diamond cutting Branch of lapidary art involving the five basic steps in fashioning a diamond: marking, cleaving, sawing, girdling, and face¬ ting. The most popular style is the brilliant cut, a round stone with 58 facets; a round diamond with only 18 facets is known as a single cut. Any other style is known as a fancy cut. See also gemstone.
Diamond Sutra in full Diamond-Cutter Perfection of Wis¬ dom Sutra Wisdom text of Mahayana Buddhism. It was composed c. ad 300 and translated into Chinese c. ad 400. The best known of the wis¬ dom texts contained in the Prajnaparamita, it is written in the form of a dialogue between the Buddha Gautama and a questioning disciple. The work emphasizes the transitory nature of the material world and suggests that spiritual fulfillment can be attained only by transcending ephemeral phenomena and abandoning rationalism.
Dian, Lake Chinese Dlan Chi \'dyen-'che\ or Tien Ch'ih Lake, cen¬ tral Yunnan province, southern China. It is about 25 mi (40 km) long and 8 mi (13 km) wide. The area was settled by sedentary agricultural peoples
as early as the 2nd century bc. It was the centre of the independent state of Dian (Tien), which became tributary to the Han dynasty after 109 bc.
Diana Roman goddess of nature, animals, and the hunt. As a fertility deity, she was invoked for aid in conception and childbirth. She was vir¬ tually indistinguishable from the Greek goddess Artemis. In her cult in Rome she was considered the protector of the lower classes, especially slaves.
Diana, princess of Wales orig. Lady Diana Frances Spencer
(b. July 1, 1961, Sandringham, Norfolk, Eng.—d. Aug. 31, 1997, Paris, France) Consort (1981-96) of Charles, prince of Wales. Daughter of Vis¬ count Althorp (later Earl Spencer), she was a kindergarten teacher at the time of her engagement to Charles, whom she married on July 29, 1981, in a globally televised ceremony. They had two sons. Princes William (1982) and Henry (1984). Her beauty and unprecedented popularity as a member of the royal family attracted intense press attention, and she became one of the most photographed women in the world. The marriage gradually broke down; Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and were divorced in 1996. She remained highly visible and continued her activi¬ ties on behalf of numerous charities. In 1997 she was killed in a car crash in Paris, along with her companion, Emad Mohamed (Dodi) al-Fayed (1955-97), and their driver. Her death brought on a massive public out¬ pouring of grief.
Diane de France \dyan-do- , fra n s\ / duchess de Montmorency and Angouleme (b. 1538, Paris, France—d. Jan. 11, 1619, Paris) Natural daughter (legitimated 1547) of King Henry II of France. In 1559 she was married to Francois de Montmorency (1530-79). She was known for her culture, intelligence, and beauty as well as for the influence she wielded during the reigns of Henry III and Henry IV.
Diane de Poitiers \de-'an-d3-pwa-'tya\, duchess de Valentinois
(b. Sept. 3, 1499—d. April 22,1566, Anet, France) Mistress of King Henry II of France. Diane came to the French court as a lady-in-waiting, where Henry, 20 years her junior, fell violently in love with her. After the death of her husband, Diane became Henry’s mistress from c. 1536. Throughout his reign (1547-59) she held court as queen of France in all but name, while the real queen, Catherine de Medicis, was forced to live in comparative obscu¬ rity. Beautiful and cultivated, Diane was a patron of poets and artists.
Dianetics See Church of Scientology dianthus See pink family
diaphragm \ , di-3-,fram\ Dome-shaped muscular and membranous structure between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The principal muscle used in respiration, it is also important in coughing, vomiting, excretion, and other expulsive functions. Spasms of the diaphragm pro¬ duce hiccups. The aorta passes behind the diaphragm; the inferior vena cava and esophagus pass through it. Protrusion of part of the stomach above the diaphragm is called a hiatal hernia.
Diarmaid Macmurchada See Dermot Macmurrough
diarrhea \,di-9-'re-9\ Abnormally fast passage of waste material through the large intestine, resulting in frequent defecation with loose feces and sometimes cramps. Causes range widely and can include cholera, dysentery, highly seasoned foods or high alcohol intake, poisons (includ¬ ing food poisoning), drug side effects, and Graves' disease. Mild cases of diarrhea are treated with bismuth subsalicylate (trade name Pepto- Bismol); extreme cases are treated with fluid and electrolyte replacement while the underlying disease passes. Traveler’s diarrhea affects up to half of people who travel to developing countries. Its prevention includes tak¬ ing bismuth subsalicylate tablets, drinking only bottled or canned bever¬ ages, and eating only peeled fruits, canned products, and restaurant food that is well-cooked. Severe cases require antibiotics. In cases of severe malnutrition, diarrhea is potentially lethal, and it is responsible for hun¬ dreds of thousands of deaths annually in underdeveloped countries.
diary or journal Record of events, transactions, or observations kept daily or at frequent intervals; especially a daily record of personal activi¬ ties, reflections, or feelings. Written primarily for the writer’s use alone, the personal diary usually offers a frankness not found in writing done for publication. The diary form, which began to flower in the late Renais¬ sance, is important as a record of social and political history. The most famous diary in English is that of Samuel Pepys. Other notable journals include those of John Evelyn, Jonathan Swift, Fanny Burney, James Boswell, Andre Gide, and Virginia Woolf.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
542 I Dias ► Dickens
Dias \'de-3sh\, Bartolomeu or Bartholomew Diaz \'de-as\ (b. c. 1450—d. May 29, 1500, at sea, near Cape of Good Hope) Portuguese navigator and explorer. Given command of an expedition to ascertain the southern limit of Africa, he set sail in 1487. He sailed farther south than previous explorers and became the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope (1488). His voyage opened the sea route to Asia via the Atlantic and Indian oceans. He later commanded a ship in an expedition under Pedro Alvares Cabral, in which he participated in the discovery of Brazil; he was lost at sea when they reached the Cape.
Diaspora Ndl-'as-po-ro, de-'as-p9-ro\ Hebrew Galut ("Exile") Greek "Dispersion" The dispersion of Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian Exile (586 bc), or the aggregate of Jews outside Palestine or present-day Israel. The term also carries religious, philosophical, politi¬ cal, and eschatological connotations, inasmuch as the Jews perceive a special relationship between the land of Israel and themselves. Interpre¬ tations of this relationship range from the messianic hope of traditional Judaism for the eventual “ingathering of the exiles” to the view of Reform Judaism that the dispersal of the Jews was providentially arranged by God to foster monotheism throughout the world. Historically, Diaspora Jews outnumbered the Jews in Palestine even before the destruction of Jeru¬ salem in ad 70. Thereafter, the chief centres of Judaism shifted from coun¬ try to country (e.g., Babylonia, Persia, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the U.S.), and Jewish communities gradually adopted distinc¬ tive languages, rituals, and cultures, some submerging themselves in non- Jewish environments more completely than others. While some lived in peace, others became victims of violent anti-Semitism. While the vast majority of Orthodox Jews have supported Zionism, some Orthodox Jews go so far as to oppose the modem State of Israel on the grounds that it is a godless and secular state defying God’s will to send his messiah at the time he has preordained.
diastrophism Vdl-'as-tro-.fi-zonA or tectonism Large-scale deforma¬ tion of the Earth’s crust by natural processes, which leads to the forma¬ tion of continents and ocean basins, mountain systems and rift valleys, and other features by mechanisms such as lithospheric plate movement (see plate tectonics), volcanic loading, or folding. The study of diastro¬ phism, or tectonic processes, is the central unifying principle in modem geology and geophysics.