system
American Heritage Dictionary:
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sys·tem
(sĭs'təm) 
n.
n.
- A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.
- A functionally related group of elements, especially:
- The human body regarded as a functional physiological unit.
- An organism as a whole, especially with regard to its vital processes or functions.
- A group of physiologically or anatomically complementary organs or parts: the nervous system; the skeletal system.
- A group of interacting mechanical or electrical components.
- A network of structures and channels, as for communication, travel, or distribution.
- A network of related computer software, hardware, and data transmission devices.
- An organized set of interrelated ideas or principles.
- A social, economic, or political organizational form.
- A naturally occurring group of objects or phenomena: the solar system.
- A set of objects or phenomena grouped together for classification or analysis.
- A condition of harmonious, orderly interaction.
- An organized and coordinated method; a procedure. See synonyms at method.
- The prevailing social order; the establishment. Used with the: You can't beat the system.
[Late Latin systēma, systēmat-, from Greek sustēma, from sunistanai, to combine : sun-, syn- + histanai, set up, establish.]
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system
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(1) A group of related components that interact to perform a task.
(2) A "computer system" is made up of the CPU, operating system and peripheral devices. All desktop computers, laptop computers, network servers, minicomputers and mainframes are computer systems. Most references to "computer" imply the "computer system." See computer system.
(3) An "information system" is a business application made up of the database, the data entry, update, query and report programs as well as manual and machine procedures. Order processing systems, payroll systems, inventory systems and accounts payable systems are examples of "information systems." See information system.
(4) "The system" often refers to the operating system, the master control program that runs the computer. See operating system.
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Organization of functionally interactive units for the achievement of a common goal. All systems have inputs, outputs, and feedback, and maintain a basic level of equilibrium. For example, in the human body the heart functions to support the circulatory system, which is vital to the survival of the entire body.
| Synthetic System, Synthetic Lease, Syntax | |
| System Program, Systematic Risk, Systematic Sampling |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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system
noun
- An organized array of individual elements and parts forming and working as a unit: entity, integral, sum, totality, whole. See part/whole.
- A usually large entity composed of interconnected parts: complex. See part/whole.
- Systematic arrangement and design: method, order, orderliness, organization, pattern, plan, systematization, systemization. See order/disorder.
- The approach used to do something: fashion, manner, method, mode, modus operandi, style, way, wise2. See means.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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system
n
Definition: method, plan
Antonyms: disorder, disorganization
n
Definition: order, whole
Antonyms: cog, part
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1. The supervisor program or OS on a computer.
2. The entire computer system, including input/output devices, the supervisor program or OS, and possibly other software.
3. Any large-scale program.
4. Any method or algorithm.
5. System hacker: one who hacks the system (in senses 1 and 2 only; for sense 3 one mentions the particular program: e.g., LISP hacker)
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Any set of interrelated parts. A system can consist entirely of abstract ideas, but geographers prefer to use the concept in such fields as ecology, hydrology, and geomorphology. An open system allows mass and energy to circulate into and out of it; a closed system gives and receives energy but not mass.
A system deals with inputs, throughput, and outputs. Systems usually have a negative feedback, i.e. a redress of balance such that a kind of equilibrium is maintained. An example of this is the performance of a hillslope: increased mass movement downslope leads to decreased stream erosion at the base of the slope. As applied to geomorphology, a systems analysis is a ‘way of viewing complex geomorphological systems as the product of the storage, throughput, input and output of energy and mass’ (
Systems may be studied at all scales and it should be noted that each system is part of a larger system. Thus, an oak-leaf system is part of an oak-tree system which is part of an oak-wood system…and so on. It is difficult to establish the boundaries of a system. In this latter example, we must decide where an oak-wood system begins and ends.
In a cascading system, a series of small sub-systems are linked from one system to another.
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Two or more staves, usually joined by a brace at the left-hand end, which present the whole of the musical texture for any one line of music on the page.
In building construction, prefabricated assemblies, components, and parts which are combined into single integrated units utilizing industrialized production techniques.
1. Any kind of organized structure within society that contributes so society (e.g. education system).
2. An organized set of interrelated and inter-active parts which has a definite purpose. The human body can be viewed as a system in that it is a set of elements that works together, responding to changes in the environment (see also homeostasis).
3. In biomechanics, a mechanical system chosen for study. The system may be the entire human body a part of the body a projectile or some other object.
Word Tutor:
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system
IN BRIEF: A group of things that form a whole; or an orderly method.
History is a vast early warning system.
— Norman Cousins (1912-1990), American essayist and editor.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Quotes About:
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Systems
Quotes:
"If a better system is thine, impart it; if not, make use of mine."
- Horace
"The system isn't stupid, but the people in it are."
- Thomas Szasz
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A group of bodily organs that have similar structures or work together to perform some function, such as the digestive system, nervous system, and respiratory system.
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1. a set or series of interconnected or interdependent parts or entities (objects, organs or organisms) that act together in a common purpose or produce results impossible by action of one alone.
2. an organized set of principles or ideas.
The parts of a system can be referred to as its elements or components; the environment of the system is defined as all of the factors that affect the system and are affected by it. A living system is capable of taking in matter, energy and information from its environment (input), processing them in some way, and returning matter, energy and information to its environment as output.
An open system is one in which there is an exchange of matter, energy and information with the environment; in a closed system there is no such exchange. A living system cannot survive without this exchange, but in order to survive it must maintain pattern and organization in the midst of constant change. Control of self-regulation of an open system is achieved by dynamic interactions among its elements or components. The result of self-regulation is referred to as the steady state; that is, a state of equilibrium. homeostasis is an assemblage of organic regulations that act to maintain steady states of a living organism.
Definitions of individual systems are to be found under those titles, e.g. alimentary system.
- general s's theory — a theory of organization proposed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1950s as a means by which various disciplines could communicate with one another and duplication of efforts among scientists could be avoided. The theory sought universally applicable principles and laws that would hold true regardless of the kind of system under study, the nature of its components, or the interrelationships among its components. Since the introduction of the general systems theory, theoretical models, principles and laws have been developed that are of great value to scientists in all fields, including those of medicine, nursing, other health-related professions, and in veterinary medicine.
- heterogeneous s. — a system or structure made up of mechanically separable parts, as an emulsion or suspension.
- homogeneous s. — a system or structure made up of parts that cannot be mechanically separated, such as a solution.
Mosby's Dental Dictionary:
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system
n
A set or series of organs or parts that unite in a common function.
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categories related to 'system'
- Tissue, Fiber, and Integumentary System - system: all organs and tissues concerned with particular function of organism
- Forecasting and Meteorology - system: interacting fronts and air masses that cause weather conditions
- Tools, Tests, Units, and Scales - system: defined substance, or set of substances, being studied
- Hardware and Peripherals - system: computer and all its related components
- Social Structure and Conditions - system: unity formed of diverse parts arranged according to a common plan
- Strategy and Tactics - system: highly organized method or procedure for attaining an end or maintaining a position
- Order, Hierarchy, and Systems - system: interacting or interdependent combination of things forming unified whole
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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System
For other uses, see System (disambiguation).
A system (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek σύστημα systēma, "whole compounded of several parts or members, system", literary "composition"[1]) is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole.
A system is a set of elements (often called 'components' instead) and relationships which are different from relationships of the set or its elements to other elements or sets.
Fields that study the general properties of systems include systems theory, cybernetics, dynamical systems, thermodynamics and complex systems. They investigate the abstract properties of systems' matter and organization, looking for concepts and principles that are independent of domain, substance, type, or temporal scale.
Most systems share common characteristics, including:
- Systems have structure, defined by components/elements and their composition;
- Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, energy, information, or data;
- Systems have interconnectivity: the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships to each other.
- Systems may have some functions or groups of functions
The term system may also refer to a set of rules that governs structure and/or behavior.
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History
The word system in its meaning here, has a long history which can be traced back to Plato (Philebus), Aristotle (Politics) and Euclid (Elements). It had meant "total", "crowd" or "union" in even more ancient times, as it derives from the verb sunìstemi, uniting, putting together.
"System" means "something to look at". You must have a very high visual gradient to have systematization. In philosophy, before Descartes, there was no "system". Plato had no "system". Aristotle had no "system". (Marshall McLuhan in: McLuhan: Hot & Cool. Ed. by Gerald Emanuel Stearn. A Signet Book published by The New American Library, New York, 1967, p. 288).
In the 19th century the first to develop the concept of a "system" in the natural sciences was the French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot who studied thermodynamics. In 1824 he studied the system which he called the working substance, i.e. typically a body of water vapor, in steam engines, in regards to the system's ability to do work when heat is applied to it. The working substance could be put in contact with either a boiler, a cold reservoir (a stream of cold water), or a piston (to which the working body could do work by pushing on it). In 1850, the German physicist Rudolf Clausius generalized this picture to include the concept of the surroundings and began to use the term "working body" when referring to the system.
One of the pioneers of the general systems theory was the biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy. In 1945 he introduced models, principles, and laws that apply to generalized systems or their subclasses, irrespective of their particular kind, the nature of their component elements, and the relation or 'forces' between them.[2]
Significant development to the concept of a system was done by Norbert Wiener and Ross Ashby who pioneered the use of mathematics to study systems.[3][4]
In the 1980s the term complex adaptive system was coined at the interdisciplinary Santa Fe Institute by John H. Holland, Murray Gell-Mann and others.
System concepts
- Environment and boundaries
- Systems theory views the world as a complex system of interconnected parts. We scope a system by defining its boundary; this means choosing which entities are inside the system and which are outside - part of the environment. We then make simplified representations (models) of the system in order to understand it and to predict or impact its future behavior. These models may define the structure and/or the behavior of the system.
- Natural and human-made systems
- There are natural and human-made (designed) systems. Natural systems may not have an apparent objective but their outputs can be interpreted as purposes. Human-made systems are made with purposes that are achieved by the delivery of outputs. Their parts must be related; they must be “designed to work as a coherent entity” - else they would be two or more distinct systems.
- Theoretical Framework
- An open system exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings. Most systems are open systems; like a car, coffeemaker, or computer. A closed system exchanges energy, but not matter, with its environment; like Earth or the project Biosphere2 or 3. An isolated system exchanges neither matter nor energy with its environment. A theoretical example of such system is the Universe.
- Process and transformation process
- A system can also be viewed as a bounded transformation process, that is, a process or collection of processes that transforms inputs into outputs. Inputs are consumed; outputs are produced. The concept of input and output here is very broad. E.g., an output of a passenger ship is the movement of people from departure to destination.
- Subsystem
- A subsystem is a set of elements, which is a system itself, and a component of a larger system.
- System Model
- A system comprises multiple views. For the man-made systems it may be such views as planning, requirement (analysis), design, implementation, deployment, structure, behavior, input data, and output data views. A system model is required to describe and represent all these multiple views.
- System Architecture
- A system architecture, using one single integrated model for the description of multiple views such as planning, requirement (analysis), design, implementation, deployment, structure, behavior, input data, and output data views, is a kind of system model.
Elements of System
Following are considered as the elements of a system in terms of Information systems: -
- Inputs and Outputs
- Processor
- Control
- Environment
- Feedback
- Boundaries and Interface
Types of systems
Systems are classified in different ways:
- Physical or Abstract systems
- Open or Closed systems
- 'Man-made' Information systems
- Formal Information systems
- Informal Information systems
- Computer Based Information systems
- Real Time System
Physical systems are tangible entities that may be static or dynamic in operation.
An open system has many interfaces with its environment. i.e. system that interacts freely with its environment, taking input and returning output. It permits interaction across its boundary; it receives inputs from and delivers outputs to the outside. A closed system does not interact with the environment; changes in the environment and adaptability are not issues for closed system.
Analysis of systems
Evidently, there are many types of systems that can be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, with an analysis of urban systems dynamics, [A.W. Steiss] [5] defines five intersecting systems, including the physical subsystem and behavioral system. For sociological models influenced by systems theory, where Kenneth D. Bailey [6] defines systems in terms of conceptual, concrete and abstract systems; either isolated, closed, or open, Walter F. Buckley [7] defines social systems in sociology in terms of mechanical, organic, and process models. Bela H. Banathy [8] cautions that with any inquiry into a system that understanding the type of system is crucial and defines Natural and Designed systems.
In offering these more global definitions, the author maintains that it is important not to confuse one for the other. The theorist explains that natural systems include sub-atomic systems, living systems, the solar system, the galactic system and the Universe. Designed systems are our creations, our physical structures, hybrid systems which include natural and designed systems, and our conceptual knowledge. The human element of organization and activities are emphasized with their relevant abstract systems and representations. A key consideration in making distinctions among various types of systems is to determine how much freedom the system has to select purpose, goals, methods, tools, etc. and how widely is the freedom to select itself distributed (or concentrated) in the system.
George J. Klir [9] maintains that no "classification is complete and perfect for all purposes," and defines systems in terms of abstract, real, and conceptual physical systems, bounded and unbounded systems, discrete to continuous, pulse to hybrid systems, et cetera. The interaction between systems and their environments are categorized in terms of relatively closed, and open systems. It seems most unlikely that an absolutely closed system can exist or, if it did, that it could be known by us. Important distinctions have also been made between hard and soft systems.[10] Hard systems are associated with areas such as systems engineering, operations research and quantitative systems analysis. Soft systems are commonly associated with concepts developed by Peter Checkland and Brian Wilson through Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) involving methods such as action research and emphasizing participatory designs. Where hard systems might be identified as more "scientific," the distinction between them is actually often hard to define.
Cultural system
Main article: Cultural system
A cultural system may be defined as the interaction of different elements of culture. While a cultural system is quite different from a social system, sometimes both systems together are referred to as the sociocultural system. A major concern in the social sciences is the problem of order. One way that social order has been theorized is according to the degree of integration of cultural and social factors.
Economic system
Main article: Economic system
An economic system is a mechanism (social institution) which deals with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services in a particular society. The economic system is composed of people, institutions and their relationships to resources, such as the convention of property. It addresses the problems of economics, like the allocation and scarcity of resources.
Application of the system concept
Systems modeling is generally a basic principle in engineering and in social sciences. The system is the representation of the entities under concern. Hence inclusion to or exclusion from system context is dependent of the intention of the modeler.
No model of a system will include all features of the real system of concern, and no model of a system must include all entities belonging to a real system of concern.
Systems in information and computer science
In computer science and information science, system is a software system which has components as its structure and observable Inter-process communications as its behavior. Again, an example will illustrate: There are systems of counting, as with Roman numerals, and various systems for filing papers, or catalogues, and various library systems, of which the Dewey Decimal System is an example. This still fits with the definition of components which are connected together (in this case in order to facilitate the flow of information).
System can also be used referring to a framework, be it software or hardware, designed to allow software programs to run, see platform.
Systems in engineering and physics
In engineering and physics, a physical system is the portion of the universe that is being studied (of which a thermodynamic system is one major example). Engineering also has the concept of a system that refers to all of the parts and interactions between parts of a complex project. Systems engineering refers to the branch of engineering that studies how this type of system should be planned, designed, implemented, built, and maintained.
Systems in social and cognitive sciences and management research
Social and cognitive sciences recognize systems in human person models and in human societies. They include human brain functions and human mental processes as well as normative ethics systems and social/cultural behavioral patterns.
In management science, operations research and organizational development (OD), human organizations are viewed as systems (conceptual systems) of interacting components such as subsystems or system aggregates, which are carriers of numerous complex business processes (organizational behaviors) and organizational structures. Organizational development theorist Peter Senge developed the notion of organizations as systems in his book The Fifth Discipline.
Systems thinking is a style of thinking/reasoning and problem solving. It starts from the recognition of system properties in a given problem. It can be a leadership competency. Some people can think globally while acting locally. Such people consider the potential consequences of their decisions on other parts of larger systems. This is also a basis of systemic coaching in psychology.
Organizational theorists such as Margaret Wheatley have also described the workings of organizational systems in new metaphoric contexts, such as quantum physics, chaos theory, and the self-organization of systems.
Systems applied to strategic thinking
In 1988, military strategist, John A. Warden III introduced his Five Ring System model in his book, The Air Campaign contending that any complex system could be broken down into five concentric rings. Each ring—Leadership, Processes, Infrastructure, Population and Action Units—could be used to isolate key elements of any system that needed change. The model was used effectively by Air Force planners in the First Gulf War.[11][12][13] In the late 1990s, Warden applied this five ring model to business strategy.[14]
See also
References
- ^ σύστημα, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ^ 1945, Zu einer allgemeinen Systemlehre, Blätter für deutsche Philosophie, 3/4. (Extract in: Biologia Generalis, 19 (1949), 139-164.
- ^ 1948, Cybernetics: Or the Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. Paris, France: Librairie Hermann & Cie, and Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- ^ 1956. An Introduction to Cybernetics, Chapman & Hall.
- ^ Steiss 1967, p.8-18.
- ^ Bailey, 1994.
- ^ Buckley, 1967.
- ^ Banathy, 1997.
- ^ Klir 1969, pp. 69-72
- ^ Checkland 1997; Flood 1999.
- ^ Warden, John A. III (1988). The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press. ISBN 978-1-58348-100-4.
- ^ Warden, John A. III (September 1995). "Chapter 4: Air theory for the 21st century" (in Air and Space Power Journal). Battlefield of the Future: 21st Century Warfare Issues. United States Air Force. http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/battle/chp4.html. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
- ^ Warden, John A. III (1995). "Enemy as a System". Airpower Journal Spring (9): 40–55. http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj95/spr95_files/warden.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
- ^ Russell, Leland A.; Warden, John A. (2001). Winning in FastTime: Harness the Competitive Advantage of Prometheus in Business and in Life. Newport Beach, CA: GEO Group Press. ISBN 0-9712697-1-8.
Further reading
- Alexander Backlund (2000). "The definition of system". In: Kybernetes Vol. 29 nr. 4, pp. 444–451.
- Kenneth D. Bailey (1994). Sociology and the New Systems Theory: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis. New York: State of New York Press.
- Bela H. Banathy (1997). "A Taste of Systemics", ISSS The Primer Project.
- Walter F. Buckley (1967). Sociology and Modern Systems Theory, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs.
- Peter Checkland (1997). Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Robert L. Flood (1999). Rethinking the Fifth Discipline: Learning within the unknowable. London: Routledge.
- George J. Klir (1969). Approach to General Systems Theory, 1969.
- Brian Wilson (1980). Systems: Concepts, methodologies and Applications, John Wiley
- Brian Wilson (2001). Soft Systems Methodology—Conceptual model building and its contribution, J.H.Wiley.
- Beynon-Davies P. (2009). Business Information + Systems. Palgrave, Basingstoke. ISBN 978-0-230-20368-6
External links
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Look up system in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: System |
- Definitions of Systems and Models by Michael Pidwirny, 1999-2007.
- Definitionen von "System" (1572-2002) by Roland Müller, 2001-2007 (most in German).
- Theory and Practical Exercises of System Dynamics by Juan Martin (also in Spanish)
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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System
Dansk (Danish)
n. - system, metode, ordning, organisme
idioms:
- get something out of one's system få noget ud af sit system, få luft for noget, komme fri af noget
- life-support system respirator
- system operator systemoperatør
- systems analysis systemanalyse
- systems analyst systemanalytiker
- systems operator systemoperatør
Nederlands (Dutch)
systeem, stelsel, procedure, computer, functionele eenheid
Français (French)
n. - (Admin) système, (Comput) système, (Écon, Jur, Ling, Philos, Pol) système, (Anat, Méd) système, (Physiol) organisme, (Géog, Géol, Météo) système, (Chim, Math, Mes) système
idioms:
- get something out of one's system (lit) rendre qch, (fig) oublier qch
- life-support system système/appareil de respiration artificielle
- system operator opérateur de système
- systems analysis analyse des systèmes
- systems analyst analyste-programmeur, analyste système
- systems operator opérateur de systèmes
Deutsch (German)
n. - System, Netz
idioms:
- get something out of one's system etwas loswerden
- life-support system lebenserhaltende Maschine
- system operator Systembetreiber, Systembediener
- systems analysis Systemanalyse
- systems analyst Systemanalytiker
- systems operator Systembetreiber, Systembediener
idioms:
- get something out of one's system απαλλάσσομαι από κάτι, παύω να έχω εξάρτηση από κάτι
- life-support system (ιατρ.) υποστηρικτής ζωής, σύστημα υποστήριξης ζωτικών λειτουργιών
- system operator (Η/Υ) διαχειριστής ηλεκτρονικού συστήματος ανακοινώσεων
- systems analysis (Η/Υ) ανάλυση συστημάτων
- systems analyst (Η/Υ) αναλυτής συστημάτων
- systems operator (Η/Υ) διαχειριστής συστημάτων
idioms:
- get something out of one's system sfogarsi
- system operator operatore sistemico
- systems analysis analisi di sistemi
- systems operator operatore di sistemi
Português (Portuguese)
n. - sistema (m)
idioms:
- get something out of one's system desabafar
- life-support system sistema de suporte à vida
- system operator operador do sistema
- systems analysis analista de sistemas
- systems operator operador de sistemas
Русский (Russian)
система, способ, метод, систематичность, устройство, классификация, комплекс идей, образующих целое, сеть (дорог, труб), организм
idioms:
- get something out of one's system вывести (яд) из организма, избавиться от какого-л. чувства, навязчивой идеи
- life-support system система поддержания жизнедеятельности организма
- system operator системный оператор
- systems analysis системный анализ
- systems operator системный оператор
Español (Spanish)
n. - sistema, método, régimen, red, organismo, equipo
idioms:
- get something out of one's system desahogarse, desfogarse
- life-support system sistema de respiración artificial
- system operator operador del sistema
- systems analysis análisis de sistemas
- systems analyst analista de sistemas
- systems operator operador de sistemas
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - system, metod, formation
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
系统, 制度, 体系
idioms:
- get something out of one's system 把...发泄出来
- life-support system 生命维持系统
- system operator 系统管理员
- systems analysis 系统分析
- systems analyst 系统分析家
- systems operator 系统管理员
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 系統, 制度, 體系
idioms:
- get something out of one's system 把...發洩出來
- life-support system 生命維持系統
- system operator 系統管理員
- systems analysis 系統分析
- systems analyst 系統分析家
- systems operator 系統管理員
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 체계, (조직적인) 제도, 계통
idioms:
- get something out of one's system (근심 등을) 떨쳐버리다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 組織, 制度, 体系, 学説, 秩序だったやり方, 方法, 体, 体制
idioms:
- life-support system 生命維持装置
- operating system オペレーティングシステム
- system operator システムオペレータ
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) نظام
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מערכת, שיטה, סיסטמה, שיטתיות, תוכנית, גוף, מערוכת, מחשב, מערכת השלטון (בד"כ: לשלילה)
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Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Science
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Saunders Veterinary Dictionary
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.
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Mosby's Dental Dictionary
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
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Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
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Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article System.
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