ExpertGlossary terms starting with C

4,595 terms

COSMIC Having to do with the universe as a whole.
cosmic clock The sun's seasonal effect on water and weather conditions relating to barometric pressure, wind, and cloud cover.
Cosmic Microwave Backgroun (CMB) Radiation filling the universe, remaining from the early, hot phase. (It is sometimes called the "primal glow.") Today this radiation has cooled to 2.
cosmic noise Random noise that originates outside the Earth's atmosphere. Note: Cosmic noise characteristics are similar to those of thermal noise.
Cosmic Ray High energy charged particles traveling through interstellar space at nearly the velocity of light. Most are produced in supernova explosions.
Cosmid A synthetic plasmid which incorporates the cos ends, and one or more selectable markers such as an antibiotic resistance gene.
Cosmological Constant, Λ The energy density of the smooth vacuum. Eisntein introduced it as a component of the universe but later withdrew it.
Cosmological Principle A principle invoked in cosmology that severely restricts the large variety of possible cosmological theories: On large scales, the Universe is homogeneous…
Cosmology The study of the universe as a whole, of the contents, structure, and evolution of the universe from the beginning of time to the future.
Cost allocation Procedures used to allocate joint project costs to specific purposes in a multipurpose project.
Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG) An organization within the office of OSD Director, PA&E which advises the DAB on all matters concerning the estimation, review, and presentation of cost…
Cost Analysis Requirements Document (CARD) The document describing the technical baseline, which is a subset of current system technical data and is used to generate the baseline cost estimate for…
Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis (COEA) An analysis of the estimated costs and operational effectiveness of alternative materiel systems to meet a mission need, and the associated program for…
cost avoidance A management concept whereby approval is sought for a proposal stating that acceptance now will be less costly than a future alternative
Cost basis The cost basis is the original price of an asset - usually the purchase price plus commissions.
Cost bond A bond given by a plaintiff to ensure payment of court costs, often required for appeals.
Cost effectiveness Economic efficiency, obtaining the best method for the least amount of money.
Cost Index A way to compare the costs of similar plans of life insurance. A policy with a smaller index number is generally a better buy than a comparable policy…
Cost of Funds Index (COFI) An index that is used to determine interest rate changes for certain adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) plans.
Cost Per Action (CPA) the cost incurred or price paid for a specific action, such as signing up for an email newsletter, entering a contest, registering on the site, completing…
Cost Per Click (CPC) the cost incurred or price paid for a clickthrough to your landing page.
Cost Per Lead (CPL) Pricing based on the number of new leads generated. For example, people who click from an ad and then complete an inquiry form is considered to be a lead.
Cost Per Order (CPO) Pricing based on the number of orders received as a result of your ad placement. Also known as cost-per-transaction.
Cost Per Sale (CPS) Pricing based on the number of sales transactions your ad generates. Since users may visit your site several times before making a purchase, you can use…
Cost Per Thousand (CPM) the cost incurred or price paid for a thousand impressions
Cost Risk Cost estimating risk and schedule/technical risk. Cost estimating risk is the risk due to cost estimating errors and the statistical uncertainty in the…
Cost Sharing The share of costs covered by your insurance that you pay out of your own pocket.
Cost Sharing Reduction A discount that lowers the amount you have to pay out-of-pocket for deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.
Cost-benefit analysis A quantitative evaluation of the costs which would be incurred versus the overall benefits to society of a proposed action.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment An adjustment of a salary or a retirement annuity intended to help offset the effects of inflation. Commonly referred to as COLA. COLAs are not guaranteed.
Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) A COLA results in a wage or benefit increase that is designed to help you keep pace with increased living costs that result from inflation.
Cost-Of-Living Rider An option that permits the policyholder to purchase increasing term insurance coverage.
Costas loop A phase-locked loop used for carrier phase recovery from suppressed-carrier modulation signals, such as from double-sideband suppressed carrier signals.
Costs and Disbursements Generally, the prevailing party recovers not only the amount of the judgment but also the costs and expenses of the suit.
cot curve A method to estimate the heterogeneity of sequence of a DNA preparation, based on the observation that the more homogenous the DNA, the more easily (and…
COTR Contracting Officers Technical Representative. See Contracting Officer.
COTS commercial off-the-shelf an acquisition term refering to commercially available ready to use products that require no customization in order to meet…
COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf) Hardware or software products that are commercially manufactured, ready-made and available for use by the general public without the need for…
cotyledon Leaf-like structures at the first node of the seedling stem. In some dicotyledons, they represent a food storage organ for the germinating seedling.
Coulees Small streams or dry streambeds. A deep gulch or ravine, usually dry in the summer.
Coulomb A unit for the quantity of electricity transported in 1 second by a current of 1 ampere.
Coulomb's law The universal law of attraction and repulsion of electric charges.
coumarin (KOO-muh-rin) A substance used to make drugs that prevent and treat blood clots in blood vessels and treat certain heart conditions.
coumestan An estrogen-like substance (phytoestrogen) made by some plants. Coumestans may have anticancer effects.
coumestrol A type of coumestan. Coumestans are estrogen-like substances (phytoestrogens) made by some plants. Coumestans may have anticancer effects.
Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) The Council of Economic Advisors' job is to assist and advise the president of the United States on economic policy.
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) An advisory council to the President established by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
counsel Legal advice; a term used to refer to lawyers in a case.
counseling (KOWN-suh-ling) The process by which a professional counselor helps a person cope with mental or emotional distress, and understand and solve personal…
Count An indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more than one crime. Each allegation must be listed separately.
Counter a simple program which tracks the total number of webpage impressions.
Counter Offer An offer made in response to a previous offer. For example, after the buyer presents their first offer, the seller may make a counter-offer with a…
Counter with Cipher Block Chaining-Message Authentication Code (CCM) A mode of operation for a symmetric key block cipher algorithm. It combines the techniques of the Counter (CTR) mode and the Cipher Block Chaining-Message…
Counterair A US Air Force term for air operations conducted to attain and maintain a desired degree of air superiority by the destruction or neutralization or enemy…
Counterclaim A claim made by the defendant in a civil lawsuit against the plaintiff.
Countercountermeasures (CCM) Measures taken by the defense to defeat offensive countermeasures.
Countercyclical stock Stocks described as countercyclical tend to continue to maintain their value and provide regular income when the economy is slowing down or staying flat…
Counterfeit To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that duplicate it. Example: you have 87 and the flop comes 9-T-J, so you have a straight.
Counterflow Heat Exchanger A heat exchanger in which two fluids flow in opposite directions for transfer heat energy from one to the other.
Counterforce The employment of strategic air and missile forces in an effort to destroy, or render impotent, selected military capabilities of an enemy force under any…
Countermeasure A design or procedural measure taken against covert or overt attacks.
Countermeasure s (CM) That form of military science that by the employment of devices and/or techniques has as its objective the impairment of the operational effectiveness of…
Countermeasure s Rejection (Surveillance) Improvement or rejection of an object signal in the presence of countermeasures.
Countermeasures Actions, devices, procedures, techniques, or other measures that reduce the vulnerability of an information system.
Countermeasures (CM) That form of military science that by the employment of devices and/or techniques, has as its objective the impairment of the operational effectiveness of…
Countermeasures Rejection (Surveillance) Improvement or rejection of an object signal in the presence of countermeasures.
counterpart an application filed in a foreign patent office that is substantially similar to (like) the patent application filed with the USPTO and is based upon some…
Counterparty In any financial contract, the persons or institutions entering the contract on the opposite sides of the transaction are called the counterparties.
Counterparty risk Counterparty risk is the risk that the person or institution with whom you have entered a financial contract - who is a counterparty to the contract -…
counterpoise A conductor or system of conductors used as a substitute for earth or ground in an antenna system. [From Weik '89]
country code 1. In international direct telephone dialing, a code that consists of 1-, 2-, or 3-digit numbers in which the first digit designates the region and…
County Clerk Administers elections at the county level, unless that county has an Elections Administrator.
County Code A three-digit FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code that identifies the county where the property is located.
County Election Board The board established in each county for the general election for state and county officers, a special election for an officer regularly elected at the…
County Election Commission The group that appoints, monitors, and may fire a county Elections Administrator (EA).
County Election Precinct The county commissioner’s court divides all territory of the county into county election precincts; each precinct must not contain territory from more…
County Office An office of the county government that is voted on countywide or from a portion of the county such as a commissioner, justice, or constable precinct.
County Warning and Forecast Area The group of counties for which a National Weather Service Forecast Office is responsible for issuing warnings and weather forecasts.
County Warning Area The group of counties for which a National Weather Service Forecast Office is responsible for issuing warnings.
County Warning Forecast Area (CWFA) The area (aggregation of counties, or parishes and sometimes portions of counties, or parishes) served by a WFO for which weather forecast and warning…
Countywide Polling Place Program Also referred to as Vote Centers. A polling place system in which the county election precinct polling places are eliminated and instead any registered…
Coup A round of Baccarat.
Coup de grace A finishing blow or stroke.
Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Model Same as Coupled Model; in the context of climate modeling this usually refers to a numerical model which simulates both atmospheric and oceanic motions…
coupled bonding conductor A conductor used to extend the ground at an approved building entrance facility to certain types of ac-powered equipment.
Coupled Model In the context of climate modeling this usually refers to a numerical model which simulates both atmospheric and oceanic motions and temperatures and…
coupled modes In fiber optics, a mode that shares energy among one or more other modes, all of which propagate together.
Coupled to Radiation Matter, such as charged particles, that is strongly affected by radiation.
coupler See directional coupler.
Couplet Adjacent maxima of radial velocities of opposite signs.
coupling The phase state in which either two dominant or two recessive alleles of two different genes occur on the same chromosome. Synonym: cis configuration.
coupling coefficient A number that expresses the degree of electrical coupling that exists between two circuits.
coupling efficiency In fiber optics, the efficiency of optical power transfer between two optical components.
coupling loss The loss that occurs when energy is transferred from one circuit, circuit element, or medium to another.
Coupon A certificate that accompanies a bond that indicates the amount of interest it pays and the date it is due.
Coupon Rate The scheduled interest earned on a security, expressed as a percentage of the outstanding balance.
Course of Action (COA) (1) Any sequence of acts that an individual or unit may follow. (2) A possible plan open to an individual or command that would accomplish or is related…
court Government entity authorized to resolve legal disputes. Judges sometimes use "court" to refer to themselves in the third person, as in "the court has read…
Court Awards Money that's due to you as the result of a lawsuit. This money may be taxable. Examples of lawsuit proceeds that aren't taxable are amounts awarded to you…
Court costs The expenses of prosecuting or defending a lawsuit, other than attorneys fees. An amount of money may be awarded to the successful party (and may be…