The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (24 page)

D.G. See DEI GRATIA; DEO GRATIAS.

dharma (dahrmg, derma) SANSKRIT
[law, statute, decree] noun in Hindu
and Buddhist philosophy, the fundamental law of the universe and an
individual's duty to live according
to the basic principles of nature and
universal truth.

dhoti (dotee) HINDI noun (plural dhotis) a man's loincloth, as worn by Indian
men: A strange old man in a dhoti glared
balefully at the tourists as they leveled their
cameras at him."

dhow (dow), dow ARABIC [dawa,
probably from Marathi daw] noun a
lateen-rigged Arabian sailing boat with
one or two masts and a low waist: "A
gentle breeze fills the huge sails of our
dhow, and draws us through the water that
ripples musically against our sides." (H.
Rider Haggard, She, 1887).

diaeresis (d1hreesis), dieresis GREEK
[diairesis division, from diairein to
divide] noun (plural diaereses, diareeseez, diereses) a sign placed over a
vowel denoting that it should be pronounced as an independent syllable;
also used in poetry to mark a place
where the end of a foot coincides
with the end of a word.

diagnosis (diagnosis) GREEK [diagignoskein to distinguish] noun (plural
diagnoses, diagnoseez) an analysis,
investigation or examination, or the
decision resulting from such analysis:
"A more exact diagnosis can only be made
if we obtain a blood sample."

diamante (deeamahn q) FRENCH [like
a diamond, from diamant diamond]
adjective of or relating to fabric decorated with sequins or artificial jewels to
achieve a sparkling effect: "She accepted
the award with a white-toothed smile, a
thousand lights reflecting on her fabulous
diamante gown."

diaspora (dlaspara, deeaspara) GREEK
[a scattering, dispersion, from diaspeirein to scatter] noun the Jewish
community resident in parts of the
world other than Israel; by extension
any group of people linked by nationality or religion who have dispersed
and settled far from their original
homeland.

diastole (dlastalee) GREEK [separation
or expansion] noun the resting stage

of the heart muscle, when the chambers fill with blood, as opposed to
systole.

diatribe (d%trib) GREEK [spending of
time] noun a bitter, abusive verbal
attack: "The Senator launched a bitter
diatribe against the gun laws."

dibbuk See DYBBUK.

dictum (diktam) LATIN [neuter of
dictus word] noun (plural dictums or
dicta, dikta) a statement, formal
pronouncement, saying, or maxim:
"Apart from her studies Anne expanded
socially, for Marilla, mindful of the
Spencervale doctor's dictum, no longer
vetoed occasional outings" (Lucy Maud
Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables,
1908).

didgeridoo (dijareedoo), didjeridoo,
didgeridu AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL
[Yolngu language, of imitative origin]
noun an aboriginal wind instrument
comprising a long wooden or bamboo
tube.

dieresis See DIAERESIS.

dies irae (deeayz eeray, deeayz eera)
LATIN [day of wrath] noun phrase the
Day of judgment, or the name of a
medieval hymn on the theme of the
Last Judgment, frequently sung or
recited at requiem masses; also used
more generally in relation to any day
of reckoning.

dies non (thee' non) LATIN [non day]
noun phrase in the commercial or
legal world, a day on which no business is done.

Dieu et mon droit (dya ay mon(g) dwa)
FRENCH [God and my right] noun phrase
God is my right (motto on the royal
arms of England dating from the reign
of Richard I).

diktat (diktat) GERMAN [something
dictated, from Latin dictare to dictate]
noun an official order or command,
often severe and inflexible in nature:
"The director issued an immediate diktat
prohibiting any further experiments without his express permission."

dilemma ((alema, dilema) LATIN [probably from Greek dilemmatos involving two assumptions, an ambiguous
proposition] noun a difficult choice
between two equally imperfect alternatives, or a problematic, even perilous predicament in which such a
choice must be made: "The Canadian
then said, `Sir, we must do all we can to
get out of this dilemma. Let us signal them.
They will then, perhaps, understand that
we are honest folks"'(Jules Verne, 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea, 1870).

dilettante (dilatont, dilatont, dilatont,
dilatont) ITALIAN [a lover, present participle of dilettare to delight]
noun (plural dilettantes or dilettanti,
dilatantec, dilatontee) a lover or
connoisseur of the arts, usually an amateur who has enthusiasm but little serious knowledge or professional
experience of the artistic world: "He
had dawdled over his cigar because he was
at heart a dilettante, and thinking over a
pleasure to come often gave him a subtler
satisfaction than its realization" (Edith
Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920).
adjective having a superficial knowledge of the arts.

diminuendo (diminyoowendo) ITALIAN [diminishing, from Latin diminuendum, gerund of diminuere to lessen]
adverb (in music) decreasing in volume. 'adjective decreasing in volume.
noun a gradual decrease in volume:
"He moved his left hand out into the air as
if he were suggesting a diminuendo to an
orchestra" (Willa Cather, The Song of the
Lark, 1915).

dinero (dinairo) SPANISH [money, from
Latin denarius silver coin] noun (slang)
money: "It was a pretty fishy arrangement,
but he was seduced by the promise that he
would receive plenty of dinero for his contribution to the enterprise."

Ding an sich (ding an zik, ding an zish)
GERMAN [a thing in itself] noun phrase
(plural Dinge an sich) in philosophy, the underlying reality beneath superficial appearances.

dinghy (dingee) HINDI [from dingi
small boat] noun (plural dinghies) a
small rowing or sailing boat, sometimes inflatable and often used as a
tender or lifeboat for a larger vessel.

dingo ((lingo) AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL [Dahruk language, wild dog]
noun a species of wild dog (Canis
dingo) of Australia.

diorama ((iarahma) GREEK [dia through
and orama view, imitative of panorama]
noun a scenic painting, stage or film
setting, tableau or display with threedimensional figures: "The memory has
as many moods as the temper, and shifts its
scenery like a diorama." (George Eliot,
Middlemarch, 1871-72).

diploma ((IaPLOma) LATIN [passport,
from Greek diploma folded paper, from
diploun to double] noun (plural diplomas or diplomata, diplomahta) an
official document, usually awarded by
a school, college, university, or other
educational institution, certifying that
the recipient has graduated from that
institution, and giving details of an academic qualification, honor, or privilege
conferred upon the holder: "I'm expecting to receive my college diploma next year."

dipsomania (dipsamnmeea,
dipsbaynya) LATIN [madness of thirst, from

Greek dipsa thirst and Latin mania
madness] noun a craving for alcohol, alcoholism: "Her husband is a
pleasant man, but his the pallor of his
cheeks and the redness of his nose suggests
dipsomania."

Directoire (deerektwahr, deerekt-wah)
FRENCH [after the Directoire group
of five officials who ruled France in
the years 1795-99] adjective of or
relating to the style of decoration
reminiscent of classical Greek and
Roman design that was popular in
France during the last decade of the
18th century: "1 am glad to see that
many of the most charming women in Paris
are returning to the idea of the Directoire
style of dress." (Oscar Wilde, Shorter
Prose Pieces).

dirndl (durndal) GERMAN [from Dirne
girl] noun a full skirt gathered at the
waistband, resembling that of the traditional Alpine peasant costume.

discotheque (diskatek, diskatek), discotheque FRENCH [record library,
from disque record, influenced by
bibliotheque library] noun a venue or
event for dancing to pop music: "The whole team was photographed by the press
going into a discotheque the night before
the big game." -abbreviated form disco
(disko).

diseuse (deezerz) FRENCH [one who
tells, feminine of diseur, from dire
to say] noun a professional woman
speaker or reciter: "She is making quite
a reputation as a diseuse at intimate comedy venues around the country."

dishabille See DESHABILLE.

disjecta membra (disjekta membra)
LATIN [scattered limbs] noun phrase
scattered, remains, usually referring
to fragments of a literary work or
other written material: "She led the way
westward past a long line of areas which,
through the distortion of their paintless
rails, revealed with increasing candour
the disjecta membra of bygone dinners..."
(Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth,
1905).

distingue (deestangy, distangi , distangay) FRENCH [past participle of
distinguer to distinguish] adjective distinguished in manner or appearance,
illustrious, elegant: "Ile has taken to
wearing a frock coat and floral waistcoat
in the mistaken belief that this makes
him look distingue." '"adjective, feminine
distinguee.

distrait (disy, distray) FRENCH [distracted, past participle of destraire, from Latin distrahere to distract, pull asunder] adjectiv distracted, absentminded:
"Stapleton was talking with animation, but
the baronet looked pale and distrait. Perhaps
the thought of that lonely walk across the illomened moor was weighing heavily upon his
mind" (Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound
of the Baskervilles, 1902). ~adjective,feminine distraite (distrt, distrayt).

ditto (dito) ITALIAN [having been said,
from Tuscan dialect detto said, from
Latin dicere to say] adverb as before,
as aforesaid, likewise. noun (plural dittos) the aforesaid, something
already mentioned (to avoid repetition at length): "I shouldn't!' Alice
exclaimed indignantly. Besides, if I'M only
a sort of thing in his dream, what are
YOU I should like to know?' `Ditto' said
Tweedledum. Ditto, ditto' cried Tweedledee"
(Lewis Carroll, Through the LookingGlass, 1871) . -verb to repeat something
already mentioned or done, to make a
duplicate copy of something. -adjective
similar. abbreviated form do.

diva (deeva) ITALIAN [goddess, from
Latin divus god] noun (plural divas,
deevaz, or dive, deevee) a prima
donna, a distinguished female singer
in opera, concerts, or other performances: "And it had needed Carlotta's
incomprehensible and inexcusable absence
from this gala night for the little Daae, at a
moment's warning, to show all that she could
do in a part of the program reserved for the
Spanish diva!" (Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera, 1910). It can also refer to
any person, especially a woman, who
is known for being self-important,
vain, over-sensitive, petulant, or temperamental: "Even her friends concede
that she can be dcult, being a bit of a
diva, hot-tempered and imperious."

Divali See DIWALI.

divan (divan) TURKISH [from Persian
diwan bench, account book] noun a
couch suitable for use as a bed, usually lacking either headboard or footboard: "The woman stretched out on the
divan and sighed deeply."

divertimento (divertimento) ITALIAN
[diversion, from divertire to divert]
noun (plural divertimenti, divertimentee, or divertimentos) a light
instrumental chamber work in several
movements, or an entertainment or
amusement of any kind.

divertissement (divertismant, divertizmbnt, dlvertismon(g)) FRENCH
[diversion, amusement] noun an
entertainment or diversion of any kind,
or, in music, an operatic interlude
(often in the form of a brief ballet) or a
series of operatic extracts played on the
same program: "In the carnival following
the conclusion of the year 1753, the Devin
was performed at Paris, and in this interval
I had sufficient time to compose the overture
and divertissement." (jean-Jacques Rousseau, Confessions, 1782-89).

divorce (divors, divorce, divorsay)
FRENCH [divorced, past participle of
divorcer to divorce] noun a divorced
man: "She married a divorce with two
children." '"noun, feminine divorcee (divorsee, divorsay, dives) a
divorced woman.