Construction Glossary of Terms
Accessible (as applied to equipment). Admitting close approach; not guarded by locked doors, elevation, or other effective means.
Accessible (as applied to wiring methods). Capable of being removed or exposed without damaging the building structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure or finish f the building.
Accessible, Readily (Readily Accessible). Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to take actions such as to use tools (other than keys), to climb over or under, to remove obstacles, or to resort to portable ladders, and so forth.
Adjustable Speed Drive System. A combination of an adjustable speed drive, its associated motor(s), and auxiliary equipment.
Ampacity. The maximum current, in amperes, that a conductor can carry continuously under the conditions of use without exceeding its temperature rating.
Appliance. Utilization equipment, generally other than industrial, that is normally built in standardized sizes or types and is installed or connected as a unit to perform one or more functions such as clothes washing, air-conditioning, food mixing, deep frying, and so forth.
Approved. Acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.
Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI). A device intended to provide protection from the effects of arc faults by recognizing characteristics unique to arcing and by functioning to deenergize the circuit when an arc fault is detected.
Askarel. A generic term for a group of nonflammable synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbons used as electrical insulating media.
Informational Note: Askarels of various compositional types are used. Under arcing conditions, the gases produced, while consisting predominantly of noncombustible hydrogen chloride, can include varying amounts of combustible gases, depending on the askarel type.
Associated Apparatus [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations].
Apparatus in which the circuits are not necessarily intrinsically safe themselves but that affects the energy in the intrinsically safe circuits and is relied on to maintain intrinsic
safety. Such apparatus is one of the following:
(1) Electrical apparatus that has an alternative type of protection for use in the appropriate hazardous (classified) location
(2) Electrical apparatus not so protected that shall not be used within a hazardous (classified) location
Associated Nonincendive Field Wiring Apparatus [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. Apparatus in which the circuits are not necessarily nonincendive themselves but that affect the energy in non-incendive field wiring circuits and are relied upon to maintain non-incendive energy levels. Such apparatus are one of the following:
(1) Electrical apparatus that has an alternative type of protection for use in the appropriate hazardous (classified) location
(2) Electrical apparatus not so protected that shall not be used in a hazardous (classified) location
Attachment Plug (Plug Cap) (Plug). A device that, by insertion in a receptacle, establishes a connection between the conductors of the attached flexible cord and the conductors connected permanently to the receptacle. (CMP-18)
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure.
Automatic. Performing a function without the necessity of human intervention. (CMP-1)
Bathroom. An area including a basin with one or more of the following: a toilet, a urinal, a tub, a shower, a bidet, or similar
plumbing fixtures.
Battery System. Interconnected battery subsystems consisting of one or more storage batteries and battery chargers, and can include inverters, converters, and associated electrical equipment.
Boiler. A self-contained appliance from which hot water is circulated for heating purposes and then returned to the boiler, and that operates at water pressures not exceeding 160 pounds per square inch gage (psig) (1102 kPa gauge) and at water temperatures not exceeding 250°F (121°C).
Bonded (Bonding). Connected to establish electrical continuity and conductivity.
Bonding Conductor or Jumper. A reliable conductor to ensure the required electrical conductivity between metal parts required to be electrically connected.
Bonding Jumper, Equipment. The connection between two or more portions of the equipment grounding conductor.
Bonding Jumper, Main. The connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor at the service.
Bonding Jumper, System. The connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the supply-side bonding jumper, or the equipment grounding conductor, or both, at a separately derived system.
Branch Circuit. The circuit conductors between the final overcurrent device protecting the circuit and the outlet(s).
Branch Circuit, Appliance. A branch circuit that supplies energy to one or more outlets to which appliances are to be connected and that has no permanently connected luminaires that are not a part of an appliance.
Branch Circuit, General-Purpose. A branch circuit that supplies two or more receptacles or outlets for lighting and appliances.
Branch Circuit, Individual. A branch circuit that supplies only one utilization equipment.
Branch Circuit, Multiwire. A branch circuit that consists of two or more ungrounded conductors that have a voltage between them, and a grounded conductor that has equal voltage between it and each ungrounded conductor of the circuit and that is connected to the neutral or grounded conductor of the system.
Building. A structure that stands alone or that is separated from adjoining structures by fire walls. (CMP-1)
Cabinet. An enclosure that is designed for either surface mounting or flush mounting and is provided with a frame, mat, or trim in which a swinging door or doors are or can be hung.
Cable Routing Assembly. A single channel or connected multiple channels, as well as associated fittings, forming a structural system that is used to support and route communications wires and cables, optical fiber cables, data cables associated with information technology and communications equipment, Class 2, Class 3, and Type PLTC cables, and power-limited fire alarm cables in plenum, riser, and general-purpose applications.
Charge Controller. Equipment that controls dc voltage or dc current, or both, and that is used to charge a battery or other energy storage device. (CMP-13)
Circuit Breaker. A device designed to open and close a circuit by nonautomatic means and to open the circuit automatically on a predetermined overcurrent without damage to itself when properly applied within its rating.
Informational Note: The automatic opening means can be integral, direct acting with the circuit breaker, or remote from the circuit breaker.
Adjustable (as applied to circuit breakers). A qualifying term indicating that the circuit breaker can be set to trip at various values of current, time, or both, within a predetermined range. Instantaneous Trip (as applied to circuit breakers). A qualifying term indicating that no delay is purposely introduced in the tripping action of the circuit breaker. Inverse Time (as applied to circuit breakers). A qualifying term indicating that there is purposely introduced a delay in the tripping action of the circuit breaker, which delay decreases as the magnitude of the current increases. Nonadjustable (as applied to circuit breakers). A qualifying term indicating that the circuit breaker does not have any adjustment to alter the value of the current at which it will trip or the time required for its operation. Setting (of circuit breakers). The value of current, time, or both, at which an adjustable circuit breaker is set to trip.
Clothes Closet. A nonhabitable room or space intended primarily for storage of garments and apparel.
Coaxial Cable. A cylindrical assembly composed of a conductor centered inside a metallic tube or shield, separated by a dielectric material, and usually covered by an insulating jacket.
Combustible Dust [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. Dust particles that are 500 microns or smaller (i.e., material passing a U.S. No. 35 Standard Sieve as defined in ASTM E11-2015, Standard Specification for Woven Wire Test Sieve Cloth and Test Sieves ), and present a fire or explosion hazard when dispersed and ignited in air.
Combustible Gas Detection System [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. A protection technique utilizing stationary gas detectors in industrial establishments.
Communications Equipment. The electronic equipment that performs the telecommunications operations for the transmission of audio, video, and data, and includes power equipment (e.g., dc converters, inverters, and batteries), technical support equipment (e.g., computers), and conductors dedicated solely to the operation of the equipment. Informational Note: As the telecommunications network transitions to a more data-centric network, computers, routers, servers, and their powering equipment, are becoming essential to the transmission of audio, video, and data and are finding increasing application in communications equipment installations.
Communications Raceway. An enclosed channel of nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding communications wires and cables; optical fiber cables; data cables associated with information technology and communications equipment; Class 2, Class 3, and Type PLTC cables; and power-limited fire alarm cables in plenum, riser, and general-purpose applications.
Composite Optical Fiber Cable. A cable containing optical fibers and current-carrying electrical conductors.
Concealed. Rendered inaccessible by the structure or finish of the building. Informational Note: Wires in concealed raceways are considered concealed, even though they may become accessible by withdrawing them.
Conductive Optical Fiber Cable. A factory assembly of one or more optical fibers having an overall covering and containing non–current-carrying conductive member(s) such as metallic strength member(s), metallic vapor barrier(s), metallic armor or metallic sheath.
Conductor, Bare. A conductor having no covering or electrical insulation whatsoever.
Conductor, Covered. A conductor encased within material of composition or thickness that is not recognized by this Code as electrical insulation.
Conductor, Insulated. A conductor encased within material of composition and thickness that is recognized by this Code as electrical insulation.
Conduit Body. A separate portion of a conduit or tubing system that provides access through a removable cover(s) to the interior of the system at a junction of two or more sections of the system or at a terminal point of the system. Boxes such as FS and FD or larger cast or sheet metal boxes are not classified as conduit bodies.
Connector, Pressure (Solderless). A device that establishes a connection between two or more conductors or between one or more conductors and a terminal by means of mechanical pressure and without the use of solder.
Continuous Load. A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.
Control Circuit. The circuit of a control apparatus or system that carries the electric signals directing the performance of the controller but does not carry the main power current.
Control Drawing [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. A drawing or other document provided by the manufacturer of the intrinsically safe or associated apparatus, or of the nonincendive field wiring apparatus or associated nonincendive field wiring apparatus, that details the allowed interconnections between the intrinsically safe and associated apparatus or between the nonincendive field wiring apparatus or associated nonincendive field wiring apparatus.
Controller. A device or group of devices that serves to govern, in some predetermined manner, the electric power delivered to the apparatus to which it is connected.
Cooking Unit, Counter-Mounted. A cooking appliance designed for mounting in or on a counter and consisting of one or more heating elements, internal wiring, and built-in or mountable controls.
Coordination, Selective (Selective Coordination). Localization of an overcurrent condition to restrict outages to the circuit or equipment affected, accomplished by the selection and installation of overcurrent protective devices and their ratings or settings for the full range of available overcurrents, from overload to the maximum available fault current, and for the full range of overcurrent protective device opening times associated with those overcurrents.
Copper-Clad Aluminum Conductors. Conductors drawn from a copper-clad aluminum rod, with the copper metallurgically bonded to an aluminum core, where the copper forms a minimum of 10 percent of the cross-sectional area of a solid conductor or each strand of a stranded conductor.
Cord Connector [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. A fitting intended to terminate a cord to a box or similar device and reduce the strain at points of termination and may include an explosionproof, a dust-ignitionproof, or a flameproof seal.
Cutout Box. An enclosure designed for surface mounting that has swinging doors or covers secured directly to and telescoping with the walls of the enclosure.
Dead Front. Without live parts exposed to a person on the operating side of the equipment.
Demand Factor. The ratio of the maximum demand of a system, or part of a system, to the total connected load of a system or the part of the system under consideration.
Device. A unit of an electrical system, other than a conductor, that carries or controls electric energy as its principal function.
Disconnecting Means. A device, or group of devices, or other means by which the conductors of a circuit can be disconnected from their source of supply.
Dust-Ignitionproof [as applied to Hazardous (Classified) Locations]. Equipment enclosed in a manner that excludes dusts and does not permit arcs, sparks, or heat otherwise generated or liberated inside of the enclosure to cause ignition of exterior accumulations or atmospheric suspensions of a specified dust on or in the vicinity of the enclosure.
Dusttight. Enclosures constructed so that dust will not enter under specified test conditions.
Duty, Continuous. Operation at a substantially constant load for an indefinitely long time.
Duty, Intermittent. Operation for alternate intervals of (1) load and no load; or (2) load and rest; or (3) load, no load, and rest. (CMP-1)
Duty, Periodic. Intermittent operation in which the load conditions are regularly recurrent.
Duty, Short-Time. Operation at a substantially constant load for a short and definite, specified time.
Duty, Varying. Operation at loads, and for intervals of time, both of which may be subject to wide variation.
Dwelling, One-Family. A building that consists solely of one dwelling unit.
Dwelling, Two-Family. A building that consists solely of two dwelling units.
Dwelling, Multifamily. A building that contains three or more dwelling units.
Dwelling Unit. A single unit, providing complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation.
Effective Ground-Fault Current Path. An intentionally constructed, low-impedance electrically conductive path designed and intended to carry current under ground-fault
conditions from the point of a ground fault on a wiring system to the electrical supply source and that facilitates the operation of the overcurrent protective device or ground-fault detectors.
Electric Power Production and Distribution Network. Power production, distribution, and utilization equipment and facilities, such as electric utility systems that deliver electric power to the connected loads, that are external to and not controlled by an interactive system. (CMP-13)
Electric Sign. A fixed, stationary, or portable self-contained, electrically operated and/or electrically illuminated utilization equipment with words or symbols designed to convey information or attract attention.
Electric-Discharge Lighting. Systems of illumination utilizing fluorescent lamps, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, or neon tubing.
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