/den"si tee/ , n. , pl. densities .
1. the state or quality of being dense; compactness; closely set or crowded condition.
2. stupidity; slow-wittedness; obtuseness.
3. the number of inhabitants, dwellings, or the like, per unit area: The commissioner noted that the population density of certain city blocks had fallen dramatically.
4. Physics. mass per unit volume.
5. Elect.
a. the quantity of electricity per unit of volume at a point in space, or the quantity per unit of area at a point on a surface.
b. See current density .
6. the degree of opacity of a substance, medium, etc., that transmits light.
7. Photog. the relative degree of opacity of an area of a negative or transparency, often expressed logarithmically.
8. Computers. a measure of the compactness of data stored on an external storage medium, as disk or tape, or displayed on a CRT or other screen.
[ 1595-1605; densitas, equiv. to dens ( us ) DENSE + -itas -ITY ]