One example that springs to mind would be a dictionary:

<dl>
<definition>
<dt>definition</dt>
<dd>A statement conveying fundamental character. </dd>
<dd>A statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, or term, as in a
dictionary entry. </dd>
<dd>The act or process of stating a precise meaning or significance;
formulation of a meaning. </dd>
<dd>The act of making clear and distinct: a definition of one's intentions.
</dd>
<dd>The state of being closely outlined or determined: "With the drizzle,
the trees in the little clearing had lost definition" (Anthony Hyde). </dd>
<dd>A determination of outline, extent, or limits: the definition of a
President's authority. </dd>
<dd>The clarity of detail in an optically produced image, such as a
photograph, effected by a combination of resolution and contrast. </dd>
<dd>The degree of clarity with which a televised image or broadcast signal
is received. </dd>
</definition>
</dl>

Dictionary definitions borrowed from <cite
cite="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=definition ">dictionary.com</c
ite>

Had this been HTML/5 instead of a variant on XHTML, I'd have suggesting
having the <definition> element implied for backward compatibility.

Personally, I can see it having more use.

Similarly, it allows for other applications like:
<dl>
<definition>
<dt xml:lang="en">hue</dt>
<dd xml:lang="en-us">A particular gradation of color; a shade or tint</dd>
<dd xml:lang="en-gb">A particular gradation of colour; a shade or tint</dd>
</definition>
</dl>

There are of course many examples from "English" that mean different things
in different locales (like "rubber")


-----Original Message-----
From: Jens Meiert [mailto:jens.meiert@erde3.com] 
Sent: 20 May 2003 08:46
To: Marcos Caceres; www-html@w3.org
Subject: Re: dl, dd, dt in XHTML 2.0


Is there any object out there having more than o n e definition? Thought a
definition implies only one exact and precise annotation.


> This has probably already been proposed a number of times, but I'm just
> wondering if it wouldn't make more 'semantic' sense to encapsulate dd
> elements inside the dt element in xhtml 2.0. 
> 
> For instance, 
> <dl>
>   <dt>My term
>             <dd>This is the first definition</dd>
> <dd>This is the second definition</dd>
>  </dt>
> </dl>
> 
> At the moment, it would seem that the semantic relationship between the 
> dt
> and the dd(s) elements is only implicit as it is positional (and only
> perhaps visually semantic when rendered), rather than explicit through
> encapsulation. Less importantly, encapsulation dd inside dt would also
> follows the structure for coding every other type of the list module in
> xhtml 2.0.. aside from nesting of list terms and definition elements. 
> which
> might be something else to consider all together for definition lists.
> 
> When I think about it some more, doing this kind of nesting may also 
> require
> the renaming of the dl, dd, dt, or even adding some sort of container 
> that
> wraps around a definition.. Something different like this:
> 
> <dl>
>     <definition>
> <dt>My term</dt>
>             <dd>This is the a definition</dd>
> <dd>This is the another definition</dd>
>       </definition>
> </dl>
> 
> Just a thought. Let me know what you think,