displacement
UK[dɪsˈpleɪsmənt]US[dɪsˈpleɪsmənt]
n
The action of moving something from its place or position.
n
The volume or weight of fluid displaced by a floating or submerged object.
n
The unconscious transfer of an intense emotion from its original object to another one.
n
The removal of someone or something by someone or something else which takes their place.
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
place
ment
dis
apart, away
place
to put
ment
state or action of
Etymology
The word "displacement" is a layered construction built upon the core concept of "place." Its journey begins with the Proto-Indo-European root plat-, meaning "to spread," which evolved into the Greek platus (broad) and Latin platea (broad street, courtyard). The Old French place carried this spatial meaning into English. The Latin prefix dis- adds the sense of reversal or removal, transforming the act of placing into its opposite. Finally, the Latin noun-forming suffix -mentum (English -ment) concretizes the action into a state or result. Thus, the literal "action of putting away from a place" elegantly underlies its modern scientific, psychological, and general meanings of removal or substitution.
Analysis
Structure: dis (apart, away) + place (to put) + ment (state or action of)
- dis: A Latin prefix meaning "apart," "asunder," "away," or having a negative or reversing force.
- place: From Old French place and Latin platea, meaning "a broad street, open space," and by extension "to put or set."
- ment: A suffix of Latin origin (-mentum) forming nouns that denote an action, process, or resulting state.
Examples
The earthquake caused the displacement of several large boulders.
A ship's displacement is a key measure of its size and weight.
In his dream, the displacement of his anger onto a minor issue was obvious to the analyst.