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 58 of 91: from “permittance” to “pitch”.
- permittance noun The power of a dielectric to permit or enhance induction.
- permutation box noun A method of permuting or transposing bits (binary digits) across S-box inputs while retaining diffusion.
- permutator noun A special form of rotary converter with stationary commutator and rotating brushes, in which the exciting field is induced by the…
- perpendicular recording noun A technique of creating magnetic data storage using vertical as opposed to longitudinal magnetization.
- perplexity noun A measure of the accuracy with which a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.
- persist verb To cause to persist; make permanent.
- persistence noun Of data, the property of continuing to exist after the termination of the program.
- persistent adj Of data or a data structure: not transient or temporary, but remaining in existence after the termination of the program that creates it.
- persistent cookie noun A small data file that a website saves on a user's device and which remains there even after the browser is closed, lasting until an…
- person-to-person adj Of a telephone call, such that the caller is only connected and charged if the person he specified is available to speak.
- personal defense weapon noun A compact fully-automatic or semi-automatic firearm similar to a submachine gun but firing a rifle round.
- personalization noun The configuration of a software product to suit the needs or tastes of one specific user.
- persuader noun A hammer; any tool used improvisationally to strike a recalcitrant object.
- pessimism noun The condition of being pessimal.
- pessimistic adj Taking out exclusive locks on data to prevent conflicts with other processes that might modify it.
- pessimistic concurrency noun A database management system strategy that locks data in order to prevent conflicts between transactions.
- pessimization noun A change to program code that makes it less efficient, the opposite of an optimization.
- petabit noun One quadrillion (10¹⁵, or 1,000,000,000,000,000) bits or 1,000 terabits.
- petabyte noun A pebibyte.
- petaflop noun a quadrillion (10¹⁵) floating point operations per second.
- petronel noun A short but large-caliber, heavy 16th- and 17th-century firearm that used a matchlock or wheellock mechanism, intermediate between the…
- PEX noun PHIGS Extension to X: an early Unix 3D graphics API.
- pharming noun The redirection of traffic for one website to another, with intent to deceive.
- phase noun In a polyphase electrical power system, one of the power-carrying conductors, or the alternating current carried by it.
- phase angle noun Angular component of the vector representation of a sinusoid.
- phasor noun A plotted line whose length and angle represent the amplitude and phase, respectively, of a sinusoidally varying quantity such as an…
- phishing noun The malicious act of keeping a false website or sending a false e-mail with the intent of masquerading as a trustworthy entity in order to…
- phone tree noun An interactive hierarchical menu of choices on an automated telephone system, navigated by the caller typically by entering or speaking…
- phonebook noun A large lookup table.
- phoneputer noun A smartphone used for the tasks traditionally done by computer, rather than for telephone calls etc.
- Phong lighting noun A technique for the local illumination of points on a surface, approximating the way that light is reflected in reality.
- Phong shading noun A technique for shading three-dimensional surfaces by interpolating surface normals across rasterized polygons and computing pixel colors…
- phonic wheel noun A synchronous motor driven by a tuning fork that used an electromagnet to rotate the cogwheel of the motor by one tooth for each vibration.
- phonopore noun An invention allowing telephonic voice communications to be transmitted over existing Morse code telegraph infrastructure.
- photobash verb To compose a digital image from multiple assets, such as photos and 3D models, with artistic interpretation to modify and blend them…
- photochop verb To convert, by chopping, a DC (or slowly varying AC) input signal into a higher frequency signal.
- photometeor noun Any visible phenomenon in the atmosphere caused by reflection, refraction, diffraction or interference.
- photomultiplier tube noun A type of vacuum tube that detects electromagnetic radiation in the range from ultraviolet to infrared, including the visible spectrum, and…
- photon mapping noun A two-pass global illumination rendering algorithm that approximately solves the rendering equation for integrating light radiance at a…
- photoresistor noun An electronic component whose resistance is inversely proportional to the intensity of incident light.
- photoshop verb To digitally edit or alter (a picture or photograph).
- photovisual adj Of certain achromatic lenses, having the same focus for the actinic and for the brightest of the visual rays.
- phugoid adj Of the motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object: continuously oscillating in a vertical plane due to the object pitching up…
- phy noun An electronic circuit implementing the physical layer of the OSI model.
- physical memory protection noun In the RISC-V instruction set architecture, a mechanism that allows for controlling the privileges of different regions of physical memory.
- physically based animation noun An animation technique focusing on creating physically accurate visual effects, such as particles.
- phytomining noun The planting and harvesting of vegetation that selectively concentrates specific metals from the environment into their tissues, for the…
- piano keys noun The large white striped section at the ends of a runway, used as a landing aiming point and as a distance indicator.
- picker noun Any user interface control that selects something.
- pickle verb To serialize.
- pickle fork noun A structure attaching an aircraft's wings to its body, having an arched shape with prongs at each end.
- pickler noun (in the Python programming language) A program or algorithm that performs serialization.
- picklist noun A list from which the user can make a selection; a dropdown list.
- picocell noun A wireless communication system covering a small area, such as a single office or railway station, often used to extend cellular network…
- picture noun A format string in the COBOL programming language.
- picture tube noun In a television set, before the development of LED screens, the cathode ray tube which produced moving images on its surface.
- picture-in-picture noun A feature where video content floats over the web page as a separate element.
- pie menu noun A circular context menu, resembling a pie chart, whose slices represent commands, each equidistant from the centre of the menu.
- piece system noun Airline baggage allowance that restricts passengers to a specific number of bags, rather than a specific weight.
- piece table noun A data structure consisting of an original document and a series of insertions and deletions referring back to parts of the original or…
- pier noun A long corridor-like building with multiple gates extending from an airport terminal.
- pig verb To clean (a pipeline) using a pig (the device).
- pig iron noun A brittle, impure form of iron produced by smelting iron ore which is often shaped into blocks; it is unsuitable for working but suitable…
- pigging noun The use of a pig (the device) to clean a pipeline.
- pigpen noun The pigpen cipher.
- pigpen cipher noun A geometric simple substitution cipher, which exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid.
- pigtail verb To connect wires of a circuit by means of a short additional wire.
- pigtailed adj Connected by means of a short additional wire.
- pile noun A beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground, usually as one of a group that constitutes a foundation.
- pill noun A bullet (projectile).
- pillow noun A piece of metal or wood, forming a support to equalize pressure; a brass; a pillow block.
- pilot noun A tone or signal, usually a single frequency, transmitted over a communications system for control or synchronization purposes.
- pilot coat noun A type of thick coat, typically leather with fur or wool lining, used by aviators in aircraft without an enclosed cockpit or having an…
- pilot flying noun In a two-pilot flight crew, the pilot currently making tactical decisions to ensure the aircraft keeps to the approved route, handling the…
- pilot in command noun The pilot in a one-pilot flight crew.
- pilot monitoring noun In a two-pilot flight crew, the pilot not currently handling the primary flight controls, but responsible for maintaining situational…
- pilot vehicle noun A prototype vehicle, initial production vehicle, lead vehicle in a new manufacturing process, first vehicle produced in a new manufactory.
- pilot version noun A preliminary, functional, or near-final version of a product, software, or program launched on a limited scale to test its feasibility…
- pin verb To attach (an icon, application, message etc.) to another item so that it persists.
- piña noun A cone of silver amalgam prepared for retorting.
- pinch point noun A point in between moving and stationary parts of a machine where an individual's body part may become caught, leading to injury
- pinfeed noun A kind of dot matrix printer equipped to take paper with holes running along each side for alignment.
- pinfire noun An obsolete kind of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just…
- ping noun A packet which a remote host is expected to echo, thus indicating its presence.
- pinhole noun A port left unprotected by a firewall to allow a particular application to gain access to a service.
- pinion noun The smallest gear in a gear train.
- pinnable adj Capable of being pinned (attached to part of the screen display).
- pinout noun The manner in which an electrical connector or device is wired; the list of signals that correspond to each pin or output.
- pintail noun The end of a fastening pin or mandrel on a Huckbolt or pop rivet that is broken off when installation is complete.
- pintle noun An iron pin used to control recoil of a cannon or around which a gun carriage revolves.
- pinwheel noun A cogged (toothed) gear.
- Pioneer anomaly noun The observed deviation from predicted accelerations of the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft after they passed about 20 astronomical…
- pipe verb Of a metal ingot: to become hollow in the process of solidifying.
- pipe key noun The key on a keyboard that produces the vertical bar symbol.
- pipeline verb To design (a microchip etc.) so that processing takes place in efficient stages, the output of each stage being fed as input to the next.
- pistolized adj with shoulder stock removed and replaced with a pistol grip on a long gun (such as a shotgun or carbine)
- piston noun A solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump)
- pit noun A luggage hold.
- pitbull noun A NATO brevity code indicating a semi-active radar homing missile has begun active homing, and no longer requires its operator to maintain…
- pitch noun The degree to which a vehicle, especially a ship or aircraft, rotates on such an axis, tilting its bow or nose up or down.