Questions tagged [technical]
This tag is for questions related to the use of technical language. Consider [terminology] tag for seeking or discussing a term (or terms) belonging a specialized subject.
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Problems with understanding a requirement in a technical document
I'm following the advice of a user who answered a question on StackOverflow.
Page 15 section 4.A.4 of NIST call for proposal (the 2016 one) says:
For the purpose of estimating security strengths, it ...
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Meaning of . . . "fill up on a clean break"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XIII, published 1892)
Passage 210
Thence we turned our attention to the table, which stood spread, as if for a meal, with stout ...
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Use of the verb ‘output’ [closed]
I need some advice on the use of output as a verb.
To put it in context, I am working on a desktop app that uses some of the functionality of MS Word. In the app, there is an element called a binding ...
2
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1
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Tech-related: should I capitalize the word 'Git' in this context or not?
Which one is proper: the one with 'Git' capitalized or the one without?
Configure git commit signing. or
Configure Git commit signing.
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Why do we say "narrow artificial intelligence" but "artificial general intelligence"?
When discussing artificial intelligence, we often distinguish between "narrow artificial intelligence" and "artificial general intelligence".
Why does the word "artificial&...
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Is there a word like "likeness" referring to a person's appearance, but their voice instead?
AI is topical at the moment, with some actors' likenesses being used as training data for some purpose or another. "Likeness", however, has the connotation of being about appearances, i.e. ...
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What is the opposite of a technical layperson?
I want to convey in my resume that I have provided technical documentation that is easily digestible not only by people familiar with the subject, but also by laypersons.
However, I cannot think of a ...
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What is the extension of "pair" to more than two? [duplicate]
What comes after "pair"? Maybe "quad" for four? In cards it's "three/four of a kind" but what about contexts beyond cards (like science)?
For example, in physics there's ...
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4
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Ways to describe partially functional phones in a single word
I have several phones that I am currently describing as “partially dysfunctional”, or “functionally impaired”.
What are some alternative terms (single words only) that are still formal and neutral ...
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What’s the Word for representing someone else and taking actions on their behalf/in their name”?
I am looking for a word. The context may seem technical, but it's really not, and you don't need any technical knowledge to understand the idea/context.
Context Demonstration:
I am developing a ...
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6
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212
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'Pair' versus 'set' when referring to two things that aren't the same but still go together
Can the word "pair" be used for two things that are not exactly the same but are part of the same package?
Let's say that we have two color schemes (or themes) for a computer program. One ...
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Key binding or key bindings (tech term)
Does anyone know if the term key binding can be used for a combination of keys pressed, for example CTRL (Control) + SHIFT + m? Or should I use key bindings (plural) because there are three keys ...
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3
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How should we describe the largest group in a set when its share accounts for less than 50%?
General idea
What is the best way to describe a group that has the largest share of something but doesn't have more than 50%? I'm tempted to use the word "most", but I mentally associate it ...
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Do you click, tap, tab to or select a link in 2023? [duplicate]
Considering the many ways in which people can interact with web or app content – and especially wanting to include alternative accessibility tools, such as screen readers and more – is there a "...
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What is a "stone core"?
In a book I'm reading, I found this:
Of course, even the most primitive tools of Home erectus (flaked stone cores called 'hand-axes') are far more sophisticaed than anything used by chimpanzees, […]
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Term for an English language course for technical jargon in a specific field
What is the proper term for the English language course in which technical and specific terminology related to a particular field of study (Engineering, Medical sciences, Applied sciences etc.) is ...
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Best words to use for distinguishing between a "physical server" (hw, computer) and a "software server"
I'm looking for two (if possible short) words to describe two concepts, which, unfortunately can be both described as a "server", which is confusing:
"hardware server" - a ...
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Meaning of "shall be of" in regulation language
There is an interesting style in some regulations e.g, in NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) I often see "shall be of".
For instance; Sprinklers shall be of the open or automatic ...
1
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1
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289
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Is the word "serie" used in English? (as a singular of "series")
As a continental, I would normally use serie to describe a single set, and series to describe multiple sets:
I own a BWM 1 Serie, but I own a collection of 5 Series
My favourite TV serie is The ...
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What did this person mean by this confusing remark?
This confuses me massively, and I'm unable to ask him through a comment:
if the TV is unplugged, there's no power. A capacitor isn't going to hurt you through a stream of water, and that's only for ...
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Term for introducing a new work/idea that is different in some aspects relative to previous ones
How to introduce a work, e.g. a publication or report, in a field in which there are many similar works but the new one considered the topic from another perspective that is not common among previous ...
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Less formal term for "dimensions" for something that can be measured in units
In scientific/engineering writing and calculations we use terms that are considered "dimensions" and for each "dimension" we have to have "units" when we describe them.
...
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111
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Is there a word stronger than "promote" but weaker than "enforce" in a technical context? Maybe "force"?
Context: Scientific paper targeting at computer scientists, engineers and mathematicians
I am searching for a word similar to "promote", "push", "force", "enforce&...
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64
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To clutch in a gear changing context
I'm a portuguese speaker and we have a slang verb, "debrear", which means to step, all the way to the floor, on the clutch pedal, or, motorcycle-wise, to pull the clutch lever all the way in....
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549
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Accessible as in web accessibility
In web development the term accessibility is used when working with features such as screen readers. When talking about accessibility the wording sometimes makes it unclear whether one is referring to ...
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1
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630
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Period usage in Figures and Table captions [closed]
In technical writing I see that some templates do no use a period after Figure number. For eg I see "Fig 1 Machine Schematic" instead of "Fig 1. Machine Schematic". I see the ...
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2
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What is the word/phrase for what the end user of a computer sees and interacts with?
If you were to divide everything that makes up a computer and its software into what the average user interacts with, and everything else that works "behind the scenes", what would the "...
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35
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Word to group some interrelated computer programs [closed]
I am looking for a word to group some interrelated computer programs, to name my github repository
The group includes (or github repo) these programs:
dwm — a window manager for unix like operating ...
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3
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Should we say "item number" or "items number" when refering to "number of items"?
Let's consider a table with multiple specified containers. Each of those containers has multiple items inside. We'd like to have that table to look like:
|Container_A | 7 |
Where the "7" ...
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210
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What pronouns to use in technical documentation
I am writing some documentation for a piece of software and I am struggling on what pronouns to use.
I didn't want to use gender related pronouns as my subject is the user so I used they/their, but it ...
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To describe something as a 'quarter' or 'half' of something do they need to be of a certain size?
If I split something into two unequally sized pieces can I say for example, this is 'my half', or I have the 'bigger half' of a cake? I hear this a lot with natural English speakers. If I split ...
user443414
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Word for registering a domain name of a competitor (or known name) and redirect it to your own website
I'm in a niche hobby, and recently there's been a very disgusting trend happening: webshops registering the domain names of other shops with only minor, but very common typos; or register a domain ...
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Terms in a specific context. Are they proper nouns and/or technical terms?
Currently I am writing a report where I explain some basic concepts for developing plug-ins in Moodle. During this I am a bit struggling about the using of typical Moodle terms.
Moodle has, for ...
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Suffix in adverbs: The use of the term 'normally distributed' in place of 'normal distributed'
When a word is used as an adverb then it is normally combined with a suffix like "-ly" or "-ian".
Like 'normal' becomes 'normally' and the previous sentence is an example of its ...
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Single medical term for "taking a pulse"
I have been searching for a technical/medical term to use in place of "taking a pulse". I see some texts use "palpatory measurements" in place of the colloquial "taking a ...
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Utilize the active voice in sentences when an actor is undefined [closed]
I am writing the technical documentation that describes some actions to be done.
For example:
The new sewer water line may be connected to the old one in room A546 or to the new one in room A549.
I ...
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Replace "per 100,000 people" with a more general term
I want to title a graph. If it represented percentages, I could say something like "Percentage of people in full-time employment". If it contained fractions I could write "Fraction of ...
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What are the English terms for the Dutch words "kooktraject" and "smelttraject"
If a material has a melting temperature range instead of a melting point, then the dedicated Dutch word "smelttraject" applies. Similarly, "kooktraject" indicates a boiling ...
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Singular use of “the young” to mean animal offspring?
The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University has a webpage about butterflies in which I read the following:
Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees have complete metamorphosis. The young (...
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What do you call the layout that organizes the decorative moldings and ornamental features of a building?
In french it's called Modénature.
Is there an equivalent in English ?
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Italics is to italicize, as bold is to...? [duplicate]
I'm trying to find the right phrasing for I actionably make something bold in a given text document. Clearly I know that when I put something in "italics", I'm actionably "italicizing&...
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Differences between “Approach,” "Perspective," and “Paradigm”
My question is related to this one: Differences between “methods”, “methodologies” and “paradigms”
In lectures, we learned
In statistical practice, there are two main schools of thought or
paradigms:
...
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Hypernym for wheels, tracks, etc
Is there a hypernym for wheels and tracks (possibly also, though rarer, mechanical legs and hovecraft skirts), that is the interface or system that supports a vehicle on land and that (except for ...
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What does the term "ticky-tacky" in the song "Little Boxes" mean and what is its etymology? [closed]
The song "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds has these lyrics:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a ...
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76
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What is 'e. m.' in this sentence?
What does this abbreviation (e. m.) stand for? It seems to me that e.m. is an abbreviation of 'essential medical'. Is this a technical phrase?
They evac’d only 27 e.m. plus 1 officer from Maisaka, ...
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What Do You Call a Store that Sells Obsolete Equipment?
I think of the sort of place you could buy a power cord for a flip-phone ... and the word that comes to mind is 'radio shack'; not because of the company "Radio Shack"--which sells the same ...
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Questions about history and usage of the word "paren"
This is related to an earlier question: "parentheses" vs "parenthesis" but is about etymology of the related (and apparently informal, per wikitionary ) word "paren" and ...
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Values manager vs. value manager [duplicate]
When writing software documentation I very often have to describe things like a value manager, a value cache or a device map. These are usually components of the software system.
In practice the ...
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Many users, one address each: Users address? Users addresses? User addresses? [duplicate]
In the context of writing a technical document, I need to refer to a data structure that contains a list of addresses, in fact one address for each user in the system.
Should I call this data ...
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105
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Which article a/the should be used in API documentation?
For example:
some_field - an/the description of smth
In what cases articles should be/should not be used?
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