- dasa-bhritaka (ancient people)
dasyu, an aboriginal people in India who were encountered by the Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered northern India about 1500 bce. They were described by the Indo-Europeans as a dark-skinned, harsh-spoken people who worshipped the phallus. Some Western scholars who view the lingam (a Hindu
- dasa-sīla (Buddhism)
sīla: …form of 10 precepts (dasa-sīla), which require abstention from: (1) taking life; (2) taking what is not given; (3) committing sexual misconduct (interpreted as anything less than chastity for the monk and as sexual conduct contrary to proper social norms, such as adultery, for the layman); (4) engaging in…
- Daśaharā (Hindu festival)
Dussehra, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. In the epic Ramayana, Rama, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman, attacks Lanka to rescue Sita and slays Ravana. The festival’s name is
- Daśakumāracarita (work by Dandin)
Dandin: …2005 by Isabelle Onians as What Ten Young Men Did, and the Kavyadarsha (“The Mirror of Poetry”).
- Daśalakṣaṇa (Jaina festival)
Paryuṣaṇa: …a corresponding festival is called Daśalakṣaṇa, and it begins immediately following the Śvetāmbara Paryuṣaṇa.
- Dasam Granth (Sikh writings)
Dasam Granth, collection of writings attributed to Gurū Gobind Singh, the tenth and last spiritual leader of the Sikhs, a religious group in India. Dasam Granth is a short title for Dasven Pādśāh kā Graṅth (Punjabi: “The Book of the Tenth Emperor [i.e., spiritual leader]”). It is a compilation of
- Daśanāmī Sannyasi (Hinduism)
monasticism: Hinduism: Shankara’s order of Dashanami Sannyasi has traditionally set the monastic standards for the rest of Hindu India. Based on a nondualistic reading of the four “great dicta” (mahavakya) of the canonical Upanishads (speculative texts), the monk’s main purpose, following the example given by the founder, is to meditate…
- Dasavant (Mughal painter)
South Asian arts: Mughal style: Akbar period (1556–1605): …atelier, the most outstanding were Dasvant and Basāvan. The former played the leading part in the illustration of the Razm-nāmeh. Basāvan, who is preferred by some to Dasvant, painted in a very distinctive style, which delighted in the tactile and the plastic, and with an unerring grasp of psychological relationships.
- Daschle, Thomas Andrew (United States senator)
Tom Daschle is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. Senate (1987–2005) and from 2001 to 2003 served as the Senate’s majority leader. Daschle was the first member of his family to attend college, and in 1969 he graduated from South Dakota State University with a B.A. in political
- Daschle, Tom (United States senator)
Tom Daschle is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. Senate (1987–2005) and from 2001 to 2003 served as the Senate’s majority leader. Daschle was the first member of his family to attend college, and in 1969 he graduated from South Dakota State University with a B.A. in political
- Dascillidae (insect family)
coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Dascillidae About 200 moderate-sized species; found on vegetation in moist places. Family Rhipiceridae (cedar beetles) Antennae flabellate (fanlike); noselike projection between mandibles; about 180 species; widely distributed; 2 families, Rhipiceridae (cedar beetles), Callirhipidae; example Sandalus.
- Dascilloidea (insect superfamily)
coleopteran: Annotated classification: Superfamily Dascilloidea Forecoxae projecting; abdomen with 5 visible segments; wing with radial cell short; anal cell of wing, if present, with 1 apical vein. Family Dascillidae About 200 moderate-sized species; found on vegetation in moist places. Family Rhipiceridae
- Dascylium (historical city, Turkey)
Anatolia: Diversity of cultural influences: …in the northeastern city of Dascylium, an originally Lydian settlement that was chosen to be the administrative centre of the satrapy (province) of Hellespontine Phrygia. Aramaic was the official language in the western parts of the Achaemenian Empire, and Aramaic inscriptions in stone and on coins are relatively numerous for…
- Dase (Ethiopia)
Dese, town, central Ethiopia, situated on the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley at an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,300 metres). Dese (Amharic: “My Joy”) is a commercial and communications centre, 16 miles (25 km) northwest of Kembolcha, which is at the junction of roads to Addis Ababa and
- Dasehra (Hindu festival)
Dussehra, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. In the epic Ramayana, Rama, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman, attacks Lanka to rescue Sita and slays Ravana. The festival’s name is
- daseian notation (music)
Hucbald: …with a notational system called daseian notation. Although it never became generally accepted, it was an early attempt to show exact pitch in musical notation; it used symbols showing 18 specific pitches and placed the words to be sung in a set of horizontal lines.
- Dasein (philosophy)
Dasein, in the ontology and metaphysics of the German existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), the form of Being or existence of the human individual. Heidegger’s early masterpiece Sein und Zeit (1927; Being and Time), which addresses the question of the fundamental nature of Being
- Dasgupta, S.N. (Indian philosopher)
S.N. Dasgupta was an Indian philosopher noted for his authoritative A History of Indian Philosophy, 5 vol. (1922–55). Dasgupta received master’s degrees in Sanskrit and philosophy from Sanskrit College in Calcutta. During the early 1920s, he traveled to England, where he earned a doctorate in
- Dasgupta, Surendranath (Indian philosopher)
S.N. Dasgupta was an Indian philosopher noted for his authoritative A History of Indian Philosophy, 5 vol. (1922–55). Dasgupta received master’s degrees in Sanskrit and philosophy from Sanskrit College in Calcutta. During the early 1920s, he traveled to England, where he earned a doctorate in
- dash (running)
sprint, in athletics (track and field), a footrace over a short distance with an all-out or nearly all-out burst of speed, the chief distances being 100, 200, and 400 meters and 100, 220, and 440 yards. The course for sprint races is usually marked off in lanes within which each runner must remain
- dash (punctuation)
punctuation: Punctuation in Greek and Latin to 1600: …mark, quotation marks, and the dash had been added to the system.
- Dash 80 (jetliner)
Boeing 707: The 367-80, often called the Dash 80, had swept wings and, powered by four underslung 10,000-pound-thrust turbojet engines, could reach a top speed of 600 miles (966 km) per hour. It was first flown in a demonstration flight on July 15, 1954, and the U.S. Air…
- Dash Eighty (jetliner)
Boeing 707: The 367-80, often called the Dash 80, had swept wings and, powered by four underslung 10,000-pound-thrust turbojet engines, could reach a top speed of 600 miles (966 km) per hour. It was first flown in a demonstration flight on July 15, 1954, and the U.S. Air…
- Dashabhumika-sutra (Buddhist text)
Buddhism: Avatamsaka (Huayan/Kegon): …early 6th-century translation of the Dashabhumika-sutra (“Sutra on the 10 Stages”). Since this work, which concerns the path of a bodhisattva to Buddhahood, was part of the Avatamsaka-sutra (which came to circulate independently), Dilun adherents readily joined the Huayan school that was established in the late 6th century (?) by…
- Dashahara (Hindu festival)
Dussehra, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. In the epic Ramayana, Rama, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman, attacks Lanka to rescue Sita and slays Ravana. The festival’s name is
- dashanami (Hinduism)
dashnami sannyasin, Hindu Shaivite ascetic who belongs to one of the 10 orders (dashnami, “ten names”) established by the philosopher Shankara in the 8th century ce and still flourishing in India today. The 10 orders are Aranya, Ashrama, Bharati, Giri, Parvata, Puri, Sarasvati, Sagara, Tirtha, and
- Dashavatara (Hinduism)
Dashavatara, the 10 avatars of Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. They represent the 10 times Vishnu descends to earth in order to restore cosmic order. Each of these incarnations has a particular mythology and is the object of devotion (bhakti). The list of avatars shows some
- Dashbalbar, Ochirbatyn (Mongolian poet)
Mongolia: The arts: …journalist Tsendiin Damdinsüren and poet Ochirbatyn Dashbalbar. Damdinsüren (1908–88), a translator of Russian novels and also at one time accused of “bourgeois nationalism,” wrote the words of the Mongolian national anthem and produced a three-volume commentary on Mongolian literature. Dashbalbar (1957–99), who attended and graduated from a literary institute in…
- dasheen (plant)
taro, (Colocasia esculenta), herbaceous plant of the arum family (Araceae) and its edible rootlike corm. Taro is probably native to southeastern Asia, whence it spread to Pacific islands and became a staple crop. It is cultivated for its large, starchy, spherical corms (underground stems), commonly
- Dasheng Sha Chang (mill, Tangzha, China)
Nantong: In 1895 he founded the Dah Sun Cotton Mill (Dasheng Sha Chang) at Tangzha, some 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Nantong. This mill came into production in 1899 and proved more efficient than any other private textile firm of the same period. Out of its profits, Zhang, between 1900…
- Dashera (Hindu festival)
Dussehra, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. In the epic Ramayana, Rama, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman, attacks Lanka to rescue Sita and slays Ravana. The festival’s name is
- Dashhowuz (Turkmenistan)
Daşoguz, city, northern Turkmenistan. It is located in the western Khorezm (Khwārezm) oasis. The Shavat Canal, which gets its water from the nearby Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River), divides the city into northern and southern sections. Originally a fort and the bazaar of the western Khwārezm region,
- Dashiell Hammett: A Life (biography by Johnson)
Diane Johnson: …Lives (1972), and the biography Dashiell Hammett: A Life (1983). She also wrote screenplays, including The Shining (1980; with Stanley Kubrick); a collection of essays, Terrorists and Novelists (1982); and Into a Paris Quartier (2005), about Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood. The memoir Flyover Lives was published in 2014.
- Dashijie (theater center, Shanghai, China)
Shanghai: Cultural life: The Dashijie (“Great World”), founded in the 1920s, is Shanghai’s leading theatrical centre and offers folk operas, dance performances, plays, story readings, and specialized entertainment forms typical of China’s national minority groups. The city also has many workers’ and children’s recreational clubs and several large motion-picture…
- Dashkova, Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova, Knyaginya (Russian princess)
Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova, Princess Dashkova was an associate of Empress Catherine II the Great and a prominent patroness of the literary arts in 18th-century Russia. A member of the influential Vorontsov family, Yekaterina Romanovna married Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov in 1759. After
- Dashnaks (Armenian political organization)
Armenia: Armenia and Europe: …1887 and the more nationalist Dashnaktsutyun (“Confederacy”) party, whose members were commonly called Dashnaks, in 1890, and, in the face of increasing Armenian demands for much-needed reforms, both the Ottoman and Russian governments grew more repressive. In 1895, after Abdülhamid II had felt compelled to promise Britain, France, and Russia…
- Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian political organization)
Armenia: Armenia and Europe: …1887 and the more nationalist Dashnaktsutyun (“Confederacy”) party, whose members were commonly called Dashnaks, in 1890, and, in the face of increasing Armenian demands for much-needed reforms, both the Ottoman and Russian governments grew more repressive. In 1895, after Abdülhamid II had felt compelled to promise Britain, France, and Russia…
- dashnami sannyasin (Hinduism)
dashnami sannyasin, Hindu Shaivite ascetic who belongs to one of the 10 orders (dashnami, “ten names”) established by the philosopher Shankara in the 8th century ce and still flourishing in India today. The 10 orders are Aranya, Ashrama, Bharati, Giri, Parvata, Puri, Sarasvati, Sagara, Tirtha, and
- Dasht-e Lūt (desert, Iran)
Lūt Desert, desert in eastern Iran. It stretches about 200 miles (320 km) from northwest to southeast and is about 100 miles (160 km) wide. In the east rises a great massif of dunes and sand, while in the west an extensive area of high ridges is separated by wind-swept corridors. In its lowest,
- Dasht-i Lūt (desert, Iran)
Lūt Desert, desert in eastern Iran. It stretches about 200 miles (320 km) from northwest to southeast and is about 100 miles (160 km) wide. In the east rises a great massif of dunes and sand, while in the west an extensive area of high ridges is separated by wind-swept corridors. In its lowest,
- Dashuai (Chinese warlord)
Zhang Zuolin was a Chinese soldier and later a warlord who dominated Manchuria (now Northeast China) and parts of North China between 1913 and 1928. He maintained his power with the tacit support of the Japanese; in return he granted them concessions in Manchuria. Born into a peasant family, Zhang
- Dashwood family (fictional characters)
Dashwood family, featured characters in Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility (1811). The widowed Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters—Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret—are impoverished by the death of Mr. Dashwood and by the selfishness and neglect of his heir, who is his son by his first wife.
- dasi attam (Indian dance)
bharata natyam, the principal of the main classical dance styles of India, the others being kuchipudi, kathak, kathakali, manipuri, and odissi. It is indigenous to the Tamil Nadu region and prevalent in southern India. Bharata natyam serves the expression of Hindu religious themes and devotions,
- Dasiphora (plant genus)
cinquefoil: The genus Dasiphora, known as shrubby cinquefoils, is closely related to Potentilla and consists of three species of shrubs with pinnately compound leaves and five-petaled flowers. D. fruticosa (formerly P. fruticosa) has provided many dwarf shrubs used in landscaping.
- Dasiphora fruticosa (plant)
cinquefoil: D. fruticosa (formerly P. fruticosa) has provided many dwarf shrubs used in landscaping.
- Daşoguz (Turkmenistan)
Daşoguz, city, northern Turkmenistan. It is located in the western Khorezm (Khwārezm) oasis. The Shavat Canal, which gets its water from the nearby Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River), divides the city into northern and southern sections. Originally a fort and the bazaar of the western Khwārezm region,
- Dass, Petter (Norwegian poet)
Petter Dass was a Norwegian poet who, in an age of pedantry and artifice, stands out among his contemporaries for the vivid freshness, everyday language, and common appeal of his works. He is the first writer in Dano-Norwegian literature to strike a genuinely Norwegian note. The son of a Scottish
- Dassault Aviation (French company)
Dassault Industries: …of World War II, is Dassault Aviation, which adopted its current name in 1990. Headquarters are in Vaucresson, France.
- Dassault Industries (French company)
Dassault Industries, French company with major aerospace-related subsidiaries specializing in the production of military and civil aircraft; computer-based design, manufacturing, and product-management systems; and aviation simulators. Its primary subsidiary, founded by French aircraft designer
- Dassault, Marcel (French industrialist)
Marcel Dassault was a French aircraft designer and industrialist whose companies built the most successful military aircraft in Europe in the decades after World War II. The son of a Jewish physician, Bloch obtained degrees in aeronautical design and electrical engineering and worked as an aircraft
- Dassel, Rainald of (German statesman)
Rainald Of Dassel was a German statesman, chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, and archbishop of Cologne, the chief executor of the policies of the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in Italy. After studying at Hildesheim and Paris and serving as a church provost, Rainald became (1153) a member of
- Dassera (Hindu festival)
Dussehra, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. In the epic Ramayana, Rama, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman, attacks Lanka to rescue Sita and slays Ravana. The festival’s name is
- dassie (mammal)
hyrax, (order Hyracoidea), any of six species of small hoofed mammals (ungulates) native to Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Hyraxes and pikas are sometimes called conies or rock rabbits, but the terms are misleading, as hyraxes are neither lagomorphs nor exclusively rock dwellers. The term
- dassie rat (rodent)
dassie rat, (Petromus typicus), a medium-sized rodent adapted to life among rocky outcrops in the desert hills and plateaus of southwestern Africa. The dassie rat weighs 170 to 300 grams (6 to 11 ounces) and has a squirrel-like body 14 to 21 cm (5.5 to 8.3 inches) long; its hairy tail is 12 to 17
- Dassin, Jules (American film director)
Jules Dassin was an American director who was a master of film noir and perhaps best remembered for Rififi (1955), one of the most influential heist movies. Dassin was born in the United States but studied drama in Europe. He joined the Yiddish Theatre in New York in 1936, then wrote radio scripts
- Dassin, Julius (American film director)
Jules Dassin was an American director who was a master of film noir and perhaps best remembered for Rififi (1955), one of the most influential heist movies. Dassin was born in the United States but studied drama in Europe. He joined the Yiddish Theatre in New York in 1936, then wrote radio scripts
- Dastagird (royal residence, Iran)
Khosrow II: Expansion of the empire: …by Heraclius’ brave dash to Dastagird, the royal residence 70 miles (113 kilometres) north of Ctesiphon. An important but indecisive battle was fought near Nineveh, but, as the Byzantine army reapproached Dastagird, Khosrow fled. His letters calling Shahrbarāz to his aid had been intercepted, and, although his resources were by…
- dastak (trade permit)
dastak, in 18th-century Bengal, a permit exempting European traders, mostly of the British East India Company, from paying customs or transit duties on their private trade. The name came from the Persian word for “pass.” The practice was introduced by Robert Clive, one of the creators of British
- Dāstān-e Amīr Ḥamzeh (Islamic literature)
Khwāja ʿAbd-uṣ-Ṣamad: …of the illustrations of the Dāstān-e (“Stories of”) Amīr Ḥamzeh, a series that numbered about 1,400 paintings, all of unusually large size. As none of the paintings is signed, it is not certain whether he himself did any of them. Among the miniatures bearing his signature is one in the…
- dastgāh (art music)
dastgāh, any of the principal modes of the art music of Persian-speaking areas, used as the basis for composition and improvisation. A dastgāh incorporates a scale, a motif, a group of short pieces, and a recognizable identity. The scale (maqām) is a collection of seven pitches, some of which may
- dastur (Zoroastrian bishop)
Zoroastrianism: Priesthood: …of these functionaries is the dastūr, a kind of bishop, who directs and administers one or more important temples. Priesthood is hereditary, but all priests have to go through one or more ceremonies of investiture over and above those practiced by all the faithful.
- Dasvant (Indian painter)
Dasvant was a leading Indian Mughal artist, cited by Abu al-Faḍl ʿAllāmī, the historiographer of the emperor Akbar’s court, as having surpassed all painters to become “the first master of the age.” Little is known of his life, though it is conjectured that he was a Hindu, probably of humble origin.
- Dasven Pādśāh kā Graṅth (Sikh writings)
Dasam Granth, collection of writings attributed to Gurū Gobind Singh, the tenth and last spiritual leader of the Sikhs, a religious group in India. Dasam Granth is a short title for Dasven Pādśāh kā Graṅth (Punjabi: “The Book of the Tenth Emperor [i.e., spiritual leader]”). It is a compilation of
- Dasyatidae (fish)
whip-tailed ray, any of certain stingrays of the family Dasyatidae. See
- Dasyatis brevicaudata (fish)
stingray: …(10 inches), but the Australian D. brevicaudata reportedly attains a width of about 2 metres (7 feet) and a length of 4 metres. The urolophid, or round stingrays, are considerably smaller, the largest attaining a length of about 75 cm. Round stingrays have relatively short tails and well-developed tail fins.…
- Dasyatis sabina (fish)
stingray: They vary in size: Dasyatis sabina, a small western North Atlantic species, is mature at a width of about 25 cm (10 inches), but the Australian D. brevicaudata reportedly attains a width of about 2 metres (7 feet) and a length of 4 metres. The urolophid, or round stingrays,…
- Dasycercus cristicauda (marsupial)
marsupial mouse: The crest-tailed marsupial mouse, or mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), an arid-land species valued for killing house mice, gets all of its water from the bodies of its prey.
- Dasyleptus brongniarti (fossil insect)
apterygote: Evolution and paleontology: …years ago) of France and D. brongniarti of the Siberian Permian (299 million to 252 million years ago) deposits. The extinct family Triassomachilidae (order Archaeognatha) includes Triassomachilis uralensis of the Triassic (252 million to 201 million years ago) deposits of Russia. Other extinct species occur in the genera Machilis, Praemachilis,…
- Dasyleptus lucasi (fossil insect)
apterygote: Evolution and paleontology: …order Monura includes two species, Dasyleptus lucasi of the Late Carboniferous (323 million to 299 million years ago) of France and D. brongniarti of the Siberian Permian (299 million to 252 million years ago) deposits. The extinct family Triassomachilidae (order Archaeognatha) includes Triassomachilis uralensis of the Triassic (252 million to…
- Dasyneura rhodophaga (insect)
gall midge: The rose midge (Dasyneura rhodophaga) infests the young buds and shoots of roses and is a serious pest in greenhouses but rarely outside. Some other serious pests are the wheat midge, sorghum midge, rice midge, clover midge, and pear midge. Tobacco fumigation and dust on soil…
- Dasypeltis (reptile)
egg-eating snake, any of the five species of the genus Dasypeltis of sub-Saharan Africa and Elachistodon westermanni of northeastern India. These nonvenomous snakes comprise the subfamily Dasypeltinae, family Colubridae. Members of Dasypeltis eat only bird eggs; E. westermanni sometimes consume the
- Dasypodidae (mammal)
armadillo, (family Dasypodidae), any of various armoured mammals found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America. Most of the 20 species inhabit open areas, such as grasslands, but some also live in forests. All armadillos possess a set of plates called the carapace
- Dasypogonaceae (plant family)
Arecales: Classification: The Australian family Dasypogonaceae (also known as Calectasiacea), with four genera and 16 species, was traditionally allied with the family Liliaceae (lilies) but is now believed to be more closely related to the palms because of their common possession of ultraviolet-fluorescent compounds in the cell walls, a special…
- Dasyprocta (rodent)
agouti, (genus Dasyprocta), any of about a dozen species of tropical American rodents resembling the small forest-dwelling hoofed animals of tropical Africa and Asia (see chevrotain; duiker; royal antelope). Agoutis weigh up to 6 kg (13 pounds), with an elongated body measuring up to 76 cm (2.5
- Dasyprocta azarae (rodent)
agouti: …lowland and montane tropical rainforests, Azara’s agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) also inhabits the drier cerrado (savanna and scrub) and chaco environments south of the Amazon basin into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Three different agoutis have been introduced into the West Indies, presumably by native Caribbean tribes: D. mexicana in Cuba, D.…
- Dasyprocta leporina (rodent)
agouti: leporina, the Brazilian agouti, in the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles.
- Dasyprocta mexicana (rodent)
agouti: …presumably by native Caribbean tribes: D. mexicana in Cuba, D. punctata in Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and D. leporina, the Brazilian agouti, in the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles.
- Dasyprocta punctata (rodent)
agouti: mexicana in Cuba, D. punctata in Cuba and the Cayman Islands, and D. leporina, the Brazilian agouti, in the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles.
- Dasyproctidae (mammal family)
paca: …are agoutis and acouchys (family Dasyproctidae). Both families belong to the suborder Hystricognatha, which includes guinea pigs and chinchillas. No paca fossils have been discovered.
- Dasypus (mammal genus)
armadillo: Classification and paleontology: Dasypodinae Genus Dasypus (long-nosed armadillos) Six species, including the nine-banded armadillo, D. novemcinctus. One Peruvian species found in the Andes Mountains has dense hair covering the carapace. Subfamily Euphractinae Genus Chaetophractus (hairy armadillos or peludos)
- Dasypus hybridus (mammal)
armadillo: Natural history: The mulita (D. hybridus) repeatedly utters a guttural monosyllabic sound similar to the rapid fluttering of a human tongue.
- Dasypus novemcinctus (mammal)
armadillo: The three-, six-, and nine-banded armadillos are named for the number of movable bands in their armour. Only one species, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), is found in the United States. Its range has expanded into several southern states since it was first observed in Texas during the 1800s.…
- dasyu (ancient people)
dasyu, an aboriginal people in India who were encountered by the Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered northern India about 1500 bce. They were described by the Indo-Europeans as a dark-skinned, harsh-spoken people who worshipped the phallus. Some Western scholars who view the lingam (a Hindu
- dasyurid (marsupial)
dasyurid, any member of a family (Dasyuridae) of marsupial mammals that includes the quolls (formerly called “native cats”), antechinus and dunnarts (formerly known as “marsupial mice and rats”), Tasmanian Devil, and their allies. All of the approximately 60 species occur in New Guinea, the Aru
- Dasyuridae (marsupial)
dasyurid, any member of a family (Dasyuridae) of marsupial mammals that includes the quolls (formerly called “native cats”), antechinus and dunnarts (formerly known as “marsupial mice and rats”), Tasmanian Devil, and their allies. All of the approximately 60 species occur in New Guinea, the Aru
- Dasyuroides byrnei (marsupial)
crest-tailed marsupial rat, (Dasyuroides byrnei), rare ratlike mammal of the family Dasyuridae (order Marsupialia), native to the desert and grasslands of central Australia. It averages about 17.5 cm (7 inches) in length, with about a 13.5-centimetre (5-inch) tail. The soft dense fur is a light
- Dasyuromorphia (order of marsupials)
marsupial: Classification: Order Dasyuromorphia (carnivorous marsupials)60 or so species in 2 families, not including the extinct Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine, sole member of family Thylacinidae.Family Dasyuridae (antechinus, dunnarts, dasyures, dibblers, kowari, marsupial mice,
- Dasyurus (marsupial)
native cat, any of the catlike Australian marsupials that make up the genus Dasyurus in the family Dasyuridae. All native cats are predators that hunt chiefly at night. Because they sometimes raid poultry yards, native cats have been persecuted and in some regions are extinct. Also contributing to
- Dasyurus albopunctatus (marsupial)
native cat: …generally smaller, as is the New Guinea native cat (D. albopunctatus), which occupies a variety of habitats on its native island. The largest species, the spotted-tailed native cat (D. maculatus, also called the tiger cat), has a length of 75 to 130 cm, including its 35- to 55-cm tail. This…
- Dasyurus geoffroii (marsupial)
native cat: The western native cat (D. geoffroii) of the savannahs of southwestern and central Australia is almost the same size but has a relatively longer tail. The northern native cat (D. hallucatus) of tropical regions is generally smaller, as is the New Guinea native cat (D. albopunctatus),…
- Dasyurus hallucatus (marsupial)
native cat: The northern native cat (D. hallucatus) of tropical regions is generally smaller, as is the New Guinea native cat (D. albopunctatus), which occupies a variety of habitats on its native island. The largest species, the spotted-tailed native cat (D. maculatus, also called the tiger cat), has…
- Dasyurus maculatus (marsupial)
native cat: The largest species, the spotted-tailed native cat (D. maculatus, also called the tiger cat), has a length of 75 to 130 cm, including its 35- to 55-cm tail. This species occurs in the dense, moist forests of Tasmania and eastern Australia.
- Dasyurus quoll (marsupial)
native cat: The eastern native cat (D. viverrinus, or D. quoll), surviving chiefly in the forests and open country of Tasmania, is 55 to 75 centimetres (22 to 30 inches) long, including its 20- to 30-cm tail. The western native cat (D. geoffroii) of the savannahs of southwestern…
- Dasyurus viverrinus (marsupial)
native cat: The eastern native cat (D. viverrinus, or D. quoll), surviving chiefly in the forests and open country of Tasmania, is 55 to 75 centimetres (22 to 30 inches) long, including its 20- to 30-cm tail. The western native cat (D. geoffroii) of the savannahs of southwestern…
- Daszyński, Ignacy (Polish statesman)
Ignacy Daszyński was a Polish socialist leader and patriot who was prominent in the restoration of the Polish Republic after World War I. In October 1892 Daszyński was one of the organizers of the Polish Social Democratic Party in Galicia. He was elected to the Austrian Reichsrat in 1897 and was a
- DAT (sound recording)
digital sound recording: In the late 1980s digital audio tape (DAT) recorders using magnetic tape cassettes became available for audio reproduction and recording. The DAT recorder converts audio signals into digital data on a magnetic tape by means of a microprocessor and converts the data back into analog audio signals that can…
- DAT (abilities test)
aptitude test: The Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) measures specific abilities such as clerical speed and mechanical reasoning as well as general academic ability.
- Data (work by Euclid)
Euclid: Other writings: …the first group is the Data (from the first Greek word in the book, dedomena [“given”]), a disparate collection of 94 advanced geometric propositions that all take the following form: given some item or property, then other items or properties are also “given”—that is, they can be determined. Some of…
- data (science)
principles of physical science: Compilation of data: Technical design, whether of laboratory instruments or for industry and commerce, depends on knowledge of the properties of materials (density, strength, electrical conductivity, etc.), some of which can only be found by very elaborate experiments (e.g., those dealing with the masses and excited states…
- DATA (international organization)
Bono: Activism: …eventually helped found in 2002 Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA), a policy and advocacy organization that seeks to eradicate poverty, hunger, and the spread of AIDS in Africa through public awareness campaigns and in-country partnerships. That year he appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the legend “Can Bono…