Glossary
This multilingual glossary provides easy-to-understand definitions for the main scientific terms used on this website in the risk assessment domain. Terms and their definitions are referenced in our communication products as pop-up notes to explain concepts to the public with no specialist knowledge.
Standard English spelling is used throughout. Acronyms are capitalised. Terms are presented in lower case. Entries are translated into all 24 EU official languages.
The glossary is a living document subject to regular updates. Relevant missing terms may be suggested by using the Ask A Question online form.
Disclaimer: Definitions in the glossary are intended solely to help this website's users understand scientific terminology. Definitions may differ from those given in European Union legislation and in the EFSA Journal.
O
The fact or frequency of something (e.g. a disease or deficiency in a population) happening.
High-powered technologies used for holistic analysis of the molecules that make up the cells of living organisms; for example, Genomics is the study of the entire genome, while Proteomics analyses the complete complement of proteins within a biological sample.
Chemical containing carbon; often derived from plants, animals or bacteria.
A living thing such as humans, animals, plants and microbes (e.g. bacteria, viruses)