drupe Fruit in which the outer layer is a thin skin, the middle layer is thick and usually fleshy (though sometimes tough, as in the almond, or fibrous, as in the coconut), and the inner layer (the pit) is hard and stony.
Within the pit is usually one seed. In aggregate fruits such as the raspberry and blackberry (which are not true berries), many small drupes are clumped together. Other representa¬ tive drupes are the cherry, peach,
MANGO, OUVE, and WALNUT.
Drury Lane Theatre Oldest English theatre still in use. It was built in London by Thomas Killi- grew for his acting company as the Theatre Royal (1663). It burned in 1672 and was rebuilt in 1674 with Christopher Wren as architect. It prospered under such actor-managers as Colley Cibber and later under David Garrick and Richard Brinsley Sheridan. An expanded “fireproof’ theatre opened in 1794 and burned in 1809. Rebuilt in 1812 with over 2,000 seats, it declined in popularity from the 1840s, but it revived in the 1880s with melodramas and spectacles and was the scene of the acting triumphs of Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. More recently it has played host to many U.S. musicals.
Drusus Germanicus Vdru-sos-jor-'ma-ni-kosX, Nero Claudius (b.
38 bc —d. 9) Younger brother of Tiberius and commander of Roman forces in German territory. The reputed son of Octavian (later Augustus), he was allowed to take office five years earlier than the legal age. In 13 bc he became governor of the three Gauls, where he conducted a census and erected an altar to Augustus. In 12 he marched into Germany, reaching the Elbe three years later. During those years he was made praetor in 11 and consul in 9. At the Elbe he was thrown from his horse and died. His son Claudius later became emperor.
Druze \'driiz\ or Druse Relatively small Middle Eastern religious sect. It originated in Egypt in 1017 and is named for one of its founders, Muhammad al-Daraz! (d. 1019/20). Strictly monotheistic and based in Islam, particularly IsmaTlI Islam, Druze beliefs include an eclectic mix¬ ture of elements from Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Judaism, and Iranian reli¬ gion. The Druze believe in the divinity of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985- 1021?), sixth caliph of the Fajimid dynasty of Egypt, and expect him to return someday to inaugurate a golden age. The Druze are divided hier- achically into two orders—the sages, who are fully initiated in the beliefs of the religion, and the ignorant, who constitute the uninitiated lay major¬ ity. They permit no converts, either to or from their religion, and no inter¬ marriage. Their religious system is kept secret from the outside world, and they are permitted to deny their faith if their life is in danger. In the early 21st century they numbered about one million, mostly in Syria and Lebanon.
dry cleaning System of cleaning textiles with chemical solvents instead of water. The chemicals, often halides or organohalogens (com¬ pounds that contain halogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms), dissolve dirt and grease from fabrics. Carbon tetrachloride was once widely used as a dry-cleaning liquid, but its adverse health effects have cut back its use; other organic halogen compounds are now preferred, particularly tetra- chloroethylene, which is much more stable and less toxic.
dry ice Carbon dioxide in solid form. It is a dense, colourless substance, resembling compressed snow, that at normal atmospheric pressure passes directly from solid to vapour (see sublimation) at -109.3 °F (-78.5 °C).
Barrel drum from India with cord- tensioned construction, in the Metro¬ politan Museum of Art, New York City
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dry lake ► dualism I 575
Commonly available in blocks, it is used chiefly to keep foods, vaccines, and other perishable products cold during shipping or storage.
dry lake See playa
dry rot Symptom of fungal disease in plants (see fungus), characterized by firm spongy to leathery or hard decay of the stem (branch), trunk, root, rhizome, corm, bulb, or fruit. The fungus consumes the cellulose of wood, leaving a soft skeleton that is readily reduced to powder.
Dry Tortugas \t6r-'tu-g3z\ National Park National park located on the Dry Tortugas islands, southwestern Florida, U.S. The islands are situ¬ ated at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, west of Key West, Fla. Estab¬ lished in 1935 as Fort Jefferson National Park, it occupies an area of about 64,700 acres (26,200 hectares). Its current name was adopted in 1992. The park’s principal features are a marine exhibit and the remains of for¬ tifications built in 1846.
dryad Ydri-sd, 'dri-,ad\ or hamadryad In Greek mythology, tree nymphs. Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees ( drys : “oak”), but the name was later applied to all tree nymphs. They were nature spirits who took the form of beautiful young women, and it was believed that they lived only as long as the trees they inhabited.
Dryden, John (b. Aug. 9, 1631, Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, Eng.—d. May 1, 1700, London) British poet, dramatist, and literary critic. The son of a country gentleman, Dryden was educated at the University of Cambridge. His poetry celebrating the Restoration so pleased Charles II that he was named poet laureate (1668) and, two years later, royal his¬ toriographer. Even after losing the laureateship and his court patronage in 1688 with the accession of William III, he succeeded in dominating the literary scene with his numerous works, many attuned to politics and pub¬ lic life. Several of his nearly 30 comedies, tragedies, and dramatic operas—including Marriage A-la-Mode (1672), Aureng-Zebe (1675), and All for Love (1677)—were outstandingly successful. His Of Dramatick Poesie (1668) was the first substantial piece of modern dramatic criticism. Turning away from drama, he became England’s greatest verse satirist, producing the masterpieces Absalom and Achitophel (1681) and Mac Flecknoe (1682). He also produced extensive translations of Latin poetry, including Virgil’s Aeneid.
dryopithecine X.drl-o-'pi-tho-.smX Any member of the genus Dryo- pithecus, a group of extinct apelike animals. The species are representa¬ tive of a group of generalized apes that includes the ancestors of both the modern apes and humans. Fragmentary materials found over a widespread area, including Europe, Africa, and Asia, have been attributed to other groups but were probably remains of Dryopithecus. Dryopithecines are found as fossils in Miocene and Pliocene deposits (23.8-1.8 million years old) and apparently originated in Africa. Several distinct forms are known, including small, medium, and large (GORiLLA-sized). Dryopithecines lacked most of the specializations that distinguish modern apes from humans.
DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communica¬ tions connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary telephone calls) and the upper band for digital data, especially for connection to the Internet. Data can be transferred via DSL at much higher rates than with ordinary dial-up modem service; the range of DSL signals, however, is very small. Con¬ nections can be made only within a few miles of the nearest transmitting station. DSL and “xDSL” are umbrella terms under which a variety of protocols and technologies fall. ADSL (Asymmetric DSL) is a popular type of DSL in which most of the bandwidth of the connection is devoted to downloading data from the network to the user, leaving only a small- scale connection for uploading data. In HDSL (High bit-rate DSL) and SDSL (Symmetric DSL) the data stream is symmetric; that is, the upstream and downstream rates are the same. UDSL (Unidirectional DSL), VDSL (Very high data rate DSL), and others still under develop¬ ment are intended to offer even greater rates of data transmission.
Du Bois \dii-'b6is\, W(illiam) E(dward) B(urghardt) (b. Feb. 23, 1868, Great Barrington, Mass., U.S.—d. Aug. 27, 1963, Accra, Ghana) U.S. sociologist and civil-rights leader. He received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1895. Two years later he accepted a professorship at Atlanta University, where he conducted empirical studies on the social situation of African Americans (1897-1910). He concluded that change could be attained only through agitation and protest, a view that clashed with that of Booker T. Washington. His famous book The Souls of Black Folk