<B>DFM</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> Distinguished Flying Medal. </DL>
<A NAME="dfp">
<B>DFP</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> diisopropyl fluorophosphate. </DL>
<A NAME="dg">
<B>dg.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> decigram or decigrams. </DL>
<A NAME="dg">
<B>DG</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> director-general. </DL>
<A NAME="dghaisa">
<B>dghaisa, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small Maltese boat that resembles a gondola. </DL>
<A NAME="dglucose">
<B>d-glucose, </B>noun. <B>=dextrose.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dh">
<B>DH</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> designated hitter. <BR> <I>Ex. One manager ... was thinking of using Don Buford as a leadoff DH (National Review).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dh">
<B>D.H.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Doctor of Humanities. </DL>
<A NAME="dha">
<B>dha, </B>noun. <B>=dah.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dhai">
<B>dhai, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in India) a midwife. </DL>
<A NAME="dhak">
<B>dhak, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an East Indian tree of the pea family, noted for its brilliant orange-red flowers. It yields a form of the gum kino. </DL>
<A NAME="dhal">
<B>dhal, </B>noun. <B>=dal.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dhamnoo">
<B>dhamnoo, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an East Indian tree of the same family as the linden. <DD><B> 2. </B>the strong lumber from this tree. </DL>
<A NAME="dharma">
<B>dharma, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Hinduism and Buddhism.) the law, especially natural and moral law. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Hinduism.) right behavior; virtue; righteousness. <BR> <I>Ex. In India, one was expected to follow the "dharma"--or the "style of life"--of one's caste (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dharmachakra">
<B>Dharma Chakra,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Hinduism.) the wheel of law, an ancient symbol in the form of a many-spoked wheel, represented on the flag of India. </DL>
<A NAME="dharmashastra">
<B>Dharmashastra, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the whole body of Hindu law, especially the laws ascribed to Manu, Yajnavalkya, and other inspired sages. </DL>
<A NAME="dharna">
<B>dharna, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in India) a way of extorting payment or compliance with a demand, in which the creditor sits fasting at the debtor's door until his demand is met. Also, <B>dhurna.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dhegiha">
<B>Dhegiha, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a division of the Siouan stock of North American Indians. </DL>
<A NAME="dhl">
<B>D.H.L.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Doctor of Hebrew Letters (or Literature). </DL>
<A NAME="dhobi">
<B>dhobi, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in India) a native washerman. <BR> <I>Ex. In cities like Cochin and Trivandrum, some college graduates work as ... dhobis (laundrymen) for 20 cents a day (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dhole">
<B>dhole, </B>noun, pl. <B>dholes</B> or (especially collectively) <B>dhole.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fierce, wild dog of Asia and Indonesia, that usually hunts in packs. </DL>
<A NAME="dholl">
<B>dholl, </B>noun. <B>=dal.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dhooti">
<B>dhooti, </B>noun. <B>=dhoti.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dhoti">
<B>dhoti, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a long, narrow loincloth worn by men in India. <BR> <I>Ex. He was ... a magnificent man with grey moustaches and beard, and always dressed in a clean white dhoti and shirt (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>fabric for this garment. </DL>
<A NAME="dhow">
<B>dhow, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a ship with lateen sails, used along the coasts of Arabia, India, and eastern Africa. <BR> <I>Ex. Out by the reef that made the harbor, the Frenchman's dhow lay at anchor (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dhurna">
<B>dhurna, </B>noun. <B>=dharna.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dhurrie">
<B>dhurrie, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of coarse, durable cotton carpeting made in India, usually in fringed squares. </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>di, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a tone of the musical scale between do and re. </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>di.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> diameter. </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>di-</B> (1),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) <DD><B> 1a. </B>twice; double; twofold, as in <I>dicotyledon.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>two; having two, as in <I>digraph.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>containing two atoms, radicals, or the like, of the substance specified, as in <I>dioxide.</I> Also, <B>dis-</B> before <I>s.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>di-</B> (2),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) the form of <B>dis-</B> (2) before <I>b, d, l, m, n, r, s, v,</I> and sometimes before <I>g</I> and <I>j,</I> as in <I>direct, digress.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>di-</B> (3),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) the form of <B>dia-</B> before vowels, as in <I>diorama.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>Di</B> (no period),<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) didymium. </DL>
<A NAME="di">
<B>DI</B> (no periods) or <B>D.I.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>disability insurance. <DD><B> 2. </B>discomfort index. <DD><B> 3. </B>drill instructor (in the U.S. Marine Corps). </DL>
<A NAME="dia">
<B>dia.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> diameter. </DL>
<A NAME="dia">
<B>dia-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) through; across; thoroughly, as in <I>diaphragm, diameter.</I> Also, <B>di-</B> before vowels. </DL>
<A NAME="diabase">
<B>diabase, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Especially U.S.) a fine-grained, dark-colored, crystalline, granular igneous rock consisting essentially of augite and feldspar. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Especially British.) an altered form of basalt or dolerite. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) diorite. </DL>
<A NAME="diabasic">
<B>diabasic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with diabase. </DL>
<A NAME="diabatic">
<B>diabatic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or with transmission of heat; not adiabatic. </DL>
<A NAME="diabeah">
<B>diabeah, </B>noun. <B>=dahabeah.</B></DL>
<A NAME="diabetes">
<B>diabetes, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a disease in which a person's system cannot properly absorb normal amounts of sugar and starch because the pancreas fails to secrete enough insulin; diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by excessive production of urine and abnormal thirst. <BR> <I>Ex. There exists a strong hereditary predisposition in both types of diabetes, although a greater one in the maturity-onset type (George F. Cahill, Jr.).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=diabetes insipidus.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="diabetesinsipidus">
<B>diabetes insipidus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disorder marked by profuse secretion of urine (containing no sugar) and intense thirst, caused by a malfunction of the pituitary gland. </DL>
<A NAME="diabetesmellitus">
<B>diabetes mellitus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism generally due to failure of the pancreas to secrete enough insulin, characterized by the presence of sugar in the urine, abnormally high sugar content in the blood, loss of weight, extreme thirst and hunger, excessive secretion of urine, and, in severe cases, coma; sugar diabetes. Treatment includes the administration of insulin and rigid control of the diet. </DL>
<A NAME="diabetic">
<B>diabetic, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of or having to do with diabetes or its treatment. <DD><B> 2. </B>having diabetes. <DD><I>noun </I> a person having diabetes. <BR> <I>Ex. In the diabetic, the pancreas may not produce enough insulin (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="diabetogenic">
<B>diabetogenic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that produces diabetes. <BR> <I>Ex. The diabetogenic hormone seems to decrease sugar metabolism and, thus, is directly antagonistic to insulin (A. M. Winchester).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="diabetologist">
<B>diabetologist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a doctor who specializes in diabetes or diabetic disorders. </DL>
<A NAME="diablerie">
<B>diablerie</B> or <B>diablery, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>diabolic magic or art; sorcery; witchcraft. <BR> <I>Ex. His use of a Biblical phrase gave her a touch of shivers, of diablerie--the devil at his old game of quoting scripture (Harper's).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>reckless mischief; deviltry. <BR> <I>Ex. Miss Eva ... appeared to be fascinated by her wild diablerie (Harriet Beecher Stowe).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the domainor realm of devils. <DD><B> 4. </B>the lore of devils; demonology. </DL>
<B>diabolatry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> worship of the Devil. </DL>
<A NAME="diabolic">
<B>diabolic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>like the Devil; very cruel or wicked; devilish; fiendish. <BR> <I>Ex. The police discovered a diabolic plot to poison the city's drinking water.</I> (SYN) satanic. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with the Devil or devils. (SYN) infernal. adv. <B>diabolically.</B> noun <B>diabolicalness.</B> </DL>
<B>diabolism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>action aided by the Devil; sorcery; witchcraft. <DD><B> 2. </B>diabolical or devilish action; deviltry. <BR> <I>Ex. Even the most vicious acts of his characters are felt as the deeds of black misunderstanding rather than diabolism (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>belief in or worship of a devil or devils. <DD><B> 4. </B>the character or condition of a devil. </DL>
<A NAME="diabolist">
<B>diabolist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who believes in or writes on diabolism. </DL>
<A NAME="diabolize">
<B>diabolize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-lized,</B> <B>-lizing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make diabolic or devilish. <DD><B> 2. </B>to represent as diabolic. <DD><B> 3. </B>to subject to diabolic influence. </DL>
<A NAME="diabolo">
<B>diabolo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-los.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a game in which a piece of wood shaped like an hourglass is spun, tossed, and caught by means of two sticks with a cord stretched between them held in the hands. <DD><B> 2. </B>the piece of wood. </DL>
<A NAME="diabology">
<B>diabology, </B>noun. <B>=diabolology.</B></DL>
<A NAME="diabolology">
<B>diabolology, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> doctrine concerning the Devil or devils; diabolic lore. </DL>
<A NAME="diabolusexmachina">
<B>diabolus ex machina,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) devil from a machine; an evil person or thing introduced into a story or account to provide an explanation or resolve a problem. <BR> <I>Ex. His analysis leaves him with no basis for rational optimism. His diabolus ex machina--technique--is greater than man (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="diacaustic">
<B>diacaustic, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Optics.) <DD><I>adj. </I> (of a surface or curve) formed by the intersection of refracted rays of light. <DD><I>noun </I> a diacaustic curve or surface. </DL>
