check rail
nounRail equipment
A rail laid parallel to a running rail to guide wheels through points, rail crossings, and round curves, to reduce wear and the risk of derailments such as those due to flange climb.
Entries starting with C
768 entries.
check viewer
A viewer employed by the lessor to see that the provisions of the lease are duly observed.
check weigher
A person employed by the miners to check the weight of the mined material and thus ensure the proper wages were paid.
checkweigh
To check the weight of the mined material and thus ensure the proper wages are paid.
cheek
nounMetalworking
The middle section of a flask, made so that it can be moved laterally, to permit the removal of the pattern from the mould.
cheeser
A small spool that is used in the finishing stage of yarn-making.
Chelsea chop
The practice of pruning herbaceous plants around the end of May.
ChemCam
Abbreviation of Chemistry and Camera, an instrument onboard the Curiosity rover.
chemical engine
A large cart-mounted fire extinguisher using caustic chemical-extinguishing chemicals.
chemical rocket
a rocket that uses a chemical reaction of its propellants to generate its gaseous exhaust
chemigation
The application of a pesticide or fertilizer through an irrigation system.
CheMin
Abbreviation of Chemistry and Mineralogy, an instrument onboard the Curiosity rover at Mars.
chemosterilant
A chemical that controls pests by preventing reproduction, thereby causing the population to collapse.
cherubs
A multiservice tactical brevity code for communicating the altitude of friendly aircraft.
chew the cud
To ruminate (of ruminant animals).
chicane
A raised area or other obstacle around which vehicles must drive, especially designed to reduce speed.
chicken bit
A bit on a chip that can be used to disable one of the features of the chip if it proves faulty or negatively impacts performance.
chicot
A tree or tree limb that is dead and may fall and cause injury.
child lock
nounAutomotive
A type of special-purpose lock that when activated, prevents rearseat passengers from opening the doors from the inside.
chill
verbMetallurgy
To harden a metal surface by sudden cooling.
chimney flashing
nounConstruction
A strip of material around the base of a chimney, traditionally lead and sometimes including a short length of flue, that prevents rainwater from entering a building.
chin
The lower part of the front of an aircraft, below the nose.
China girl
Name given to cultivars of various tree, shrub and plant species, including dogwood, holly, orchids, etc.
chiné
adjectiveManufacturing
Mottled in appearance, from the warp being dyed in different colours, or from threads of different colours twisted together.
chip
A hybrid device mounted in a substrate, containing electronic circuitry and miniaturised mechanical, chemical or biochemical devices.
chipless
adjectiveMachining
That cuts or forms a material without producing chips.
chiplet
Any of the integrated circuits making up a multi-chip module (MCM).
chipped
adjectiveAutomotive
Having had the engine management system upgraded, usually to increase power.
chokedamp
A damp consisting chiefly of carbon dioxide, so called for its ability to asphyxiate.
chop and drop
The practice of removing plants by cutting them down to the soil level, without removing the roots.
chopped
Having a vehicle's height reduced by horizontal trimming of the roofline.
chopper
Any of various electronic switches used to interrupt one signal under the control of another.
chord
nounRail equipment
A section of subsidiary railway track that interconnects two primary tracks that cross at different levels, to permit traffic to flow between them.
Christiansen effect
The reduced scattering of multi-phase microstructures at wavelengths where their refractive indices match.
Christiansen filter
A narrow bandpass or monochromatic optical filter which consists of an optical cell which is filled with a crushed substance (e.g. glass) and a (mostly organic) liquid.
Christmas tree
A panel of indicator lights in an aircraft or a submarine.
chromatic
adjectiveOptics and imaging
Having the capacity to separate spectral colours by refraction.
chromatic aberration
An optical aberration in which an image has coloured fringes, caused by differential refraction of light of different wavelengths.
chromatics
The science of colours; the branch of optics that deals with the properties of colours.
chronostasis
A visual illusion in which a regular movement seems to pause the first time it is observed.
chuck
A mechanical device that holds an object firmly in place, for example holding a drill bit in a high-speed rotating drill or grinder.
chugger
A heavy-duty locomotive whether electric, diesel, hybrid or steam-powered
church crown
A decorative hat worn by women in the Southern United States as a headcovering during church services.
church text
A tall, thin form of black-letter print.
Chvorinov's rule
nameMetallurgy
An empirical formula used to calculate the solidification time of cast metal. The rule states that t=B(V/A)ⁿ, where t is the solidification time, B is a constant whose value depends on the material properties of the cast metal, V is the volume of the cast, A is the surface area of the cast that contacts the mold, and n is a constant that is usually around 1.5 to 2.
CIBER
Initialism of Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment.
CID
nounAutomotive
Initialism of cubic inches displacement; cubic inches of displacement.
CIJ
Initialism of continuous inkjet.
cinchable
adjectiveTextile production
Capable of being cinched, or tightened.
circle of confusion
An optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source.
circuit
Enclosed path of an electric current, usually designed for a certain function.
circuit board
A board on which electronic components and their interconnecting circuits are mounted or etched.
circuit breaker
An electrical switch capable of opening and closing an electrical circuit in all operating conditions, including fault situations.
circuit diagram
A schematic representation of electrical connections.
circuit topology
The form of an electronic circuit taken by the network of its components.
circuity
A measure of the ratio of road miles to air miles between two locations.
circular needle
a knitting implement consisting of two needles connected by a thin wire; used to knit round tubes
circulator
A passive electronic component with three or more ports, in which the ports can be accessed in such a way that when a signal is fed into any port it is transferred to the next port only
circumferentor
nounSurveying
An instrument used to measure horizontal angles, consisting of a brass circle and an index, all of one piece.
city bus
An informal approximate unit of measure.