Glossary
Terms starting with C
678 definitions · page 11 of 12.
- CPM
- cost per thousand impressions.
- CPM (Cost Per Thousand)
- The practice of calculating a cost per 1000 ad displays. It is used by programs that pay on an impression basis -- with the CPM rate being the amount you earn for every 1000 times an advertisement is displayed. For example, a $5 CPM means you earn $5 every…
- CPU
- Central Processing Unit. The most important part of the computer.
- CPU
- Central Processing Unit. In a microcomputer, a processor on an IC chip (called a microprocessor) that serves as the heart of the computer. It interprets and carries out instructions, performs numeric computations, and controls the peripherals connected to…
- Crab apple
- The small, sour fruit of the wild apple tree. Crab apples are generally too tart to eat raw and are more commonly used to make a sweet jelly for scones and brioches, or as a condiment for roasted meats and game. They're also used to make crab apple wine. As…
- CRASH PARTS
- Sheet metal parts that are most often damaged in a car crash. (See Generic auto parts)
- Crawler
- Also known as spider, an automated software that retrieves webpages and follows the hyperlinks contained in them. Used to generate indexes used by search engines.
- Cream of tartar
- Cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate) is a component of baking powder. (Baking powder comprises baking soda and cream of tartar.) Cream of tartar is a by-product of winemaking; it's derived from refined tartaric acid, which forms on the inside of…
- Creatine
- A protein derivative in muscle tissue. Sometimes found in body-building supplements.
- CREDIT
- On a closing statement, an amount entered in a person's favor--either an amount the party has paid or an amount for which the party must be reimbursed.
- CREDIT
- The promise to pay in the future in order to buy or borrow in the present. The right to defer payment of debt.
- CREDIT DERIVATIVES
- A contract that enables a user, such as a bank, to better manage its credit risk. A way of transferring credit risk to another party.
- CREDIT ENHANCEMENT
- A technique to lower the interest payments on a bond by raising the issue’s credit rating, often through insurance in the form of a financial guarantee or with standby letters of credit issued by a bank.
- CREDIT INSURANCE
- Commercial coverage against losses resulting from the failure of business debtors to pay their obligation to the insured, usually due to insolvency. The coverage is geared to manufacturers, wholesalers, and service providers who may be dependent on a few…
- CREDIT LIFE INSURANCE
- Life insurance coverage on a borrower designed to repay the balance of a loan in the event the borrower dies before the loan is repaid. It may also include disablement and can be offered as an option in connection with credit cards and auto loans.
- CREDIT SCORE
- The number produced by an analysis of an individual’s credit history. The use of credit information affects all consumers in many ways, from getting a job, finding a place to live, securing a loan, getting a telephone, and buying insurance. Credit history is…
- Crème anglaise
- This is the French term for the traditional British custard sauce made with egg yolks, sugar and milk and/or cream and flavoured with vanilla. Proper home-made custard is an absolute dream, but don't cut corners or it just won't be the same. The key to…
- Crème brûlée
- A rich custard dessert covered with a hard caramel glaze. The glaze should be just thick enough so it gives a lovely crackle and shatters when gently tapped with a spoon. To produce the perfect golden-brown crust it helps to have a blow torch, but a very hot…
- Crème fraîche
- The French version of soured cream. It's twice as rich, and thicker than the British version, made from pasteurised cows' milk to which a lactic bacteria culture has been added. This thickens the cream and gives it a distinctive sharp flavour. Richer than…
- Crêpe
- Thin French pancake, served with sweet or savoury fillings or toppings. The best known is crêpes Suzette, which are crêpes served with a sauce made from fresh orange juice, orange zest, sugar, butter and Grand Marnier, flamed at the table before serving. If…
- crescent
- the phase of a planet or moon during which less than half the surface is illuminated
- crew neck
- A round neck with ribbed banding that fits close to the base of the neck.
- cri-du-chat syndrome
- A non-lethal human condition in infants caused by deletion of part of one homologue of chromosome 5.
- CRIME INSURANCE
- Term referring to property coverages for the perils of burglary, theft and robbery.
- crinoline
- Petticoats stiffened with horse-hair to enable the bell-like skirts of the early nineteenth century, that was eventually replaced with the bustle.
- crisscross inheritance
- Transmission of a gene from male parent to female child to male grandchild for example, X-linked inheritance.
- critical density
- the density of the universe that provides just enough gravity to bring the expansion to a halt after an infinite time
- Critical Mass
- The scale or volume at which processes become self-perpetuating. In Web publishing, it is said that after achieving a certain amount of material and resources, it will create a self-sustaining chain reaction.
- CROP-HAIL INSURANCE
- Protection against damage to growing crops from hail, fire, or lightning provided by the private market. By contrast, multiple peril crop insurance covers a wider range of yield-reducing conditions, such as drought and insect infestation, and is subsidized…
- cropped top jacket
- Hem is cut just above the waist.
- cross
- The deliberate mating of two parental types of organisms in genetic analysis.
- CROSS CONTAMINATION
- Cross contamination occurs when micro-organisms from one food product come into contact with another food product.
- crossbreed
- Fertilization between separate individuals.
- crossing over
- A process in which homologous chromosomes exchange parts normally reciprocally but sometimes unequally. The exchange of corresponding chromosome parts between homologues by breakage and reunion of DNA molecules normally during prophase I of meiosis but also…
- crossover suppression
- Reduction of crossing over within an inversion loop in inversion heterozygotes due to physical constraints during synapsis. Crossing over within an inversion loop, when it does occur, leads to defective (deleted and duplicated) crossover chromosomes and…
- Crostini
- Traditionally a festive Italian appetiser, 'crostini' means 'little crusts' in Italian. Baguette-style bread is thinly sliced and lightly toasted and then topped, usually with pâté made from a variety of ingredients such as mushrooms, chicken livers, capers…
- Croûtons
- Small cubes of bread that have been fried and then drained and cooled. As they cool, they develop a crisp texture and are used as a garnish for soups or in salads such as Caesar salad or fattoush. In salads, add them at the last minute to prevent them from…
- cruciform configuration
- A region of DNA having a sequence at one end repeated but inverted at the other end, so that each strand may pair with itself to form a helix extending sideways from the main helix.
- CRUDE OIL
- Petroleum as found in the earth, before it is refined into oil products. Also called CRUDE.
- CRUDE OIL STOCKS
- Stocks held at refineries and at pipeline terminals. Does not include stocks held on leases (storage facilities adjacent to the wells). In California, crude oil stocks in 1990 are approximately 18 million barrels on any given day.
- Crudités
- Raw vegetables, thinly sliced or grated, served as a starter or, with a dip, as a snack. Crudités might include any fresh, seasonal vegetables such as carrots, celeriac, cucumber, sweet peppers, red cabbage, celery, fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms and radishes…
- crust
- the thin, outermost geological layer of a planet, moon, or asteroid
- cryovolcanism
- the eruption of water and other liquid or vapor-phase volatiles, together with gas-driven solid fragments, onto the surface of a planet or moon due to internal heating
- cryptic coloration
- Coloration that allows an organism to match its background and hence become less vulnerable to predation or recognition by prey.
- CSE (CALIFORNIA SEASONAL EFFICIENCY)
- See See Seasonal Efficiency.
- CUBIC FOOT
- The most common unit of measurement of natural gas volume. It equals the amount of gas required to fill a volume of one cubic foot under stated conditions of temperature, pressure and water vapor. One cubic foot of natural gas has an energy content of…
- Cucumber Juice
- It has moisture-binding, soothing and tightening properties.
- culture
- Tissue or cells multiplying by asexual division, grown for experimentation.
- Cultured Pearl
- Created through a painstaking process of mimicking the natural pearl process in live mollusks. A pearl is formed as a result of implanting a piece of mantle from a mollusk into another host mollusk.
- Cumberland sauce
- A classic English sauce made from port, orange and lemon juice and redcurrant jelly. Served cold it's a traditional accompaniment to hot or cold ham, cold goose or game, sausages and pâté. It's very quick and easy to make and is meant to have quite a thin…
- Cumin
- The small, crescent-shaped seeds of a plant called Cuminum cyminum, which are used as a spice. It has a warm flavour and quite a strong, pungent aroma. Cumin seeds can be used whole or ground into a powder. They're frequently used in Indian cooking and are a…
- Cupping
- professional coffee bean tasters use this process to determine quality, acidity and aroma of beans in the choice of their blends. It involves steeping the beans as with tea leaves and then smelling and tasting the brew at different temperatures as it cools.
- CURB SIGN
- A sign placed outside your business, allowing you to place specials, menus or artwork.
- Current noncurrent
- There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens form any one foreign country. The limit is based on place of birth, not citizenship. Because of the numerical limits, this means there is a waiting time before the…
- Curriculum Vitea (CV)
- Similar to a resume, a Curriculum Vitae - or CV - is somewhat more formal and more detailed. It might include presentations the job seeker has made, any professional activities, honors gained and any other relevant information. Hobbies can also be listed if…
- Curry
- From the Tamil word 'kari', meaning 'spiced sauce', comes this catch-all term, used to refer to any number of hot, spicy, sauce-based dishes. The term curry itself isn't really used in India, except as a term adopted by the British to categorise a number of…
- Curry powder
- Packaged curry powder was probably a British invention. Hoping to recreate the dishes they had enjoyed in India the British probably took back with them some Indian spice mixtures. Indian cooks don't use one single spice mixture to flavour all of their…
- Cursor
- A blinking symbol (usually a vertical line) that represents the location of the next character.
- CURTEST
- A life estate, usually a fractional interest, given by some states to the surviving husband in real estate owned by his deceased wife. Most states have abolished curtesy.
- Custard
- Traditional British dessert sauce made with egg yolks, sugar and milk and/or cream flavoured with vanilla. Proper homemade custard is an absolute dream, but don't cut corners or it just won't be the same. The key thing when making custard is to heat it just…