Decedent – A deceased person.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid – A complex naturally occurring organic chemical that is found in all cells. This compound is responsible for coding the genetic information that is passed on to offspring. Its acronym is “DNA”.

Direct Exclusion – A direct exclusion, in a paternity test, is when a child and alleged father both have two alleles and both of the child’s alleles are different from those of the alleged father’s alleles. This type of result is concluded as an exclusion, regardless of whether the mother is tested.

Dizygotic twins – Twins which come from two different zygotes (=union of egg and sperm). Also called Fraternal twins.

DNA – An acronym for Deoxyribonucleic Acid.