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Dionysius – Dirt-Beds

Dionysius

a historian and critic of Halicarnassus, in Caria, who was invited

Dip

the inclination or angle at which strata slope or dip downward into the earth. This angle is measured from the plane of the horizon or level, and may be readily ascertained by the clinometer.

The opposite of dip is rise, and either expression may be used, according to the position of the observer.

Diploma

a writing or document conferring some power, authority, privilege, or honor, usually under seal and signed by a duly authorized official. Diplomas are given to graduates of a university on their taking their degrees; to clergymen who are licensed to officiate; to physicians, civil engineers, etc., authorizing them to practice their professions.

Diplopia

an affection of the sight, in which objects are seen double. It arises from derangement of the visual axis.

Diplopterus

a genus of fossil ganoid fishes, of four species, belonging to the Old Red Sandstone.

Diplozoon

a parasitic trematode worm which infests the gills of the bream, and which appears to be formed of two distinct bodies united in the middle, and resembling an X or St. Andrew's cross, two sexually mature individuals being thus united.

Dipper

a name given to the seven stars in the constellation of the Great Bear, from their being arranged in the form of a dipper, or ladle.

Dipsas

a genus of non-venomous serpents of the family Colubriformes.

They are nocturnal, arboreal animals, feeding chiefly on lizards, frogs and small birds, and are most abundant in neotropical and Oriental regions.

Dirge

funeral music or hymn expressing grief or lamentation, usually played or sung at funerals or at services in memory of the dead. The word "dirge" derives its name from a Latin hymn beginning with "Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meum." (Direct, O Lord, my God, my ways in "Lycidus," is a well-known dirge.

Dirk

a kind of dagger formerly used as a weapon of offense by the Highlanders of Scotland. Dirks are worn by midshipmen and cadets of the royal navy, and still form part of the full Highland part of the full Kighland and costume.

Dirk-Hartog Island

on the W. coast of Australia, 45 miles long N. to S. and 10 miles broad.

Dirt-Beds

a name given to certain dark-colored loam-like beds, which occur interstratified with Oölitic limestones and sandstones of Portland, England. They contain not only Cycadeæ, but also stumps of trees in an erect position, with their roots extending beneath them. Stems of trees are also found prostrate. Dirt-beds occur also in parts of the Mississippi basin.