This page gathers the 9,098 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Engineering”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 23 of 91: from “desk check” to “direct air capture”.
- desk check noun A test of an algorithm by a human, who runs through its operations in sequence to verify the result.
- deskside noun A computer intended to be placed alongside a desk, etc. (contrasted with the smaller desktop models).
- desktop noun A desktop computer.
- desktop picture noun A picture displayed on a computer's desktop as a background behind windows and other user interface elements.
- desktop publisher noun A person involved in desktop publishing.
- destage verb To asynchronously write new or updated data from a cache or nonvolatile storage to a direct access storage device.
- destring verb To convert (a variable of string type) to some other, usually numeric data type.
- destroy verb To remove data.
- destruct verb To invoke the destructor of.
- destructive adj Lossy; causing irreversible change.
- destructive interference noun When two waves meet and their crests and troughs cancel each other out, resulting in a smaller wave or no wave at all, occurring when they…
- destructive read noun A read operation that inherently erases the data that was read, requiring it to be immediately written back to the storage medium to…
- destructure verb to unpack data from one variable into their own variables.
- desugar verb To remove syntactic sugar from.
- desugared adj Having had the syntactic sugar removed
- detank verb To empty (some substance) from a tank.
- detection noun The act or process of finding or detecting an electrical signal in a carrier wave.
- determinism noun The property of having behavior determined only by initial state and input.
- deterministic adj For a given particular input, always producing the same output through the same sequence of states.
- deterministic Turing machine noun A Turing machine whose governing rules specify only one possible action for any given combination of the state of the machine and symbol…
- determinize verb To remove non-determinism in an automaton; to convert a non-deterministic automaton to a deterministic one.
- detonation noun Engine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines.
- detune verb To alter the resonant frequency of a tuned system so that it is slightly different from a specified target frequency.
- Deutsch limit noun The generally accepted limit, in working with visual programming languages, of 50 or less visual primitives on screen at any given time…
- developer noun A software developer; a person or company who creates or modifies computer software.
- developer experience noun A developer's feeling about their tools, processes, constrains etc, and how it impacts productivity.
- deviation noun A detour to one side of the originally-planned flightpath (for instance, to avoid weather); the act of making such a detour.
- deviation ratio noun The ratio of maximum permitted frequency deviation, σₘₐₓ to the maximum permitted modulating frequency, fiₘₐₓ.
- device noun A peripheral device; an item of hardware.
- device driver noun Software, usually supplied with the operating system or by a hardware manufacturer, that communicates between the operating system of a…
- device file noun An interface to a device driver that appears in a file system, allowing an application program to interact with a device by using its…
- devicetree noun A data structure placed in memory by a computer system (such as firmware) that contains information about the available hardware on the…
- devicetree blob noun A binary representation used to encode the devicetree format, used for exchanging devicetree data between programs.
- devkit noun A set of development tools that allow the creation of software for a particular platform or framework.
- devlog noun A diary (or blog, vlog, etc.) that updates the audience on the development progress of something, usually a video game, website, or app.
- devnode noun A handle to a hardware device in a tree data structure representing the connections between devices on the system.
- devocalize verb To remove the vocals of a song with an AI program creating a false instrumental with imperfections (vocal shadows).
- DevOps noun A software development method that stresses communication and collaboration between software developers and other information technology…
- dezincification noun The undesirable removal of zinc from zinc-containing alloys by a chemical reaction, as when red rot occurs in brass due to presence of…
- dGPU noun Initialism of discrete graphics processing unit, a graphics processing unit which has access to dedicated graphics memory.
- di noun Initialism of diffused illumination.
- diagnostic noun Any tool or technique used to find the root of a problem.
- diagonal morphism noun A morphism from an object to the product of that object with itself, which morphism is induced by a pair of identity morphisms of the said…
- diagram noun A functor from an index category to another category. The objects and morphisms of the index category need not have any internal substance…
- dial gauge noun A gauge on an instrument panel with a dial face rather than an warning light or a digital display.
- dial in adj Of a computer, set up to accept incoming modem calls.
- dial out verb To start an online meeting or conference call by calling or otherwise alerting the participants.
- dial up adj Requiring a telephone number to be dialed.
- dial-around noun A service that allows an international (or other) telephone call to be made indirectly through another number, thus avoiding the usual call…
- dialect noun A variant of a non-standardized programming language.
- dialog noun Ellipsis of dialog box.
- dialogue noun Nonstandard form of dialog (“dialog box”).
- diaphragm verb To reduce lens aperture using an optical diaphragm.
- diaphragm wall noun A structure inserted in the ground and used to maintain an excavation open or to isolate portions of contaminated ground.
- diascopic adj Describing an optical device in which light traverses (rather than being reflected by) the object being observed.
- diceware noun A method for creating passwords and similar cryptographic variables using ordinary dice to generate random numbers which are then mapped to…
- dichotomic adj Choosing between two antithetical choices, between two distinct alternatives. Classification based upon two opposites.…
- dichromatic adj having two hues, either of which may be visible depending on both the concentration of the absorbing substance and the depth or thickness…
- dictionary noun An associative array, or a data structure where each value is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in a…
- dictionary attack noun An attempt to illegally access a computer network, website, etc., that uses a list of words (from a dictionary) to try to guess decryption…
- diddle verb To manipulate a value at the level of individual bits (binary digits).
- die plate noun A type of die for cutting screw threads on male fasteners; it is arranged in the form of a plate of tool steel with a graduated series of…
- diesel engine noun An internal combustion engine of piston engine type that operates using the Diesel cycle, with diesel fuel being sprayed into the hot…
- diesel-hydraulic adj Powered by a diesel engine via a hydraulic transmission.
- diff verb To run a diff program on (files or items) so as to produce a description of the differences between them, as for a patch file.
- diff file noun A file produced by a diff program.
- differ noun A program that diffs, a diff.
- differential screw noun A mechanism that uses two screw threads to make small, precise adjustments to the spacing between two objects, as in focusing a microscope…
- differential steering noun Steering by means of driving the wheels or treads on one side of a vehicle faster than those on the other side, or driving the wheels or…
- diffuser noun Any device that or spreads out or scatters light, making the light appear softer.
- digest noun The result of applying a hash function to a message.
- digit trunk noun Synonym of bus (“an electrical conductor or interface serving as a common connection for two or more circuits or components”)
- digital computer noun A computing device that processes signals that change in discrete, quantized, steps; as opposed to an analog computer.
- digital dark age noun The lack of historical information in the digital age as a direct result of outdated file formats, software, or hardware that becomes…
- digital decay noun The gradual process by which information online or in digital storage disappears or becomes inaccessible.
- digital divide noun The gap between those with regular, effective access to digital technologies (and the computer literacy to use them) and those without it.
- digital electronics noun A field of electronics involving the study of digital signals and the engineering of devices that use or produce them.
- digital footprint noun Digital evidence of a person's activities and interactions with others on the Internet, TV, mobile devices, etc.
- digital meter noun A type of measuring device which records the use of electricity and water, and which then electronically reports the usage to a utility…
- digital native noun A person who has grown up in an environment replete with digital interactions and ways of communicating, thought to increase difficulty…
- digital rights management noun A set of access control technologies that restrict the use of proprietary hardware and digital files by an end user, so as to enforce…
- digital target noun A computer-generated symbol representing an aircraft's position, based on a primary return or radar beacon reply, shown on a digital…
- digitalize verb Synonym of digitize.
- digitization noun The conversion of data or information from analog to digital or binary.
- digitize verb To represent something (such as an image or sound) as a structured sequence of binary digits.
- digitized target noun A computer-generated indication shown on an analog display resulting from a primary radar return or a radar beacon.
- digraph noun A two-character sequence used to enter a single conceptual character.
- dihedral noun The upward slope of an aircraft's wing
- dike verb To cut or remove using dikes.
- dike out verb To remove a component by using a pair of diagonal cutters ("dikes"). By analogy, to remove any part from a larger whole.
- dimension verb To specify the size of (an array or similar data structure); to allocate.
- dimensionality noun The number of dimensions something has.
- diode noun An electronic device that allows current to flow in one direction only; used chiefly as a rectifier.
- dip noun A sudden drop followed by a climb, usually to avoid obstacles or as the result of getting into an airhole.
- DIP switch noun A miniature switch designed to be attached to a circuit board to customize the behavior of the circuit.
- diplex adj Involving the transmission of two messages in the same direction at the same time.
- dipstick verb To measure the level of a fluid using a dipstick.
- direct adj Having a single flight number.
- direct access noun Synonym of random access.
- direct air capture noun The use of chemical or physical processes to extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the ambient air, in particular for climate change…