- dermal papilla (anatomy)
fingerprint: papillary ridges on the ends of the fingers and thumbs. Fingerprints afford an infallible means of personal identification, because the ridge arrangement on every finger of every human being is unique and does not alter with growth or age. Fingerprints serve to reveal an individual’s…
- dermal scale (zoology)
scale: …bone from the deeper, or dermal, skin layer. The elasmobranchs (e.g., sharks) have placoid scales, which are bony, spiny projections with an enamel-like covering. Ganoid scales, which are found on such fishes as gars and the bowfin, are similar to placoid scales but are covered with a peculiar enamel-like substance…
- dermal tissue (plant anatomy)
angiosperm: Dermal tissue: The dermal tissue system—the epidermis—is the outer protective layer of the primary plant body (the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds). The epidermis is usually one cell layer thick, and its cells lack chloroplasts.
- Dermanyssus gallinae (arachnid)
mite: …Mesostigmata (superorder Parasitiformes) include the chicken mite, the northern fowl mite, and the rat mite, all of which attack humans. In addition, there are nasal mites of dogs and birds, lung mites of monkeys, and predatory mites, which are sometimes of benefit in controlling plant-feeding mites.
- Dermaptera (insect)
earwig, (order Dermaptera), any of approximately 1,800 species of insects that are characterized by large membranous hindwings that lie hidden under short, leathery forewings. The name earwig is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning “ear creature,” probably because of a widespread ancient
- dermatillomania (psychiatric disorder)
dermatillomania, psychiatric disorder in which an individual compulsively picks at their skin to the extent that it leads to tissue damage. Left untreated, the disorder can result in ulcerations, infections, and extensive scarring. Estimates suggest that roughly 2 to 5 percent of adolescents and
- dermatitis (pathology)
dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin usually characterized by redness, swelling, blister formation, and oozing and almost always by itching. The term eczema, which formerly referred to the blistered, oozing state of inflamed skin, has by common usage come to have the same meaning as dermatitis.
- dermatitis herpetiformis (pathology)
celiac disease: Manifestation of celiac disease: …rash with blisters, known as dermatitis herpetiformis. If left undiagnosed or uncontrolled, celiac disease may lead to intestinal adenocarcinoma (malignant tumour of glandular tissue) or intestinal lymphoma or to miscarriage in pregnant women. Pregnant women affected by the disease and thus
- Dermatobia hominis (insect)
bot fly: The human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) attacks livestock, deer, and humans. The female attaches her eggs to mosquitoes, stable flies, and other insects that carry the eggs to the actual host. Body warmth causes the eggs to hatch, and the tiny larvae penetrate the skin. In…
- Dermatocarpon fluviatile (fungus)
fungus: Basic features of lichens: …foliose lichens, Hydrothyria venosa and Dermatocarpon fluviatile, grow on rocks in freshwater streams of North America. Fruticose (stalked) thalli and filamentous forms prefer to utilize water in vapour form and are prevalent in humid, foggy areas such as seacoasts and mountainous regions of the tropics.
- dermatochalasis (pathology)
dermatochalasis, sagging of the eyelid skin and underlying muscle that occurs commonly during the aging process. Symptoms may be absent or include brow ache, reduction of superior peripheral vision, sensation of the lid skin resting on the eyelashes, and interference of vision by the eyelashes.
- dermatogen (biochemistry)
plant development: The root tip: apical meristem—plerome, periblem, and dermatogen respectively. A fourth histogen, the calyptrogen, produces the root cap. The histogens have been thought to lie in linear order in the apex, with the initial cells of the vascular system toward the older part of the root, and those of the cap toward…
- dermatoglyphics (anatomy)
primate: Touch: …of skin corrugations known as dermatoglyphics (the basis for fingerprints).
- dermatologic disorder (pathology)
therapeutics: Local drug therapy: Medications prescribed for dermatologic disorders account for a large amount of local drug therapy, whether it be a substance to stimulate hair growth or to soothe a burning and itching rash. Many different corticosteroid preparations are available to treat eczema, allergic reactions to substances like poison ivy, or…
- dermatology (medicine)
dermatology, medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the skin. Dermatology developed as a subspecialty of internal medicine in the 18th century; it was initially combined with the diagnosis and treatment of venereal diseases, because syphilis was an important
- dermatome (surgical instrument)
dermatome, surgical instrument used for cutting thin sheets of skin, as for skin grafts. There are several different types of dermatomes. Knife dermatomes, which are handheld instruments, require a high degree of technical skill and may not produce consistent results. Drum dermatomes are
- dermatome (anatomy)
dermatome, the outer portion of an embryo from which the skin and subcutaneous tissues are developed and, postnatally, the areas of skin supplied by the branches of a single dorsal root ganglion (a dense group of nerve-cell bodies). In the developing embryo the dermatome arises from one of the
- dermatomyositis (pathology)
dermatomyositis, chronic progressive inflammation of the skin and muscles, particularly the muscles of the shoulders and pelvis. Dermatomyositis occurs in both children (some of whom recover in about two years) and adults. The disease is more common in women. In most cases the first symptom of
- dermatophilosis (pathology)
actinomycete: Dermatophilus congolensis causes dermatophilosis, a severe dermatitis of cattle, sheep, horses, and occasionally humans. Several species of Actinomyces cause the disease actinomycosis in humans and cattle. Many of the actinomycetes are sources of antibiotics such as streptomycin.
- Dermatophilus congolensis (bacterium)
actinomycete: Dermatophilus congolensis causes dermatophilosis, a severe dermatitis of cattle, sheep, horses, and occasionally humans. Several species of Actinomyces cause the disease actinomycosis in humans and cattle. Many of the actinomycetes are sources of antibiotics such as
- dermatophyte (fungi group)
athlete’s foot: Causes: …of fungus known as a dermatophyte. Able to infect only the top layer of dead keratin, dermatophytes affect the skin, hair shafts, and nails. Dermatophytes are classified into three genera: Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton. T. rubrum is the dermatophyte most commonly associated with athlete’s foot. Although other dermatophytes can also…
- dermatophytosis (skin condition)
ringworm, superficial skin lesions caused by a highly specialized group of fungi called dermatophytes that live and multiply on the surface of the skin and feed on keratin, the horny protein constituting the major part of the outermost layer of the skin and of the hair and nails. The fungi produce
- Dermestes lardarius (insect)
dermestid beetle: The larder beetle larva (Dermestes lardarius) feeds on cheese and dried meats, especially ham and bacon. The adult beetle is oval, black or brown with yellowish bands and dark spots, and 6 to 7.5 mm (0.236 to 0.295 in) long. The beetles are usually discovered inside…
- dermestid beetle (insect)
dermestid beetle, (family Dermestidae), any of approximately 700 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) that at one time were important household pests because the larvae feed on furs, skins, feathers, horn, and hair. Adults are usually brown or black, although some are brightly coloured or
- Dermestidae (insect)
dermestid beetle, (family Dermestidae), any of approximately 700 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) that at one time were important household pests because the larvae feed on furs, skins, feathers, horn, and hair. Adults are usually brown or black, although some are brightly coloured or
- Derminer, Robert (American musician)
the MC5: >Rob Tyner (original name Robert Derminer; born December 12, 1944, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.—died September 17, 1991, Royal Oak, Michigan) Wayne Kramer (original name Wayne Kambes; born April 30, 1948, Detroit—died February 2, 2024, Los Angeles,
- dermis (anatomy)
dermis, the thicker, deeper layer of the skin underlying the epidermis and made up of connective tissue. It is present in varying degrees of development among various vertebrate groups, being relatively thin and simple in aquatic animals and progressively thicker and more complex in terrestrial
- Dermit, Édouard (French painter)
Jean Cocteau: Filmmaking in the 1940s: His adopted son, the painter Édouard Dermit, who also appears in his later films, continued the decoration of a chapel at Fréjus, a work Cocteau had not completed at his death at age 74.
- dermochelyid (turtle family)
sea turtle: …turtles belonging to the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback sea turtles) and Cheloniidae (green turtles, flatback sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbills, and ridleys). Both families are highly aquatic, and most species only appear on coastal beaches for egg laying; however, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) occasionally basks in terrestrial environments. Adult…
- Dermochelyidae (turtle family)
sea turtle: …turtles belonging to the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback sea turtles) and Cheloniidae (green turtles, flatback sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbills, and ridleys). Both families are highly aquatic, and most species only appear on coastal beaches for egg laying; however, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) occasionally basks in terrestrial environments. Adult…
- Dermochelys coriacea (reptile)
leatherback sea turtle, (Dermochelys coriacea), species of sea turtle notable because it lacks scales and a hard shell. It sports a bony carapace covered with black or brown skin with a texture similar to leather, which gives the turtle its name. It is the only member of the turtle family
- dermoid cyst (tumor)
teratoma: Epidemiology and pathology: Dermoid cysts, which tend to affect the ovaries, typically contain hair, skin, and other ectoderm-derived cell types. Sacrococcygeal teratomas, which affect infants, develop under the coccyx (tailbone) in a region known as Hensen’s node, which houses germ cells that differentiate to form the ectoderm, endoderm,…
- Dermophiidae (amphibian family)
Gymnophiona: Annotated classification: Family Dermophiidae Cretaceous (145.5–65.5 million years ago) to present; secondary annuli and annular scales present; viviparous; 4 genera, 13 species; Africa and Central and South America. Family Herpelidae Cretaceous (145.5–65.5 million years ago) to present; perforate stapes (or stirrup bone) but lack separate septomaxillae and prefrontal…
- Dermoptera (mammal)
flying lemur, (family Cynocephalidae), either of the two species of primitive gliding mammals classified in the family Cynocephalidae and found only in Southeast Asia and on some of the Philippine Islands. Flying lemurs resemble large flying squirrels, as they are arboreal climbers and gliders that
- Dermot Macmurrough (king of Ireland)
Dermot Macmurrough was an Irish king of Leinster whose appeal to the English for help in settling an internal dispute led to the Anglo-Norman invasion and conquest of Ireland by England. After succeeding to the throne of his father, Enna, in 1126, Dermot faced a number of rivals who disputed his
- Dermoût, Maria (Dutch author)
Maria Dermoût was a Dutch novelist and short-story writer known for her subtle and evocative portraits of colonial life in the Dutch East Indies. Dermoût, who was the descendant of employees of the Dutch East Indies Company, spent her childhood on a sugar plantation in central Java. She attended
- Dermoût-Ingermann, Helena Antonia Maria Elisabeth (Dutch author)
Maria Dermoût was a Dutch novelist and short-story writer known for her subtle and evocative portraits of colonial life in the Dutch East Indies. Dermoût, who was the descendant of employees of the Dutch East Indies Company, spent her childhood on a sugar plantation in central Java. She attended
- Dern, Bruce (American actor)
John Frankenheimer: The 1970s and ’80s: …unstable Vietnam War veteran (Bruce Dern) who is involved in a plot to kill spectators during the Super Bowl; an Israeli officer (Robert Shaw) and an FBI agent (Fritz Weaver) try to foil the attack.
- Dern, Laura (American actress)
Laura Dern is an American actress who is known for her wide range of characterizations and the subtlety and naturalness of her performances. Dern was born to noted actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. Her parents divorced when she was a small child, and she was raised by her mother. Dern began her
- Dern, Laura Elizabeth (American actress)
Laura Dern is an American actress who is known for her wide range of characterizations and the subtlety and naturalness of her performances. Dern was born to noted actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. Her parents divorced when she was a small child, and she was raised by her mother. Dern began her
- Derna (Libya)
Derna, town, northeastern Libya, situated on the Mediterranean coast east of Benghazi. It lies on the eastern ridges of the Akhḍar Mountains in the delta of the small Wadi Derna. The town was founded in the 15th century on the site of Darnis, an ancient Greek colony (rock tombs remain). A ruined
- Dernier Chant du pèlerinage d’Harold, Le (work by Lamartine)
Alphonse de Lamartine: Early life and Méditations poétiques: Le Dernier Chant du pèlerinage d’Harold, published in 1825, revealed the charm that the English poet Lord Byron exerted over him. Lamartine was elected to the French Academy in 1829, and the following year he published the two volumes of Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, a…
- Dernier des justes, Le (work by Schwarz-Bart)
André Schwarz-Bart: …Le Dernier des justes (1959; The Last of the Just).
- Dernier Jour d’un condamné, Le (novel by Hugo)
Victor Hugo: Success (1830–51): …that of his previous novel, Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné (1829; The Last Days of a Condemned), the story of a condemned man’s last day, in which Hugo launched a humanitarian protest against the death penalty. While Notre-Dame was being written, Louis-Philippe, a constitutional king, had been brought to power…
- Dernier Métro, Le (film by Truffaut [1980])
Gérard Depardieu: …Truffaut’s Le Dernier Métro (1980; The Last Metro), Loulou (1980), Le Retour de Martin Guerre (1981; The Return of Martin Guerre), Andrzej Wajda’s Danton (1983), Jean de Florette (1986), and its sequel, Manon des Sources (1986; Manon of the Spring). He starred in Camille Claudel (1989), and in 1990 he…
- Dernier Milliardaire, Le (film by Clair [1934])
René Clair: Transition to sound films: …of these films and his Le Dernier Milliardaire (1934), an antifascist film banned in Germany and elsewhere, resulted in political and financial difficulties for Clair. He went to England to make The Ghost Goes West, an effective merging of English humor with French verve that became an international triumph. He…
- Dernière Idole, La (play by Daudet)
Alphonse Daudet: Life: Daudet’s first play, La Dernière Idole (“The Last Idol”), made a great impact when it was produced at the Odéon Theatre in Paris in 1862. His winter in Corsica at the end of 1862 is recalled in passages of his Lettres de mon moulin (1869; “Letters from My…
- Dernières Poésies, Les (work by Margaret of Angoulême)
Margaret of Angoulême: …under the title of Les Dernières Poésies (“Last Poems”).
- Derniers Vers (poems by Rimbaud)
Arthur Rimbaud: Major works of Arthur Rimbaud: …he then wrote—now known as Derniers Vers (“Last Verses”)—express his yearning for purification through all this suffering. Still trying to match form to vision, he expresses his longing for spiritual regeneration in pared-down verse forms that are almost abstract patterns of musical and symbolic allusiveness. These poems clearly show the…
- Derniers Vers, Les (poems by Ronsard)
Pierre de Ronsard: His posthumous collection, Les Derniers Vers (“The Final Verses”), poignantly expresses the anguish of the incurable invalid in nights spent alone in pain, longing for sleep, watching for the dawn, and praying for death.
- DeRoburt, Hammer (Nauruan politician)
Hammer DeRoburt was a Nauruan politician who was at the centre of political life on the central Pacific island for more than 30 years, notably as the first elected president of Nauru following its independence in 1968. After attending Geelong Technical College in Australia, DeRoburt returned to his
- Derocheilocaris galvarina (crustacean)
mustache shrimp: The largest species, Derocheilocaris galvarina, which attains lengths to 0.5 mm (about 0.02 inch), occurs on the Pacific coast of South America in the intertidal zone and on sandy bottoms in shallow waters. D. typicus occurs on the Atlantic coast of northeastern United States. D. remani is found…
- Derocheilocaris remani (crustacean)
mustache shrimp: D. remani is found on the coasts of Europe and Africa.
- Derocheilocaris typicus (crustacean)
mustache shrimp: D. typicus occurs on the Atlantic coast of northeastern United States. D. remani is found on the coasts of Europe and Africa.
- Derodontidae (insect family)
coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Derodontidae About 12 widely distributed species. Superfamily Elateroidea Forecoxae small; metasternum without transverse suture; larvae with no free labrum. Select families below. Family Brachypsectridae A few species in Asia and
- Derodontoidea (insect superfamily)
coleopteran: Annotated classification: Superfamily Derodontoidea (tooth-necked fungus beetles) Head with 2 ocelli; brown to black in colour; prothorax relatively small; body elongate, flattened. Family Derodontidae About 12 widely distributed species. Superfamily Elateroidea
- Derosne, François (French inventor)
match: An example was François Derosne’s briquet phosphorique (1816), which used a sulfur-tipped match to scrape inside a tube coated internally with phosphorus.
- Déroulède, Paul (French politician, poet, and dramatist)
Paul Déroulède was a French politician, poet, and dramatist who promoted an alliance between France and Russia. Déroulède enlisted in the French army at the outbreak of the Franco-German (Franco-Prussian) War in 1870, and, though he rose to the rank of lieutenant, an accident forced his retirement
- DeRozan, DeMar (American basketball player)
Toronto Raptors: …All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, won 56 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in team history, where the Raptors were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors earned a franchise-record fourth straight playoff appearance in 2016–17 but were swept by the Cavaliers…
- Derozio, Henry Louis Vivian (Indian poet and educator)
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a poet and assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Calcutta. He was a radical thinker and one of the first Indian educators to disseminate Western learning and science among the young men of Bengal. The son of an Indian father and an English mother, Derozio was
- Derpt (Estonia)
Tartu, old university city of southeastern Estonia, on the Ema River. The original settlement of Tarbatu dates from the 5th century; in 1030 the Russians built a fort there called Yuryev. From the 13th to the 16th century, the town was a prosperous member of the Hanseatic League. Then held in turn
- Derqui, Santiago (president of Argentina)
Argentina: National consolidation, 1852–80: …succeeded in the presidency by Santiago Derqui. Another civil war broke out, but this time Buenos Aires defeated Urquiza’s forces. Urquiza and General Bartolomé Mitre, governor of Buenos Aires, then agreed that Mitre would lead the country but that Urquiza would exercise authority over the provinces of Entre Ríos and…
- derrick (engineering)
derrick, apparatus with a tackle rigged at the end of a beam for hoisting and lowering. Its name is derived from that of a famous early 17th-century hangman of Tyburn, Eng. In the petroleum industry, a derrick consisting of a framework or tower of wood or steel is erected over the deep drill holes
- Derrick, Edward Holbrook (Australian scientist)
Q fever: History: …1935 in Queensland, Australia, by Edward Holbrook Derrick. According to Derrick, Q stands for query, an appellation applied because of the many unanswered questions posed by the new disease at the time of its first description. The disease was originally encountered among abattoir workers, cattle ranchers, and dairy farmers in…
- derrick, oil (engineering)
derrick: In the petroleum industry, a derrick consisting of a framework or tower of wood or steel is erected over the deep drill holes of oil wells to support the tackle for boring, to raise and lower the drilling tools in the well, and to insert and remove the well casing…
- Derrida, Jackie (French philosopher)
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher whose critique of Western philosophy and analyses of the nature of language, writing, and meaning were highly controversial yet immensely influential in much of the intellectual world in the late 20th century. Derrida was born to Sephardic Jewish parents in
- Derrida, Jacques (French philosopher)
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher whose critique of Western philosophy and analyses of the nature of language, writing, and meaning were highly controversial yet immensely influential in much of the intellectual world in the late 20th century. Derrida was born to Sephardic Jewish parents in
- derringer (pistol)
derringer, pocket pistol produced in the early 19th century by Henry Deringer (q.v.), a Philadelphia
- Derry (Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)
Londonderry, city and former district (1973–2015), now in Derry City and Strabane district, northwestern Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland’s second most populous city. Long part of the former County Londonderry, the old city and adjacent urban and rural areas were administratively merged in
- Derry (New Hampshire, United States)
Derry, town (township), Rockingham county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on Beaver Brook just southeast of Manchester. It includes the communities of Derry and East Derry. The town, set off from Londonderry and incorporated in 1827, was settled in the early 18th century by Scotch-Irish
- Derry City and Strabane (district, Northern Ireland)
Derry City and Strabane, district, northwestern Northern Ireland. It is bounded to the north by Lough Foyle, to the northeast by the Causeway Coast and Glens district, to the east by the Mid Ulster district, to the south by the Fermanagh and Omagh district, and to the west and northwest by the
- Derryfield (New Hampshire, United States)
Manchester, city, Hillsborough county, southern New Hampshire, U.S. It lies along the Amoskeag Falls (named for the Indigneous Amoskeag people who once inhabited the area) of the Merrimack River, the 55-foot (17-metre) drop of which provides hydroelectric power. Manchester is the state’s largest
- Dershowitz, Alan (American lawyer)
Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and author known for his writings and media appearances in which he strongly and often controversially defended civil liberties, in particular those regarding freedom of speech. He also garnered attention for his involvement in numerous prominent legal cases.
- Dershowitz, Alan Morton (American lawyer)
Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and author known for his writings and media appearances in which he strongly and often controversially defended civil liberties, in particular those regarding freedom of speech. He also garnered attention for his involvement in numerous prominent legal cases.
- Dersu Uzala (film by Kurosawa [1975])
- Dertigers (South African poets)
South African literature: In Afrikaans: …group of talented poets, the Dertigers (“Poets of the ’30s”), begun by W.E.G. Louw with Die ryke dwaas (1934; “The Rich Fool”). This sensitive poet, with his searing conflicts between God and Eros, exemplified qualities soon to become the new generation’s hallmark. He was followed by his elder brother, N.P.…
- Dertona (Italy)
Tortona, town and episcopal see, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northwestern Italy, on the Scrivia River, east of the city of Alessandria. Founded by the Ligurians, it became a Roman colony in 148 bc. A Guelf stronghold in the Middle Ages, it was destroyed by the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in
- Dertosa (Spain)
Tortosa, city, Tarragona provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, on the Ebro River, southwest of the city of Tarragona. Tortosa originated as the Dertosa of the Iberians; replanned by the Roman general Scipio Africanus, it was
- Deruta (Italy)
pottery: Majolica: …the early factories, that of Deruta (which may have been under the patronage of Cesare Borgia) is of considerable importance. Majolica has been made there from medieval times, and manufacture continues in the mid-20th century. Deruta potters about 1500 were the first to use lustre pigment, which was of a…
- Deruta ware (Italian pottery)
Deruta ware, outstanding tin-glazed earthenware, or majolica, produced during the first half of the 16th century in the town of Deruta on the Tiber River, near Perugia, Italy. Deruta ware is characterized especially by a unique mother-of-pearl, metallic lustre and by certain decorative features. In
- Derval, Paul (French theatrical manager)
Folies-Bergère: …repute under the management of Paul Derval (from 1918 to 1966). He staged a series of sumptuous and grandiose spectacles featuring beautiful young women parading in a state of near nudity (despite their gaudy costumes) against exotic backdrops. Parisians and tourists alike were also attracted to the singers, acrobats, and…
- Dervéni (Macedonia region, Europe)
calligraphy: Origins to the 8th century ce: A find in 1962 at Dervéni (Dhervénion), in Macedonia, of a carbonized roll of papyrus (Archaeological Museum, Thessaloníki, Greece) offers the oldest example of Greek handwriting and the only one preserved in the Greek peninsula (end of the 4th century bce). From then until the 4th century ce, there are…
- Dervis Ahmet ibn Şeyh Yahya ibn Şeyh Salman ibn Aşik Paşa (Ottoman historian)
Aşıkpaşazâde was one of the most important early Ottoman historians. The great-grandson of the famous mystic poet of Anatolia, Aşık Paşa, Aşıkpaşazâde also had affiliations with a Muslim mystical order. Very little is known about his early life. In 1413 he claimed to have met Yahşi Fakih, whose
- Derviş Mehmed Zilli (Turkish traveler and writer)
Evliya Çelebi was one of the most celebrated Ottoman travelers, who journeyed for more than 40 years throughout the territories of the Ottoman Empire and adjacent lands. Son of the chief court jeweler, he was educated in a madrasah (Islamic college) and a Qurʾān school in Constantinople; and,
- dervish (Sufism)
dervish, any member of a Ṣūfī (Muslim mystic) fraternity, or tariqa. Within the Ṣūfī fraternities, which were first organized in the 12th century, an established leadership and a prescribed discipline obliged the dervish postulant to serve his sheikh, or master, and to establish a rapport with him.
- Derwent Company (Tasmanian settler organization)
Port Phillip Association, (1836–39), organization of settlers from Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) formed to purchase and develop the grazing land of the unsettled Port Phillip District (later the colony of Victoria) of southeastern Australia; its efforts precipitated the large-scale colonization of
- Derwent Water (lake, England, United Kingdom)
Derwent Water, lake, administrative county of Cumbria, historic county of Cumberland, England, in the Lake District National Park. It is about 3 miles (5 km) long and from 0.5 to 1.25 miles (0.8 to 2 km) wide, and its maximum depth is 72 feet (22 metres). The River Derwent enters its southern end
- Derwent, River (river, England, United Kingdom)
River Derwent, river in North Yorkshire, England, that rises on Fylingdales Moor only 6 miles (10 km) inland from the North Sea but flows 57 miles (92 km) through alternating gorges and vales to its junction with the River Ouse. This peculiar course results from the blockage of its former path by
- Derwent, River (river, Tasmania, Australia)
River Derwent, river in Tasmania, Australia, rising in Lake St. Clair on the central plateau and flowing 113 miles (182 km) southeast to enter Storm Bay through a 3.5-mile- (5.5-km-) wide estuary. Its major upper-course tributaries, the Jordan, Clyde, Ouse (now draining the Great Lake), and Dee,
- Derwentside (former district, England, United Kingdom)
Derwentside, former district, unitary authority and historic county of Durham, northeastern England, located in the north-central part of the county about 12 miles (20 km) southwest of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Derwentside was a coal-mining area, historically important to Great Britain,
- Déry Tibor (Hungarian writer)
Tibor Déry was a Hungarian novelist, short-story writer, poet, and playwright, one of the most respected and controversial figures in 20th-century Hungarian literature. He was imprisoned for his role in the 1956 revolution. Born to an upper-middle-class Jewish family, Déry graduated from the
- Déry, Tibor (Hungarian writer)
Tibor Déry was a Hungarian novelist, short-story writer, poet, and playwright, one of the most respected and controversial figures in 20th-century Hungarian literature. He was imprisoned for his role in the 1956 revolution. Born to an upper-middle-class Jewish family, Déry graduated from the
- Déryné Széppataki Róza (Hungarian singer and actress)
Róza Déryné Széppataki was the first female Hungarian opera singer and the most famous Hungarian actress of the first half of the 19th century. Her parents sent her to Pest (now part of Budapest), then a predominantly German city, to learn the German language. In 1810 she joined the theatre company
- Déryné Széppataki, Róza (Hungarian singer and actress)
Róza Déryné Széppataki was the first female Hungarian opera singer and the most famous Hungarian actress of the first half of the 19th century. Her parents sent her to Pest (now part of Budapest), then a predominantly German city, to learn the German language. In 1810 she joined the theatre company
- Derzhavin, Gavrila Romanovich (Russian poet)
Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin was Russia’s greatest and most original 18th-century poet, whose finest achievements lie in his lyrics and odes. Born of impoverished nobility, Derzhavin joined the army as a common soldier in 1762 and was made an officer in 1772. In 1777 he entered the civil service in
- Derʿā (Syria)
Daraa, town, southwestern Syria. It is the chief town of the Ḥawrān region of Syria. Earning the nickname “the cradle of the revolution,” Daraa was the site of the first protests of the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s government, which eventually turned into the brutal and lengthy Syrian
- DES (hormone)
diethylstilbestrol (DES), nonsteroidal synthethic estrogen used as a drug and formerly used to promote growth of livestock. Unlike natural estrogens, DES remains active following oral administration. It is also administered as vaginal suppositories and by injection. DES breaks down more slowly in
- DES (cryptology)
Data Encryption Standard (DES), an early data encryption standard endorsed by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS; now the National Institute of Standards and Technology). It was phased out at the start of the 21st century by a more secure encryption standard, known as the Advanced
- Des compensations dans les destinées humaines (work by Azaïs)
Pierre-Hyacinthe Azaïs: …that first brought him fame, Des compensations dans les destinées humaines, 3 vol. (1809). In a following work, Système universel, 8 vol. (1809–12), he further developed the same idea and related it to certain cosmological concepts. At the core of this voluminous work is the notion that all experience (past,…
- Des Esseintes, Jean (fictional character)
Jean Des Esseintes, fictional character, a reclusive aesthete in the novel Against the Grain (1884) by Joris-Karl Huysmans. The last in a depleted line of nobles, Des Esseintes is wealthy and effete, and he grows impotent from dissolution. At age 30 he abandons society to lead a life of