Term
Definition
- Gneiss 0 likes
- A coarse-grained high-grade metamorphic rock formed at high pressures and temperatures where light and dark mineral constituents are segregated into visible bands
- Gnomon 1 like
- Rod, pin, or style on a sundial casting a shadow to indicate the time
- The L shaped remainder of a parallelogram after the removal of a smaller similar parallelogram that contains one of its corners
- Going Concern Concept 1 like
- Accounting assumption that businesses operate for indefinite periods
- Gold 0 likes
- A yellowy, malleable, ductile, high-density, precious metal resistant to chemical reaction, found in quartz veins or gravel
- Golf Shelter 2 likes
- A structure on a golf course to accommodate golfers in inclement weather
- Gondola3 likes
- A flat-bottomed railroad car with no top and fixed sides used for shipping heavy construction materials and equipment
- An island of shelves that enable goods at a supermarket to be displayed
- Goodwill 0 likes
- Additional value of a business over book value or agreed value of its net assets due to its experience and reputation
- Goose Neck1 like
- A blacksmith’s tool for working with hot metals
- Gothic 1 like
- 12th to 16th century Western Europe architectural style highlighting pointed arches, vertical piers, vaults, and buttresses
- Gothic Arch 1 like
- A pointed arch with a joint at its apex rather than a keystone
- Grab Bar2 likes
- Metal or plastic bar secured to a bathroom wall, over a bathtub, in a shower, or near a toilet as a hand hold. See Flash Set
- Graben 0 likes
- A long, narrow trough enclosed by one or more parallel normal faults; also known as a Rift Valley
- Gradall 0 likes
- A hydraulic, wheel-mounted backhoe commonly employed with a wide bucket to dress earth slopes
- Grade 1 like
- Ground level of a structure or building, or the elevation at a given point
- Dirt leveling work
- Designated classification of lumber for strength and utility according to an approved lumber grading agency
- A gradient
- Predetermined slope for a finished floor or ramped surface
- To level off a smooth horizontal or sloping surface
- Grade Beam 1 like
- A foundation wall that is poured level with or just under the grade of the earth
- Grade Beam Formwork 0 likes
- Support system in a reinforced grade beam for freshly poured or placed concrete
- Grade Mark 0 likes
- The stamp on lumber specifying its grade according to the lumber grading bureau performing the inspection
- Grade MW Brick 0 likes
- A grade of brick employed on external walls where water permeability is not anticipated and only slight frost action is expected; MW means moderate weather
- Grade NW Brick 0 likes
- A grade of brick employed for back up withes or interior; NW means no weather
- Grade Stake1 like
- A stake defining how much cut or fill is needed to bring the ground to a specific level
- Grade SW Brick 0 likes
- A grade of brick employed on external walls where water permeability and frost action are anticipated; SW means severe weather
- Graded Sand 0 likes
- Sand mixture with granules varying in size
- Gradient 0 likes
- The amount of slope of a road or railway sloping from the horizontal
- The rate of temperature or pressure change when moving to different regions
- Gradiometer 0 likes
- A geophysical instrument measuring the vertical component of the earth’s magnetic field, and detecting minor variations caused by buried features
- Graduated Payment Mortgage (GPM) 1 like
- A fixed-rate, fixed–schedule loan starting with lower payments than a level payment loan; payments rise annually to decrease the outstanding balance. The payment increases enable the borrower to pay off a 30-year loan in 15 to 20 years, or less
- Grain Alcohol 0 likes
- Ethyl alcohol produced by distilling grain
- Grain Raising 0 likes
- Causing short fibers on the surface of bare wood to stand up by applying water
- Gram 0 likes
- A metric unit for mass and weight equivalent to 1/1000 of a kilogram and almost equal to one cubic centimeter of water at its optimum density
- Grand Master Key2 likes
- A key that operates locks in several groups, while each lock has its own master key
- Grandstand Seat1 like
- Spectator seat in a stand at a racecourse or stadium, portable or fixed
- Granite Block 1 like
- A masonry unit made of granite employed for its firmness and endurance
- Granite Curb 1 like
- Street curbing produced from granite blocks
- Granite Paver 0 likes
- A type of igneous stone tougher and more durable than standard bricks, typically employed for driveways and patios with or without mortar
- Granolithic Topping 1 like
- Cover layer made of an artificial stone of crushed granite and cement
- Grant Deed 0 likes
- A deed transferring ownership of real property
- Granular Insulation 1 like
- Insulating material made of granular vermiculite or beaded styrene or perlite in hollow masonry construction
- Granular Waterproofing 1 like
- Waterproofing material consisting of granular vermiculite, beaded styrene, or perlite
- Graph 0 likes
- A diagram illustrating the relation between variable quantities, usually two variables, each measured along one of a pair of perpendicular axes
- Graphics 1 like
- Representation of something in the form of pictures or images; presentation of information in diagrams and illustrations rather than as words or numbers
- Graphite2 likes
- Black pigment consisting mainly of carbon from natural deposits, or produced from coke in an electric furnace
- Grass 0 likes
- Short green vegetation widely employed as ground cover; see Lawn
- Grass Cloth1 like
- A wall covering constructed from vegetable fibers, woven and laminated to paper for backing
- Grass Cloth Tile 0 likes
- Tile made from laminated woven vegetable fibers
- Grate Cutting 0 likes
- Cutting away a grate with hand implements, acetylene torch or power tools
- Grating Frame 1 like
- Metal frame, usually metal, containing floor grating and anchoring to floor construction
- Grating Tread 0 likes
- Horizontal surface of a step consisting of steel grating
- Gravel 1 like
- Small rock particles produced from natural disintegration and weathering; or mechanically crushed stone
- Gravel Fill 0 likes
- Gravel layered at the lowest part of an excavation site, insuring water drainage
- Gravel Mulch 0 likes
- A protective layer of rock particles to diminish evaporation, stop erosion, and control weeds on the ground
- Gravel Roof 0 likes
- A roof with layers of roofing felt for water proofing, sealed with tar or pitch and covered with a layer of gravel to further protect from wear and the sun’s rays
- Gravel Stop1 like
- A metal flange or strip with a vertical lip positioned around a roof to stop loose gravel from falling off; also employed to present a finished edge in roofing
- Gravity Furnace 1 like
- An appliance with a heat exchanger supplying hot air distributed by gravity
- Gravity Ventilator2 likes
- A device installed in a room or building opening activated when air passes through, removing stale air and replacing it with fresh air
- Gravity Wall 0 likes
- A retaining wall depending on its weight to resist lateral forces of retained earth
- Gray Blast Cleaning 0 likes
- Commercial blast
- Gray Paper 0 likes
- Not sized or calendered paper employed on the back of regular gypsum board products or as the face and back paper on backing board products
- Grease Trap1 like
- A device trapping and retaining the grease from wastewater and sewage
- Green Architecture 1 like
- Design encompassing energy conservation and minimal use of fossil fuels or non-renewable resources
- Green Board 0 likes
- A gypsum board with tinted face paper, typically light green or blue; employed to differentiate special board types
- Green Brickwork 0 likes
- Brickwork with unset mortar
- Green Lake 0 likes
- Pigment; mixture of Prussian blue and yellow lake, sold under a various trade names
- Green Masonry 1 like
- Molded clay unit before it has been burned for building purposes; an uncured concrete masonry unit
- Green Plaster 1 like
- Newly applied plaster that has not been dried
- Green Room 0 likes
- A room in a theater or studio that accommodate actors when they are not on stage
- Green Wood 1 like
- Freshly sawed wood that has not been dried yet; 20 percent moisture or more
- Greenfield Site 1 like
- A building site that has never been built on before; compare with Brownfield Site
- Greenhouse 1 like
- A glass enclosure employed for nurturing or protecting sensitive plants
- Greenhouse Effect 0 likes
- Trapping of the sun’s warmth in the lower atmosphere of the earth due to an increase in carbon dioxide which is more susceptible to solar radiation from the earth
- Gremlin 0 likes
- A mischievous creature superstitiously made responsible for malfunctions of machinery and equipment
- Grid 1 like
- The completed assemblage of main and cross tees in a suspended ceiling before the ceiling panels are installed; also decorative slats placed between glass panels
- Griddle, Kitchen1 like
- Flat surface where dry heat is used to cook food
- Grille 0 likes
- Component of the ventilation system that promotes air circulation in the space by enabling air to return; a metal screen or grating that permits circulation
- Grin 0 likes
- Condition where backing shows through thinly spaced pile tufts; carpets may be grinned to expose the carpet construction
- Groove Weld 0 likes
- A weld made in the groove between two parts to be joined; the standard types of groove welds are as follows: Square, Single-Vee, Single-Bevel, Single-U, Single-J, Double-Vee, Double-Bevel, Double-U, and Double-J
- Gross Building Area 0 likes
- Total building area expressed in square feet
- Gross Cross Sectional Area 1 like
- Area measured by overarching dimensions including voids
- Gross Errors 0 likes
- Errors easily detected as they are substantial in relation to their context
- Gross Income 0 likes
- Total income received from a real estate investment, with no deductions for loan repayment or other expenses
- Gross Leasable Area 0 likes
- A building’s total leasable area; the gross building area minus the un-rentable areas
- Gross Multiplier 0 likes
- An unreliable method of appraising the value of income property by multiplying the gross annual income by a multiplier; employed mainly in residential property
- Gross Profit 1 like
- Excess of net sales over the costs of goods sold
- Ground 0 likes
- Electrical connection to the ground intended to carry current safely away from a circuit in the event of a fault, or a wire that makes this kind of connection
- Ground Acceleration 1 like
- Acceleration of the ground as a result of earthquake forces
- Ground Bus 1 like
- In a main electrical service panel, where the neutral service wire is attached to; linked to the earth by the ground wire
- Ground Coil 1 like
- Heat exchanger buried underground; may be employed either as an evaporator or as a condenser
- Ground Color 0 likes
- Background color against which overlying colors produce the pattern or figure in the design
- Ground Cover 1 like
- Low lying planting materials covering the ground, such as grass and ivy
- See Soil Cover
- Ground Displacement 0 likes
- The distance ground moves from its original position in an earthquake
- Ground Failure 2 likes
- When the ground does not hold together such as during a landslide, mud flow, or liquefaction
- Ground Fault 0 likes
- Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI, GFI) is an ultra sensitive plug engineered to shut off all electric current; employed in bathrooms, kitchens, exterior waterproof outlets, garage outlets, and wet areas; there is a small reset button on the plug
- Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)1 like
- Supplies power; also monitors the amount of incoming and outgoing current; whenever the entering current does not equal the departing current, indicating current leakage, the GFCI instantly opens the circuit. A faster overcurrent protection device than fuses or circuit breakers
- Ground Hydrant 0 likes
- A water hydrant employed when fighting fires, installed in the ground
- Ground Iron 0 likes
- The plumbing drain and waste lines secured beneath the basement floor; cast iron was previously employed, but black plastic pipe is now common
- Ground Lease 0 likes
- Land lease
- Ground Movement 0 likes
- All aspects of movement like acceleration, velocity, and displacement
- Ground Paper 3 likes
- Wallpaper with an overall background color
- Ground Rent 0 likes
- Rent consideration for a ground lease
- Ground Rod 0 likes
- A rod connecting electrical equipment and the ground
- Ground Short Circuit 1 like
- Fault in an electrical circuit allowing electricity to flow into a mechanism’s metal components
- Ground Wire1 like
- Electrical wire that safely conducts electricity from a structure into the ground
- A wire dissipating electrostatic charge in airless spraying
- Grounded 0 likes
- Connected to the electrical circuit grounding conductor; also, connected to a grounding electrode meeting the requirements of the installation
- Grounding 0 likes
- Making an electrical connection into the earth
- A large conducting body like the earth, employed as a common return for an electric circuit
- Grounding Conductor 0 likes
- A conductor that grounds electrical equipment or a grounded circuit to a grounding electrode
- Grounding Conductor, Common Main 2 likes
- In a grounded system, the conductor connecting the circuit grounded conductor and the equipment grounding conductor to the grounding electrode
- Grounding Conductor, Equipment 0 likes
- A conductor connecting the grounding equipment to the service equipment enclosure
- Grounding Conductor, Main 0 likes
- Conductor connecting the equipment grounding conductor to the grounding electrode at the service in an ungrounded system
- Grounding Locknut1 like
- A locknut connecting electrical equipment and a ground wire
- Grounding Plug1 like
- An electrical plug that grounds a device
- Groundscraper 1 like
- A wide building consisting of offices or apartments; contrast with Skyscraper
- Groundwater 1 like
- Water from an aquifer or an underground water source
- Grout2 likes
- A wet mixture of cement, sand and water that flows into masonry or ceramic crevices, sealing cracks between the various units; also employed for filling hollow metal door frames
- Grout Bond 1 like
- The adhesion, interlocking and reinforcement of grout with masonry units
- Grout Lift 2 likes
- Increase in height when grout is poured
- Grout Pour 0 likes
- The total height of masonry wall to be grouted prior to adding more masonry; a grout pour will consist of one or more grout lifts
- Grout Saw2 likes
- A saw-toothed carbide steel blade mounted on a wooden handle, employed to remove old tile grout and in patching work; the carbide steel blade is brittle and shatters if dropped or abused; the spring steel tip in front of the saw blade is employed for scraping grout out of corners where the saw blade cannot get to
- Grout Scrubbing Pad1 like
- A non-scratch nylon pad with abrasive employed to clean grout from the surface of tile
- Grouted Hollow-Unit Masonry 1 like
- When grout fills specific cells of hollow units continuously
- Grouted Multi-Wythe Masonry 0 likes
- When grout fills the space between wythes
- Growth Ring 2 likes
- Layer of wood growth on a tree in one year; annual growth ring

Garnet Paper
Abrasive, reddish, tough, sharp paper; derived from the semi-precious garnet jewel; more durable than flint paper
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