décor bois, (French: “wood decoration”), in decorative arts, trompe l’oeil decoration of porcelain and faience to simulate grained and knotted wood with the likeness of an engraving “nailed” to it. This device appeared in the mid-18th century on cups, plates, and jars from the French factories of

multiple setting, staging technique used in medieval drama, in which all the scenes were simultaneously in view, the various locales being represented by small booths known as mansions, or houses, arranged around an unlocalized acting area, or platea. To change scenes, actors simply moved from one

Gothic art: High Gothic: …the Continent and as the Decorated Gothic (1300–75) style in England. This style was characterized by the application of increasingly elaborate geometrical decoration to the structural forms that had been established during the preceding century.

Memorial Day, in the United States, holiday (last Monday in May) honouring those who have died in the nation’s wars. It originated during the American Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle. More than a half dozen places have claimed to be the

Ernest Dowson: …of the Minute (1897), and Decorations in Verse and Prose (1899). His lyrics, much influenced by French poet Paul Verlaine and marked by meticulous attention to melody and cadence, turn the conventional world-weariness of the 1890s into a deeper sense of the sadness of things. Yeats acknowledged that much of…

decorative art, any of those arts that are concerned with the design and decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities. Ceramics, glassware, basketry, jewelry, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and other such goods are the

Albert Carrier-Belleuse: …of what later became the Museum of Decorative Arts, an institution that elevated the status of the applied arts in France. For his role in this he was made an officer of the Legion of Honour in 1855 and further elevated in 1867. His celebrated pupil, Auguste Rodin, assisted him…

Czech Republic: Cultural institutions: …in several locations), and the Museum of Decorative Arts (1885), the latter housing one of the world’s largest collections of glass. The Prague Zoological Garden is known for Przewalski’s horse, the last of a wild horse subspecies.

Henri Matisse: Riviera years of Henri Matisse: …Odalisque with Magnolias (1923–24) and Decorative Figure on an Ornamental Background (1925–26), however, are masterpieces that deserve their popularity.

decorum, in literary style, the appropriate rendering of a character, action, speech, or scene. The concept of literary propriety, in its simplest stage of development, was outlined by Aristotle. In later classical criticism, the Roman poet Horace maintained that to retain its unity, a work of art

U.S. Open: …clay; and since 1978, on DecoTurf, a fast hard-court surface comprising an acrylic layer over an asphalt or concrete base.

decoupage, (French: “cutting out”), the art of cutting and pasting cutouts to simulate painting on a wood, metal, or glass surface. There are many variations in technique, but the four basic steps of decoupage generally are cutting out the pictures, arranging them to depict a scene or tell a story,

Jean Decoux was the governor-general of French Indochina for the provisional (Vichy) French government during World War II (1940–45). His reforms, which were designed to undermine Japanese influence in the area, unwittingly helped lay the groundwork for Vietnamese nationalist resistance to French

decoy, deceptive device used to draw an enemy away from a more important target. Active decoys are the principal method of self-defense for military aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Passive decoys, or dummies, are used to deceive visual intelligence such as photo

probability and statistics: Probability as the logic of uncertainty: …(a concept now known as decreasing marginal utility; see utility and value: Theories of utility).

interlocutory decree: …the United States or a decree nisi in England, for example, is a judicial decree pronouncing the divorce of the parties provisionally but not terminating the marriage until the expiration of a certain period. The purpose of requiring such a period of time is to discourage quick and easy divorce,…

secular institute: …second Vatican Council, in its “Decree on the Adapted Renovation of the Life of Religious” (1965), called for secular institutes to remain constantly in touch with their original inspiration and yet adapt to the changing times.

interlocutory decree, generally, a judicial decision that is not final or that deals with a point other than the principal subject matter of the controversy at hand. An interlocutory decree of divorce in the United States or a decree nisi in England, for example, is a judicial decree pronouncing

African American English: (Decreolization, or debasilectalization, is the process by which a vernacular loses its basilectal, or “creole,” features under the influence of the language from which it inherited most of its vocabulary. The basilect is the variety that is the most divergent from the local standard speech.)…

constitutiones principum: …point of law, and (4) decreta, or decisions of the emperor sitting as a judge.

decretal, a reply in writing by the pope to a particular question of church discipline that has been referred to him. In modern usage, such a document is referred to as a rescript (reply). Decretals issued in response to particular questions were authentic decisions for the case in question only

Saint Ivo of Chartres: …is displayed in his influential Decretum and his Panormia (17 and 8 books, respectively). His 288 letters reveal contemporary political, religious, and liturgical questions.

biblical literature: The Christian canon: The Decretum Gelasianum, a Latin document of uncertain authorship but recognized as reflecting the views of the Roman church at the beginning of the 6th century, includes Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, and I and II Maccabees as biblical.

Gratian’s Decretum, collection of nearly 3,800 texts touching on all areas of church discipline and regulation compiled by the Benedictine monk Gratian about 1140. It soon became the basic text on which the masters of canon law lectured and commented in the universities. The work is not just a

education: Child-centred education: The Decroly method was essentially a program of work based on centres of interest and educative games. Its basic feature was the workshop-classroom, in which children freely went about their own occupations. Behind the complex of individual activities was a carefully organized scheme of work based…

Ovide Decroly was a Belgian pioneer in the education of children, including those with physical disabilities. Through his work as a physician, Decroly became involved in a school for disabled children and consequently became interested in education. One outcome of this interest was his

Michael Meschke: …(1953–54), studying with the mime Étienne Decroux, and became a close friend of the mime Marcel Marceau.

data encryption: Conversely, decryption, or decipherment, is the process of converting ciphertext back into its original format. Manual encryption has been used since Roman times, but the term has become associated with the disguising of information via electronic computers. Encryption is a process basic to cryptology.

telephone: Personal communication systems: …(Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, formerly Digital European Cordless Telephone). The DECT system was designed initially to provide cordless telephone service for office environments, but its scope soon broadened to include campus-wide communications and telepoint services. By 1999 DECT had reached 50 percent of the European cordless market.

bedsore, an ulceration of skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure that limits the blood supply to the affected area. As the name indicates, bedsores are a particular affliction for persons who have been bedridden for a long time. The interference with normal blood flow is caused by the

decurio, in ancient Rome, the head of a group of 10. The title had two applications, one civil, the other military. In the first usage decurio was applied to a member of the local council or senate of a colonia (a community established by Roman citizens and having full citizenship rights) or a

decurio, in ancient Rome, the head of a group of 10. The title had two applications, one civil, the other military. In the first usage decurio was applied to a member of the local council or senate of a colonia (a community established by Roman citizens and having full citizenship rights) or a

Stephen Dedalus, fictional character, the protagonist of James Joyce’s autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and a central character in his novel Ulysses (1922). The name Stephen intentionally recalls St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Joyce gave his hero the

history of Arabia: Prehistory and archaeology: …the northern Hejaz, such as Dedān (now Al-ʿUlā), Al-Ḥijr (now Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ, barely six miles north of Dedān), and Taymāʾ to the northeast of the other two, have long been known but not fully explored. In south-central Arabia, near Al-Sulayyil, a town site at Qaryat Dhāt Kāhil (now Qaryat al-Fāw)…

Islamic arts: Popular literature: …the traditional Turkish tale of Dede Korkut, were preserved by storytellers who improvised certain parts of their tales (which were written down only afterward). Also, the role of the Sufi orders and of the artisans’ lodges in preserving and transmitting such semihistorical popular epics seems to have been considerable. Apart…

Alexandroúpoli, seaport and dímos (municipality), East Macedonia and Thrace (Modern Greek: Anatolikí Makedonía kai Thráki) periféreia (region), northeastern Greece. It is situated in the Greek portion of the ancient and modern region of Thrace northwest of the Maritsa (Évros) River estuary on the

Guam: Major settlements are Dededo, in the north-central part of the island, Machanao, in the north, and Apotgan, on the west coast.

Dedekind cut, in mathematics, concept advanced in 1872 by the German mathematician Richard Dedekind that combines an arithmetic formulation of the idea of continuity with a rigorous distinction between rational and irrational numbers. Dedekind reasoned that the real numbers form an ordered

Richard Dedekind was a German mathematician who developed a major redefinition of irrational numbers in terms of arithmetic concepts. Although not fully recognized in his lifetime, his treatment of the ideas of the infinite and of what constitutes a real number continues to influence modern

Richard Dedekind was a German mathematician who developed a major redefinition of irrational numbers in terms of arithmetic concepts. Although not fully recognized in his lifetime, his treatment of the ideas of the infinite and of what constitutes a real number continues to influence modern

East Greenwich, town (township), Kent county, central Rhode Island, U.S., on Greenwich Bay, south of Providence city. It was settled and incorporated as a town in 1677, following King Philip’s (Indian) War. Called Dedford in 1686–89, it was renamed for Greenwich in London. Farming, fishing, pottery

Dedham, town (township), Norfolk county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., on the Charles River, just southwest of Boston. One of the oldest inland settlements of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was founded in 1635 and named for Dedham, Essex, England, and incorporated in 1636. Its Fairbanks House

John Constable: Early maturity: …painting of the period was Dedham Vale: Morning (1811), which married closely observed naturalistic effect to a scene composed according to the academic criteria established by 17th-century French painter Claude Lorrain.

Ray Davies: Life as a Kink: …in the 1960s were “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” (1966), which skewered blind obedience to the Carnaby Street-dictated fashion trends in “Swinging London,” and the melancholy view-from-a-window paean “Waterloo Sunset” (1967), which esteemed rock critic Robert Christgau called “the most beautiful song in the English language.” Veering from the group’s…

the Shirelles: “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Mama Said,” and “Baby It’s You” were all Top Ten hits. Following their most successful song, “Soldier Boy” (1962), cowritten by their principal collaborator, producer Luther Dixon, the Shirelles’ popularity waned—partly because of Dixon’s departure and partly because of…

Nathan Lane: The Lion King, The Birdcage, and The Producers: (2003), Butley (2003, 2006–07), and Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams (2005).

Hanukkah, Jewish festival that begins at sundown on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of

prenatal development: Growth and differentiation: …reversal and apparent simplification (“dedifferentiation”), these cells retain their former histological specificity. Under suitable environmental conditions they can differentiate again but can only regain their previous definitive characteristics as cartilage cells.

Lady Dedlock, fictional character in the novel Bleak House (1853) by Charles Dickens, a beautiful woman who harbours the secret that she bore a daughter before her marriage to Sir Leicester Dedlock, a wealthy baronet. Privilege and wealth have not fulfilled Lady Dedlock’s expectations of life. When

income tax: Treatment of the family: In order to provide equal tax allowances for dependents to families of the same size at different income levels, each exemption can be multiplied by the standard or basic rate of tax and so be converted into a uniform tax credit that is subtracted from liability. Inflation erodes the real…

deduction, in logic, a rigorous proof, or derivation, of one statement (the conclusion) from one or more statements (the premises)—i.e., a chain of statements, each of which is either a premise or a consequence of a statement occurring earlier in the proof. This usage is a generalization of what

deduction, in logic, a rigorous proof, or derivation, of one statement (the conclusion) from one or more statements (the premises)—i.e., a chain of statements, each of which is either a premise or a consequence of a statement occurring earlier in the proof. This usage is a generalization of what

deduction, in logic, a rigorous proof, or derivation, of one statement (the conclusion) from one or more statements (the premises)—i.e., a chain of statements, each of which is either a premise or a consequence of a statement occurring earlier in the proof. This usage is a generalization of what

covering-law model, Model of explanation according to which to explain an event by reference to another event necessarily presupposes an appeal to laws or general propositions correlating events of the type to be explained (explananda) with events of the type cited as its causes or conditions

philosophy of mathematics: Nominalism: …the best known is “if-thenism,” or deductivism. According to this view, the sentence “4 is even” can be paraphrased by the sentence “If there were such things as numbers, then 4 would be even.” In this view, even if there are no such things as numbers, the sentence “4…

Dedza, town, central Malawi, at the foot of Dedza Mountain (7,211 feet [2,198 metres]). Situated in an area with a cool, healthy climate and a perennial supply of mountain water, the town is near the Mozambique border, on the traditional route between Ntcheu and Lilongwe, and is the trade centre

Malawi: Relief: and Dowa highlands and Dedza-Kirk mountain range in the north and west and the Shire Highlands in the south. The isolated massifs of Mulanje (which reach 9,849 feet [3,002 metres], the highest point in the country) and Zomba (which reach 6,846 feet [2,087 metres]) represent the fourth

cyclotron: …two hollow semicircular electrodes, called dees, mounted back to back, separated by a narrow gap, in an evacuated chamber between the poles of a magnet. An electric field, alternating in polarity, is created in the gap by a radio-frequency oscillator.

Joe Pesci: …guitar for the pop band Joey Dee and the Starliters, and in 1968 he recorded an album (under the name Joe Ritchie), Little Joe Sure Can Sing!. Pesci later formed a musical comedy nightclub act with the actor Frank Vincent. Pesci’s first credited movie appearance was in a low-budget crime…

John Dee was an English mathematician, natural philosopher, and student of the occult. Dee entered St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 1542, where he earned a bachelor’s degree (1545) and a master’s degree (1548); he also was made a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, on its founding in 1546. Dee

Edward Loomis Davenport was one of the most skilled and popular American actors of the mid-19th century. Three of his finest roles were Hamlet, Brutus in Julius Caesar, and Sir Giles Overreach in Philip Massinger’s comedy A New Way to Pay Old Debts. In spite of family opposition, Davenport went on

River Dee, river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, rising at an elevation above 4,000 feet (1,250 metres) in the Cairngorm Mountains and flowing for about 90 miles (145 km) east to the North Sea at Aberdeen. Its headwaters flow turbulently in highland glens set amid grouse moorland. The main valley

River Dee, river in northern Wales and England, approximately 70 miles (110 km) long. It rises in the county of Gwynedd on the slopes of Dduallt, in Snowdonia National Park, and falls rapidly to Bala Lake. Its valley then runs northeast to Corwen and eastward past Llangollen. The Vale of Llangollen

Ruby Dee was an American actress and social activist who was known for her pioneering work in African American theater and film and for her outspoken civil rights activism. Dee’s artistic partnership with her husband, Ossie Davis, was considered one of the theater and film world’s most

deed, in law, a written instrument for the transfer of title to real estate. At common law, the deed was a contract or obligation under seal, and a seal is still required in England (even if only a wafer), though no longer necessary in most places in the United States. Although customarily recited

Gesta Romanorum, Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, probably compiled early in the 14th century. It was one of the most popular books of the time and the source, directly or indirectly, of much later literature, including that of Chaucer, John Gower, Thomas Hoccleve, Shakespeare, and many

disc jockey, person who conducts a program of recorded music on radio, on television, or at discotheques or other dance halls. Disc jockey programs became the economic base of many radio stations in the United States after World War II. The format generally involves one person, the disc jockey,

Mongolia: Daily life and social customs: …is the national costume, the deel, a long gown made of brightly coloured, usually patterned silk that buttons up to the neck on the right side. The deel is worn by both men and women, but men add a sash of contrasting colour around the waist. For winter wear the…

Gorakhpur: Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University (formerly Gorakhpur University; founded 1956) has affiliated colleges throughout the state and runs an archaeological museum in the city. Pop. (2001) 622,701; (2011) 673,446.

Paula Deen is an American chef who popularized the cuisine of the American South through restaurants, cookbooks, and television programs. Aside from her culinary creations, her appeal lay largely in her rags-to-riches story, her distinctive Southern accent, and her warm and welcoming public

Kermit Bloomgarden: His first independent production was Deep Are the Roots (by Arnaud d’Usseau and James Gow), which opened in 1945 and ran for 477 performances. There followed Lillian Hellman’s Another Part of the Forest (1946), Command Decision (1947), by William Wister Haines, and Death of a Salesman (1949) by Arthur Miller,…

Deep Blue, computer chess-playing system designed by IBM in the early 1990s. As the successor to Chiptest and Deep Thought, earlier purpose-built chess computers, Deep Blue was designed to succeed where all others had failed. In 1996 it made history by defeating Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov

John D. MacDonald: In The Deep Blue Good-By (1964), MacDonald introduced Travis McGee—a tough, eccentric “salvage consultant” who typically defends a beautiful woman against a large, corrupt organization. Going beyond the usual formula of sex and violence, the author investigated contemporary social and moral concerns through McGee and his…

Tom Hiddleston: …Paris (2011), War Horse (2011), The Deep Blue Sea (2011), and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) as well as in The Hollow Crown (2012–16), a miniseries adapting Shakespeare’s history plays, Richard II, Henry IV: Part 1, Henry IV: Part 2, and Henry V. Meanwhile Hiddleston continued to act onstage, starring…

deep brain stimulation (DBS), surgical procedure in which an electrode is implanted into a specific area of the brain in order to alleviate symptoms of chronic pain and of movement disorders caused by neurological disease. DBS is used primarily to treat patients affected by dystonia, essential

Laurence Fishburne: Film roles: …Boyz ’n the Hood (1991), Deep Cover (1992), and Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). His portrayal of musician Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. In 1995 he became the first African American to play Shakespeare’s

metallurgy: Drawing: Deep drawing starts with a disk of metal and ends up with a cup by pushing the metal through a hole (die). Several drawing operations in sequence may be used for one part. Deep drawing is employed in making aluminum beverage cans and brass rifle…

deep ecology, environmental philosophy and social movement based in the belief that humans must radically change their relationship to nature from one that values nature solely for its usefulness to human beings to one that recognizes that nature has an inherent value. Sometimes called an

materials processing: …non-cutting removal processes: (1) In chemical milling the metal is removed by the etching reaction of chemical solutions on the metal; although usually applied to metals, it can also be used on plastics and glass. (2) Electrochemical machining uses the principle of metal plating in reverse, as the workpiece, instead…

deepfake, synthetic media, including images, videos, and audio, generated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that portray something that does not exist in reality or events that have never occurred. The term deepfake combines deep, taken from AI deep-learning technology (a type of machine

optics: Longitudinal magnification: …large, which explains why the depth of field (δp) of a microscope is extremely small. On the other hand, if m is small, less than one as in a camera, then m is very small, and all objects within a considerable range of distances (δp) appear substantially in focus.

McMurdo Station: Construction: …as part of its mission Operation Deep Freeze, from the 1970s onward control was gradually transferred to the NSF and various contractors, and today the military’s main role is providing logistical support, most notably by operating many of the flights to and from the station.

french fries: …then typically fried in a deep fryer. The oil causes french fries to be high in fat, which is linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Flavouring with salt also poses risks to the heart. Amid growing health concerns, many fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, stopped using oil that contains trans fat

Scranton, city, seat (1878) of Lackawanna county, northeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., in the Lackawanna River valley, on the western fringes of the Pocono Mountains. It is the centre of an urbanized industrial complex that includes Carbondale and Wilkes-Barre. The area was inhabited by

American literature: Deep image poets: Through his personal charisma and his magazine The Fifties (later The Sixties and The Seventies), Robert Bly encouraged a number of poets to shift their work toward the individual voice and open form; they included Galway Kinnell, James Wright, David Ignatow, and,…

Deep Impact, a U.S. space probe that in 2005 studied cometary structure by shooting a 370-kg (810-pound) mass into the nucleus of the comet Tempel 1 and then analyzing the debris and crater. In 2007 the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft was assigned a new mission called EPOXI, consisting of two

Deep Impact: …Observation and Characterization (EPOCh) and Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI).

powerlifting: The squat, or deep knee bend, where the top of the lifter’s thighs must drop to or below parallel with the ground, demonstrates leg power. The bench press, done from a prone position and requiring a pause of the barbell at the chest, shows upper-body strength.…

Pauline Oliveros: …approach to music called “deep listening.”

Pauline Oliveros: …which in turn informed her Deep Listening Pieces (1990), a series of some three dozen works composed for her students during the 1970s and ’80s. The aim of deep listening was to merge the involuntary, unfiltered act of hearing with listening—a voluntary act involving selective inclusion and exclusion of sounds…

asteroid: Near-Earth asteroids: 67 AU) and deep Mars crossers (perihelion distances greater than 1.3 AU but less than 1.58 AU).

ocean current: Thermohaline circulation: …to as the deep, or abyssal, ocean circulation. Measuring seawater temperature and salinity distribution is the chief method of studying the deep-flow patterns. Other properties also are examined; for example, the concentrations of oxygen, carbon-14, and such synthetically produced compounds as chlorofluorocarbons are measured to obtain resident times and spreading…

heavy metal: …the 1970s by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath with the release of Led Zeppelin II, Deep Purple in Rock, and Paranoid, respectively, which featured heavy riffs, distorted “power chords,” mystical lyrics, guitar and drum solos, and vocal styles that ranged from the wails of Zeppelin’s Robert Plant to…

Antarctica: The surrounding seas: As part of the Deep Sea Drilling Project conducted from 1968 to 1983 by the U.S. government, the drilling ship Glomar Challenger undertook several cruises of Antarctic and subantarctic waters to gather and study materials on and below the ocean floor. Expeditions included one between Australia and the Ross…

sleep: Light and deep sleep: Which of the various NREM stages is light sleep and which is deep sleep? The criteria used to establish sleep depth are the same as those used to distinguish sleep from wakefulness. In terms of motor behaviour, motility decreases (depth increases) from stages…

United States: The South of the United States: …(or Deep) South, Upland and Lowland South, or Yeoman and Plantation South.

Deep Space 1, U.S. satellite designed to test technologies—including an ion engine, autonomous navigation, and miniature cameras and electronics—for use on future space missions. Deep Space 1 was launched on Oct. 24, 1998, and entered an orbit around the Sun. On November 11 part of its mission,

transformational grammar: Transformational grammar assigns a “deep structure” and a “surface structure” to show the relationship of such sentences. Thus, “I know a man who flies planes” can be considered the surface form of a deep structure approximately like “I know a man. The man flies airplanes.” The notion of deep…

ultraviolet telescope: The fourth telescope, the Deep Survey/Spectrometer Telescope, was directed in an anti-Sun direction. It conducted a photometric deep-sky survey in the ecliptic plane for part of the mission and then collected spectroscopic observations in the final phase of the mission.

Deep Blue: …the successor to Chiptest and Deep Thought, earlier purpose-built chess computers, Deep Blue was designed to succeed where all others had failed. In 1996 it made history by defeating Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov in one of their six games—the first time a computer had won a game against a world…