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<dt> (Term in a Definition List)

This element identifies a definition list term in a definition list term-definition pair.

Standard Syntax

Attributes Defined by Internet Explorer

accesskey="key" (5.5)
contenteditable="false | true | inherit" (5.5)
disabled="false | true" (5.5)
hidefocus="true | false" (5.5)
language="javascript | jscript | vbs | vbscript" (4)
nowrap="true | false" (5.5)
tabindex="number" (5.5)
unselectable="on | off" (5.5)

Standard Events

onclick, ondblclick, onmousedown, onmouseup, onmouseover, onmousemove, onmouseout, onkeypress, onkeydown, onkeyup

Events Defined by Internet Explorer

onactivate, onbeforeactivate, onbeforecopy, onbeforecut, onbeforedeactivate, onbeforeeditfocus, onbeforepaste, onblur, oncontextmenu, oncontrolselect, oncopy, oncut, ondeactivate, ondrag, ondragend, ondragenter, ondragleave, ondragover, ondragstart, ondrop, onfocus, onfocusin, onfocusout, onhelp, onlosecapture, onmouseenter, onmouseleave, onmousewheel, onmove, onmoveend, onmovestart, onpaste, onpropertychange, onreadystatechange, onresizeend, onresizestart, onselectstart, ontimeerror

Element Specific Attributes

accesskey

This attribute specifies a keyboard navigation accelerator for the element. Pressing ALT or a similar key (depending on the browser and operating system) in association with the specified key selects the anchor element correlated with that key.

nowrap

This attribute specifies whether the browser performs wordwrap. A value of true means that it will not wrap; a value of false means that it can wrap.

Example

<dl>
  <dt>Vole</dt>
<dd>Small creature related to the weasel</dd>
  <dt>Weasel</dt>
<dd>Small creature related to the vole</dd>
</dl>

Compatibility

HTML 2, 3.2, 4, 4.01, XHTML 1.0, 1.1, Basic
Internet Explorer 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Netscape 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5-4.8, 6, 7
Opera 4-7

Notes

This element occurs within a list of defined terms enclosed by a <dl> tag. It generally is used in conjunction with a <dd> tag, which indicates its definition. However, <dt> tags do not require a one-to-one correspondence with <dd> tags.

The close tag for the element is optional under older versions of HTML but is suggested when it will make things more clear, particularly with multiple-line definitions.

Under XHTML 1.0, the closing </dt> tag is mandatory.

HTML 2 and 3.2 support no attributes for this element.