Dictionaries, Glossaries & Lexicons

This glossary contains material drawn primarily from official documents of the United States Government departments and agencies. Other terms are from private organizations and individuals, as indicated in the Reference section at the end of this document. The intent of the National Computer Security Center is for this document to focus on terms in the field of computer security. However, because of the overlap of computer security and other security disciplines, some terms such as TEMPEST are included.

"The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received numerous requests to provide a summary glossary for our publications and other relevant sources, and to make the glossary available to practitioners. As a result of these requests, this glossary of common security terms has been extracted from NIST Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), the Special Publication (SP) 800 series, NIST Interagency Reports (NISTIRs), and from the Committee for National Security Systems Instruction 4009 (CNSSI - 4009). This glossary includes most of the terms in the NIST publications. It also contains nearly all of the terms and definitions from CNSSI - 4009. This glossary provides a central resource of terms and definitions most commonly used in NIST information security publications and in CNSS information assurance publications. For a given term, we do not include all definitions in NIST documents -- especially not from the older NIST publications. Since draft documents are not stable, we do not refer to terms/definitions in them. Each entry in the glossary points to one or more source NIST publications, and/or CNSSI - 4009, and/or supplemental sources where appropriate. The NIST publications referenced are the most recent versions of those publications (as of the date of this document)."

This document offers definitions of terminology regarding Information Assurance. It also offers a section of "commonly used abbreviations and acronyms". "The Glossary Working Group set several overall objectives for itself in producing this version: 1) Resolve differences between the definitions of terms used by the DOD [Department of Defense], IC [Intelligence Community], and Civil Agencies (NIST Glossary) to enable all three to use the same glossary (and move towards shared documentation and processes). 2) Accommodate the transition from Certification and Accreditation (C&A) terms in current use to the terms now appearing in documents produced by the C&A Transformation initiative. Both sets of terms have been included in this update of the glossary. 3) Ensure consistency among related and dependent terms. 4) Include terms that are important to the risk management goal of C&A transformation and to the concept of information sharing. 5) Review existing definitions to reflect, as appropriate a broader enterprise perspective vice a system perspective. 6) Strike an appropriate balance between macro terms and micro terms (i.e., include terms that are useful in writing and understanding documents dealing with IA [Information Assurance] policies, directives, instructions, and guidance, and strike terms that are useful only to specific IA subspecialties)."

"The Air Force Supplement to the DOD [Department of Defense] Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms lists terminology that has been standardized for use within the US Air Force. It is a consolidated list of terms, definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms from all approved AFDDs [Air Force Doctrine Document], as well as terms and definitions from other publications with broad application."

"The lexicon is arranged in three parts. In the first, terms and their definitions are listed alphabetically, with one or more definitions, with each definition immediately followed by its source in italics (the full citation for which can be found at the end of the lexicon). Notably, many terms are followed by more than one definition, reflecting the various usages of a term by military and civilian, government and non-government organizations. This is the heart of the lexicon, and its purpose--to list, in the same place, the variations that surround complex operations vocabulary and offer a source of common understanding. […] The second part offers many of the commonly used complex operations acronyms and initials and their full translation. Acronyms have become language of their own, especially in military circles. The most commonly used are contained in this section, chosen using the same criteria as that for terms and definitions. The last section provides the principle sources used to compile the lexicon. The list includes those specifically cited in the lexicon as well as those used as references and guidance. Military sources proved both readily available and comprehensive."

From the Preface: "The Joint Publication (JP) 1-02, 'Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms', sets forth standard US military and associated terminology to encompass the joint activity of the Armed Forces of the United States. These military and associated terms, together with their definitions, constitute approved Department of Defense (DOD) terminology for general use by all DOD components. […] This publication supplements standard English-language dictionaries and standardizes military and associated terminology to improve communication and mutual understanding within DOD, with other federal agencies, and among the United States and its allies."

The DOD Dictionary of Military Terms contains a digitalized dictionary of Department of Defense military terms, acronyms and abbreviations, and NATO terms. Military terms listed from A to Z allow the user to browse the DOD definitions by clicking on the word in the dictionary. Moreover, access to the Joint Doctrine page on the defense technical information center (DTIC) web site, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/index.html, provides a complete list of training publications such as the Joint Training Policy and Joint Doctrine Information, which include Joint Doctrine Definitions.

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) has developed this Glossary to serve as a tool in providing an explanation of the terms, definitions, and the technical semantics associated with the discussion of NBC equipment, agents, and their potential effects. This Glossary is meant to be available to a wide audience of readers, to include those who will plan and develop new concepts and systems as well as those who may be called upon to implement plans and systems in response to the use of WMD. By including terms relevant to the diverse backgrounds of users of this document, some terms may not be applicable to a particular group of readers but may still be of benefit by enhancing understanding of the terminology associated with the different aspects of WMD threats, impacts, responses and solutions. For the ease of the reader, the guide has been broken down into separate sections for General, Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical terminology.

"This warning lexicon is a compilation of the terms and concepts associated with such areas as intelligence readiness, threat and crisis management, and indications and warning analysis. It seeks to highlight the concept of warning as a distinct activity within the intelligence profession. [...] The words for this handbook were chosen for their relevancy and common usage inside and outside of the military and Intelligence Communities. [...] Additionally, the numerous books in the annotated bibliography focus specifically on strategic warning and threat management. Some may argue that all intelligence books are related to warning. However, including all intelligence books would only reinforce the notion that warning is a subset of the intelligence production process. The books briefly reviewed here can enlighten the reader about how intelligence was used either by analysts or policymakers specifically for the act of warning (or in some books, the failure to warn or to respond to the warning.) Nearly all of the concepts and words noted in the glossary section are revisited in these books. The final section of this handbook briefly reviews some of the theses written at the Joint Military Intelligence College that have addressed strategic warning and threat management. Some theses review intelligence episodes from which warning lessons can be learned. Other, evaluative studies seek to improve warning methods and institutional development."

"The Joint Publication 1-02, 'Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms' sets forth standard US military and associated terminology to encompass the joint activity of the Armed Forces of the United States. These military and associated terms, together with their definitions, constitute approved Department of Defense (DOD) terminology for general use by all DOD components. […] This publication supplements standard English-language dictionaries and standardizes military and associated terminology to improve communication and mutual understanding within DOD, with other federal agencies, and among the United States and its allies."

This document is a glossary of various terms related to weapons of mass destruction contained within the Center for Domestic Preparedness 'Awareness Level WMD Training.'

"This is the second edition of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Risk Lexicon and represents an update of the version published in September 2008. More than seventy terms and definitions were included in the first edition of the DHS Risk Lexicon. The 2010 edition includes fifty new terms and definitions in addition to revised definitions for twenty-three of the original terms. [...] The RSC [Risk Steering Committee] is the risk governance structure for DHS, with membership from across the Department, formed to leverage the risk management capabilities of the DHS Components and to advance Departmental efforts toward integrated risk management. The DHS Risk Lexicon makes available a common, unambiguous set of official terms and definitions to ease and improve the communication of risk-related issues for DHS and its partners. It facilitates the clear exchange of structured and unstructured data that is essential to the exchange of ideas and information amongst risk practitioners by fostering consistency and uniformity in the usage of risk-related terminology for the Department. The RSC created the Risk Lexicon Working Group (RLWG) to represent the DHS risk community of interest (COI) in the development of a professional risk lexicon. The RLWG's risk lexicon development and management process is in accordance with the DHS Lexicon Program. Terms, definitions, extended definitions, annotations, and examples are developed through a collaborative process that is open to all DHS Components. Definitions are validated against glossaries used by other countries and professional associations. Terms, definitions, extended definitions, annotations, and examples are then standardized grammatically according to the conventions of the DHS Lexicon Program."

"This is not a comprehensive, definitive, exhaustive or official treatment of emergency management and related terms, definitions, legislation and acronyms. It is simply a collection of terms, definitions, legislation and acronyms pulled together into a single document as time and opportunity have allowed to be assembled."

"Standard and concise disaster terminology for all members of the disaster risk reduction and emergency management community enables professionals to collaborate effectively. Professionals need to be able to find and access different disaster-related glossaries as a step toward creating more uniform terminology, especially for use in international disaster research and publications. The list of glossaries [...] may be helpful in developing a scholarly consensus on such disaster and emergency terms."

"This is not a comprehensive, definitive, exhaustive or official treatment of 'emergency management' and related terms, definitions, acronyms, programs or legislation. It is simply a collection of terms, definitions, acronyms, and program and legislative descriptions and pulled together into a single document as time and opportunity have allowed to be assembled. The original 'Emergency Management-Related Terms and Definitions Guide' was developed as a student handout in an Introduction to Emergency Management college course taught by the author in 1999 and has been maintained as time allows for the authors' own purposes, one of which is to continue supporting collegiate emergency management courses. Another is as an aid to quickly accessing hard-to-remember terms, definitions and acronyms, etc., particularly when not used on a regular basis."

The National Mutual Aid & Resource Management Initiative supports the National Incident Management System (NIMS) by establishing a comprehensive, integrated national mutual aid and resource management system that provides the basis to type, order, and track all (Federal, State, and local) response assets. For ease of ordering and tracking, response assets need to be categorized via resource typing. Resource typing is the categorization and description of resources that are commonly exchanged in disasters via mutual aid, by capacity and/or capability. Through resource typing, disciplines examine resources and identify the capabilities of a resource's components (i.e., personnel, equipment, and training). During a disaster, an emergency manager knows what capability a resource needs to have to respond efficiently and effectively. Resource typing definitions will help define resource capabilities for ease of ordering and mobilization during a disaster. As a result of the resource typing process, a resource's capability is readily defined and an emergency manager is able to effectively and efficiently request and receive resources through mutual aid during times of disaster. This glossary of terms and definitions provides a basic understanding of the resources commonly used and/or exchanged during a disaster. These terms provide a basis for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) resource typing initiative. An annex of 11 Federal assets is also included in the glossary to provide a snapshot of the Federal capabilities available to State and local entities. The glossary is a living document, and will continuously be updated and revised.

The National Response Framework (NRF) Glossary/Acronyms offers an alphabetical list of terms and definitions as they apply to NRF activities.

Nine page glossary of terms related to terrorism, relevant to Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) training modules.

"This glossary contains information on more than 2000 terms, phrases and abbreviations used by the NWS [National Weather Service]. Many of these terms and abbreviations are used by NWS forecasters to communicate between each other and have been in use for many years and before many NWS products were directly available to the public. It is the purpose of this glossary to aid the general public in better understanding NWS products."

This glossary from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provide immigration terms and acronyms. "Immigration law has a number of highly technical terms that may not mean the same thing to the average reader."

"Words used in the visa process are specialized. They may not have the same meanings as they do in everyday language. The following terms and their definitions explain how they are used in the visa and immigration process."

"The following are brief explanations of some words and abbreviations commonly used in Immigration Court proceedings."

"This Glossary is designed to be a reference for counterintelligence (CI) professionals within the Department of Defense (DoD); however other CI professionals may find it of use. It provides a comprehensive compilation of unclassified terms that may be encountered when dealing with the dynamic discipline of counterintelligence and related activities. Where some words may several meanings within the counterintelligence or intelligence context, a variety of definitions are included. Definitions within this Glossary cite an original source document. The quotes selected, as well as the views and comments expressed in the shadow boxes are those of the editor and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, the Intelligence Community, the Office of National Intelligence, or the United States Government."

This is a glossary of legal terms used by the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government.

From the text: "Recently, when seeking the definition for a traffic analytic term in a well documented Agency working aid, it occurred to me that NSA [National Security Agency] is rich in unofficial vocabulary that has yet to make it into any sanctioned publication or official working aid. There is an extensive body of jargon used not only to make the cryptologic business seem arcane and exalted to outsiders but also to describe the many nonprofessional and unprofessional aspects of life at the Agency. The following is a starter list of some of these words, just a few terms that came readily to mind, augmented by suggestions from the imaginative crew at the Center for Cryptologic History (CCH)."

This glossary from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center offers an alphabetical list of terms related to tropical cyclone.

This 2008 version of the "Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology provides a comprehensive listing of terms and definitions used by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) community. This document contains terms commonly used by NWCG in the areas of wildland fire and fire use and is not intended to list all terms used by NWCG members and users. To ensure the information contained within the Glossary is current and meeting user needs, a thorough review, covering a two-year period, was undertaken. Participants in this review included all NWCG Working Teams and the National Interagency Coordination Center. Through the efforts of the NWCG Program Management Office, the glossary entries are now presented in a standard format, allowing for improved definition cross-referencing and access. This Glossary is now available electronically. In this format, information contained will be current when the Glossary is accessed. The NWCG has approved this glossary for use by the NWCG and its Working Teams. The NWCG has directed that all NWCG glossaries will be based upon the Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology for the purpose of maintaining definition consistency and clarity among documents."

This glossary provides terms listed throughout the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) "Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners." The guideline defines technical requirements, product specifications for Flood Hazard Maps and related National Flood Insurance Program products, and associated coordination and documentation activities.

This learning resource center (LRC) subject list works as a thesaurus for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) topics.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an "earthquake glossary" to assist in earthquake education. This A-Z reference site covers terminology related to earthquakes and other seismic activity.

"The Interagency Committee on Dam Safety (ICODS) was established to provide the Federal agencies involved in dam safety with the opportunity to coordinate their dam safety activities. One of the goals of ICODS is to provide a common forum for the Federal agencies and State officials to exchange ideas and procedures that are used for dam safety and to provide an efficient mechanism for technology transfer. The purpose of this document is to establish a common Glossary of Terms for Dam Safety for use within and among Federal agencies. The objective was to select terms that would be generic and applicable to all dams, regardless of size, owner, or location."

This glossary offers an alphabetical list of terms and definitions relating to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"This set of terms was developed by the National Science & Technology Council's (NSTC) Subcommittee on Biometrics with the full understanding that national (INCITS/M1) and international (ISO/IEC JTC1 SC37) standards bodies are working to develop standard references. The subcommittee will review this Glossary for consistency as standards are passed. The subcommittee recognizes the impact of ongoing challenge problems, technical evaluations, and technology advancements. The Glossary will be updated accordingly to reflect these changes. The statements herein are intended to further the understanding of a general audience and are not intended to replace or compete with sources that may be more technically descriptive/prescriptive."

"The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a federal public health agency with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and 10 regional offices in the United States. ATSDR's mission is to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. ATSDR is not a regulatory agency, unlike the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the federal agency that develops and enforces environmental laws to protect the environment and human health. This glossary defines words used by ATSDR in communications with the public." This glossary is also available in Spanish.

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) has developed this Glossary to serve as a tool in providing an explanation of the terms, definitions, and the technical semantics associated with the discussion of NBC equipment, agents, and their potential effects. This Glossary is meant to be available to a wide audience of readers, to include those who will plan and develop new concepts and systems as well as those who may be called upon to implement plans and systems in response to the use of WMD. By including terms relevant to the diverse backgrounds of users of this document, some terms may not be applicable to a particular group of readers but may still be of benefit by enhancing understanding of the terminology associated with the different aspects of WMD threats, impacts, responses and solutions. For the ease of the reader, the guide has been broken down into separate sections for General, Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical terminology.

This document provides a glossary of radiological terms which may be useful in the event of a radiation emergency.

This dictionary offers an alphabetical list of terms related to radiation emergencies.

This glossary offers an alphabetical list of terms regarding radiation.

This page provides explanations of many terms and acronyms used throughout" the Vaccines.gov website. Select the beginning letter of the word or acronym to go to that portion of the glossary.

This document is a glossary of various terms related to weapons of mass destruction contained within the Center for Domestic Preparedness 'Awareness Level WMD Training.'

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) has developed this Glossary to serve as a tool in providing an explanation of the terms, definitions, and the technical semantics associated with the discussion of NBC equipment, agents, and their potential effects. This Glossary is meant to be available to a wide audience of readers, to include those who will plan and develop new concepts and systems as well as those who may be called upon to implement plans and systems in response to the use of WMD. By including terms relevant to the diverse backgrounds of users of this document, some terms may not be applicable to a particular group of readers but may still be of benefit by enhancing understanding of the terminology associated with the different aspects of WMD threats, impacts, responses and solutions. For the ease of the reader, the guide has been broken down into separate sections for General, Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical terminology.

This document provides a glossary of radiological terms which may be useful in the event of a radiation emergency.