HTML: Definition List: dl dt dd

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

Definition list (aka description list), is a list where each item has a term, followed by one or more definition or description.

3 tags are used together for definition list. They are:

dl
(definition list) is the tag wrapper for the whole.
dt
Definition term. For each definition item.
dd
Definition description. May have more than 1 for each dt

example: 

<dl>

<dt>Cat</dt>
<dd>furry.</dd>

<dt>Octopus</dt>
<dd>smart.</dd>

</dl>

browser shows:

Cat
furry.
Octopus
smart. 
dl {
border-left:solid 2px silver;
padding:8px;
}

dt {
border-top:solid thin silver;
padding-top:5px;
}

dd {
margin-bottom:16px;
line-height:1.6;
}

[see Visual CSS]

More Than 1 dd

You can have more than one dd for each dt.

<dl>

<dt>Cat</dt>
<dd>Furry</dd>
<dd>Lovely</dd>

<dt>Octopus</dt>
<dd>Smart</dd>
<dd>Many legs</dd>

</dl>

browser shows:

Cat
Furry
Lovely
Octopus
Smart
Many legs

Back to HTML Tags Complete List .

HTML list