demote
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de·mote /dɪˈməʊt/ v [T] to lower in rank or position →
opposite PROMOTE —motion /dɪˈməʊʃən/ n [C;U]
de·mot·ic /dɪˈmɒtɪk||dɪˈmɑ-/ adj fml (of a form of language,
especially Modern Greek) used by the ordinary people
de·mo·ti·vate /diːˈməʊtɪveɪt/ v [T] to take away from (a
person) their eagerness to do their job or the satisfaction
they get from doing their job —vation /ˌdiːməʊtɪˈveɪʃən/
n [U]
de·mur¹ /dɪˈm3ːr/ v -rr- [I (at)] fml to make clear, by words or
actions, one's opposition to or disapproval of a plan, sugges-
tion etc: They demurred at the idea of working on Sunday.
demur² n without demur fml with no sign of disagreement or
disapproval
de·mure /dɪˈmjʊər/ adj 1 (especially of a woman or child)
quiet, serious, and not trying to draw attention to oneself: a
demure young lady 2 pretending to be like this —ly adv
—~ness n [U]
de·mys·ti·fy /ˌdiːˈmɪstʃfaɪ/ v [T] to make (something) less
mysterious or less difficult to understand: a book attempting
to demystify the whole subject of computers —fication
/ˌdiːmɪstɪˈkeɪʃən/ n [U]
den /den/ n 1 the home of a usually large fierce wild animal,
such as a lion 2 a centre of secret, especially illegal, activity:
a den of thieves | an opium den | a den of iniquity 3 infml a
small comfortable quiet room in a house, where a person,
usually a man, can be alone: Father's in his den. 4 AmE a
group of CUB SCOUTS
De·na·li /dəˈnɑli/ a mountain in Denali National Park in
central Alaska, which is the highest point in North America.
It was formerly called Mount McKinley.
de·na·tion·al·ize also -ise BrE /diːˈnæʃənəlaɪz/ v [T] to
remove from state ownership; PRIVATIZE —ization
/ˌdiːnæʃənəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ n [C;U]
Dench, Dame Ju·di
/dentʃ, ˈdʒuːdi/ (1934-) a
famous and respected British
actress, who appears in the
theatre, in films, and on
television. Her films include
Shakespeare in Love and Iris.
Since 1995, she has also
played the part of 'M' in
James Bond films.
Dame Judi Dench
den·gue fe·ver /ˈdeŋgi
ˌfiːvər/ n [U] a serious infec-
tious illness which is carried
by mosquitoes (MOSQUITO) in
hot countries
Deng Xiao·ping /ˌdʌŋ
ʃaʊpɪŋ/ (1904-97) a Chinese
politician who was the most
powerful person in the Chinese COMMUNIST Party from
1977 until his death. He is known for starting the impor-
tant changes that helped China to develop its economy
and industry, and to do more business with Western
countries.
de·ni·al /dɪˈnaɪəl/ n [C;U] 1 the act or an example of saying
that something is not true; act of denying (DENY): The
government has issued a firm denial of this rumour. 2 the act
or an example of refusing to give or do something: a denial
of justice
de·ni·er¹ /dɪˈnaɪər/ n a person who denies (DENY) something
den·i·er² /ˈdeniər/ n a measure of the fineness of the threads
of silk, nylon etc. Lower numbers mean finer threads:
15-denier tights
den·i·grate /ˈdenɪgreɪt/ v [T] fml to declare to be not very
good or not important; DISPARAGE —gration
/ˌdenˈgreɪən/ n [U]
den·im /ˈdenɪm/ n [U] a strong cotton cloth used especially
for making JEANS
den·ims /ˈdenmz/ n [P] trousers made of denim; JEANS: a
pair of blue denims
De Ni·ro, Rob·ert /də ˈnɪərəʊ, ˈrɒbət||ˈrɑːbərt/ (1943-) one
of America's greatest film actors, known especially for
appearing as characters who are violent or are involved in
very violent situations. He made many films with the DIREC-
TOR Martin Scorsese, including Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas
(1990), and Casino (1995). He won an Oscar for the films
The Godfather, Part 2 (1975) and Raging Bull (1991).
den·i·zen /ˈdenɪzən/ n [(oft)] lit or humor an animal, plant, or
person, that lives or is found in a particular place: denizens
of the deep (→sea creatures)
Den·mark /ˈdenmɑːk||-mɑːrk/ a country in northern
Europe, north of Germany and surrounded on three sides by
sea. Denmark forms part of Scandinavia, and the people
there are called Danes. It is a member of the EU. Population:
5,330,020 (2000). Capital: Copenhagen.
'den ˌmother n AmE a woman who leads a group of CUB
SCOUTS
Den·nis the Men·ace /ˌdenɪs ðə ˈmenɪs/ 1 a character in
the British COMIC The Beano. Dennis is a young boy with
thick black hair that sticks out in all directions and he wears a
SWEATER with red and black STRIPES. He has a dog called
Gnasher, and together they play tricks on people. 2 a charac-
ter in a US CARTOON STRIP. Dennis is a little boy with light
hair who is always causing problems, even though he does
not intend to. He especially likes to play with his neighbour,
Mr Wilson, who usually gets very annoyed with him.
de·nom·i·nate /dɪˈnɒmɪneɪt||dɪˈnɑː-/ v [T+obj+n] fml or pomp
to give a name to; call; DESIGNATE
de·nom·i·na·tion /dɪˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃən||dɪˌnɑː-/ n 1 a religious
group that is part of a larger religious body: The service was
attended by Christians of all denominations. 2 a standard of
value: coins of many denominations/of low denomina-
tions 3 fml a name, especially for a class or type
de·nom·i·na·tion·al /dɪˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃənəl||dɪˌnɑː-/ adj of,
controlled by, or being a religious denomination: a denomi-
national school → see also INTERDENOMINATIONAL
de·nom·i·na·tor /dɪˈnɒmɪneɪtər||dɪˈnɑː-/ n the number
below the line in a FRACTION: 4 is the denominator in ¼. →
compare NUMERATOR; see also COMMON DENOMINATOR
de·no·ta·tion /ˌdɪnəʊˈteɪʃən/ n especially tech the thing that
is actually named or described by a word, rather than the
feelings or ideas that are suggested by the word → compare
CONNOTATION —tive /dɪˈnətətɪv||ˈdiːnoʊteɪtɪv,
dɪˈnɑːtə-/ adj
de·note /dɪˈnəʊt/ v [T] 1 to be a name of; mean: The word
'lion' denotes a certain kind of wild animal. 2 to be a mark or
sign of: A smile often denotes pleasure. | [+that] The sign '='
denotes that two things are equal. → compare CONNOTE
de·noue·ment /deɪˈnuːmɒŋ||deɪnuːmɑːŋ/ n fml the end of
a story when everything is explained
de·nounce /dɪˈnaʊns/ v [T(as)] to express strong disapproval
of, especially publicly; CONDEMN: The minister's action was
denounced in all the newspapers. | She was denounced as a
traitor.
dense /dens/ adj 1 closely packed or crowded together: a
dense crowd | dense trees/traffic 2 difficult to see through: a
dense mist 3 stupid; slow to understand: One or two of the
students are a bit dense. —ly adv: a densely populated area
—~ness n [U]
den·si·ty /ˈdensɪti/ n 1 [U] a) the quality of being DENSE
(1,2): the density of the crowd/of the mist b) the degree to
which a space or area is filled: population density | low-
density housing (=a small number of houses in a large
area) 2 [C;U] tech the relation of the amount of matter (the
mass) to the space into which the matter is packed (its
VOLUME): the density of a gas 3 [C;U] tech the amount of
information that can be stored per unit of space on a
MAGNETIC TAPE or DISK: Are these high- or low-density disks? |
The density of this tape is 6250 bpi. (=bits per inch)
dent¹ /dent/ n a small hollow place in the surface of some-
thing man-made, which is the result of pressure or of being
hit: a dent in the side of my car | (fig.) The holiday has made a
big dent in our savings.
dent² v [T] to make a dent in: I'm afraid I've dented the car.
den·tal¹ /ˈdentl/ adj of or related to the teeth: dental decay
dental² n, adj tech (a speech sound) made by putting the end
of the tongue against the upper front teeth