So what is a definition list?
Simply put it is a list of definitions. For the unabridged version read the relevant section in the HTML specification. Basically a definition list is composed of three HTML elements and some text. These are the <dl>, <dt> and <dd> elements.
- <DL>
- A definition list is the container element for DT and DD elements. The DL element should be used when you want incorporate a definition of a term in your document, it is often used in glossaries to define many terms, it is also used in “normal” documents when the author wishes to explain a term in a more detail (Like this definition).
- <DT>
- The term currently being defined in the definition list. This element contains inline data.
- <DD>
- The definition description element contains data that describes a definition term. This data may be either inline, or it may be block level.[ad code=1 align=center]
Examples of definition lists
This section provides a few examples of how you can use definition lists.
Single Definition Term – Single Description
The markup to define a single definition is fairly simple.
<dl>
<dt>Cascading Style Sheets</dt>
<dd>Style sheets are used to provide presentational suggestions for structured documents marked up in XML or HTML. </dd>
</dl>You can also use block level elements in the definition description. A definition list can also contain a series of DT DD pairings.
<dl>
<dt>Cascading Style Sheets</dt>
<dd><p>Style sheets are used to provide presentational suggestions.</p>
<p>Documents structured using XML or HTML are able to make use of them.</p></dd>
<dt>Content Management</dt>
<dd>The process of collecting, managing and publishing content to various media.</dd>
</dl>