Chambers
`Dictionary of
`Science and Technology
`
`General Editor
`John Lackie
`
`Chambers
`
`1
`
`APPLE 1026
`
`|
`
`1
`
`APPLE 1026
`
`

`

`Co
`
`|e*
`
`v\
`© 503 CHA
`
`CHAMBERS
`An imprint of Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd
`7 Hopetoun Crescent
`Edinburgh
`EH7 4AY
`
`This edition first published by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd 2007
`
`© Ghambers Harrap Publishers Ltd 2007
`Previous edition published in 1999. Previously published in 1995 as Larousse
`Dictionary ofScience and Technology. First published as Chambers’s Technical
`Dictionary in 1940 by W&R Chambers Ltd (revised 1958, 1971, 1974 and 1984).
`
`All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a
`retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying
`or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
`
`A CIPcatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
`
`ISBN-13: 978 0550 100719
`
`Text design by’Ken Wilson
`Typeset by Macmillan India Ltd
`Printed in Italy by LegoPrintS.p.A
`
`2
`
`

`

`1182
`
`i
`
`.
`
`synthetic sapphire (Min)
`
`See sYN
`
`f
`
`synthetic sands
`
`System x
`systematic errors (CivEng, MathSci) Errors which ™
`rmined amount of. pigmentary material. Can beTeiegauhos from natural stones only bythe merous
`always in the same direction, ie errors which are alw,
`e
`positive or always negative. Sometimes known ag cum
`expert examination.Similarly for eeae have
`lative errors. In eg calculations such errors can arise .
`synthetic sands (Eng) Sands deficient in
`clay which
`|ot ee
`always rounding fives upwards.
`Y
`been blended with bentonite or other clay-like matert
`systematics (BioSci) The branch of biology that deals With
`make them suitable: for aeen
`classification and nomenclature.
`syntheticspinel (Min) Spinelproduced,inaa"a
`system building (Build, CivEng) Methods designeg te
`increase the speed ofconstruction by preparing componen,
`fine colours, by the VERNEUIL PROCESS; In
`Chemica”
`| el
`parts of the building in a factory before assembly on Site,
`optical characters identical with natural magnesian spinel,
`system crash (ICT) Occurs when the operating system ;,
`— ae ‘ ERENTAESARANCE
`unable to control the computer and human intervention i
`syntony
`(ElecEng)
`See CURRE
`Metin
`ay
`synusia. (BioSci) A group ofplants with similar life form
`neededto restart.
`.
`SystémeInternational d’Unités (Genri) See si units,
`and ofthe sameor unrelated species, occupying a similar
`system engineering (Space) ‘A logical process of ACtiVities
`
`itat,egwoodland herbs. ..
`syphilid (Med) Any skin affection caused by syphilis. Also
`which transforms a set of REQUIREMENTSarising from ‘
`specific mission objective into a full description ofa
`syphilide, syphiloderm, syphiloderma. é
`:
`;
`syphilis (Med) A contagious venereal disease dueto infection
`which fulfils the objective in an optimum way,It ensures
`that all aspects of a project have been considered and
`with the micro-organism Spirochaeta pallida (Treponema
`pallidum); contracted in sexual intercourse, by accidental
`integrated into a consistent whole.
`contact or (by the fetus) from an infected mother.
`system flowchart (ICT) See DATA FLOWCHART.
`syphiloma (Med) A syphilitic tumour. See GUMMA.
`systemic (BioSci) Something distributed throughoutthe
`syphon(Genrl) See SIPHON.
`organism, not limited to a particular place. Thus the
`Syrian garnet (Min) A name for ALMANDINE of gemstone
`systemic circulation carries blood to the body as a whole,
`uality.
`syringitis (Med) Inflammation of the Eustachian tube.
`systemic insecticides are distributed though all thetissues
`of a plant.
`syringobulbia (Med) A disease characterized by increase of
`systemic arch (BioSci) In vertebrates, the main vessel or
`neuroglia and the presence of cavities in the medulla
`vessels carrying blood from the heart to the body asa whole,
`oblongata, giving rise to such nervous phenomena ‘as
`systemic lupus erythematosus (Med) A disease of
`paralysis of the palate, pharynx and larynx. See syRINGO-
`humans characterized by widespread focal degeneration
`MYELIA,
`of connective tissue and disseminated lesions in many
`syringomyelia (Med) A chronic, progressive disease of
`tissues including skin, joints, kidneys, pleura, peripheral
`the spinal cord in which increase of neuroglia and the
`vessels, peripheral nervous system and transient abnorm-
`formation ofirregular cavities cause paralysis and wasting
`alities of the central nervous system. Numerous auto-
`of muscles and loss of skin sensibility to pain and to
`antibodies are present in the blood, of which the most
`temperature. See SYRINGOBULBIA.
`constant are anti-nuclear antibodies. The lesions are
`syringomyelocele (Med) A form of spina bifida in which
`mainly the result of the deposition of immune complexes.
`the part protruding through the defective spinal column
`Abbrev SLE.
`consists of the greatly distended central canal of the spinal
`systemic pesticides (Agri) Pesticides that are translocated
`cord.
`from the point of application to other sites where the
`syrinx (BioSci) The vocal organsin birds, situated at the
`activity is expressed.
`posterior end of the trachea. Pl syringes. Adj syringeal.
`systems analysis (Genrl) Complete analysis ofall phases of
`syrinx (Med) A fistula or a fistulous opening.
`activity of an organization, and developmentofa detailed
`systaltic (BioSci) Alternately contracting and dilating; pul-
`procedure for all collection, manipulation and evaluation
`satory, as the movements of the heart. Cf PERISTALTIC. N
`of data associated with the operation ofall parts ofit.
`systalsis,
`systemsanalysis and design (ICT) Feasibility study of a
`(1) Tissues of the same histological
`system (BioSci)
`potential computer involvement and the design of appro-
`structure, eg the osseous system. (2) Tissues and organs
`priate system to doajob.
`uniting in the performance of the same function, eg the
`systems analyst (ICT) Person responsible for the analysis
`digestive system. (3) A methodor schemeofclassification,
`of a project to assess its suitability for computer applica-
`eg the Linnaean system. (4) A systematic treatise on the
`tion and who may also design the necessary computer
`animal or plant kingdom, or any part ofeither. Adj
`system,
`systematic.
`systems network architecture (ICT) An IBM network
`system (Chem) A portion of matter, or a group orset of
`standard for DISTRIBUTED PROCESSINGsystems. It provides
`things that forms a complex or connected whole.
`communication between terminals and a host computer.
`(1) an
`system (ElecEng) General term used to describe:
`systemsofcrystals (Crystal) The seven large divisions into
`entire arrangement of equipment, eg the gtid system; (2) a
`which all crystallizing substances can be placed: cubic,
`collection ofstandards ordefinitions, eg SI system;(3) a set
`tetragonal, hexagonal,trigonal, orthorhombic, monoclimG
`or field of technology, eg digital systems,
`triclinic. This. classification is based on the degree °
`system (Genrl) Generally, anything formed of parts placed
`SYMMETRYdisplayed by the crystals. See panel on CRYSTAL
`together or adjusted into a regular or connected whole.
`LATTICE.
`.
`system (Geol) (1) The chronostratigraphical equivalent of a
`systems programmer (ICT) A programmer who wiles
`PERIOD of geological
`time. (2) The name given to the
`SYSTEMS SOFTWARE.
`succession of rocks which were formed during a certain
`systems software (ICT) The collection of progratt
`period of geological time, eg Jurassic system. (3) The sum
`that make the computer system usable and control !
`of the phases which can be formed from one or more
`performance,
`;
`ich
`components of minerals under different conditions of
`system testing (ICT) The phase ofa testing cycle in wht at
`temperature, pressure and composition.
`an every part of a system is used to carry out the whole 7
`systematic (BioSci) See svSTEMIC.
`of processes for which it has been designed, in order
`systematic desensitization (Psych) A therapeutic approach
`evaluate its suitability for purpose.
`to
`to anxiety disorders in which there is exposure to gradually
`System X (ICT) Namegiven by British Telecom ple
`[
`increasing anxiety-provoking stimuli under relaxing and
`describeits fully electronic computerized exchange sw!
`reassuring conditions.
`ing system.
`
`3
`
`