Distringas (Lat., that you distrain), a notice proceeding upon an affidavit filed in the High Court by a party not the registered holder of shares or stock but beneficially interested therein, and served upon the particular company or public body, whereby it is precluded from registering any transfer of the shares or stock or any mandate for payment of the dividends without previous intimation to such party. The latter has thus the opportunity, if desired, to apply for an interim injunction, and, should he not do so within eight days from the date upon which the transfer or mandate was lodged, the restraint flies off.
Dithyram´bus, or Dith´yramb, in Greek literature, a poem sung in honour of the god Bacchus or Dionysus, at his festivals. The choral portion of Greek tragedy arose out of the
dithyramb. It was composed in a lofty and often inflated style: hence the term is applied to any poem of an impetuous and irregular character.
Ditmarshes (Ger. Dithmarschen), a district of Holstein, in Germany, consisting of a monotonous flat stretching along the North Sea, between the mouths of the Elbe and the Eider, and so little raised above the sea as to require the protection of strong embankments. Ditmarshes was incorporated in Prussia in 1866. The area is 500 sq. miles, and the total pop. 96,373.
Dit´tany, the popular name of the plants of the genus Dictamnus, an herb of the rue family (Rutaceæ), found in the Mediterranean region. The leaves are pinnate, the large white or rose-coloured flowers are in terminal racemes. The whole plant is covered with oily glands, and the secreted oil is so volatile that in hot weather the air round the plant becomes inflammable. D. Fraxinella and D. albus are found in gardens.
Dittay, in Scots law, a technical term signifying the matter of charge or ground of indictment against a person accused of a crime; also, the charge itself.
Diuret´ics are agents used to increase the flow of urine. Many drugs are used for this purpose: caffeine and theobromine, digitalis and squills, potassium salts, carbonates, calomel and blue pill.
Divan´, a Persian word having several significations. It is used in Turkey for the highest Council of State, the Turkish ministry; and for a large hall for the reception of visitors. Low couches, covered with rich carpets and cushions, are ranged along the walls of the room. Hence in Western Europe the term is applied to a café, and to a kind of cushioned seat. In India the term is applied to the Prime Minister of a native State. Among several Oriental nations this name is given to certain collections of lyric poems by one author. The divans of Hafiz and Saadi, the Persian poets, are among the most important.
Divergent, in algebra, opposed to convergent, a term applied to an infinite series which cannot be said to have a sum because there is no definite limit towards which the sum of its terms tends as the number of terms is increased indefinitely.
