Definition of: displacement

(dis·plās′mənt) noun
1. The act of displacing, or the state of being displaced.
2. Astron. An apparent change of position, as of a star.
3. Physics a The weight of water displaced by a body floating in it, this weight being equal to the weight of the body. b The quantity of air displaced by an airplane, balloon, etc.
4. The relation between the position of a moving object at any time and its original position.
5. Electric displacement.
6. Geol. A fault.
7. Psychoanal. Substitution of a secondary, harmless, or unimportant element for a primary and significant one, as in a dream, for purposes of concealment.