Knowledge base
Agency Dictionary
The vocabulary of the Agency editorials: definitions, origins and examples of use, linked to the editions where each word appears.
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Terms: H
- Habitualadjective
- Done by way of habit or regular established custom rather than deliberate reflection.
- Hardcovernoun
- A book bound with rigid protective boards covered in cloth, heavy paper, or leather.
- Hardwarenoun
- The physical, mechanical, and electronic components that constitute a computer system or digital electronic device. It contrasts with software, which provides intangible instructions and programs.
- Hectarenoun
- A metric unit of surface area equal to ten thousand square meters or roughly 2.471 acres.
- helmnoun
- The wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered. Figuratively, the position of control or leadership.
- Hemlocknoun
- A highly poisonous biennial herbaceous plant of the parsley family with small white flowers, historically used as a method of state execution in classical Greece.
- heresynoun
- A belief or opinion that goes against the established doctrine of a religion or, by extension, against what a group holds as unquestionable.
- Hermeneuticsnoun
- The branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of literary texts and philosophical works. It examines how meaning is mediated through linguistic context.
- Heterogeneousadjective
- Composed of diverse, dissimilar elements, individuals, or cultural traditions joined together.
- Hiatusnoun
- A pause or gap in a sequence, activity, or series of creative works. In the music industry, it denotes an indefinite period where a group halts collaborative production.
- Himationnoun
- An outer garment consisting of a large rectangular mantle draped over the body, worn in ancient Greece.
- Hinarionoun
- A consecrated book or collection of received spiritual hymns sung in rhythm to structure and guide ceremonies in Santo Daime.
- hippocraticadjective
- Relating to Hippocrates or the ethical medical code that prioritizes patient care and moral duty.
- Holisticadjective
- Characterized by the comprehension of parts as intimately interconnected and explicable only in reference to the whole.
- Homeostasisnoun
- The state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems or dynamic organizations through coordinated self-regulating physiological or operational adjustments.
- honestioresnoun
- The higher-ranking social class in the high Roman Empire that enjoyed privileged legal treatment, lighter criminal sentences, and exemption from torture.
- honeycombnoun
- A structure of hexagonal wax cells built by bees to store honey, pollen, and larvae. In the article's aphorism it represents the essential place that a bee always returns to, no matter how far it roams.
- Hookahnoun
- A traditional water pipe of Middle Eastern origin used for smoking specially prepared flavored tobacco.
- hullnoun
- The main body of a ship, made of its bottom and sides, without the masts, engines and fittings.
- Humbleadjective
- Having or showing a modest, unpretentious estimate of one's own importance and achievements.
- humilioresnoun
- The lower-ranking free population in imperial Rome subject to severe criminal punishments, investigative torture, and forced labor.
- Hydrianoun
- An ancient Greek ceramic water vessel featuring three handles, used for carrying and pouring fresh water.
- hydrocarbonnoun
- An organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon, commonly found in petroleum, natural gas, and coal.