ExpertGlossary terms starting with D

2,757 terms

  1. DRI A set of guidelines developed by U.S. and Canadian scientists to give information about the role of nutrients in human health.
  2. Drift See: genetic drift.
  3. Drift of ice Drift of ice Displacement of a sea ice field from its place of origin under the effect of ocean currents and winds.
  4. Drift, Analytical the systematic or scientific variability in a method, test, or procedure where results gradually deviate from the norm or the expected range.
  5. drift-boating, drift-fishing Techniques used to fish by drifting with the current, sometimes in a drift boat.
  6. Drifting buoy Drifting buoy Floating (or drifting on ice) ocean buoy equipped with meteorological and/or oceanographic sensing instruments linked to transmitting…
  7. Drifting Ice Pieces of floating ice moving under the action of wind and/ or currents.
  8. Drifting Snow Drifting snow is an uneven distribution of snowfall/snow depth caused by strong surface winds. Drifting snow may occur during or after a snowfall.
  9. Drifting stations Drifting stations (drifting ice stations) Research stations on the floes of the Arctic Ocean.
  10. Drill An oblong tool made of flaked stone used in drilling holes in wood, leather or hides.
  11. Drip irrigation (trickle) An irrigation method in which water is delivered to or near each plant in small-diameter plastic tubing.
  12. Drip molding A projecting molding around the head of a door or window frame, often extended horizontally at right angles to the sides of the frame, intended to channel…
  13. drips (dividend reinvestment plan) A plan offered by some companies where the shareholder's dividends are used to purchase additional shares in the company.
  14. Drive Geometry A computer hard drive is made up of a number of rapidly rotating platters that have a set of read/write heads on both sides of each platter.
  15. drive sanitation The forced recovery of a BitLocker-protected volume through the removal of all the key binary large objects (BLOBs) that could have decrypted the disk.
  16. driver A driver is a computer program that controls various devices such as the keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.
  17. Driver-guide A tour guide who does double duty by driving a vehicle while narrating.
  18. Driveshaft A steel tube that connects the transmission of a race car to the rear end housing.
  19. Drizzle Precipitation consisting of numerous minute droplets of water less than 0.5 mm (500 micrometers) in diameter.
  20. DRM data reference model - also known as a "data and information reference model" - describes the data and information that support program and line…
  21. droid 1. In the Internet, an intelligent search tool that automatically seeks out relevant online information based on the user's specifications.
  22. dronabinol A synthetic pill form of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active ingredient in marijuana that is used to treat nausea and vomiting associated with…
  23. Drone A land, sea, or air vehicle that is remotely or automatically controlled. See also Remotely Piloted Vehicle.
  24. Drop The total wagered in a casino.
  25. drop and insert In a multichannel transmission system, a process that diverts (drops) a portion of the multiplexed aggregate signal at an intermediate point, and…
  26. Drop Box A box where money is dropped after the player cashes into a game and receives his chips. The box is usually located under the table.
  27. drop channel operation Operation in which one or more channels of a multichannel system are terminated, i.e.
  28. Drop directory In Exchange Server 2007, a directory used by each Foreign connector to send messages to an internal foreign gateway server that does not use the Simple…
  29. Drop Loot An item that is obtained via monster drops (as opposed to being player-made).
  30. drop repeater In a multichannel communications system, a repeater that has the necessary equipment for the local termination, i.e.
  31. drop shot A tackle rigging technique employing a hook tied to the line from four-inches to four-feet above the sinker.
  32. Drop structure An in-stream structure of various materials designed to reduce the energy and force of stream flow.
  33. drop-off A sudden increase in depth, often created by washes, small creek channels, canyons, pinnacles, and other submerged topographic features.
  34. Drop-size Distribution The distribution of rain drops or cloud droplets of specified sizes.
  35. droperidol (droh-PAYR-ih-dol) A drug used to prevent nausea and vomiting in patients who receive anesthesia before surgery. It is also used to treat anxiety.
  36. Dropout Brief signal loss caused by a tape head clog, defect in the tape, debris, or other feature that causes an increase in the head-to-tape spacing.
  37. Drosophila melanogaster The fruit fly, used for many years as a model for eukaryotic genetics. Of the nearly 300 disease-causing genes in the human genome, more than half have an…
  38. Drought Climatic condition in which there is insufficient soil moisture available for normal vegetative growth. A prolonged period of below-average precipitation.
  39. Drought Assessments At the end of each month, CPC issues a long-term seasonal drought assessment. On Thursdays of each week, the CPC together with NOAA National Climatic Data…
  40. Drought Index Computed value which is related to some of the cumulative effects of a prolonged and abnormal moisture deficiency.
  41. DRP (1) Deployment Readiness Plan (US Army term). (2) Deployment Readiness Program.
  42. DRR Digital Receiver Replacement (USN term).
  43. drug Any substance, other than food, that is used to prevent, diagnose, treat or relieve symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition.
  44. drug abuse (...uh-BYOOS) The use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be…
  45. Drug Chemistry Section the discipline responsible for the analyzes of any substance seized under the state’s laws restricting the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of…
  46. Drug Court At least one third of the cases that have been presented in Superior Court over the last few years have been cases involving drugs.
  47. drug delivery Method by which a drug is delivered to its site of action. For traditional drugs this is another name for formulation.
  48. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) A federal law enforcement agency with primary responsibility for investigating drug cases. The DEA is part of the Justice Department.
  49. Drug Formulary A list of drugs that an insurer will pay for. Drugs that are not on the formulary ("off-formulary") are sometimes covered but are more expensive (see…
  50. drug identification / toxicology Toxicology is the study of substances that are harmful to humans. Toxicologists examine body fluids and organs for the presence of poisons, alcohol, and…
  51. drug interaction (… IN-ter-AK-shun) A change in the way a drug acts in the body when taken with certain other drugs, herbals, or foods, or when taken with…
  52. Drug List A list of prescription drugs covered by a prescription drug plan or another insurance plan offering prescription drug benefits. Also called a formulary.
  53. Drug Product The finished dosage form that contains a drug substance, generally, but not necessarily in association with other active or inactive ingredients.
  54. Drug resistance The failure of cancer cells, viruses, or bacteria to respond to a drug used to kill or weaken them.
  55. Drug Standards Inventory the physical accounting of drug standards used in the Chemistry and Toxicology Sections.
  56. drug tolerance A condition that occurs when the body gets used to a medicine so that either more medicine is needed or different medicine is needed.
  57. drum factor In facsimile systems in which drums are used, the ratio of drum length to drum diameter. 2.
  58. Drum gate A movable crest gate in the form of a sector of a cylinder hinged at the centerline.
  59. drum speed In facsimile systems, the rotation rate of the facsimile transmitter or recorder drum. Note: Drum speed is usually expressed in revolutions per minute.
  60. Dry Adiabat A line of constant potential temperature on a thermodynamic chart.
  61. Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate The rate at which the temperature of a parcel of dry air decreases as the parcel is lifted in the atmosphere.
  62. dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) The rate at which the temperature of a parcel of dry air decreases as the parcel is lifted in the atmosphere. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 5.
  63. Dry Bulb Temperature The temperature of the air as measured by a standard thermometer.
  64. Dry closed-loop cooling See Dry cooling system
  65. Dry cooling See Dry cooling system
  66. Dry cooling system Also known as dry closed-loop cooling; a technology for rejecting heat from the steam condensate of a thermoelectric plant.
  67. Dry Crack Crack visible at the surface but not going right through the ice cover, and therefore it is dry.
  68. Dry Dock A large platform capable of lifting a vessel out of the water for repairs and maintenance.
  69. Dry Flood proofing A dry flood proofed building is sealed against floodwaters. All areas below the flood protection level are made watertight.
  70. Dry Floodproofing In hydrologic terms, a dry floodproofed building is sealed against floodwaters. All areas below the flood protection level are made watertight.
  71. dry fly A fly which floats on the surface of the water by means of hackle (feather) fibers. An angler employing this technique is said to be dry-fly fishing.
  72. Dry lake An ephemeral lake of an arid or semiarid region, typically found at low elevation points in desert valleys.
  73. Dry Line A boundary separating moist and dry air masses, and an important factor in severe weather frequency in the Great Plains.
  74. Dry Line Bulge A bulge in the dry line, representing the area where dry air is advancing most strongly at lower levels.
  75. Dry Line Storm Any thunderstorm that develops on or near a dry line.
  76. Dry Microburst A microburst with little or no precipitation reaching the ground; most common in semi-arid regions. They may or may not produce lightning.
  77. dry orgasm Sexual climax without the release of semen from the penis.
  78. Dry Punch [Slang], a surge of drier air; normally a synoptic-scale or mesoscale process. A dry punch at the surface results in a dry line bulge.
  79. Dry Slot A zone of dry (and relatively cloud-free) air which wraps east- or northeastward into the southern and eastern parts of a synoptic scale or mesoscale low…
  80. Dry Steam Geothermal Plants Conventional turbine generators are used with the dry steam resources. The steam is used directly, eliminating the need for boilers and boiler fuel that…
  81. Dry Thunderstorm Generally a high-based thunderstorm when lightning is observed, but little if any precipitation reaches the ground.
  82. Dry Ton 2,000 pounds of material dried to a constant weight.
  83. Dry unit weight The weight of solid particles per unit of total volume. See unit weight.
  84. Dry wash A natural drainage channel that is typically dry, but conveys water following significant rainfall events and is subject to rapid flow during flash…
  85. Dry Weather Flow Streamflow which results from precipitation that infiltrates into the soil and eventually moves through the soil to the stream channel.
  86. dry weight The weight of tissue obtained following sufficiently prolonged oven-drying at high temperature to remove all water.
  87. Dry well A deep hole, covered, and usually lined or filled with rocks, that holds drainage water until it soaks into the ground.
  88. Dry-adiabatic 1. An adiabatic process in a hypothetical atmosphere in which no moisture is present. 2.
  89. drying Moisture removal from biomass to improve serviceability and utility.
  90. DS Deep Space.
  91. DS-1 Category of telecommunications circuit capability.
  92. DS-3 LAN Category of telecommunications circuit for a Local Area Network.
  93. DS0 Abbreviation for digital signal 0.
  94. DS1 . . . DS4 Abbreviations for digital signal 1. . . digital signal 4.
  95. DS1C Abbreviation for digital signal 1C.
  96. DSA Special Tropical Disturbance Statement
  97. DSA board A local dial office switchboard at which are handled assistance calls, intercepted calls, and calls from miscellaneous lines and trunks.
  98. DSAA Defense Security Assistance Agency (OSD).
  99. DSAccess The Exchange 2000 component that provides directory lookup services for components such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Message Transfer Agent…
  100. DSAT Defense Satellite Weapon.