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.
3,474
questions
1
vote
1
answer
125
views
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 ...
- 163
4
votes
2
answers
331
views
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 ...
- 151
0
votes
0
answers
62
views
How to translate "Travail de fin d'études" [closed]
In French-speaking countries, at the end of their studies, students write a paper or document their internship in a formal way. This, document is not a thesis as it does not propose an argument to ...
- 165
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
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 ...
1
vote
3
answers
90
views
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 ...
- 185
16
votes
12
answers
4k
views
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". ...
- 301
15
votes
5
answers
3k
views
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 ...
- 159
1
vote
1
answer
77
views
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 ...
- 2,310
-1
votes
3
answers
99
views
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
...
- 17
0
votes
1
answer
106
views
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 ...
- 279
1
vote
1
answer
62
views
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 ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
19
views
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 ...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
107
views
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 ...
- 307
0
votes
0
answers
47
views
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 ...
- 29
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
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 ...
- 101
1
vote
0
answers
48
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
94
views
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 ...
- 121
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 49
1
vote
1
answer
90
views
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 ...
0
votes
2
answers
133
views
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 ...
- 431
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
78
views
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 &...
- 303
4
votes
0
answers
83
views
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 ...
- 2,310
0
votes
2
answers
94
views
"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?
- 109
2
votes
0
answers
52
views
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 ...
- 488
0
votes
4
answers
127
views
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 ...
- 19
7
votes
4
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 510
2
votes
1
answer
83
views
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 ...
- 181
-1
votes
1
answer
75
views
What is the word to describe using the phrase "no one" when you actually mean "most people"? [duplicate]
Example:
No one would ever do that.
Most people wouldn't do that
- 9
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
Samey metaphors -v- unlike metaphors
Often metaphors are likenesses where there's a direct connection. For example on the news somebody describes a crash/ earthquake/ explosion as It was like a bomb going off.
What about where the two ...
- 217
1
vote
1
answer
36
views
The opposite of "shell protection"
In security, we speak about different strategies of protection. Mainly, there are three to consider. First kind, usually called shell protection corresponds to the act of preventing the intrusion ...
- 2,214
0
votes
1
answer
60
views
Is "volume bar", "volume slider” and “volume rocker" the same thing on mobile phones?
I just came across the words from the site "https://www.androidpolice.com/gmail-mark-all-messages-read/", which indicate, as for me the same thing but by using different words in the article ...
- 303
3
votes
2
answers
115
views
How did "quantum" come to mean "smallest amount"?
In Latin, it simply means "an amount", which can be of anything and of any size. In modern English, especially in physics, it means the smallest amount physically possible, i.e. a physically ...
- 41
0
votes
2
answers
46
views
Word for mouthpart that doesn’t imply that it applies to the mouth [closed]
Is there a word that refers to the organs/appendages used for processing food that do not imply that the organ/appendage in question is around a mouth or other orifice for food?
Example sentence:
The ...
- 543
1
vote
0
answers
53
views
What is it called when someone addresses you by addressing their dog? [closed]
A friend said something to their dog and it was meant for me. I told her that I am pretty sure that is passive aggressive, but don't think I am correct.
What is this called?
I attempted wording it ...
- 19
3
votes
10
answers
839
views
Word for the collectively leadership and important roles in a society
I am seeking a term for what can collectively be referred to as "the leader and/or the most important and powerful roles" in the hierarchy of a society.
I have an example from the YA series ...
- 185
1
vote
2
answers
168
views
What's a term for a question where the options are Response/No Response instead of Yes/No?
Is there a specific term for a question, such as Are you asleep? and Can you hear me?, where the binary is Response/No Response rather than Yes/No?
I feel like there are other aspects of this concept ...
4
votes
2
answers
112
views
Etymology of 'Priscilla' to refer to a type of curtain
Squashed between Priscian and Priscillian in Merriam-Webster Online, there's a peculiar entry, priscilla. It's not just a Biblical name, it appears, but also some sort of curtain.
priscilla:
[noun - ...
- 7,936
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Can Tumbleweed be used to describe a tall, gangly, and clumsy person? [closed]
My friends and family call me Tumbleweed because I'm tall and clumsy, but sometimes I wander if there's more to it when my "friends" call me Tumbleweed. I was wandering if Tumbleweed can be ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
Is 'Desktop' the best term for a PC based on a 'table'? [closed]
Since ALL operating systems have a 'Desktop' - The area of the screen that contains your regularly used shortcuts, taskbar, menu and notification areas.
It would be more accurate to be 'Workstation' ...
- 11
7
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Words for diagonal directions
I'm a mathematician currently working on a problem involving splitting a square into two triangles, either by a line connecting top-left and bottom-right, or top-right and bottom left. I'm trying to ...
- 273
2
votes
0
answers
47
views
Is there an accepted term for this style of management?
There are terms for different management styles—for example seagull management, mushroom management, and micromanagement. What I am looking for is a term that describes management which changes well-...
- 1,268
2
votes
3
answers
183
views
What's a word for pliers and similar tools with a scissors action?
Is there a word for all tools with a scissors action, e.g. scissors, pliers, side cutters, single hole punch, cable crimper, lopper, secateurs, post hole digger, etc.?
Specifically, any tool that ...
- 29
0
votes
1
answer
73
views
Word for the back side of a letter
The back side of a coin is called reverse, the left or back side of a bound manuscript is the verso, but what is the back of a piece of paper such as a letter (not the envelope) called? Dictionaries ...
user481181
3
votes
1
answer
110
views
How did 'man of war' get that name?
In chapter seven of Gulliver's Travels it is written:
But hurried on by the precipitancy of youth, and having his imperial majesty’s license to pay my attendance upon the emperor of Blefuscu, I took ...
- 1,710
8
votes
1
answer
764
views
Is there a grammatical term to describe this usage of "may be"?
I have found a sentence that goes like this: "Serenity may be the name of the company, but it doesn't describe the company."
Someone translated this sentence to my language as if "may ...
- 569
2
votes
2
answers
130
views
What are these kinds of classifications called?
While browsing EL&U I sometimes see people pointing out in their answer that some words have been used in an unusual way (or should I call it structure?), producing sentences like "the writer ...
- 569
0
votes
0
answers
39
views
When is a genus name without an initial capital letter acceptable in formal (but not necessarily in a scientific context) English? [duplicate]
In biology, the scientific name of a species (known as the "binomial name" or just the "binomial" or sometimes even just the "binomen") is written as a pair of words in ...
1
vote
3
answers
72
views
Weird question - is 'arrived' technically deponent?
Yes, I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but I do have concrete examples to back it up:
The sentence, "The newly arrived travelers ate breakfast" sounds perfectly reasonable to me ...
- 215
4
votes
1
answer
158
views
Is there a name for such political abbreviations as "libfem" for liberal feminism and "ancap" for anarcho-capitalism? [closed]
In the last ten years or so, I've seen these strange abbreviations all over the Internet. Besides the ones in the above title, I've seen these examples: "tradcath", "nazbol", "...
- 376