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fact
: an information asserted to be true, e.g. something proven to
exist, an event that has happened, or a statement true on the basis
of reasoning; in that sense, fact is not merely a datum (or data)
because it involves the criteria of truth. |
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datum,
data
information |
acronym |
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FAO
: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
: leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a
neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate
agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and
information. FAO helps developing countries and countries in
transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries
practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since the founding in
1945, FAO has focused special attention on developing rural areas,
home to 70 percent of the world's poor and hungry people. FAO's
activities comprise four main areas: (1) putting information within
reach; (2) sharing policy expertise; (3) providing a meeting place
for nations; (4) bringing knowledge to the
field.
http://www.fao.org |
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Internet
lingo |
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FCOL
: for crying out loud |
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acronym |
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FDI
: Foreign Direct Investment : an investment
made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of
the economy of the investor; investment in the foreign operations,
or establish-ment of a new ('greenfield') site. The FDI relationship
consists of a parent enterprise and a foreign affiliate which
together form a transnational corporation (TNC). In order to qualify
as FDI the invest-ment must afford the parent enterprise control
over its foreign affiliate. The UN defines control in this case as
owning 10% or more of the ordinary shares or voting power of an
incorporated firm or its equivalent for an unincorporated firm;
lower ownership shares are known as portfolio investment. |
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biology |
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fecundate
: to impregnate or fertilize. |
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biology |
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fertilize
: to render the female gamete capable of development by uniting it
with the male gamete. |
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botany |
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fertilizer
: an insect that fertilizes plant, e.g. bees are fertilizers of
flowers. |
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gardening
& agriculture |
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fertilizer
: a substance used to enrich (to make fertile) the soil, especially
a commercial and chemical manure. |
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game
:
chess
acronym |
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FIDE
: Federation Internationale des Echecs (The International Chess
Federation) : an international federation in the domain of
chess, which was founded on July 20, 1924 in Paris; it organizes
world championship competitions, draws up rules of the game, and
awards the international titles to top players. FIDE is recognized
by the International Olympic Committee as the supreme body
responsible for the game of chess and its championships; it unites
national chess federations throughout the world and oversees
international competitions. |
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botany
& gardening |
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filament
: the stalk of a stamen connecting the anther with the corolla; the
stalklike portion of a stamen, supporting the anther. |
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computing
& web |
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file
extension : the three letters which come after the dot in
the name of a file, and indicate to the computer what kind of file
it is. Examples: .jpg (an image file), .doc
(a Microsoft Word document), .txt (a text
file). |
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botany
& gardening
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filiform
: threadlike; filamentous; slender and of equal thickness from top
to bottom, as a filiform style or peduncle. |
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fire
point : the temperature at which the flame becomes
self-sustained so as to continue burning the liquid (at the flash
point, the flame does not need to be sustained). The fire point is
usually a few degrees above the flash point. |
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computing
& web |
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firewire
: a collection of wires that support data transfer from one
part of a computer to another at a very high speed (up to 400
megabits/second). Firewire is intended for devices that contain
large amounts of data such as camcorders, disk drives, and DVD
players. |
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computing
& web |
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Flash
: a Macromidia program that creates vector-based animations that can
be embedded into web pages and viewed in a browser with the Flash
player. |
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flash
point : the lowest temperature at which a liquid can form
an ignitable mixture in air near the surface of the liquid. The
lower the flash point, the easier it is to ignite the material; for
example, gasoline has a flash point of -40oC (-40oF)
and is more flammable than ethylene glycol (antifreeze) which has a
flash point of 111oC (232oF). The U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all substances
transported have a flash point determined and that any materials
with flash points lower than 60oC (140oF) be
handled with extra caution. A closely related and less common term
is fire point, the temperature at which the flame becomes
self-sustained so as to continue burning the liquid (at the flash
point, the flame does not need to be sustained).
OSHA's Standard 1910.106
mandates flash point determinations using one of two standardized
testing methods specified by the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM). Other agencies and sections of the U.S. Code may
specify alternative methods, but the general concept is similar in
each case [ND00]. |
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foliage
: the leaves of a plant, collectively, leafage; the representation
of leaves, flowers, and branches in painting, architectural
ornament, etc. |
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botany
& gardening |
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follicle
: a dry, one-celled seed capsule or pod, which opens along only one
side to release its seeds, as a milkweed pod. |
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botany
& gardening |
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footstalk
: the stalk of a flower or stem of a leaf. |
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biology |
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foraminifer
: any chiefly marine protozoan of the sarcodinian order Foraminifera,
typically having a liner, spiral, or concentric shell perforated by
small holes or pores through which pseudopodia extend. |
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formula
: a standard or accepted way of doing or making something, or a
mathematical expression in a set of numbers and symbols. |
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geography
: toponym |
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Fort
Bragg (Mendocino Co., CA) : When the town was founded in
1885 it was named after the military post that had been established
in 1857 by Lt. H.G. Gibson and named in honor of Lt. Col. Braxton
Bragg, a hero of the Mexican War. |
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meteorology |
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frost
: formation of thin ice crystals on the ground or other surfaces in
the form of scales, needles, feathers, or fans. Frost develops under
conditions similar to dew, except the temperatures of the Earth's
surface and earthbound objects falls below 32°F. As with the term
'freeze', this condition is primarily significant during the growing
season. If a frost period is sufficiently severe to end the growing
season or delay its beginning, it is commonly referred to as a
'killing frost'. Because frost is primarily an event that occurs as
the result of radiational cooling, it frequently occurs with a
thermometer level temperature in the mid-30s. |
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frostbite
: an injury to the body caused by freezing body tissue; the
air temperature has to be below
freezing in order for frostbite to develop on exposed skin. The most
susceptible parts of the body are the extremities such as fingers,
toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose. Symptoms include a loss of
feeling in the extremity and a
white or pale appearance. Medical attention is needed immediately
for frostbite. The area should be slowly re-warmed. |
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botany
& gardening |
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fruit
: the seed bearing product of a plant, usually derived by
the transformation of the ovary; the result is then called a true
fruit. When any other part is also involved. e.g. receptacle,
sepals, petals, bracts, the3 result is known botanically as a false
fruit or pseudocarp, e.g. the strowberry. |
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Internet
lingo |
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F2F
: face to face; a personal meeting |
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acronym
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FUD :
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. |
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fume :
particulate substance consisting of the solid particles of extremely
small diameter (see [HANDBOOK]);
generated by condensation from the gaseous state, generally after
volatilization from melted substances (e.g. from molten metal as
metal fume), and often accompanied by a chemical reaction, such as
oxidation. |
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volatilization |
botany
& gardening |
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funicle
: the stalk of an ovule or seed. |
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Latin
abbreviation |
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f.v.
: folio verso : on the back of the page |
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Internet
lingo |
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FWIW
: for what it's worth |
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