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English:Word

lastmod 2025-08-11created 2014-03-1179 edits

Notes on English words and idioms.

(Sort in English alphabetical order where possible.)

List of words

A

Abusing
Means misuse, overuse, harm, and so on. In IT, abusing collectively refers to malicious behavior.
Arrange
to place, to lay out, to adjust, to arrange (music), to put in order
Attempt
a try

B

Behaviour
1. conduct, act, action 2. way of behaving, operation

C

Coefficient(s)
coefficient
Contributors
participants, contributors.
Curious
wondering, inquisitive

D

E

Elapsed time
time elapsed.
Epsilon 1
epsilon
Estimate
1. estimate(d value), estimation 2. quotation (cost estimate) 3. to estimate
Even
1. [adverb] (indicating something unexpected or surprising) even
He never even opened the letter. -> He never ended up even tearing open the letter.
Exempli gratia (e.g.)
For example. ex (example) is used to mark the front of text, and e.g. is recommended for use inside parentheses.

F

G

Gradients
slope, gradient, rate of change

H

Heuristics
heuristics; a rule-of-thumb technique used quickly in situations where rational judgment is impossible due to insufficient time or information, or where systematic, rational judgment is not needed.

I

Instead
in place of
Unicode uses the spelling "lamda" in character names, instead of "lambda", due to "preferences expressed by the Greek National Body". 2 -> Unicode uses the spelling "lambda" in character names instead of "lambda" due to "default settings expressed by the Greek national institution".
Instruction
1. (detailed) explanation (needed to do or use something) 2. direction, order 3. (computer operation) instruction

J

K

L

Latency
being hidden, being invisible; latency, dormancy, potential
In computer networks, latency refers to the rate of delay.
Literal
1. (of a phrase's meaning) literal 2. (of a translation) word-for-word 3. lacking imagination
In programming, constants are called literals.

M

N

Note that
take note, be careful.

O

Obtain
1. to get (especially after effort) 2. to exist
Occlusion
occlusion, blockage
Occurrence
occurrence, happening
Opted
to make a choice, especially of one thing or possibility instead of others

P

Q

R

Readjust
readjustment
Rearrange
to rearrange, to relocate
Redundant
unnecessary; plentiful.

S

Several
1. a few, some 2. respective
Specification
spec, specification document
Synset
(information science) A set of one or more synonyms that are interchangeable in some context without changing the truth value of the proposition in which they are embedded.
(Information science) A set of one or more synonyms that can be interchanged in some contexts without changing the truth value of the embedded proposition. What does that even mean?

T

U

Unfortunately
sadly, by bad luck

V

W

while
during the time that ~
which
1. (in questions) which; what person(s), which one(s)

X

Y

Z

Calendar

  • Month 1: January (Jan)
  • Month 2: Feburary (Feb)
  • Month 3: March (Mar)
  • Month 4: April (Apr)
  • Month 5: May (May)
  • Month 6: June (Jun)
  • Month 7: July (Jul)
  • Month 8: August (Aug)
  • Month 9: September (Sep)
  • Month 10: October (Oct)
  • Month 11: November (Nov)
  • Month 12: December (Dec)

FAQ

Can you send by email a summary of your question?
Could you summarize your question and send it to me by E-Mail?
I don't speaking english.
I cannot speak English.
Search vs Find vs Seek
look for = search VS find = discover
Search is mainly used when looking for something lost, and is also used in relation to internet searches.
Find has a meaning similar to Search and is mainly used in everyday situations. Also, Find expresses the outcome, while Search conveys no meaning about the result.
Seek is used when you want to obtain some knowledge, truth, or something you pursue.
In summary: FIND = after looking, you have the discovered result. SEARCH = still looking.

Log Message

In the A() method, modify the B() to a C().
Modified B() to C() in function A().
Updated same as surrounding format.
Updated to match the surrounding format.
@return TRUE on success otherwise FALSE.
Returns TRUE if successful, FALSE otherwise.
Update the structure of the LM00 package with pack(4).
Please update the structs of the LM00 package using pack(4).
Create a script for global memory checking.
Creates a script for checking global memory.

Assert Message

X must be a pointer type.
X has to be a pointer type.
X must not be a pointer type.
X has to not be a pointer type.
X must be same type as Y
X has to be the same type as Y.

Status vs State

State
Definition - represents the current properties or conditions of an object or system.
Features
  • Focuses on state transitions.
  • Mainly used in State Machine or State Management.
  • State generally changes over time, and transitions occur between different states.
Usage examples
  • "Door state": changes among open, closed, locked, etc.
  • "Application state" (app state): changes among loading, ready, error, etc.
Status
Definition - static information representing the current position or condition of an object or system
Features
  • Describes the current condition or result.
  • Used to describe fixed attributes or situations rather than states.
  • Mainly useful for providing information to external observers of the system.
Usage examples:
  • "Order status": can change among processing, shipped, delivered, etc., but each stage has a fixed meaning.
  • "System status": describes the current state of the system, such as active, inactive, suspended.

indexes vs indices

Plural of "index" - "indexes" or "indices"?

The plural of index - is it indexes or indices

Both are correct, but their usage differs

plural of index: indexes or especially in technical use indices

The plural of index is usually spelled indexes, but can also be spelled indices (as in the original Latin) in subjects like science and medicine.

- Oxford Dictionaries

In the Microsoft Style Guide

Use indexes as the plural form of index. Use indices only in the context of mathematical expressions.

  • Use indexes as the plural of "index".
  • Use indices only in the context of mathematical expressions.

Condition vs Situation

condition
A temporary state arising under a certain cause or circumstance.
situation
Emphasizes the interrelation between a person or thing and the circumstances surrounding it.

Plural of index - indexes vs indices

Both are correct, but their usage differs

plural of index: indexes or especially in technical use indices

The plural of index isindexes, and especially in technical use,indicesis used.

The plural of index is usually spelled indexes, but can also be spelled indices (as in the original Latin) in subjects like science and medicine.

Exist or Exists?

Your choices are: 

The application needs to exist in the codebase.

exist above is an infinitive phrase. 

The application exists in the codebase.

exists above is a verb.

ChatGPT answer

"exist" and "exists" are both forms of the verb exist, but which one to use depends on the grammatical context. The difference is agreement with the subject.

Exist
Meaning: to exist, to be real.
Usage: used when the subject is plural, or with first-person (I, we) or second-person (you) subjects.
Examples:
  • Many opportunities exist in this field. (There are many opportunities in this field.)
  • I believe that aliens exist. (I believe aliens exist.)
  • You know that many options exist. (You know there are several options.)
Exists
Meaning: to exist, to be real.
Usage: used when the subject is singular or third-person singular.
Examples:
  • A solution exists for this problem. (There is a solution to this problem.)
  • He believes that a higher power exists. (He believes there is a higher being.)
  • There exists a possibility of rain tomorrow. (It may rain tomorrow.)

Summary of differences:

  • "Exist" is used with plural subjects or first- and second-person subjects.
  • "Exists" is used with singular subjects or third-person singular.

Which to use as a function name?

In PHP: 

bool file_exists ( string $filename )

In Apple's NSFileManager class: 

(BOOL)fileExistsAtPath:(NSString *)path

In Microsoft's File class: 

bool Exists( string path )

In Android's File class: 

boolean exists()

So... in programming

  • Use "exist" when "whether it exists" is certain. Otherwise use "exists".
  • Ex) The 'window' object does not exist. (The 'window' object does not exist.)

My personal answer for use in coding

  • When existence is uncertain, use exists, since it is commonly used as a function name for the purpose of querying.
  • Usable when the class name itself can be expressed with the word exists (with nothing before or after) (e.g. Path, File). Otherwise use the has_ prefix.
    • Because it is used like file.exists(), which reads as "file exists".
  • However, when implemented as a plain function rather than a regular class method, use file_exists().

ChatGPT answer

exist
Mainly used for functions that check whether multiple entities exist. Function names can also be defined to fit subjects like I, we, you.
  • doItemsExist(items) - a function that checks whether multiple items exist
  • existInList(value, item_list) - a function that checks whether a specific value exists in a list
exists
Used when checking whether a single entity exists. Usually used to agree with the third-person singular.
  • userExists(username) - a function that checks whether a specific user exists
  • fileExists(file_path) - a function that checks whether a specific file exists
    • Just my opinion, but that seems to be why exists() is used when asking the class itself whether it exists?

separator vs delimiter

Technically a delimiter goes between things, perhaps in order to tell you where one field ends and another begins, such as in a comma-separated-value (CSV) file.

A terminator goes at the end of something, terminating the line/input/whatever.

A separator can be a delimiter or anything else that separates things. Consider the spaces between words in the English language for example.

You could argue that a newline character is a line terminator, a delimiter of lines or something that separates two lines. For this reason there are a few different newline-type characters in the Unicode specification.

status vs state

WARNING

This is a ChatGPT answer

"Status" and "State" can be used similarly, but they differ somewhat in technical contexts. The difference between the two terms depends mainly on the situation and context of use.

Status
General meaning: represents the condition or situation of an object or system at a specific point in time.
Mainly used when: the state is externally observable or interacts with other parts of the system.
Examples
  • Network connection status: "Online", "Offline"
  • Order processing status: "Pending", "Shipped", "Delivered"
State
General meaning: the properties or values an object or system has at a specific point in time; mainly data maintained internally.
Mainly used when: describing the internal state of a system, tracking or managing elements that can change.
Examples
  • State of a UI component: "Expanded", "Collapsed"
  • State of an object in software: "Active", "Inactive", "Suspended"

Summary of differences:

  • Status represents the externally expressed or observable state of a system, whereas State is tracked internally and is an important factor in determining the behavior of a system or object.
  • Status usually indicates what situation a system is externally in at a specific point in time, while State is an internal condition that determines how the system will behave.
  • Retrieve - to get back, to recover, to restore
  • Inspect - to examine (especially to make sure everything is in order), to inspect (officially visiting a school, factory, etc.)
  • Process - the course or procedure of work (to carry out), to handle.
  • Dispatch - to send off quickly [as a special envoy]; to send (urgent news)
  • Evaluate - to assess
  • Propagate - to spread

See also

Favorite site

References

  1. epsilon-neighborhood: epsilon neighborhood: the set of all points whose distance from a given point is less than some given positive number ε. ↩

  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda#Litra_symbol ↩

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