Main Entry:

dis·place·ment

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)dis-ˈplā-smənt, di-ˈsplā-\

Function:

noun

Date:

1611

1: the act or process of displacing : the state of being displaced2 a: the volume or weight of a fluid (as water) displaced by a floating body (as a ship) of equal weight b: the difference between the initial position of something (as a body or geometric figure) and any later position c: the volume displaced by a piston (as in a pump or an engine) in a single stroke ; also : the total volume so displaced by all the pistons in an internal combustion engine (as in an automobile)3 a: the redirection of an emotion or impulse from its original object (as an idea or person) to another b: the substitution of another form of behavior for what is usual or expected especially when the usual response is nonadaptive —called also displacement activity displacement behavior