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Glossary · Nouns · D

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TermTypeDefinitionClassificationsUpdated
Defaulternounsomeone who fails to make a required appearance in courtverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defeatismnounacceptance of the inevitability of defeatverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defeatistnounsomeone who is resigned to defeat without offering positive suggestionsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defecationnounthe elimination of fecal waste through the anusverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defecation ReflexnounMWEnormal response to the presence of feces in the rectumverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defecatornouna person who defecatesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defect of SpeechnounMWEa disorder of oral speechverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defectionnounthe state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause (often in favor of opposing beliefs or causes)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defective PleadingnounMWEany pleading that fails to conform in form or substance to minimum standards of accuracy or sufficiencyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defectivenessnounthe state of being defectiveverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defectornouna person who abandons their duty (as on a military post)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defencenounan unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defence ForcenounMWEan organization of defenders that provides resistance against attackverifiedMay 18, 2026
defence in depthnounMWEThe security controls deployed throughout the various layers of the network to provide for resiliency in the event of the failure or the exploitation of a vulnerability of another control (may also be referred to as “layered protection”).ControlMay 9, 2026
Defence MechanismnounMWE(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defence PolicynounMWEa program for defending a country against its enemiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defence ProgramnounMWEa program for defending a country against its enemiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defence ReactionnounMWE(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defence SystemnounMWEthe weaponry available for the defense of a regionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defencelessnessnounthe property of being helpless in the face of attackverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defendantnouna person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of lawverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defendernouna person who cares for persons or propertyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defending TeamnounMWE(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoringverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defenestrationnounthe act of throwing someone or something out of a windowverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensenounan unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense AttorneynounMWEthe lawyer representing the defendantverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense ContractornounMWEa contractor concerned with the development and manufacture of systems of defenseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense ForcenounMWEan organization of defenders that provides resistance against attackverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense in depthnounMWEThe practice of layering defenses to provide added protection Defense in depth increases security by raising the effort needed in an attack. This strategy places multiple barriers between an attacker and an enterprise's computing and information resources.CapabilityMay 9, 2026
Defense LaboratorynounMWEa laboratory devoted to research and development for national defenseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense LawyersnounMWEthe defendant and his legal advisors collectivelyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense MechanismnounMWE(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense PolicynounMWEa program for defending a country against its enemiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense ProgramnounMWEa program for defending a country against its enemiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense ReactionnounMWE(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense SystemnounMWEthe weaponry available for the defense of a regionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense TeamnounMWEthe defendant and his legal advisors collectivelyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defense-in-BreadthnounA planned, systematic set of multidisciplinary activities that seek to identify, manage, and reduce risk of exploitable vulnerabilities at every stage of the system, network, or sub-component life cycle (system, network, or product design and development; manufacturing; packaging; assembly; system integration; distribution; operations; maintenance; and retirement).ControlMay 9, 2026
Defenselessnessnounthe property of being helpless in the face of attackverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensibilitynouncapability of being defendedverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensive AttitudenounMWEan attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensive MeasurenounMWEAn action taken to avoid or prevent danger from outside threats. Often used in a military or natural-disaster context.verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensive StructurenounMWEa structure used to defend against attackverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defensivenessnounexcessive sensitivity to criticismverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deferencenouna courteous expression, by word or deed, of esteem or regardverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defermentnounact of putting off to a future timeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deferralnouna state of abeyance or suspended businessverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deferred net settlementnounMWESee "National Settlement Service".ProcessRegulatedMay 12, 2026
Deferred PaymentnounMWEarrangement for deferred payment for goods and servicesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defervescencenounabatement of a fever as indicated by a reduction in body temperatureverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defiancenounintentionally contemptuous behavior or attitudeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defibrillationnountreatment by stopping fibrillation of heart muscles (usually by electric shock delivered by a defibrillator)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defibrillatornounan electronic device that administers an electric shock of preset voltage to the heart through the chest wall in an attempt to restore the normal rhythm of the heart during ventricular fibrillationverifiedMay 18, 2026
deficiencynounA failing, shortcoming, or lack of an adequate quantity or number.FindingMay 12, 2026
Deficiency DiseasenounMWEany disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient (as a vitamin or mineral)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Deficitnounthe property of being an amount by which something is less than expected or requiredverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deficit SpendingnounMWEspending money raised by borrowingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defiladenounthe arrangement of defensive fortifications to protect against enemy fireverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defilementnounthe state of being pollutedverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defilernouna person or organization that causes pollution of the environmentverifiedMay 18, 2026
Definingnounany process serving to define the shape of somethingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Definite ArticlenounMWEa determiner (as `the' in English) that indicates specificity of referenceverifiedMay 18, 2026
Definite IntegralnounMWEthe integral of a function over a definite intervalverifiedMay 18, 2026
Definite QuantitynounMWEa specific measure of amountverifiedMay 18, 2026
Definitenessnounthe quality of being predictable with great confidenceverifiedMay 18, 2026
definitionnounA concise statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, or symbol.ArtifactMay 12, 2026
Definitive HostnounMWEthe host in which the sexual reproduction of a parasite takes placeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflagrationnouncombustion that propagates through a gas or along the surface of an explosive at a rapid rate driven by the transfer of heatverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflationnoun(geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the windverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflationary SpiralnounMWEan episode of deflation in which prices and wages decrease at an increasing rate and currency gains in valueverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflatornouna statistical factor designed to remove the effect of inflationverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflectionnounthe movement of the pointer or pen of a measuring instrument from its zero positionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflectornouna device intended to turn aside the flow of something (water or air or smoke etc)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflexionnounthe movement of the pointer or pen of a measuring instrument from its zero positionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deflorationnounthe act of depriving a woman of her virginity (especially by rupturing the hymen through sexual intercourse)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defoliantnouna chemical that is sprayed on plants and causes their leaves to fall offverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defoliationnouncausing the leaves of trees and other plants to fall off (as by the use of chemicals)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Defoliatornounan insect that strips the leaves from plantsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deforestationnounthe state of being clear of treesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deformationnounalteration in the shape or dimensions of an object as a result of the application of stress to itverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deformitynounan affliction in which some part of the body is misshapen or malformedverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defraudernouna person who swindles you by means of deception or fraudverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defrayalnounthe act of paying moneyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defraymentnounthe act of paying moneyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defrosternounheater that removes ice or frost, as from car windows, a refrigerator, or the wings of an airplaneverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deftnessnounskillful performance or ability without difficultyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defunctnessnounno longer in existenceverifiedMay 18, 2026
Defusingnounthe act of deactivating or making ineffective (as a bomb)verifiedMay 18, 2026
DegaussnounProcedure that reduces the magnetic flux to virtual zero by applying a reverse magnetizing field. Also called demagnetizing.ProcessRegulatedCUIMay 12, 2026
Degaussingnounthe process of making a (steel) ship's hull nonmagnetic by producing an opposing magnetic fieldverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degeneracynounthe state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualitiesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degenerationnounthe process of declining from a higher to a lower level of effective power or vitality or essential qualityverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degenerative ArthritisnounMWEchronic breakdown of cartilage in the jointsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degenerative DisordernounMWEcondition leading to progressive loss of functionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degenerative Joint DiseasenounMWEchronic breakdown of cartilage in the jointsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Deglutitionnounthe act of swallowingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degradationnounchanging to a lower state and/or less respected stateverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degradernouna person who lowers the quality or character or value (as by adding cheaper metal to coins)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Degreenounan award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of studyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Degree CelsiusnounMWEa degree on the centigrade scale of temperatureverifiedMay 18, 2026