Divine Office, the
400
around 1300 by the Italian poet DANTE. It describes the poet's SPIRITUAL journey. First he is led through Hell (the Inferno) and Purgatory by the poet VIRGIL, and then he is led through Paradise by BEATRICE, the woman he loves. It is generally considered to be one of the greatest poems ever written.
**Di,vine 'Office, the** the fixed forms of daily prayer and ceremony used by Roman Catholic priests
**di·vin·er** /də'vaınə / also **dowser** *n* a person who divines for underground water or minerals
**di,vine 'right** also **di,vine right of 'kings** *n* [S;U] the idea that a king receives his right to rule directly from God and not from the people: (fig.) *You seem to think you have a divine right to open my mail.*
**'diving bell** *n* a bell-shaped metal container in which people can work under water
**div·ing-board** /'daıvıŋbɔ:dl-bɔ:rd/ *n* a board fixed at one end, especially high off the ground, off which people DIVE into the water $\rightarrow$ compare SPRINGBOARD
**di·vin·i·ty** /də'vınəti/ *n* **1** [U] the quality or state of being divine **2** [C] (often cap.) a god or goddess **3** [U] the study of God and religious beliefs; THEOLOGY
**Divinity, the** God
**di·vis·i·ble** /də'vızəbəl/ *adj* [(by, into)] that can be divided: *15 is divisible by 3.* $\rightarrow$ opposite INDIVISIBLE
**di·vi·sion** /də'vıʒən/ *n* **1** [U(between, among, into)] separation or sharing: *the division of responsibility among the teachers* **2** [C+sing./pl. v] one of the parts or groups into which a whole is divided: *She works in the company's export division. | a naval division (=a group of ships that fight together) | Wolverhampton Wanderers are in the 1st Division.* **3** [C(between)] something that divides or separates: *The river forms the division between the old and new parts of the city. | deep political divisions between the two groups* **4** [U(between)] disagreement between the members of a group; DISSENSION **5** [U] the process of finding out how many times one number or quantity is contained in another: *The children are learning to do division. |* **division sign** ($\div$) $\rightarrow$ compare MULTIPLICATION; see also LONG DIVISION **6** [C] tech a vote in the British parliament in which all those in favour ('aye') go to one place and all those against ('no') go to another: *to force a division | the* **division bell** (=bell rung to tell members there will be a division)
**di'vision ,lobby** *n* (in Britain) either of the two places to which a Member of Parliament goes to vote for or against something in a DIVISION
**di,vision of 'labour** *n* [(the) U] a system in which each member of a group specializes in a different type of work
**di·vi·sive** /də'vaısıv/ *adj* tending to make people argue amongst themselves; causing DISUNITY: *a divisive policy/issue* -ly *adv* **-ness** *n* [U]
**di·vi·sor** /də'vaızər/ *n* tech the number by which another number is divided: *When 15 is divided by 3, the number 3 is the divisor.* $\rightarrow$ compare DIVIDEND
**di·vorce¹** /də'vɔ:sl-ɔ:rs/ *n* **1** [C;U] (a case of) the official ending of a marriage, especially as declared by a court of law: *Their marriage ended in divorce. | She wants to get a divorce. | an increase in the number of divorces*
CULTURAL NOTE Divorce is legal in the US and UK. A husband or wife can get a divorce for reasons of ADULTERY (=when one of them is having sex with someone else), unreasonable behaviour such as mental or physical cruelty, DESERTION (=when one of them leaves), or SEPARATION (=when they no longer live together). Some married couples prefer a divorce in which neither the husband nor the wife is blamed for the end of the marriage. In this case, they usually get a NO-FAULT divorce, which is allowed in most US states and in the UK. In both countries, a special court decides how to divide the couple's property between them, and who will get CUSTODY of (=the legal right to take care of) their children. If one of the couple is financially dependent on the other, the court will usually order the other one to pay ALIMONY (AmE), or MAINTENANCE (BrE). In the US, a court also decides how much CHILD SUPPORT a husband or wife should pay to help support their children. In the UK, however, a government organization called the CSA (Child Support Agency) decides how much maintenance should be paid. Today in the UK around 40% of marriages end in divorce, and in the US the figure is almost 50%. It is common in both countries for people to get married again to someone else, and in the US especially, it is not unusual for people to get married three or more times. $\rightarrow$ see Cultural Note at MARRIAGE
**2** [C(between)] a separation: *a growing divorce between workers and management*
**divorce²** *v* **1** [I;T] to officially end a marriage between/to (a husband and wife): *They're getting divorced. | She divorced him after years of unhappiness. | a divorced woman* **2** [T(from)] to separate completely: *It is difficult to divorce politics from sport. | Some of his ideas are completely divorced from reality.*
USAGE If Tom and Jill are married but intend to end their marriage we can say *Tom and Jill are getting divorced.* If we are talking mainly about Jill we can say *Jill is getting a divorce/getting divorced (from Tom).* But if Jill is taking action in law against Tom to end the marriage we can say *Jill is divorcing Tom.* $\rightarrow$ see also MARRY (USAGE)
**di·vor·cée** /də'vɔ:siː||-dɔ:,vɔ:r'seı, -'siː/, **di·vor·cé** /də'vɔ:siː, -seıl-ɔ:r-/ *masc. n* **1** *AmE old-fash* a woman whose marriage has ended in divorce $\rightarrow$ compare WIDOW **2** *BrE* a man or woman whose marriage has ended in divorce
**di·vulge** /daı'vʌldʒ, də-/ *v* [T(to)] fml to tell or make known (what has been secret); REVEAL: *Who divulged our plans (to the press)? | [+that] The doctor divulged that the President had been ill for some time before he died. | [+wh-] They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.* **--vulgance** *n* [U]
**div·vy** /'dıvi/ *v* [T(up)] slang to divide: *a conspiracy to divvy up the market between them*
**Di·wa·li, Dewali** /dı'wa:li/, also **Di·va·li** /dı'va:li/ *n* an important HINDU religious celebration in October or November. People celebrate Diwali by lighting lamps, eating special food, and exchanging gifts. Many Hindu people living in the UK also let off FIREWORKS.
**Dix·ie** /'dıksi/ the southern states of the US where slaves were owned before the CIVIL WAR. A popular song called Dixie was written in 1859.
**dix·ie·land** /'dıksılænd/ *n* [U] old-style (TRADITIONAL) JAZZ played with a two-beat RHYTHM by a small band and often including a part played by just one instrument, originally from the southern states of the US
**Dix·on of Dock Green** /,dıksən əv ,dɒk 'ɡriːn||-,dɑ:k-/ a popular British television programme shown from 1955 to 1976 about an imaginary London police officer called Sergeant Dixon. Sergeant Dixon was a typical friendly honest English BOBBY (=policeman) who was always willing to help people, and his name is sometimes used to describe an old-fashioned type of police officer. At the beginning of each programme, Sergeant Dixon said 'Evenin' all'.
**Dix·ons** /'dıksənz/ trademark a British shop with many branches that sells electrical, electronic, and photographic equipment, such as televisions, cameras, and computers
**DIY** /,diː aı 'waı/ *n* [U] especially BrE, abbrev. for do-it-yourself; the practice of doing repairs, painting the house etc oneself, instead of paying workmen: *a DIY shop | a DIY fanatic*
**diz·zy** /'dızi/ *adj* **1** having an unpleasant feeling of loss of balance and confusion, as if things are going round and round: *They danced round in circles until they were dizzy. | Climbing ladders makes me dizzy.* **2** [A] causing this feeling: *looking down from a dizzy height | (fig.) She rose to the dizzy height (=important position) of vice-president.* **3** infml, especially AmE careless and forgetful: *A dizzy blonde works at the front desk.* **--zily** *adv* **-ziness** *n* [U]
**DJ¹** /,diː 'dʒeı/ *n* **1** a disc jockey; someone who plays records in a club or on a radio show **2** abbrev. for DINNER JACKET
**DJ²** *v* [I] to work as a DJ, playing records in clubs or on a radio show: *I started DJing when I was at college.*
**Dja·kar·ta** /dʒə'ka:tə||-ɑ:r-/ another spelling of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia