D

dally (verb)
Act or move slowly. (OD)
To waste time; linger, dawdle. (MW)
See:  dawdle, dillydally, lollygag, tarry

dar al-Islam (noun) and dar al-harb (noun)
In Islam, dar al-Islam:  Territory of Islam; regions where Islamic law prevails.
In Islam, dar al-harb:  Territory of war; regions where Islamic law is not implemented.

davenport (noun)

A large upholstered sofa often convertible into a bed. (MW)
A large sofa, sometimes one that is convertible into a bed; after the A.H. Davenport Company, a furniture manufacturer in Boston in the 1800s. (AHD)

dawdle (verb)
Waste time; be slow. (OD)
To idle, waste time; to be sluggish or lazy; to loiter, linger, dally. (OED)
See:  dally, dillydally, lollygag, tarry

debanking (noun) also de-banking

The act by a bank of closing someone's account because they are regarded as a risk legally, financially, or to the bank's reputation. (CD)

debank (verb):  To deprive (someone) of banking facilities. (CDC)

debunkering (verb)

Nautical term:  To offload unusable and/or volatile fuel or waste from a ship.  As opposed to bunkering, which means to load fuel into a ship's bunkers (containers for storing a ship's operating fuel). (RM)

Note:  By definition debunkering is to offload onto something else.  Otherwise, it could simply be jettisoned.  I include this term here because, as with the nautical term yar, it could be applied to a person.  For instance, one could debunker a volatile or useless spouse onto her lover.  You can also jettison a spouse; debunkering implies a landing platform or place to go, an arranged exit.  I first heard this use in the Netflix series Maestro in Blue (season two, episode five).

I once encountered a clever department manager who launched a debunkering operation for a useless employee in order to move said employee to another, unsuspecting department.  Of course, the new department would eventually learn of the problem and they would have to either endure the useless employee or go through the hassle of terminating her.

Decalogue (noun)

The Ten Commandments. (OD)

Also, a basic set of rules carrying binding authority. (MW)

decamp (verb)
Depart suddenly or secretly, especially to relocate one's business or household in another area. (OD)
To depart suddenly; abscond. (MW)

defenestration (noun)

Formal:  The action of throwing someone out of a window. (OD)

Informal:  The action or process of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority. (OD)

A throwing of a person or thing out of a window.  A usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office). (MW)

deicide (noun)

The killing of a god. (OD)

demur (verb)
Raise doubts or objections or show reluctance (demurred). (OD)

demure (adjective)
Of a woman or her behavior:  Reserved, modest, and shy.  Of clothing:  Lending a modest appearance. (OD)

deplane (verb)
Disembark from an aircraft. (OD)
See:  alight

depreciate (verb)
Disparage or belittle (something) (OD)
To lower in honor or esteem. (MW)
depreciative (adjective):  Expressing a critical or disparaging opinion. (OD)

dereliction (noun)

In modern use, implying a morally wrong or reprehensible abandonment or neglect; chiefly in the phrase dereliction of duty.  Hence, failure in duty, delinquency. (OED)

The shameful failure to fulfill one's obligations. (OD)

Note:  While most commonly used in dereliction of duty, surely there can be all sorts of duties and derelictions:  Dereliction of contractual obligations, dereliction of fidelity, parental derelictions, etc.

derogatory (adjective)
Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude. (OD)
Expressive of a low opinion; disparaging. (MW)

dhimmitude (noun)
Word coined by historian Bat Ye’or to describe the status of dhimmi peoples.  In Islam, after jihad concludes in a given area with the conquest of infidel territory, a dhimma, or treaty of protection, may be granted to the conquered People of the Book, historically, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians.  The dhimma provides that the life and property of the infidel are exempted from jihad for as long as the Muslim rulers permit, which has generally meant for as long as the subject non-Muslims, the dhimmi, prove economically useful to the Islamic state.  The Quran spells out the payment of the jizya (poll or head tax prescribed in Sura 9:29), which is the most conspicuous means by which the Muslim overlords exploit the dhimmi.  But the jizya is not merely economic in its function; it exists also to humiliate the dhimmi and impress on him the superiority of Islam.
(Greg Davis, Islam 101, JihadWatch.org)
See:  jizya

diaphanous (adjective)
Especially of fabric:  Light, delicate, and translucent. (OD)
Characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through.  Characterized by extreme delicacy of form; ethereal.  Insubstantial, Vague. (MW)

diaspora (noun)
The dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel.  The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.  The people so dispersed. (OD)

diddly-squat (noun)
The least amount; anything at all. (MW)
As a mass noun:  Nothing at all; or in negative constructions:  Anything. (OED)
diddly (adjective):  Insignificant, trifling. (OD)

diffident (adjective)
Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence. (OD)

dilatory (adjective)
Slow to act.  Intended to cause delay. (OD)
dilatorily (adverb)
dilatoriness (noun)

dillydally (verb) also dilly-dally
To waste time by loitering or delaying; dawdle. (MW)
Waste time through aimless wandering or indecision. (OD)
See:  dally, dawdle, lollygag, tarry

dimorphic (adjective)

Biology:  Occurring in or representing two distinct forms.  As in:  Sexually dimorphic species. (OD)

Occurring in two distinct forms.  As in:  Sexually dimorphic coloration in birds. (MW)

dimorphism (noun):  The existence of two different forms (as of color or size) of a species especially in the same population. (MW)

The differences in appearance between males and females of the same species, such as in color, shape, size, and structure, that are caused by the inheritance of one or the other sexual pattern in the genetic material. (EB)

disapprobation (noun)
Strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds. (OD)
See:  approbation

discombobulate (verb)
Disconcert or confuse (someone). (OD)
Upset, confuse. (MW)

discommodious (adjective)

Inconvenient, troublesome. (MW)

discursive (adjective)

Digressing from subject to subject. (NOA)

Talking about or dealing with subjects that are only slightly connected with the main subject for longer than necessary. (CD)

If a style of writing is discursive, it includes a lot of facts or opinions that are not necessarily relevant.  Passing from one topic to another, usually in an unmethodical way; digressive.  Wandering from one topic to another; skimming over many apparently unconnected subjects; rambling; desultory; digressive.  Passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling. (CDC)

dispassion (noun)

Lack of strong emotion or personal feelings. (OD)

Absence of passion; coolness. (MW)

Detachment; objectivity.  The state or quality of being unemotional or emotionally uninvolved. (CDC)

dispassionate (adjective)

disposition (noun)

disposition (noun) (1 of 6):

A person's inherent qualities of mind and character. (OD)

Temperamental makeup.  The usual attitude or mood of a person or animal. (MW)

disposition (noun) (2 of 6)

An inclination or tendency. (OD)

The tendency of something to act in a certain manner under given circumstances.  The tendency to act or think in a particular way. (MW)

disposition (noun) (3 of 6):

The way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things.  The action of arranging people or things in a particular way. (OD)

Orderly arrangement. (MW)

disposition (noun) (4 of 6)

The act or the power of disposing or the state of being disposed; final arrangement; settlement (the disposition of the case). (MW)

disposition (noun) (5 of 6)

The distribution or transfer of property or money to someone especially by bequest. (OD)

The transfer to the care or possession of another. (MW)

The process of selling something or formally giving it to someone. (CD)

As in:  disposition of assets and acquisition and disposition.

disposition (noun) (6 of 6)

The power to deal with something as one pleases. (OD)

Note:  Formal dictionaries do not divide their entries for disposition as I have here.  Nevertheless, I prefer this disposition of disposition.

dissimulation (noun)
Concealment of one’s thoughts, feelings, or character; pretense. (OD)
dissimulate (verb):  To hide under a false appearance. (MW)

See:  pretense, taqiya

diurnal (adjective)
Of or during the day. (OD)

doddery (adjective)
Slow and unsteady in movement because of weakness in old age. (OD)

dodgy (adjective)
Dishonest or unreliable.  Potentially dangerous.  Of low quality. (OD)
Evasive, tricky.  Not sound, good, or reliable.  Questionable, suspicious. (MW)

drivel (noun)

Idiotic utterance; silly nonsense; twaddle. (OED)

See:  balderdash, guff, malarkey, piffle, taradiddle

dross (noun)

Something regarded as worthless; rubbish. (NOA)
Something that is base, trivial, or inferior. (MW)
Something that has no use or no value. (CD)
Worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter. (AHD)

dryasdust (adjective)  Also:  dry-as-dust
Boring. (MW)
A boring, pedantic speaker or writer.  Dull and boring. (OD)

dunnage (noun)

Loose wood, matting, or similar material used to keep a cargo in position in a ship's hold. (OD)

In the context of shipping manufactured goods, dunnage refers to the packing material used as protective fill inside the carton, box, or other type container, used to prevent the merchandise from being damaged during shipment.  These materials include bubble wrap; wadded, crumbled or shredded paper; styrofoam; inflated air packs; and other materials. (Wikipedia)

dystopia (noun)
An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.  An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic. (OD)
dystopian (adjective)

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C <=> E