
4answers
83 views

Name to distinguish between parameters used for 'is not equal' operations and those used for 'is equal' operations

I am writing a dating website (for example) which allows a person to search for partners matching certain features. i.e "non-blondes in New York". I am having trouble trying to find the perfect words ...
5
votes
3answers
4k views

In navigation, what's the difference between bearing, heading, direction, and course?

Specifically, in real-world use, I would think that "course" and "heading" tend to imply a vector of movement, while "bearing" and "direction" might refer only to which way one is facing. I am ...
8
votes
2answers
143 views

Term for an event being referred to by its location or date

Is there a term for referring to an organization by its city rather than by its name? mentions synecdoche and metonym as terms used when an organization is referred to by its location. Do these terms ...
1
vote
2answers
248 views

Word for “library staff member”

I'm looking for a word to indicate a member of a library's staff. The obvious choice, librarian, is not appropriate, because it refers to someone with a specific degree, usually in Library or ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views

Relation between “concept” and “conception”

concept: an abstract idea; a general notion conception: the way in which something is perceived or regarded These two words are troubling me because it seems that there is a way that concept ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views

What are the treads on the side of the highway called?

On the sides of most highways (in the U.S. at least), there are rough treads just outside the travel lanes to snap a driver to attention if the vehicle is drifting off the road. Is there a name for ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views

“Notepad” vs. “notebook” — what's the difference?

Can you please tell me the difference between a notepad and a notebook (as in paper, not electronic ones)? To me, they are the same but I guess there must be some difference.
3
votes
1answer
880 views

Is “Monday” a proper noun or a common noun?

I can understand why Monday is an abstract noun (it isn't something we can perceive with any of our 5 senses), But is Monday considered a proper noun or a common noun?
11
votes
5answers
1k views

What do you call a slip of the tongue in writing?

Is there any phrase or word that can be used to describe a slip of the tongue that happens in writing? Calling it a slip of tongue directly feels awkward, especially when the written text is never ...
3
votes
3answers
444 views

“Normalization” vs. “canonicalization”

It seems both normalization and canonicalization are used to describe the effort to transform from an arbitrary form to a unique form. Is there any difference between the two words? Why is there XML ...
0
votes
4answers
149 views

What's a generic noun for referring to the bulk material of pure chemical elements?

What's a generic noun (single word or multi-word term) for referring to the bulk material of pure chemical elements? I am talking about H2, O2, lead, diamond, graphene, etc, but not chemical ...
17
votes
8answers
2k views

What is a good, short, word to describe a software engineer?

What should I call a person who write software, computer programs ? I know he/she is a software engineer, can I call him/her as "Coder"?
8
votes
2answers
2k views

What is the difference between a “stanza” and a “verse”, as applied to English literature?

What is the difference between 'stanza' and 'verse' in English Literature (Poetry)? I've read one of my classmate's essays and the word 'verse' cropped up - I thought that the word 'verse' was usually ...
4
votes
1answer
673 views

What is a group of dragonflies?

As per title, what is the name of a group of dragonflies? Some friends say it is a mob, some say it is a hover. Anyone?
3
votes
1answer
342 views

What is the name of equipment that is used in films, like when saying “scene one, take two”?

What is the name of equipment that is used in films, like when saying "scene one, take two"? The equipment is usually black and white in color.
9
votes
3answers
4k views

What would be a a linguistic term for those nouns ending with -ing?

What would be a a linguistic term for those nouns ending with -ing? Examples: building, scaffolding, ending. What are some other examples, and what do they all share in common semantically?
5
votes
5answers
265 views

Term for people in artistic formation

Is there a term for a group of people arranged in such a way as to appear from an aerial vantage as a specific shape, picture or word? Examples:
47
votes
8answers
4k views

Which term correctly identifies those who enjoy programming/technology: “geek” or “nerd”?

Which term correctly identifies those who enjoy and are involved with programming and technology, geek or nerd?
10
votes
3answers
9k views

Difference between an acronym and abbreviation?

TLA is an acronym for "Three Letter Acronym". Is it also an abbreviation, since it abbreviates the original phrase?
7
votes
4answers
2k views

What are: province, territory, protectorate, state…?

Often a country will have regions called "provinces" or "states". Other times they are called "territories" and "protectorates". Is there a generic term for these words? Is there a full list of ...