List of Abbreviations Used in This Dictionary (part 9)

Dalmatic, dal-mat′ik, n. a loose-fitting, wide-sleeved ecclesiastical vestment, worn specially by deacons in the R.C. Church, also sometimes by bishops. [Low L. dalmatica, a robe worn by persons of rank in the early Christian centuries, on the pattern of a dress worn in Dalmatia.]

Dalt, dält, n. (Scot.) a foster-child. [Gael. dalta.]

Daltonism, dal′ton-izm, n. colour-blindness: inability to distinguish certain colours.—adj. Daltō′nian. [So called from the chemist John Dalton (1766-1844), who had this infirmity.]

Dam, dam, n. an embankment to restrain water: the water thus confined.—v.t. to keep back water by a bank:—pr.p. dam′ming; pa.p. dammed. [Teut.; Dut. dam, Ger. damm, &c.]

Dam, dam, n. a mother, applied to quadrupeds. [A form of dame.]

Damage, dam′āj, n. hurt, injury, loss: the value of what is lost: (coll.) cost: (pl.) the pecuniary reparation due for loss or injury sustained by one person through the fault or negligence of another.—v.t. to harm.—v.i. to take injury.—adj. Dam′ageable. [O. Fr. damage (Fr. dommage)—L. damnum, loss.]

Daman, dam′an, n. the Syrian hyrax, the cony of the Bible. [Syrian.]

Damar. Same as Dammar.

Damascene, da′mas-ēn, adj. of Damascus.—v.t. same as Damaskeen.

Damask, dam′ask, n. figured stuff, originally of silk, now of linen, cotton, or wool, the figure being woven, not printed.—v.t. to flower or variegate, as cloth.—adj. of a red colour, like that of a damask rose.—v.t. Damaskeen′, to decorate metal (esp. steel) by inlaying or encrusting on it patterns like damask in other metals: to ornament with flowery patterns, to damask.—ns. Damaskeen′ing, Damasceen′ing, the watered or striated structure seen in certain sword-blades and other weapons: the ornamental incrustation with gold and silver of steel and iron surfaces; Damaskin′, a Damascus blade: a damaskeened blade; Dam′ask-plum, the damson; Dam′ask-rose, a species of pink-rose; Dam′ask-steel, Damascus steel; Dam′assin, damask with flowered patterns in gold or silver thread.—Damascus blade, a Damascus sword, the surface marked by wavy and variegating lines. [From Damascus, in Syria, where damask was orig. made.]

Damboard, dam′bōrd, Dambrod, dam′brod, n. (Scot.) a draughtboard, the pieces being dams. [Fr. jeu de dames, copied by the Germans as damenspiel, by the Swedes as damspel, &c., perhaps from the movement of the pieces being like those of the queen (reine or dame) in chess.]

Dame, dām, n. the mistress of a house: a matron: a noble lady.—ns. Dame′-school, a school for children kept by a woman; Dame's′-vī′olet, a genus of cruciferous plants, formerly cultivated by ladies in pots for its sweet scent at night. [Fr. dame—L. domina, a mistress, fem. of dominus, a master.]

Dammar, dam′mar, n. a resin, used for making varnish, obtained from a genus of East Indian conifers.

Damn, dam, v.t. to censure or condemn: to sentence to eternal punishment: to doom.—n. an oath: a curse.—adj. Dam′nable, deserving or tending to damnation: hateful: pernicious.—n. Dam′nableness.—adv. Dam′nably.—n. Damnā′tion, condemnation: (theol.) the punishment of the impenitent in the future state: eternal punishment.—adj. Dam′natory, consigning to damnation.—p.adj. Damned, sentenced to everlasting punishment: hateful: a profane intensive, meaning merely thorough (often written d——d, and softened into darned, dashed, &c.).—adv. very, exceedingly.—adj. Damnif′ic.—n. Damnificā′tion.—v.t. Dam′nify, to cause loss to.—adj. Dam′ning, exposing to condemnation. [Fr. damner—L. damnāre, to condemn—damnum, loss.]

Damoclean, dam-ō-clē′an, adj. like Damocles, flatterer of Dionysius of Syracuse, taught the insecurity of happiness by being made to sit through the feast with a sword suspended by a single hair over his head.

Damosel, dam′o-sel, n. Same as Damsel.

Damp, damp, n. vapour, mist: moist air: lowness of spirits: (pl.) dangerous vapours in mines, &c.—v.t. to wet slightly: to chill: to discourage: to check: to make dull.—adj. moist, foggy: sometimes in the form Damp′y.—v.t. and v.i. Damp′en, to make or become damp or moist.—n. Damp′er, that which checks or moderates: a mechanical appliance for reducing currents, musical vibration, &c.: (Australia) a kind of unfermented bread.—adj. Damp′ish, somewhat damp.—n. Damp′ishness.—adv. Damp′ly.—n. Damp′ness.—Damping off (hort.), the death of plants from excess of moisture. [M. E. dampen; akin to Dut. damp, Ger. dampf, vapour.]

Damsel, dam′zel, n. a young unmarried woman: a girl. [O. Fr. damoisele (Fr. demoiselle), a page—Low L. domicellus, dim. of L. dominus, a lord.]

Damson, dam′zn, n. a rather small oval fruited variety of the common plum, esteemed for preserving. [Shortened from Damascene—Damascus.]

Dan, dan, n. a title of honour equivalent to Master or Sir. [O. Fr. dan. (Sp. don; Port. dom)—L. dominus, lord. See Dame.]

Dan, dan, n. (prov.) a box for carrying coal: a tub.

Danakil, dan′a-kil, n. the name given to the numerous nomad and fisher tribes on the coast of North-east Africa. [Ar.]

Dance, dans, v.i. to move with measured steps to music: to spring.—v.t. to make to dance or jump.—n. the movement of one or more persons with measured steps to music: the tune to which dancing is performed.—ns. Dance′-mū′sic, music specially arranged for accompanying dancing; Danc′er, one who practises dancing; Danc′ing, the act or art of moving in the dance; Danc′ing-girl, a professional dancer; Danc′ing-mas′ter, a teacher of dancing.—Dance a bear (obs.), to exhibit a performing bear; Dance attendance, to wait obsequiously; Dance of death, a series of allegorical paintings symbolising the universal power of death, represented as a skeleton; Dance upon nothing, to be hanged.—Lead a person a dance, to set him on an undertaking under false hopes: to delude.—Merry dancers, the aurora. [O. Fr. danser, from Teut.; Old High Ger. danson, to draw along.]

Dancette, dan-set′, n. (her.) a zigzag or indented line or figure: the chevron or zigzag moulding common in Romanesque architecture—also adj. [O. Fr. dent, dant, tooth, notch—L. dens.]

Dandelion, dan-de-lī′un, n. a common plant with a yellow flower, its leaves with jagged tooth-like edges. [Fr. dent de lion, tooth of the lion.]

Dander, dan′dėr, Daunder, dawn′dėr, v.i. (Scot.) to walk leisurely or idly. [Akin to dandle.]

Dander, n. a form of Dandruff (vulg.), anger: passion.—Raise a person's dander, to put him in a temper.

Dander, n. (Scot.) furnace cinders. [Ety. dub.]

Dandle, dan′dl, v.t. to play with: to fondle or toss in the arms, as a baby. [Prob. Teut.; cf. Ger. tändeln—tand, a toy.]

Dandriff, dand′rif, Dandruff, dand′ruf, n. a scaly scurf which forms on the surface of the skin under the hair and beard. [Perh. from W. ton, surface, skin, and drwg, bad (Skeat).]

Dandy, dan′di, n. a foppish, silly fellow: one who pays much attention to dress.—v.t. Dan′dify, to dress up as a dandy.—adv. Dan′dily, like a dandy.—ns. Dan′dy-brush, a hard brush of whalebone bristles; Dan′dy-cock, a bantam; Dan′dy-fē′ver (see Dengue); Dan′dy-horse, a velocipede.—adj. Dan′dyish.—n. Dan′dyism. [Perh. from Fr. dandin, a ninny; and prob. from root of dandle.]

Dandy, dan′di, n. a sloop-like vessel having a jigger-mast abaft.—n. Dandy-rigged cutter.

Dandyprat, dan′di-prat, n. a dwarf: an urchin. [Ety. dub.]

Dane, dān, n. a native of Denmark.—adj. Dan′ish, belonging to Denmark.—n. the language of the Danes—(Spens.) Danisk.

Danegeld, dān′geld, n. a tax imposed in the 10th cent., to buy off the Danes or to defend the country against them. [A.S. Dene, Danes, geid, a payment.]

Dang, dang, v.t. a minced form of damn.

Danger, dān′jėr, n. peril, hazard, or risk: insecurity: (obs.) power.—v.t. (Shak.) to endanger.—adj. Dan′gerous, full of danger: unsafe: insecure.—adv. Dan′gerously.—ns. Dan′gerousness; Dan′ger-sig′nal. [O. Fr. dangier, absolute power (of a feudal lord), hence power to hurt.—Low L. dominium, feudal authority—L. dominus, a lord. See Dungeon.]

Dangle, dang′gl, v.t. to hang loosely or with a swinging motion: to follow any one about.—v.t. to make to dangle.—n. Dan′gler, one who dangles about others, esp. about women. [Scand., Dan. dangle, to dangle; cf. Ice. dingla, to swing; Sw. danka, to saunter.]

Daniel, dan′yel, n. in phrase A second Daniel, a wise judge, with reference to the interposition of the wise young Daniel to save Susannah, in one of the Apocryphal additions to the book of Daniel.

Danite, dan′īt, n. one of a secret society amongst the early Mormons. [In allusion to Gen. xlix. 16, 17.]

Dank, dangk, adj. moist, wet.—n. (Milt.) water.—adj. Dank′ish, somewhat dank or damp. [Perh. conn. with dew. See also Daggle.]

Dannebrog, dān′e-brog, n. the second of the Danish orders instituted by King Waldemar in 1219. [Dan., 'the Danish banner.']

Danseuse, dong-süz′, n. a female dancer: a ballet dancer. [Fr.]

Dansker, dan′skėr, n. (Shak.) a Dane.

Dantean, dan′te-an, Dantesque, dan′tesk, adj. like the poet Dante: sublime: austere.—ns. Dan′tist, a Dante scholar; Dantoph′ilist, a lover of Dante.

Danton, dan′ton, v.t. (Scot.) to subdue, to daunt. [A form of daunt.]

Danubian, dan-ū′bi-an, adj. pertaining to or bordering on the Danube.—Danubian Principalities, a name applied to Moldavia and Wallachia.

Dap, dap, v.i. to drop the bait gently into the water.

Daphne, daf′nē, n. a genus of shrubs or small trees. [Gr.]

Dapper, dap′ėr, adj. quick: little and active: neat: spruce.—n. Dapp′erling, a dapper little fellow. [Dut. dapper, brave; cf. Ger. tapfer, quick, brave.]

Dapple, dap′l, adj. marked with spots.—v.t. to variegate with spots.—adjs. Dapp′erly (Scot.), variegated; Dapp′le-bay, of bay colour, variegated with dapples; Dapp′led; Dapp′le-gray. [See Dimple.]

Darbies, där′biz, n.pl. (slang) handcuffs. [App. from the personal name Darby.]

Darbyites, där′bi-īts, n.pl. a name given to the Plymouth Brethren. [From their principal founder, J. N. Darby (1800-82).]

Dare, dār, v.i. to be bold enough: to venture:—pa.t. durst.—v.t. to challenge: to defy.—n. (Shak.) boldness, a challenge.—n. Dare′-dev′il, a rash, venturesome fellow.—adj. unreasonably rash and reckless.—adjs. Dare′ful (Shak.), full of daring, adventurous; Dar′ing, bold: courageous: fearless.—n. boldness.—n. Dar′ing-do (see Derring-doe).—adj. Dar′ing-hard′y (Shak.), foolhardy.—adv. Dar′ingly.—I dare say, I suppose. [A.S. durran, pres. dearr; Goth. daursan; akin to Gr. tharsein.]

Dare, dār, v.t. to frighten, terrify. [M. E. daren, to be in fear; cf. Dan. dirre, to tremble.]

Dare, dār. Same as Dace.

Darg, darg, n. a day's work: (Scot.) a task. [Contr. from dawerk, day-wark, day-work.]

Daric, dar′ik, n. an old gold coin larger than an English sovereign, named after Darius I. of Persia.

Dark, därk, adj. without light: black, or somewhat black: gloomy: difficult to understand: unenlightened: secret: sinister.—n. absence of light: obscurity: a state of ignorance.—adv. (Shak.) in a state of dark.—v.t. Dark′en, to make dark: to render ignorant: to sully.—v.i. to grow dark or darker.—n. Dark′-house (Shak.), a mad-house.—adj. Dark′ish, somewhat dark: dusky.—v.i. Dark′le, to grow dark.—adv. and adj. Dark′ling, dark: in the dark.—advs. Dark′lings (poet.), in the dark; Dark′ly.—n. Dark′ness.—adj. Dark′some, dark: (poet.) gloomy.—ns. Dark′y, Dark′ey, a negro: (slang) a policeman's lantern.—Dark ages, the period of intellectual darkness in Europe, from the 5th to the 15th century.—Darken the door, to enter in at the door.—A dark horse, in racing, a horse whose capabilities are not known: a candidate about whom it is not known till the last moment that he is a candidate.—Keep dark, to be silent or secret; Keep it dark, to conceal.—The prince of darkness, Satan. [A.S. deorc.]

Darling, där′ling, n. a little dear: one dearly beloved: a favourite. [Dear, and dim. suff. -ling = l-ing.]

Darn, därn, v.t. to mend a hole by imitating the texture of the stuff.—n. the place darned.—n. Darn′ing-needle. [W. darn, a piece, a patch.]

Darn, därn, v.i. a minced form of damn.

Darnel, där′nel, n. an annual of the rye-grass genus, the tares of Scripture. [Prob. conn. with O. Fr. darne, stupid, from its supposed narcotic properties.]

Darraign, Darrain. See Derain.

Dart, därt, n. a pointed weapon for throwing with the hand: anything that pierces.—v.t. to hurl suddenly: to send or shoot forth.—v.i. to start or shoot forth rapidly—freq. Dar′tle.—adv. Dart′ingly. [O. Fr. dart; from a Low Ger. root.]

Dart. See Dace.

Darter, därt′ėr, n. a genus of birds nearly allied to cormorants, heron-like in gait and gesture.

Dartre, där′tr, n. herpes.—adj. Dar′trous. [Fr.]

Darwinism, där′win-ism, n. the theory of the origin of species propounded by C. Darwin (1809-82).—adjs. Darwin′ian, Darwin′ical.

Dash, dash, v.t. to throw violently: to break by throwing together: to throw water suddenly: to bespatter: to destroy or frustrate: to mix or adulterate.—v.i. to strike against: to break against, as water: to rush with violence.—n. a violent striking: a rushing or violent onset: a blow: a mark (—) at a break in a sentence: ostentation: a slight admixture.—ns. Dash′-board, a board or leathern frame in front of a carriage, to keep off splashes of mud; Dash′er, one who dashes: (coll.) one who makes a great show.—adj. Dash′ing, rushing: reckless: hasty and rash: gallant.—adv. Dash′ingly.—ns. Dash′-pot, a device for preventing too sudden motion in some part of an apparatus; Dash′-wheel, a wheel-shaped box with compartments, in which cotton cloth is washed by the revolution of the wheel in liquid.—Dash off, to sketch hastily; Dash out, to knock out by striking against something. [M. E. daschen, dassen, to rush, or strike with violence—Scand.; cf. Dan. daske, to slap].

Dastard, das′tard, n. a cowardly fellow.—adj. shrinking from danger: cowardly.—adj. and adv. Das′tardly.—ns. Das′tardness, Das′tardliness, Das′tardy. [From a Scand. stem dast = Eng. dazed, and Fr. suffix -ard. See Daze.]

Dasymeter, da-sim′e-tėr, n. an instrument for testing the density of gases. [Gr. dasys, thick, metron, measure.]

Dasypus, das′i-pus, n. a genus of armadillos.

Dasyure, das′i-yōōr, n. a small carnivorous quadruped of Australia and Tasmania. [Formed from Gr. dasys, hairy, oura, tail.]

Data, dā′ta, n.pl. facts given or admitted from which other facts may be deduced:—sing. Dā′tum. [L. datum, data, given—dăre, to give.]

Datary, dā′ta-ri, n. an officer in the papal chancery, who dates and despatches documents, grants, &c.—n. Datā′ria, the office of such. [Low L. datarius—L. datum—dăre, to give.]

Date, dāt, n. the time of any event: a stipulated time: age, period of time.—v.t. to affix the date to.—v.t. to reckon: to begin.—adj. Date′less, without date: without fixed limit: undatable.—Out of date, antiquated; Up to date, adapted or corrected to the present time: modern. [O. Fr. date—L. datum, as in datum Romæ = given or written at Rome.]

Date, dāt, n. the fruit of the date-palm.—ns. Date′-palm, Date′-tree, the tree on which it grows, a native of the northern half of Africa and the south-west of Asia; Date′-plum; Date′-sug′ar. [Fr. datte—L. dactylus—Gr. daktylos, a finger.]

Dative, dāt′iv, adj. that is given or appointed.—n. the dative case, the oblique case of nouns, &c.—generally indicated in English by to or for. [L. dativus.]

Datolite, dat′ō-līt, n. a vitreous calcium borosilicate.

Datum, dā′tum (see Data).—n. Dā′tum-line, the horizontal base-line from which heights and depths are measured.

Datura, dā-tū′ra, n. a genus of plants, of which one, D. stramonium, or thorn-apple, has strongly narcotic properties.—n. Dat′urine, a poisonous alkaloid in the foregoing. [Hind. dhatūrā.]

Daub, dawb, v.t. to smear: to paint coarsely.—n. a coarse painting.—ns. Daub′er, one who daubs: a coarse painter; Daub′ery, Daub′ry (Shak.), a daubing, or crudely artful device; Daub′ing.—adj. Daub′y, sticky. [O. Fr. dauber, to plaster—L. dealbāre, to whitewash—de, down, and albus, white.]

Daud, daud, v.t. (Scot.) to knock, thump.—n. a lump: large piece.—Also Dawd.

Daughter, daw′tėr, n. a female child: a female descendant: woman (generally).—ns. Daugh′ter-in-law, a son's wife; Daugh′terliness; Daugh′terling, a little daughter.—adj. Daugh′terly, like or becoming a daughter. [A.S. dohtor; Scot. dochter, Ger. tochter, Gr. thygatēr.]

Daunder, Dauner. Same as Dander.

Daunt, dänt, or dawnt, v.t. to frighten: to discourage: to subdue.—adj. Daunt′less, not to be daunted.—adv. Daunt′lessly.—n. Daunt′lessness.—v.t. Daun′ton, to subdue: to dare. [O. Fr. danter (Fr. dompter)—L. domitāre—domāre, to tame.]

Dauphin, daw′fin, n. the name given to the eldest son of the king of France, from 1349 down to 1830:—fem. Dau′phiness. [O. Fr. daulphin (Fr. dauphin)—L. delphinus, a dolphin. From the dolphins in the crest of Viennois.]

Daur, dawr, a Scotch form of dare.

Dautie. See Dawtie.

Dauw, daw, n. the South African name of Burchell's zebra.

Davenport, dā′ven-port, n. a small ornamental writing-desk. [From the maker.]

Davenport-trick, dā′ven-port-trik, n. the artifice by which a man can free himself from ropes wound round him and tied.

Davit, dāv′it, n. one of a pair of pieces of timber or iron, projecting over a ship's side or stern, having tackle to raise a boat by. [Cf. Fr. davier, a forceps.]

Davy, dā′vi, Davy-lamp, dā′vi-lamp, n. the safety-lamp for coal-miners of Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829).

Davy Jones, dā′vi jōnz, n. a sailor's familiar name for the (malignant) spirit of the sea, the devil; hence Davy Jones's locker, of the sea, as the grave of men drowned at sea. [Said by some to be a compound of Duffy, a West Indian spirit name, and Jonah.]

Daw, daw, v.i. an old English form of dawn.

Daw, daw, n. a bird of the crow kind: a jackdaw.—adj. Daw′ish. [From its cry.]

Dawdle, daw′dl, v.i. to waste time by trifling: to act or move slowly.—n. Daw′dler. [Allied to dandle and dandy.]

Dawk. See Dak.

Dawn, dawn, v.i. to become day: to begin to grow light: to begin to appear.—n. daybreak: beginning.—Also Dawn′ing. [A.S. dagian, to dawn, dæg, day.]

Dawnering = dandering. [See Dander (1).]

Dawtie, daw′ti, n. (Scot.) a darling: a beloved child—also Daut′ie.—v.t. Daut, to fondle.

Day, dā, n. the time of light, from sunrise to sunset: the time from morning till night: twenty-four hours, the time the earth takes to make a revolution on her axis—this being the solar or natural day as distinguished from the sidereal day, between two transits of the same star: a man's period of existence or influence: a time or period.—ns. Day′-bed (Shak.), a couch or sofa; Day′-blind′ness, a defect of vision, in which objects are best seen by a dim light; Day′-book, a book in which merchants, &c., enter the transactions of every day; Day′break; Day′-coal, the upper stratum of coal; Day′-dream, a dreaming or musing while awake; Day′-fly, a fly which lives in its perfect form only for a day, one of the ephemera; Day′-lā′bour; Day′-lā′bourer; Day′light; Day′-lil′y, a flower whose blossoms last only for a day, the hemerocallis.—adj. Day′long, during the whole day.—ns. Day′-peep (Milt.), the dawn; Day′-schol′ar, a boy who attends a boarding-school during the school-hours, but boards at home; Day′-school, a school held during the day, as opposed both to a night-school and to a boarding-school; Day′-sight = night-blindness; Days′man, one who appoints a day to hear a cause: an umpire; Day′spring, dawn; Day′star, the morning star; Day′time.—adj. Day′-wea′ried (Shak.), wearied with the work of the day.—n. Day′-work.—Day by day, daily; Day of doom, the judgment day; Days of grace, three days allowed for payment of bills, &c., beyond the day named.—Name the day, to fix the day of marriage.—One of these days, an indefinite reference to the near future.—The day, the time spoken of: (Scot.) to-day; The other day, not long ago; The time of day, a greeting, as, 'to give a person the time of day,' to greet him. [A.S. dæg; Ger. tag; not conn. with L. dies.]

Dayak. See Dyak.

Day-woman, dā′-woom′an, n. (Shak.) a dairymaid.

Daze, dāz, v.t. to stun, to stupefy. [Ice. dasa, to be breathless; cf. A.S. dwæs, foolish.]

Dazzle, daz′l, v.t. to daze or overpower with any strong light: to confound by brilliancy, beauty, or cleverness.—ns. Dazz′lement, the act of dazzling: that which dazzles; Dazz′ler; Dazz′ling.—adv. Dazz′lingly. [Freq. of daze.]

Deacon, dē′kn, n. in Episcopal churches, a member of the order of clergy under priests: in some Presbyterian churches, an officer, distinct from the elders, who attends to the secular affairs of the church: in Congregational and some other churches, an officer who advises the pastor, distributes the elements at the Communion, and dispenses charity: in Scotland, the master of an incorporated company:—fem. Dea′coness, a female servant of the Christian society in the time of the apostles: in a convent, a nun who has the care of the altar: one of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.—ns. Dea′conhood, Dea′conry, Dea′conship. [L. diaconus—Gr. diakonos, a servant.]

Dead, ded, adj. without life: death-like: at rest, of a ball: cold and cheerless: without vegetation: utter: unerring.—v.t. to deaden, dull.—adv. in a dead manner.—n. the time of greatest stillness, as 'the dead of night.'—adjs. Dead′-alive′, Dead′-and-alive′, dull, uneventful; Dead′-beat, quite overcome; Dead′-born, still-born.—n.pl. Dead′-clothes, clothes in which to bury the dead.—n. Dead′-col′ouring, the first broad outlines of a picture.—adjs. Dead′-do′ing (Spens.), putting to death, destructive; Dead′-drunk, completely drunk.—v.t. Dead′en, to make dead: to deprive partly of vigour or sensation: to blunt: to lessen.—ns. Dead′-eye, (naut.), a round, flattish wooden block with a rope or iron band passing round it, and pierced with three holes for a lanyard; Dead′-fall, a trap operated by a weight that, when its support is removed, falls upon and kills or holds an animal; Dead′-freight, money paid for the empty space in a ship by a person who engages to freight her, but fails to make out a full cargo; Dead′-head (U.S.), one who is allowed, without payment, to ride in a public carriage, sit in a theatre, or hold a privilege having a money value; Dead′-heat, a heat or race in which no one gains the advantage; Dead′-house, the house or room where (in hospitals, police-offices, &c.) dead bodies are kept till buried: a mortuary; Dead′-lett′er, a letter undelivered and unclaimed at the post-office: a law or ordinance which has been made but never enforced; Dead′-lev′el, a stretch of land without any rising ground: sameness; Dead′-lift, a lift made without help, leverage, &c.; hence an effort under discouraging conditions.—n.pl. Dead′-lights, storm-shutters for a cabin window.—ns. Dead′liness; Dead′-lock, the case when matters have become so complicated that all is at a complete standstill.—adj. Dead′ly, causing death: fatal: implacable.—adv. in a manner resembling death.—ns. Dead′ly-night′shade, the plant Belladonna (q.v.); Dead′-march, a piece of solemn music played at funeral processions, esp. of soldiers; Dead′-meat, the flesh of animals ready for the market.—n.pl. Dead′-men, empty bottles after a carouse.—ns. Dead′ness; Dead′-nett′le, a genus of plants of the natural order Labiatæ, so called because they resemble nettles but do not sting; Dead′-pay, continued pay dishonestly drawn for men actually dead; Dead′-reck′oning, an estimation of a ship's place simply by the log-book; Dead′-rope, a rope not running in any block; Dead′-set, a determined and prolonged attempt; Dead′-shot, an unerring marksman.—adj. Dead′-stroke, without recoil.—ns. Dead′-wall, a wall unbroken by windows or other openings; Dead′-wa′ter, the eddy water closing in behind a ship's stern as she sails; Dead′-weight, a heavy or oppressive burden; Dead′-wind, a wind coming directly ahead or opposed to a ship's course; Dead′-wood, pieces of timber laid on the upper side of the keel at either end, useless material; Dead′-work, work, itself unprofitable, which is necessary as a preliminary, as the opening of a mine.—Dead as a door-nail, absolutely dead; Dead language, one no longer spoken; Dead-men's bells, the foxglove; Dead-men's fingers, a very common cœlenterate belonging to the Actinozoa—also Cow-paps and Mermaid's glove; Dead-men's shoes, a situation formerly held by some one now dead; Dead's part (Scots law), the part of a man's movable property which he may bequeath by will, and which is not due to wife and children.—Be dead set against, to be utterly opposed to.—Put the dead wood on (U.S. slang), to gain a great advantage over. [A.S. deád; Goth. dauths, Ger. todt, from root of die.]

Deaf, def, adj. dull of hearing: unable to hear at all: not willing to hear: inattentive.—v.t. Deaf′en, to make deaf, partly or altogether: to stun: to render impervious to sound.—n. Deaf′ening, stuffing put into floors, partition-walls, &c. to prevent sounds from passing through.—adv. Deaf′ly.—ns. Deaf′-mute, one who is both deaf and dumb; Deaf′ness. [A.S. deáf; Dut. doof, Ger. taub.]

Deal, dēl, n. a portion; an indefinite quantity: a large quantity; the act of dividing cards: (U.S.) a bargain: a fir or pine board: timber.—v.t. to divide, to distribute: to throw about: to deliver.—v.i. to transact business: to act: to distribute cards.—pa.t. and pa.p. dealt (delt).—ns. Deal′er, one who deals: a trader; Deal′-fish, a genus of ribbon-fishes; Deal′ing, manner of acting towards others: intercourse of trade. [A.S. dǽlan—dǽl, a part; Ger. theilen—theil, a part or division. A doublet of dole. By some, however, deal, a plank, is taken as a doublet of thill, from A.S. thel, a plank.]

Deambulatory, dē-am′bū-la-to-ri, n. a passage or aisle round the choir and apse of a church. [L. deambulāre, -ātum, to walk about.]

Dean, dēn, n. a small valley.—Also Dene. [A.S. denu, a valley. Cf. Den.]

Dean, dēn, n. a dignitary in cathedral and collegiate churches who presides over the other clergy: the president of faculty in a college; the chief chaplain of the Chapel Royal: the chief judge of the Court of Arches: the president of a trade-guild.—ns. Dean′ery, the office of a dean: a dean's house; Dean′ship, the office or dignity of a dean.—Dean of Arches, dean of the Court of Arches (see Arch); Dean of Faculty, president of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland: Dean of Guild, a municipal functionary in Scotland, who has authority over building and altering of houses.—Rural dean, one who, under the bishop, has the special care and inspection of the clergy in certain parishes. [O. Fr. deien (Fr. doyen)—Low L. decanus, a chief of ten—L. decem, ten.]

Dear, dēr, adj. high in price: costly: scarce: highly valued: beloved: (Shak.), earnest, inmost.—n. one who is dear or beloved.—adv. at a high price.—adj. Dear′-bought.—n. Dear′ling (Spens.), a darling.—adj. Dear′-loved.—adv. Dear′ly.—ns. Dear′ness; Dear′y, one who is dear. [A.S. deóre, dýre; cog. with Ger. theuer.]

Dear, dēr, interj. indicating surprise, pity, or other emotion, as in 'Oh dear!' 'Dear me!' 'Dear, dear!'—prob. elliptical in 'Dear help us!' &c. [Sometimes doubtfully referred to Dio mio (It. 'My God'), or to some compound of Fr. Dieu.]

Dearn, Dearnful, Dernly. See Dern, &c.

Dearth, dėrth, n. dearness, high price: scarcity: want: famine; barrenness.—adj. Dearth′ful (Scot.), expensive.

Deasil, dē′shēl, n. (Scot.) motion according to the apparent course of the sun—opp. to Withershins.—Also Dea′soil, Dei′sheal, Dea′siul. [Gael.]

Dearticulate, dē-ar-tik′ū-lāt, v.t. to disjoint.

Deaspirate, dē-as′pir-āt, v.t. to remove the aspirate.

Death, deth, n. state of being dead: extinction or cessation of life: manner of dying: mortality: a deadly plague: cause of death: spiritual lifelessness: the killing of the animal in hunting.—ns. Death′-add′er, a poisonous Australian snake; Death′-ag′ony, the struggle often preceding death; Death′-bed, the bed on which one dies, the last illness; Death′-bell, the passing bell; Death′-blow, a blow that causes death; Death′-damp, a cold, clammy sweat preceding death.—n.pl. Death′-dū′ties, duties paid to government on the inheritance of property, real or personal, after the death of the former owner.—n. Death′-fire, a kind of light supposed to presage death.—adjs. Death′ful, Death′ly, deadly, destructive; Death′less, never dying: everlasting.—n. Death′lessness.—adj. Death′-like (Shak.), like a dead person, deadly.—n. Death′liness.—adj. Death′-marked, marked for or by death, destined to die.—n. Death′-mask, a plaster-cast taken from the face after death.—adj. Death′-prac′tised (Shak.), threatened with death by malicious arts.—ns. Death′-rate, the proportion of deaths to the population; Death′-ratt′le, a rattling in the throat which sometimes accompanies the last uneasy breathings of a dying person; Death's′-door, the point of death; Death's′-head, the skull of a human skeleton, or a figure of it; Death's′-man (Shak.), the public executioner; Death′-stroke, a death-blow; Death′-throe, the dying agony; Death′-tō′ken (Shak.), a sign or token of impending death, a plague-spot; Death′-trap, an unsafe building, vessel, or place that shuts up its occupants to almost certain death; Death′-warr′ant, an order from the authorities for the execution of a criminal; Death′-watch, a watch by a dying person: a popular name for several insects which produce a ticking noise, specially audible in the stillness of a death-chamber; Death′-wound, a wound which caused death.—Death's′-head moth, a species of hawk-moth, having pale markings on the back of the thorax somewhat like a skull.—Be death on, to be fond of, to be good at; Be in at the death, in hunting, to be up on the animal before the dogs have killed it.—Do, or Put, to death, to kill: to cause to be killed.—Gates, or Jaws, of death, death's door, the point of death.—To death, expressive of intensity, very much. [A.S. deáth; Ger. tod. See Dead and Die.]

Deave, dēv, v.t. (Scot.) to render deaf. [See Deaf.]

Deaw, dū, v.t. (Spens.) to bedew.

Debacle, de-bak′l, n. a breaking up of ice on a river: (geol.) a sudden flood of water leaving its path strewed with debris. [Fr. débâcle; de, and bâcler, to bar—L. baculus, a stick.]

Debar, de-bär′, v.t. to bar out from: to exclude: to hinder:—pr.p. debar′ring; pa.p. debarred′.—n. Debar′ment. [L. de, from, and bar.]

Debark, de-bärk′, v.t. or v.i. to land from a ship or boat: to disembark.—ns. Debarkā′tion, Debarcā′tion. [Fr. débarquer—des = L. dis, away, and barque, a ship.]

Debarrass, de-bär′as, v.t. to disembarrass, disentangle, free. [Fr. débarrasser; de, and barre, a bar.]

Debase, de-bās′, v.t. to lower: to make mean or of less value: to adulterate.—adj. Debased′, degraded: (her.) reversed.—n. Debase′ment, degradation.—adj. Debas′ing, tending to lower or degrade.—adv. Debas′ingly. [L. de, down, and base, low.]

Debate, de-bāt′, n. a contention in words or argument: (obs.) strife.—v.t. to contend for in argument: (arch.) to fight for.—v.i. to deliberate: to join in debate.—adjs. Debat′able, liable to be disputed; Debate′ful (Spens.), quarrelsome.—ns. Debate′ment (Spens., Shak.), controversy; Debat′er.—adv. Debat′ingly.—Debatable land, a tract of border land between Esk and Sark claimed both by England and Scotland. [O. Fr. debatre—L. de, and batuĕre, to beat.]

Debauch, de-bawch′, v.t. to lead away from duty or allegiance: to corrupt with lewdness: to pervert.—v.i. to indulge in revelry.—n. a fit of intemperance or debauchery.—p.adj. Debauched′, corrupt: profligate.—adv. Debauch′edly.—ns. Debauch′edness; Deb′auchee, a libertine; Debauch′er; Debauch′ery, excessive intemperance: habitual lewdness; Debauch′ment. [O. Fr. desbaucher (Fr. débaucher), to corrupt—des = L. dis, and baucher, to hew—bauche or bauc, a beam, a course of stones.]

Debel, de-bel′, v.t. (Milt.) to conquer in war. [Fr. débeller—L. debellāre—de, from, and bellāre, to carry on war, from bellum, war.]

Debenture, de-bent′ūr, n. a written acknowledgment of a debt: a deed of mortgage given by a railway or other company for borrowed money: a certificate entitling an exporter of imported goods to a repayment of the duty paid on their importation.—p.adj. Debent′ured, entitled to drawback or debenture, as goods. [L. debentur, there are due, 3d pers. pl. pass. of debēre, to owe—the first word of the receipt.]

Debilitate, de-bil′i-tāt, v.t. to make weak: to impair the strength of.—adj. Deb′ile (arch.), weak, feeble.—ns. Debilitā′tion; Debil′ity, weakness and languor: a weak action of the animal functions. [L. debilitāre, ātum—debilis, weak—de, not, habilis, able. See Ability.]

Debit, deb′it, n. a debt or something due: an entry on the debtor side of an account.—v.t. to charge with debt: to enter on the debtor side of an account.—n. Deb′itor (Shak.), a debtor. [L. debitum, what is due, from debēre, to owe.]

Debituminise, dē-bi-tū′mi-nīz, v.t. to deprive of bitumen.

Déblai, dā-blā′, n. the earth excavated from a ditch to form a parapet. [Fr.]

Debonair, deb-o-nār′, adj. of good appearance and manners: elegant: courteous: gay.—adv. Debonair′ly.—n. Debonair′ness. [Fr. de, of, bon, good, air, appearance, manner.]

Debosh, de-bosh′, an old form of debauch.

Debouch, de-bōōsh′, v.i. to march out from a narrow pass or confined place.—ns. Debouch′ment, the act of debouching; Debouchure′, the mouth of a river or strait. [Fr. déboucher—de, from, bouche, the mouth—L. bucca, the cheek.]

Débouché, de-boo-shā′, n. an opening, a passage: a market. [Fr.]

Debris, de-brē′, n.sing. and pl. rubbish: ruins: a mass of rocky fragments. [Fr., from briser, akin to bruise.]

Debruised, de-brōōzd′, p.adj. (her.) surmounted or partly covered by one of the ordinaries. [O. Fr. debrusier—de, apart, brusier, to break.]

Debt, det, n. what one owes to another: what one becomes liable to do or suffer: a state of obligation or indebtedness: a duty: (B.) a sin.—p.adj. Debt′ed (Shak.), indebted, obliged to.—ns. Debt′ee, a creditor; Debt′or, one who owes a debt: the side of an account on which debts are charged.—Debt of honour, a debt not recognised by law, but binding in honour—esp. gambling and betting debts; Debt of nature, death.—Active debt, a debt due to one, as opposed to Passive debt, a debt one owes; Floating debt, miscellaneous public debt, like exchequer and treasury bills, as opposed to Funded debt, that which has been converted into perpetual annuities like consols in Britain.—In one's debt, under a pecuniary obligation to one. [O. Fr. dette—L. debitum, debēre, to owe.]

Début, de-bü′ (u sounded as in Scot. gude), n. a beginning or first attempt: a first appearance before the public, as of an actor, &c.—n. Débutant′, one who makes his first appearance before the public:—fem. Débutante′. [Fr. début, a first stroke—débuter—de, from, but, aim, mark.]

Decachord, dek′a-kord, n. an ancient musical instrument with ten strings: anything having ten parts. [Gr. dekachordos—deka, ten, and chordē, a string.]

Decacuminated, dē-ka-kū′mi-nā-ted, adj. having the top cut off.

Decade, dek′ād, Decad, dek′ad, n. a group of ten, esp. a series of ten years.—adj. Dec′adal. [Fr. décade—Gr. dekas—deka, ten.]

Decadence, dek′a-dens, or de-kā′-, Dec′adency (or de-kā′-), n. state of decay: a term for a school in modern French literature not distinguished for vigour or originality.—adj. Dec′adent (or de-kā′-), decaying.—n. something decaying or decayed. [Fr.,—Low L. decadentia, from L. de, down—cadĕre, to fall.]

Decagon, dek′a-gon, n. a plane figure of ten angles and sides.—adj. Decag′onal. [Gr. deka, and gōnia, an angle.]

Decagramme, Decagram, dek′a-gram, n. a weight of ten grammes, equal to 0.353 oz. [Fr.,—Gr. deka, ten, and gramma, a weight; L. granum, a grain.]

Decagynia, dek-a-jin′i-a, n. a class of plants in the Linnæan system having ten pistils.—adjs. Decagyn′ian, Decag′ynous. [Gr. deka, ten, gynē, a woman.]

Decahedron, dek-a-hē′dron, n. a solid figure having ten faces.—adj. Decahē′dral. [Gr. deka, and hedra, a seat.]

Decalcify, de-kal′si-fī, v.i. to deprive of lime: to take the calcareous matter out of bones, teeth, &c.—n. Decalcificā′tion. [L. de, away from, calx, calcis, lime, facĕre, to make.]

Decalcomania, dē-kal-kō-mā′ni-a, n. the process of transferring pictures to marble, glass, wood, &c. [Fr.]

Decalitre, dek′a-lēt-ėr, n. a French measure, ten litres: equal to 2½ imperial gallons. [Fr.,—Gr. deka, ten, and litra, a pound.]

Decalogue, dek′a-log, n. the ten commandments.—n. Decal′ogist. [Gr. deka, ten, logos, a discourse.]

Decameron, de-kam′e-ron, n. Boccaccio's hundred tales, supposed to be told in ten days.—adj. Decameron′ic. [From Gr. deka, ten, hēmera, a day.]

Decametre, dek′a-mēt-ėr, n. a French measure of ten metres, or 32.8 feet. [Fr. décamètre—Gr. deka, ten, metron, a measure. See Metre.]

Decamp, de-kamp′, v.i. to go away, esp. secretly.—n. Decamp′ment. [Fr. décamper.]

Decanal, dek′an-al, adj. pertaining to a dean or deanery.

Decandria, de-kan′dri-a, n. a class of plants in the Linnæan system having ten stamens.—adjs. Decan′drian, Decan′drous. [Gr. deka, ten, and anēr, andros, a man.]

Decangular, dek-ang′gū-lar, adj. having ten angles. [Gr. deka, ten, and L. angulus, an angle.]

Decant, de-kant′, v.t. to pour off, leaving sediment: to pour from one vessel into another.—ns. Decantā′tion; Decant′er, an ornamental bottle for holding decanted liquor. [Fr. décanter (It. decantare)—de, from, and Low L. cantus, a side or corner.]

Decaphyllous, dek-a-fil′us, adj. having ten leaves. [Gr. deka, ten, phyllon, a leaf.]

Decapitate, de-kap′i-tāt, v.t. to take the head from: to behead.—n. Decapitā′tion. [Low L. decapitāre—L. de, from, and caput, capitis, the head.]

Decapod, dek′a-pod, n. one of the shellfish which have ten feet or claws, as the crab.—adjs. Deca′podal, Deca′podous. [Gr. deka, ten, and pous, podos, a foot.]

Decarbonate, de-kär′bon-āt, v.t. to deprive of carbon—also Decar′bonise, Decar′burise.—ns. Decarbonisā′tion, Decarburisā′tion. [De, from, carbon.]

Decastich, dek′a-stik, n. a poem of ten lines. [Gr. deka, ten, and stichos, a row, a verse.]

Decastyle, dek′a-stīl, n. a portico with ten columns in front. [Gr. deka, ten, stylos, a column.]

Decasyllabic, dek-a-sil-ab′ik, adj. having ten syllables. [Gr. deka, ten, syllabē, a syllable.]

Decaudate, de-kaw′dāt, v.t. to cut off the tail of. [L. de, and cauda, tail.]

Decay, dē-kā′, v.i. to fall away from a state of health or excellence: to waste away.—v.t. to cause to waste away: to impair.—n. a falling into a worse or less perfect state: a passing away: loss of fortune: (obs.) misfortune.—p.adj. Decayed′, reduced in circumstances.—n. Decayed′ness. [O. Fr. decair—L. de, from cadĕre, to fall.]

Decease, dē-sēs′, n. death.—v.i. to die.—p.adj. Deceased′, dead. [O. Fr. deces (Fr. décès)—L. decessus—de, away, cedĕre, cessum, to go.]

Deceit, de-sēt′, n. act of deceiving: anything intended to mislead another: fraud: falseness.—adj. Deceit′ful, full of deceit: disposed or tending to deceive: insincere.—adv. Deceit′fully.—n. Deceit′fulness. [O. Fr., from L. decipĕre, deceptum, to deceive.]

Deceive, de-sēv′, v.t. to mislead or cause to err: to cheat: to disappoint.—adj. Deceiv′able, that may be deceived: exposed to imposture.—n. Deceiv′ableness.—adj. Deceiv′ably.—n. Deceiv′er. [Fr. décevoir—L. decipĕre, deceptum—de, from capĕre, to take, catch.]

December, de-sem′bėr, n. the tenth month among the Romans, who began their year with March: with us, the twelfth month of the year.—adj. Decem′berly, wintry, cold.—n. Decem′brist, one of those who took part in the Russian conspiracy of December 1825. [L. decem, ten.]

Decemdentate, dē-sem-den′tāt, adj. having ten points or teeth.

Decemfid, dē-sem′fid, adj. divided into ten parts.

Decemlocular, dē-sem-lok′ū-lar, adj. ten-celled.

Decempedal, dē-sem′ped-al, adj. having ten feet.

Decemvir, de-sem′vir, n. one of ten magistrates who at one time had absolute power in ancient Rome:—pl. Decem′virs, or (L.) Decemviri (dē-sem′vi-rī).—adj. Decem′viral.—n. Decem′virāte, a body of ten men in office: the term of office of decemvirs. [L. decem, ten, and vir, a man.]

Decennary, de-sen′ar-i, n. a period of ten years—also Decenn′ium.—adj. Decenn′ial, consisting of or happening every ten years. [L. decem, ten, and annus, a year.]

Decennoval, de-sen′ō-val, adj. pertaining to the number 15.

Decent, dē′sent, adj. becoming: seemly: proper: modest: moderate: tolerable.—n. Dē′cency, becomingness: modesty.—adv. Dē′cently. [L. decens, decentis, pr.p. of decēre, to be becoming.]

Decentralise, de-sen′tral-īz, v.t. to withdraw from the centre: to transfer functions from the central government to local centres.—n. Decentralisā′tion. [L. de, neg., and centralise.]

Deception, de-sep′shun, n. act of deceiving: the means by which it is sought to deceive.—n. Deceptibil′ity.—adjs. Decept′ible, capable of being deceived; Decep′tious (Shak.), deceitful; Decep′tive, tending to deceive: misleading.—adv. Decep′tively.—n. Decep′tiveness.—adj. Decep′tory, tending to deceive. [O. Fr.,—Low L. deceptio, -nis—decipĕre, to deceive.]

Decern, de-sėrn′, v.t. and v.i. (Scots law) to judge: to decree: to pass judgment. [O. Fr. decerner—L. decernĕre—de, and cernĕre, to distinguish.]

Decession, de-sesh′un, n. departure. [See Decease.]

Decharm, dē-chärm′, v.t. to disenchant.

Dechristianise, de-krist′yan-īz, v.t. to turn from Christianity: to destroy Christian elements.

Deciare, de′si-är, n. the tenth part of an are. [Fr.,—L. deci- (in decimus), and are.]

Decide, de-sīd′, v.t. to determine: to end: to settle: to resolve.—adjs. Decid′able, capable of being decided; Decid′ed, determined: clear, unmistakable: resolute.—adv. Decid′edly. [O. Fr. decider—L. decidēre—de, away, cædĕre, to cut.]

Deciduous, de-sid′ū-us, adj. that fall in autumn, as leaves: not permanent.—n. Decid′ua, a membrane of the uterus discharged after parturition.—adj. Decid′uāte.—n. Decid′uousness.—Deciduous trees, those which annually lose and renew their leaves. [L. deciduus—decidĕre, de, from, cadĕre, to fall.]

Decigramme, de′si-gram, n. the tenth part of a gramme. [See Gramme (3).]

Decilitre, des′i-lē-tėr, n. a measure of capacity equal to 1⁄10 litre.

Decillion, de-sil′yun, n. a million raised to the tenth power: in the French and American notation, a thousand raised to the eleventh power.

Decimal, des′i-mal, adj. numbered or proceeding by tens.—n. a fraction having ten or some power of ten for its denominator.—v.t. Dec′imalise, to reduce to the decimal system.—ns. Dec′imalism; Dec′imalist.—adv. Dec′imally.—Decimal notation, a system of writing numbers based on ten and powers of ten, like our ordinary system; Decimal system, a system whose units are tens and powers of tens, esp. in the French metric system of weights and measures. [Fr.,—Low L. decimalis—decem, ten.]

Decimate, des′i-māt, v.t. to take the tenth part of: to put to death every tenth man.—ns. Decimā′tion, a military punishment, by which every tenth man was selected by lot and put to death or otherwise punished; Dec′imator. [L. decimāre, -ātum—decimus, tenth.]

Decime, de-sēm′, n. a French coin equal to 1⁄10 franc.

Decimetre, des′i-mē-tėr, n. a measure of length equal to 1⁄10 metre.

Decipher, de-sī′fėr, v.t. to uncipher or read secret writing: to make out what is unintelligible or obscure: to reveal.—adj. Deci′pherable.—n. Deci′pherment. [L. de, neg. and cipher.]

Decision, de-sizh′un, n. the act of deciding: settlement: judgment: the quality of being decided in character.—adj. Decī′sive, having the power of deciding: showing decision: final: positive.—adv. Decī′sively.—n. Decī′siveness.—adj. Decī′sory, decisive. [See Decide.]

Decistère, des-i-stār, n. a cubic measure equal to 1⁄10 stere.

Decitizenise, dē-sit′i-zen-īz, v.t. to deprive of citizenship.

Decivilise, dē-siv′i-līz, v.t. to reduce from a civilised to a more savage state.

Deck, dek, v.t. to cover: to clothe: to adorn: to furnish with a deck, as a vessel.—n. a covering: a horizontal platform extending from one side of a vessel to the other, thereby joining them together, and forming both a floor and a covering: the part of a pack of cards that remains after the deal, or the part of a pack necessary for playing such games as bezique, &c.—ns. Deck′-car′go, cargo stowed on the deck of a vessel; Deck′-chair, a light chair of spars and canvas, to be used on board ship; Deck′er, the person or thing that decks: a vessel which has a deck or decks, used only in composition, as a three-decker, a ship with three decks; Deck′-hand, a person employed on deck; Deck′-house, a house or box on deck; Deck′ing, adornment; Deck′-load, a deck-cargo; Deck′-pass′age, a passage securing only the right of being on deck, without cabin accommodation; Deck′-pass′enger; Flush′-deck, a deck continuous from stem to stern at the same level (see Quarter-deck); Gun′-deck, a deck on which guns are carried; Hur′ricane-deck, a light partial deck over the saloon of some steamers; Main′-deck, the deck below the spar-deck; Spar′-deck, the upper deck of a ship. [Dut. dekken, to cover; Ger. decken; akin to L. tegĕre.]

Deckle, dek′l, n. the gauge on a paper-making machine.—n. Deck′le-edge, the raw or ragged edge of handmade paper.—adj. Deck′le-edged, having a rough uncut edge. [Ger.]

Declaim, de-klām′, v.i. to make a set or rhetorical speech: to harangue: to recite in public.—ns. Declaim′ant, Declaim′er.—p.adj. Declaim′ing.—ns. Declamā′tion, act of declaiming: a set speech in public: display in speaking.—adj. Declam′atory, of the nature of declamation: appealing to the passions: noisy and rhetorical merely. [L. declamāre—de, inten., clamāre, to cry out.]

Declare, de-klār′, v.t. to make known: to announce: to assert: to make a full statement of, as of goods at a custom-house.—v.i. to make a statement: to show cards in order to score.—adj. Declār′able, capable of being declared, exhibited, or proved.—ns. Declar′ant, one who makes a declaration; Declarā′tion, act of declaring: that which is declared: a written affirmation: in the criminal law of Scotland, the statement made by the prisoner before the magistrate: in common law, the pleading in which the plaintiff in an action at law sets forth his case against the defendant.—adjs. Declar′ative, Declar′atory, explanatory.—advs. Declar′atively, Declar′atorily.—n. Declar′ator, a form of action in the Court of Session in Scotland, with the view of having a fact judicially ascertained and declared.—adj. Declared′, avowed.—adv. Decla′redly, avowedly.—Declaratory Act, an act intended to explain an old law which had become obscure or a subject of controversy. [Fr. déclarer, from L. declarāre, -ātum—de, wholly, clarus, clear.]

Declension, de-klen′shun, n. a falling off: decay: descent: (gram.) change of termination for the oblique cases. [See Decline.]

Decline, de-klīn′, v.i. to bend or turn away from (a straight line); to deviate: to refuse: to bend down: to fail or decay: to stoop or condescend: to draw to an end.—v.t. to bend down: to turn away from: to refuse: to avoid: (gram.) to give the changes of a word in the oblique cases.—n. a falling off: deviation: decay: a gradual sinking of the bodily faculties, consumption.—adjs. Declin′able, having inflection for the oblique cases; Declī′nal, bending downward; Dec′linant (her.), having the tail hanging down—also Dec′livant.—ns. Declinā′tion, act of declining: a sloping or bending downward: deviation: (astron.) distance from the celestial equator; Dec′linātor, an instrument determining declination.—adj. Declin′atory, containing a declination or refusal—ns. Declin′ature, act of declining or refusing: (law) a plea declining the jurisdiction of a judge; Declinom′eter, an instrument for measuring the declination of the compass—i.e. the deviation of the magnetic needle from the true north. [Fr. décliner—L. de, down, away from, clināre, to bend. See Lean.]

Declivity, de-kliv′i-ti, n. a place that declines, or slopes downward, opposite of acclivity: inclination downward: a gradual descent.—adjs. Decliv′itous, Declī′vous. [Fr.,—L. declivitas—de, downward, clivus, sloping, akin to clināre.]

Decoct, de-kokt′, v.t. to prepare by boiling: to extract the substance of by boiling: to boil: to devise.—adjs. Decoc′tible, Decoc′tive.—ns. Decoc′tion, an extract of anything got by boiling; Decoc′ture, a substance prepared by decoction. [L. decoquĕre, decoctum—de, down, coquĕre, to cook.]

Decode, de-kōd′, v.t. to translate the symbols in a code telegram into ordinary language.

Decollate, de-kol′āt, v.t. to behead.—p.adj. Decoll′ated, rounded off, as the apex of a shell.—n. Decollā′tion, the act of beheading: a picture of a decapitation, esp. of the head of St John the Baptist on a charger: the festival of the Baptist, Aug. 29. [L. decollāre—de, from, collum, the neck.]

Decolleté, dā-kol-e-tā′, adj. with neck uncovered: of dress, low cut. [Fr. décolleter, to bare the neck and shoulders. Cf. Decollate.]

Decolour, de-kul′ur, v.t. to deprive of colour—also Decol′ourise.—n. Decol′orant, a substance that bleaches or removes colour.—v.t. Decol′orate, to deprive of colour.—ns. Decolorā′tion, removal or absence of colour; Decolorisā′tion. [Fr. décolorer—L. decolorāre—de, from, color, colour.]

Decomplex, dē′kom-pleks, adj. repeatedly compound.

Decompose, de-kom-poz′, v.t. to separate the parts composing anything: to resolve into original elements.—v.i. to decay, rot.—adj. Decompos′able.—n. Decomposi′tion, act of decomposing: decay or dissolution: also the compounding of things already compound. [L. de, neg., and compose.]

Decomposite, dē-kom-poz′it, or de-kom′-, adj. compound a second time or more than once. [L. de, and composite.]

Decompound, de-kom-pownd′, v.t. to compound again: to compound things already compounded; also, to divide a thing into its constituent parts.—adj. compounded a second time.—adj. Decompound′able. [L. de, and compound.]

Deconcentrate, de-kon-sen′trāt, or de-kon′sen-trāt, v.t. to scatter.—n. Deconcentrā′tion. [De, and concentrate.]

Deconsecrate, de-kon′se-krāt, v.t. to deprive of the character given by consecration: to secularise.—n. Deconsecrā′tion.

Decorate, dek′o-rāt, v.t. to ornament, to beautify: to honour with a badge or medal.—adj. Dec′orated.—n. Decorā′tion, ornament: badge of an order.—adj. Dec′orātive, ornamental.—ns. Dec′orātiveness; Dec′orātor.—Decorated style (archit.), a style of Gothic architecture, elaborated and richly decorated, which prevailed till near the end of the 14th century.—Decoration Day, May 30th, when the memory of the soldiers who fell in the American Civil War of 1861-65 is honoured by the decoration of their graves, speeches, processions, &c. [L. decorāre, -ātum—decus, what is becoming—decēre, to be becoming.]

Decorous, de-kō′rus, or dek′o-rus, adj. becoming: suitable: proper: decent.—adv. Decō′rously.—ns. Decō′rousness; Decō′rum, that which is becoming in outward appearance: propriety of conduct: decency. [L. decorus, becoming.]

Decorticate, de-kor′ti-kāt, v.t. to deprive of the bark, husk, or peel.—n. Decorticā′tion. [L. decorticāre, -ātum—de, from, and cortex, bark.]

Decoy, de-koy′, v.t. to allure: to entrap: to lure into a trap.—n. anything intended to allure into a snare: an apparatus of hoops and network for trapping wild-ducks—sometimes duck-coy.—n. Decoy′-duck, a wild-duck tamed and trained to entice others into a trap: (fig.) one employed to allure others into a snare. [L. de, down, and O. Fr. coi, quiet; the earlier verb to coy was confused with the Dut. kooi—L. cavea, a cage. See Coy.]

Decrassify, dē-kras′i-fī, v.t. to make less crass.

Decrease, de-krēs′, v.i. to become less: to be diminished by degrees in size or power.—v.t. to make less: to lessen gradually.—n. a growing less: loss.—adv. Decreas′ingly. [O. Fr. decrois, a decrease—L. descrescĕre—de, from, crescĕre, to grow.]

Decree, de-krē′, n. an order by one in authority: an edict or law: a judicial decision: a predetermined purpose.—v.t. to decide or determine by sentence in law: to appoint.—v.i. to make a decree:—pr.p. decree′ing; pa.p. decreed′.—adjs. Decree′able, capable of being decreed; Decrē′tive, having the force of a decree; Dec′rētory, Decretō′rial, established by a decree: determining: judicial.—Decree nisi (L. nisi, unless), a decree that becomes absolute unless cause be shown to the contrary—granted esp. in divorce cases. [O. Fr. decret—L. decretum—decernĕre, to decide.]

Decreet, de-krēt′, n. (Scots law) a court judgment.

Decrement, dek′re-ment, n. the act or state of decreasing: the quantity lost by decrease. [L. decrementum.]

Decrepit, de-krep′it, adj. worn out by the infirmities of old age: in the last stage of decay.—ns. Decrep′itness; Decrep′itude, state of being decrepit or worn out with age. [L. decrepitus, noiseless, very old—de, not, crepitus, a noise.]

Decrepitate, de-krep′i-tāt, v.i. to crackle, as salts when heated.—v.t. to roast so as to cause a continual crackling, to calcine.—n. Decrepitā′tion. [L. de, inten., crepitāre, to rattle much, freq. of crepāre.]

Decrescent, de-kres′ent, adj. becoming gradually less.—n. (mus.) Decrescen′do = Diminuendo (q.v.). [L.]

Decretal, de-krē′tal, adj. pertaining to a decree.—n. a decree, esp. of the pope: a book containing decrees: spec. in pl. the second part of the canon law, the decrees of various popes determining points of ecclesiastical law.—n. Decrē′tist, in medieval universities, a student of the decretals, a student of law.—adjs. Decrē′tive; Decrē′tory, pertaining to a decree, judicial. [L. decretalis—decretum.]

Decrew, de-krōō′, v.i. (Spens.) to decrease. [For decrue—O. Fr. decru, pa.p. of decroistre. See Decrease.]

Decrown, dē-krown′, v.t. to discrown. [Fr. découronner, to discrown.]

Decrustation, dē-krus-tā′shun, n. the act of removing a crust.

Decry, de-krī′, v.t. to cry down: to condemn: to censure as worthless: to blame:—pa.p. decried′.—ns. Decrī′al; Decrī′er. [Fr. de(s) = L. dis, and crier, to cry. See Cry.]

Decuman, dek′ū-man, adj. principal, large—of waves, &c.: connected with the principal gate of a Roman camp (near which the 10th cohort of the legion was stationed).—n. a great wave, as every tenth wave was supposed to be. [L. decumanus—decem, ten.]

Decumbent, de-kum′bent, adj. lying down: reclining on the ground.—ns. Decubā′tion, Decum′bence, Decum′bency, the act or posture of lying down.—adj. Decū′bital—n. Decū′bitus, a recumbent position, as of one sick in bed: a bed-sore.—adv. Decum′bently.—n. Decum′biture, the time when a sick person takes to bed. [L. decumbens—de, down, and cumbĕre, for cubāre, to lie.]

Decuple, dek′ū-pl, adj. tenfold.—n. a number ten times repeated.—v.t. to make tenfold. [Fr. décuple—L. decem, ten, and plicāre, to fold.]

Decurion, dē-kū′ri-on, n. an officer in a Roman army over ten soldiers—a Dec′ury or Decū′ria: any overseer of ten.—n. Decū′rionate. [L.]

Decurrent, de-kur′ent, adj. running or extending downward.—n. Decurr′ency.—adv. Decurr′ently.—n. Decur′sion, a running down: a military manœuvre or parade.—adj. Decur′sive.—adv. Decur′sively. [L. decurrens—de, down, currĕre, cursum, to run.]

Decurtate, dē-kur′tāt, adj. cut short, abridged.—v.t. to cut short. [L. decurtāre, -ātum, to cut short.]

Decussate, de-kus′āt, v.i. to cross in the form of an X: to cross, as lines, &c.—adjs. Decuss′ate, -d, crossed: arranged in pairs which cross each other, like some leaves.—adv. Decuss′ately.—n. Decussā′tion. [L. decussāre, -ātum—decussis, a coin of ten asses (decem asses) marked with X, symbol of ten.]

Dedal, Dedalian. See Dædal.

Dedicate, ded′i-kāt, v.t. to set apart and consecrate to some sacred purpose: to devote wholly or chiefly: to inscribe to any one.—adj. devoted: (Shak.) dedicated.—ns. Ded′icant, one who dedicates; Dedicatee (ded′i-kā-tē′), one to whom a thing is dedicated; Dedicā′tion, the act of dedicating: an address to a patron, prefixed to a book; Ded′icātor, one who dedicates.—adjs. Dedicatō′rial, Ded′icātory, of or pertaining to a dedication. [L. dedicāre, -ātum—de, down, dicēre, to declare.]

Dedimus, ded′i-mus, n. a writ commissioning one not a judge to act as a judge—from its first word. [L., dedimus, we have given, dăre, to give.]

Deduce, de-dūs′, v.t. to draw from: to infer a truth or opinion from what precedes or from premises.—ns. Deduce′ment, what is deduced; Deducibil′ity, the quality of being deducible.—adj. Deduc′ible, that may be deduced or inferred.—v.t. Deduct′, to take from: to separate: to subtract.—adj. Deduct′ible.—n. Deduc′tion, (1) the act of deducing: that which is deduced: the drawing of a particular truth from a general, antecedently known, as distinguished from Induction, rising from particular truths to a general; (2) the act of deducting: that which is deducted: abatement.—adj. Deduct′ive, that is, or that may be, deduced from premises or accepted principles.—adv. Deduct′ively. [L. deducĕre, deductum—de, from ducĕre, ductum, to lead.]

Dee, dē, v.i. Scotch for die.

Deed, dēd, n. something done: an act: an exploit: a legal transaction: the written evidence of it.—adj. Deed′ful (Tenn.), marked by deeds or exploits.—adv. Deed′ily.—adjs. Deed′less (Shak.), not having performed deeds; Deed′y, industrious, active.—Deed of saying (Shak.), performance of what has been said or promised.—In deed, in reality. [A.S. dæd—dón, to do; Ger. that—thun, to do.]

Deed, dēd, a Scotch form of indeed.

Deem, dēm, v.t. or v.i. to judge: to think: to believe.—n. (Shak.) opinion.—ns. Deem′ster, Demp′ster, one who pronounces judgment, a judge—esp. one of the two in the Isle of Man. [A.S. déman, to form a judgment—dóm, doom.]

Deep, dēp, adj. extending far down or far from the outside: difficult to understand: secret: wise and penetrating: cunning: very still: profound: profoundly learned in a language: intense, heart-felt: sunk low: low or grave: (of a road) encumbered with mud, sand, or ruts.—adv. in a deep manner.—n. that which is deep: the sea: anything profound or incomprehensible.—adjs. Deep′-browed, of high intellectual powers; Deep′-draw′ing (of ships), requiring considerable depth to float in; Deep′-drawn; Deep′-dyed, thorough-going, extreme—in a bad sense.—v.t. Deep′en, to make deeper in any sense: to increase.—v.i. to become deeper.—adjs. Deep′-fet (Shak.), fetched or drawn from a depth; Deep′-laid.—adv. Deep′ly.—adjs. Deep′-most, deepest; Deep′-mouthed, with deep voice.—n. Deep′ness.—adjs. Deep′-read, profoundly versed; Deep′-sea, pertaining to the deeper parts of the sea; Deep′-seat′ed, firmly seated; Deep′-toned, having a deep tone. [A.S. deóp; Ger. tief. Cf. Dip, Dive.]

Deer, dēr, n. a quadruped of several species, as the stag, reindeer, &c.; in M. E., any kind of animal.—ns. Deer′-hair, heath club-rush; Deer′-herd; Deer′-hound; Deer′-lick, a spot of salt ground whither deer come to lick the earth; Deer′-mouse, a common name for several species of American mice—so called from their agility; Deer′-neck, a thin, ill-shaped neck—of horses; Deer′-skin, the skin of the deer, or leather made therefrom; Deer′-stalk′er; Deer′-stalk′ing, the hunting of deer by stalking, or stealing upon them unawares. [A.S. deór; Ger. thier, Dut. dier; Ice. dýr. There is no connection with Gr. thēr, L. fera, a wild beast.]

Deface, de-fās′, v.t. to destroy or mar the face or external appearance of, to disfigure: to obliterate.—n. Deface′ment, act of defacing: injury to form or appearance: that which defaces.—adv. Defā′cingly. [O. Fr. desfacer—des = L. dis, away, facies, face.]

Defalcate, de-fal′kāt, v.t. to deduct a part of, of money, &c.: to embezzle money held on trust.—ns. Defalcā′tion, a diminution: a misappropriation of funds entrusted to one; Def′alcātor, a defaulter. [Low L. difalcāre, -ātum, to cut away—L. dis-, off, falcāre, to cut—falx, falcis, a sickle.]

Defame, de-fām′, v.t. to take away or destroy the good fame or reputation of: to speak evil of: to charge falsely.—n. (Spens.) infamy.—n. Defamā′tion, the act of defaming: calumny: slander.—adv. Defam′atorily.—adj. Defam′atory, containing defamation: injurious to reputation: calumnious.—p.adj. Defā′ming. [O. Fr. defamer—L. diffamāre—dis, away, fama, report.]

Default, de-fawlt′, n. a fault, failing, or failure: defect: neglect to do what duty or law requires: failure to account for money entrusted to one's charge: offence.—v.i. to fail through neglect of duty: to fail to appear in court when called upon.—n. Default′er, one who fails to appear in court, or to account for money entrusted to his care, or to settle a debt of honour.—Judgment by default, judgment given against a person because he fails to plead or make an appearance in court. [O. Fr. defaute and default—de = L. dis, apart, and faute.]

Defeasance, de-fēz′ans, n. undoing: defeat.—adjs. Defeas′anced, liable to be forfeited; Defeas′ible, that may be defeated or annulled.—n. Defeas′ibleness.—Deed of defeas′ance (Eng. law), an instrument which defeats the operation of some other deed or estate; and that which in the same deed is called a condition, in a separate deed is a defeasance. [O. Fr. defaisance—defaire, to undo.]

Defeat, de-fēt′, v.t. to frustrate: to ruin.—n. a frustration of plans: ruin: overthrow, as of an army in battle.—n. Defeat′ure (Spens.), defeat: disfigurement, disguise. [O. Fr. defait, defaire, to undo—L. dis, neg. facĕre, to do.]

Defecate, def′e-kāt, v.t. to clear from dregs or impurities: to purify from extraneous matter.—v.i. to void excrement.—n. Defecā′tion. [L. defæcāre, -ātum, to cleanse—de, from, fæx, fæcis, dregs.]

Defect, de-fekt′, n. a deficiency: a want: imperfection: blemish: fault.—n. Defectibil′ity.—adj. Defect′ible, liable to imperfection: deficient.—ns. Defec′tion, a failure, a falling away from duty: revolt; Defec′tionist.—adj. Defec′tive, having defect: wanting in some necessary quality: imperfect: faulty: insufficient.—adv. Defect′ively.—n. Defect′iveness.—The defects of one's qualities, virtues carried to excess, the faults apt to accompany or flow from good qualities. [L. deficĕre, defectum, to fail—de, down, and facĕre, to do.]

Defence, de-fens′, n. a defending: protection: vindication: (law) a defendant's plea.—pa.p. Defenc′ed (B.), fortified.—adj. Defence′less.—adv. Defence′lessly.—n. Defence′lessness. [See Defend.]

Defend, de-fend′, v.t. to keep off anything hurtful: to guard or protect: to maintain against attack: (obs.) to prohibit, forbid: (law) to resist, as a claim: to contest.—adj. Defend′able, that may be defended.—ns. Defend′ant, a defender: (law) a person accused or sued; Defendee′, one who is defended; Defend′er; Defen′sative, a protection; Defensibil′ity.—adjs. Defens′ible, that may be defended; Defens′ive, Defen′sory, serving to defend: in a state or posture of defence.—n. that which defends: posture of defence.—adv. Defens′ively.—Defender of the Faith, a title borne by the sovereigns of England since Henry VIII., on whom it was conferred in 1521 for his book against Luther.—Be on the defensive, to be in the position to defend one's self. [L. defendĕre, defensum, to ward off—de, off, and obs. fendĕre, to strike.]

Defer, de-fėr′, v.t. to put off to another time: to delay:—pr.p. defer′ring; pa.p. deferred′.—ns. Defer′ment; Defer′rer, a procrastinator.—Deferred annuity (see Annuity); Deferred pay, an allowance paid to soldiers on their discharge, or to their relations on their death; Deferred shares, shares issued by a trading company, but not entitling the holder to a full share of the profits of the company, and sometimes to none at all, until the expiration of a specified time or the occurrence of some event. [L. differre—dis, asunder, ferre, to bear, carry.]

Defer, de-fėr, v.i. to yield to the wishes or opinions of another, or to authority.—v.t. to submit to or lay before:—pr.p. defer′ring; pa.p. deferred′.—n. Def′erence, a deferring or yielding in judgment or opinion: regard: submission.—adj. Def′erent, bearing away, carrying off.—n. a deferent duct (as opposed to an afferent one) in the human body.—adj. Deferen′tial, expressing deference or respect.—adv. Deferen′tially. [L. deferre—de, down, and ferre, to bear.]

Defervescence, de-fer-ves′ens, n. abatement of heat: coolness: decrease of feverish symptoms.—Also Deferves′cency. [L. defervescĕre, to cease boiling—de, down, and fervescĕre, from fervēre, to boil.]

Defeudalise, dē-fū′dal-īz, v.t. to deprive of feudal character.

Deffly (Spens.). For Deftly.

Defiance, de-fī′ans, n. the act of defying: a challenge to combat: aggressiveness: contempt of opposition.—adj. Defī′ant, full of defiance, insolently bold.—adv. Defī′antly.—n. Defī′antness.—adj. Defī′atory, bidding defiance.—Bid defiance to, to defy.

Defibrinate, de-fī′bri-nāt, v.t. to deprive of fibrine—also Defī′brinise.—n. Defibrinā′tion.

Deficient, de-fish′ent, adj. wanting.—n. Defic′iency (sometimes Defic′ience), defect.—adv. Defic′iently.—ns. Defic′ientness; Def′icit, deficiency, esp. of revenue, as compared with expenditure. [L., deficĕre.]

Defile, dē-fīl′, or dē′fīl, v.i. to march off in file or line, or file by file.—n. a long narrow pass or way, in which troops can march only in file, or with a narrow front.—v.t. Defilāde′, to plan a fortification so as to protect it from enfilading fire.—n. Defile′ment. [Fr. défiler—L. dis, and filum, a thread.]

Defile, de-fīl′, v.t. to pollute or corrupt: to violate.—ns. Defile′ment, act of defiling: foulness; Defil′er. [L. de, and A.S. fýlan, fúl, foul.]

Defiliation, de-fil-i-ā′shun, n. depriving a parent of his child. [L. de, neg., and filius, a son.]

Define, de-fīn′, v.t. to fix the bounds or limits of: to determine with precision: to describe accurately: to fix the meaning of.—adj. Defin′able, that may be defined.—n. Define′ment (Shak.), description.—adj. Def′inite, defined: having distinct limits: fixed: exact: clear.—adv. Def′initely.—ns. Def′initeness; Defini′tion, a defining: a description of a thing by its properties: an explanation of the exact meaning of a word, term, or phrase.—adj. Defin′itive, defining or limiting: positive: final.—n. (gram.) an adjective used to limit the signification of a noun.—adv. Defin′itively.—ns. Defin′itiveness; Defin′itude, definitiveness. [Fr.,—L. definīre, -ītum, to set bounds to—de, finis, a limit.]

Deflagrate, def′la-grāt, v.i. or v.t. to burn down: to burn rapidly.—ns. Deflagrabil′ity, combustibility; Deflagrā′tion; Def′lagrator, a galvanic instrument for producing rapid combustion. [L. deflagrāre—de, down, flagrāre, to burn.]

Deflect, de-flekt′, v.i. or v.t. to turn aside: to swerve or deviate from a right line or proper course.—p.adj. Deflect′ed (bot.), bent abruptly downward.—ns. Deflec′tion, Deflex′ion, deviation.—adj. Deflec′tive, causing deflection.—n. Deflec′tor, a diaphragm in a lamp, stove, &c., by which the flame and gases are brought together and the combustion improved.—v.t. Deflex′ (zool., bot.), to bend down.—adj. Deflexed′.—n. Deflex′ure, deviation. [L. de, from, and flectĕre, flexum, to bend, turn.]

Deflorate, de-flō′rāt, adj. past the flowering state, as an anther after it has shed its pollen.—n. Deflorā′tion, the act of deflowering.

Deflower, Deflour, de-flowr′, v.t. to deprive of flowers: to deprive of grace and beauty: to ravish.—n. Deflow′erer. [O. Fr. deflorer—Low L. deflorāre, to strip flowers off—L. de, neg., flos, floris, a flower.]

Defluent, def′lōō-ent, adj. running down, decurrent.—n. Deflux′ion, a discharge of fluid in the body. [L. defluĕre—de, down, fluĕre, fluxum, to flow.]

Defoliate, de-fō′li-āt, v.t. to deprive of leaves.—adjs. Defō′liate, -d.—ns. Defoliā′tion, the falling off of leaves: the time of shedding leaves; Defō′liator. [Low L. defoliāre, -ātum—de, off, folium, a leaf.]

Deforce, de-fōrs′, v.t. (law) to keep out of possession by force: (Scots law) to resist an officer of the law in the execution of his duty.—ns. Deforce′ment; Deforc′iant, one who deforces; Deforciā′tion, a legal distress. [Fr. de = L. dis, and force.]

Deforest, de-for′est, v.t. to disforest: to deprive of forests.—n. Deforestā′tion.

Deform, de-form′, v.t. to alter or injure the form of: to disfigure.—adj. (Milt.) hideous, unshapely.—n. Deformā′tion.—p.adj. Deformed′, misshapen.—adv. Deform′edly.—ns. Deformed′ness; Deform′er; Deform′ity, state of being deformed: want of proper form: ugliness: disfigurement: anything that destroys beauty: an ugly feature or characteristic. [L. deformis, ugly—de, from, forma, beauty.]

Defoul, de-fowl′, v.t. to defile. [A.S. fúl, foul, whence by vowel change of ú to ý, fýlan.]

Defraud, de-frawd′, v.t. to deprive of by fraud: to withhold wrongfully: to cheat or deceive.—ns. Defraud′ment, Defraudā′tion. [L. defraudāre—de, from, and fraus, fraudis, fraud.]

Defray, de-frā′, v.t. to discharge the expenses of anything: to pay: (Spens.) to appease:—pr.p. defray′ing; pa.p. defrayed′.—ns. Defray′ment, Defray′al. [O. Fr. defrayer—de, and frais, expense—Low L. fractum, breakage, damage, expense.]

Deft, deft, adj. handy, clever.—adv. Deft′ly.—n. Deft′ness. [M. E. defte, dafte, simple, meek; A.S. ge-dæfte, meek—dæftan, gedæftan, prepare, make fit; the stem appears in ge-daf-en, to fit.]

Defunct, de-funkt′, adj. having finished the course of life, dead.—n. a dead person.—n. Defunc′tion (Shak.), death.—adj. Defunc′tive (Shak.), pertaining to the dead. [L. defungi, defunctus, to finish—de, and fungi, to perform.]

Defy, de-fī′, v.t. to challenge: to brave: (obs.) to discard, dislike:—pr.p. defy′ing; pa.p. defied′.—n. (Dryden) a defiance.—n. Defī′er. [O. Fr. defier—Low L. diffidāre, to renounce faith or allegiance—L. dis, asunder, and fīdĕre, to trust—fĭdes, faith.]

Dégagé, dā-ga-zhā′, adj. unembarrassed, unconstrained, easy. [Pa.p. of Fr. dégager, to disentangle.]

Degar′nish = Disgarnish (q.v.).

Degenerate, de-jen′ėr-āt, adj. having departed from the high qualities of race or kind: become base—also Degen′erous (obs.).—v.i. to fall from a nobler state: to be or to grow worse.—v.i. Degen′der (Spens.), to degenerate.—ns. Degen′eracy, Degenerā′tion, the act or process of becoming degenerate: the state of being degenerate.—adv. Degen′erately.—n. Degen′erateness.—adj. Degen′erating.—n. Degenerā′tionist, one who believes that the tendency of man is not to improve, but to degenerate.—adj. Degen′erative, tending or causing to degenerate. [L. degenerāre, -ātum, to depart from its kind—de, from, down, genus, genĕris, kind.]

Degerminator, de-jėr′mi-nā-tor, n. an apparatus for splitting grains and removing the germs. [L. de, neg., and germen, a germ.]

Deglutinate, de-glōō′tin-āt, v.t. to separate things that are glued together by softening the glue:—pr.p. deglu′tināting; pa.p. deglu′tināted. [L. deglutināre, -ātum—de, neg., and glutināre—gluten, glue.]

Deglutition, deg-lōō-tish′un, n. the act or power of swallowing.—adjs. Deglu′titive, Deglu′titory. [Fr.,—L. de, down, and glutīre, to swallow. See Glut.]

Degrade, de-grād′, v.t. to lower in grade or rank: to deprive of office or dignity: to lower in character, value, or position: to disgrace.—n. Degradā′tion, disgrace: degeneration: abortive structural development: a lowering in dignity.—p.adjs. Degrad′ed, reduced in rank: base: low: (her.) placed on steps; Degrad′ing, debasing: disgraceful. [Fr. dégrader—L. de, down, and gradus, a step. See Grade.]

Degree, de-grē′, n. a grade or step: one of a series of advances: relative position: rank: extent: a mark of distinction conferred by universities, whether earned by examination or granted as a mark of honour: the 360th part of a circle: 60 geographical miles: nearness of relationship: comparative amount of guilt: one of the three stages (positive, comparative, superlative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb.—By degrees, by little and little, gradually; Forbidden degrees, the degrees of consanguinity and affinity within which it is not permitted to marry; Songs of degrees, or Songs of ascents, Psalms cxx.-cxxxiv., either because sung by the Jews returning from captivity, or by the Jews coming up annually to attend the feasts at Jerusalem; To a degree, to a great degree, to an extreme. [Fr. degré—L. de, gradus, a step.]

Degust, dē-gust′, v.t. to taste, to relish.—v.i. to have a relishing taste.—v.t. Degust′āte (same as Degust).—n. Degustā′tion, the act of tasting. [L. de, down, and gustāre, to taste.]

Dehisce, dē-his′, v.i. to gape, to open as the capsules of a plant.—n. Dehis′cence.—adj. Dehis′cent. [L. dehiscens, pr.p. of dehiscĕre—de, inten., and hiscĕre, to gape.]

Dehort, de-hort′, v.t. to exhort from, to dissuade.—n. Dehortā′tion, dissuasion.—adjs. Dehor′tative, Dehor′tatory, dissuasive.—n. Dehort′er. [L. dehortāri—de, neg., and hortāri, to exhort.]

Dehumanise, de-hū′ma-nīz, v.t. to deprive of specifically human qualities. [L. de, neg., and humanise.]

Dehydrate, de-hī′drāt, v.t. to deprive of water, chemically.—v.i. to lose water.—n. Dehydrā′tion. [L. de, neg., Gr. hydōr.]

Deicide, dē′i-sīd, n. the killing of a god: the putting to death of Jesus Christ. [From a supposed Low L. form deicidium—deus, a god, and cædĕre, to kill.]

Deictic, dīk′tik, adj. proving directly.—adv. Deic′tically. [Gr. deiktikos—deiknynai, to show.]

Deid-thraw, dēd′-thraw, n. (Scot.) death-throe.

Deify, dē′i-fī, v.t. to exalt to the rank of a god: to worship as a deity: to make god-like:—pr.p. dē′ifying; pa.p. dē′ified.—adjs.—Deif′ic, -al, making god-like or divine.—n. Deificā′tion, the act of deifying: a deified embodiment.—adj. Dē′iform, god-like in form or character. [Fr. déifier—L. deificāre—deus, a god, and facĕre, to make.]

Deign, dān, v.i. to condescend.—v.t. to give: to allow: (obs.) to favour. [Fr. daigner—L. dignāri, to think worthy—dignus, worthy.]

Deil, dēl, Scotch form of devil.

Deinotherium, dī-no-thē′ri-um, n. = Dinotherium.

Deiparous, dē-ip′a-rus, adj. bearing a god—of the Virgin. [L. deus, a god, parĕre, to bring forth.]

Deipnosophist, dīp-nos′ō-fist, n. one who converses learnedly at dinner, a table-philosopher—from the title of a work by Athenæus. [Gr. deipnon, dinner, sophistēs—sophos, wise.]

Deist, dē′ist, n. one who believes in the existence of God, but not in revealed religion.—n. Dē′ism, the creed of a deist.—adjs. Deist′ic, -al.—adv. Deist′ically. [Fr. déiste, déisme—L. deus, a god.]

Deity, dē′i-ti, n. the divinity: godhead: a god or goddess: the Supreme Being. [Fr.,—Low L. deitas—L. deus, god; Sans. deva—div, to shine.]

Deject, de-jekt′, v.t. to cast down the countenance or spirits of.—adj. (Shak.) cast down.—adj. Deject′ed, cast down: dispirited.—adv. Deject′edly.—ns. Deject′edness; Dejec′tion, lowness of spirits: (pl.) fæcal discharge (also dejecta).—adj. Dejec′tory, promoting evacuations. [L. dejicĕre, -jectum—de, down, jacĕre, to cast.]

Delaine, dē-lān′, n. an untwilled light dress material, originally of wool—also Muslin-de-laine.

Delapse, dē-laps′, v.i. (obs.) to sink down.—n. Delap′sion.

Delate, de-lāt′, v.t. to carry on: to publish: to charge with a crime.—ns. Delā′tion; Delat′or. [L. deferre, delātum, to bring a report against, to inform—de, inten., ferre, to bear.]

Delay, de-lā′, v.t. to put off to another time: to defer: to hinder or retard.—v.i. to pause, linger, or put off time.—n. a putting off or deferring: a lingering: hinderance:—pr.p. delay′ing; pa.p. delayed′.—n. Delay′er.—adv. Delay′ingly. [O. Fr. delaier—L. differre, dilātum—dis, apart, ferre, to carry.]

Delay, de-lā′, v.t. (Spens.) to temper, dilute, weaken. [Fr. délayer, dilute—L. deliquāre, clarify.]

Dele, dē′lē, v.t., delete, efface, a direction in proof-reading to remove a superfluous letter or word, usually marked thus .—adjs. Del′eble, Del′ible, that can be deleted. [L., imper. of delēre, to delete.]

Delectable, de-lekt′a-bl, adj. delightful: pleasing.—n. Delect′ableness.—adv. Delect′ably.—n. Delectā′tion, delight. [Fr.,—L. delectabilis—delectāre, to delight.]

Delegate, del′e-gāt, v.t. to send as a legate or representative: to entrust or commit to.—n. one who is delegated: a deputy or representative: (U.S.) a person elected to represent a territory in congress, as distinguished from the representatives of the States.—adj. delegated, deputed.—ns. Delegā′tion, Del′egacy, a delegating: the persons delegated. [L. de, away, and legare, -ātum, to send as ambassador.]

Delete, de-lēt′, v.t. to blot out: to erase: to destroy.—n.pl. Delen′da, things to be deleted or erased.—n. Delē′tion.—adjs. Delē′tive, Delē′tory. [L. delēre, delētum, to blot out.]

Deleterious, del-e-tē′ri-us, adj. tending to destroy life: hurtful or destructive: poisonous.—adv. Deletē′riously.—n. Deletē′riousness. [Gr. dēlētērios, hurtful—deleisthai, to hurt.]

Delf, delf, n. a contraction for Delft′ware, a kind of earthenware originally made at Delft, Holland.

Delf, delf, n. a drain, ditch: (her.) a charge representing a square sod. [A.S. dælf—delfan, to dig.]

Delian, dē′li-an, adj. pertaining to Delos in the Ægean Sea, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.

Delibate, del′i-bāt, v.t. (obs.) to sip.—n. Delibā′tion.

Deliberate, de-lib′ėr-āt, v.t. to weigh well in one's mind.—v.i. to consider the reasons for and against anything: to reflect: to consider.—adj. well considered: considering carefully: slow in determining: cautious.—adv. Delib′erately.—ns. Delib′erateness; Deliberā′tion, the act of deliberating: mature reflection: calmness: coolness.—adj. Delib′erative, proceeding or acting by deliberation.—adv. Delib′eratively. [L. deliberāre, -ātum—de, inten., and librāre, to weigh—libra, a balance.]

Delicate, del′i-kāt, adj. pleasing to the senses, esp. the taste: dainty: nicely discriminating or perceptive: of a fine, slight texture or constitution: tender: frail, not robust: requiring nice handling: refined in manners: gentle, polite, considerate: luxurious.—n. Del′icacy, state or quality of being delicate: refinement: nicety: tenderness, weakness: luxuriousness: anything delicate or dainty.—adv. Del′icately, in a delicate manner: (B.) luxuriously.—n. Del′icateness, state of being delicate: (B.) delicacy, luxury.—n.pl. Del′icates (B.), delicacies. [L. delicātus—deliciæ, allurements, luxury—delicĕre—de, inten., lacĕre, to entice.]

Delice, del′is, n. (Spens.) flower delice, the iris. [See Fleur-de-lis.]

Delicious, de-lish′us, adj. full of delicacies: highly pleasing to the senses: affording exquisite pleasure.—n. Del′ice, (Spens.), delight: a delight or delightful thing.—adv. Deli′ciously, in a delicious manner: (B.) luxuriously.—n. Deli′ciousness. [L. deliciosus—deliciæ.]

Delict, de-likt′, n. a transgression, a misdemeanour. [L. delictum, an offence—de, and linquĕre, to leave.]

Deligation, del-i-gā′shun, n. a binding up, ligature.

Delight, de-līt′, v.t. to please highly.—v.i. to have or take great pleasure: to be greatly pleased.—n. a high degree of pleasure: extreme satisfaction: that which gives great pleasure.—p.adj. Delight′ed, greatly pleased: (Shak.) delightful.—adjs. Delight′ful, Delight′some, full of delight.—adv. Delight′fully.—n. Delight′fulness.—adj. Delight′less, affording no delight. [O. Fr. deliter—L. delectāre, inten. of delicĕre.]

Delilah, dē-lī′la, n. the Philistine woman who befooled Samson: a courtesan who seduces a man to betray secrets: a light woman, strumpet.—Also Dalī′la.

Delimit, de-lim′it, v.t. to fix or mark the limit of.—n. Delimitā′tion.

Delineate, de-lin′e-āt, v.t. to mark out with lines: to represent by a sketch or picture: to portray: to describe accurately in words.—adj. Delin′eable.—ns. Delineā′tion, the act of delineating: a sketch, representation, or description (sometimes Delin′eament); Delin′eator. [L. delineāre, -ātum—de, down, and linea, a line.]

Delinquent, de-ling′kwent, adj. failing in duty.—n. one who fails in or leaves his duty: a transgressor: a criminal.—n. Delin′quency, failure in or omission of duty: a fault: a crime.—adv. Delin′quently. [L. delinquens, -entis, pr.p. of delinquĕre—de, inten., and linquĕre, to leave.]

Deliquesce, del-i-kwes′, v.i. to melt and become liquid by absorbing moisture, as certain salts, &c.—v.i. and v.t. Del′iquate, Deliq′uiate, to melt.—ns. Deliques′cence, Deliquiā′tion.—adj. Deliques′cent, liquefying in the air. [L. deliquescĕre—de, inten., liquescĕre, to become fluid—liquēre, to be fluid.]

Deliquium, de-lik′wi-um, n. liquefaction by absorption of moisture. [Fr.,—Low L. deliquium—L. de, down, and liquēre, to melt.]

Delirious, de-lir′i-us, adj. wandering in mind: light-headed: insane.—n. Delirā′tion, madness, an aberration.—adj. Delirifā′cient, producing delirium.—n. any substance with this quality.—adv. Delir′iously.—ns. Delir′iousness; Delir′ium, state of being delirious: strong excitement: wild enthusiasm.—Delirium tremens, a delirious disorder of the brain produced by excessive drinking, and often marked by convulsive or trembling symptoms. [L. delirus, crazy—de, from, and lira, a furrow; tremens, the pr.p. of tremĕre, to tremble.]

Delitescent, del-i-tes′ent, adj. lying hid or concealed—e.g. the germs of an infectious disease.—n. Delites′cence. [L. delitescens, pr.p. of delitescĕre—de, from, and latescĕre—latēre, to lie hid.]

Deliver, de-liv′ėr, v.t. to liberate or set free from restraint or danger: to rescue from evil or fear: to give up or part with: to communicate: to pronounce: to give forth, as a blow, a ball, &c.: to disburden a woman of a child in childbirth.—adj. Deliv′erable.—ns. Deliv′erance, act of delivering or freeing: act of transferring from one to another: parturition: the utterance of a judgment or authoritative opinion; Deliv′erer; Deliv′ery, the act of delivering: a giving up: the act or manner of speaking in public, of discharging a shot, of throwing a cricket-ball, of pouring water, &c.: the act of giving birth.—General delivery, the delivery of letters from a post-office window to the persons to whom they are addressed—opp. to house to house delivery; Gaol, or Jail, delivery (see Gaol). [Fr. délivrer—L. de, from, liberāre, to set free—liber, free.]

Deliverly, de-liv′ėr-li, adv. (Shak.) nimble manner. [O. Fr. delivre, free—L. de, and liber, free.]

Dell. See Dale.

Della-Cruscan, del-la-krus′kan, adj. belonging to, or resembling, the old Florentine Accademia della Crusca (1582), esp. of a group of sentimental English poetasters resident in Florence about 1784—crushed by Gifford's Baviad in 1794.

Della-Robbia, del-la-rob′ya, n. a term applied to enamelled terra-cotta, said to have been invented by Luca della Robbia.

Delph, an erroneous spelling of Delf.

Delphian, del′fi-an, adj. relating to Delphi, a town of ancient Greece, or to the famous oracle which was there.—Also Del′phic.

Delphin, del′fin, adj. pertaining to the dauphin of France, or to an edition of the Latin classics prepared for his use, 64 vols., 1674-1730.

Delphinidæ, del-fin′i-dē, n. a family of cetaceans, including dolphins, grampuses, &c. [L. delphinus, a dolphin.]

Delphinium, del-fin′i-um, n. a genus of Ranunculaceæ comprising the larkspurs and stavesacre. [Formed from Gr. delphinion, larkspur.]

Delta, del′ta, n. the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, the capital form of which is Δ: a tract of land of like shape formed at the mouth of a river.—n. Deltaficā′tion, the process of forming a delta.—adj. Del′toid, of the form of the Greek Δ: triangular.—Delta metal, a hard alloy of copper, zinc, and iron—the three metals symbolised by the triangular shape; Deltoid muscle, the large triangular muscle of the shoulder. [Gr.,—Heb. daleth, a tent-door.]

Delubrum, de-lū′brum, n. a temple, shrine, sanctuary: a church having a font, a fort. [L.]

Deluce. See Fleur-de-lis.

Delude, de-lūd′, v.t. to play or impose upon: to deceive.—adj. Delud′able.—n. Delud′er. [L. deludĕre, to play—de, down, ludĕre, lusum, to play.]

Deluge, del′ūj, n. a great overflow of water: a flood: esp. that in the days of Noah.—v.t. to inundate: to overwhelm as with water. [Fr.,—L. diluvium—diluĕre—dis, away, luĕre, to wash.]

Delundung, de-lun′dung, n. the weasel-cat of Java and Malacca, a small carnivore akin to the civet.

Delusion, de-lū′zhun, n. the act of deluding: the state of being deluded: a false belief: error.—adj. Delū′sional, pertaining to delusions, afflicted with such.—n. Delū′sionist.—adjs. Delū′sive, Delū′sory, apt or tending to delude: deceptive.—adv. Delū′sively.—n. Delū′siveness. [See Delude.]

Delve, delv, v.t. and v.i. to dig with a spade.—n. (Spens.) a place dug out, a ditch, a cave.—n. Delv′er. [A.S. delfan, to dig; conn. with dale, dell.]

Demagnetise, de-mag′net-īz, v.t. to deprive of magnetic power.—n. Demagnetisā′tion.

Demagogue, dem′a-gog, n. a leader of the people: a popular and factious orator.—adjs. Demagogic, -al (-goj′).—ns. Demagogism, Demagoguism (dem′a-gog-ism); Dem′agoguery, Demagogy (-goj′). [Fr.,—Gr. dēmogōgos—dēmos, the people, agogos, leading—agein, to lead.]

Demain. See Demesne.

Demand, dē-mand′, v.t. to claim: to ask earnestly or authoritatively: to call for: to question.—n. the asking for what is due: an asking for with authority: a claim: earnest inquiry.—adj. Demand′able, that may be demanded.—n. Demand′ant, one who demands: a plaintiff:—fem. Demand′ress.—In great demand, much sought after. [Fr.,—Low L. demandāre, to demand—L. de, from, and mandāre, to put into one's charge.]

Demarcation, Demarkation, de-mark-ā′shun, n. the act of marking off or setting bounds to: division: a fixed limit.—v.t. Demar′cate, to mark off or limit. [Fr.,—dé, off, and marquer, to mark. See Mark.]

Dematerialise, dē-ma-tē′ri-al-īz, v.t. to deprive of material qualities.

Deme, dēm, n. a subdivision of ancient Attica and of modern Greece, a township: (biol.) any differentiated aggregate of cells. [Gr. dēmos.]

Demean, de-mēn′, v.t. to conduct (with self): to behave.—n. Demeanour, conduct—(Spens.) Demayne, Demeasnure. [O. Fr. demener—de, inten., and mener, to lead—Low L. mināre, to drive cattle, L. mināri, to threaten.]

Demean, de-mēn′, v.t. to make mean: to lower. [More prob. on the analogy of debase, from de, and mean, low, than the same word as the preceding with specialised sense.]

Dement, de-ment′, v.t. to drive crazy, render insane.—adj. insane, demented.—n. a demented person.—v.t. Dement′āte, to dement.—p.adj. Dement′ed, out of one's mind: insane: suffering from dementia. [L. demens, dementis, out of one's mind—de, from, and mens, the mind.]

Démenti, dā-mong-tē, n. a contradiction. [Fr. démentir, to give the lie to.]

Dementia, de-men′shi-a, n. general mental enfeeblement, with loss of memory, reason, feeling, and will: often the consequence of acute mania. [L. de, neg., and mens, mentis, mind.]

Demerit, de-mer′it, n. ill-desert: fault: crime. [O. Fr. demerite, desert, also a fault—Low L. demeritum, a fault, demerēre, to deserve—L. de, fully, merēre, to deserve.]

Demersed, dē-merst′, adj. (bot.) growing under water.—n. Demer′sion.

Demesmerise, de-mes′mer-īz, v.t. to relieve from mesmeric influence.—n. Demesmerisā′tion.

Demesne, de-mēn′, Demain, de-mān′, n. a manor-house, with lands adjacent to it not let out to tenants: any estate in land. [Forms of domain.]

Demi-bastion, dem′i-bast′yun, n. a kind of half-bastion, consisting of one face and one flank. [Fr. demi—L. dimidius, half, and bastion.]

Demi-cadence, dem′i-kā′dens, n. (mus.) a half-cadence.

Demi-cannon, dem′i-kan′un, n. (Shak.) an old gun which threw a ball of from 30 to 36 lbs.

Demi-culverin, dem′i-cul′ve-rin, n. an old kind of cannon which threw a shot of 9 or 10 lbs.

Demi-deify, dem′i-dē′i-fī, v.t. to treat as a demi-god.

Demi-devil, dem′i-dev′il, n. a half-devil.

Demi-distance, dem′i-dis′tans, n. (fort.) the distance between the outward polygons and the flank.

Demi-ditone, dem′i-dī-tōn, n. (mus.) a minor third.

Demigod, dem′i-god, n. half a god: one whose nature is partly divine, esp. a hero fabled to be the offspring of a god and a mortal:—fem. Dem′i-godd′ess. [Fr. demi, half, and god.]

Demi-gorge, dem′i-gorj, n. (fort.) the part of the polygon remaining after the flank is raised, going from the curtain to the angle of the polygon.

Demi-john, dem′i-jon, n. a glass bottle with a full body and narrow neck, enclosed in wicker-work. [Fr. dame-jeanne, Dame Jane, analogous to Bellarmine, gray-beard. Not from the town Damaghan.]

Demi-lance, dem′i-lans, n. a short, light spear of the 16th century; a soldier armed with such a weapon.

Demi-lune, dem′i-lōōn, n. (fort.) a half-moon: an old name for Ravelin. [L. demi, half, and Fr. lune—L. luna, the moon.]

Demi-monde, dem′i-mond, n. women in an equivocal position, kept women: the prostitute class generally.

Demirep, dem′i-rep, n. a woman of dubious reputation.—n. Dem′irepdom, shady women collectively. [Said to be a contraction of demi-reputation.]

Demise, dē-mīz′, n. a transferring: death, esp. of a sovereign or a distinguished person: a transfer of the crown or of an estate to a successor.—v.t. to send down to a successor: to bequeath by will.—adj. Demī′sable. [O. Fr. demise, pa.p. of desmettre, to lay down—L. dimittĕre, to send away—L. dis, aside, and mittĕre, missum, to send.]

Demi-semiquaver, dem′i-sem′i-kwā-vėr, n. (mus.) a note equal in time to the half of a semiquaver. [Fr. demi, half, and semiquaver.]

Demiss, de-mis′, adj. (Spens.) humble. [L. demissus, pa.p. of demittĕre. See Demise.]

Demission, de-mish′un, n. a lowering: degradation: depression: relinquishment: resignation.—adj. Demiss′ive (obs.), humble.—adv. Demiss′ly. [L. demission-em. See Demise.]

Demit, de-mit′, v.t. to dismiss: to relinquish: to resign. [See Demise.]

Demiurge, dem′i-urj, n. the maker of the world: among the Gnostics, the creator of the world and of man, subordinate to God the supreme—also Demiur′gus.—adj. Demiur′gic. [Gr. dēmiourgos—dēmos, the people, and ergon, a work.]

Demi-volt, dem′i-volt, n. a half-turn of a horse, the forelegs being raised in the air. [Fr. demi-volte—demi, half, and volte, a leap. See Vault.]

Demi-wolf, dem′i-woolf, n. (Shak.) a half-wolf, the offspring of a dog and a wolf.

Demobilise, de-mob′il-īz, v.t. to take out of mobilisation: to disband.—n. Demobilisā′tion. [Fr.]

Democracy, de-mok′ra-si, n. a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people collectively, and is administered by them or by officers appointed by them: the people, esp. the common people in the United States, the democratic party—also Democ′raty (Milt.).—n. Dem′ocrat, one who adheres to or promotes democracy as a principle: a member of the democratic party in the United States, who preserve carefully the local liberties of states and of individuals, opposing national centralisation, and supporting a wide franchise, low tariff duties for the interests of the revenue rather than protection, and a limited public expenditure.—adjs. Democrat′ic, -al, relating to democracy: insisting on equal rights and privileges for all.—adv. Democrat′ically.—adj. Democratifī′able, capable of being made democratic.—v.t. Democratise′, to render democratic.—n. Democ′ratist, a democrat. [O. Fr.,—Gr. dēmokratia—dēmos, the people, and kratein, to rule—kratos, strength.]

Demogorgon, dē-mo-gor′gon, n. a mysterious deity or diabolical magician first mentioned about 450 A.D., and regarded as an object of terror. [Gr. daimōn, deity, gorgos, terrible.]

Demography, dē-mog′ra-fi, n. vital and social statistics, as applied to the study of nations and races.—n. Demog′rapher.—adj. Demograph′ic. [Gr. dēmos, the people, graphein, to write.]

Demoiselle, dem-wa-zel′, n. (Shak.) a young lady: a crane-like bird of peculiarly graceful form. [Fr. See Damsel.]

Demolish, de-mol′ish, v.t. to destroy, lay in ruins, to ruin.—n. Demoli′tion, act of pulling down: ruin. [Fr. démolir—L. demolīri, to throw down—de, down, and molīri, to build—moles, a heap.]

Demology, de-mol′o-jī, n. same as Demography: the theory of the origin and development of nations. [Gr. dēmos, the people, logia, a discourse.]

Demon, dē′mon, n. an evil spirit, a devil: sometimes like Dæmon, a friendly spirit or good genius:—fem. Dē′moness.—adjs. Demō′niac, Demōnī′acal, pertaining to or like demons or evil spirits: influenced by demons.—ns. Demō′niac, a human being possessed by a demon or evil spirit.—adv. Demonī′acally.—n. Demonī′acism, state of being a demoniac.—adj. Demō′nian (Milt.).—ns. Demō′nianism, Demō′niasm, possession by a demon.—v.t. Dē′monise, to convert into a demon: to control or possess by a demon.—ns. Dē′monism, a belief in demons; Dē′monist, a believer in demons; Demonoc′racy, the power of demons; Demonol′atry, the worship of demons; Demonol′ater, one who worships such; Demonology, an account of, or the study of, demons and their agency.—adjs. Demonolog′ic, -al.—ns. Demonol′ogist, a writer on demonology; Demonomā′nia, a form of mania in which the subject believes himself possessed by devils; Demon′omy, the dominion of demons; Dē′monry, demoniacal influence. [L. dæmon—Gr. daimōn, a spirit, genius; in N. T. and Late Greek, a devil.]

Demonetise, dē-mon′e-tīz, n. to divest of value as money.—n. Demonetisā′tion.

Demonstrate, de-mon′strāt, v.t. to show or point out clearly: to prove with certainty.—adj. Demon′strable, that may be demonstrated.—ns. Demon′strableness, Demonstrabil′ity.—adv. Demon′strably.—ns. Demonstrā′tion, a pointing out: proof beyond doubt: expression of the feelings by outward signs: expression of sympathy with political or social opinions, with a man or body of men, by a mass-meeting, a procession, &c.: show: a movement of troops or ships to exhibit military intention, or in war to deceive the enemy.—adj. Demon′strative, making evident: proving with certainty: of the nature of proof: given to the manifestation of one's feelings.—adv. Demon′stratively.—ns. Demon′strativeness; Dem′onstrator, one who proves beyond doubt: one who teaches: (anat.) one who teaches anatomy from the dissected parts.—adj. Demon′stratory, demonstrative. [L. demonstrāre, -ātum—de, inten., and monstrāre, to show.]

Demoralise, de-mor′al-īz, v.t. to corrupt in morals: to lower the morale—that is, to deprive of spirit and confidence: to throw into confusion.—n. Demoralisā′tion, act of demoralising: corruption or subversion of morals.—p.adj. Demoralīs′ing.

Demos, dē′mos, n. the people, esp. the lower classes.—adj. Demot′ic, pertaining to the people: popular: in Egypt. ant., of a kind of writing distinguished from the hieratic, or priestly, and from hieroglyphics. [Gr.]

Demosthenic, de-mos-then′ik, adj. of or like Demosthenes, the Athenian orator: eloquent.

Dempster. Same as Deemster (q.v. under Deem).

Dempt, demt (Spens.). Pa.p. of Deem.

Demulcent, de-mul′sent, adj. soothing. [L. demulcent-em—de, and mulcēre, to stroke, to soothe.]

Demur, de-mur′, v.i. to hesitate from uncertainty or before difficulty: to object:—pr.p. demur′ring; pa.p. demurred′.—n. a stop: pause, hesitation.—adj. Demur′rable.—ns. Demur′rage, an allowance made for undue delay or detention of a vessel in port: compensation paid by the freighter to the owner of the same: allowance for undue detention of railway-wagons, &c.; Demur′rer, one who demurs: (law) a plea in law that, even if the opponent's facts are as he says, they yet do not support his case. [Fr. demeurer—L. demorāri, to loiter, linger—de, inten., and morāri, to delay—mora, delay.]

Demure, de-mūr′, adj. sober: staid: modest: affectedly modest: making a show of gravity.—adv. Demure′ly.—n. Demure′ness. [O. Fr. de (bons) murs, of good manners—L. de, of, mores, manners.]

Demy, de-mī′, n. a size of paper 22½ by 17½ in.; in the United States 21 by 16 in. [Fr. demi—L. dimidium, half—di, apart, medius, the middle.]

Demy, de-mī′, n. a holder of certain scholarships in Magdalen College, Oxford.—n. Demy′ship. [Ety. same as above.]

Den, den, n. the hollow lair of a wild beast: a kind of pit, a cave: a haunt of vice or misery: (coll.) a private retreat for work: (prov.) a narrow valley.—v.i. to retire to a den. [A.S. denn, a cave, and denu, a valley.]

Den, den, n. (obs.) for good-e'en, good-even.

Denary, den′ar-i, adj. containing ten.—n. the number ten.—n. Denā′rius, the chief Roman silver coin under the Republic, divided into ten asses, and worth 92⁄5d. [L. denarius—deni—decem, ten.]

Denationalise, de-nash′un-al-īz, v.t. to deprive of national rights.—n. Denationalisā′tion.

Denaturalise, de-nat′ū-ral-īz, v.t. to make unnatural; to deprive of naturalisation.

Denay, de-nā′, obs. form of Deny, Denial.

Dendrachate, den′dra-kāt, n. arborescent agate.—Moss′-ag′ate. [Gr. dendron, tree, achatēs, agate.]

Dendriform, den′dri-form, adj. having the appearance of a tree. [Formed from Gr. dendron, a tree, and L. forma, form.]

Dendrite, den′drīt, n. a mineral in which are figures resembling plants.—adjs. Dendrit′ic, -al, tree-like, arborescent: marked with branching figures like plants. [Gr. dendritēs, of a tree—dendron, a tree.]

Dendrodont, den′drō-dont, n. a fish of extinct fossil genus Dendrodus, having teeth of dendritic structure.—adj. having such teeth.—n. Dendroden′tine, the form of branched dentine seen in compound teeth, produced by the interblending of the dentine, enamel, and cement. [Gr. dendron, a tree, and odous, odontos, tooth.]

Dendroid, den′droid, adj. having the form of a tree. [Gr. dendron, a tree, and eidos, form.]

Dendrolite, den′dro-līt, n. a petrified or fossil plant. [Gr. dendron, a tree, and lithos, a stone.]

Dendrology, den-drol′o-ji, n. a treatise on trees: the natural history of trees.—adj. Dendrolog′ical.—n. Dendrol′ogist. [Gr. dendron, a tree, and logia, a discourse.]

Dendrometer, dėn-drom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for ascertaining the height of a tree. [Gr. dendron, tree, metron, measure.]

Dene, dēn, n. a small valley.—n. Dene′-hole, an ancient artificial excavation in the chalk formations of Kent and Essex. [A form of dean. Cf. Den.]

Denegation, dē-ne-gā′shun, n. denial. [L. denegāre, -ātum, to deny—de, inten., and negāre, to deny.]

Dengue, deng′gā, n. an acute tropical epidemic fever, seldom fatal—also breakbone-fever, dandy-fever. [The Spanish dengue, refusing, prudery, from L. denegāre, to deny, seems to have been confused with dandy-fever.]

Denial, de-nī′al, n. act of denying or saying no: contradiction: refusal: rejection.—adj. Denī′able, that may be denied.—n. Denī′er, one who denies.

Denier, de-nēr′, n. (Shak.) an old small French silver coin: also later, a copper coin of the value of 1⁄12 sou—hence a very trifling sum. [Fr.,—L. denarius.]

Denigration, de-ni-grā′shun, n. a making or becoming black—esp. the blackening of a man's character.—v.t. Den′igrate (obs.). [L. de, inten., nigrāre, to blacken, niger, black.]

Denim, den′im, n. coloured twilled cotton goods for overalls, &c.

Denitrate, dē-nī′trāt, v.t. to free from nitric acid.—ns. Denitrā′tion; Denī′trificator.

Denizen, den′i-zn, n. an inhabitant (human or animal): one admitted to the rights of a citizen.—v.t. to make a denizen of: to provide with occupants.—v.i. to inhabit.—ns. Denizā′tion, act of making one a citizen; Den′izenship. [O. Fr. deinzein—deinz, dens (Fr. dans), within—L. de intus, from within.]

Dennet, den′et, n. a light gig.

Denominate, dē-nom′in-āt, v.t. to give a name to: to call.—adj. Denom′inable.—n. Denominā′tion, the act of naming: a name or title: a collection of individuals called by the same name: a sect.—adj. Denominā′tional, belonging to a denomination or sect.—n. Denominā′tionalism, a denominational or class spirit or policy: devotion to the interests of a sect.—adj. Denom′inative, giving or having a title.—adv. Denom′inatively.—n. Denom′inator, he who, or that which, gives a name: (arith.) the lower number in a vulgar fraction, which names the parts into which the integer is divided. [L. de, and nomināre, -ātum, to name—nomen, a name.]

Denote, dē-nōt′, v.t. to note or mark off: to indicate by a sign: to signify or mean: (log.) to indicate the objects comprehended in a class.—adj. Denō′table.—n. Denotā′tion, that which a word names or indicates, in contradistinction to that which it connotes or signifies.—adj. Denō′tative.—adv. Denō′tatively.—n. Denōte′ment (Shak.), a sign or indication. [Fr.,—L. denotāre, -ātum—de, inten., and notāre, to mark—nota, a mark or sign.]

Dénouement, dā-nōō′mong, n. the unravelling of a plot or story: the issue, event, or outcome. [Fr. dénouement or dénoûment; dénouer, to untie—de, neg., and nouer, to tie—L. nodus, a knot.]

Denounce, de-nowns′, v.t. to inform against or accuse publicly: (U.S.) to claim the right of working a mine, as being abandoned or insufficiently worked.—ns. Denounce′ment (same as Denunciation); Denounc′er. [Fr. dénoncer—L. denuntiāre—de, inten., and nuntiāre, to announce.]

Dense, dens, adj. thick, close, compact: impenetrably stupid.—n. a thicket.—adv. Dense′ly.—ns. Dense′ness; Dens′ity, the quality of being dense: the proportion of mass to bulk or volume: the quantity of matter per unit of bulk. [L. densus, thick.]

Densimeter, den-sim′et-ėr, n. an instrument for ascertaining the comparative density or specific gravity of a substance. [L. densus, dense, and metrum (Gr. metron), measure.]

Dent, dent, n. a small hollow made by the pressure or blow of a harder body on a softer.—v.t. to make a mark by means of a blow.—p.adj. Dent′ed, marked with dents: indented. [A variant of dint.]

Dent, dent, n. a notch.—v.t. to notch. [Confused with the preceding, but from Fr. dent, tooth—L. dens, dentis.]

Dentagra, den-tag′ra, n. a tooth-drawing forceps: toothache.

Dental, den′tal, adj. belonging to the teeth: produced by the aid of the teeth.—n. an articulation or letter pronounced chiefly with the teeth.—adj. Den′tary, belonging to dentition, bearing teeth.—n. the distal element of the jaw of vertebrates below mammals.—Dental engine, a mechanical appliance giving a rotary motion to a dentist's boring instruments. [L. dens, dentis, a tooth. See Tooth.]

Dentate, -d, den′tāt, -ed, adj. toothed: notched: set as with teeth. [L. dentatus, toothed, dens, a tooth.]

Dentel. See Dentil.

Dentex, den′teks, n. a voracious sparoid fish.

Denticle, den′ti-kl, n. a small tooth.—adjs. Dentic′ulāte, -d, having notches.—n. Denticulā′tion. [L. denticulus, dim. of dens, a tooth.]

Dentiform, den′ti-form, adj. having the form of a tooth or of teeth. [L. dens, dentis, tooth, and forma, form.]

Dentifrice, den′ti-fris, n. a substance used in rubbing or cleaning the teeth. [Fr.,—L. dentifricium, from dens, and fricāre, to rub.]

Dentigerous, den-tij′e-rus, adj. bearing teeth.

Dentil, den′til, n. a denticle: (pl.) small square blocks or projections in the bed-mouldings of the cornices of columns—also Den′tel.—adj. Den′tilated. [See Denticle.]

Dentilingual, den-ti-ling′-gwal, adj. formed between the teeth and the tongue, as th in thin, this.—n. a consonant so formed.—Also Dentoling′ual. [L. dent-, dens, a tooth, lingua, the tongue.]

Dentine, Dentin, den′tin, n. the substance of which the tooth is formed, under the enamel. [L. dens, dentis, a tooth.]

Dentirostral, den-ti-ros′tral, adj. having the mandibles of the beak toothed or notched, as certain birds. [L. dens, dentis, a tooth, and rostrum, a beak.]

Dentist, den′tist, n. one who remedies diseases of the teeth, or inserts artificial teeth.—v.i. Den′tise, to cut one's teeth.—ns. Den′tistry, the business of a dentist; Denti′tion, the cutting or growing of teeth: the conformation, number, and arrangement of the teeth.

Dentoid, den′toid, adj. formed or shaped like a tooth. [L. dens, dentis, a tooth, and Gr. eidos, form.]

Dentolingual. See Dentilingual.

Denude, de-nūd′, v.t. to make nude or naked: to lay bare.—n. Denudā′tion, a making nude or bare: (geol.) the wearing away of rocks by water and atmospheric action, whereby the underlying rocks are laid bare. [L. denudāre—de, inten., and nudāre, -ātum, to make naked—nudus, naked.]

Denunciate, de-nun′shi-āt, v.t. same as Denounce.—ns. Denunciation (-shi-ā′-, or -si-ā′-), any formal declaration: act of denouncing: a threat; Denun′ciator, one who denounces.—adj. Denun′ciatory, containing a denunciation: threatening.

Deny, de-nī′, v.t. to gainsay or declare not to be true: to reject: to refuse admission to: to disown:—pr.p. deny′ing; pa.p. denied′.—adv. Deny′ingly.—Deny one's self, to deny one's self the indulgence of bodily appetites and carnal inclinations: to exercise self-denial. [Fr. denier—L. denegāre—de, inten., and negāre, to say no. See Negation.]

Deobstruent, de-ob′strōō-ent, adj. (med.) removing obstructions.

Deodand, dē′o-dand, n. in old English law, a personal chattel which had been the immediate, accidental cause of the death of a human being, forfeited to the crown for pious uses. [L. deo, to God, dandum, that must be given—dăre, to give.]

Deodar, de-o-där′, n. a cedar much praised by Indian poets: the Cedrus Deodara of the Himalayas. [Sans. Deva-dāru, divine tree—a name given to various coniferous trees growing in sacred places.]

Deodate, dē′ō-dāt, n. a gift from God. [L. deo, to God, datum, given part, pa.p. of dăre, to give.]

Deodorise, dē-ō′dor-īz, v.t. to take the odour or smell from.—ns. Deodorisā′tion; Deō′doriser, a substance that destroys or conceals unpleasant smells.

Deontology, dē-on-tol′ō-ji, n. the science of duty, ethics.—adj. Deontolog′ical.—n. Deontol′ogist.

Deoppilate, dē-op′i-lāt, v.t. to free from obstruction.—n. Deoppilā′tion.—adj. Deop′pilative.

Deoxidate, de-oks′i-dāt, v.t. to take oxygen from, or reduce from the state of an oxide—also Deox′idise.—ns. Deoxidā′tion; Deoxidī′ser, a substance that deoxidises.

Deoxygenate, de-oks-ij′en-āt, v.t. to deprive of oxygen.—Also Deoxy′genise.

Deozonise, de-ō-zōn′īz, v.t. to deprive of ozone.

Depaint, de-pānt′, v.t. (Spens.) to paint: depict.

Depart, de-pärt′, v.i. to go away: to quit or leave: to die: (obs.) to separate from one another.—v.t. (obs.) to separate, divide.—ns. Depart′er; Depart′ing; Depart′ure, act of departing: a going away from a place: deviation: the distance in nautical miles made good by a ship due east or west: death.—A new departure, a change of purpose or method, a new course of procedure.—The departed, the deceased. [Fr. départir—L. de, from, and partīri, to part, to divide.]

Department, de-pärt′ment, n. a part: a separate part of business or duty: a section of the administration: a division of a country, esp. of France.—adj. Department′al.—adv. Department′ally.

Depasture, de-pas′tūr, v.t. to eat bare.—v.i. to graze.

Depauperise, de-paw′per-īz, v.t. to remove from the state of paupers.—v.t. Depau′perate, to impoverish.

Depeinct, de-pānt′, v.t. (Spens.) to paint.

Depend, de-pend′, v.i. to hang down: to be sustained by or connected with anything: to be pending: to rely: to rest.—adjs. Depend′able, that may be depended on; Depend′ent, depending, relying on, contingent, relative.—n. a subordinate: a hanger-on—also Depend′ant.—ns. Depend′ence, state of being dependent, reliance, trust: that on which one depends—also Depend′ance; Depend′ency, same as Dependence, in the additional sense of a foreign territory dependent on the mother-country, a kind of subordinate colony without self-government.—adj. Depend′ing, still undetermined.—adv. Depend′ingly. [Fr. dépendre—L. dependēre—de, from, and pendēre, to hang.]

Depersonalise, dē-per′son-al-īz, v.t. to take away the characteristics that constitute the personality of.

Dephlegmate, de-fleg′māt, v.t. (chem.) to free from water.—ns. Dephlegmā′tion; Dephlegmā′tor.

Dephlogisticate, de-flo-jis′ti-kāt, v.t. to deprive of phlogiston, once supposed to be the principle of heat.—Dephlogisticated air, the name given by Priestley to oxygen when discovered by him in 1774.

Depict, de-pikt′, v.t. to paint carefully: to make a likeness of: to describe minutely. [L. depingĕre, depictum—de, inten., pingĕre, to paint.]

Depicture, de-pikt′ūr, v.t. to picture: to paint: to represent:—pr.p. depict′ūring; pa.p. depict′ūred.

Depilate, dep′i-lāt, v.t. to remove the hair from.—ns. Depilā′tion; Depil′atory, an application for removing superfluous hairs.—adj. possessing this quality.

Deplantation, dē-plan-tā′shun, n. the act of clearing from plants or of transplanting.

Deplete, de-plēt′, v.t. to empty, reduce, exhaust.—n. Deplē′tion, the act of emptying or exhausting: (med.) the act of relieving congestion or plethora, by purging, blood-letting, or reduction of the system by abstinence.—adjs. Deplē′tive, Deplē′tory. [L. deplēre, deplētum, to empty, de, neg., plēre, to fill.]

Deplication, dep-li-kā′shun, n. an unfolding or unplaiting.

Deplore, de-plōr′, v.t. to feel or express deep grief for.—adj. Deplor′able, lamentable: sad.—n. Deplor′ableness.—adv. Deplor′ably.—n. Deplorā′tion (obs.), lamentation.—adv. Deplor′ingly. [Fr.,—L. deplorāre—de, inten., plorāre, to weep.]

Deploy, de-ploy′, v.t. to unfold: to open out or extend.—v.i. to open: to extend from column into line, as a body of troops.—ns. Deploy′, Deploy′ment. [Fr. déployer—L. dis, apart, and plicāre, to fold. Doublet of display.]

Deplume, de-plōōm′, v.t. to take the plumes or feathers from.—n. Deplumā′tion.

Depolarise, de-pō′lar-īz, v.t. to deprive of polarity.—n. Depolarisā′tion.

Depone, de-pōn′, v.t. to testify upon oath. [L. deponĕre—de, down, and ponĕre, to place.]

Deponent, de-pō′nent, adj. (gram.) applied to verbs with a passive form but an active signification.—n. one who makes a deposition, esp. under oath, or whose written testimony is used as evidence in a court of justice. [L., pr.p. of deponĕre.]

Depopulate, de-pop′ū-lāt, v.t. to deprive of population, to dispeople.—v.i. to become dispeopled.—adj. depopulated.—ns. Depopulā′tion, act of depopulating: havoc: destruction; Depop′ulator. [L. depopulāri, depopulātus—de, inten., and populāri, to spread over a country, said of a hostile people (L. populus)—hence to ravage, to destroy. Some make it a freq. of spoliāre, to plunder.]

Deport, de-pōrt′, v.t. to transport, to exile: to behave.—ns. Deportā′tion, transportation, exile; Deport′ment, carriage, behaviour. [Fr.,—L. deportāre—de, away, and portāre, -ātum, to carry.]

Depose, de-pōz′, v.t. to remove from a high station: to degrade: to strip: to attest: (Shak.) to examine on oath.—adj. Depos′able.—n. Depos′al. [Fr.,—L. de, from, pausāre, to pause, (late) to place.]

Deposit, de-poz′it, v.t. to put or set down: to place: to lay up or past: to entrust.—n. that which is deposited or put down: (geol.) rocks produced by precipitation from a fluid medium, by settling from a solution in water: something entrusted to another's care, esp. money put in a bank: a pledge: a bailment where one entrusts goods to another to be kept without recompense—in Scots law, Depositā′tion.—ns. Depos′itary, a person with whom anything is left for safe keeping: a guardian—sometimes Depos′itory.—adj. Depos′itive.—ns. Depos′itor; Depos′itory, a place where anything is deposited—sometimes Depos′itary. [Fr.,—L. depositum, placed—deponĕre, from de, and ponĕre, to put down.]

Deposition, dep-o-zish′un, n. act of deposing: act of deponing: declaration, testimony taken authoritatively, to be used as a substitute for the production of the witness in open court: removal: act of depositing: what is deposited, sediment.

Depot, dep′ō, de′pō, or dē′pō, n. a place of deposit: a storehouse: a military station where stores are kept and recruits trained: the headquarters of a regiment: the portion of a regiment that remains at home when the rest go on foreign service: (U.S.) a railway station. [Fr. depôt—L. deponĕre, -positum.]

Deprave, de-prāv′, v.t. to make bad or worse: to corrupt.—n. Depravā′tion, act of depraving: state of being depraved: depravity.—adj. Deprāved′, corrupt.—adv. Deprāv′edly.—ns. Deprāv′edness; Deprave′ment, vitiation.—adv. Deprāv′ingly.—n. Deprav′ity, a vitiated or corrupt state of moral character: extreme wickedness: corruption: (theol.) the hereditary tendency of man toward sin: original sin. [Fr.,—L. depravāre—de, inten., pravus, bad.]

Deprecate, dep′re-kāt, v.t. to try to ward off by prayer: to desire earnestly the prevention or removal of: to regret deeply: to argue against.—adj. Dep′recable, that is to be deprecated.—n. Deprecā′tion, act of deprecating, earnest prayer, esp. a special petition against some evil, in litanies.—adv. Dep′recatingly.—adjs. Dep′recative, Dep′recatory, tending to avert evil by prayer: having the form of prayer.—n. Dep′recator. [L. deprecāri, deprecātus—de, away, and precāri, to pray.]

Depreciate, de-prē′shi-āt, v.t. to lower the worth of: to undervalue: to disparage.—v.i. to fall in value.—n. Depreciā′tion, the falling of value: disparagement.—adjs. Deprē′ciative, Deprē′ciatory, tending to depreciate or lower.—n. Deprē′ciator. [L. depretiāre, -ātum—de, down, and pretium, price.]

Depredate, dep′re-dāt, v.t. to plunder or prey upon: to rob: to lay waste: to devour.—ns. Depredā′tion, act of plundering: state of being depredated; Dep′redator.—adj. Dep′redatory. [L. deprædāri, -ātus—de, inten., and prædāri—præda, plunder.]

Deprehend, dep′re-hend, v.t. to catch, seize: to apprehend. [Through Fr. from L. deprehendĕre—de, and prehendĕre, to take.]

Depress, de-pres′, v.t. to press down: to let down: to lower: to humble: to make subject: to dispirit or cast a gloom over.—n. Depres′sant (med.), a sedative.—p.adj. Depressed′, pressed down: lowered: humbled: dejected: dispirited.—adj. Depres′sing, able or tending to depress.—adv. Depres′singly.—ns. Depres′sion, a falling in or sinking: a lowering: a fall of the barometer: a hollow: abasement: dejection; Depres′sor, an oppressor: a muscle that draws down: a surgical instrument for squeezing down a soft part. [L. deprimĕre, -pressum—de, down, and primĕre, to press.]

Deprive, de-prīv′, v.t. to take away from one his own: in take from: to dispossess: to degrade (a clergyman) from office: to bereave.—n. Deprivā′tion, act of depriving: state of being deprived: degradation from office: loss: bereavement: suffering from hardship.—adj. Depriv′ative.—n. Deprive′ment. [Low L. deprivāre, to degrade—L. de, from, and privāre, to deprive—privus, one's own.]

De profundis, dē prō-fun′dis, 'Out of the depths,' the first words of the 130th Psalm—also used as a name for this penitential psalm. [L.]

Depth, depth, n. deepness: the measure of deepness down or inwards: a deep place: the sea: the middle, as depth of winter: abstruseness: extent of sagacity and penetration.—adj. Depth′less, having no depth.—Out of one's depth, in water where one cannot touch bottom: in water too deep for one's safety: beyond one's faculties.—The depths, the lowest pitch of humiliation and misery. [Not in A.S.; Skeat makes it Ice. dýpð, from djúpr, deep.]

Depurate, dep′ū-rāt, v.t. to purify: sometimes to render impure.—ns. Depurā′tion; Dep′urator.—adj. Dep′uratory. [Low L. depurāre, -ātum, to purify—L. de, and purāre, to purify—purus, pure.]

Depute, de-pūt′, v.t. to appoint or send, as a substitute or agent: to send with a special commission: to make over one's powers to another.—adj. in Scotland, appointed deputy (as in sheriff-depute—often called simply the depute).—n. Deputā′tion, act of deputing: the person or persons deputed or appointed to transact business for another: persons sent to state a case before a government official.—v.t. Dep′utise, to appoint as deputy.—v.i. to act as such.—n. Dep′uty, one deputed or appointed to act for another: a delegate or representative, or substitute. [Fr.,—L. deputāre, to cut off, (late) to select.]

Deracinate, de-ras′i-nāt, v.t. to pluck up by the roots. [Fr. déraciner—L. de, and radix, radĭcis, a root.]

Derail, de-rāl′, v.t. to cause to leave the rails.—n. Derail′ment.

Derain, de-rān′, v.t. to prove: to justify: to win by fighting: to prepare for battle: to arrange in order of battle.—Also Deraign′, Darrain′, Darrayne′. [O. Fr. derainier, desraisnier—Late L. derationāre, to vindicate—L. de or dis, and rationāre, to discourse; ratio, reason.]

Derange, de-rānj′, v.t. to put out of place or order: to disorder.—p.adj. Deranged′, disordered: insane.—n. Derange′ment, disorder; insanity. [Fr. déranger—dé (L. dis), asunder, and ranger, to rank.]

Deray, de-rā′, v.t. to derange.—v.i. to go wild.—n. tumult, disorder. [O. Fr. desreer—des, neg., and rei, roi, order. See Array.]

Derbend, der′bend, n. a wayside Turkish guardhouse.

Derby, där′bi, n. a great horse-race held annually on the Derby Day, on the Wednesday before Whitsuntide, on Epsom Downs, near London, so called from the Derby stakes, instituted by the Earl of Derby in 1780; a rounded felt hat with narrow brim.—ns. Der′byshire-neck, a form of the disease goitre, occurring in Derbyshire; Der′byshire-spar, a fluorspar found in Derbyshire.

Der-doing, der-dōō′ing, adj. (Spens.) doing daring deeds. [See Derring-doe.]

Derelict, der′e-likt, adj. forsaken: abandoned.—n. anything forsaken or abandoned.—n. Derelic′tion, act of forsaking, unfaithfulness or remissness: state of being abandoned: land gained from the water by a change of water-line. [L. derelinquĕre, -lictum,—de, inten., and linquĕre, to leave.]

Dereligionise, dē-rē-lij′on-īz, v.t. to make irreligious.

Deride, de-rīd′, v.t. to laugh at: to mock.—n. Derid′er.—adj. Derid′ingly. [L. deridēre—de, inten., and ridēre, to laugh.]

Derision, de-rizh′un, n. act of deriding: mockery: a laughing-stock.—adjs. Derī′sive, Derīs′ory, mocking.—adv. Derī′sively.—n. Derī′siveness.

Derive, de-rīv′, v.t. to draw from, as water from a river; to take or receive from a source or origin: to infer: (ety.) to trace a word to its root.—adj. Derīv′able.—adv. Derīv′ably.—adj. Der′ivate, derived.—n. a derivative.—n. Derivā′tion, act of deriving: a drawing off or from: the tracing of a word to its original root: that which is derived: descent or evolution of man or animals.—adj. Derivā′tional.—n. Derivā′tionist.—adj. Deriv′ative, derived or taken from something else: not radical or original.—n. that which is derived: a word formed from another word.—adv. Deriv′atively. [O. Fr. deriver—L. derivāre—de, down from, rivus, a river.]

Derm, dėrm, n. the skin—also Der′ma, Der′mis.—adjs. Der′mal, Der′mic, Dermat′ic, pertaining to the skin: consisting of skin.—n. Dermatog′raphy, anatomical description of the skin—also Dermog′raphy.—adjs. Der′matoid, of the form of skin: skin-like; Dermatolog′ical.—ns. Dermatol′ogist; Dermatol′ogy, the branch of physiology which treats of the skin; Der′matophyte, a parasitic fungus on the skin; Der′matoskel′eton, the bony integument of many reptiles, insects, and crustaceans—also Dermoskel′eton.—adj. Dermogas′tric, connecting the skin and the stomach. [Gr. derma, dermatos, the skin—derein, to flay.]

Dern, dėrn, adj. secret: hidden: (Shak.) dreadful—also Dearn.—adjs. Dern′ful, Dearn′ful, solitary: mournful.—advs. Dern′ly, Dearn′ly, secretly: sorrowfully: grievously. [M. E. dern, dærne—A.S. dyrne, derne, secret.]

Derogate, der′o-gāt, v.i. to lessen by taking away: to detract.—adj. (Shak.) degenerate.—adv. Der′ogātely (Shak.), in a derogatory manner.—n. Derogā′tion, a taking from: detraction: depreciation.—adv. Derog′atorily.—n. Derog′atoriness.—adj. Derog′atory, detracting: injurious. [L. derogāre, -ātum, to repeal part of a law—de, down from, and rogāre, to propose a law.]

Derrick, der′ik, n. an apparatus for lifting weights, closely resembling a crane.—Floating derrick, a derrick mounted on a special boat: a beam supported at an angle between the perpendicular and horizontal, with tackle for raising heavy weights. [From Derrick, the name of a hangman in the early part of the 17th century.]

Derring-doe, der′ring-dōō, n. daring action. [M. E. dorryng-don, duryng-do, &c., as in Chaucer; taken over by Spenser in the spellings derring-doe and der-doing, with the noun derring-doer. Daring-do should be the modern English form.]

Derringer, der′in-jer, n. a short-rifled pistol, with one barrel—from the inventor, an American.

Derth, dėrth, n. (Spens.). Same as Dearth.

Dervish, dėr′vish, n. among Mohammedans, a member of one of the numerous orders of monks who profess poverty and lead an austere life. [Pers. darvísh, a dervish—lit., a poor man.]

Desart, des′art, n. an old form of Desert.

Descant, des′kant, n. the air in a four-part song: a discourse or disquisition under several heads.—v.i. Descant′, to discourse at length: to comment. [O. Fr. descant—L. dis, apart, and cantus, a song—cantāre, to sing.]

Descend, dē-send′, v.i. to climb down: to pass from a higher to a lower place or condition: to pass from general to particulars: to fall upon or invade: to be derived.—v.t. to go down upon: to go to the bottom of.—n. Descend′ant, one who descends, as offspring from an ancestor.—adjs. Descend′ent, descending or going down: proceeding from an ancestor; Descend′ible, that may descend or be descended: capable of transmission by inheritance, heritable.—p.adj. Descend′ing.—n. Descen′sion.—adj. Descen′sional.—n. Descent′, act of descending: transmission by succession: motion or progress downward: slope: a falling upon or invasion: derivation from an ancestor: a generation, a degree in genealogy: descendants collectively.—Descent from the cross, a picture representing Christ being taken down from the cross. [Fr. descendre—L. descendĕre—de, down, scandĕre, to climb.]

Describe, dē-skrīb′, v.t. to trace out or delineate: to give an account of.—adj. Describ′able.—n. Describ′er. [L. describĕre—de, down, and scribĕre, scriptum, to write.]

Description, de-skrip′shun, n. act of describing: an account of anything in words: definition: sort, class, or kind.—adj. Descrip′tive, containing description.—adv. Descrip′tively.—n. Descrip′tiveness.

Descrive, de-skrīv′, v.t. an obsolete form of describe.

Descry, de-skrī′, v.t. to discover by the eye: to espy:—pr.p. descry′ing; pa.p. descried′.—n. discovery: (Shak.) a thing discovered. [O. Fr. descrire for descrivre—L. describĕre: a doublet of describe. Others derive the word from O. Fr. descrier, decryer, proclaim, announce—des-, de-, and crier, to cry, in which case it would be a doublet of decry.]

Desecrate, des′e-krāt, v.t. to divert from a sacred purpose: to profane.—ns. Desecrat′er, -or, Desecrā′tion, act of desecrating: profanation. [L. desecrāre, -ātum—de, away from, and sacrāre, to make sacred—sacer, sacred.]

Desert, de-zėrt′, n. the reward or punishment deserved: claim to reward: merit—adj. Desert′less, without merit. [See Deserve.]

Desert, de-zėrt′, v.t. to leave: to forsake.—v.i. to run away: to quit a service, as the army, without permission.—ns. Desert′er, one who deserts or quits a service without permission; Deser′tion, act of deserting: state of being deserted: wilful abandonment of a legal or moral duty or obligation. [L. deserĕre, desertum—de, neg., and serĕre, to bind.]

Desert, dez′ėrt, adj. deserted: desolate: uninhabited: uncultivated: a desolate or barren place: a wilderness: a solitude. [O. Fr. desert—L. desertum, deserĕre, to desert, unbind.]

Deserve, de-zėrv′, v.t. to earn by service: to merit.—v.i. to be worthy of reward.—adj. Deserv′ing, worthy.—n. desert.—advs. Deserv′ingly, Deserv′edly, according to desert: justly. [Fr.,—L. deservīre—de, inten., servīre, to serve.]

Deshabille, des-a-bil′, n. an undress: a careless toilet. [Fr. déshabillé, undressed—des = L. dis = un, not, and habiller, to dress.]

Desiccate, de-sik′āt, or des′i-kāt, v.t. to dry up.—v.i. to grow dry.—adjs. Desic′cant, Desic′cative, drying: having the power of drying.—n. an application that tends to dry up sores.—n. Desiccā′tion, the act of desiccating: state of being desiccated. [L. desiccāre, -ātum, to dry up—de, and siccus, dry.]

Desiderate, de-sid′ėr-āt, v.t. to long for or earnestly desire a thing: to want or miss.—n. Desiderā′tion, the act of desiderating: the thing desiderated.—adj. Desid′erative, implying desire, as in desiderative verb.—n. Desiderā′tum, something desired or much wanted:—pl. Desiderā′ta. [L. desiderāre, -ātum, to long for. A doublet of desire.]

Desightment, dē-sīt′ment, n. disfigurement.

Design, de-zīn′, or de-sīn′, v.t. to draw: to form a plan of: to contrive: to intend.—n. a drawing or sketch: a plan in outline: a plan or scheme formed in the mind: plot: intention.—adj. Design′able.—v.t. Des′ignāte, to mark out so as to make known: to show: to name.—ns. Designā′tion, a showing or pointing out: name: title; Des′ignātor.—adv. Design′edly, by design: intentionally.—n. Design′er, one who furnishes designs or patterns: a plotter.—adjs. Design′ful, full of design; Design′ing, artful: scheming: deceitful.—n. the art of making designs or patterns.—adj. Design′less.—n. Design′ment, the design or sketch of a work: (Shak.) intention, purpose, enterprise.—The argument from design, the argument for the existence of God derived from the evidences of design in creation. [Fr.,—L. designāre, -ātum—de, and signum, a mark.]

Desilver, de-sil′vėr, v.t. to deprive of silver: to extract the silver from—also Desil′verise.—n. Desilverisā′tion.

Desine, de-sīn′, v.t. (Spens.) to denote.

Desipience, de-sip′i-ens, n. (rare) silliness, nonsense.—adj. Desip′ient, foolish. [L. desipiens, desipĕre, to be foolish, de-, neg., sapĕre, to be wise.]

Desire, de-zīr′, v.t. to long for the possession of: to wish for: to request, ask: (B.) to regret.—v.i. to be in a state of desire.—n. an earnest longing for: eagerness to obtain: a prayer or request: the object desired: lust.—adj. Desir′able, worthy of desire: pleasing: agreeable.—ns. Desir′ableness, Desirabil′ity.—adv. Desir′ably.—adj. Desire′less.—n. Desir′er.—adj. Desir′ous, full of desire: anxious to obtain: eager.—adv. Desir′ously.—n. Desir′ousness. [Fr. désirer—L. desiderāre. See Desiderate.]

Desist, de-sist′, v.i. to stop: to forbear.—ns. Desist′ance, -ence, a desisting. [Fr.,—L. desistĕre—de, away, and sistĕre, to cause to stand.]

Desk, desk, n. a sloping table for the use of writers or readers, often fitted with drawers, &c.: a shut-up writing-box: a pulpit or lectern.—n. Desk′-work, work done at a desk, professional labours of a clerk or author. [M. E. deske—L. discus. It is a variant of dish and disc.]

Desman, des′man, n. a kind of musk-rat, found in Russia and the Pyrenees. [Sw. desman, musk; Ice. des, musk.]

Desmid, des′mid, n. one of a group of microscopic algæ. [Formed as a dim. of Gr. desmos, a chain.]

Desmine, des′min, n. a zeolitic mineral occurring in clusters. [Gr. desmos, a band.]

Desmodium, des-mō′di-um, n. a genus of leguminous plants to which the D. gyrans, or telegraph plant, belongs. [Gr. desmos, chain, eidos, form.]

Desmoid, des′moid, adj. arranged in bundles. [Gr. desmos, a chain, a bundle, and eidos, form.]

Desmology, des-mol′o-ji, n. the anatomy of the ligaments.—ns. Desmog′raphy, the description of these; Desmot′omy, their dissection. [Gr. desmos, a ligament, and logia, a discourse.]

Desolate, des′o-lāt, v.t. to make solitary: to deprive of inhabitants: to lay waste.—adj. solitary: destitute of inhabitants: laid waste.—adv. Des′olately.—ns. Des′olateness; Desolat′er, -or; Desolā′tion, waste: destruction: a place desolated.—adj. Des′olatory. [L. desolāre, -ātum—de, inten., and solāre, to make alone—solus, alone.]

Despair, de-spār′, v.i. to be without hope: to despond.—n. want of hope: utter hopelessness: that which causes despair.—adj. Despair′ful (Spens.).—p.adj. Despair′ing, apt to despair: full of despair.—adv. Despair′ingly. [O. Fr. desperer—L. desperāre, -ātum—de, neg., and sperāre, to hope.]

Despatch, de-spach′, Dispatch, dis-pach′, v.t. to send away hastily: to send out of the world: to put to death: to dispose of: to perform speedily.—v.i. (Shak.) to make haste.—n. a sending away in haste: dismissal: rapid performance: haste: the sending off of the mails: that which is despatched, as a message, esp. telegraphic.—ns. Despatch′-boat, a government vessel for carrying despatches; Despatch′-box, a box for containing official despatches; Despatch′er.—adv. Despatch′ful (Milt.), swift.—Happy despatch, a playful name given to the Japanese hara-kiri or judicial suicide; Pneumatic despatch (see Pneumatic). [O. Fr. despeecher (mod. Fr. dépêcher); acc. to Littré, from an assumed Low L. despedicāre, to remove obstacles (pedica, a fetter), the opp. of impedicāre. See Impeach.]

Desperado, des-pėr-ā′dō, n. a desperate fellow: one reckless of danger: a madman:—pl. Desperā′dos. [Sp. desesperado—L. desperātus.]

Desperate, des′pėr-āt, adj. in a state of despair: hopeless: beyond hope: fearless of danger: rash: furious.—adv. Des′perately.—ns. Des′perateness, Desperā′tion, state of despair: disregard of danger: fury. [See Despair.]

Despicable, des′pi-ka-bl, adj. deserving to be despised: contemptible: worthless.—ns. Des′picableness, Despicabil′ity.—adv. Des′picably. [L. despicĕre, to despise.]

Despight, de-spīt′, an old form of despite.

Despise, de-spīz′, v.t. to look down upon with contempt: to scorn.—adj. Despis′able.—ns. Despī′sal, contempt; Despis′edness (Milt.); Despis′er. [O. Fr. despiz, despire—L. despicĕre—de, down, specĕre, to look.]

Despite, de-spīt′, n. a looking down upon with contempt: violent malice or hatred.—prep. in spite of: notwithstanding.—adj. Despite′ful.—adv. Despite′fully.—n. Despite′fulness.—adj. Despit′eous (Spens.). [O. Fr. despit (mod. dépit)—L. despectus—despicĕre.]

Despoil, de-spoil′, v.t. to spoil completely: to strip: to bereave: to rob.—ns. Despoil′er; Despoliā′tion, Despoil′ment. [O. Fr. despoiller (mod. dépouiller)—L. despoliāre—de, inten., and spolium, spoil.]

Despond, de-spond′, v.i. to lose hope or courage: to despair.—ns. Despond′ence, Despond′ency, state of being without hope: dejection.—adj. Despond′ent, desponding: without courage or hope: sad.—advs. Despond′ently; Despond′ingly. [L. despondēre, to promise, to give up or devote to, to give up or resign, to lose courage, to despond—de, away, and spondēre, to promise.]

Despot, des′pot, n. one invested with absolute power: a tyrant.—n. Des′potat, a territory governed by a despot.—adjs. Despot′ic, -al, pertaining to or like a despot: having absolute power: tyrannical.—adv. Despot′ically.—ns. Despot′icalness, Des′potism, absolute power: tyranny; Despotoc′racy, government by a despot. [O. Fr. despot—Low L. despotus—Gr. despotēs, a master.]

Despumate, de-spū′māt, or des′pū-māt, v.i. to throw off in foam or scum.—n. Despumā′tion. [L. despumāre, -ātum—de, off, and spuma, foam.]

Desquamate, des′kwa-māt, v.i. to scale off.—n. Desquamā′tion, a scaling off: the separation of the cuticle or skin in scales.—adjs. Desquam′ative, Desquam′atory. [L. desquamāre, -ātum—de, off, and squama, a scale.]

Desse, des, n. (Spens.) a dais.

Dessert, dez-ėrt′, n. fruits, confections, &c., served at the close of an entertainment after the rest has been taken away.—ns. Dessert′-serv′ice, the dishes used for dessert; Dessert′-spoon, a spoon smaller than a table-spoon and larger than a tea-spoon, used not so much for dessert as for pudding. [O. Fr. dessert, desservir, to clear the table—des, away, and servir, to serve—L. servīre.]

Dessiatine, Dessyatine, des′ya-tin, n. a Russian measure of land, 2.7 English acres. [Russ. desyatina, a measure of land, a tenth; desyati, ten.]

Destemper. See Distemper (1).

Destine, des′tin, v.t. to ordain or appoint to a certain use or state: to fix: to doom—also Des′tinate (obs.).—ns. Destinā′tion, the purpose or end to which anything is destined or appointed: end: purpose: design: fate: place to which one is going; Des′tiny, the purpose or end to which any person or thing is destined or appointed: unavoidable fate: necessity. [Fr.,—L. destināre—de, inten., and root sta-, in stāre, to stand.]

Destitute, des′ti-tūt, adj. left alone: forsaken: in want, needy—v.t. to forsake: to deprive.—n. Destitu′tion, the state of being destitute: deprivation of office: poverty. [L. destituĕre, -ūtum—de, away, and statuĕre, to place.]

Destroy, de-stroy′, v.i. to unbuild or pull down: to overturn: to ruin: to put an end to:—pr.p. destroy′ing:—pa.p. destroyed′.—n. Destroy′er. [O. Fr. destruire (Fr. détruire)—L. destruĕre, destructum—de, down, and struĕre, to build.]

Destruction, de-struk′shun, n. act of destroying: overthrow: physical or moral ruin: death: a destructive plague.—adj. Destruc′tible, liable to be destroyed.—ns. Destructibil′ity, Destruc′tibleness.—n. Destruc′tionist, one engaged in destruction: one who believes in the final annihilation of the damned.—adj. Destruc′tive, causing destruction: mischievous: ruinous: deadly.—adv. Destruc′tively.—ns. Destruc′tiveness; Destruc′tivist, a representative of destructive principles, as in Biblical criticism; Destruc′tor, a destroyer: a furnace for burning up refuse.

Desudation, des-ū-dā′shun, n. a violent sweating: an eruption of small pimples on children. [L. desudāre, -ātum, de, inten., and sudāre, to sweat.]

Desuetude, des′we-tūd, n. disuse: discontinuance of custom, habit, or practice. [L. desuetudo—desuētum, desuescĕre—de, neg., and suescĕre, to become used.]

Desulphur, de-sul′fur, v.t. to free of sulphur: to take sulphur out of the ore—also Desul′phurāte, Desul′phurise.—n. Desulphurā′tion.

Desultory, des′ul-tor-i, adj. jumping from one thing to another: without rational or logical connection: rambling: hasty: loose.—adv. Des′ultorily.—n. Des′ultoriness. [L. desultorius, of or pertaining to a vaulter, inconstant, desultor, a vaulter, desilīre, -sultum, to leap—de, from, and salīre, to jump.]

Detach, de-tach′, v.t. to unfasten: to take from or separate: to withdraw: to send off on special service.—v.i. to separate one's self.—adj. Detach′able.—p.adj. Detached′, unconnected: separate: free from care, passion, ambition, and worldly bonds.—adv. Detach′edly.—ns. Detach′edness; Detach′ment, state of being separated: that which is detached, as a body of troops. [Fr. détacher—de, neg., and root of attach.]

Detail, de-tāl′, v.t. to relate minutely: to enumerate: to set apart for a particular service.—v.i. to give details about anything.—n. (de-tāl′, or dē′tāl) a small part: an item: a particular account.—adj. Detailed′, giving full particulars: exhaustive.—In detail, circumstantially, point by point. [O. Fr. detailler—de, inten., and tailler, to cut. See Tailor.]

Detain, de-tān′, v.t. to hold from or back: to stop: to keep: to keep in custody.—ns. Detain′er, one who detains: (law) the holding of what belongs to another: a warrant to a sheriff to keep in custody a person already in confinement: Detain′ment (same as Detention). [O. Fr. detenir—L. detinēre—de, from, and tenēre, to hold.]

Detect, de-tekt′, v.t. (lit.) to uncover—hence to discover: to find out.—adjs. Detect′able, Detect′ible.—ns. Detect′er, -or, one who detects: an apparatus for detecting something, as a detector-lock, which shows if it has been tampered with; Detec′tion, discovery of something hidden: state of being found out.—adj. Detect′ive, employed in detecting.—n. a policeman employed in the investigation of special cases of crime, or in watching special classes of wrong-doers, usually not in uniform.—Private detective, one employed by a private person to gain information, or to watch his interests. [L. detectum, detegĕre—de, neg., and tegĕre, tectum, to cover.]

Detention, de-ten′shun, n. act of detaining: state of being detained: confinement: delay.—n. Detent′, something to check motion: a catch, esp. in a clock or watch. [See Detain.]

Deter, de-tėr′, v.t. to frighten from: to hinder or prevent:—pr.p. deter′ring; pa.p. deterred′.—n. Deter′ment. [L. deterrēre—de, from, terrēre, to frighten.]

Deterge, de-tėrj′, v.t. to wipe off; to cleanse (as a wound).—ns. Deterg′ence, Deterg′ency.—adj. Deterg′ent, cleansing: purging.—n. that which cleanses. [L. detergēre, detersum—de, off, and tergere, to wipe.]

Deteriorate, de-tē′ri-o-rāt, v.t. to make worse.—v.i. to grow worse.—p.adj. Detē′riorated, spoilt: of inferior quality.—n. Deteriorā′tion, the act of making worse: the state of growing worse.—adj. Detē′riorative.—n. Deterior′ity (obs.), worse state. [L. deteriorāre, -ātum, to make worse—deterior, worse—obs. deter, lower—de, down; cf. inter-ior.]

Determine, dē-tėr′min, v.t. to put terms or bounds to: to limit: to fix or settle the form or character of: to influence; to put an end to: to define.—v.i. to come to a decision: to resolve.—adj. Deter′minable, capable of being determined, decided, or finished.—ns. Deter′minableness, Determinabil′ity.—adj. Deter′minant, serving to determine.—n. that which serves to determine: in mathematical analysis, a symbolical method used for different processes, as for the solution of equations by inspection.—adj. Deter′mināte, determined or limited: fixed: decisive.—v.t. (Shak.) to determine.—adv. Deter′minātely.—n. Determinā′tion, that which is determined or resolved on: end: direction to a certain end: resolution: fixedness of purpose: decision of character.—adjs. Deter′minātive, that determines, limits, or defines; Deter′mined, firm in purpose: fixed: resolute.—adv. Deter′minedly.—n. Deter′minism, the doctrine that all things, including the will, are determined by causes—the converse of free-will: necessitarianism.—n. Deter′minist.—adj. Determinis′tic. [Fr.,—L. determināre, -ātum—de, neg., and terminus, a boundary.]

Deterrent, de-tėr′ent, adj. serving to deter.—n. anything that deters or prevents. [See Deter.]

Detersion, de-tėr′shun, n. act of cleansing. [See Deterge.]

Detersive, de-tėr′siv, n. Same as Detergent.

Detest, de-test′, v.t. to hate intensely.—adj. Detest′able, worthy of being detested: extremely hateful: abominable.—n. Detest′ableness.—adv. Detest′ably.—n. Detestā′tion, extreme hatred. [Fr.,—L. detestāri—de, inten., and testāri, to call to witness, execrate—testis, a witness.]

Dethrone, de-thrōn′, v.t. to remove from a throne.—ns. Dethrone′ment; Dethronisā′tion.

Detonate, det′o-nāt, v.i. to explode.—v.t. to cause to explode.—ns. Detonā′tion, an explosion with report; Det′onator, a detonating substance: an apparatus for the explosion of a detonating substance, as a percussion-cap.—Detonating powder, powder, such as the fulminates, which explodes easily by impact or heating, and which may be used to cause other substances to explode. [L. detonāre, -ātum—de, down, and tonāre, to thunder.]

Detort, de-tort′, v.t. to distort.—ns. Detor′sion, Detor′tion. [L. detorquēre, detortum; de, away, and torquere, twist.]

Detour, de-tōōr′, n. a winding: a circuitous way. [Fr. dé, for L. dis, asunder, and tour, a turning.]

Detract, de-trakt′, v.t. to take away, abate: to defame.—v.i. to take away reputation (with from): to reduce in degree: diminish.—ns. Detract′er, -or:—fem. Detract′ress.—adv. Detract′ingly.—n. Detrac′tion, depreciation: slander.—adjs. Detract′ive, Detrac′tious, Detract′ory, tending to detract: derogatory. [L. de, from, and trahĕre, to draw.]

Detrain, de-trān′, v.t. to set down out of a railway train, as troops.—v.i. to come out of a train.

Detriment, det′ri-ment, n. diminution: damage: loss.—adj. Detriment′al. [L. detrimentum—de, off, and terĕre, tritum, to rub.]

Detritus, de-trī′tus, n. a mass of substance gradually rubbed or worn off solid bodies: an aggregate of broken or loosened fragments, esp. of rock.—n. Detri′tion, a wearing away. [L.,—de, off, and terĕre, tritum, to rub.]

Detrude, de-trōōd′, v.t. to thrust down.—n. Detru′sion. [L. de, down, and trudĕre, to thrust]

Detruncate, de-trung′kāt, v.t. to cut off from the trunk: to lop off: to shorten.—n. Detruncā′tion. [L. detruncāre, -ātum—de, off, truncāre, lop.]

Detumescence, dē-tū-mes′ens, n. diminution of swelling—opp. to Intumescence.

Deuce, dūs, n. a card or die with two spots: (lawn tennis) a term denoting that each side has gained three points ('forty all').—n. Deuce′-ace, a throw of two dice, one of which turns up deuce and the other ace. [Fr. deux, two—L. duos, accus. of duo, two.]

Deuce, dūs, n. the devil—in exclamatory phrases.—adj. Deuced (dū′sed, or dūst), devilish: excessive.—adv. confoundedly.

Deuterocanonical, dū′tėr-o-ka-non′ik-al, adj. pertaining to a second canon of inferior authority—the O. T. Apocrypha and the N. T. Antilegomena. [Gr. deuteros, second, kanōn, rule.]

Deuterogamy, dū-tėr-og′a-mi, n. second marriage, esp. of the clergy, after the death of the first wife.—n. Deuterog′amist, one who allows such. [Gr. deuteros, second, gamos, marriage.]

Deuteronomy, dū-tėr-on′o-mi, or dū′tėr-on-o-mi, n. the fifth book of the Pentateuch, containing a repetition of the decalogue and laws given in Exodus.—adjs. Deuteronom′ic, -al.—ns. Deuteron′omist, Deu′tero-Isā′iah, the assumed author of the later prophecies of Isaiah. [Gr. deuteros, second, nomos, law.]

Deuteroscopy, dū-tėr-os′ko-pi, n. second-sight. [Gr. deuteros, second, skopia—skopein, to look.]

Deutoplasm, dū′tō-plasm, n. secondary, nutritive plasm, or food-yolk.—adjs. Deutoplas′mic, Deutoplas′tic.

Deutoxide, dūt-oks′īd, n. an old name for a compound of two parts of oxygen with one of a base. [Gr. deuteros, second, and oxide.]

Deutzia, dewt′si-a, or doit′si-a, n. a genus of saxifragaceous plants with panicles of white flowers, introduced from China and Japan. [Named after Deutz, a Dutch naturalist.]

Devall, de-val′, v.i. (Scot.) to cease.—n. a stop.

Devanagari, dā-va-nä′ga-ri, n. the character in which Sanskrit is usually written and printed. [Sans. 'town-script of the gods,' a term app. coined by an Indian scholar.]

Devaporation, dē-vap-ō-rā′shun, n. the change of vapour into water.

Devastate, dev′as-tāt, v.t. to lay waste: to plunder.—ns. Devastā′tion, act of devastating: state of being devastated: havoc; Devastā′vit, a waste of the estate of a deceased person by the executor. [L. devastāre, ātum—de, inten., vastāre, to lay waste.]

Develop, dē-vel′op, v.t. to unroll: to unfold: to lay open by degrees: to promote the growth of: (phot.) to make the latent picture visible by chemical applications.—v.i. to grow into: to open out: to evolve:—pr.p. devel′oping; pa.p. devel′oped.—n. Devel′opment, a gradual unfolding: a gradual growth: evolution: (math.) the expression of a function in the form of a series.—adj. Development′al, pertaining to development.—adv. Development′ally.—Doctrine of development, the theory of the evolution of new species from lower forms. [Fr. développer, opposite of envelopper; both perh. from a Teut. root found in Eng. lap, to wrap.]

Devest, de-vest′, v.t. (law) to alienate: to deprive of: to strip. [A form of divest.]

Deviate, dē′vi-āt, v.i. to go from the way: to turn aside from a certain course: to err.—v.t. to cause to diverge.—ns. Deviā′tion, a going out of the way: a turning aside; error; Dē′viator, one who deviates.—Deviation of the compass, departure of the mariner's compass from the magnetic needle, due to the ship's magnetism—either from the iron of which it is built or the iron which it carries. [L. deviāre, -ātum—de, from, via, a way.]

Device, de-vīs′, n. that which is devised or designed: contrivance: power of devising: genius: (her.) the emblem borne upon a shield: a picture of some kind, with a motto illustrative of a man's life or character, borne by an individual rather than by a family.—adj. Device′ful (Spens.), full of devices. [O. Fr. devise. See Devise.]

Devil, dev′l, v.t. (cook.) to season highly and broil.—v.i. to perform another man's drudgery (esp. to devil for a barrister).

Devil, dev′l, n. the supreme spirit of evil, Satan: any evil spirit: a false god: a very wicked person: a fellow, as in 'Poor devil:' an expletive, in 'What the devil,' &c.—ns. Dev′ildom; Dev′iless; Dev′ilet; Dev′il-fish, a name for the fishing-frog or angler, for the giant-ray of the United States, and for other large and ugly fishes; Dev′il-in-the-bush, a garden flower, also called Love-in-a-mist.—adj. Dev′ilish, fiendish, malignant.—adv. (coll.) very: exceedingly.—adv. Dev′ilishly.—ns. Dev′ilism; Dev′ilkin.—adj. Dev′il-may-care, reckless, audacious.—ns. Dev′ilment; Dev′il-on-the-neck, an old instrument of torture; Dev′ilry; Dev′ilship; Dev′iltry; Dev′il-wor′ship, the worship of the devil, or of devils; Dev′il-wor′shipper.—Devil a bit, not at all; Devil of a mess, a very bad mess.—Devil's advocate, a name given to the Promoter of the Faith, an advocate at the papal court, whose duty it is to propose all reasonable objections against a person's claims to canonisation; Devil's bit, a popular name for scabious; Devil's books, playing-cards; Devil's coach-horse, a large dark-coloured beetle; Devil's dozen, thirteen (like baker's dozen); Devil's dung, a popular name for asafœtida; Devil's dust, shoddy made by a machine called the devil; Devil's own, a name given to the 88th Regiment in the Peninsular war, as also to the Inns of Court volunteers; Devil's snuff-box, the puff-ball, a kind of fungus; Devil's tattoo (see Tattoo); Devil to pay, serious trouble ahead—said to be from the difficulty of paying, or caulking, an awkward and inaccessible seam in a ship.—Cartesian devil (see Cartesian); Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing-office: a printer's errand-boy; Tasmanian devil, the ursine dasyure, a Tasmanian carnivore.—Play the devil with, to bring to utter ruin. [A.S. deóful, deófol—L. diabolus—Gr. diabolos, from diaballein, to throw across, to slander, from dia, across, and ballein, to throw; cf. Ger. teufel, Fr. diable, It. diavolo, Sp. diablo.]

Devious, dē′vi-us, adj. from or out of the way: roundabout: erring.—adv. Dē′viously.—n. Dē′viousness. [L. devius. See Deviate.]

Devise, de-vīz′, v.t. to imagine: to scheme: to contrive: to give by will: to bequeath.—v.i. to consider, scheme.—n. act of bequeathing: a will: property bequeathed by will.—adj. Devis′able.—ns. Devis′al; Devisē[e]′, one to whom real estate is bequeathed; Devis′er, one who contrives; Devis′or, one who bequeaths. [O. Fr. deviser, devise—Low L. divisa, a division of goods, a mark, a device—L. dividĕre, divisum, to divide.]

Devitalise, de-vī′ta-līz, v.t. to deprive of vitality or life-giving qualities.—n. Devitalisā′tion.

Devitrify, de-vit′ri-fī, v.t. to take away or greatly diminish the vitreous quality of.—n. Devitrificā′tion, loss or diminution of the vitreous nature.

Devocalise, de-vō′ka-līz, v.t. to make voiceless: to reduce the vowel element in a sound or syllable.

Devoid, de-void′, adj. destitute: free from. [O. Fr. desvoidier, des—L. dis-, away, voidier—L. viduāre, viduus, deprived.]

Devoir, dev-wawr′, n. what is due, duty: service: an act of civility. [Fr.,—L. debēre, to owe.]

Devolution, dev-ol-ū′shun, n. a passing from one person to another. [See Devolve.]

Devolve, de-volv′, v.t. to roll down: to hand down: to deliver over.—v.i. to roll down: to fall or pass over.—n. Devolve′ment. [L. devolvĕre, -volūtum—de, down, volvĕre, -ūtum, to roll.]

Devonian, de-vō′ni-an, adj. belonging to Devonshire: belonging to a system of geological strata which abound in Devonshire, closely corresponding to Old Red Sandstone.

Devonport, dev′on-pōrt, n. a small ornamental writing-table, fitted with drawers, &c.

Devonshire cream = Clotted cream. See Clot.

Devote, de-vōt′, v.t. to vow: to set apart or dedicate by solemn act: to doom: to give up wholly.—adj. Devōt′ed, given up, as by a vow: doomed: strongly attached: zealous.—adv. Devōt′edly.—ns. Devōt′edness; Devotēē′, one wholly or superstitiously devoted, esp. to religion: a fanatic; Devōte′ment (Shak.); Devō′tion, consecration: giving up of the mind to the worship of God: piety: prayer: strong affection or attachment: ardour: (pl.) prayers: (obs.) religious offerings: alms.—adj. Devō′tional.—ns. Devō′tionalist, Devō′tionist.—adv. Devō′tionally. [L. devovēre, devōtum—de, a way, and vovēre, to vow.]

Devour, de-vowr′, v.t. to swallow greedily: to eat up: to consume or waste with violence or wantonness: to destroy: to gaze intently on.—n. Devour′er.—adj. Devour′ing.—adv. Devour′ingly.—n. Devour′ment. [O. Fr. devorer—L. devorāre—de, inten., and vorāre, to swallow. See Voracious.]

Devout, de-vowt′, adj. given up to religious thoughts and exercises: pious: solemn: earnest.—adv. Devout′ly.—n. Devout′ness. [O. Fr. devot—L. devotus. See Devote.]

Dew, dū, n. moisture deposited from the air on cooling, esp. at night, in minute specks upon the surface of objects: early freshness (esp. in Dew of his youth).—v.t. to wet with dew: to moisten.—ns. Dew′berr′y, a kind of bramble or blackberry having a bluish dew-like bloom on the fruit; Dew′-claw, a rudimentary inner toe of a dog's hind-foot; Dew′drop; Dew′fall, the falling of dew, the time it falls; Dew′point, the temperature at which dew begins to form; Dew′-rett′ing, the process of rotting away the gummy part of hemp or flax by exposure on the grass to dew and rain; Dew′stone, a Nottinghamshire limestone; Dew′-worm, the common earthworm.—adj. Dew′y.—Mountain dew (slang), whisky, originally illicitly distilled or smuggled spirits. [A.S. deáw; cf. Ice. dögg, Ger. thau, dew.]

Dew, dū, n. an obsolete spelling of due.

Dewan, dē-wan′, n. in India, a financial minister, the native steward of a business-house.—ns. Dewan′i, Dewan′ny, the office of dewan. [Hind.]

Dewitt, dē-wit′, v.t. to lynch—from the fate of Jan and Cornelius De Witt in Holland in 1672.

Dewlap, dū′lap, n. the pendulous skin under the throat of oxen, dogs, &c.: the fleshy wattle of the turkey.—adjs. Dew′lapped, Dew′lapt. [Prob. dew and A.S. læppa, a loose hanging piece.]

Dexter, deks′tėr, adj. on the right-hand side: right: (her.) of that side of the shield on the right-hand side of the wearer, to the spectator's left.—n. Dexter′ity, right-handedness: cleverness: readiness and skill: adroitness.—adjs. Dex′terous, Dex′trous, right-handed: adroit: subtle.—adv. Dex′terously.—n. Dex′terousness.—adj. Dex′tral, right, as opposed to left.—n. Dextral′ity, right-handedness.—adv. Dex′trally.—adjs. Dex′tro-gȳ′rate, causing to turn to the right hand; Dex′trorse, Dextror′sal, rising from right to left. [L. dexter; Gr. dexios, Sans. dakshina, on the right, on the south.]

Dextrine, deks′trin, n. starch altered by the action of acids, diastase, or heat till it loses its gelatinous character, so called because when viewed through polarised light it turns the plane of polarisation to the right.—n. Dex′trose, a glucose sugar, found in grapes, &c., and manufactured from starch by means of sulphuric acid. [Fr.,—L. dexter.]

Dey, dā, n. a dairy-maid. [See Dairy.]

Dey, dā, n. a name given to the pasha or governor of Algiers before the French conquest. [Turk, dái, orig. a maternal uncle, a familiar title of the chief of the Janizaries.]

Dharma, där′ma, n. the righteousness that underlies the law: the law. [Sans.]

Dhobie, dō′bi, n. an Indian washerman. [Hind.]

Dhole, dōl, n. the Indian wild dog. [Ind. word.]

Dhooly, dōō′li, n. a covered litter.—Also Doo′lie. [Hind. doli.]

Dhow, dow, n. a native vessel on the eastern African and western Indian coasts, with lateen sails: an Arab slaver.

Dhurra. Same as Durra.

Diabase, dī′a-bās, n. a compact igneous rock, an altered form of basalt—included under the popular names greenstone and trap.—adj. Diabā′sic.

Diabaterial, dī-a-ba-tē′ri-al, adj. crossing the boundaries. [Gr. diabatos—dia, across, bainein, to go.]

Diabetes, dī-a-bē′tēz, n. a disease marked by a morbid and excessive discharge of urine.—adjs. Diabet′ic, -al. [Gr., from diabainein, dia, through, and bainein, to go.]

Diablerie, Diablery, di-ab-le-rē′, n. magic: the black art: sorcery. [Fr.,—diable. See Devil.]

Diabolic, -al, dī-a-bol′ik, -al, adj. devilish.—adv. Diabol′ically.—v.t. Diab′olise, to render devilish.—ns. Diab′olism, devilish conduct: sorcery or black magic; Diabol′ogy, the doctrine of devils. [L.,—Gr. diabolikos, diabolos, the devil. See Devil.]

Diacatholicon, dī-a-ka-thol′i-kon, n. a purgative electuary.

Diacaustic, dī-a-kaws′tik, adj. pertaining to curves formed by the intersections of rays of refracted light.—n. a curve so formed. [Formed from Gr. dia, through, and caustic.]

Diachastic, dī-a-kas′tik, adj. cleaving apart. [Gr.]

Diachylon, dī-ak′i-lon, Diachylum, dī-ak′i-lum, n. common sticking-plaster. [Gr. diachylos—dia, and chylos, juice.]

Diachyma, dī-ak′i-ma, n. the parenchyma of leaves. [Gr. dia, through, chyma, juice.]

Diacodium, dī-a-kō′di-um, n. a syrup of poppies. [L.,—Gr. dia, through, kōdeia, a poppy-head.]

Diaconate, dī-ak′o-nāt, n. the office of a deacon.—adj. Diac′onal, pertaining to a deacon.

Diaconicon, dī-a-kon′i-kon, n. a sacristy for sacred vessels, in a Greek church, on the south side of the bema or sanctuary.

Diacoustic, dī-a-kows′tik, adj. pertaining to the refraction of sound through various mediums.—n. Diacous′tics, the branch of physics which deals with refracted sounds. [Formed from Gr. dia, through, and acoustics.]

Diacritic, -al, dī-a-krit′ik, -al, adj. distinguishing between—used of marks or points attached to the letters of various languages. [Gr. diakritikos, diakrinein—dia, between, and krinein, to distinguish. See Critic.]

Diactine, dī-ak′tin, adj. having two rays.—Also Diac′tinal.

Diactinic, dī-ak-tin′ik, adj. capable of transmitting the actinic rays of the sun.

Diadelphous, dī-a-del′fus, adj. grouped together in two sets—of the stamens of plants.—n. Dī′adelph. [Formed from Gr. di-, double, and adelphos, brother.]

Diadem, dī′a-dem, n. a band or fillet worn round the head as a badge of royalty: a crown: royalty.—adj. Dī′ademed, wearing a diadem.—Diadem spider, the common garden spider—from its markings. [O. Fr. diademe—L. diadema—Gr. diadēma—dia, round, and deein, to bind.]

Diadexis, dī-a-dek′sis, n. (path.) the transformation of one disease into another, differing both in location and character. [Gr.]

Diadochi, dī-ad′o-kī, n. the generals who became monarchs of the various kingdoms (Syria, Egypt, &c.) into which the empire of Alexander the Great split after his death (323 B.C.). [Gr. diadochos, succeeding, a successor; diadechesthai, to succeed.]

Diadrom, dī′a-drom, n. a course or passing: a vibration. [Gr.]

Diæresis, Dieresis, dī-ēr′e-sis, n. a mark (¨) placed over one of two vowels to show that each is to be pronounced separately, as aërial:—pl. Diær′eses, Dier′eses. [Gr.,—dia, apart, hairein, to take.]

Diaglyph, dī′a-glif, n. an intaglio. [Gr.]

Diagnosis, dī-ag-nō′sis, n. the distinguishing a disease by means of its symptoms: a brief description:—pl. Diagnō′ses.—v.t. Dī′agnose, to ascertain from symptoms, as a disease.—adj. Dīagnos′tic, distinguishing: characteristic.—n. that by which anything is known: a symptom.—n.pl. Diagnos′tics, the branch of medicine to which the skill in noting and interpreting symptoms belongs. [Gr., dia, between, gnōsis—gnōnai, to know.]

Diagometer, dī-a-gom′e-tėr, n. a form of electroscope for ascertaining conducting power. [Gr. diagein, to conduct, metron, a measure.]

Diagonal, dī-ag′o-nal, adj. through the corners, or from an angle to an opposite angle of a four or many sided figure.—n. a straight line so drawn.—adv. Diag′onally.—Diagonal scale, a scale for laying down small fractions of the unit of measurement, the parallel lines drawn lengthwise on its surface being divided into sections by lines drawn crosswise, and in one end section being intersected by a series of other parallel lines drawn obliquely at equal distances across them. [Fr.,—L. diagonalis, from Gr. diagōnios—dia, through, and gōnia, a corner.]

Diagram, dī′a-gram, n. a figure or plan drawn in outline to illustrate any statement: a record traced by an automatic indicator.—adj. Diagrammat′ic.—adv. Diagrammat′ically.—n. Dī′agraph, an instrument for enabling unskilled persons to draw objects in outline.—adj. Diagraph′ic. [L.,—Gr. diagramma—dia, round, graphein, to write.]

Diaheliotropic, dī-a-hē-li-ō-trop′ik, adj. (bot.) turning transversely to the light.—n. Diaheliot′ropism. [Gr. dia, across, and heliotropic.]

Dial, dī′al, n. an instrument for showing the time of day by the sun's shadow: a timepiece: the face of a watch or clock: a circular plate on which a movable index shows the degree of pressure, &c.—v.t. to measure, as with a dial.—ns. Dī′alist, a maker of dials: one skilled in dialling; Dī′alling, the art of constructing dials: the science which explains the measuring of time by the sun-dial: surveying by help of a compass with sights, such as is called a 'miner's dial;' Dīal-plate. [M. E. dial—Low L. dialis, daily—L. dies, a day.]

Dialect, dī′a-lekt, n. a variety or form of a language peculiar to a district: a non-literary vernacular: a peculiar manner of speaking.—adj. Dialect′al.—adv. Dialect′ally.—ns. Dialect′icism; Dialectol′ogist; Dialectol′ogy. [Through Fr. and L. from Gr. dialektos, speech, manner of speech, peculiarity of speech—dia, between, legein, to speak.]

Dialectic, -al, dī-a-lek′tik, -al, adj. pertaining to dialect or to discourse: pertaining to dialectics: logical.—ns. Dialec′tic, Dialect′ics, art of discussing: that branch of logic which teaches the rules and modes of reasoning.—adv. Dialec′tically.—n. Dialecti′cian, one skilled in dialectics, a logician. [Gr. dialektikos.]

Diallage, dī-al′a-jē, n. (rhet.) a figure of speech by which arguments, after having been considered from various points of view, are all brought to bear upon one point. [Gr.]

Diallage, dī′al-āj, n. a mineral nearly allied to augite, brown, gray, or green in colour, laminated in structure, with a metallic lustre when broken across.—adjs. Diallag′ic, Dial′lagoid. [Gr. diallagē, change—dia, between, allassein, to change—allos, other.]

Dialogite, dī-al′ō-jīt, n. a rose-red carbonate of manganese—also Rhodochrosite.

Dialogue, dī′a-log, n. conversation between two or more persons, esp. of a formal or imaginary nature.—v.i. and v.t. (Shak.) to put into dialogue form.—adjs. Dialog′ic, Dialogist′ic, -al (-loj-), in the form of a dialogue.—v.i. Dial′ogise (′oj-), to discourse in dialogue.—n. Dial′ogist (′oj-), a speaker in, or writer of, a dialogue. [Fr.,—L. dialogus—Gr. dialogos, a conversation—dialegesthai, to discourse.]

Dialuric, dī-a-lū′rik, adj. pertaining to alloxan and uric acid.—n. Dialū′rate, a salt of dialuric acid.

Dialysis, dī-al′i-sis, n. (chem.) the separation of substances by diffusion through a membranous septum or partition: diæresis: dissolution:—pl. Dial′yses.—adj. Dialys′able.—v.t. Dī′alyse, to separate by dialysis.—n. Dī′alyser.—adj. Dialyt′ic. [Gr. dialysis—dia, asunder, lyein, to loose.]

Diamagnetic, dī-a-mag-net′ik, adj. cross-magnetic—applied to any substance, such as a rod of bismuth or glass, which, when suspended between the poles of a magnet, arranges itself across the line joining the poles (a rod of iron or of sealing-wax so held arranges itself parallel to the line joining the poles, and is said to be Paramagnetic).—adv. Diamagnet′ically.—n. Diamag′netism, the form of magnetic action possessed by diamagnetic bodies: the branch of magnetism which deals with diamagnetic phenomena. [Gr. dia, through, magnētēs, magnēs, a magnet.]

Diamantiferous, dī-a-man-tif′er-us, adj. yielding diamonds. [Fr. diamantifère.]

Diamesogamous, dī-a-me-sog′a-mus, adj. (bot.) fertilised by intermediary means.

Diameter, dī-am′e-tėr, n. the measure through or across: a straight line passing through the centre of a circle or other figure, terminated at both ends by the circumference.—adjs. Diam′etral, Diamet′ric, -al, in the direction of a diameter: pertaining to the diameter: like the opposite ends of the diameter (as in diametrical opposition).—advs. Diam′etrally, in a diametral manner; Diamet′rically, exactly.—Tactical diameter, the space covered by a steamer in turning 180° out of her original course. [Through Fr. and L. from Gr. diametros—dia, through, metrein, to measure.]

Diamond, dī′a-mond, n. the most valuable of all gems, and the hardest of all substances: a four-sided figure with two obtuse and two acute angles: one of the four suits of cards: one of the smallest kinds of English printing type.—adj. resembling diamonds: made of diamonds: marked with diamonds: lozenge-shaped, rhombic.—ns. Dī′amond-bee′tle, a beautiful sparkling South American weevil; Dī′amond-cut′ting, diamond-setting; Dī′amond-drill, an annular borer whose bit is set with borts; Dī′amond-dust, Dī′amond-pow′der, the powder made by the friction of diamonds on one another in the course of polishing.—adjs. Dī′amonded, furnished with diamonds; Diamondif′erous, yielding diamonds.—n. Dī′amond-wheel, a wheel covered with diamond-dust and oil for polishing diamonds and other precious stones.—Diamond cut diamond, the case of an encounter between two very sharp persons.—Rough diamond, an uncut diamond: a person of great worth, though of rude exterior and unpolished manners. [M. E. adamaunt—O. Fr. adamant—L. adamanta, accus. of adamas—Gr. adamas, adamantos, adamant—a, not, damaein, to tame.]

Diana, di-ā′na, or dī-an′a, n. an ancient Italian goddess of light, the moon-goddess, representative of chastity and hunting, afterwards identified with the Greek Artemis.—Diana of the Ephesians, a goddess of fertility worshipped at Ephesus.

Diandria, dī-an′dri-a, n. a class of plants in the Linnæan system having two stamens.—n. Dian′der, a plant with two stamens.—adjs. Dian′drian, Dian′drous. [Gr. dis, twice, double, anēr, andros, a man.]

Dianodal, dī-a-nō′dal, adj. (math.) passing through a node.

Dianoetic, dī-a-nō-et′ik, adj. capable of thought, thinking: belonging to the ratiocinative faculties of the mind. [Gr. dianoētikos—dia, through, noein, to think.]

Dianthus, dī-an′thus, n. the genus of herbaceous flowers to which carnations and pinks belong. [Gr. dianthēs—dis, di-, two, anthos, a flower.]

Diapason, dī-a-pā′zon, n. a whole octave: a harmony: a full volume of various sounds in concord: correct pitch: the two foundation-stops of an organ (open and stopped diapason)—(Spens.) Dī′apase. [Gr. dia, through, and pasōn, gen. pl. of pas, all—part of the Gr. phrase, dia pasōn chordōn symphōnia, concord through all the notes.]

Diapedesis, dī-a-pe-dē′sis, n. (physiol.) the migration of white blood-corpuscles through the walls of the blood-vessels without apparent rupture.—adj. Diapedet′ic. [Gr., dia, through, pēdan, to leap.]

Diapente, dī-a-pen′tē, n. (mus.) the interval of a fifth: a composition in pharmacy of five ingredients. [Gr.]

Diaper, dī′a-pėr, n. unbleached linen cloth woven in slightly defined figures, used for towels, &c.: a pattern for ornamentation, woven, not coloured, in textiles: a floral or geometric pattern in low relief in architecture, often repeated over a considerable surface.—v.t. to variegate with figures, as diaper.—n. Dī′apering. [O. Fr. diaspre, diapre—Low L. diasprus—Byzantine Gr. diaspros, dia, through, aspros, white.]

Diaphanous, dī-af′a-nus, adj. shining or appearing through, transparent, clear—also Diaphan′ic.—ns. Dī′aphane, a diaphanous figured silk fabric; Diaphanom′eter, an instrument for testing the transparency of the air; Diaphan′oscope, a darkened box for viewing transparent positive photographs; Diaphan′otype, a picture produced by colouring on the back a positive lightly printed on translucent paper, and placing this exactly over a strong duplicate print.—adv. Diaph′anously.—ns. Diaph′anousness, Diaphanē′ity. [Gr. diaphanes—dia, through, and phainein, to show, shine.]

Diaphonics, dī-a-fon′iks, n. Same as Diacoustics. [Gr. dia, through, phonē, sound.]

Diaphoretic, dī-a-fo-ret′ik, adj. promoting perspiration.—n. a sudorific or medicine that increases perspiration.—n. Diaphorē′sis, perspiration artificially induced. [Gr.,—diaphorein, to carry off—dia, through, pherein, to bear.]

Diaphragm, dī′a-fram, n. a thin partition or dividing membrane: the midriff, a structure separating the chest from the abdomen: a metal plate with a central hole, for cutting off side-rays in a camera, &c.—adjs. Diaphragmat′ic, Diaphrag′mal.—n. Diaphragmatī′tis, inflammation of the diaphragm. [Gr. diaphragma—dia, across, phragnynai, to fence.]

Diaphysis, dī-af′i-sis, n. (bot.) an abnormal elongation of the axis of a flower or of an inflorescence: (anat.) the continuity of a bone between its two ends. [Gr. dia, through, phyesthai, to grow.]

Diaplasis, dī-ap′la-sis, n. (surg.) reduction, of a dislocation, &c.—adj. Diaplas′tic. [Gr.]

Diapnoic, dī-ap-nō′ik, adj. producing slight perspiration—also Diapnot′ic—n. a mild diaphoretic.

Diapositive, dī-a-poz′i-tiv, n. a transparent photographic positive, such as a lantern slide.

Diapyetic, dī-a-pī-et′ik, adj. producing suppuration.—n. a medicine with this property.—n. Diapyē′sis, suppuration. [Gr.]

Diarchy, dī′ar-ki, n. a form of government in which two persons are jointly vested with supreme power—less correctly Dī′narchy. [Formed from Gr. di-, two, archein, to rule.]

Diarrhœa, Diarrhea, dī-a-rē′a, n. a persistent purging or looseness of the bowels.—adjs. Diarrhœ′al, Diarrhœ′ic, Diarrhœt′ic (also -rhē′al, -rhē′ic, -rhet′ic). [Gr. diarroia—dia, through, and rhein, to flow.]

Diarthrosis, dī-ar-thrō′sis, n. the general name for all forms of articulation which admit of the motion of one bone upon another, free arthrosis—including Enarthrosis, Ginglymus, and Cyclarthrosis. [Gr.]

Diary, dī′a-ri, n. a daily record: a journal.—adjs. Diā′rial, Diā′rian.—v.t. or v.i. Dī′arise.—n. Dī′arist, one who keeps a diary. [L. diarium.]

Diascordium, dī-a-skor′di-um, n. an electuary prepared with scordium or water-germander. [Gr. dia, through, and skordion.]

Diaskeuast, dī-as-kew′ast, n. a reviser: an interpolator.—n. Diaskeu′asis, reviewing. [Gr. diaskeuazein, to make ready—dia, through, skeuos, a tool.]

Diaspora, dī-as′por-a, n. dispersion, used collectively for the dispersed Jews after the Babylonian captivity, and also in the apostolic age for the Jews living outside of Palestine. [Gr. dia, through, speirein, to scatter.]

Diaspore, dī′a-spōr, n. a grayish, infusible hydrate of aluminium.

Diastaltic, dī-a-stal′tik, adj. (Greek mus.) dilated, extended: bold. [Gr., diastellein, to expand.]

Diastase, dī′as-tās, n. a peculiar ferment developed during the germination of all seeds, which has the power of converting starch into dextrine and then into sugar.—adj. Diastat′ic—adv. Diastat′ically. [Gr. diastasis, division—dia, through, histanai, stēnai, to stand.]

Diastasis, dī-as′ta-sis, n. (surg.) separation of bones without fracture. [Gr.]

Diastema, dī-a-stē′ma, n. a natural space between two consecutive teeth, or series of teeth.—adj. Diastemat′ic. [Gr.]

Diastole, dī-as′to-lē, n. dilation of the heart, auricles, and arteries—opp. to Systole, or contraction of the same: the protracting of a short syllable, as before a pause.—adj. Diastol′ic. [Gr. diastolē—dia, asunder, and stellein, to place.]

Diastyle, dī′a-stīl, adj. (archit.) marked by wide intercolumniation. [Gr.]

Diatessaron, dī-a-tes′a-rōn, n. a harmony of the four gospels, esp. the earliest, that of Tatian (prob. 110-180 A.D.): (mus.) the interval of a fourth: an electuary of four ingredients. [Gr., for dia tessarōn, through, or composed of four.]

Diathermal, dī-a-thėr′mal, adj. letting heat through, permeable by radiating heat—also Diather′manous, Diather′mous, Diather′mic.—ns. Diather′mance, -cy. [Gr. dia, through, thermos, heat.]

Diathesis, dī-ath′e-sis, n. a particular condition or habit of body, esp. one predisposing to certain diseases: a habit of mind.—adj. Diathet′ic. [Gr.,—dia, asunder, tithenai, to place.]

Diatom, dī′a-tom, n. one of an order of microscopic unicellular algæ, of the Diatomaceæ.—adj. Diatomā′ceous.—n. Diat′omite, diatomaceous earth. [Gr. diatomos—dia, through, temnein, to cut.]

Diatomic, dī-a-tom′ik, adj. consisting of two atoms. [Gr. di-, dis, two, and atom.]

Diatomous, dī-at′ō-mus, adj. having crystals with one distinct diagonal cleavage.

Diatonic, dī-a-ton′ik, adj. proceeding by the tones and intervals of the natural scale in music.—adv. Diaton′ically. [Gr.,—dia, through, tonos, tone.]

Diatribe, dī′a-trīb, n. a continued discourse or disputation: an invective harangue.—n. Dī′atrībist, a writer or utterer of such. [Gr. diatribē—dia, through, tribein, to rub, wear away.]

Dib, dib, v.i. to dip, as in angling:—pr.p. dib′bing; pa.p. dibbed. [A form of dab.]

Dib, dib, n. one of the small bones of a sheep's leg: (pl.) a children's game, played by throwing up such small bones or stones (Dib′-stones) from the palm and catching them on the back of the hand—(Scot.) Chuckie-stanes, or Chucks: (slang) money.

Dibasic, dī-bā′sik, adj. having two bases: of acids, with two atoms of hydrogen replaceable by a base or bases. [Gr. di-, two, and basic.]

Dibble, dib′l, n. a pointed tool used for making holes to put seed or plants in—also Dibb′er.—v.t. Dibb′le, to plant with a dibble.—v.i. to make holes: to dip, as in angling.—n. Dibb′ler. [Freq. of dib, a form of dab.]

Dibranchiata, dī-brang-ki-ā′ta, n. one of the two orders of cephalopoda, having two gills.—adj. Dibran′chiate. [Gr. di-, two, branchia, gills.]

Dicacity, dik-as′i-ti, n. raillery, pert speech.—adj. Dicā′cious. [L. dicax, sarcastic.]

Dicast, Dikast, dī′kast, n. one of the 6000 Athenians annually chosen to act as judges.—n. Dicas′tery, their court. [Gr. dikastēs, dikē, justice.]

Dicatalectic, dī-kat-a-lek′tik, adj. doubly catalectic, both at the middle and end of the verse. [Gr. di-, double. See Catalectic.]

Dice, pl. of Die, 2 (q.v.).—v.i. to play with dice.

Dice-coal, dīs′-kōl, n. a kind of coal which readily splits into cubical pieces.

Dicentra, dī-sen′tra, n. a genus of plants including the flower Bleeding-heart (D. spectabilis).—Also Diel′ytra. [Gr. di-, double, kentron, a point.]

Dicephalous, dī-sef′a-lus, adj. two-headed. [Gr. dikephalos—di-, double, kephalē, a head.]

Dichastasis, dī-kas′ta-sis, n. spontaneous subdivision.—adj. Dichas′tic. [Gr.]

Dichlamydeous, dī-kla-mid′ē-us, adj. having both a calyx and a corolla.

Dichogamy, dī-kog′a-mi, n. an arrangement for preventing the self-fertilisation of hermaphrodite flowers, the stamens and stigmas ripening at different times.—adj. Dichog′amous. [Gr. dicha, in two, gamos, marriage.]

Dichord, dī′kord, n. an ancient two-stringed lute.

Dichotomy, dī-kot′o-mi, n. a division into two parts.—v.t. and v.i. Dichot′omise.—adj. Dichot′omous.—adv. Dichot′omously. [Gr., from dicha, in two, and temnein, to cut.]

Dichroism, dī′krō-izm, n. the property of showing different colours when viewed in different directions exhibited by doubly refracting crystals.—adjs. Dichrō′ic, Dichrois′tic.—n. Dī′chroscope, an instrument for testing the dichroism of crystals.—adj. Dichroscop′ic.

Dichromatism, dī-krō′ma-tizm, n. (zool.) the quality of presenting, in different individuals, two different colours or systems of colouration.—adj. Dichromat′ic.

Dichromism, dī-krō′mizm, n. an inability to distinguish more than two of the primary colours.—adj. Dichrō′mic.

Dicht, diht, v.t. (Scot.) to wipe.

Dick, dik, n. (slang) fine words, for Dictionary: for Declaration, as 'to take one's dick,' and prob. 'up to dick' = excellent, also properly.

Dickens, dik′enz, n. the deuce, the devil, as in 'What the dickens.'—Play the dickens with, to play the deuce with. [For devil, confused with Dickon = Richard.]

Dicker, dik′ėr, n. (Amer.) petty trade by barter, &c.—v.i. to haggle. [Prob. the obs. dicker, the number ten, esp. of hides or skins.]

Dickey, Dicky, dik′i, n. a leathern apron for a gig, &c.: the driver's seat in a carriage: a seat for servants at the back of a carriage: a false shirt-front. [Perh. from dick, a prov. Eng. word for a leathern apron; Prob. Dut. dek, a cover.]

Dicky, dickey, dik′i, n. (East Anglian) an ass.—n. Dick′y-bird, a small bird. [From Dick, familiar of Richard—like Jack, in jackass.]

Diclinic, dī-klin′ik, adj. (crystal.) having two of the intersections of the axes oblique.—Also Dī′clinate, Dī′clinous.

Diclinous, dī′kli-nus, adj. having the stamens and pistils in separate flowers.—n. Dī′clinism. [Gr. di-, asunder, and klinē, a bed.]

Dicoccous, dī-kok′us, adj. (bot.) formed of two cocci.

Dicœlous, dī-sē′lus, adj. cupped or hollowed at both ends.

Dicotyledon, dī-kot-i-lē′don, n. a plant having two seed-lobes.—adj. Dicotylē′donous. [Gr. di-, two, and cotyledon.]

Dicrotic, dī-krot′ik, adj. double-beating—also Dī′crotous.—n. Dī′crotism. [Gr., di-, two, krotos, beat.]

Dictate, dik′tāt, v.t. to tell another what to say or write: to communicate with authority: to point out: to command—(arch. Dict).—n. an order, rule, or direction: impulse.—ns. Dictā′tion, act, art, or practice of dictating: overbearing command; Dictā′tor, one invested for a time with absolute authority—originally an extraordinary Roman magistrate:—fem. Dictā′tress, Dictātrix.—adj. Dictatō′rial, like a dictator: absolute: authoritative.—adv. Dictatō′rially.—ns. Dictā′torship, Dic′tature.—adj. Dic′tatory. [L. dictāre, -ātum—dicĕre, to say.]

Diction, dik′shun, n. a saying or speaking: manner of speaking or expressing: choice of words: style. [L., from dicĕre, dictum, to say.]

Dictionary, dik′shun-a-ri, n. a book containing the words of a language alphabetically arranged, with their meanings, etymology, &c.: a lexicon: a work containing information on any department of knowledge, alphabetically arranged. [Low L. dictionarium. See Diction.]

Dictum, dik′tum, n. something said: a saying: an authoritative saying:—pl. Dic′ta. [L.]

Dictyogen, dik′ti-o-jen, n. a plant with net-veined leaves. [Gr. diktyon, a net; -genēs, producing.]

Dicynodont, di-sin′o-dont, n. an extinct reptile, allied to tortoises on one hand and mammals on the other. [Formed from Gr. di-, two, cyōn, dog, and odous, odontos, tooth.]

Did, did, Didst, didst, pa.t. of Do.

Didache, did′a-kē, n. the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (see under Apostle). [Gr., 'teaching.']

Didactic, -al, di-dak′tik, -al, adj. fitted or intended to teach: instructive: perceptive.—adv. Didac′tically.—n. Didac′ticism.—n.pl. Didactics, the art or science of teaching. [Gr. didaktikos—didaskein, to teach; akin to L. doc-ēre, disc-ĕre.]

Didactyl, dī-dak′til, adj. having only two digits—also Didac′tylous.—n. Didac′tyl, an animal with two toes only on each foot.

Didapper, did′ap-ėr, n. a water-bird that is constantly dipping or diving under water—also called the Dabchick. [A compound of dive and dapper (which is a variant of dipper). See Dip and Dive.]

Didascalic, did-as-kal′ik, adj. didactic.

Didder, did′ėr, v.i. (prov.) to shake.

Diddle, did′l, v.t. to cajole, swindle.—n. Didd′ler.

Didecahedral, dī-dek-a-hē′dral, adj. (crystal.), having five planes on each extremity.

Didelphia, dī-del′fi-a, n.pl. the marsupialia, or marsupial implacental mammals, one of the three sub-classes of Mammalia.—adjs. Didel′phian, Didel′phic. [Gr. di-, double, delphys, womb.]

Dido, dī′dō, n. (slang) an antic caper.—Cut up didoes, to behave in an extravagant way.

Didodecahedral, dī-do-dek-a-hē′dral, adj. of a six-sided-prism, truncated on the lateral edges, and acuminated on the extremities with six planes.

Didrachma, dī-drak′ma, n. a double drachma.

Diduction, dī-duk′shun, n. separation by withdrawing one part from the other.

Didunculus, di-dung′kū-lus, n. a remarkable genus of pigeons—the tooth-billed pigeon of Samoa.

Didymium, dī-dim′i-um, n. a supposed element discovered in 1841, so named from being, as it were, twin brother of lanthamum.

Didymous, did′i-mus, adj. twin.

Didynamia, did-i-nā′mi-a, n. a class of plants in the Linnæan system having in the flower four stamens in pairs of unequal length.—adjs. Didynā′mian, Didyn′amous. [Gr. di-, double, dynamis, strength.]

Die, dī, v.i. to lose life: to perish: to wither: to languish: to become insensible:—pr.p. dy′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. died (dīd).—adj. Die′-away′, languishing.—Die away, to disappear by degrees, become gradually inaudible; Die game, to keep up one's spirit to the last; Die hard, to struggle hard against death, to be long in dying; Die off, to die quickly or in large numbers; Die out, to become extinct, to disappear. [From a Scand. root seen in Ice. deyja, Dan. d[ö]e, Scot. dee; akin to Mid. High Ger. touwen, whence Ger. tod, todt. The A.S. word is steorfan, whence our starve.]

Die, dī, n. a small cube used in gaming by being thrown from a box: any small cubical body: hazard:—pl. Dice (dīs).—n. Dice′-box.—adj. Diced, ornamented with square or diamond-shaped figures.—ns. Dice′-play; Dice′-play′er, Dī′cer; Dī′cing-house.—The die is cast, the question is decided. [O. Fr. det, pl. dez (Prov. dat, It. dado), from Low L. dadus—L. dātus, given or cast (talus, a piece of bone used in play, being understood). Doublets, dado, date.]

Die, dī, n. a stamp for impressing coin, &c.: the cubical part of a pedestal:—pl. Dies (dīz).—ns. Die′-sink′er; Die′-sink′ing, the engraving of dies; Die′-stock, a contrivance for holding the dies used in screw-cutting; Die′-work, ornamentation of a metal surface by impressions with a die. [See above.]

Dieb, dēb, n. a jackal of northern Africa.

Diegesis, dī-e-jē′sis, n. (rhet.) in an oration, the narration of the facts. [Gr.]

Dielectric, dī-e-lek′trik, adj. non-conducting: transmitting electric effects without conducting.—n. a substance through which electric force acts. [Gr. dia, through, and electric.]

Dielytra, dī-el′i-tra, n. an erroneous name for dicentra.

Diesis, dī′e-sis, n. (mus.) the difference in tone between a major and a minor semitone: (print.) the double dagger (‡).

Dies Iræ, dī′ēz ī′rē, n. the name given (from the opening words) to a famous hymn on the last judgment (c. 1250 A.D.). [L., 'day of wrath.']

Dies non, dī′ēz non, a day on which law courts may not be held. [From L. dies non juridicus, same as dies nefastus, an unlawful day.]

Diet, dī′et, n. mode of living, with especial reference to food: food prescribed by a physician: allowance of provisions.—v.t. to furnish with food.—v.i. to eat: to take food according to rule.—n. Dietā′rian, one who observes prescribed rules for diet.—adj. Dī′etary, pertaining to diet or the rules of diet.—n. course of diet: allowance of food, esp. in large institutions.—ns. Dī′et-drink, medicated liquor; Dī′eter (Shak.), one who diets or prepares food by rule.—adjs. Dietet′ic, -al, pertaining to diet.—adv. Dietet′ically.—ns. Dietet′ics, rules for regulating diet; Dietet′ist, one who lays stress on diet; Dī′etist, an authority on diet. [Fr. diète—Low L. diæta—Gr. diaita, mode of living, diet.]

Diet, dī′et, n. an assembly of princes and delegates, the chief national council in several countries in Europe: (Scots law) the proceedings under a criminal libel: a clerical or ecclesiastical function in Scotland, a diet of worship.—n. Dī′etine, a minor or local diet.—Desert the diet, to abandon criminal proceedings under a particular libel—in Scotch usage. [O. Fr. diete—Low L. diæta—Gr. diaita; or acc. to Littré, from L. dies, a (set) day, with which usage cf. Ger. tag, a day, reichstag.]

Diffarreation, di-far-ē-ā′shun, n. the parting of a cake of spelt—a ceremony at a Roman divorce. [L.]

Differ, dif′ėr, v.i. to be unlike, distinct, or various (used by itself, or followed by with, from, to): to disagree (with from, with): to fall out, dispute (with):—pr.p. diff′ering; pa.p. diff′ered.—ns. Diff′erence, Diff′erency (Shak.), dissimilarity: the quality distinguishing one thing from another: a contention or quarrel: the point in dispute: the excess of one quantity or number over another: (her.) the modification of an achievement of arms to indicate the wearer's relation to the head of the house, as by marks of cadency.—v.t. to make a difference between things.—adj. Diff′erent, distinct: separate: unlike: not the same (with from, not to).—n. Differen′tia (logic), the characteristic quality or attribute of a species.—adj. Differen′tial, creating a difference: special: (math.) pertaining to a quantity or difference infinitely small (see Calculus).—adv. Differen′tially.—v.t. Differen′tiāte, to make different: to create a difference between: to classify as different.—v.i. to become different by specialisation: (math.) to obtain the differential or differential coefficient of.—n. Differentiā′tion, the act of distinguishing or describing a thing by giving its differentia: exact definition: a change by which organs or structures become specialised or modified: (math.) the act or process of differentiating.—adv. Diff′erently.—Differential gear, gear for communicating differential motion; Differential motion, an apparatus by which the difference of two velocities is communicated, as in the Differential screw, a combination of male and female screws; Differential thermometer, a thermometer for marking minute differences of temperature. [L. differre—dif (= dis), apart, ferre, to bear.]

Difficult, dif′i-kult, adj. not easy: hard to be done: requiring labour and pains: hard to please: not easily persuaded.—adv. Diff′icultly.—n. Diff′iculty, laboriousness: obstacle: objection: that which cannot be easily understood or believed: embarrassment of affairs: a quarrel. [The adj. was formed from difficulty, in place of the old form difficile. Fr. difficulté—L. difficultas = difficilitas—difficilis—dif (= dis), neg., and facilis, easy.]

Diffident, dif′i-dent, adj. wanting faith in: distrustful of one's self: modest: bashful.—n. Diff′idence, want of confidence: want of self-reliance: modesty: bashfulness.—adv. Diff′idently. [L., pr.p. of diffidĕre, to distrust—dif (= dis), neg., fīdĕre, to trust—fĭdes, faith.]

Diffluent, dif′loo-ent, adj. tending to flow away readily.

Difform, dif′orm, adj. not uniform, irregular in form.—n. Diffor′mity.

Diffract, dif-frakt′, v.t. to break or separate into parts, as rays of light.—n. Diffrac′tion, a name for certain phenomena connected with light passing through a narrow opening or by the edge of an opaque body: the spreading of the rays, with interference phenomena, coloured and other.—adj. Diffrac′tive.—n. Diffrangibil′ity.—adj. Diffran′gible. [L. diffringĕre, diffractum—dis, asunder, frangĕre, to break.]

Diffuse, dif-ūz′, v.t. to pour out all round: to send out in all directions: to scatter: to circulate: to publish.—v.i. to spread, as a liquid does.—pa.p. and adj. Diffused′, spread widely: loose.—adv. Diffus′edly.—ns. Diffus′edness; Diffus′er; Diffusibil′ity.—adj. Diffus′ible, that may be diffused.—ns. Diffū′sion, a spreading or scattering abroad: extension: distribution: in the case of gases or liquids in contact, mixture through each other; Diffū′sion-tube, an instrument for determining the rate of diffusion for different gases.—adj. Diffus′ive, extending: spreading widely.—adv. Diffus′ively.—n. Diffus′iveness. [L. diffundĕre, diffūsum—dif (= dis), asunder, fundĕre, to pour out.]

Diffuse, dif-ūs′, adj. diffused: widely spread: wordy: not concise.—adv. Diffuse′ly.—n. Diffuse′ness.

Dig, dig, v.t. to excavate: to turn up the earth: to cultivate with a spade: to poke or thrust, as one's elbow into another's side, or spurs into a horse.—v.i. to till the ground; to occupy one's self in digging; (U.S. slang) to study hard:—pr.p. dig′ging; pa.t. and pa.p. dug, (B.) digged.—n. a thrust, a poke: (U.S. slang) a hard student.—adj. Dig′gable, that may be dug.—n. Dig′ger, a person or animal that digs: a machine for digging, as a steam-digger.—n.pl. Dig′gings, places where mining is carried on, esp. for gold: (slang, orig. American) lodgings, rooms.—Dig in, to cover over by digging: to work hard; Dig out (U.S. slang), to decamp.—Digger Indians, degraded Indian tribes of California and Nevada, who live by digging roots. [Prob. O. Fr. diguer, to dig; of Teut. origin.]

Digamma, dī-gam′ma, n. an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet, having the force of our W. [So called from its form , like one capital Γ (gamma) placed over another.]

Digamy, dig′a-mi, n. a second marriage.—n. Dig′amist.—adj. Dig′amous (bot.), androgynous. [Gr. dis, twice, and gamos, marriage.]

Digastric, dī-gas′trik, adj. double-bellied, or fleshy at each end, as is one of the muscles of the lower jaw. [Gr. di-, double, gastēr, the belly.]

Digenesis, dī-jen′e-sis, n. reproduction by two methods, a sexual followed by an assexual.—adj. Digenet′ic.

Digest, di-jest′, v.t. to dissolve food in the stomach: to soften by heat and moisture: to distribute and arrange: to prepare or classify in the mind: to think over.—v.i. to be dissolved in the stomach: to be softened by heat and moisture.—adv. Digest′edly.—n. Digest′er, one who digests: a close vessel in which by heat and pressure strong extracts are made from animal and vegetable substances.—n. Digestibil′ity.—adj. Digest′ible, that may be digested.—n. Diges′tion, the dissolving of the food in the stomach: orderly arrangement: exposing to slow heat, &c.—adj. Digest′ive, pertaining to digestion: promoting digestion.—adv. Digest′ively. [L. digerĕre, digestum, to carry asunder or dissolve—di (= dis), asunder, and gerĕre, to bear.]

Digest, dī′jest, n. a body of laws collected and arranged, esp. the Justinian code of civil laws. [L. digesta, neut. pl. of digestus, pa.p. of digerĕre, to carry apart, to arrange.]

Dight, dīt, adj. disposed, adorned.—adv. finely.—Also Dight′ly. [A.S. dihtan, to arrange, prescribe, from L. dictāre, to dictate, whence Ger. dichten, to write poetry, and the Scotch verb dight, to dress, used of stones, flour, &c.]

Digit, dij′it, n. a finger's breadth or ¾ inch: from the habit of counting on the fingers, any one of the nine numbers: the twelfth part of the diameter of the sun or moon.—adj. Dig′ital, pertaining to the fingers.—n. finger: a key of a piano, &c.—ns. Digitā′lia, Dig′italine, Dig′italin, the active principles of digitalis; Digitā′lis, a genus of plants, including the foxglove; Digitā′ria, a genus of grasses with digitate spikes.—adjs. Digitate, -d, consisting of several finger-like sections.—adv. Dig′itately.—n. Digitā′tion, finger-like arrangement: a finger-like process.—adj. Digit′iform, formed like fingers; Dig′itigrade, walking on the toes.—n. an animal that walks on its toes, as the lion—opp. to Plantigrade.—ns. Dig′itigradism; Digitō′rium, a small portable instrument used for making the fingers flexible for piano-playing. [L. digitus, a finger or toe, akin to Gr. daktylos.]

Diglyph, dī′glif, n. (archit.) an ornament consisting of a double groove.

Dignify, dig′ni-fī, v.t. to invest with honour: to exalt:—pr.p. dig′nifying; pa.p. dig′nified.—n. Dignificā′tion.—adj. Dig′nified, marked with dignity: exalted: noble: grave. [Low L. dignificāre—dignus, worthy, facĕre, to make.]

Dignity, dig′ni-ti, n. the state of being dignified: elevation of mind or character: grandeur of mien: elevation in rank, place, &c.: degree of excellence: preferment: high office: a dignitary.—n. Dig′nitary, one in a dignified position or rank, esp. in the church. [Fr. dignité—L. dignitas—dignus, worthy.]

Digraph, dī′graf, n. two letters expressing but one sound, as ph in digraph. [Gr. di-, twice, graphē, a mark, a character—graphein, to write.]

Digress, di-gres′, v.i. to step aside or go from the main subject: to introduce irrelevant matter.—n. Digres′sion, a going from the main point: a part of a discourse not upon the main subject.—adjs. Digres′sional, Digress′ive, of the nature of a digression: departing from the main subject.—adv. Digress′ively. [L. digredi, digressus—di, aside, gradi, to step. See Grade.]

Digynia, dī-jin′i-a, n. an order of plants having in the flower two styles or a deeply cleft style.—adjs. Digyn′ian, Dig′ynous. [Gr. dis, twice, and gynē, a woman.]

Dihedral, dī-hē′dral, adj. having two sides, or two plane faces—also Diē′dral.—n. Dihē′dron. [Gr. di-, two, hedra, a seat.]

Dihexagonal, dī-heks-ag′ō-nal, adj. twelve-sided.

Dihexahedral, dī-heks-a-hē′dral, adj. pertaining to a six-sided prism having three planes on the extremities.—n. Dihexahē′dron.

Dijudicate, dī-jōō′di-kāt, v.t. and v.i. to judge between two: to decide.—n. Dijudicā′tion. [L. di, asunder, and judicāre, judge.]

Dike, dīk, n. a trench, or the earth dug out and thrown up: a ditch: a mound raised to prevent inundation: in Scotland, a wall (Dry-stane dike, a wall without mortar; Fail-dike, a wall of turf), sometimes even a thorn-hedge: (geol.) a wall-like mass of igneous rock in the fissures of stratified rocks.—v.t. to surround with a dike or bank. [A.S. díc; Dut. dijk, Ger. teich, a pond; perh. conn. with Gr. teichos, a wall or rampart. See Dig, Ditch.]

Dilacerate, di-las′ėr-āt, v.t. to rend or tear asunder.—n. Dilacerā′tion. [L. di, asunder, and lacerate.]

Dilapidate, di-lap′i-dāt, v.t. to pull stone from stone: to lay waste: to suffer to go to ruin.—adj. Dilap′idated, in ruins.—ns. Dilapidā′tion, the state of ruin: impairing of church property during an incumbency: (pl.) money paid at the end of an incumbency by the incumbent or his heirs for the purpose of putting the parsonage, &c. in good repair for the succeeding incumbent; Dilap′idator. [L. dilapidāre—di, asunder, lapis, lapidis, a stone.]

Dilate, di-lāt′, v.t. to spread out in all directions: to enlarge: the opposite of contract.—v.i. to widen: to swell out: to speak at length.—ns. Dilātabil′ity, Dilāt′ancy, Dilatā′tion, Dilā′tion, expansion.—adjs. Dilāt′able, that may be dilated or expanded; Dilā′tant.—ns. Dī′latātor, Dilāt′or, Dilāt′er.—adj. Dilāt′ive. [L. dilatus (used as pa.p. of differre), from di (= dis), apart, and latus, borne.]

Dilatory, dil′a-tor-i, adj. slow: given to procrastination: loitering: tending to delay.—adv. Dil′atorily.—n. Dil′atoriness. [L. dilatorius, extending or putting off (time). See Dilate.]

Dilemma, di-lem′a, n. a form of argument in which the maintainer of a certain proposition is committed to accept one of two alternative propositions each of which contradicts his original contention: a position where each of two alternative courses (or of all the feasible courses) is eminently undesirable: a trying practical difficulty. The argument was called a 'horned syllogism,' and the victim compared to a man certain to be impaled on one or other of the horns of an infuriated bull, hence the Horns of a dilemma: the usual phrase Landed in a dilemma is, or suggests, a mixed metaphor.—adj. Dilemmat′ic. [L.,—Gr. dilēmma—di-, twice, double, lēmma, an assumption—lambanein, to take.]

Dilettante, dil-et-an′te, n. one who loves the fine arts, but in a superficial way and without serious purpose (the amateur usually practises them): a dabbler in art, science, or literature:—pl. Dilettan′ti (′tē).—adj. Dilettan′tish.—ns. Dilettan′tism, Dilettan′teism. [It., pr.p. of dilettare, to take delight in—L. delectāre, to delight.]

Diligent, dil′i-jent, adj. steady and earnest in application: industrious.—n. Dil′igence, steady application: industry: (Scots law) a warrant to produce witnesses, books, &c., or a process by which persons or goods are attached: a French or continental stage-coach (also pronounced dē-lē-zhongs)—also Dill′y.—adv. Dil′igently. [Fr.,—diligens, -entis, pr.p. of L. diligĕre, to choose.]

Dill, dil, n. an umbelliferous annual, the seeds used in medicine.—n. Dill′-wa′ter, a stomachic and carminative. [A.S. dile; Ger. and Sw. dill.]

Dilling, dil′ing, n. a darling: the youngest child, the weakling of a litter.

Dilly-bag, dil′i-bag, n. an Australian native-made rush or bark-bag.—Also Dill′i, Dill′y.

Dilly-dally, dil′i-dal′i, v.i. to loiter, trifle. [A kind of reduplication of dally. Cf. Shilly-shally.]

Dilogy, dil′ō-ji, n. repetition: intentional ambiguity.—adj. Dilog′ical.

Dilucidate, di-lū′si-dāt, v.t. (obs.) to elucidate.—adj. Dilū′cid.—n. Dilucidā′tion.

Dilute, dil-ūt′, v.t. to make thinner or more liquid: to diminish the strength, flavour, &c. of, by mixing, esp. with water.—v.i. to become mixed.—adj. diminished in strength by mixing with water.—adj. Dil′uent, diluting.—n. that which dilutes.—ns. Dilute′ness; Dilū′tion. [L. diluĕre, dilūtum—di, away from, luĕre, to wash.]

Diluvium, dil-ū′vi-um, n. an inundation or flood: (geol.) a deposit of sand, gravel, &c. made by extraordinary currents of water—also Dilū′vion.—adjs. Dilū′vial, Dilū′vian, pertaining to a flood, esp. that in the time of Noah: caused by a deluge: composed of diluvium.—n. Dilū′vialist, one who explains geological phenomena by the Flood. [L. diluvium—diluĕre.]

Dim, dim, adj. not bright or distinct: obscure: mysterious: not seeing clearly.—v.t. to make dark: to obscure.—v.i. to become dim:—pr.p. dim′ming; pa.p. dimmed.—adv. Dim′ly.—adj. Dim′mish, somewhat dim.—n. Dim′ness. [A.S. dim; akin to Ice. dimmr, dark, and Ger. dämmerung, twilight.]

Dime, dīm, n. the tenth part of an American dollar, 10 cents, nearly equal to 5d.—Dime museum, a cheap show; Dime novel, a cheap novel, usually sensational. [Fr., orig. disme, from L. decima (pars, a part, being understood), a tenth part.]

Dimension, di-men′shun, n. usually in pl., measure in length, breadth, and thickness (the three dimensions of space): extent: size.—adjs. Dimen′sional, concerning dimension (one-dimensional, two-dimensional, three-dimensional space = space of one, two, three dimensions); Dimen′sioned, having dimension; Dimen′sionless.—Dimension work, masonry in stones of specified size.—Fourth dimension, an additional dimension attributed to space by a hypothetical speculation. [Fr.,—L. dimensio—dimetīri, dimensus—di(= dis), apart, metīri, to measure.]

Dimerous, dim′e-rus, adj. consisting of two parts: (bot.) with two members in each whorl: (entom.) having two-jointed tarsi.—n. Dim′erism. [Gr., di-, double, meros, a part.]

Dimeter, dim′e-tėr, adj. containing two metres or measures.—n. a verse of two measures. [L.,—Gr. dimetros—di-, twice, metron, a measure.]

Dimethylaniline, di-meth-il-an′i-lin, n. an oily liquid: aniline heated with methyl alcohol and hydrochloric acid—from which dyes are obtained. [L. di-, twice, methyl, and aniline.]

Dimetric, dī-met′rik, adj. (crystal.) tetragonal.

Dimidiate, di-mid′i-āt, adj. divided into halves: having a shape that appears as if halved.—v.t. (her.) to represent the half of.—n. Dimidiā′tion. [L. dimidiāre, -ātum, to halve—dimidius; half—dis, twice, medius, the middle.]

Diminish, di-min′ish, v.t. to make less: to take a part from: to degrade.—v.i. to grow or appear less: to subside.—adj. Dimin′ishable.—p.adj. Dimin′ished, made smaller, humbled: (mus.) lessened by a half-step, as an interval.—adv. Dimin′ishingly. [Coined by adding di to the word minish, an imitation of L. diminuĕre—di = dis, apart, minuĕre, to make less.]

Diminuendo, di-min-ū-en′dō, adv. (mus.) a direction to let the sound die away, marked thus . [It.,—L. diminuendus, fut. part. pass. of diminuĕre, diminūtum, to lessen.]

Diminution, dim-in-ū′shun, n. a lessening: degradation.—adj. Dimin′utive, of a diminished size: small: contracted.—n. (gram.) a word formed from another to express a little one of the kind.—adv. Dimin′utively.—n. Dimin′utiveness.

Dimissory, dim′is-or-i, adj. sending away or giving leave to depart to another jurisdiction. [L. dimissorius—dimittĕre, dimissum.]

Dimity, dim′i-ti, n. a kind of stout white cotton cloth, striped or figured in the loom by weaving with two threads. [Through the L., from Gr. dimitos—di-, twice, mitos, a thread.]

Dimorphism, dī-mor′fizm, n. (bot.) a state in which two forms of flower, leaf, &c. are produced by the same species of plant: the property of crystallising in two forms.—adjs. Dimor′phic, Dimor′phous. [Gr. di-, twice, morphē, form.]

Dimple, dim′pl, n. a small hollow: a small natural depression on the face.—v.i. to form dimples.—v.t. to mark with dimples.—p.adj. Dim′pled.—n. Dim′plement.—adj. Dim′ply. [Dim. of dip, with inserted m. Another dim. is dapple.]

Dimyarian, dim-i-ā′ri-an, adj. double-muscled (of bivalve shells like the clam)—also Dim′yary.—n.pl. Dimyā′ria. [Gr. di-, two, mys, a muscle.]

Din, din, n. a loud continued noise.—v.t. to assail (the ears) with noise: to annoy with clamour: to obtrude noisily (as to din one's complaints into their ears):—pr.p. din′ning; pa.p. dinned.—adj. Din′ful. [A.S. dyn, dyne; cf. Ice. dynr, Dan. dön, noise.]

Dinanderie, dē-nong′de-rē, n. domestic utensils of copper, esp. such as are quaint and artistic—applied also to Indian and Levantine brass-ware. [Fr., from Dinant in Belgium.]

Dinar, dē-när′, n. an ancient Arab gold coin of 65 grains weight. [L. denarius.]

Dinarchy. See Diarchy.

Dindle. See Dinnle.

Dine, dīn, v.i. to take dinner.—v.t. to give a dinner to.—n. (obs.) dinner-time.—ns. Din′er-out, one who goes much to dinner-parties; Dinette′, a preliminary dinner, luncheon; Din′ing-hall; Din′ing-room; Din′ing-tā′ble.—Dine out, to dine elsewhere than at home; Dine with Duke Humphrey, to go without a meal, like those who, unable to procure a dinner, loitered about Duke Humphrey's Walk in Old St Paul's. [O. Fr. disner (Fr. dîner)—Low L. disjunāre, for disjejunāre, to break one's fast—L. dis-, and jejunus, fasting (cf. Déjeuner). Others explain disnare as from decenāre—L. de, inten., and cenāre, to dine.]

Ding, ding, v.t. to throw, dash, or hurl: to beat: (arch.) to urge or enforce: (Scot.) to defeat, non-plus—also, as v.i., to be defeated: to descend, fall, as of continued heavy rain or snow falling.—Ding doun (Scot.), to knock or throw down. [M. E. dingen; cf. Ice. dengja, Sw. dänga, to bang.]

Ding, ding, v.i. to ring, keep sounding.—v.t. to reiterate to a wearisome degree.—n. Ding′-dong, the sound of bells ringing: monotony: sameness. [Imit. Cf. Ring.]

Dingle, ding′gl, n. a little hollow or narrow valley. [Prob. conn. with dimple and dip.]