ExpertGlossary terms starting with O

1,317 terms

Oocyte The egg mother cell; it undergoes two meiotic divisions (oogenesis ) to form the egg cell.
Oocytes Egg cells.
OOD Object-Oriented Design.
OODB Object-Oriented Database.
oogenesis The formation and growth of the egg in an animal ovary.
oogonium 1. A germ cell of the female animal, that gives rise to oocytes by mitotic division. 2. The female sex organ of algae and fungi.
OOM Out of Mana. People say this to let their party know they are out of mana and can't cast any spells, especially healing.
OOMS On-Orbit Maintenance/Servicing.
oophorectomy (oh-oh-foh-REK-toh-mee) Surgery to remove one or both ovaries.
oosphere The non-motile female gamete in plants and some algae.
oospore A spore developing from a zygote of certain algae and fungi, following the fusion of heterogametes.
OOTW Operations Other Than War.
OP (1) Optical Processing. (2) Orthogonal Polarization.
OP RQ/TEST IPT Operational Requirements and Testing IPT (MEADS Program term).
OPA Optical Parametric Amplification.
Opacity The degree to which smoke or particles emitted into the air reduce the transmission of light and obscure the view of an object in the background.
opal stop codon See: stop codon.
OPANAL Name of agency for the prohibition of nuclear weapons in Latin America.
Opaque A condition where a material, such as a cloud, blocks the passage of radiant energy, especially light.
opaque data objects A mechanism by which a program can manipulate data structures of any format, without knowing what that format might be [POSIX.6].
Opaque to Radiation A condition when radiation is absorbed or scattered many times. For the first 400,000 years the universe was so hot that the matter was ionized and…
OPC Ocean Prediction Center (Formally the Marine Prediction Center. An NCEP center which produces marine forecasts north of 30oN.
OPCC OBSOLETE. Offut Processing and Correlation Center. (Now Alternate Processing and Correlation Center (APCC).)
OPCOM Operational Command (NATO).
OPCON Operational Control.
OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. 210
Open Access The ability to send or wheel electric power to a customer over a transmission and distribution system that is not owned by the power generator (seller).
Open access same-time information system (OASIS) An electronic information system that allows users to instantly receive data on the current operating status and transmission capacity of a transmission…
open biopsy A procedure in which a surgical incision (cut) is made through the skin to expose and remove tissues.
open circuit In communications, a circuit available for use. 2. In electrical engineering, a circuit that contains an essentially infinite impedance.
Open Circuit Test Line The term "Open Circuit Test Line" denotes an arrangement in an end office which provides an ac open circuit termination of a trunk or line by means of an…
open colectomy (... koh-LEK-toh-mee) An operation to remove all or part of the colon through a long incision made in the wall of the abdomen.
open continuous culture A continuous culture system, in which inflow of fresh medium is balanced by outflow of a corresponding volume of spent medium plus cells.
Open Database Communication (ODBC) A standard API (application program interface) used to communicate with database management systems, developed by Microsoft, and incorporated in ArcView…
Open Directory Project A directory project run by thousands of volunteer editors. In principal, this is a very exciting and powerful way to organise the web.
open dual bus A dual bus in which the head-of-bus functions for both buses are at different locations.
Open Enrollment The time (usually a preset two-week or one-month period annually) when you can change health plans under your employer's group plan.
Open Enrollment Period The period of time during which individuals who are eligible to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan can enroll in a plan in the Marketplace.
open firmware (OFW) The firmware or system startup code used in some NetApp appliances. Like the widely known BIOS, OFW is used to bring the hardware out of reset and perform…
Open for Public Inspection The date upon which a patent application is first made available to the public.
Open Geodata Interoperability Specification (OGIS) The Open Geodata Interoperability Specification being developed by OGC to support interoperability of GIS systems in a heterogenous computing environment.
Open GIS Consortium (OGC) A group composed of software vendors, academics, government agencies, consultants and software integrators, dedicated to open systems geoprocessing.
Open House When the seller's real estate agent opens the seller's house to the public. You don't need a real estate agent to attend an open house.
Open interest Open interest is a record of the total number of open contracts in any particular commodity or options market on any given day.
open label study A type of study in which both the health providers and the patients are aware of the drug or treatment being given.
Open Lakes Forecast (GLF) - A National Weather Service marine forecast product for the U.S. waters within a Great Lake not including the waters covered by an existing…
OPEN LOOK A graphical user interface (GUI) for the X Window system developed by AT&T (Open Look) and Sun Microsystems (OPEN LOOK). (See also OSF/Motif).
Open market In an open market, any investor with the money to pay for securities is able to buy those securities. US markets, for example, are open to all buyers.
open network architecture (ONA) In the context of the FCC's Computer Inquiry III, the overall design of a communication carrier's basic network facilities and services to permit all…
Open order An order to buy or sell a security at a specified price. The order is valid until executed or cancelled.
Open outcry When exchange-based commodities traders shout out their buy and sell orders or use a combination of words and hand signals to negotiate an order, it's…
Open pollination Pollination by wind, insects, or other natural mechanisms.
Open Proficiency Test an exam process/instrument where the analyst is aware that the sample is a proficiency test.
open proxy A proxy server that accepts connection requests from anyone anywhere and forwards the traffic as if it has originated from the local hosts. [Exchange 2007]
Open reading frame A long DNA sequence that is unin- terrupted by a stop codon and encodes part or all of a protein. (See Reading frame.)
Open reading frame (ORF) The sequence of DNA or RNA located between the start-code sequence (initiation codon) and the stop-code sequence (termination codon).
open record any record that is open to public inspection.
open records laws See Freedom of Information Act.
Open Relay When the Internet was young, people trusted each other (or there simply weren't too many of them) and everybody was allowed to use everybody else's SMTP…
Open Software Foundation (OSF) The Open Software Foundation is an international consortium that promotes the standardization of the UNIX operating system.
Open Source Software which is distributed with its source code such that developers can modify it as they see fit.
open source software Programs for which the source code is freely available and freely redistributable, with no commercial strings attached.
Open Space Used to describe undeveloped land or land that is used for recreation. Farmland as well as all natural habitats (forests, fields, wetlands etc.
Open Space Residential Design (OSRD) A form of residential subdivision that maximizes resource protection and conservation of natural areas through the use of design strategies that result in…
open specifications Public specifications that are maintained by an open, public consensus process to accommodate new technologies over time and that are consistent with…
open standards computer operating standards that permit inter-communication and migration of data among different kinds of proprietary systems.
open storage Storage of classified information within an accredited facility, but not in General Services Administration approved secure containers, while the facility…
open switching interval (OSI) An interval when the dc voltage applied between the tip and ring conductors of a line is removed, hence temporarily suspending line supervision and…
open system 1. A system with characteristics that comply with specified, publicly maintained, readily available standards and that therefore can be connected to other…
open system application program interface A combination of standards-based interfaces specifying a complete interface between an application program and the underlying application platform [POSIX.
open system environment (OSE) The comprehensive set of interfaces, services, and supporting formats, plus user aspects for interoperability or portability of applications, data, or…
open systems An environment that allows interchangeability and integrated operation between software systems from different vendors.
open systems architecture The layered hierarchical structure, configuration, or model of a communications or distributed data processing system that (a) enables system description…
Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) a seven-layer hierarchical reference interface and communications model sponsored by ISO, 1984, known as the OSI Reference Model: layer 7--applications…
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Pertaining to the logical structure for communications networks standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)--Architecture Communications system architecture that adheres to the set of ISO standards relating to open systems architecture.
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)--Protocol Specification The lowest level of abstraction within the OSI standards scheme. Note: Each OSI--Protocol Specification operates at a single layer.
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)--Service Definitions The next lower level of abstraction below that of the OSI--Reference Model. The OSI--Service Definitions for each layer define the layer's abstract…
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)--Systems Management In the Application Layer of the OSI--Reference Model (OSI--RM), the set of functions related to the management and status of various resources identified…
Open Systems Interconnection--Reference Model (OSI--RM) An abstract description of the digital communications between application processes running in distinct systems.
Open transmission access Enables all participants in the wholesale market equal access to transmission service, as long as capacity is available, with the objective of creating a…
Open Universe , Ω A universe where the geometry of space is curved like an infinite saddle-shaped surface.
open video systems An alternative method to provide cable-like video service to subscribers.
open waveguide An all-dielectric waveguide in which electromagnetic waves are guided by a refractive index gradient so that the waves are confined to the guide by…
open wire Conductors that are separately supported with insulators on poles or towers above the surface of the Earth.
Open World Assumption presumption stating that everything we donât know is undefined.
open world assumption (a.k.a. <em>open world reasoning</em>) The open world assumption means that we cannot assume something doesn't exist until it is explicitly stated that it does not exist.
Open-Circuit Voltage The maximum possible voltage across a photovoltaic cell; the voltage across the cell in sunlight when no current is flowing.
Open-cut A method of excavation in which the working area is kept open to the sky. Used to distinguish from cut-and-cover and underground work.
Open-End Credit A credit agreement (typically a credit card) that allows a customer to borrow against a preapproved credit line when purchasing goods and services.
open-end mortgage A mortgage allowing the borrower to receive advances of principal from the lender during the life of the loan. See also: closed-end mortgage.
Open-end mutual fund Most mutual funds are open-end funds. This means they issue and redeem shares on a continuous basis, and grow or shrink in response to investor demand for…
Open-ended credit A plan in which the creditor anticipates repeated transactions, and for which there is a finance charge computed on any unpaid balance.
open-ended fund An open-ended mutual fund continuously issues and redeems units, so the number of units outstanding varies from day to day.
Open-Ended Straight Draw Seeking one of two card values to make a straight. For instance, a player holding 9-8 with a board of 2-7-6 can make a straight with either a ten…
open-faced reel A typical or standard spinning reel in which the line comes off the fixed spool in loops and there is no nose cone.
Open-Loop Geothermal Heat Pump System Open-loop (also known as "direct") systems circulate water drawn from a ground or surface water source.
Open-market operations Open-market operations allow the Fed to implement its monetary policy and regulate the money supply.
open-security environment In INFOSEC, an environment in which protection of data and resources from accidental or malicious acts is achieved through normal operational procedures.