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. Compare Archimedes' principle.
   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 ( def ).

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

displacement

/ 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.

Other Words From

• pre·dis·place·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of displacement¹

First recorded in 1605–15; displace + -ment

Example Sentences

This spatial displacement reveals your thirst for freedom, your desire for openness and to break with the protest novel.

From The Daily Beast

For those who escape direct physical injury, there remain the ill effects of displacement and deprivation.

From The Daily Beast

A tense, dynamic equilibrium between the U.S. and China seems more likely than a clear displacement of the former by the latter.

From The Daily Beast

The daily killing and displacement of civilians have not led to an international agreement to stop the conflict.

From The Daily Beast

Palestinians call their displacement from Syria “a second Nakba,” Ellis said.

From The Daily Beast

This secular displacement of the line of the apsides brings a sixth complication to the motion of our abiding-place.

From Project Gutenberg

They are simply well-designed boats of light displacement and large sail-area, very fast and very handy.

From Project Gutenberg

Instances of such displacement are given in the footnote of the previous paragraph.

From Project Gutenberg

In all of these cases, the movement of displacement is identical, and presents only adventitious differences.

From Project Gutenberg

The displacement of religious by other considerations is observable on all sides.

From Project Gutenberg