Glossary
Terms starting with F
320 definitions · page 2 of 6.
- FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)
- The federal agency in charge of disaster recovery in locations that have been declared disaster areas by a state's Governor and the President of the United States.
- FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (FERC)
- An independent regulatory commission within the U.S. Department of Energy that has jurisdiction over energy producers that sell or transport fuels for resale in interstate commerce; the authority to set oil and gas pipeline transportation rates and to set…
- FEDERAL FUNDS
- Reserve balances that depository institutions lend each other, usually on an overnight basis. In addition, Federal funds include certain other kinds of borrowings by depository institutions from each other and from federal agencies.
- Federal Grant
- An award, or transfer of money from an agency of the Federal Government to a business or to an individual, given without compensation, for a specific purpose. Federal grants may be for anything from business startup grants to educational opportunities and…
- FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION (FHLMC)
- A corporation established to purchase primarily conventional mortgage loans in the secondary mortgage market.
- FEDERAL INSURANCE ADMINISTRATION FIA
- Federal agency in charge of administering the National Flood Insurance Program. It does not regulate the insurance industry.
- Federal Poverty Guidelines
- The Department of Health and Human Services publishes a list every year giving the lowest income acceptable for a family of a particular size so that the family does not live in poverty. Consular officers use these figures in immigrant visa cases to…
- FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD
- Seven-member board that supervises the banking system by issuing regulations controlling bank holding companies and federal laws over the banking industry. It also controls and oversees the U.S. monetary system and credit supply.
- Federal Tax Identification Number
- The Federal Income Tax Identification Number is a number used by the internal revenue service and which is necessary to identify persons, or taxpayers, or separate business entities, for federal income tax tracking purposes.
- Federal Tax Lien
- An unpaid tax liability owed to the Federal Government may be filed as a lien on the real property owned by the delinquent taxpayer. The effect of the Federal Tax Lien is to encumber the property and make it impossible to sell the real estate without first…
- Federal Trade Commission
- The FTC is an agency of the federal government that oversees and regulates trade and trade practices, and enforces the anti trust laws as well as false and deceptive advertising.
- feedback inhibition
- A post-translational control mechanism in which the end product of a biochemical pathway inhibits the activity of the first enzyme of this pathway.
- FELA:Federal Employers Liability Act
- This act provides the exclusive remedy for injured railroad workers for injuries that arise out of their employment. The act does not preclude the filing of a FELA case in state court. The basis of the FELA claim is founded on the employer's negligence, even…
- Felony
- Felony information: Most jurisdictions term a felony any crime for which more that one year in prison stands as a possible punishment. Lower term offenses are called misdemeanors. A felony is a serious offense for which the status of a person will change, if…
- FENESTRATION
- In simplest terms, windows or glass doors. Technically fenestration is described as any transparent or translucent material plus any sash, frame, mullion or divider. This includes windows, sliding glass doors, French doors, skylights, curtain walls and…
- Fennel
- There are two main types of this aromatic plant - the vegetable and the herb. Both have pale green, celery-like stems and bright green, feathery foliage. Florence fennel, also called finocchio or Italian fennel, has a broad, bulbous base with a mild aniseed…
- Fenugreek
- An aromatic Mediterranean plant that produces long pods containing oblong, brownish seeds. The seeds have a slightly bitter taste and are roasted and ground and used as a flavouring in curries (ground fenugreek is frequently used in curry powder). The leaves…
- fermata
- In musical notation, a sign (-) indicating the prolongation of a note or rest beyond its notated value.
- Fermilab
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois (near Chicago). Named for particle physics pioneer Enrico Fermi.
- Fermion
- Any particle that has odd-half-integer (1/2, 3/2, ...) intrinsic angular momentum (spin), measured in units of h-bar. All particles are either fermions or bosons. Fermions obey a rule called the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two fermions…
- fertility factor (F factor)
- The plasmid that allows a prokaryote to conjugate with and pass DNA into an F- cell. A bacterial episome whose presence confers donor ability (maleness).
- Feta cheese
- A creamy white Greek cheese traditionally made from ewes' milk or ewes' and goats' milk mixed together (but now sometimes made using cows' milk) and preserved in brine or oil. It has quite a salty flavour but it shouldn't be so salty that it detracts from…
- Fettuccine
- Long flattish noodle-shaped pasta, similar to tagliatelle. A very good pasta to serve with oil or butter-based sauces because the sauce goes a long way to coat the pasta evenly and also helps to prevent the strands of pasta from clumping together.
- FFA
- free-for-all links list, where there are no qualifications for adding a link.
- Fiance(e)
- A person who plans or is contracted to marry another person. The foreign fiance(e) of an American citizen may enter the United States on a K-1 visa to marry the American citizen.
- Fibre Optic Cable
- A cable used for transmitting data as a light wave. A fiber optic cable is composed of one or more optical fibers. It is more expensive that copper wire, but offers higher transmission speeds and allows for communication over larger distances.
- Fictitious Business Name
- Fictitious Business Name information: This is a name that will not include an individual owner surname, or the partners, or where even the nature of the business is not obvious by the name alone.
- Fictitious Name
- Fictitious Name information: Any kind of name under which business is conducted, other than the name of a person.
- FIDELITY BOND
- A form of protection that covers policyholders for losses that they incur as a result of fraudulent acts by specified individuals. It usually insures a business for losses caused by the dishonest acts of its employees.
- FIDUCIARY BOND
- A type of surety bond, sometimes called a probate bond, which is required of certain fiduciaries, such as executors and trustees, that guarantees the performance of their responsibilities.
- FIDUCIARY LIABILITY
- Legal responsibility of a fiduciary to safeguard assets of beneficiaries. A fiduciary, for example a pension fund manager, is required to manage investments held in trust in the best interest of beneficiaries. Fiduciary liability insurance covers breaches of…
- Field
- Horses that are grouped together as one wagering interest. If you wager on the field, you get all the runners entered in the field.
- field of view
- the area of sky visible in a telescope or binoculars
- FIFO
- First in, first out means use the products on the shelves before using the products that are newly arrived. All food products coming into your restaurant should be dated.
- figure
- (1) In Baroque and Classical music, the numbers below a staff designating the harmonies to be filled in above; (2) a general term for a brief melodic pattern.
- figured bass
- The Baroque system of adding figures to a bass line, indicating what harmonies are to be improvised on each beat.
- File information
- This can be many things, but usually refers to the record of events, or the collection of papers that constitute one case.
- FILE-AND-USE STATES
- States where insurers must file rate changes with their regulators, but don’t have to wait for approval to put them into effect.
- Filename extension
- Last three or four letters of a file name that appear after the dot. Used to designate the type of file and the format used.
- Filial generation
- Offspring generation. F1 is the first offspring or filial generation; F2 is the second; and so on. Successive generations of progeny in a controlled series of crosses, starting with two specific parents (the P generation) and selfing or intercrossing the…
- Filigree
- Filigree is the name given to the lace-like ornamental work made from intricately arranged, intertwined wires.
- Filing Fee information
- This is the charge due on the filing of suit in a particular jurisdiction. The fee is usually set by statute or set by the governing body of a county. Where a party cannot afford the fee there is always a provision for waiver of the fee. Filing fees are…
- Filing Status Information
- A taxpayer must make an election of tax filing status. An individual taxpayer may elect to file single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, or as head of household. The filing status chosen can have a direct and important impact of tax rate…
- Fillet
- The term used to describe a boneless, lean cut of meat, fish or poultry. Fillet of beef is a prime cut and different parts of it are called different names depending on which part of the fillet they're cut from, including filet mignon, tournedos and…
- Filo pastry
- Paper-thin translucent sheets of pastry commonly used in Greek, Eastern European and Middle Eastern cuisines. It's sold ready-made in rolled layers - fresh from the chiller cabinet, or frozen. The delicate sheets are strengthened by using several layers…
- filter
- a device that transmits light of only certain wavelengths; used by astronomers to observe specific wavelengths or to reduce the light of exceptionally bright objects
- filter enrichment
- A technique for recovering auxotrophic mutants in filamentous fungi (in which non-auxotrophic organisms are filtered off leaving a residue of non-growing auxotrophs).
- Filtering
- Screening network packets for certain properties, such as the source or destination address, protocol used or even a pattern in the data. It is used in firewalls in order to decide if the traffic is to be forwarded or rejected. Provides the basis for network…
- final
- In plainchant, the concluding note in a mode; corresponds roughly to the tonic note in a tonal scale.
- finale
- (1) The last movement of an instrumental work; (2) the large ensemble that concludes an act in an opera.
- Finance Charge information
- An additional fee paid, by way of interest, on installment loan account or credit card accounts.
- FINANCIAL GUARANTEE INSURANCE
- Covers losses from specific financial transactions and guarantees that investors in debt instruments, such as municipal bonds, receive timely payment of principal and interest if there is a default. Raises the credit rating of debt to which the guarantee is…
- Financial Planner Information
- A financial planner is an investment professional that will meet with an investor and give advice on how best to meet the investor's long-term financial objectives. The planner may also advise that the goals may not be achievable. In any case, the financial…
- FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LAW
- A state law requiring that all automobile drivers show proof that they can pay damages up to a minimum amount if involved in an auto accident. Varies from state to state but can be met by carrying a minimum amount of auto liability insurance. (See Compulsory…
- Financial Statement Information
- A financial statement is a written document containing a statement of financial condition at a certain time, based on assets and liabilities, for either a person or a corporation.
- finder scope
- a small, low-powered telescope attached to a larger telescope that helps the observer locate objects in the sky
- Finders Fee information
- A fee that is charged by a person that puts two parties together for a business opportunity or transaction.
- Finding
- Findings are the parts that jewelers use in making jewellery. They can include clasps, hooks, pin backs and earring backs.
- Finding of Fact information
- This may be done by judge or jury. At the end of a trial the judge may issue written findings of fact and conclusions of law, dispositive on various issues in the case, if requested by a party to do so.
- fine arts
- The realm of human experience characterized as aesthetic rather than practical or utilitarian, including music, painting, dance, theater, and film.