What does control mean?

What does control mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does control mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] power to direct or determine(under control)[v] exercise authoritative control or power over(control the budget Command the military forces)[n] a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another(measures for the control of disease they instituted controls over

control

control - The Free Dictionary

[n] power to direct or determine
(under control)

[v] exercise authoritative control or power over
(control the budget Command the military forces)

[n] a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another
(measures for the control of disease they instituted controls over drinking on campus)

[v] lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
(moderate your alcohol intake hold your tongue hold your temper control your anger)

[n] (physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc
(the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired he had lost control of his sphincters)

[v] handle and cause to function
(do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol control the lever)

[n] a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment
(the control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw)

[v] control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage
(She manipulates her boss She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up The teacher knew how to keep the class in line she keeps in line)

[n] the activity of managing or exerting control over something
(the control of the mob by the police was admirable)

[v] check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard
(Are you controlling for the temperature?)

[n] the state that exists when one person or group has power over another
(her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her)

[v] verify by using a duplicate register for comparison
(control an account)

[n] discipline in personal and social activities
(he was a model of polite restraint she never lost control of herself)

[v] be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
(He verified that the valves were closed See that the curtains are closed control the quality of the product)

[n] great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity
(a good command of French)

[v] have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of
(Do you control these data?)

[n] a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine
(the speed controller on his turntable was not working properly I turned the controls over to her)

[n] a spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance

[n] the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.
(they wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls)

Other vocabulary

c, c and w, c battery, c clef, c compiler, c horizon, c major, c major scale, c program, c-clamp, c-horizon, c-note, c-ration, c-reactive protein, c-section, c. d. gibson, c. diphtheriae, c. h. best, c. k. ogden, c. northcote parkinson, c. p. snow, c. psittaci, c. s. forester, c. s. lewis, c. trachomatis, c. vann woodward, c. w. post, c.e., c.o.d., c.p.u., o, o level, o ring, o'brien, o'casey, o'clock, o'connor, o'er, o'flaherty, o'hara, o'keeffe, o'neill, o'toole, o. henry, o.d., o.e.d., o.k., oaf, oafish, oahu, oahu island, oak, oak apple, oak blight, oak chestnut, oak fern, oak leaf cluster, oak tree, oak-leaved goosefoot, oaken

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.