Dislocation
WordNet
noun
(1) The act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
"The social dislocations resulting from government policies"
"His warning came after the breakdown of talks in London"
(2) An event that results in a displacement or discontinuity
(3) A displacement of a part (especially a bone) from its normal position (as in the shoulder or the vertebral column)
WiktionaryText
Noun
- The act of displacing, or the state of being displaced.
- The displacement of parts of rocks or portions of strata from the situation which they originally occupied. Slips, faults, and the like, are dislocations.
- The act of dislocating, or putting out of joint; also, the condition of being thus displaced.
- (materials) A linear defect in a crystal lattice. Because dislocations can shift within the crystal lattice, they tend to weaken the material, compared to a perfect crystal.