phase
     n 1: (physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system;
          matter that is identical in chemical composition and
          physical state and separated from other material by the
          phase boundary; "the reaction occurs in the liquid phase
          of the system" [syn: {form}]
     2: any distinct time period in a sequence of events; "we are in
        a transitional stage in which many former ideas must be
        revised or rejected" [syn: {stage}]
     3: a particular point in the time of a cycle; measured from
        some arbitrary zero and expressed as an angle [syn: {phase
        angle}]
     4: (astronomy) the particular appearance of a body's state of
        illumination (especially one of the recurring shapes of
        the part of Earth's moon that is illuminated by the sun);
        "the full phase of the moon"
     v 1: arrange in phases or stages; "phase a withdrawal"
     2: adjust so as to be in a synchronized condition; "he phased
        the intake with the output of the machine"
Source: WordNet® 2.0

phase 1. n. The offset of one's waking-sleeping schedule with respect
   to the standard 24-hour cycle; a useful concept among people who often
   work at night and/or according to no fixed schedule. It is not uncommon
   to change one's phase by as much as 6 hours per day on a regular basis.
   "What's your phase?" "I've been getting in about 8 P.M. lately, but I'm
   going to {wrap around} to the day schedule by Friday." A person who is
   roughly 12 hours out of phase is sometimes said to be in `night mode'.
   (The term `day mode' is also (but less frequently) used, meaning you're
   working 9 to 5 (or, more likely, 10 to 6).) The act of altering one's
   cycle is called `changing phase'; `phase shifting' has also been
   recently reported from Caltech. 2. `change phase the hard way': To stay
   awake for a very long time in order to get into a different phase. 3.
   `change phase the easy way': To stay asleep, etc. However, some claim
   that either staying awake longer or sleeping longer is easy, and that it
   is _shortening_ your day or night that is really hard (see {wrap
   around}). The `jet lag' that afflicts travelers who cross many time-zone
   boundaries may be attributed to two distinct causes: the strain of
   travel per se, and the strain of changing phase. Hackers who suddenly
   find that they must change phase drastically in a short period of time,
   particularly the hard way, experience something very like jet lag
   without traveling.


Source: The Jargon File