This page gathers the 1,081 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Electrical engineering”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 8 of 11: from “presence” to “ROM”.
- presence noun Synonym of room tone.
- presentity noun An entity (usually a human) which provides information about its presence (whether it is available and willing to communicate through…
- preset noun A kind of variable resistor designed to have its resistance set while building the circuit, and then left at that value.
- press verb To activate a button or key by exerting a downward or forward force on it, and then releasing it.
- pressure wire noun Any of a set of wires leading from various points of an electrical system to a central station, where a voltmeter indicates the potential…
- pretrigger adj Prior to the activation of a trigger.
- primary noun A directly driven inductive coil, as in a transformer or induction motor that is magnetically coupled to a secondary.
- primary rate interface noun an ISDN service delivered over T1, E1 or J1 datalines, with delivery of connections between 1472 kilobits per second and 1984 kilobits per…
- prime implicant noun A group of related 1's (implicant) on a Karnaugh map which is not subsumed by any other implicant in the same map. Equivalently (in terms…
- printed circuit board noun A flat board that holds chips and other electronic components in layers that interconnect by means of copper pathways, often called traces.
- private branch exchange noun A telecommunications switching system, physically located at a customer's place of business, that provides internal communication between…
- programmable read-only memory noun A type of read-only memory which can be written to once (write once, read many memory/WORM), and thereafter becomes fixed in value.
- propagation constant noun The change underdone by the amplitude and phase of an electromagnetic wave as it travels in a certain direction.
- propagation time noun In a digital circuit, the amount of time required for a signal or wave to travel from one point of a transmission medium to another.
- proration noun In budgeting, the proportional distribution or allocation of parameters, such as noise power and transmission losses, among a number of…
- protoboard noun A board, having a matrix of small holes to which components may be attached without solder, used for the temporary construction and testing…
- proximity effect noun A condition when a power cable carrying electric current which is non-uniformly distributed due to the presence of other power cable or…
- pseudochannel noun Any data channel that is introduced as a theoretical pathway that does not correspond to a physical channel.
- pull up noun A pull-up resistor.
- pull-down resistor noun A resistor that is connected between a signal and ground in a circuit to ensure that the signal is at a low logic level.
- pull-up resistor noun A resistor that is connected between a signal and a positive voltage supply in a circuit to ensure that the signal is at a defined logic…
- pullability noun The amount of change in frequency of a crystal oscillator in response to a change in load capacitance.
- pullup noun A pull-up resistor.
- pulse verb To apply an electric current or signal that varies in strength to (something).
- pulse dialing noun A system of telephone dialing in which each digit is transmitted as the equivalent number of pulses.
- punchdown noun A kind of electrical connection often used in telephony, having solid copper wires that are punched down into short open-ended slots which…
- purple plague noun The brittle, bright-purple intermetallic compound AuAl₂, formed when gold and aluminium are heated while in direct contact (for instance…
- push notification noun The delivery of information from a software application to a computing device without a specific request from the client.
- push time noun The time when a remote server sends an unsolicited update.
- PWB noun printed wiring board - A circuit board blank created by etching away material thereby exposing non-conductive lands between conductive…
- pylon noun A tower-like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high-voltage electricity cables.
- q noun Ellipsis of Q factor (“quality factor”).
- quad noun A group of four insulated wires twisted together to form two circuits of two wires each.
- quadripole noun An electrical circuit that has two pairs of external terminals.
- quality of service noun The overall performance of a telephony or computer network, based on error rates, throughput, transmission delay, etc.
- quantize verb To approximate a continuously varying signal by one whose amplitude can only have a set of discrete values
- quartz crystal noun A small crystal of quartz accurately cut in certain directions so that it can be vibrated at a particular frequency, to produce an electric…
- race noun A race condition; a bug or problem that occurs when two or more components attempt to use the same resource at the same time.
- race condition noun A flaw in a system or process whereby the output or result is unexpectedly and critically dependent on the sequence or timing of other…
- radiant heat noun Heat or warmth transferred directly to people and objects in a space via infrared radiation, similar to the sun's warmth, rather than…
- radiator noun A type of antenna.
- radio-frequency identification noun The storage and retrieval of data using tags attached to individual packages, animals or people; the tags contain an integrated circuit to…
- radiogram noun Synonym of radiotelegram (“a message, like a telegram, transmitted by wireless telegraphy (“telegraphy by radio rather than by transmission…
- rail noun A conductor maintained at a fixed electrical potential relative to ground, to which other circuit components are connected.
- random access memory noun Computer memory, usually volatile, that stores program and data values during operation and in which each word of memory may be directly…
- range extender noun A device which extends a signal beyond its normal limit.
- raster noun A scanning pattern of parallel lines that form the display of an image projected on a cathode-ray tube of a television set or display…
- ratiometric adj Describing any system in which an output is directly proportional to an input
- reactive adj Characterized by induction or capacitance rather than resistance.
- reactor noun An electrical component with reactance
- read verb To be able to hear what another person is saying over a radio connection.
- readback noun The repetition of a message one has received, in order to acknowledge it and to demonstrate accurate comprehension (especially of commands).
- reballing noun The process of reapplying the balls (protruding contacts) on a ball grid array.
- receive noun An operation in which data is received.
- receptacle noun A contact device installed at an outlet for the connection of an attachment plug (typically by receiving the plug's prongs) to supply…
- reception noun The act or ability to receive radio or similar signals.
- reconductor verb To replace the cable or wire on an electric circuit, typically a high-voltage transmission line, usually to afford a greater…
- rectify verb To convert (alternating current) into direct current.
- redline verb To achieve audio levels that will cause clipping (indicated by red in an audio meter).
- refarming noun The abolition of existing band allocations in the radio spectrum and the more efficient reallocation of the spectrum into smaller bands.
- regenerative braking noun A form of braking used on some electric vehicles in conjunction with the main braking system, where kinetic energy from braking is…
- regional converter noun A tool used to change the plug shape to match the outlets in a different region or country.
- register noun The part of a telegraphic apparatus that automatically records the message received.
- relay noun An electrical actuator that allows a relatively small electrical voltage or current to control a larger voltage or current.
- release verb (of a call) To hang up.
- remote access noun A communication with a data processing facility from a remote location or facility through a data link.
- repeater noun A telegraphic instrument for automatically retransmitting a message.
- reperforator noun A device for punching a duplicate perforated paper tape of incoming messages for later retransmission.
- repetition time noun The amount of time from the application of an excitation pulse to the application of the next pulse.
- reseat verb To plug (something) back into its socket.
- reset button noun A button that resets something.
- residual-current device noun An automatic circuit breaker that rapidly disconnects an electric circuit when the imbalance of the currents going through it exceeds a…
- resistance noun A resistor.
- resistive adj Acting as a resistor; resisting the passage of electrical current.
- resistivity noun The resistance offered at a particular temperature by an electrical conductor of any given material in a cube of unit length, expressed in…
- resistor noun An electric component that transmits current in direct proportion to the voltage across it.
- resonance noun The condition where the inductive and capacitive reactances have equal magnitude.
- resonant adj Adjusted as to dimensions so that currents or electric surgings are produced by the passage of electric waves of a given frequency.
- response time noun The time taken for the display of an instrument to move to a new value following a step change.
- responsor noun A receiver used in conjunction with an interrogator to receive and interpret signals from a transponder.
- retardation noun A decrease in the speed of telegraph signalling.
- reverse link noun In radio communications, the link from a mobile user to a fixed base station. If the link includes a communications relay satellite, the…
- rheostat noun An electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the…
- ring modulation noun A signal processing function in which two signals (typically a complex signal and a less complex carrier such as a sine wave) are combined…
- ring off verb To disconnect at the end of a phone call.
- ring out verb To make a phone call from an internal phone system to a general telephone network number.
- ring time noun The duration of time from the moment that the respondent's telephone begins ringing until the moment it is answered.
- ringback noun The sound transmitted back to a caller to indicate that the telephone they are calling is ringing.
- ringdown noun A signal to a telephone operator that both rings a bell and allows a relay to drop.
- ripple noun A small oscillation of an otherwise steady signal.
- rise time noun Of a voltage or current step function, the amount of time taken by a signal to change from a specified low value to a specified high value.
- roam verb To use a network or service from different locations or devices.
- roamable adj Supporting roaming (the use of a network or service from different locations or devices).
- roaming noun The ability to use a cell phone outside of its original registering zone.
- rocker switch noun An electromechanical device used to control electrical circuits by rocking or pivoting a hinged actuator around a central axis to connect…
- roger intj Received (used in radio communications to acknowledge that a message has been received and understood)
- roger that intj Received (used in radio communications to acknowledge that a message has been received and understood)
- roll off verb To show reduced response at the upper or lower limits of a frequency range.
- rolling brownout noun A deliberate reduction in voltage.
- ROM noun Acronym of read-only memory.