curule (en)

(adjective) relating to or being a high-ranking dignitary of ancient Rome entitled to occupy a special chair / (adjective) of, relating to, or being a chair or seat reserved for Romans of high rank that resembles a backless stool with curved legs / (adjective) of, relating to, or being a 19th century seat with legs of a similar style

cybernetics (en)

(noun plural but singular in construction) the science of communication and control theory that is concerned especially with the comparative study of automatic control systems (as the nervous system and brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems)

cyclamens (en)

(noun) any of a genus (Cyclamen) of Old World plants of the primrose family having showy nodding flowers

Daedalus (en)

(Greek mythology) a skillful craftsman and artist; father of Icarus; creator of the Labyrinth on Crete

dander (en)

(noun, informal) to lose one's temper; also an informal term for a material shed from the body of various animals (similar to dandruff)

dandified (en)

(verb) to cause to resemble a dandy (a man unduly concerned with looking stylish and fashionable, or, dated: an excellent thing of its kind)

dappled (en)

(adjective) marked with small spots or patches contrasting with the background

davening (en)

(verb) to recite the prescribed prayers in a Jewish liturgy

debt deflation (en)

a theory that recessions and depressions are due to the overall level of debt rising in real value because of deflation, causing people to default on loans, which in turns causes bank insolvencies and thus a credit crunch, leading to further recession; developed by Irving Fisher following the Wall Street Crash of 1929

declension (en)

(noun) a falling off or away; deterioration / (noun) descent slope

declivated (en)

declivated: downward sloping; declivity: downward slope

decoct (en)

extract the essence from (something) by heating or boiling it

deconstruction (en)

(noun) a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers

dehiscence (en)

(noun) when a seed vessel or a wound gapes or bursts open

deictic (en)

(adjective) showing or pointing out directly / Deictic terms are words whose meaning shifts depending on the point of view of the speaker

demand theory (en)

the doctrine in neoclassical economics that markets will function perfectly in the absence of interference

demiurge (en)

(noun) a being responsible for the creation of the universe, in particular

demotic (en)

(adjective) of, relating to, or written in a simplified form of the ancient Egyptian hieratic writing / (adjective) popular common / (adjective) of or relating to the form of Modern Greek that is based on everyday speech

deracination (en)

(verb) uproot / (verb) to remove or separate from a native environment or culture / (verb) to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from

derogation (en)

(verb) to cause to seem inferior; disparage / (verb) to take away a part so as to impair; detract / (verb) to act beneath one's position or character / (LEGAL) an exemption from or relaxation of a rule or law

derrick (en)

(noun) a piece of machinery for lifting cargo or extracting oil

Derridean (en)

pertaining to Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), French Algerian-born philosopher and founder of deconstruction

dervish (en)

(noun) a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (as bodily movements leading to a trance) / (noun) one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish

descant (en)

(noun) a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the tenor OR (verb) to talk tediously or at length

desiderata (la)

desired things