View all terms
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
desuetude
(en)
(noun) discontinuance from use or exercise; disuse
desultory
(en)
(adjective) marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose / (adjective) not connected with the main subject / (adjective) disappointing in progress, performance, or quality
deus ex machina
(la)
(originally Greek) "god from the machine"; derives from the gods introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman dramas; something introduced suddenly and unexpectedly that provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty
diachronic
(en)
(adjective) of, relating to, or dealing with phenomena (as of language or culture) as they occur or change over a period of time
diacritical
(en)
(adjective) distinctive, capable of distinguishing; (of a mark or sign) serving to indicate different pronunciations of a letter above or below which it is written
dialectic
(en)
a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments
(noun) the Marxist theory that maintains the material basis of a reality constantly changing in a dialectical process and the priority of matter over mind