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Contraction 'd
- v. had. <He'd better do it.>
- v. did. <How'd she do that?>
- v. would. <I'd like to go.>
- v. (informal) do or did. <How d'you take your coffee?>
D in Print and Proverb
- (in literature) He flung out in his violent way, and said with a D, 'Then do as you like.' —Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. (The D here is a euphemism for damn.)
- (in literature) Boxer [the horse] could not get beyond the letter D. —George Orwell, Animal Farm.
- n. any spoken sound represented by the letter.
<The sound vibration of the consonant D means "doing, creating, creation, throwing light." —Joseph E. Rael, Tracks of Dancing Light: A Native American Approach to Understanding Your Name.>
- n. a written representation of the letter.
<He
would commence a letter with the words 'Dear Sir,' forming the letter
'D' with painful, accurate slowness, elaborating and thickening the up
and down strokes, and being troubled when he had to leave that letter
for the next one; he built the next letter by hair strokes and would
start on the third with hatred. —James Stephens, Crock of Gold.>
- n. a device, such as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter.
- n. the fourth letter of the alphabet.
<In the days that followed, Lempri?re wrestled with the letter "D." —Lawrence Norfolk, Lempri?re's Dictionary.>
- n. a group of artworks.
<Representational
and abstract elements were combined by Sam Gilliam in The D series, in
which the canvas is a three dimensional conversation with paint and the
enigmatic hint of subject with the inclusion of a single letter. —Carolina Arts.>
Exertions of Power
- n. a planned attack, as in "D-Day."
<"D-Day"
is a military term designating the start date for launching an
operation, but in modern history it generally refers to the events of
June 6th 1944. —D-Day Museum.>
- n. (physics) a state of atomic energy.
Foreign Meanings
- adj. (German) through, as in "D-Zug," a through or express train.
- v. (French) (slang) to wangle, as in "Employer le syst?me D."
- n. (Hebrew) the letter D is called daleth, which means "a door."
In Shape
- n. a semicircle on a pool table that is about 22 inches in diameter and is used in snooker games.
- n. something having the shape of a D.
- n. a shoe width size (narrower than E, wider than C).
Placement
- n. the fourth in a series.
- n. a grade in school indicating "unsatisfactory."
<Last year he got all 'A's on his report card and this year he's getting mostly 'D's and 'F's. We're so proud. —Luke Rhinehart, The Dice Man.>
- n. one graded with a D. <a D student>
- n. a Roman numeral for 500.
- n. something arbitrarily designated D (e.g. a person, place, or other thing).
- n. the saloon deck of the Titanic.
<On most Titanic floorplans, D is Saloon Deck. —Chris Mcqueeny, "Encyclopedia Titanica Message Board.">
Scientific Matters
- n. a vitamin (cholecalciferol).
<Vitamin
D works with calcium to build strong bones and teeth and maintain the
nervous system. ... For most people, sun exposure is the primary source
of vitamin D. Food sources include vitamin D-fortified milk, eggs,
fish liver oils, and fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, and salmon. —American Medical Association.>
- n. (biology) aspartate, an amino acid.
- n. a layer of the ionosphere, as in the "D layer."
<[The
D layer is the] lowest part of the ionosphere, which appears at an
altitude of 50-80km. This layer has a negative effect on radio waves,
because it only absorbs radio-energy. It develops short after sunrise
and disappears short after sunrise. This layer reaches maximum
ionization when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. —WWDX Propogation College.>
Symphony in D
- n. the second note in a C-major musical scale.
- n. a written or printed musical note.
- n. a string, key, or pipe tuned to the note D.
Find dozens more D's in the upcoming print edition of the Dictionary of One Letter Words! Details forthcoming.
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