Encyclopædia Britannica Australia -

Encyclopedias since 1768

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densitometer ... Derby ware

densitometer: device that measures the density, or the degree of darkening, of a photographic film or plate by recording photometrically its transparency (fraction of incident light transmitted). In visual methods, two beams of equal intensity are used. One is directed through ...
density: mass of a unit volume of a material substance, expressed as kilograms per cubic metre in MKS or SI units; the densities of common solids, liquids, and gases are listed in textbooks and handbooks. Density offers a convenient means of ...
density current: any current in either a liquid or a gas that is kept in motion by the force of gravity acting on small differences in density. A density difference can exist between two fluids or between different parts of the same ...
Densmore, Frances: ethnologist, foremost American authority of her time on the songs and music of American Indian tribes, and widely published author on Indian culture and life-styles.
Densusianu, Ovid: folklorist, philologist, and poet who introduced trends of European modernism into Romanian literature.
Dent, Edward John: English clockmaker noted for his highly accurate clocks and chronometers.
dental auxiliary: person qualified by training and experience to perform dental work under the direction and supervision of a dentist. Some of these auxiliary persons work directly for the dentist in his own office; others work in a separate office or laboratory, ...
Dentatus, Manius Curius: Roman general, conqueror of the Samnites and victor against Pyrrhus, king of Epirus.
denticle: part of a conodont, a small toothlike fossil found in marine rocks representative of a long span of geologic time. Although they resemble cusps, denticles are generally smaller than distinct cusps and vary greatly in shape and structure. Denticles may ...
dentine: in anatomy, the yellowish tissue that makes up the bulk of all teeth. It is harder than bone but softer than enamel and consists mainly of apatite crystals of calcium and phosphate. In humans, other mammals, and the elasmobranch fishes ...
dentistry: the profession concerned with the prevention and treatment of oral disease, particularly disease of the teeth and supporting tissues. In addition to general practice, dentistry includes many specialties and subspecialties, including oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, pedodontics, and public health.
Denton: city, seat (1857) of Denton county, northern Texas, U.S. Denton is situated about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth. Permanently settled in 1857 and named for John B. Denton, a Texas frontiersman, Denton is largely a cultural, research, ...
denture: artificial replacement for one or more missing teeth and adjacent gum tissues. A complete denture replaces all the teeth of the upper or lower jaw. Partial dentures are commonly used to replace a single tooth or two or more adjacent ...
Denver: city and county, capital of Colorado, U.S., at the western edge of the Great Plains, just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The city and county were consolidated as a single administrative unit in 1902. Denver lies ...
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company: former American railroad chartered in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG). It began with a narrow-gauge line extending from Denver, Colorado, south to New Mexico and west to Salt Lake City, Utah. Conversion to standard-gauge track began ...
Denver, University of: private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Denver, Colorado, U.S. Though the university is supported by the United Methodist Church, it maintains a nonsectarian approach to education. It is known for its business school and international studies program, and it ...
Deo Van Tri: fiercely independent tribal chief of Tai peoples in the Black River region of Tonkin (now northern Vietnam) who created a semiautonomous feudal kingdom and coexisted with the French, who ruled the rest of Vietnam.
Deoband school: ("House of Learning"), the leading Muslim theological centre (madrasah) of India. It was founded in 1867 by Muhammad 'Abid Husayn in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The theological position of Deoband has always been heavily influenced by the 18th-century ...
Deoghar: town, northeastern Bihar state, northeastern India. It is a major rail and road junction and agricultural trade centre. An ancient town, it is famous for its group of 22 temples dedicated to the Hindu god Siva (Shiva). Numerous Buddhist ruins ...
deontological ethics: in philosophy, ethical theories that place special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. Deontology (Greek deon, "duty," and logos, "science") consequently focuses on logic and ethics. No attempt is made in such theories to ...
Deor: Old English heroic poem of 42 lines, one of the two surviving Old English poems to have a refrain. (The other is the fragmentary "Wulf and Eadwacer.") It is the complaint of a scop (minstrel), Deor, who was replaced at ...
Deorai, Battle of: (April 12-14, 1659), victory of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb that confirmed his possession of the throne. It was fought at Deorai, in northeastern India, between Aurangzeb and his brother and rival prince Dara Shikoh.
Deoria: town, eastern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, about 32 miles (50 km) southeast of Gorakhpur. On a major rail line to Bihar state, it is an agricultural trade centre. Its principal industry is sugar milling. Major crops grown in the ...
Deosai Mountains: range in the Himalayan mountain system in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The mountains are located in the Pakistani-held sector of the west-central part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The range extends for 120 miles (190 ...
deoxyribose: five-carbon sugar component of DNA (q.v.; deoxyribonucleic acid), where it alternates with phosphate groups to form the "backbone" of the DNA polymer and binds to nitrogenous bases. The presence of deoxyribose instead of ribose is one difference between DNA and ...
Depardieu, Gerard: French motion-picture actor noted for his versatility and for his unusual combination of gentleness and physicality.
departement: largest unit of local government in France and in some former French colonies. The departements were originally created in 1790. Each departement is governed by an elected general council, which holds responsibility for local services, laws, and budget; an officer ...
department store: retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods. These usually include ready-to-wear apparel and accessories for adults and children, yard goods and household textiles, small household wares, furniture, electrical appliances and accessories, and, often, food. These goods are separated ...
DePaul University: private, coeducational university in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It is the largest Roman Catholic university in the United States. DePaul was founded as St. Vincent's College in 1898 by the Vincentian Fathers. It was renamed and chartered as a university in ...
DePauw University: private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Greencastle, Ind., U.S., 40 miles (64 km) west of Indianapolis. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Strictly an undergraduate university, DePauw offers a curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences as ...
depersonalization: in psychology, a state in which an individual feels that either he himself or the outside world is unreal. In addition to a sense of unreality, depersonalization may involve the feeling that one's mind is dissociated from one's body; that ...
Depew, Chauncey Mitchell: U.S. railroad lawyer and politician who is best remembered as an orator, a wit, and an after-dinner speaker.
depletion allowance: in corporate income tax, the deductions from gross income allowed investors in exhaustible mineral deposits (including oil or gas) for the depletion of the deposits. The theory behind the allowance is that an incentive is necessary to stimulate investment in ...
deportation: expulsion by executive agency of an alien whose presence in a country is deemed unlawful or detrimental. Deportation has often had a broader meaning, including exile, banishment, and the transportation of criminals to penal settlements.
depreciation: in accounting, the allocation of the cost of an asset over its economic life. Depreciation covers deterioration from use, age, and exposure to the elements. It also includes obsolescence-i.e., loss of usefulness arising from the availability of newer and more ...
depressant: in medicine, a drug or other agent that slows the activity of vital organs of the body. Depressants acting on the central nervous system include general anesthetics, opiates, alcohol, and hypnotics. Tranquilizing drugs (ataractics) act primarily on the lower levels ...
depression: in psychology, a mood or emotional state that is marked by sadness, inactivity, and a reduced ability to enjoy life. A person who is depressed usually experiences one or more of the following symptoms: feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or pessimism; ...
depression: in economics, major downswing in the business cycle (q.v.) that is characterized by sharply reduced industrial production, widespread unemployment, serious declines or cessations of growth in construction activity, and great reductions in international trade and capital movements. Unlike minor business ...
Depretis, Agostino: Italian statesman, a leftist figure in the Risorgimento who later served three times as premier of Italy. He provided a fairly stable government by the tactics of trasformismo, which brought together members of different parties in the same Cabinet.
depth charge: a type of weapon that is used by surface ships or aircraft to attack submerged submarines. The first depth charges were developed by the British in World War I for use against German submarines. They consisted of a canister filled ...
depth finder: device used on ships to determine the depth of water by measuring the time it takes a sound (sonic pulse) produced just below the water surface to return, or echo, from the bottom of the body of water. Sonic depth ...
Dera Ghazi Khan: town, Punjab province, central Pakistan, in the floodplain of the Indus River. The town was founded by Ghazi Khan, son of a Balochi chieftain and vassal of the Langah sultans of Multan. Incorporated as a municipality in 1867, the town ...
Dera Ismail Khan: town, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, just west of the Indus River. The town was named for Isma'il Khan, son of the 15th-century Balochi chief who founded it. The old town, 4 miles (6 km) east, was washed away by the ...
Derain, Andre: French painter, sculptor, printmaker, and designer who was one of the principal Fauvists.
derasha: in Judaism, a homily or sermon, generally preached by a rabbi in the synagogue.
Derbent: city, Dagestan republic, southwestern Russia. The city lies in the narrow gap between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains at their closest approach. Derbent was founded in AD 438 as a fortress to guard the principal caravan route from ...
Derby: city, coextensive with the town (township) of Derby, New Haven county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S. It lies at the junction of the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers, a few miles west of New Haven. Early settlement developed around a trading post established ...
Derby: city and unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Derbyshire, England. It lies along the River Derwent at an important route focus at the southern end of the Pennines. The unitary authority covers Derby and its suburbs.
Derby: town and port in West Kimberley shire, northern Western Australia. It lies on the western shore of a peninsula in King Sound (an inlet of the Indian Ocean), near the mouth of the Fitzroy River. Founded in 1883 to serve ...
Derby: one of the classic English horse races, with the Saint Leger, the Oaks, the One Thousand Guineas, and the Two Thousand Guineas. It dates from 1780 and is named for Edward Stanley, 12th earl of Derby. With a field limited ...
Derby ware: porcelain figures and servicewares made in Derby, central England, about 1750-1848. The best-known early figures were characterized by glaze retractions about the base. Known as "dry-edge" figures, their modeling and execution were excellent, the porcelain soft and heavy; a pair ...