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Glossary · Nouns · C

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TermTypeDefinitionClassificationsUpdated
Comparative AnatomistnounMWEanatomist who compares the anatomy of different animalsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparative AnatomynounMWEthe study of anatomical features of animals of different speciesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparative DegreenounMWEthe comparative form of an adjective or adverbverifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparative LiteraturenounMWEstudy of literary works from different cultures (often in translation)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparative NegligencenounMWE(law) negligence allocated between the plaintiff and the defendant with a corresponding reduction in damages paid to the plaintiffverifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparative PsychologynounMWEthe branch of psychology concerned with the behavior of animalsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Comparingnounthe act of examining resemblancesverifiedMay 18, 2026
ComparisonnounThe process of comparing a biometric with a previously stored reference.ProcessMay 18, 2026
Compartmentnouna partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed areaverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compartment PressurenounMWEthe air pressure maintained in an air-tight compartment especially in an aircraftverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compartmentalisationnounthe act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same typeverifiedMay 18, 2026
CompartmentalizationnounA nonhierarchical grouping of sensitive information used to control access to data more finely than with hierarchical security classification alone.ControlMay 18, 2026
Compartmented ModenounMWEMode of operation wherein each user with direct or indirect access to a system, its peripherals, remote terminals, or remote hosts has all of the following: (1) valid security clearance for the most restricted information processed in the system; (2) formal access approval and signed nondisclosure agreements for that information which a user is to have access; and (3) valid need-to-know for information which a user is to have access.ControlRegulatedCUIMay 18, 2026
Compass CardnounMWEcompass in the form of a card that rotates so that 0 degrees or North points to magnetic northverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass FlowernounMWEany of several plants having leaves so arranged on the axis as to indicate the cardinal points of the compassverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass NorthnounMWEthe direction in which a compass needle pointsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass PlanenounMWEa plane with a flexible face that can plane concave or convex surfacesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass PlantnounMWEany of several plants having leaves so arranged on the axis as to indicate the cardinal points of the compassverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass PointnounMWEany of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compassverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compass SawnounMWEa handsaw with a narrow triangular blade for cutting curvesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compassionnounthe humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about itverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compassionate LeavenounMWE(military) leave granted in an emergency such as family sickness or deathverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compassionatenessnouna deep awareness of and sympathy for another's sufferingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compatibilitynouncapability of existing or performing in harmonious or congenial combinationverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compatible SoftwarenounMWEapplication software programs that share common conventions so they can be utilized togetherverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compatriotnouna person from your own countryverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compeernouna person who is of equal standing with another in a groupverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compendiumnouna concise but comprehensive summary of a larger workverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compensating BalancenounMWEa minimum credit balance that a bank may require a borrower to keep on deposit as a condition for granting a loanverifiedMay 18, 2026
compensating controlnounMWEA management, operational, and/or technical control (e.g., safeguard or countermeasure) employed by an organization in lieu of a recommended security control in the low, moderate, or high baselines that provides equivalent or comparable protection for an information system.ControlRegulatedMay 18, 2026
Compensating Security ControlnounMWEA management, operational, and/or technical control (i.e., safeguard or countermeasure) employed by an organization in lieu of a recommended security control in the low, moderate, or high baselines that provides equivalent or comparable protection for an information system. NIST SP 800-53: A management, operational, and technical control (i.e., safeguard or countermeasure) employed by an organization in lieu of the recommended control in the baselines described in NIST Special Publication 800-53 or in CNSS Instruction 1253, that provide equivalent or comparable protection for an information system.ControlMay 18, 2026
compensationnounSomething, typically money, given or received in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury.candidateMay 9, 2026
Compensatory DamagesnounMWEcompensation for losses that can readily be proven to have occurred and for which the injured party has the right to be compensatedverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compensatory SpendingnounMWEspending money raised by borrowingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compensatory TimenounMWEtime off that is granted to a worker as compensation for working overtimeverifiedMay 18, 2026
competencenounThe state or quality of possessing the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully.CapabilityMay 9, 2026
Competence HearingnounMWEa hearing to determine legal capacity i.e. to determine whether the defendant can understand the charges and cooperate with a lawyer in preparing a defenseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Competencynounthe quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectuallyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Competitionnounan occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestantsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Competitive IntelligencenounMWECompetitive Intelligence is espionage using legal, or at least not obviously illegal, means.ThreatIPMay 12, 2026
Competitivenessnounan aggressive willingness to competeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Competitornounthe contestant you hope to defeatverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compilationnounthe act of compiling (as into a single book or file or list)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Compilernoun(computer science) a program that decodes instructions written in a higher order language and produces an assembly language programverifiedMay 18, 2026
Compilingnounthe act of compiling (as into a single book or file or list)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Compiling ProgramnounMWE(computer science) a program that decodes instructions written in a higher order language and produces an assembly language programverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complacencenounthe feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourselfverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complacencynounself-satisfaction, contentment with one's situationverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complainantnouna person who brings an action in a court of lawverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complainernouna person given to excessive complaints and crying and whiningverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complaintnoun(civil law) the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim for relief is basedverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complaisancenouna disposition or tendency to yield to the will of othersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complement FixationnounMWEan immune response in which an antigen-antibody combination inactivates a complement (so it is unavailable to participate in a second antigen-antibody combination)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Complement Fixation TestnounMWEa blood test in which a sample of serum is exposed to a particular antigen and complement in order to determine whether or not antibodies to that particular antigen are presentverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementaritynouna relation between two opposite states or principles that together exhaust the possibilitiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementary AnglesnounMWEtwo angles whose sum is a right angleverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementary ColornounMWEeither one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or grey (in the case of pigments)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementary DnanounMWEsingle-stranded DNA that is complementary to messenger RNA or DNA that has been synthesized from messenger RNA by reverse transcriptaseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementary MedicinenounMWEthe practice of medicine that combines traditional medicine with alternative medicineverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complementationnoun(linguistics) a distribution of related speech sounds or forms in such a way that they only appear in different contextsverifiedMay 18, 2026
completenounCome or bring to a finish or an end.candidateMay 9, 2026
Complete Blood CountnounMWEcounting the number of white and red blood cells and the number of platelets in 1 cubic millimeter of bloodverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complete FracturenounMWEbreak involving the entire width of the boneverifiedMay 18, 2026
completenessnounThe state of having all the necessary or appropriate parts; having everything that is needed.MetricMay 9, 2026
completionnounThe action or process of completing or finishing something.ProcessMay 9, 2026
completion datenounMWEA date when something will be finished, especially the date when a new building, road, etc. will be finished according to a contract the date when the ownership of a property legally passes from one person to another.MetricMay 9, 2026
Complex AbsencenounMWEan absence seizure accompanied by other abnormalities (atonia or automatisms or vasomotor changes)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex Body PartnounMWEa particular complex anatomical part of a living thingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex ConjugatenounMWEeither of two complex numbers whose real parts are identical and whose imaginary parts differ only in signverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex FractionnounMWEa fraction with fractions in the numerator or denominatorverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex Instruction Set ComputernounMWE(computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the CPU chipverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex Instruction Set ComputingnounMWE(computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the CPU chipverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex NumbernounMWE(mathematics) a number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1verifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex QuantitynounMWE(mathematics) a number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1verifiedMay 18, 2026
Complex SentencenounMWEa sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clauseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complexifiernounsomeone makes things complexverifiedMay 18, 2026
complexitynounThe degree of intricacy of a system or system component, determined by such factors as the number of conditional branches, the degree of nesting and the length and types of data structures. (CMS).MetricMay 12, 2026
Complexnessnounthe quality of being intricate and compoundedverifiedMay 18, 2026
CompliancenounThe state of being in accordance with laws, regulations, industry codes, organizational standards, or contractual arrangements.ProcessMay 9, 2026
Compliance documentsnounMWEPolicies, standard and procedures that document the actions that are required or prohibited. Violations may be subject to disciplinary actions.ArtifactInternalMay 9, 2026
Compliance Enforcement AuthoritynounMWEThe North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) or the Regional Entity in their respective roles of monitoring and enforcing compliance with the NERC Reliability Standards.OrganizationRegulatedCUIMay 12, 2026
compliance plannounMWEA compliance plan is a system of checks and balances through which a reasonable effort is made to identify potential non-compliance issues regarding applicable laws and regulations, and to eliminate or mitigate those issues.ProcessInternalMay 9, 2026
compliance policynounMWEAn official expression of principles that direct an organization's approach to compliance.RequirementInternalMay 9, 2026
compliance procedurenounMWEA detailed description of the steps necessary to implement or perform something in conformance with applicable standards.RequirementMay 9, 2026
compliance programnounMWECompliance programs aim to prevent, and where necessary, identify and respond to, breaches of laws, regulations, codes or organizational standards occurring in the organization; and promote a culture of compliance within the organization.ProcessInternalMay 9, 2026
compliance requirementnounMWEThe various legal, contractual, and service level requirements that an organization must follow.RequirementRegulatedMay 12, 2026
compliance risknounMWEThe risk to current and prospective earnings that arises from violating or not acting in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, prescribed practices, or ethical standards.MetricRegulatedMay 9, 2026
compliance violation is detectednounMWEThis Triggering Event takes place when the condition of someone or something does not conform to the documented policies and standards has been discovered.FindingRegulatedMay 9, 2026
Compliancynouna disposition or tendency to yield to the will of othersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complicatednessnounpuzzling complexityverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complicationnounany disease or disorder that occurs during the course of (or because of) another diseaseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complicitynounguilt as an accomplice in a crime or offenseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complimentsnoun(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfareverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complinnounlast of the seven canonical hours just before retiringverifiedMay 18, 2026
Complinenounlast of the seven canonical hours just before retiringverifiedMay 18, 2026
ComponentnounAn element or part of a business process.ProcessMay 12, 2026
Component PartnounMWEsomething determined in relation to something that includes itverifiedMay 18, 2026
Component Test/ExercisenounMWEA testing activity designed to validate the continuity of individual systems, processes, or functions, in isolation. For example, component tests may focus on recovering specific network devices, application restoration procedures, off-site tape storage, or proving the validity of data for a particular business line.ProcessMay 12, 2026
Comportmentnoundignified manner or conductverifiedMay 18, 2026
Composernounsomeone who composes music as a professionverifiedMay 18, 2026