Glossary of Cambridge jargonGlossary of Cambridge jargonDAMTP - (pronounced dampt) Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.
Dean - a college officer. According to college, may be a priest, a disciplinary officer, or a supplementary Tutor. At Darwin College, the Dean is effectively Senior Tutor.
Degrade - to drop back a year in a course, typically as a result of absence caused by illness.
Degree - (from the Latin gradus meaning step) status or rank within the university. Not necessarily a mark of education.
Degree Committee - subcommittee of each Faculty Board, determines the award of higher degrees.
Demonstrator (i) - as in University Demonstrator, a university academic appointment equivalent to a University Assistant Lecturer.
Demonstrator (ii) - any person who helps supervise university practical classes.
Department - part of the university devoted to one academic subject; see also: Faculty.
Desmond - student slang (current in early 1990s) for Honours Class 2-2, as in "I got a Desmond". Named after Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Development Office - the fund-raising office of the University.
Digs - lodgings outside college.
Director of Studies - a college officer (usually a Fellow) responsible for oversight of an undergraduate's academic studies, and for appointing supervisors for the student.
Discommuning - an ancient and lapsed power of the University over tradesmen in the town. Persons in statu pupillari were forbidden to have dealings with a person who had been discommuned. To a trader in the town, this would be a commercial disaster.
Discussion of the Senate - a formal opportunity for Senior Members to express opinions on proposals of university committees before final decisions are taken; such final decisions usually lead to a Grace.
Dividend - in former times, a subdivision of the college's excess income, paid to each Fellow at the end of each year, to supplement his stipend.
Divinity School - university building housing the Faculty of Divinity.
Division of Term - a date half-way through Term (not Full Term) . Of little practical significance, though many university bureaucratic formalities have a deadline of the Division of Term.
Dna - abbreviation for Domina, used in front of a surname.
Doctor (i) - in the university, a higher degree than Master. From the Latin, meaning "learned".
Doctor (ii) - a courtesy title accorded to those practising in the medical profession, carrying no weight whatsoever in the university.
Doctor of Philosophy - the lowest degree of Doctor in the university. Effectively an apprenticeship examination for the trade of academic.
Doctor of xxxx (where xxxx is anything but Philosophy) - a higher doctorate. People holding these degrees are really hot stuff.
Domestic Bursar - What some colleges call their Junior Bursar.
Dominus (m), Domina (f) - Latin for bachelor as defined above, used as a title before a surname to indicate the person's degree.
Domus - the main buildings and land of a college, as distinct from any outlying hostels and houses, or estates.
Don - (correctly applicable only at Oxford) colloquial form of Fellow.
Double First - the obtaining of First Class Honours in both Parts of a Tripos, or of different Triposes.
Downing Site - a university site on Downing Street and Tennis Court Road.
DPMMS - (or DPM-squared-S) Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics
Dr - abbreviation for Doctor, used in front of a surname.
Ds - abbreviation for Dominus, used in front of a surname.
This compilation is Copyright (C) R.D.H. Walker 1991-97. rdhw@cam.ac.uk