dis·place·ment

[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.
Physics.
a.
the displacing in space of one mass by another.
b.
the weight or the volume of fluid displaced by a floating or submerged body. Compare Archimedes' principle.
c.
the linear or angular distance in a given direction between a body or point and a reference position.
d.
the distance of an oscillating body from its central position or point of equilibrium at any given moment.
4.
Machinery, Automotive.
a.
the volume of the space through which a piston travels during a single stroke in an engine, pump, or the like.
b.
the total volume of the space traversed by all the pistons.
5.
Nautical. the amount of water that a vessel displaces, expressed in displacement tons.
6.
Geology. the offset of rocks caused by movement along a fault.
7.
Psychoanalysis. the transfer of an emotion from its original focus to another object, person, or situation.
8.
electric displacement.
Origin:
1605–15; displace + -ment

Related forms
pre·dis·place·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Displacement is always a great word to know.
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an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
displacement (dɪsˈpleɪsmənt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
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 s the distance measured in a particular direction from a reference point

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

displacement
1610s, removal from office, from displace + -ment. Physics sense is from 1837.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

displacement dis·place·ment (dĭs-plās'mənt)
n.

  1. Removal from the normal location or position.

  2. A defense mechanism in which there is an unconscious shift of emotions, affect, or desires from the original object to a more acceptable or immediate substitute.

  3. A chemical reaction in which an atom, a radical, or a molecule replaces another in a compound.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
displacement   (dĭs-plās'mənt)  Pronunciation Key 

  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. Also called dislocation.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
His was the solitude, self-doubt and restlessness of dislocation and
  displacement.
Ice, some said, is a rip-off—so much tragic beverage displacement and
  dilution.
The surveys also reaffirmed his belief that e-books are not a displacement
  technology, particularly in the short term.
The displacement was infinitesimal on the scale of the sky, and a measure of
  impressive navigational precision.
Image for displacement
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