Key terms & definitions

The costs directly associated with the goods or services sold during a period.

An online advertising charging method in which the advertiser pays when someone clicks on its advertisement.

The price of a storage device divided by its capacity in gigabytes, allowing the cost of different capacities to be compared.

The average production cost of one product, found by dividing total production costs by the number of products made.

Setting a selling price by adding a mark-up to the cost of producing or supplying a product.

The amount paid to buy or make an item before selling it.

Clothing and accessories worn by a performer to communicate aspects of a character, such as identity, status or historical period.

Production carried out in workers’ homes rather than in factories, such as Silas’s weaving.

A vegetable-based natural fibre obtained from the cotton plant, used for clothing, towels and bed linen.

A machine that separates cotton fibres from their seeds. Eli Whitney invented a version suited to short-staple cotton in 1793.

The cotton-growing region of the southern United States, which expanded westwards and depended heavily on enslaved labour.

Short cotton fibres left attached to cotton seeds after the longer fibres have been removed; they provide cellulose for manufacturing materials such as acetate.

A decorative stitching technique in which yarn or cord is laid on the fabric surface and secured with smaller stitches.

A smooth cloth that supports a wet handmade paper sheet after moulding and during pressing.

The unit of electrical charge. One coulomb passes a point when a current of one ampere flows for one second.

The unit of electrical charge. One coulomb passes a point in one second when the current is one ampere.

A governing body in Athens that prepared business for discussion and voting in the Assembly.

Homes owned by a local council and rented to residents.

An elected member of a local council who represents residents and takes part in council decision-making.

A separate European organisation, with 46 member states, whose central role is protecting human rights. The UK remains a member.

An appointed, paid council employee who provides professional advice or manages and delivers council services.

The governing council established in Spain in 1524 to oversee American affairs and advise the monarch.

A governing body responsible for northern England, reorganised after the Pilgrimage of Grace to strengthen royal control.

An assembly of Catholic Church leaders whose fourth session, on 8 April 1546, formally confirmed the books accepted within the Catholic biblical canon.

A local tax on domestic properties, based mainly on property valuation bands, which helps fund local services.

Private advice, plans or secrets; to ‘keep counsel’ means to keep such information confidential.

Support that helps people discuss difficulties and explore ways of dealing with them, such as problems in marriage or parenting.

A person who advises a ruler. Gonzalo is an elderly counsellor serving Alonso, King of Naples.

The number of detections recorded by a radiation detector during a measured interval.

A loop whose number of repetitions is determined by a count.