de Havilland, Olivia 364
especially of temperature or angles: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (32°F) or 0 degrees Celsius (0°C). | an angle of 90 degrees (90°) | The city lies at a latitude of 30 degrees North (30°N). 2 [C|U] a point on an imaginary line used for measuring or comparing qualities, feelings, abilities etc: The children have different degrees of ability. | To what degree can they be trusted? | They can be trusted to some/a certain degree. | They cannot be trusted in the slightest degree. | The minister expressed a degree of (=a certain amount of) optimism about the state of the economy. | She is getting better by degrees but it will be some time before she is completely well. 3 [C[in]] a title given by a university or certain colleges to a student who has completed a course of study successfully: To do the job, you must have a degree in chemistry/a chemistry degree.
CULTURAL NOTE Bachelor's degrees When students successfully complete their university courses in the US and UK, they get a BACHELOR'S DEGREE. There are two main types of bachelor's degree: a BA for ARTS subjects such as languages or history, and a B.S. (in the US) or a BSc (in the UK) for science subjects such as mathematics and chemistry. In the US, a student can study for two years in a JUNIOR COLLEGE instead of a university and get an A.A. (= Associate of Arts). This degree, however, is not as high as a bachelor's degree. In the UK, students GRADUATE with different levels of degrees, according to how well they have done in their COURSEWORK and examinations. Students with the highest grades are given a 'first'. The next level, a second class degree, is divided into two types: an upper second, or '2:1' (pronounced 'two-one') which is higher, and a lower second, or '2:2' (pronounced 'two-two') which is lower. The lowest degree in a UK university is a 'third'. In the US, students who have very high GRADES when they finish university graduate 'summa cum laude', 'magna cum laude', or 'cum laude', which mean 'with highest honours', 'with high honours', and 'with honours'. Other students are not ranked according to how well they have done. Higher degrees Students who want to continue studying after they graduate from university can get a higher degree such a MASTER'S degree or a PhD. There are two main types of master's degree: an MA for arts subjects and an M.S. (in the US) or an MSc (in the UK) for science subjects. In Scotland, students usually spend one more year studying for their degrees than students in the rest of the UK, so they typically get a master's degree instead of a bachelor's degree when they graduate. ➔ see Feature on page A13
4 [U] old use a rank in society: a lady of high degree 5 to a degree: a) partly; not very much: I think that's true to a degree, but the situation is not quite so simple. b) very much indeed: She's untidy to a degree - her papers are all over the floor! ➔ THIRD DEGREE
de Hav·il-land, O-liv-i-a /də 'hævɪlənd, ə'lɪviə/ (1916-) an American actress born in Tokyo, Japan, and known for her beauty, who made a lot of films and won two important prizes
de-hu-man-ize also -ise BrE /ˌdi:'hju:mənaɪz/ v [T] to remove the human qualities from: The prisoners had been dehumanized by disease and ill treatment. —ization /ˌdi:hju:mənaɪ'zeʃn||-mənə-/ n [U]
de-hy-drate /ˌdi:haɪ'dreɪt||di:'haɪdreɪt/ v 1 [T] to dry completely; remove all the water from: to dehydrate milk to make milk powder | dehydrated vegetables 2 [I] to lose water from the body: People can very quickly dehydrate in the desert. —dration /ˌdi:haɪ'dreʃn/ n [U]
de-ice /ˌdi:'aɪs/ v [T] to make free of ice; remove ice from
de-i-fy /'di:ɪfaɪ, 'deɪ-/ v [T] to make a god of; treat as an object of worship: In some ancient societies kings were deified. | (fig.) to deify money —fication /ˌdi:ɪfɪ'keɪʃn, ˌdeɪ-/ n [U]
Deigh-ton, Len /'deɪtn, len/ (1929-) a British writer of THRILLERS (=books that tell exciting stories about crimes and murders). His books include The Ipcress File (1962) and Funeral in Berlin (1964) and several have been made into films.
deign /deɪn/ v [T+to-v; usually in negatives] often derog to think that something is worthy of one's attention: The students sent their suggestions to the principal but he didn't even deign to reply.
de-ism /'di:izəm, 'deɪ-/ n [U] the belief in a God whose existence can be proved by looking at the world he made rather than by considering some message he personally gave to humans ➔ compare THEISM —ist n
de-i-ty /'di:əti, 'deɪ-/ n a god or goddess: the deities of ancient Greece
Deity, the n fml God
dé-jà vu /ˌdeɪʒɑ: 'vju:, -'vu:/ n [U] Fr the feeling of remembering something that in fact one is experiencing for the first time: As she stepped into the room she had a strong feeling/sense of déjà vu.
de-jec-ted /dɪ'dʒektɪd/ adj having or showing low spirits; seeming sad or disappointed: a dejected look/person —ly adv —tion /-'dʒekʃən/ n [U]
de ju-re /ˌdi: 'dʒʊəri, ˌdeɪ 'dʊəre/ adj, adv Lat by legal right, though not necessarily in fact; the de jure ruler ➔ compare DE FACTO
dek·ko /'dekəʊ/ n have a dekkO (at) BrE slang to have a look (at)
De Klerk, F.W. /də 'klɜ:kɪɫ~'klɜ:rk/ (1936-) the President of South Africa from 1989 to 1994. He made many political changes and finally ended the system of APARTHEID. In 1990 he allowed the ANC to become a legal organization again, and let Nelson MANDELA out of prison. He and Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
de Koo-ning, Wil-lem /də 'kuːnɪŋ, 'wɪləm/ (1904-1997) Dutch-born American painter of ABSTRACTS²
de la Hoy-a, Oscar /də læ 'hɔɪə/ (1973-) a Mexican-American BOXER who won a gold MEDAL at the 1992 Olympic Games. He has a regular television programme on BOXING that is shown in Spanish.
De La Mare, Wal-ter /də læ 'meər, 'wɔ:ltər/ (1873-1956) a British writer known especially for his poems for children
de la Ren-ta, Oscar /də læ 'rentə/ (1936-) a famous fashion DESIGNER who was born in the Dominican Republic. He worked in Paris and then went to New York, where he started his own company in 1965. He is known especially for his beautiful EVENING DRESSES.
Del-a-ware /'deləweər/ written abbrev. DE a small state in the northeastern US. It was one of the original thirteen states established under British rule.
de-lay¹ /dɪ'le/ v 1 [T] to move to a later time; DEFER: We decided to delay our holiday until next month. | The long-delayed meeting at last took place on Monday. | [+v-ing] They delayed publishing the report until after the election. 2 [T] to cause to be late: Our plane was delayed by fog. 3 [I] to move or take action slowly, especially on purpose: They're trying to delay until help arrives. | Don't delay: send off your application today!
delay² n 1 [U] the act of delaying or the state of being delayed: Do it without delay! | Incoming flights will be subject to delay because of the fog. | After much delay, the results of the exam were published. 2 [C] an example of being delayed: Heavy traffic is causing serious delays on all routes to the coast. 3 [C] the time during which something or someone is delayed: Delays of up to two hours were reported on all roads this morning.
Del Boy /'del bɔɪ/ the NICKNAME of Derek Trotter, one of the main characters in the humorous British television programme ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES. Del Boy buys and sells things but he is never very successful. He is not completely honest, but is likeable in spite of this.
de-lec-ta-ble /dɪ'lektəbəl/ adj very pleasing; delightful: What delectable food you cook! —bly adv
de-lec-ta-tion /ˌdi:lek'teɪʃən/ n [U] fml or humor enjoyment, pleasure, or amusement
del-e-gate¹ /'delɪgət/ n a person who has been elected or appointed to speak, vote, or take decisions for a group, such as a representative at a meeting: She was our delegate at the party conference.
del-e-gate² /'delɪgeɪt/ v 1 [I;T (to)] to give (part of one's power, rights etc) to someone else for a certain time: Part of the art of management is knowing when to delegate. | I have