dis·tur·bance  (d ĭ-stûr b əns)
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n. 1. a. The act of disturbing: a disturbance of lake sediments. b. The condition of being disturbed: “The forest ... is in various stages of disturbance. Only the biggest trees ... have been left standing” (Alex Shoumatoff). 2. Something that disturbs, as a commotion, scuffle, or public tumult. 3. Mental or emotional unbalance or disorder. 4. A variation in normal wind conditions. 5. Geology Folding or faulting that affects a relatively large area. 6. Physics An alteration or displacement of one or more properties of a physical system away from its equilibrium state. |
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Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
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