Glossary
Terms starting with L
653 definitions · page 11 of 11.
- long-period comet
- Comets that have orbital periods greater than 200 years.
- LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE
- Long-term care (LTC) insurance pays for services to help individuals who are unable to perform certain activities of daily living without assistance, or require supervision due to a cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. LTC is available as…
- longitude
- the angular distance of a particular place on Earth as measured east or west from the prime meridian running through Greenwich, England
- Looksmart
- Web directory located at www.looksmart.com
- LOOP FLOW
- The difference between scheduled and actual power flows on electric transmission lines.
- Lose status
- To stay in the United States longer than the period of time which Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gave to a person when he/she entered the United States, or to fail to meet the requirements or violate the terms of the visa classification. The person…
- LOSS
- A reduction in the quality or value of a property, or a legal liability.
- LOSS ADJUSTMENT EXPENSES
- The sum insurers pay for investigating and settling insurance claims, including the cost of defending a lawsuit in court.
- LOSS COSTS
- The portion of an insurance rate used to cover claims and the costs of adjusting claims. Insurance companies typically determine their rates by estimating their future loss costs and adding a provision for expenses, profit, and contingencies.
- LOSS OF USE
- A provision in homeowners and renters insurance policies that reimburses policyholders for any extra living expenses due to having to live elsewhere while their home is being restored following a disaster.
- LOSS RATIO
- Percentage of each premium dollar an insurer spends on claims.
- LOSS RESERVES
- The company’s best estimate of what it will pay for claims, which is periodically readjusted. They represent a liability on the insurer’s balance sheet.
- LOSSES (Electric utility)
- Electric energy or capacity that is wasted in the normal operation of a power system. Some kilowatt-hours are lost in the form of waste heat in electrical apparatus such as substation conductors. LINE LOSSES are kilowatts or kilowatt-hours lost in…
- Lossless
- A compression scheme is loseless when decompressed file is exactly the same as the original. This is needed for compressing executable programs and data files.
- Lossy
- A lossy compression allows for the quality of the compressed data to be diminished after decompression. It is suitable for audio, video and image compression.
- Lottery
- Diversity visa program. A computer randomly draws winners for the right to apply for immigration to the United States.
- Lotto Lottery
- A game where players select a small group of numbers (usually six) from a large set (usually 49) and are awarded prizes based on how many match the randomly drawn result. In a typical lotto game, a player might be asked to select six numbers from a set of…
- Lotto, Lottery
- A game where players select a small group of numbers (usually six) from a large set (usually 49) and are awarded prizes based on how many match the randomly drawn result. In a typical lotto game, a player might be asked to select six numbers from a set of…
- Lovage
- Also known as sea parsley, the leaves and stem of the lovage plant add an intense celery-like flavour to soups, stews and stocks or pork and poultry dishes. It can also be used to enhance potato dishes.
- LOW EMISSION VEHICLE (LEV)
- a vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board to have emissions from zero to 50,000 miles no higher than 0.075 grams/mile (g/mi) of non-methane organic gases, 3.4 g/mi of carbon monoxide, and 0.2 g/mi of nitrogen oxides. Emissions from 50,000 to…
- low pressure
- a system in which air pressure decreases toward the center, associated with unsettled weather, usually formed by a mass of warm air being forced up by cold air.
- Low Wage Worker
- Workers who are employed in low paying jobs, often exploited due to their lack of skills. Low wage workers live from payday to pay day and have no job security.
- LOW-E - A
- special coating that reduces the emissivity of a window assembly, thereby reducing the heat transfer through the assembly.
- Low-Pass Crossover
- A filter, found in a powered subwoofer, that accepts a full range audio signal heading for the subwoofer and passes only those frequencies falling below a predetermined frequency, attenuating those above. The goals are to "feed" the subwoofer only those…
- LOW-SULFUR OIL
- Oil having one percent or less of sulfur by weight.
- LPG (LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS)
- A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons, mainly propane and butane that change into liquid form under moderate pressure. LPG or propane is commonly used as a fuel for rural homes for space and water heating, as a fuel for barbecues and recreational vehicles, and…
- LPR
- Lawful permanent resident.
- LPRA
- Same as lawful permanent resident (LPR).
- LTO
- A limited time offer. A new product or menu item, which is intended to bring in new customers or increase customer frequency.
- LUMEN
- A measure of the amount of light available from a light source equivalent to the light emitted by one candle.
- LUMEN MAINTENANCE CONTROL
- An electrical control device designed to vary the electrical consumption of a lighting system in order to maintain a specified illumination level.
- LUMENS WATT
- A measure of the efficacy of a light fixture; the number of lumens output per watt of power consumed.
- LUMENS/WATT
- A measure of the efficacy of a light fixture; the number of lumens output per watt of power consumed.
- LUMINAIRE
- A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps and to connect the lamps to the power supply. California Code of Regulations, Section 2- 1602(h)].
- Luminance Noise Reduction (YNR)
- In the event of weak signal conditions, YNR reduces video noise (commonly known as "snow") in the picture. Through the menu, an on-screen indicator lets you know if the feature is on or off. For maximum picture detail on a good quality video, YNR should be…
- luminosity
- the total amount of light that an object radiates
- lunar eclipse
- a phenomenon caused by the Earth passing between the sun and moon
- lunar month
- the period of one complete revolution of the moon around Earth, 29.5 days
- lunation
- the time between two successive new moons; approximately 29.5 days
- LUX
- A unit of illumination equal to the direct illumination on a surface that is everywhere one meter from a uniform point source of one candle; a unit of illumination that is equal to one lumen per square meter. Also see footcandle.
- LUX
- A measurement of light level. Normal house lighting level is 75 to 100 LUX. The lower the rating, the better the indoor recording will be without the use of additional lighting.
- Lychee
- A fruit that originated in China and is now grown in the Far East and the West Indies. It's about the size of a small plum and has a thin, hard, rough shell that comes off easily. The white, juicy flesh has a similar texture to grapes but is more chewy, with…
- lymphoma
- cancer of the lymph nodes and spleen that causes excessive production of lymphocytes.
- Lyon hypothesis
- The hypothesis, named after Mary Lyon who stated it, suggesting that doseage compensation in mammals is by inactivation of all but one X chromosome in cells with more than one X chromosome. The Barr body, visible in some female mammalian cells, is an…
- Lyonnaise (à la)
- À la lyonnaise describes various dishes, usually sautéed, characterised by the use of chopped onions cooked in butter until golden and often finished off with vinegar and sprinkled with chopped parsley. Lyonnaise sauce is a classic French sauce made with…
- lyre
- An ancient plucked string instrument in the shape of a box (Figure 5. 1), whose association with music especially with the mythological character Orpheus) is so strong that the word lyric is derived from it.
- Lys
- Lysine (an amino acid).
- lysate
- The contents released from a lysed cell.
- lysis
- The breaking open of a cell by the destruction of its wall or membrane. The rupture and death of a bacterial cell upon the release of phage progeny.
- lysogen
- See lysogenic bacterium.
- lysogenic
- The state of a bacterial cell that has an integrated phage (prophage) in its chromosome.
- lysogenic bacterium
- A bacterial cell capable of spontaneous lysis due, for example, to the release of a prophage from the bacterial chromosome.
- LZW compression
- Lempel Ziv Welch compression - a popular compression algorithm.