1. A low place between hills; a vle or valley. Where mountaines rise, umbrageous dales descend. Thomson.
2. A trough or spout to carry off water, as from a pump. Knight.
DALESMANDales"man, n.; pl. Dalesmen (.
Defn: One living in a dale; — a term applied particularly to the inhabitants of the valleys in the north of England, Norway, etc. Macaulay.
DALFDalf,
Defn: imp. of Delve. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DALLESDalles (dalz), n. pl. [F. dalle a tube, gutter, trough.]
Defn: A rapid, esp. one where the channel is narrowed between rock walls. [Northwestern U. S. & Canada]
The place below, where the compressed river wound like a silverthread among the flat black rocks, was the far-famed Dalles of theColumbia.F. H. Balch.
DALLIANCEDal"li*ance, n. Etym: [From Dally.]
1. The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange ofcaresses; wanton play.Look thou be true, do not give dalliance Too mnch the rein. Shak.O, the dalliance and the wit, The flattery and the strifeTennyson.
2. Delay or procrastination. Shak.
3. Entertaining discourse. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DALLIERDal"li*er, n.
Defn: One Who fondles; a trifler; as, dalliers with pleasant words.Asham.
DALLOPDal"lop, n. Etym: [Etymol. unknown.]
Defn: A tuft or clump. [Obs.] Tusser.
DALLY Dal"ly, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dallied; p. pr. & vb. n. Dallying.] Etym: [OE. , dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G. dallen, dalen, dahlen, to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or AS. dol foolish, E. dull.]
1. To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle. We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer. Calamy. We have put off God, and dallied with his grace. Barrow.
2. To interchange caresses, especially with one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport. Not dallying with a brace of courtesans. Shak. Our aerie . . . dallies with the wind. Shak.
DALLYDal"ly, v. t.
Defn: To delay unnecessarily; to while away.Dallying off the time with often skirmishes. Knolles.
DALMANIADal*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [From Dalman, the geologist.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of trilobites, of many species, common in the UpperSilurian and Devonian rocks.
DALMANITESDal`ma*ni"tes, n.
Defn: Same as Dalmania.
DALMATIANDal*ma"tian, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Dalmatia. Dalmatian dog (Zoöl.), a carriage dog, shaped like a pointer, and having black or bluish spots on a white ground; the coach dog.
DALMATICA; DALMATIC Dal*mat"i*ca, n., Dal*mat"ic (, n. Etym: [LL. dalmatica: cf. F. dalmatique.]
1. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A vestment with wide sleeves, and with two stripes, worn at Mass by deacons, and by bishops at pontifical Mass; — imitated from a dress originally worn in Dalmatia.
2. A robe worn on state ocasions, as by English kings at their coronation.
DAL SEGNODal` se"gno. Etym: [It., from the sign.] (Mus.)
Defn: A direction to go back to the sign Segno.
DALTONIANDal*to"ni*an, n.
Defn: One afflicted with color blindness.
DALTONISMDal"ton*ism, n.
Defn: Inability to perceive or distinguish certain colors, esp. red; color blindness. It has various forms and degrees. So called from the chemist Dalton, who had this infirmity. Nichol.
DAMDam, n. Etym: [OE. dame mistress, lady; also, mother, dam. See Dame.]
1. A female parent; — used of beasts, especially of quadrupeds; sometimes applied in contempt to a human mother. Our sire and dam, now confined to horses, are a relic of this age (13th century) . . . .Dame is used of a hen; we now make a great difference between dame and dam. T. L. K. Oliphant. The dam runs lowing up end down, Looking the way her harmless young one went. Shak.
2. A kind or crowned piece in the game of draughts.
DAM Dam, n. Etym: [Akin to OLG., D., & Dan. dam, G. & Sw. damm, Icel. dammr, and AS. fordemman to stop up, Goth. Faúrdammjan.]
1. A barrier to prevent the flow of a liquid; esp., a bank of earth, or wall of any kind, as of masonry or wood, built across a water course, to confine and keep back flowing water.
2. (Metal.)
Defn: A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace. Dam plate (Blast Furnace), an iron plate in front of the dam, to strengthen it.
DAMDam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dammed; p. pr. & vb. n. Damming.]
1. To obstruct or restrain the flow of, by a dam; to confine by constructing a dam, as a stream of water; — generally used with in or up. I'll have the current in this place dammed up. Shak. A weight of earth that dams in the water. Mortimer.
2. To shut up; to stop up; to close; to restrain.The strait pass was dammed With dead men hurt behind, and cowards.Shak.To dam out, to keep out by means of a dam.
DAMAGE Dam"age, n. Etym: [OF. damage, domage, F. dommage, fr. assumed LL. damnaticum, from L. damnum damage. See Damn.]
1. Injury or harm to person, property, or reputation; an inflicted loss of value; detriment; hurt; mischief. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet and drinketh damage. Prov. xxvi. 6. Great errors and absurdities many commit for want of a friend to tell them of them, to the great damage both of their fame and fortune. Bacon.
2. pl. (Law)
Defn: The estimated reparation in money for detriment or injury sustained; a compensation, recompense, or satisfaction to one party, for a wrong or injury actually done to him by another.
Note: In common-law action, the jury are the proper judges of damages. Consequential damage. See under Consequential. — Exemplary damages (Law), damages imposed by way of example to others. — Nominal damages (Law), those given for a violation of a right where no actual loss has accrued. — Vindictive damages, those given specially for the punishment of the wrongdoer.
Syn.— Mischief; injury; harm; hurt; detriment; evil; ill. See Mischief.
DAMAGEDam"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Damages; p. pr. & vb. n. Damaging.]Etym: [Cf. OF. damagier, domagier. See Damage, n.]
Defn: To ocassion damage to the soudness, goodness, or value of; to hurt; to injure; to impair. He . . . came up to the English admiral and gave him a broadside, with which he killed many of his men and damaged the ship. Clarendon.
DAMAGEDam"age, v. i.
Defn: To receive damage or harm; to be injured or impaired in soudness or value; as. some colors in damage in sunlight.
DAMAGEABLEDam"age*a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. dammageable, for sense 2.]
1. Capable of being injured or impaired; liable to, or susceptible of, damage; as, a damageable cargo.
2. Hurtful; pernicious. [R.] That it be not demageable unto your royal majesty. Hakluit.
DAMAGE FEASANTDam"age fea`sant. Etym: [OF. damage + F. faisant doing, p. pr. SeeFeasible.] (Law)
Defn: Doing injury; trespassing, as cattle. Blackstone.
DAMANDa"man, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small herbivorous mammal of the genus Hyrax. The speciesfound in Palestine and Syria is Hyrax Syriacus; that of NorthernAfrica is H. Brucei; — called also ashkoko, dassy, and rock rabbit.See Cony, and Hyrax.
DAMARDam"ar, n.
Defn: See Dammar.
DAMARA Da*ma"ra, n. [The name is supposed to be from Hottentot dama vanquished.]
Defn: A native of Damaraland, German Southwest Africa. The Damaras include an important and warlike Bantu tribe, and the Hill Damaras, who are Hottentots and mixed breeds hostile to the Bantus.
DAMASCENE Dam"as*cene, a. Etym: [L. Damascenus of Damascus, fr. Damascus the city, Gr. . See Damask, and cf. Damaskeen, Damaskin, Damson.]
Defn: Of or relating to Damascus.
DAMASCENEDam"as*cene, n.
Defn: A kind of plume, now called damson. See Damson.
DAMASCENEDam"as*cene, v. t.
Defn: Same as Damask, or Damaskeen, v. t. "Damascened armor."Beaconsfield. "Cast and damascened steel." Ure.
DAMASCUSDa*mas"cus, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: A city of Syria. Damascus blade, a sword or scimiter, made chiefly at Damascus, having a variegated appearance of watering, and proverbial for excellence. — Damascus iron, or Damascus twist, metal formed of thin bars or wires of iron and steel elaborately twisted and welded together; used for making gun barrels, etc., of high quality, in which the surface, when polished and acted upon by acid, has a damasc appearance. — Damascus steel. See Damask steel, under Damask, a.
DAMASCUS STEELDa*mas"cus steel.
Defn: See Damask steel, under Damask.
DAMASKDam"ask, n. Etym: [From the city Damascus, L. Damascus, Gr. , Heb.Dammesq, Ar. Daemeshq; cf. Heb. d'meseq damask; cf. It. damasco, Sp.damasco, F. damas. Cf. Damascene, DamassÉ.]
1. Damask silk; silk woven with an elaborate pattern of flowers and the like. "A bed of ancient damask." W. Irving.
2. Linen so woven that a pattern in produced by the different directions of the thread, without contrast of color.
3. A heavy woolen or worsted stuff with a pattern woven in the same way as the linen damask; — made for furniture covering and hangings.
4. Damask or Damascus steel; also, the peculiar markings or "water" of such steel.
5. A deep pink or rose color. Fairfax.
DAMASKDam"ask, a.
1. Pertaining to, or originating at, the city of Damascus; resembling the products or manufactures of Damascus.
2. Having the color of the damask rose. But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud, Feed on her damask cheek. Shak. Damask color, a deep rose-color like that of the damask rose. — Damask plum, a small dark-colored plum, generally called damson. — Damask rose (Bot.), a large, pink, hardy, and very fragrant variety of rose (Rosa damascena) from Damascus. "Damask roses have not been known in England above one hundred years." Bacon. — Damask steel, or Damascus steel, steel of the kind originally made at Damascus, famous for its hardness, and its beautiful texture, ornamented with waving lines; especially, that which is inlaid with damaskeening; — formerly much valued for sword blades, from its great flexibility and tenacity.
DAMASKDam"ask, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Damasked; p. pr. & vb. n. Damasking.]
Defn: To decorate in a way peculiar to Damascus or attributed to Damascus; particularly: (a) with flowers and rich designs, as silk; (b) with inlaid lines of gold, etc., or with a peculiar marking or "water," as metal. See Damaskeen. Mingled metal damasked o'er with gold. Dryde On the soft, downy bank, damasked with flowers. Milton.
DAMASKEEN; DAMASKENDam"as*keen`, Dam"as*ken, v. t. Etym: [F. damaschinare. SeeDamascene, v.]
Defn: To decorate, as iron, steel, etc., with a peculiar marking or "water" produced in the process of manufacture, or with designs produced by inlaying or incrusting with another metal, as silver or gold, or by etching, etc., to damask. Damaskeening is is partly mosaic work, partly engraving, and partly carving. Ure.
DAMASKIN Dam"as*kin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. damasquin, adj., It. damaschino, Sp. damasquino. See Damaskeen.]
Defn: A sword of Damask steel.No old Toledo blades or damaskins. Howell
DAMASSEDa*mas*sé", a. Etym: [F. damassé, fr. damas. See Damask.]
Defn: Woven like damask.— n.
Defn: A damassé fabric, esp. one of linen.
DAMASSINDam"as*sin, n. Etym: [F., fr. damas. See Damask.]
Defn: A kind of modified damask or blocade.
DAMBONITEDambo*nite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. dambonite.] (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline, sugary substance obtained from an African caotchouc.
DAMBOSEDam"bose, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A crystalline vari ety of fruit sugar obtained from dambonite.
DAMEDame, n. Etym: [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady,fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue.See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger, Dangeon, Dungeon, Dominie,Don, n., Duenna.]
1. A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. Then shall these lords do vex me half so much, As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. Shak.
2. The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school; as, a dame's school. In the dame's classes at the village school. Emerson.
3. A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman.
4. A mother; — applied to human beings and quadrupeds. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DAMEWORTDame"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A cruciferrous plant (Hesperis matronalis), remarkable for its fragrance, especially toward the close of the day; — called also rocket and dame's violet. Loudon.
DAMIANADa`mi*a"na, n. Etym: [NL.; of uncertain origin.] (Med.)
Defn: A Mexican drug, used as an aphrodisiac.
Note: There are several varieties derived from different plants, esp. from a species of Turnera and from Bigelovia veneta. Wood & Bache.
DAMIANISTDa"mi*an*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: A follower of Damian, patriarch of Alexandria in the 6th century, who held heretical opinions on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
DAMMAR; DAMMARADam"mar, Dam"ma*ra, n. Etym: [Jav. & Malay. damar.]
Defn: An oleoresin used in making varnishes; dammar gum; dammara resin. It is obtained from certain resin trees indigenous to the East Indies, esp. Shorea robusta and the dammar pine. Dammar pine, (Bot.), a tree of the Moluccas (Agathis, or Dammara, orientalis), yielding dammar.
DAMMARADam"ma*ra, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A large tree of the order Coniferæ, indigenous to the East Indies and Australasia; — called also Agathis. There are several species.
DAMNDamn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Damned; p. pr. & vb. n. Damning.] Etym:[OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare,damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf.Condemn, Damage.]
1. To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him. Shak.
2. (Theol.)
Defn: To doom to punishment in the future world; to consign to perdition; to curse.
3. To condemn as bad or displeasing, by open expression, as by denuciation, hissing, hooting, etc. You are not so arrant a critic as to damn them [the works of modern poets] . . . without hearing. Pope. Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering teach the rest to sneer. Pope.
Note: Damn is sometimes used interjectionally, imperatively, and intensively.
DAMNDamn, v. i.
Defn: To invoke damnation; to curse. "While I inwardly damn."Goldsmith.
DAMNABILITYDam`na*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality of being damnable; damnableness. Sir T. More.
DAMNABLEDam"na*ble, a. Etym: [L. damnabilis, fr. damnare: cf. F. damnable.See Damn.]
1. Liable to damnation; deserving, or for which one deserves, to be damned; of a damning nature. A creature unprepared unmeet for dealth, And to transport him in the mind hi is, Were damnable. Shak.
2. Odious; pernicious; detestable. Begin, murderer; . . . leave thy damnable faces. Shak.
DAMNABLENESSDam"na*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of deserving damnation; execrableness.The damnableness of this most execrable impiety. Prynne.
DAMNABLYDam"na*bly, adv.
1. In a manner to incur sever
2. Odiously; detestably; excessively. [Low]
DAMNATIONDam*na"tion, n. Etym: [F. damnation, L. damnatio, fr. damnare. SeeDamn.]
1. The state of being damned; condemnation; openly expressed disapprobation.
2. (Theol.)
Defn: Condemnation to everlasting punishment in the future state, orthe punishment itself.How can ye escape the damnation of hell Matt. xxiii. 33.Wickedness is sin, and sin is damnation. Shak.
3. A sin daserving of everlasting punishment. [R.] The deep damnation of his taking-off. Shak.
DAMNATORYDam"na*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. damnatorius, fr. damnator a condemner.]
Defn: Doo "Damnatory invectives." Hallam.
DAMNEDDamned, a.
1. Sentenced to punishment in a future state; condemned; consigned to perdition.
2. Hateful; detestable; abominable. But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who doats, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves. Shak.
DAMNIFIC Dam*nif"ic, a. Etym: [L. damnificus; damnum damage, loss + facere to make. See Damn.]
Defn: Procuring or causing loss; mischievous; injurious.
DAMNIFICATIONDam`ni*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [LL. damnificatio.]
Defn: That which causes damage or loss.
DAMNIFY Dam"ni*fy, v. t. Etym: [LL. damnificare, fr. L. damnificus: cf. OF. damnefier. See Damnific.]
Defn: To cause loss or damage to; to injure; to imparir. [R.]This work will ask as many more officials to make expurgations andexpunctions, that the commonwealth of learning be not damnified.Milton.
DAMNINGDamn"ing, a.
Defn: That damns; damnable; as, damning evidence of guilt.
DAMNINGNESSDamn"ing*ness, n.
Defn: Tendency to bring damnation. "The damningness of them [sins]."Hammond.
DAMNUM dam"num, n. Etym: [L.] (law)
Defn: Harm; detriment, either to character or property.
DAMOSEL; DAMOSELLA; DAMOISELLEDam"o*sel, Dam`o*sel"la, Da`moi`selle", n.
Defn: See Damsel. [Archaic]
DAMOURITEDam"our*ite, n. Etym: [Ater the French chemist Damour.] (Min.)
Defn: A kind of Muscovite, or potash mica, containing water.
DAMP Damp, n. Etym: [Akin to LG., D., & Dan. damp vapor, steam, fog, G. dampf, Icel. dampi, Sw. damb dust, and to MNG. dimpfen to smoke, imp. dampf.]
1. Moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor. Night . . . with black air Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom. Milton.
2. Dejection; depression; cloud of the mind. Even now, while thus I stand blest in thy presence, A secret damp of grief comes o'er my soul. Addison. It must have thrown a damp over your autumn excursion. J. D. Forbes.
3. (Mining)
Defn: A gaseous prodact, formed in coal mines, old wells, pints, etc. Choke damp, a damp consisting principally of carboniCarbonic acid, under Carbonic. — Damp sheet, a curtain in a mine gallery to direct air currents and prevent accumulation of gas. — Fire damp, a damp consisting chiefly of light carbureted hydrogen; — so called from its tendence to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.
DAMPDamp, a. [Compar. Damper; superl. Dampest.]
1. Being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist; humid. O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear. Dryden.
2. Dejected; depressed; sunk. [R.] All these and more came flocking, but with looks Downcast and damp. Milton.
DAMPDamp, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Damped; p. pr. & vb. n. Damping.] Etym:[OE. dampen to choke, suffocate. See Damp, n.]
1. To render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen; as, to damp cloth.
2. To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage. "To damp your tender hopes." Akenside. Usury dulls and damps all industries, improvements, and new inventions, wherein money would be stirring if it were not for this slug. Bacon. How many a day has been damped and darkened by an angry word! Sir J. Lubbock. The failure of his enterprise damped the spirit of the soldiers. Macaulay.
DAMPENDamp"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dampened; p. pr. & vb. n. Dampening.]
1. To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.
2. To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen. In a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm. The Century.
DAMPENDamp"en, v. i.
Defn: To become damp; to deaden. Byron.
DAMPERDamp"er, n.
Defn: That which damps or checks; as: (a) A valve or movable plate in the flue or other part of a stove, furnace, etc., used to check or regulate the draught of air. (b) A contrivance, as in a pianoforte, to deaden vibrations; or, as in other pieces of mechanism, to check some action at a particular time. Nor did Sabrina's presence seem to act as any damper at the modest little festivities. W. Black.
DAMPISHDamp"ish, a.
Defn: Moderately damp or moist.— Damp"ish*ly, adv.— Damp"ish*ness, n.
DAMPNEDamp"ne, v. t.
Defn: To damn. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DAMPNESSDamp"ness, n.
Defn: Moderate humidity; moisture; fogginess; moistness.
DAMP OFFDamp" off`.
Defn: To decay and perish through excessive moisture.
DAMPYDamp"y, a.
1. Somewhat damp. [Obs.] Drayton.
2. Dejected; gloomy; sorrowful. [Obs.] "Dispel dampy throughts." Haywards.
DAMSEL Dam"sel, n. Etym: [OE. damosel, damesel, damisel, damsel, fr. OF. damoisele, damisele, gentlewoman, F. demoiselle young lady; cf. OF. damoisel young nobleman, F. damoiseau; fr. LL. domicella, dominicella, fem., domicellus, dominicellus, masc., dim. fr. L. domina, dominus. See Dame, and cf. Demoiselle, Doncella.]
1. A young person, either male or female, of noble or gentle extraction; as, Damsel Pepin; Damsel Richard, Prince of Wales. [Obs.]
2. A young unmarried woman; a gerl; a maiden.With her train of damsels she was gone, In shady walks the scorchingheat to shum. Dryden.Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, . . . Goes by to towered Cameleot.Tennyson.
3. (Milling)
Defn: An attachment to a millstone spindle for shaking the hoppe
DAMSONDam"son, n. Etym: [OE. damasin the Damascus plum, fr. L. Damascenus.See Damascene.]
Defn: A small oval plum of a blue color, the fruit of a variety of the Prunus domestica; — called also damask plum.
DAN Dan, n. Etym: [OE. dan, danz, OF. danz (prop. only nom.), dan, master, fr. L. dominus. See Dame.]
Defn: A title of honor equivalent to master, or sir. [Obs.]Old Dan Geoffry, in gently spright The pure wellhead of poetry diddwell. Spenser.What time Dan Abraham left the Chaldee land. Thomson.
DANDan, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mining)
Defn: A small truck or sledge used in coal mines.
DANAIDE Da"na*ide, n. Etym: [From the mythical Danaides, who were condemned to fill with water a vessel full of holes.] (Mach.)
Defn: A water wheel having a vertical axis, and an inner and outer tapering shell, between which are vanes or floats attached usually to both shells, but sometimes only to one.
DANAITEDa"na*ite, n. Etym: [Named after J. Freeman Dana.] (Min.)
Defn: A cobaltiferous variety of arsenopyrite.
DANALITEDa"na*lite, n. Etym: [Named after James Dwight Dana.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral occuring in octahedral crystals, also massive, of a reddish color. It is a silicate of iron, zinc manganese, and glicinum, containing sulphur.
DANBURITEDan"bu*rite, n. (Min.)
Defn: A borosilicate of lime, first found at Danbury, Conn. It is near the topaz in form. Dana.
DANCE Dance, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Danced; p. pr. & vb. n. Dancing.] Etym: [F. danser, fr. OHG. dans to draw; akin to dinsan to draw, Goth. apinsan, and prob. from the same root (meaning to stretch) as E. thin. See Thin.]
1. To move with measured steps, or to a musical accompaniment; to go through, either alone or in company with others, with a regulated succession of movements, (commonly) to the sound of music; to trip or leap rhytmically. Jack shall pipe and Gill shall dance. Wiher. Good shepherd, what fair swain is this Which dances with your dauther Shak.
2. To move nimbly or merrily; to express pleasure by motion; tocaper; to frisk; to skip about.Then, 'tis time to dance off. Thackeray.More dances my rapt heart Than when I first my wedded mistress saw.Shak.Shadows in the glassy waters dance. Byron.Where rivulets dance their wayward round. Wordsworth.To dance on a rope, or To dance on nothing, to be hanged.
DANCEDance, v. t.
Defn: To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about, or up anddown; to dandle.To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind. Shak.Thy grandsire loved thee well; Many a time he danced thee on hisknee. Shak.To dance attendance, to come and go obsequiously; to be or remain inwaiting, at the beck and call of another, with a view to please orgain favor.A man of his place, and so near our favor, To dance attendance ontheir lordships' pleasure. Shak.
DANCEDance, n. Etym: [F. danse, of German origin. See Dance, v. i.]
1. The leaping, tripping, or measured stepping of one who dances; an amusement, in which the movements of the persons are regulated by art, in figures and in accord with music.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A tune by which dancing is regulated, as the minuet, the waltz, the cotillon, etc.
Note: The word dance was used ironically, by the older writers, of many proceedings besides dancing. Of remedies of love she knew parchance For of that art she couth the olde dance. Chaucer. Dance of Death (Art), an allegorical representation of the power of death over all, — the old, the young, the high, and the low, being led by a dancing skeleton. — Morris dance. See Morris. — To lead one a dance, to cause one to go through a series of movements or experiences as if guided by a partner in a dance not understood.
DANCERDan"cer, n.
Defn: One who dances or who practices dancing. The merry dancers, beams of the northern lights when they rise and fall alternately without any considerable change of length. See Aurora borealis, under Aurora.
DANCERESSDan"cer*ess, n.
Defn: A female dancer. [Obs.] Wyclif.
DANCETTEDan`cet`té", a. Etym: [Cf. F. danché dancetté, dent tooth.] (Her.)
Defn: Deeply indented; having large teeth; thus, a fess dancetté has only three teeth in the whole width of the escutcheon.
DANCINGDan"cing, p. a. & vb. n.
Defn: from Dance. Dancing girl, one of the women in the East Indies whose profession is to dance in the temples, or for the amusement of spectators. There are various classes of dancing girls. — Dancing master, a teacher of dancing. — Dancing school, a school or place where dancing is taught.
DANCYDan"cy, a. (Her.)
Defn: Same as Dancetté.
DANDELION Dan"de*li`on, n. Etym: [F. dent de lion lion's tooth, fr. L. dens tooth + leo lion. See Tooth, n., and Lion.] (Bot.)
Defn: A well-known plant of the genus Taraxacum (T. officinale, formerly called T. Dens-leonis and Leontodos Taraxacum) bearing large, yellow, compound flowers, and deeply notched leaves.
DANDERDan"der, n. Etym: [Corrupted from dandruff.]
1. Dandruff or scurf on the head.
2. Anger or vexation; rage [Low] Halliwell.
DANDERDan"der, v. i. Etym: [See Dandle.]
Defn: To wander about; to saunter; to talk incoherently. [Prov. Eng.]Halliwell.
DANDIDan"di, n. Etym: [Hind. , fr. an oar.]
Defn: A boatman; an oarsman. [India]
DANDIEDan"die, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a breed of small terriers; — called also DandieDinmont.
DANDIE DINMONT; DANDIEDan"die Din"mont, or Dan"die, n.
1.
Defn: In Scott's "Guy Mannering", a Border farmer of eccentric but fine character, who owns two terriers claimed to be the progenitors of the Dandie Dinmont terriers.
2. One of a breed of terriers with short legs, long body, and rough coat, originating in the country about the English and Scotch border.
DANDIFIEDDan"di*fied, a.
Defn: Made up like a dandy; having the dress or manners of a dandy; buckish.
DANDIFYDan"di*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dandified; p. pr. & vb. n.Dandifying.] Etym: [Dandy + -fy.]
Defn: To cause to resemble a dandy; to make dandyish.
DANDIPRATDan"di*prat, n. Etym: [Dandy + brat child.]
1. A little fellow; — in sport or contempt. "A dandiprat hop-thumb." Stanyhurst.
2. A small coin. Henry VII. stamped a small coin called dandiprats. Camden.
DANDLE Dan"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dandled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dandling.] Etym: [Cf. G. dändeln to trifly, dandle, OD. & Prov. G. danten, G. tand trifly, prattle; Scot. dandill, dander, to go about idly, to trifly.]
1. To move up and down on one's knee or in one's arms, in affectionate play, as an infant. Ye shall be dandled . . . upon her knees. Is.
2. To treat with fondness, as if a child; to fondle; to toy with; to pet. They have put me in a silk gown and gaudy fool's cap; I as ashamed to be dandled thus. Addison. The book, thus dandled into popularity by bishops and good ladies, contained many pieces of nursery eloquence. Jeffrey.
3. To play with; to put off or delay by trifles; to wheedle. [Obs.] Captains do so dandle their doings, and dally in the service, as it they would not have the enemy subdued. Spenser.
DANDLERDan"dler, n.
Defn: One who dandles or fondles.
DANDRIFFDan"driff, n.
Defn: See Dandruff. Swift.
DANDRUFF Dandruff, n. Etym: [Prob. from W. toncrust, peel, skin + AS. dr dirty, draffy, or W. drwg bad: cf. AS. tan a letter, an eruption. sq. root240.]
Defn: A scurf which forms on the head, and comes off in small or particles. [Written also dandriff.]
DANDYDan"dy, n.; pl. Dandies. Etym: [Cf. F. dandin, ninny, silly fellow,dandiner to waddle, to play the fool; prob. allied to E. dandle.Senses 2&3 are of uncertain etymol.]
1. One who affects special finery or gives undue attention to dress; a fop; a coxcomb.
2. (Naut.) (a) A sloop or cutter with a jigger on which a lugsail is set. (b) A small sail carried at or near the stern of small boats; — called also jigger, and mizzen.
3. A dandy roller. See below. Dandy brush, a yard whalebone brush.— Dandy fever. See Dengue.— Dandy line, a kind of fishing line to which are attached severalcrosspieces of whalebone which carry a hook at each end.— Dandy roller, a roller sieve used in machines for making paper,to press out water from the pulp, and set the paper.
DANDY-COCK; DANDY-HENDan"dy-cock` (, n. masc., Dan"dy-hen` (, n. fem. Etym: [See Dandy.]
Defn: A bantam fowl.
DANDYISE; DANDYIZEDan"dy*ise, v. t. & i.
Defn: To make, or to act, like a dandy; to dandify.
DANDYISHDan"dy*ish, a.
Defn: Like a dandy.
DANDYISMDan"dy*ism, n.
Defn: The manners and dress of a dandy; foppishness. Byron.
DANDYLINGDan"dy*ling, n. Etym: [Dandy + .]
Defn: A little or insignificant dandy; a contemptible fop.
DANEDane, n. Etym: [LL. Dani: cf. AS. Dene.]
Defn: A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane.(Zoöl.) See Danish dog, under Danish.
DANEGELD; DANEGELT Dane"geld`, Dane"gelt`, n. Etym: [AS. danegeld. See Dane, and Geld, n.] (Eng. Hist.)
Defn: An annual tax formerly laid on the English nation to buy off the ravages of Danish invaders, or to maintain forces to oppose them. It afterward became a permanent tax, raised by an assessment, at first of one shilling, afterward of two shillings, upon every hide of land throughout the realm. Wharton's Law Dict. Tomlins.
DANEWORTDane"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A fetid European species of elder (Sambucus Ebulus); dwarf elder; wallwort; elderwort; — called also Daneweed, Dane's weed, and Dane's-blood.
Note: [Said to grow on spots where battles were fought against theDanes.]
DANGDang,
Defn: imp. of Ding. [Obs.]
DANGDang, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Ding.]
Defn: To dash. [Obs.] Till she, o'ercome with anguish, shame, and rage, Danged down to hell her loathsome carriage. Marlowe.
DANGER Dan"ger, n. Etym: [OE. danger, daunger, power, arrogance, refusal, difficulty, fr. OF. dagier, dongier (with same meaning), F. danger danger, fr. an assumed LL. dominiarium power, authority, from L. dominium power, property. See Dungeon, Domain, Dame.]
1. Authority; jurisdiction; control. [Obs.] In dangerhad he . . . the young girls. Chaucer.
2. Power to harm; subjection or liability to penalty. [Obs.] See Inone's danger, below.You stand within his danger, do you not Shak.Covetousness of gains hath brought [them] in dangerof this statute.Robynson (More's Utopia).
3. Exposure to injury, loss, pain, or other evil; peril; risk; insecurity.
4. Difficulty; sparingness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
5. Coyness; disdainful behavior. [Obs.] Chaucer. In one's danger, in one's power; liable to a penalty to be inflicted by him. [Obs.] This sense is retained in the proverb, "Out of debt out of danger." Those rich man in whose debt and danger they be not. Robynson (More's Utopia). — To do danger, to cause danger. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. — Peril; hazard; risk; jeopardy. — Danger, Peril, Hazard, Risk, Jeopardy. Danger is the generic term, and implies some contingent evil in prospect. Peril is instant or impending danger; as, in peril of one's life. Hazard arises from something fortuitous or beyond our control; as, the hazard of the seas. Risk is doubtful or uncertain danger, often incurred voluntarily; as, to risk an engagement. Jeopardy is extreme danger. Danger of a contagious disease; the perils of shipwreck; the hazards of speculation; the risk of daring enterprises; a life brought into jeopardy.
DANGERDan"ger, v. t.
Defn: To endanger. [Obs.] Shak.
DANGERFULDan"ger*ful, a.
Defn: Full of danger; dangerous. [Obs.] — Dan"ger*ful*ly, adv.[Obs.] Udall.
DANGERLESSDan"ger*less, a.
Defn: Free from danger. [R.]
DANGEROUS Dan"ger*ous, a. Etym: [OE., haughty, difficult, dangerous, fr. OF. dangereus, F. dangereux. See Danger.]
1. Attended or beset with danger; full of risk; perilous; hazardous;unsafe.Our troops set forth to-morrow; stay with us; The ways are dangerous.Shak.It is dangerous to assert a negative. Macaulay.
2. Causing danger; ready to do harm or injury. If they incline to think you dangerous To less than gods. Milton.
3. In a condition of danger, as from illness; threatened with death. [Colloq.] Forby. Bartlett.
4. Hard to suit; difficult to please. [Obs.] My wages ben full strait, and eke full small; My lord to me is hard and dangerous. Chaucer.
5. Reserved; not affable. [Obs.] "Of his speech dangerous." Chaucer.— Dan"ger*ous*ly, adv.— Dan"ger*ous*ness, n.
DANGLEDan"gle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dangled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dangling.]Etym: [Akin to Dan. dangle, dial. Sw. dangla, Dan. dingle, Sw.dingla, Icel. dingla; perh. from E. ding.]
Defn: To hang loosely, or with a swinging or jerking motion.he'd rather on a gibbet dangle Than miss his dear delight, towrangle. Hudibras.From her lifted hand Dangled a length of ribbon. Tennyson.To dangle about or after, to hang upon importunately; to court thefavor of; to beset.The Presbyterians, and other fanatics that dangle after them, arewell inclined to pull down the present establishment. Swift.
DANGLEDan"gle, v. t.
Defn: To cause to dangle; to swing, as something suspended loosely; as, to dangle the feet. And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume. Sir W. Scott.
DANGLEBERRYDan"gle*ber`ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A dark blue, edible berry with a white bloom, and its shrub(Gaylussacia frondosa) closely allied to the common huckleberry. Thebush is also called blue tangle, and is found from New England toKentucky, and southward.
DANGLERDan"gler, n.
Defn: One who dangles about or after others, especially after women; a trifler. " Danglers at toilets." Burke.
DANIELDan"i*el, n.
Defn: A Hebrew prophet distinguished for sagacity and ripeness of judgment in youth; hence, a sagacious and upright judge. A Daniel come to judgment. Shak.
DANISHDan"ish, a. Etym: [See Dane.]
Defn: Belonging to the Danes, or to their language or country.— n.
Defn: The language of the Danes. Danish dog (Zoöl.), one of a large and powerful breed of dogs reared in Denmark; — called also great Dane. See Illustration in Appendix.
DANITEDan"ite, n.
1. A descendant of Dan; an Israelite of the tribe of Dan. Judges xiii. 2.
2. Etym: [So called in remembrance of the prophecy in Gen. xlix. 17, "Dan shall be a serpent by the way," etc.]
Defn: One of a secret association of Mormons, bound by an oath to obey the heads of the church in all things. [U. S.]
DANK Dank, a. Etym: [Cf. dial, Sw. dank a moist place in a field, Icel. dökk pit, pool; possibly akin to E. damp or to daggle dew.]
Defn: Damp; moist; humid; wet.Now that the fields are dank and ways are mire. Milton.Cheerless watches on the cold, dank ground. Trench.
DANKDank, n.
Defn: Moisture; humidity; water. [Obs.]
DANKDank, n.
Defn: A small silver coin current in Persia.
DANKISHDank"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat dank.— Dank"ish*ness, n.In a dark and dankish vault at home. Shak.
DANNEBROGDan"ne*brog, n.
Defn: The ancient battle standard of Denmark, bearing figures of cross and crown. Order of Dannebrog, an ancient Danish order of knighthood.
DANSEUSEDan`seuse", n. Etym: [F., fr. danser to dance.]
Defn: a professional female dancer; a woman who dances at a public exhibition as in a ballet.
DANSKDansk, a. Etym: [Dan.]
Defn: Danish. [Obs.]
DANSKERDansk"er, n.
Defn: A Dane. [Obs.]Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris. Shak.
DANTEANDan*te"an, a.
Defn: Relatingto, emanating from or resembling, the poet Dante or his writings.
DANTESQUEDan*tesque", a. Etym: [Cf. It. Dantesco.]
Defn: Dantelike; Dantean. Earle.
DANUBIANDa*nu"bi*an, a.
Defn: Pertainingto, or bordering on, the river Danube.
DAPDap, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Dip.] (Angling)
Defn: To drop the bait gently on the surface of the water.To catch a club by dapping with a grasshoper. Walton.
DAPATICALDa*pat"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. dapaticus, fr. daps feast.]
Defn: Sumptuous in cheer. [Obs.] Bailey.
DAPHNEDaph"ne, n. Etym: [L., a laurel tree, from Gr. .]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms.
2. (Myth.)
Defn: A nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree.
DAPHNETINDaph"ne*tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless crystalline substance, C9H6O4, extracted from daphnin.
DAPHNIADaph"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of the genus Daphnia.
DAPHNIN Daph"nin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. daphnine.] (Chem.) (a) A dark green bitter resin extracted from the mezereon (Daphne mezereum) and regarded as the essential principle of the plant. [R.] (b) A white, crystalline, bitter substance, regarded as a glucoside, and extracted from Daphne mezereum and D. alpina.
DAPHNOMANCYDaph"no*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. da`fnh the laurel + -mancy.]
Defn: Divination by means of the laurel.
DAPIFERDap"i*fer, n. Etym: [L., daps a feast + ferre to bear.]
Defn: One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grand master or steward of the king's or a nobleman's household.
DAPPER Dap"per, a. Etym: [OE. daper; prob. fr. D. dapper brave, valiant; akin to G. tapfer brave, OHG. taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobrû good, Russ. dobrui. Cf. Deft.]
Defn: Little and active; spruce; trim; smart; neat in dress orappearance; lively.He wondered how so many provinces could be held in subjection by sucha dapper little man. Milton.The dapper ditties that I wont devise. Spenser.Sharp-nosed, dapper steam yachts. Julian Hawthorne.
DAPPERLINGDap"per*ling, n.
Defn: A dwarf; a dandiprat. [r.]
DAPPLE Dap"ple, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. depill a spot, a dot, a dog with spots over the eyes, dapi a pool, and E. dimple.]
Defn: One of the spots on a dappled animal.He has . . . as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples.Sir P. Sidney.
DAPPLE; DAPPLEDDap"ple, Dap"pled, a.
Defn: Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as, a dapple horse. Some dapple mists still floated along the peaks. Sir W. Scott.
Note: The word is used in composition to denote that some color isvariegated or marked with spots; as, dapple-bay; dapple-gray.His steed was all dapple-gray. Chaucer.O, swiftly can speed my dapple-gray steed. Sir W. Scott.
DAPPLEDap"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dappled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dappling.]
Defn: To variegate with spots; to spot.The gentle day, . . . Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray.Shak.The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior.
DARBIESDar"bies, n. pl.
Defn: Manacles; handcuffs. [Cant]Jem Clink will fetch you the darbies. Sir W. Scott.
Note: In "The Steel Glass" by Gascoigne, printed in 1576, occurs the line "To binde such babes in father Derbies bands."
DARBYDar"by, n.
Defn: A plasterer's float, having two handles; — used in smoothing ceilings, etc.
DARBYITEDar"by*ite, n.
Defn: One of the Plymouth Brethren, or of a sect among them; — so called from John N. Darby, one of the leaders of the Brethren.
DARDANIANDar*da"ni*an, a. & n.Etym: [From L. Dardania, poetic name of Troy.]
Defn: Trojan.
DARE Dare, v. i. [imp. Durst or Dared (; p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.] Etym: [OE. I dar, dear, I dare, imp. dorste, durste, AS. ic dear I dare, imp. dorste. inf. durran; akin to OS. gidar, gidorsta, gidurran, OHG. tar, torsta, turran, Goth. gadar, gadaúrsta, Gr. tharsei^n, tharrei^n, to be bold, tharsy`s bold, Skr. Dhrsh to be bold. sq. root70.]
Defn: To have adequate or sufficient courage for any purpose; to be bold or venturesome; not to be afraid; to venture. I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. Shak. Why then did not the ministers use their new law Bacause they durst not, because they could not. Macaulay. Who dared to sully her sweet love with suspicion. Thackeray. The tie of party was stronger than the tie of blood, because a partisan was more ready to dare without asking why. Jowett (Thu
Note: The present tense, I dare, is really an old past tense, so that the third person is he dare, but the form he dares is now often used, and will probably displace the obsolescent he dare, through grammatically as incorrect as he shalls or he cans. Skeat. The pore dar plede (the poor man dare plead). P. Plowman. You know one dare not discover you. Dryden. The fellow dares nopt deceide me. Shak. Here boldly spread thy hands, no venom'd weed Dares blister them, no slimly snail dare creep. Beau. & Fl.
Note: Formerly durst was also used as the present. Sometimes the old form dare is found for durst or dared.
DAREDare, v. y. [imp. & p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.]
1. To have courage for; to attempt courageously; to venture to do or to undertake. What high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare every thing and do anything Bagehot. To wrest it from barbarism, to dare its solitudes. The Century.
2. To challenge; to provoke; to defy. Time, I dare thee to discover Such a youth and such a lover. Dryden.
DAREDare, n.
1. The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness; dash. [R.] It lends a luster . . . A large dare to our great enterprise. Shak.
2. Defiance; challenge. Childish, unworthy dares Are not enought to part our powers. Chapman. Sextus Pompeius Hath given the dare to Cæsar. Shak.
DAREDare, v. i. Etym: [OE. darien, to lie hidden, be timid.]
Defn: To lurk; to lie hid. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DAREDare, v. t.
Defn: To terrify; to daunt. [Obs.] For I have done those follies, those mad mischiefs, Would dare a woman. Beau. & Fl. To dare larks, to catch them by producing terror through to use of mirrors, scarlet cloth, a hawk, etc., so that they lie still till a net is thrown over them. Nares.
DAREDare, n. Etym: [See Dace.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small fish; the dace.
DARE-DEVILDare"-dev`il, n.
Defn: A reckless fellow. Also used adjectively; as, dare-devilexcitement.A humorous dare-devil — the very man To suit my prpose. Ld. Lytton.
DARE-DEVILTRYDare"-dev`il*try, n; pl. Dare-deviltries (.
Defn: Reckless mischief; the action of a dare-devil.
DAREFULDare"ful, a.
Defn: Full af daring or of defiance; adveturous. [R.] Shak.
DARERDar"er, n.
Defn: One who dares or defies.
DARG; DARGUEDarg, Dargue, n. Etym: [Scot., contr. fr. day work.]
Defn: A day's work; also, a fixed amount of work, whether more or less than that of a day. [Local, Eng. & Scott]
DARICDar"ic, n. Etym: [Gr.
1. (Antiq.) (a) A gold coin of ancient Persia, weighing usually a little more than 128 grains, and bearing on one side of the figure of an archer. (b) A silver coin of about 86 grains, having the figure of an archer, and hence, in modern times, called a daric.
2. Any very pure gold coin.
DARINGDar"ing, n.
Defn: Boldness; fearlessness; adventurousness; also, a daring act.
DARINGDar"ing, a.
Defn: Bold; fearless; adventurous; as, daring spirits.— Dar"ing*ly, adv.— Dar"ing*ness, n.
DARIOLEDa`ri*ole", n. [F.]
1. A crustade. [Obs.]
2. A shell or cup of pastry filled with custard, whipped cream, crushed macaroons, etc.
DARKDark, a. Etym: [OE. dark, derk, deork, AS. dearc, deorc; cf. Gael. &Ir. dorch, dorcha, dark, black, dusky.]
1. Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion. O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, Irrecoverable dark, total eclipse Without all hope of day! milton. In the dark and silent grave. Sir W. Raleigh.
2. Not clear to the understanding; not easilyThe dark problems of existence. Shairp.What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.Hooker.What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word Shak.
3. Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant. The age wherin he lived was dark, but he Cobld not want light who taught the world oto see. Denhan. The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediæval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night. Hallam.
4. Evincing blaxk or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed. Left him at large to his own dark designs. Milton.
5. Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious. More dark and dark our woes. Shak. A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature. Macaulay. There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. W. Irving.
6. Deprived of sight; blind. [Obs.] He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years. Evelyn.
Note: Dark is sometimes used to qualify another adjective; as, dark blue, dark green, and sometimes it forms the first part of a compound; as, dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-colored, dark-seated, dark-working. A dark horse, in racing or politics, a horse or a candidate whose chances of success are not known, and whose capabilities have not been made the subject of general comment or of wagers. [Colloq.] — Dark house, Dark room, a house or room in which madmen were confined. [Obs.] Shak. — Dark lantern. See Lantern. — The Dark Ages, a period of stagnation and obscurity in literature and art, lasting, according to Hallam, nearly 1000 years, from about 500 to about 1500 A. D.. See Middle Ages, under Middle. — The Dark and Bloody Ground, a phrase applied to the State of Kentucky, and said to be the significance of its name, in allusion to the frequent wars that were waged there between Indians. — The dark day, a day (May 19, 1780) when a remarkable and unexplained darkness extended over all New England. — To keep dark, to reveal nothing. [Low]
DARKDark, n.
1. Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light. Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out. Shak.
2. The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy. Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark. Shak. Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as mucdark, and as void of knowledge, as before. Locke.
3. (Fine Arts)
Defn: A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted. The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights. Dryden.
DARKDark, v. t.
Defn: To darken to obscure. [Obs.] Milton.
DARKENDark"en, v. t. [Imp. & p. p. Darkened; p. pr. & vb. n. Darkening.]Etym: [AS. deorcian. See Dark, a.]
1. To make dark or black; to deprite of light; to obscure; as, a darkened room. They [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened. Ex. x. 15. So spake the Sovran Voice; and clouds began To darken all the hill. Milton.
2. To render dim; to deprive of vision. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Rom. xi. 10.
3. To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible. Such was his wisdom that his confidence did seldom darkenhis foresight. Bacon. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge Job. xxxviii. 2.
4. To cast a gloom upon. With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not The mirth of the feast. Shak.
5. To make foul; to sully; to tarnish. I must not think there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness. Shak.
DARKENDark"en, v. i.
Defn: To grow or darker.
DARKENERDark"en*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, darkens.
DARKENINGDark"en*ing, n.
Defn: Twilight; gloaming. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.
DARKFULDark"ful, a.
Defn: Full of darkness. [Obs.]
DARKISHDark"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat dark; dusky.
DARKLEDar"kle, v. i. Etym: [Freq. of dark.]
Defn: To grow dark; to show indistinctly. Thackeray.
DARKLINGDark"ling, adv. Etym: [Dark + the adverbial suffix -ling.]
Defn: In the dark. [Poetic]So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling. Shak.As the wakeful bird Sings darkling. Milton.
DARKLINGDark"ling, p. pr. & a.
1. Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing. His honest brows darkling as he looked towards me. Thackeray.
2. Dark; gloomy. "The darkling precipice." Moore.
DARKLYDark"ly, adv.
1. With imperfect light, clearness, or knowledge; obscurely; dimly; blindly; uncertainly. What fame to future times conveys but darkly down. Dryden. so softly dark and darkly pure. Byron.
2. With a dark, gloomy, cruel, or menacing look. Looking darkly at the clerguman. Hawthorne.
DARKNESSDark"ness, n.
1. The absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. Gen. i. 2.
2. A state of privacy; secrecy. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light. Matt. x. 27.
3. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity. Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John. iii. 19. Pursue these sons of darkness: drive them out From all heaven's bounds. Milton.
4. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as, the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion.
5. A state of distress or trouble. A day of clouds and of thick darkness. Joel. ii. 2. Prince of darkness, the Devil; Satan. "In the power of the Prince of darkness." Locke.
Syn. — Darkness, Dimness, Obscurity, Gloom. Darkness arises from a total, and dimness from a partial, want of light. A thing is obscure when so overclouded or covered as not to be easily perceived. As tha shade or obscurity increases, it deepens into gloom. What is dark is hidden from view; what is obscure is difficult to perceive or penetrate; the eye becomes dim with age; an impending storm fills the atmosphere with gloom. When taken figuratively, these words have a like use; as, the darkness of ignorance; dimness of discernment; obscurity of reasoning; gloom of superstition.
DARKSOMEDark"some, a.
Defn: Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless. [Poetic] He brought him through a darksome narrow pass To a broad gate, all built of beaten gold. Spenser.
DARKYDark"y, n.
Defn: A negro. [Sleng]
DARLING Dar"ling, n. Etym: [OE. derling, deorling, AS. deórling; deóre dear + -ling. See Dear, and -ling.]
Defn: One dearly beloved; a favorite.And can do naught but wail her darling's loss. Shak.
DARLINGDar"ling, a.
Defn: Dearly beloved; regarded with especial kindness and tenderness; favorite. "Some darling science." I. Watts. "Darling sin." Macaulay.
DARLINGTONIA Dar`ling*to"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named after Dr. William Darlington, a botanist of West Chester, Penn.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of California pitcher plants consisting of a single species. The long tubular leaves are hooded at the top, and frequently contain many insects drowned in the secretion of the leaves.
DARNDarn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darned; p. pr. & vb. n. Darning.] Etym:[OE. derne, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. darnio to piece, break inpieces, W. & Arm. to E. tear. Cf. Tear, v. t.]
Defn: To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread. He spent every day ten hours in his closet, in darning his stockins. Swift. Darning last. See under Last. — Darning needle. (a) A long, strong needle for mending holes or rents, especially in stockings. (b) (Zoöl.) Any species of dragon fly, having a long, cylindrical body, resembling a needle. These flies are harmless and without stings.