Glossary
Terms starting with U
94 definitions · page 1 of 2.
- U-value or U-factor
- A measure of how well heat is transferred by the entire window - the frame, sash and glass - either into or out of the building. U-value is the opposite of R-value. The lower the U-factor number, the better the window will keep heat inside a home on a cold…
- U.S. Copyright Office
- This is the location for the physical registration of copyrights in Washington, D.C.
- UA
- A measure of the amount of heat that would be transferred through a given surface or enclosure (such as a building envelope) with a one degree Fahrenheit temperature difference between the two sides. The UA is calculated by multiplying the U-Value by the…
- UCC, Uniform Commercial Code
- The UCC is the acronym for the Uniform Commercial Code. Coincidentally, UCC also refers to the Universal Copyright Convention. The more common reference is to the commercial code, which is largely adopted in all of the states and sets forth a regularized…
- UCCC, Uniform Consumer Credit Code
- The UCCC is the acronym for the Uniform Consumer Credit Code. This model act sets up restrictions on business transactions for consumers in applying for credit and for conducting credit sales.
- UDC
- Utility distribution company. An entity that owns a distribution system for the delivery of energy to and from the ISO-controlled grid, and that provides regulated, retail service to eligible end-use customers who are not yet eligible for direct access, or…
- Ugli fruit
- A hybrid of a grapefruit and a mandarin or tangerine. It has a distinctive, thick, mottled green and yellow skin that peels easily like tangerines. It tastes most like grapefruit but is slightly sweeter. Eat it as it is or use it in fruit salads, fruit fools…
- ULEV (ULTRA-LOW EMISSION VEHICLE) Ð
- a vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board to have emissions from zero to 50,000 miles no higher than 0.040 grams/mile (g/mi) of non-methane organic gases, 1.7 g/mi of carbon monoxide, and 0.2 g/mi of nitrogen oxides. Emissions from 50,000 to…
- Ultra Vires
- Ultra Vires acts are unauthorized acts, especially those of a corporation. All corporations must state the purpose of their existence in their initial filings, usually in the articles of incorporation. Activities that are beyond the scope of those purposes…
- ULTRAHIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION
- Transporting electricity over bulk-power lines at voltages greater than 800 kilovolts.
- ultraviolet light
- radiation with higher energy than visible light, but without as much energy as x rays
- ultraviolet radiation
- radiation with higher energy than visible light, but without as much energy as x rays
- umbra
- 1. the dark, central region of a shadow from which none of the light source can be seen2. the dark center of a sunspot
- UMBRELLA POLICY
- Coverage for losses above the limit of an underlying policy or policies such as homeowners and auto insurance. While it applies to losses over the dollar amount in the underlying policies, terms of coverage are sometimes broader than those of underlying…
- Unauthorized Practice of Law
- Only persons that have been licensed to practice law or who have been admitted to the bar are allowed to render legal services to other persons. All others are, strictly speaking, unauthorized.
- Unavoidable Accident
- In personal injury cases, or negligence cases, a party defendant cannot be liable to plaintiff for causing an accident that could not have been prevented with the exercise of reasonable care. Most courts today do not preclude the defendant from claiming the…
- UNBUNDLED CONTRACTS
- A form of annuity contract that gives purchasers the freedom to choose among certain optional features in their contract.
- UNBUNDLED NETWORK ELEMENTS (UNE)
- Physical and functional elements of the network, e.g., NIDs (Network Interface Devices), local loops, switch ports, and dedicated common transport facilities. UNE is a term used in negotiations between an CLEC and the LEC to describe the various network…
- UNBUNDLING
- Disaggregating electric utility service into its basic components and offering each component separately for sale with separate rates for each component. For example, generation, transmission and distribution could be unbundled and offered as discrete…
- Uncertainty Principle
- The quantum principle, first formulated by Heisenberg, that states that is is not possible to know exactly both the position x and the momentum p of an object at the same time. The same is true with energy and time (see virtual particle).
- UNCONDITIONED SPACE
- A space that is neither directly nor indirectly conditioned space, which can be isolated from conditioned space by partitions and/or closeable doors. [See California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 2-5302]
- Unconscionable
- In contract law, where the circumstances of the parties are such that one had great power in the negotiations and the other did not, the terms of the contract may be examined by the court for overreaching and therefore unconscionable.
- Unconstitutional
- Something that is against or contrary to a provision of a constitution. In the United States it is the judicial branch of the government that will declare a statute unconstitutional. The courts will wait until a proper constitutional issue arises in a case…
- under-third cadence
- A fourteenth-century cadence, closely associated with Francesco Landini, in which the melody proceeds from the seventh to the sixth degree of the modal scale before rising a third to the tonic note.
- Undercapitalization
- A corporation is deemed to be undercapitalized when it has less capital, or assets, than will be required for it to set up its business.
- Underdelivery
- delivery of less impressions, visitors, or conversions than contracted for a specified period of time.
- Underdrawn or Under Drawn
- A digit that over a period of time is drawn less often than the norm. These numbers are favored because they can only reach normality by being drawn.
- UNDERINSURANCE
- The result of the policyholder’s failure to buy sufficient insurance. An underinsured policyholder may only receive part of the cost of replacing or repairing damaged items covered in the policy.
- Underqualification
- Young graduates will little or no work experience are often frustrated by being underqualified (or unqualified). This can also be a problem for those who are looking to change career paths.
- Undertone
- In make-up terms, refers to cool or warm tones of the skin.
- Underwriter
- An underwriter is one who accepts insurance risks in exchange for a premium, or one who agrees to purchase all of a particular issuance of stock for the purpose of reselling it.
- UNDERWRITING
- Examining, accepting, or rejecting insurance risks and classifying the ones that are accepted, in order to charge appropriate premiums for them.
- UNDERWRITING INCOME
- The insurer’s profit on the insurance sale after all expenses and losses have been paid. When premiums aren’t sufficient to cover claims and expenses, the result is an underwriting loss. Underwriting losses are typically offset by investment income.
- Undue Influence
- Undue influence is the intentional act of depriving someone of their free will through an improper use of subtle yet coercive power, or by a misuse of a trust relationship, such that the will of a person is overborne and is submitted to the will of the…
- Unearned Income
- Unearned income, as the term relates to income tax law, is income received from sources other than wages, salaries, tips, and similar employee compensation. Income from rent, dividend payments received, and interest on bank accounts are examples of unearned…
- UNEARNED PREMIUM
- The portion of a premium already received by the insurer under which protection has not yet been provided. The entire premium is not earned until the policy period expires, even though premiums are typically paid in advance.
- Unemployment Insurance
- Unemployment insurance is a government program that offers some measure of financial assistance and protection to persons who become unemployed for a period of time through no fault of their own. Premiums for this coverage is partially paid by the employers…
- unequal-voiced counterpoint (non-imitative counterpoint)
- A musical texture in which independent voices of different character compete for attention.
- Unfair Competition
- Unfair competition is dishonest or fraudulent business practices.
- Unfair Dismissal
- When an employee is dismissed for no good reason or without the employer going through the agreed company dismissal procedure.
- Unicode
- A 16 bit ISO 10646 character set. It can accommodate way more characters that ASCII, thus allowing for easier internationalization.
- unidentified infrared bands (UIBs)
- mysterious objects in space that give off as yet unidentified infrared emission patterns
- Unified Remote Control
- Enables the user to control other products (i.e., TV, VCR, Laser disc) from the same manufacturer with a single remote control.
- Uniform Child Jurisdiction Act
- The UCCJA is a model act adopted by most states in some form or another that sets out a standard analysis for determining which state should have jurisdiction to make custodial decisions for a particular child. The act was aimed at preventing divorcing…
- Uniform Commercial Code
- The UCC is a model act adopted by most states in some form or another that sets out a standard for commercial transactions, including sales of goods, commercial paper, securities, bulk transfers, etc.
- UNINSURABLE RISK
- Risks for which it is difficult for someone to get insurance. (See Insurable risk)
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage
- This is a type of automobile insurance coverage that most states now require to be included in all policies of insurance. The aim of the requirement is to afford some level of compensation in cases where injuries are caused by collisions with uninsured, or…
- UNINSURED MOTORISTS COVERAGE
- Portion of an auto insurance policy that protects a policyholder from uninsured and hit-and-run drivers.
- Unique visitors
- individuals who have visited a Web site (or network) at least once in a during a fixed time frame.
- unison
- A descriptive term for music sung or played at the same pitch by two different voices or instruments.
- unit pulse
- A rhythmic technique in which meter is replaced by a focus on the shortest rhythmic value.
- unitards
- A close-fitting, one-piece garment for the torso, legs, and feet, and often for the arms.
- UNIVERSAL LIFE INSURANCE
- A flexible premium policy that combines protection against premature death with a type of savings vehicle, known as a cash value account, that typically earns a money market rate of interest. Death benefits can be changed during the life of the policy within…
- UNIVERSAL SERVICE
- Electric service sufficient for basic needs (an evolving bundle of basic services) available to virtually all members of the population regardless of income.
- Universal Time
- the local time of day on a line of longitude centered on Greenwich, England; also known as Greenwich Mean Time, it forms the basis for all civil timekeeping
- Universe
- everything that exists
- Unix
- A family of multi-user operating systems, first developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1970s and then licensed to many universities. A basis for Linux, a very popular operating system among web hosts.
- Unjust Enrichment
- Unjust enrichment can be the basis of a claim against a party that has unjustly gained a benefit at the innocent expense of another. This is an equity concept from the common law.
- Unlawful
- Unlawful, simply put, is that which is illegal or which is not authorized by law. Claims are based on unlawful acts.
- Unlawful Detainer
- Unlawful Detainer is the retention of real property belonging to another past the date or time that the original entry onto the property was lawfully made. For example unlawful detainer will lie where a tenant holds over on the rented premises at the end of…