displacement

[dis-pleys-muhnt]

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.

displacement

/ 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

displacement

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.

Other Word Forms

• predisplacement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of displacement¹

First recorded in 1605–15; displace + -ment

Example Sentences

"The Geneva Conventions prohibit displacement of civilians from occupied territory except temporarily for imperative military reasons or the population's security," HRW said.

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The event, known as the Nakba, vividly lives on in Palestinian collective memory, and camp residents like Irhil fear the history of displacement -- which many also thought would be temporary in 1948 -- will repeat itself.

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Now in its third year, Sudan's war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million more and triggered what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

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Lebanese authorities said Israel's attacks killed about 4,000 people there - including many civilians - and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents.

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The demonstrators were protesting their displacement by Israel from the Nur Shams refugee camp on the edge of Tulkarem in the north of the Palestinian territory.

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