displacement

American  

[dis-pleys-muhnt] / dɪsˈpleɪs mənt /

noun

1. the act of displacing.

2. the state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced.

3. Psychology, Psychoanalysis.  the transfer of an emotion from its original focus to another object, person, or situation.

4. Physics.

   1. the displacing in space of one mass by another.

   2. the weight or the volume of fluid displaced by a floating or submerged body.

   3. the linear or angular distance in a given direction between a body or point and a reference position.

   4. the distance of an oscillating body from its central position or point of equilibrium at any given moment.

5. Machinery, Automotive.

   1. the volume of the space through which a piston travels during a single stroke in an engine, pump, or the like.

   2. the total volume of the space traversed by all the pistons.

6. Nautical.  the amount of water that a vessel displaces, expressed in displacement tons.

7. Geology.  the offset of rocks caused by movement along a fault.

8. electric displacement.

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displacement British  

/ dɪsˈpleɪsmənt /

noun

1. the act of displacing or the condition of being displaced

2. the weight or volume displaced by a floating or submerged body in a fluid

3. chem another name for substitution

4. the volume displaced by the piston of a reciprocating pump or engine

5. psychoanal the transferring of emotional feelings from their original object to one that disguises their real nature

6. geology the distance any point on one side of a fault plane has moved in relation to a corresponding point on the opposite side

7. astronomy an apparent change in position of a body, such as a star

8.  s.  maths the distance measured in a particular direction from a reference point

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displacement Scientific  

/ dĭs-plās′mənt /

1. Chemistry  A chemical reaction in which an atom, radical, or molecule replaces another in a compound.

2. Physics  A vector, or the magnitude of a vector, that points from an initial position (of a body or reference frame) to a subsequent position.

3. The weight or volume of a fluid displaced by a floating body, used especially as a measurement of the weight or bulk of ships.

4. The volume displaced by a single stroke of a piston in an engine or pump.

5. Geology

   1. The relative movement between the two sides of a geologic fault.

   2. The distance between the two sides of a fault.

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Other Word Forms

• predisplacement noun

Etymology

Origin of displacement

First recorded in 1605–15; displace + -ment

Example Sentences

It was about getting a 67-year-old man struggling mightily with displacement, and a dog on her home stretch, back where they needed to be.

From Los Angeles Times

Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million people before the war to fewer than 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration, experts say.

From Barron's

Economists cite several explanations, including contraction in the entertainment industry, displacements caused by artificial intelligence and overall uncertainty in the national economy.

From Los Angeles Times

In a paradoxical way, Mr. Khamenei’s displacement stems from his success.

From The Wall Street Journal

On a recent visit to displacement camps in Sudan, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the country faced enormous needs and highlighted the need to develop a stronger health system.

From Barron's