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density

[den-si-tee]
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noun, plural den·si·ties.
  1. the state or quality of being dense; compactness; closely set or crowded condition.
  2. stupidity; slow-wittedness; obtuseness.
  3. the number of inhabitants, dwellings, or the like, per unit area: The commissioner noted that the population density of certain city blocks had fallen dramatically.
  4. Physics. mass per unit volume.
  5. Electricity.
    1. the quantity of electricity per unit of volume at a point in space, or the quantity per unit of area at a point on a surface.
    2. current density.
  6. the degree of opacity of a substance, medium, etc., that transmits light.
  7. Photography. the relative degree of opacity of an area of a negative or transparency, often expressed logarithmically.
  8. Computers. a measure of the compactness of data saved on a storage medium, as disk or tape, or displayed on an electronic screen.
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Origin of density

1595–1605; < Latin dēnsitās, equivalent to dēns(us) dense + -itās -ity
Related formsnon·den·si·ty, nounsu·per·den·si·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for density

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The young man tried to be patient over her density in this time of crisis.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • In the second way, density implies compactness of molecules.

    The Machinery of the Universe

    Amos Emerson Dolbear

  • So if rate of speed and elasticity be known, the density may be computed.

    The Machinery of the Universe

    Amos Emerson Dolbear

  • In this way the density of the ether has been deduced by noting the velocity of light.

    The Machinery of the Universe

    Amos Emerson Dolbear

  • The density of their ignorance is something that the people of England cannot understand.

    Ireland as It Is

    Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)

British Dictionary definitions for density

density

noun plural -ties
  1. the degree to which something is filled, crowded, or occupiedhigh density of building in towns
  2. obtuseness; stupidity
  3. a measure of the compactness of a substance, expressed as its mass per unit volume. It is measured in kilograms per cubic metre or pounds per cubic footSymbol: ρ See also relative density
  4. a measure of a physical quantity per unit of length, area, or volumeSee charge density, current density
  5. physics photog See transmission density, reflection density
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for density

n.

c.1600, from French densité (16c.), from Old French dempsité (13c.), from Latin densitas "thickness," from densus "thick, dense" (see dense).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
density in Medicine

density

(dĕn′sĭ-tē)
n.
  1. The mass per unit volume of a substance at a specified pressure and temperature.
  2. The quantity of something per unit measure, especially per unit length, area, or volume.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
density in Science

density

[dĕn′sĭ-tē]
  1. A measure of the quantity of some physical property (usually mass) per unit length, area, or volume (usually volume).♦ Mass density is a measure of the mass of a substance per unit volume. Most substances (especially gases such as air) increase in density as their pressure is increases or as their temperature decreases.♦ Energy density is a measure of the amount of energy (often in the form of electromagnetic radiation) per unit volume in a region of space or some material. See also Boyle's law.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
density in Culture

density

The relative heaviness of objects, measured in units of mass or weight per units of volume. (See specific gravity.)

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.