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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Is there a better word for the sound of a mechanical "whirr"?
I am struggling to find an adequate word that represents the buzz or whirr of mechanical movement, I want something that feels more technical.
If anyone is familiar with engineering jargon that might ...
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Paper size vs. Paper format [closed]
I'm a bit confused about the differences between the terms "Paper Size" and "Paper Format".
Is it:
This document is should be printed in paper size A4.
Or
This document should ...
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Is there a term for websites that answer a question contained in the domain name?
There exist sites such as https://shouldiblamecaching.com/, https://isitdns.com/, and https://isitchristmas.com/ that use the domain name to ask a question and show a simple yes or no answer.
Is there ...
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A hole carved out in wall for a wooden crossbeam
I once saw a word for a hole carved out in a wall on purpose to accept a wooden crossbeam that fits into the hole. I think it had a "p" in it, something like "pit hole" ?...
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Is there a (current or historical) word for the extremes on the left-right axis?
Is there, or has there ever been, an unambiguous word for "the leftmost extreme" or "the rightmost extreme"? Such words exist for the other two dimensions.
Imagine you are ...
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Term for words which can have the same or opposite meanings in same contexts [duplicate]
In Term for words which can have the same or opposite meanings in different contexts?,
hot and cool are opposite temperatures, but can also both be used to mean fashionably attractive/impressive.
I ...
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What is the English term for this type of high-crowned military cap (pictured)?
I am using AI image generators and I want to make some pics.
How do you call this headgear?
In Russian it is called "фуражка с высокой тульей" and Google search returns exactly this.
But if ...
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What is the origin of the verb 'foxed' in reference to book condition?
I ordered a book online, unseen, and the invoice told me the book, or at least its pages, were 'foxed'. I had never come across the expression, did not know the word could be a verb and discovered :
...
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“Core” as the name of a class in school
When I was in middle school (roughly ages 10–13 years old) in the US in the early 1970s, they combined English—or what might now be called language arts—with social studies into a single class that ...
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What are the things with information that are under or next to museum exhibits called? [duplicate]
I'm trying to figure out what the things the arrows are pointing to are called. (For a school assignment.)
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Is there a word for fans making excuses for their favorite artist? [duplicate]
The example I'm thinking of is Bethesda and Starfield. Other than the graphics it's not a well designed game, but people keep making excuses for it, when smaller teams have done far more with far less ...
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What is the grammatical structure of {the + superlative substantive}?
Example 1: This was the deepest a submarine had ever dived.
Example 2: The longest a person can hold their breath for is...
I've looked at a couple grammar resources including "the Cambridge ...
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Is there a word for discrimination at a level higher than species?
Richard Ryder coined the term speciesism to describe discrimination on grounds of species. This is concept is explored by Peter Singer in Animal Liberation Now and described by nature:
Singer rests ...
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Referring to the winter period [duplicate]
Since the winter period passes over the end of the year, which is the correct way to refer to the winter period which starts at the end of, say, this year 2023? Is it "this year's winter" or ...
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A term (or phrase) for when a person tries to represent the rarest scenario as the most common
For context:
This term or phrase is what it's called when a person (very often used in political debates) will try to take the rarest occurrence of any particular topic and present it as if it's the ...
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What is the grammatical name for “the countless flashes of red from swords and spears”? [closed]
What is the grammatical name and function for this string?
the countless flashes of red from swords and spears
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Term for a false implication trap like "if you're smart you'd agree with me"?
I hear this kind of false implications pretty often, e.g.:
If you're smart you'd agree with me
People who understand the situation would all agree that ...
Anyone who says something else must be ...
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Is there a term for the device of repeating the exact same word twice immediately to emphasize its sincerity or power? [duplicate]
I already know the term anaphora exists for repeating the same word for emphasis. I'm specifically interested in a term for repeating a word twice without additional clarification to express that ...
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How to characterize Machiavelli's phrase, "The ends justify the means"? [closed]
This question has been raised and thoroughly discussed: "How to characterize the phrase, 'The ends justify the means.'" I wish to add a thought. As I was writing a book for publication, I ...
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What is the overall-encompassing term for the "fruit-like" plant growths that we use for harvest and consumption
What is a good term for plants whose parts, either as tubers, roots, or fruit/seeds are harvested and consumed? I exclude plants such as hemp and flax whose fibres are used, or, for example, poppies ...
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Word for terminology related to mathematical premises
I have seen some mathematical texts that use words like Lemma, Theorem, Corollary, etc. What would be the appropriate description of such terms? Do they fall under some linguistic category? Is ...
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Is there a better term than "Jargon" to describe words like Phishing, Vishing, Smishing, and Qishing? [duplicate]
Assuming "phreak" is a portmanteau of "phone" and "freak," giving us the term "phreaking" to describe the illicit act of hacking telephone networks, and "...
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What is an object (talisman, amulet, salt circle etc.) that hinders or stops an evil spirit called?
What is an object that hinders or stops a spirit (specifically evil) called? I.e. a talisman, salt circle, or any other enchanted object.
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Specific type of deception or logic error
The word I'm looking for should describe a case where, during a logical argument, a person uses a word with multiple definitions in sense (1) in one part of the argument, but in another part of the ...
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What is the word for the fusing of, for example, "-ed" and the final consonant "d" to give the ending (with voice removed) of "bent"?
Instead of giving the past tense form bended, the verb bend fuses together bend and -ed and removes voice, producing bent.
Lent and sent are produced in similar fashion.
What's the word for the fusion ...
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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 ...
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A term for mixture used for palatography
When doing palatography, one needs something to paint the tongue with. It is usually a mixture of olive/sunflower oil and powdered charcoal. The question is, what can this substance be called? Is it a ...
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The usage of "can not" vs. "cannot" in mathematics
I saw the following passage in Professor West's homepage, and I hadn't noticed this point before. See https://dwest.web.illinois.edu/grammar.html#cannot
"Can not" and "may be". ...
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What is the trade of an electrician called?
For example, a carpenter works in carpentry and a plumber works in plumbing. So what trade does an electrician work in? Electrical?
I searched the definition for "electrical" and found that ...
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Is there a name for this kind of sentence structure where a clause is in subject position and **it** appears anaphorically in the matrix clause?
An early 15th century example of a clause deployed in subject position but with an anaphoric it as object of the verb in the matrix clause:
Þat þe sones of pore men gouernen may riche remes, telle it ...
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Do etymologists refer to when a word was first written, rather than when it was first used (spoken)?
I've never thought about the definition of when a word was invented. I've just joined Stack Exchange and am wondering how etymologists define first use.
etymnonline dot com has
image (n.)
c. 1200
...
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What’s it called when you use more than the first letters of words in making an acronym?
I’ve noticed acronyms that aren’t the traditional first letters of a series of words. For example MOND Modified Newtonian Dynamics.
Is there a word to describe this different kind of acronym?
If not ...
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Is there a term for words that are stronger than a similar counterpart? (e.g. Dislike vs. Hate)
Title says it all, but some more examples could be:
like vs love
pleasure vs euphoria
carelessness vs apathy
etc.
...essentially words that carry more weight than their counterpart despite having ...
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Which is the more idiomatic: equivalence/equivalencies or equivalency/equivalences?
Most articles show the plural form of equivalence as equivalences. The wikipedia on logical equivalence uses this form.
However, I feel like I have seen equivalencies used in contexts like mathematics ...
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Looking for a word for animals that defecate anywhere
There is a word for animals like horses and cows that defecate wherever they happen to be when the need strikes them, versus animals like dogs and cats that seek out one place or another to do their ...
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Difference between freight, cargo, and shipment?
I surfed the internet and found countless definitions for these terms and they are "kinda" representative of what you'd find on the internet:
Freight: Freight refers to the goods or ...
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What's the term for this grammatical problem? "John has gone home and a hat" [duplicate]
What is the term for the grammatical error where the same word is used to tie together two phrases, but in conflicting ways?
For example:
"John has gone home and a hat" - "John has gone ...
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Is there a term for when the verb and the object it is acting upon are the same word? [duplicate]
Examples:
I can throw a good throw.
I want to run a long run today.
Scoop me a scoop, please.
She gave me drinks to drink.
I really like these simple sorts of sentences, but I've never seen any ...
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1
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Does a suffix need to be an affix?
I understand that according to Collins Dictionary, a suffix is an affix that follows the stem to which it is attached, as for example -s and -ness in dogs and softness. It has, however, a second ...
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What are the long metal things in stores that hold products that hang from them?
What are the long metal things in stores like Walgreens that hold things like gummy bears or nuts or hair clips? The metal things are straight and then at the end they curve up, and they are connected ...
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What is the backdrop of a theatre play act called?
I'm not sure where else to ask this since I'm not very familiar with this area.
What is the backdrop of a theatre play act called?
Like when the actors are behind the curtains and their silhouettes ...
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A word describing someone's preference to have a lineally/genetically-related child
I'm looking for a word that effectively conveys an attitude showing a preference for having a child related to oneself ... ie, a lineally/genetically-related child.
In particular, a word that would ...
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Is there a word to describe languages that are read/written from right to left? [duplicate]
Are there words that describe the directionality of languages? I only see compound words, such as left- to- right or top-to-bottom. I would have thought a human practice so ancient as language would ...
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1
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How to tell which is "port" and which is"interface" on electronic devices (e.g., PC)
I cannot simply know where to use "port" and "interface", because these two words translate into one same word in my native language. So, I wanna figure out the difference between &...
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What does it mean 'to reference' and what are the requirements of 'coreferentiality' in the context of descriptive grammar?
I would like to understand exactly what is meant in a grammar discussion when someone uses the word "coreferential". I understand it to mean that two or more constituents (e.g. a noun and ...
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"Recipe/cooking" style word for adding something in large amounts
The way the words "dash of" or "pinch of" refer to adding some ingredient in small amounts, is there a similar (cooking) term for adding large quantities of something?
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Is there a term for instances of letter sequences that aren't pronounced as a single sound?
We don't pronounce "th" in "pothead" as a single logical sound, or "ph" (as "f") in haphazard. They are consecutive letters pronounced individually.
Is there a ...
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Is there a term for a robot-like machine that is virtually occupied and driven by a human?
The existing English language term needs to refer to a robot that can navigate environments and it incorporates a human who is present virtually inside the robot from a remote location. The human ...
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Term meaning multiple different layers across many eras?
I'm looking for a word or term I heard once in a modern art class that refers to an art piece that contains multiple layers from different eras. The example used in the class that I distinctly recall ...
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What is it called when a sentence is continued after an ellipsis?
It there a term for when a sentence is broken off by an ellipsis, and then continued?
Consider this example from Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time (2001, p. 10):
“They were… non-life forms.”
I know ...
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