CAPTCHA

PRONUNCIATION: (KAP-chuh)

MEANING: noun: A test used to make sure that a human is using a system, not a computer program. The test typically involves reading distorted text.

ETYMOLOGY: An acronym of Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. The Turing test is named after Alan Turing, a mathematician and computer scientist, who proposed that a computer could be considered intelligent if, while interacting with a human and a computer, someone could not tell which is which. A captcha is a kind of reverse Turing test. Earliest documented use: 2001.

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CAPTCHAT - a web-based Bulletin-Board for high-ranking naval officers

CAPECHA - a hybrid Flamenco/Caribbean dance

CAPTCHAI - a very small amount of Russian tea with milk and sugar and spices (or, depending on usage, the the maximum allowed amount)