Key terms & definitions

Behaviour considered socially proper or respectable, including expectations about manners, appearance and relations between women and men.

A function whose y-value falls as x increases over an interval. A negative derivative, $\frac{dy}{dx}<0$, indicates decreasing behaviour.

An order issued by a government that has the force of law.

A decision passed by a vote of the Assembly or Council. In fourth-century Athens, a decree could not override an existing law.

A command or order; a divine decree expresses Allah's will.

Changing the law so that an activity is no longer a criminal offence, sometimes only under specified conditions.

The process of converting ciphertext back into plaintext using the appropriate algorithm and key.

A value used to turn encrypted data back into its readable form.

An object offered to a deity, often to honour the deity or commemorate an achievement.

The escorting of a Roman patron by clients as he went out, particularly to the forum.

A conclusion that follows logically from given information or previously established results.

Reasoning from evidence to a conclusion. Holmes uses the term for his method of explaining clues and eliminating possibilities.

An agreement setting out partners’ responsibilities and arrangements, including investment, profit sharing, voting rights and changes in membership.

Deliberately taking slow, controlled breaths in and out to help relax the body and control arousal.

Focus that keeps foreground and background areas clearly visible.

An earthquake that begins far below the Earth’s surface, associated with a tectonic plate descending at a subduction zone.

A preset password supplied with a device, system or account, which may be known to attackers if left unchanged.

A fault that means a product does not meet its required quality standard.

The abandonment of one side in a conflict to join its opponent.

A change made by a plant after detecting infection that helps to restrict or destroy the pathogen.

A person or organisation against whom a civil claim is brought, or a person accused of a criminal offence.

Designing a program to anticipate misuse and handle unexpected or invalid inputs safely.

Respect for, and willingness to accept the judgement of, people regarded as socially superior or authoritative.

Respectful submission to someone considered superior in rank, age or authority.

Showing respect towards someone considered more senior because of their position, status or age, for example an employee being polite to a boss.

A supposed postponement of organ donations for clones who can prove they are genuinely in love. In Never Let Me Go, this is a rumour, not an available escape.

Giving up an immediate reward or pleasure in order to gain a greater benefit in the future.

An inadequate supply of a nutrient that can impair health or cause a deficiency disease.

A sign of poor plant growth caused by an insufficient supply of a needed nutrient.

Repetition controlled by a specified count or range, so the number of repetitions is determined in advance.