Note: [In this sense, usually written with a hyphen.] Called also devil's darning-needle.
DARNDarn, n.
Defn: A place mended by darning.
DARNDarn, v. t.
Defn: A colloquial euphemism for Damn.
DARNEL Dar"nel, n. Etym: [OE. darnel, dernel, of uncertain origin; cf. dial. F. darnelle, Sw. dår-repe; perh. named from a supposed intoxicating quality of the plant, and akin to Sw. dåra to infatuate, OD. door foolish, G. thor fool, and Ee. dizzy.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any grass of the genus Lolium, esp. the Lolium temulentum (bearded darnel), the grains of which have been reputed poisonous. Other species, as Lolium perenne (rye grass or ray grass), and its variety L. Italicum (Italian rye grass), are highly esteemed for pasture and for making hay.
Note: Under darnel our early herbalists comprehended all kinds of cornfield weeds. Dr. Prior.
DARNERDarn"er, n.
Defn: One who mends by darning.
DARNEX; DARNICDar"nex, Dar"nic, n.
Defn: Same as Dornick.
DAROODa*roo", n. (Bot.)
Defn: The Egyptian sycamore (Ficus Sycamorus). See Sycamore.
DARRDarr, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European black tern.
DARRAIGN; DARRAIN Dar"raign, Dar"rain,, v. t. Etym: [OF. deraisnier to explain, defend, to maintain in legal action by proof and reasonings, LL. derationare; de- + rationare to discourse, contend in law, fr. L. ratio reason, in LL., legal cause. Cf. Arraign, and see Reason.]
1. To make ready to fight; to array. [Obs.] Darrain your battle, for they are at hand. Shak.
2. To fight out; to contest; to decide by combat. [Obs.] "To darrain the battle." Chaucer .
DARREIN Dar"rein, a. Etym: [OF. darrein, darrain, fr. an assumed LL. deretranus; L. de + retro back, backward.] (Law)
Defn: Last; as, darrein continuance, the last continuance.
DART Dart, n. Etym: [OF. dart, of German origin; cf. OHG. tart javelin, dart, AS. dara, daro, Sw. dart dagger, Icel. darra dart.]
1. A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; a short lance; a javelin; hence, any sharp-pointed missile weapon, as an arrow. And he [Joab] took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 2 Sa. xviii. 14.
2. Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart. The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart. Hannan More.
3. A spear set as a prize in running. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fish; the dace. See Dace. Dart sac (Zoöl.), a sac connected with the reproductive organs of land snails, which contains a dart, or arrowlike structure.
DARTDart, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darted; p. pr. & vb. n. Darting.]
1. To throw with a sudden effort or thrust, as a dart or other missile weapon; to hurl or launch.
2. To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send forth; to emit; to shoot; as, the sun darts forth his beams. Or what ill eyes malignant glances dart Pope.
DARTDart, v. i.
1. To fly or pass swiftly, as a dart.
2. To start and run with velocity; to shoot rapidly along; as, the deer darted from the thicket.
DARTARSDar"tars, n. Etym: [F. dartre eruption, dandruff.
Defn: A kind of scab or ulceration on the skin of lambs.
DARTERDart"er, n.
1. One who darts, or who throw darts; that which darts.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The snakebird, a water bird of the genus Plotus; — so called because it darts out its long, snakelike neck at its prey. See Snakebird.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small fresh-water etheostomoid fish. The group includes numerous genera and species, all of them American. See Etheostomoid.
DARTINGLYDart"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Like a dart; rapidly.
DARTLEDar"tle, v. t. & i.
Defn: To pierce or shoot through; to dart repeatedly: — frequentative of dart. My star that dartles the red and the blue. R. Browning.
DARTOICDar*to"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the dartos.
DARTOIDDar"toid, a. Etym: [Dartos + -oid.] (Anat.)
Defn: Like the dartos; dartoic; as, dartoid tissue.
DARTOSDar"tos, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. flayed.] (Anat.)
Defn: A thin layer of peculiar contractile tissue directly beneath the skin of the scrotum.
DARTROUSDar"trous, a. Etym: [F. dartreux. See Dartars.] (Med.)
Defn: Relating to, or partaking of the nature of, the disease called tetter; herpetic. Dartroud diathesis, A morbid condition of the system predisposing to the development of certain skin deseases, such as eczema, psoriasis, and pityriasis. Also called rheumic diathesis, and hipretism. Piffard.
DARWINIAN Dar*win"i*an, a. Etym: [From the name of Charles Darwin, an English scientist.]
Defn: Pertaining to Darwin; as, the Darwinian theory, a theory of the manner and cause of the supposed development of living things from certain original forms or elements.
Note: This theory was put forth by Darwin in 1859 in a work entitled "The Origin of species by Means of Natural Selection." The author argues that, in the struggle for existence, those plants and creatures best fitted to the requirements of the situation in which they are placed are the ones that will live; in other words, that Nature selects those which are survive. This is the theory of natural selection or the survival of the fillest. He also argues that natural selection is capable of modifying and producing organisms fit for their circumstances. See Development theory, under Development.
DARWINIANDar*win"i*an, n.
Defn: An advocate of Darwinism.
DARWINIANISMDar*win"i*an*ism, n.
Defn: Darwinism.
DARWINISMDar"win*ism, n. (Biol.)
Defn: The theory or doctrines put forth by Darwin. See above. Huxley.
DASEDase, v. t.
Defn: See Daze. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DASEWE Dase"we, v. i. Etym: [OE. dasewen, daswen; cf. AS. dysegian to be foolish.]
Defn: To become dim-sighted; to become dazed or dazzled. [Obs.]Chauscer.
DASHDash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dashing.] Etym:[Of. Scand. origin; cf. Dan daske to beat, strike, Sw. & Icel. daska,Dan. & Sw. dask blow.]
1. To throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; — often used with against. If you dash a stone against a stone in the botton of the water, it maketh a sound. Bacon.
2. To break, as by throwing or by collision; to shatter; to crust; tofrustrate; to ruin.Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Ps. ii. 9.A brave vessel, . . . Dashed all to pieces. Shak.To perplex and dash Maturest counsels. Milton.
3. To put to shame; to confound; to confuse; to abash; to depress. South. Dash the proud gamesPope.
4. To throw in or on in a rapid, careless manner; to mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality; to overspread partially; to bespatter; to touch here and there; as, to dash wine with water; to dash paint upon a picture. I take care to dash the character with such particular circumstance as may prevent ill-natured applications. Addison. The very source and fount of day Is dashed with wandering isles of night. Tennyson.
5. To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless haste; — with off; as, to dash off a review or sermon.
6. To erase by a stroke; to strike out; knock out; — with out; as, to dash out a word.
DASHDash, v. i.
Defn: To rust with violence; to move impetuously; to strike violently; as, the waves dash upon rocks. [He] dashed through thick and thin. Dryden. On each hand the gushing waters play, And down the rough cascade all dashing fall. Thomson.
DASHDash, n.
1. Violent striking together of two bodies; collision; crash.
2. A sudden check; abashment; frustration; ruin; as, his hopes received a dash.
3. A slight admixture, infusion, or adulteration; a partial overspreading; as, wine with a dash of water; red with a dash of purple. Innocence when it has in it a dash of folly. Addison.
4. A rapid movement, esp. one of short duration; a quick stroke or blow; a sudden onset or rush; as, a bold dash at the enemy; a dash of rain. She takes upon her bravely at first dash. Shak.
5. Energy in style or action; animation; spirit.
6. A vain show; a blustering parade; a flourish; as, to make or cut a great dash. [Low]
7. (Punctuation)
Defn: A mark or line [—], in writing or printing, denoting a sudden break, stop, or transition in a sentence, or an abrupt change in its construction, a long or significant pause, or an unexpected or epigrammatic turn of sentiment. Dashes are also sometimes used instead of marks or parenthesis. John Wilson.
8. (Mus.) (a) The sign of staccato, a small mark [. (b) The line drawn through a figure in the thorough bass, as a direction to raise the interval a semitone.
9. (Racing)
Defn: A short, spirited effort or trial of speed upon a race course; — used in horse racing, when a single trial constitutes the race.
DASHBOARDDash"board`, n.
1. A board placed on the fore part of a carriage, sleigh, or other vechicle, to intercept water, mud, or snow, thrown up by the heels of the horses; — in England commonly called splashboard.
2. (Naut.) (a) The float of a paddle wheel. (b) A screen at the bow af a steam launch to keep off the spray; — called also sprayboard.
DASHEENDash`een", n.
Defn: A tropical aroid (of the genus Caladium, syn. Colocasia) having an edible farinaceous root. It is related to the taro and to the tanier, but is much superior to it in quality and is as easily cooked as the potato. It is a staple food plant of the tropics, being prepared like potatoes, and has been introduced into the Southern United States.
DASHERDash"er, n.
1. That which dashes or agitates; as, the dasher of a churn.
2. A dashboard or splashboard. [U. S.]
3. One who makes an ostentatious parade. [Low]
DASHINGDash"ing, a.
Defn: Bold; spirited; showy.The dashing and daring spirit is preferable to the listless. T.Campbell.
DASHINGLYDash"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Conspicuously; showily. [Colloq.]A dashingly dressed gentleman. Hawthorne.
DASHISMDash"ism, n.
Defn: The character of making ostentatious or blustering parade orshow. [R. & Colloq.]He must fight a duel before his claim to . . . dashism can beuniversally allowed. V. Knox.
DASHPOTDash"pot`, n. (Mach.)
Defn: A pneumatic or hydraulic cushion for a falling weight, as in the valve gear of a steam engine, to prevent shock.
Note: It consists of a chamber, containing air or a liquid, in which a piston (a), attached to the weight, falls freely until it enters a space (as below the openings, b) from which the air or liquid can escape but slowly (as through cock c), when its fall is gradually checked.
Note: A cataract of an engine is sometimes called a dashpot.
DASHYDash"y, a. Etym: [From Dash.]
Defn: Calculated to arrest attention; ostentatiously fashionable; showy. [Colloq.]
DASTARD Das"tard, n. Etym: [Prob. from Icel. dæstr exhausted. breathless, p. p. of dæsa to groan, lose one's breath; cf. dasask to become exhausted, and E. daze.]
Defn: One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; apoltroon.You are all recreants and dashtards, and delight to live in slaveryto the nobility. Shak.
DASTARDDas"tard, a.
Defn: Meanly shrinking from danger; cowardly; dastardly. "Their dastard souls." Addison.
DASTARDDas"tard, v. t.
Defn: To dastardize. [R.] Dryden.
DASTARDIZEDas"tard*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dastardized; p. pr. & vb. n.Dastardizing.]
Defn: To make cowardly; to intimidate; to dispirit; as, to dastardize my courage. Dryden.
DASTARDLINESSDas"tard*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being dastardly; cowardice; base fear.
DASTARDLYDas"tard*ly, a.
Defn: Meanly timid; cowardly; base; as, a dastardly outrage.
DASTARDNESSDas"tard*ness, n.
Defn: Dastardliness.
DASTARDYDas"tard*y, n.
Defn: Base timidity; cowardliness.
DASWEDas"we, v. i.
Defn: See Dasewe [Obs.] Chaucer.
DASYMETERDa*sym"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. rough, thick + -meter.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for testing the density of gases, consisting of a thin glass globe, which is weighed in the gas or gases, and then in an atmosphere of known density.
DASYPAEDALDas`y*pæ"dal, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Dasypædic.
DASYPAEDES Das`y*pæ"des, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. hairy, shaggy + , , a child.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Those birds whose young are covered with down when hatched.
DASYPAEDICDas`y*pæ"dic, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to the Dasypædes; ptilopædic.
DASYUREDas"y*ure, n. Etym: [Gr. thick, shaggy + tail: cf. F. dasyure.](Zoöl.)
Defn: A carnivorous marsupial quadruped of Australia, belonging to the genus Dasyurus. There are several species.
DASYURINEDas`y*u"rine, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or like, the dasyures.
DATADa"ta, n. pl. Etym: [L. pl. of datum.]
Defn: See Datum.
DATABLEDat"a*ble, a.
Defn: That may be dated; having a known or ascertainable date."Datable almost to a year." The Century.
DATARIADa*ta"ri*a, n. Etym: [LL., fr. L. datum given.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: Formerly, a part of the Roman chancery; now, a separate office from which are sent graces or favors, cognizable in foro externo, such as appointments to benefices. The name is derived from the word datum, given or dated (with the indications of the time and place of granting the gift or favor).
DATARYDa"ta*ry, n. Etym: [LL. datarius. See Dataria.]
1. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: An officer in the pope's court, having charge of the Dataria.
2. The office or employment of a datary.
DATE Date, n.Etym: [F. datte, L. dactylus, fr. Gr. , prob. not the same word as finger, but of Semitic origin.] (Bot.)
Defn: The fruit of the date palm; also, the date palm itself.
Note: This fruit is somewhat in the shape of an olive, containing a soft pulp, sweet, esculent, and wholesome, and inclosing a hard kernel. Date palm, or Date tree (Bot.), the genus of palms which bear dates, of which common species is Phoenix dactylifera. See Illust. — Date plum (Bot.), the fruit of several species of Diospyros, including the American and Japanese persimmons, and the European lotus (D. Lotus). — Date shell, or Date fish (Zoöl.), a bivalve shell, or its inhabitant, of the genus Pholas, and allied genera. See Pholas.
DATEDate, n. Etym: [F. date, LL. data, fr. L. datus given, p.p. of dareto give; akin to Gr. , OSlaw. dati, Skr. da. Cf. Datum, Dose, Dato,Die.]
1. That addition to a writing, inscription, coin, etc., which specifies the time (as day, month, and year) when the writing or inscription was given, or executed, or made; as, the date of a letter, of a will, of a deed, of a coin. etc. And bonds without a date, they say, are void. Dryden.
2. The point of time at which a transaction or event takes place, or is appointed to take place; a given point of time; epoch; as, the date of a battle. He at once, Down the long series of eventful time, So fixed the dates of being, so disposed To every living soul of every kind The field of motion, and the hour of rest. Akenside.
3. Assigned end; conclusion. [R.] What Time would spare, from Steel receives its date. Pope.
4. Given or assigned length of life; dyration. [Obs.] Good luck prolonged hath thy date. Spenser. Through his life's whole date. Chapman. To bear date, to have the date named on the face of it; — said of a writing.
DATEDate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dated; p. pr. & vb. n. Dating.] Etym: [Cf.F. dater. See 2d Date.]
1. To note the time of writing or executing; to express in an instrument the time of its execution; as, to date a letter, a bond, a deed, or a charter.
2. To note or fix the time of, as of an event; to give the date of; as, to date the building of the pyramids.
Note: We may say dated at or from a place. The letter is dated at Philadephia. G. T. Curtis. You will be suprised, I don't question, to find among your correspondencies in foreign parts, a letter dated from Blois. Addison. In the countries of his jornal seems to have been written; parts of it are dated from them. M. Arnold.
DATEDate, v. i.
Defn: To have beginning; to begin; to be dated or reckoned; — withfrom.The Batavian republic dates from the successes of the French arms. E.Everett.
DATELESSDate"less, a.
Defn: Without date; having no fixed time.
DATE LINEDate line.
Defn: The hypothetical line on the surface of the earth fixed by international or general agreement as a boundary on one side of which the same day shall have a different name and date in the calendar from its name and date on the other side.
Speaking generally, the date line coincides with the meridian 180º from Greenwich. It deflects between north latitudes 80º and 45º, so that all Asia lies to the west, all North America, including the Aleutian Islands, to the east of the line; and between south latitudes 12º and 56º, so that Chatham Island and the Tonga group lie to the west of it. A vessel crossing this line to the westward sets the date forward by one day, as from Sunday to Monday. A vessel crossing the line to the eastward sets the date back by one day, as from Monday to Sunday. Hawaii has the same day name as San Francisco; Manila, the same day name as Australia, and this is one day later than the day of Hawaii. Thus when it is Monday May 1st at San Francisco it is Tuesday may 2d at Manila.
DATERDat"er, n.
Defn: One who dates.
DATISCINDa*tis"cin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline glucoside extracted from the bastard hemp(Datisca cannabina).
DATIVE Da"tive, a. Etym: [L. dativus appropriate to giving, fr. dare to give. See 2d Date.]
1. (Gram.)
Defn: Noting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter object, and is generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.
2. (Law) (a) In one's gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office. (b) Removable, as distinguished from perpetual; — said of an officer. (c) Given by a magistrate, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law. Burril. Bouvier. Dative executor, one appointed by the judge of probate, his office answering to that of an administrator.
DATIVEDa"tive, n. Etym: [L. dativus.]
Defn: The dative case. See Dative, a.,
1.
DATIVELYDa"tive*ly, adv.
Defn: As a gift. [R.]
DATOLITE Dat"o*lite, n. Etym: [From. Gr. to divide + -lite; in allusion to the granular structure of a massive variety.] (Min.)
Defn: A borosilicate of lime commonly occuring in glassy,, greenish crystals. [Written also datholite.]
DATUMDa"tum, n.; pl. Data. Etym: [L. See 2d Date.]
1. Something given or admitted; a fact or principle granted; that upon which an inference or an argument is based; — used chiefly in the plural. Any writer, therefore, who . . . furnishes us with data sufficient to determine the time in which he wrote. Priestley.
2. pl. (Math.)
Defn: The quantities or relations which are assumed to be given in any problem. Datum line (Surv.), the horizontal or base line, from which the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the plan of a railway, etc.
DATURADa*tu"ra, n. Etym: [NL.; cf. Skr. dhatt, Per. & Ar. tat, Tat.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of solanaceous plants, with large funnel-shaped flowers and a four-celled, capsular fruit.
Note: The commonest species are the thorn apple (D. stramonium), with a prickly capsule (see Illust. of capsule), white flowers and green stem, and D. tatula, with a purplish tinge of the stem and flowers. Both are narcotic and dangerously poisonous.
DATURINEDa*tu"rine, n. Etym: [From Datura.] (Chem.)
Defn: Atropine; — called also daturia and daturina.
DAUB Daub, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Daubed; p. pr. & vb. n. Daubing.] Etym: [OE. dauben to smear, OF. dauber to plaster, fr. L. dealbare to whitewash, plaster; de- + albare to whiten, fr. albus white, perh. also confused with W. dwb plaster, dwbio to plaster, Ir. & OGael. dob plaster. See Alb, and cf. Dealbate.]
1. To smear with soft, adhesive matter, as pitch, slime, mud, etc.; to plaster; to bedaub; to besmear. She took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch. Ex. ii. 3.
2. To paint in a coarse or unskillful manner. If a picture is daubed with many bright and glaring colors, the vulgar admire it is an excellent piece. I. Watts. A lame, imperfect piece, rudely daubed over. Dryden.
3. To cover with a specious or deceitful exterior; to disguise; to conceal. So smooth he daubed his vice with show of virtue. Shak.
4. To flatter excessively or glossy. [R.] I can safely say, however, that, without any daubing at all, I am very sincerely your very affectionate, humble servant. Smollett.
5. To put on without taste; to deck gaudily. [R.] Let him be daubed with lace. Dryden.
DAUBDaub, v. i.
Defn: To smear; to play the flatterer.His conscience . . . will not daub nor flatter. South.
DAUBDaub, n.
1. A viscous, sticky application; a spot smeared or dabed; a smear.
2. (Paint.)
Defn: A picture coarsely executed. Did you . . . take a look at the grand picture . . . 'T is a melancholy daub, my lord. Sterne.
DAUBERDaub"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, daubs; especially, a coarse, unskillful painter.
2. (Copperplate Print.)
Defn: A pad or ball of rags, covered over with canvas, for inking plates; a dabber.
3. A low and gross flattere.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The mud wasp; the mud dauber.
DAUBERY; DAUBRYDaub"er*y, or Daub"ry, n.
Defn: A daubing; specious coloring; false pretenses. She works by charms, by spells, by the figure, and such daubery as this is. Shak.
DAUBINGDaub"ing, n.
1. The act of one who daubs; that which is daubed.
2. A rough coat of mortar put upon a wall to give it the appearance of stone; rough-cast.
3. In currying, a mixture of fish oil and tallow worked into leather; — called also dubbing. Knight.
DAUBREELITEDau"bree*lite, n. Etym: [From Daubrée, a French mineralogist.] (Min.)
Defn: A sulphide of chromium observed in some meteoric irons.
DAUBYDaub"y, a.
Defn: Smeary; viscous; glutinous; adhesive. "Dauby wax."
DAUGHTER Daugh"ter, n.; pl. Daughters; obs. pl. Daughtren. Etym: [OE. doughter, doghter, dohter, AS. dohtor, dohter; akin to OS. dohtar, D. dochter, G. tochter, Icel. d, Sw. dotter, Dan. dotter, datter, Goth. daúhtar,, OSlav. d, Russ. doche, Lith. dukt, Gr. , Zendughdhar, Skr. duhit; possibly originally, the milker, cf. Skr. duh to milk. sq. root68, 245.]
1. The female offspring of the human species; a female child of any age; — applied also to the lower animals.
2. A female descendant; a woman. This woman, being a daughter of Abraham. Luke xiii. 16. Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughter of the land. Gen. xxxiv. 1.
3. A son's wife; a daughter-in-law. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Ruth. i. 11.
4. A term of adress indicating parental interest.Daughter, be of good comfort. Matt. ix. 22.Daughter cell (Biol.), one of the cells formed by cell division. SeeCell division, under Division.
DAUGHTER-IN-LAWDaugh"ter-in-law`, n.; pl. Daughters-in-law.
Defn: The wife of one's son.
DAUGHTERLINESSDaugh"ter*li*ness, n.
Defn: The state of a daughter, or the conduct becoming a daughter.
DAUGHTERLYDaugh"ter*ly, a.
Defn: Becoming a daughter; filial. Sir Thomas liked her natural and dear daughterly affection towards him. Cavendish.
DAUKDauk, v. t.
Defn: See Dawk, v. t., to cut or gush.
DAUNDaun, n.
Defn: A variant of Dan, a title of honor. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DAUNTDaunt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Daunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Daunting.] Etym:[OF. danter, F. dompter to tame, subdue, fr. L. domitare, v. intens.of domare to tame. See Tame.]
1. To overcome; to conquer. [Obs.]
2. To repress or subdue the courage of; to check by fear of danger; to cow; to intimidate; to dishearten. Some presences daunt and discourage us. Glanvill.
Syn.— To dismay; appall. See Dismay.
DAUNTERDaunt"er, n.
Defn: One who daunts.
DAUNTLESSDaunt"less, a.
Defn: Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless;intrepid.Dauntless he rose, and to the fight returned. Dryden.— Daunt"less*ly, adv.— Daunt"less*ness, n.
DAUPHIN Dau"phin, n. Etym: [F. dauphin, prop., a dolphin, from L. delphinus. See Dolphin. The name was given, for some reason unexplained, to Guigo, count of Vienne, in the 12th century, and was borne by succeeding counts of Vienne. In 1349, Dauphiny was bequeathed to Philippe de Valois, king of France, on condition that the heir of the crown should always hold the title of Dauphin de Viennois.]
Defn: The title of the eldest son of the king of France, and heir to the crown. Since the revolution of 1830, the title has been discontinued.
DAUPHINESS; DAUPHINEDau"phin*ess, or Dau"phine, n.
Defn: The title of the wife of the dauphin.
DAUWDauw, n. Etym: [D.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The striped quagga, or Burchell's zebra, of South Africa(Asinus Burchellii); — called also peechi, or peetsi.
DAVENPORTDav"en*port, n. Etym: [From the name of the original maker. Encyc.Dict.]
Defn: A kind of small writing table, generally somewhat ornamental, and forming a piece of furniture for the parlor or boudoir. A much battered davenport in one of the windows, at which sat a lady writing. A. B. Edwards.
DAVIDICDa*vid"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to David, the king and psalmist of Israel, or to his family.
DAVIT Dav"it, n. Etym: [Cf. F. davier forceps, davit, cooper's instrument, G. david davit; all probably from the proper name David.] (Naut.) (a) A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship; — called also the fish davit. (b) pl.
Defn: Curved arms of timber or iron, projecting over a ship's side of stern, having tackle to raise or lower a boat, swing it in on deck, rig it out for lowering, etc.; — called also boat davits. Totten.
DAVY JONESDa"vy Jones".
Defn: The spirit of the sea; sea devil; — a term used by sailors. This same Davy Jones, according to the mythology of sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is seen in various shapes warning the devoted wretch of death and woe. Smollett. Davy Jones's Locker, the ocean, or bottom of the ocean. — Gone to Davy Jones's Locker, dead, and buried in the sea; thrown overboard.
DAVY LAMPDa"vy lamp`.
Defn: See Safety lamp, under Lamp.
DAVYNEDa"vyne, n. Etym: [See Davyum.] (Min.)
Defn: A variety of nephelite from Vesuvius.
DAVYUM Da"vy*um, n. Etym: [Named after Sir Humphry Davy, the English chemist.] (Chem.)
Defn: A rare metallic element found in platinum ore. It is a white malleable substance. Symbol Da. Atomic weight 154.
DAW Daw, n. Etym: [OE. dawe; akin to OHG. taha, MHG. tahe, tahele, G. dohle. Cf. Caddow.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European bird of the Crow family (Corvus monedula), often nesting in church towers and ruins; a jackdaw. The loud daw, his throat displaying, draw The whole assembly of his fellow daws. Waller.
Note: The daw was reckoned as a silly bird, and a daw meant a simpleton. See in Shakespeare: — "Then thou dwellest with daws too." (Coriolanus iv. 5, 1. 47.) Skeat.
DAWDaw, v. i. Etym: [OE. dawen. See Dawn.]
Defn: To dawn. [Obs.] See Dawn.
DAWDaw, v. t. Etym: [Contr. fr. Adaw.]
1. To rouse. [Obs.]
2. To daunt; to terrify. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
DAWDLEDaw"dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dawdled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dawdling.]Etym: [Cf. Daddle.]
Defn: To waste time in trifling employment; to trifle; to saunter.Come some evening and dawdle over a dish of tea with me. Johnson.We . . . dawdle up and down Pall Mall. Thackeray.
DAWDLEDaw"dle, v. t.
Defn: To waste by trifling; as, to dawdle away a whole morning.
DAWDLEDaw"dle, n.
Defn: A dawdler. Colman & Carrick.
DAWDLERDaw"dler, n.
Defn: One who wastes time in trifling employments; an idler; a trifler.
DAWEDawe, n. Etym: [See Day.]
Defn: Day. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DAWISHDaw"ish, a.
Defn: Like a daw.
DAWKDawk, n.
Defn: See Dak.
DAWKDawk, v. t. Etym: [Prov. E. dauk to cut or pierce with a jerk; cf.OE. dalk a dimple. Cf. Ir. tolch, tollachd, tolladh, a hole, crevice,toll to bore, pierce, W. tyllu.]
Defn: To cut or mark with an incision; to gash. Moxon.
DAWKDawk, n.
Defn: A hollow, crack, or cut, in timber. Moxon.
DAWN Dawn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dawned; p. pr. & vb. n. Dawning.] Etym: [OE. dawnen, dawen, dagen, daien, AS. dagian to become day, to dawn, fr. dæg day; akin to D. dagen, G. tagen, Icel. daga, Dan. dages, Sw. dagas. See Day.
1. To begin to grow light in the morning; to grow light; to break, or begin to appear; as, the day dawns; the morning dawns. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene . . . to see the sepulcher. Matt. xxviii. 1.
2. To began to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand. "In dawning youth." Dryden. When life awakes, and dawns at every line. Pope. Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid. Heber,
DAWNDawn, n.
1. The break of day; the first appeareance of light in the morning; show of approaching sunrise. And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve. Thomson. No sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day. Hood.
2. First opening or expansion; first appearance; beginning; rise."The dawn of time." Thomson.These tender circumstances diffuse a dawn of serenity over the soul.Pope.
DAWSONITEDaw"son*ite, n. Etym: [Named after J. W. Dawson of Montreal.] (Min.)
Defn: A hydrous carbonate of alumina and soda, occuring in white, bladed crustals.
DAYDay, n. Etym: [OE. day, dai,, dei, AS. dæg; akin to OS., D., Dan., &Sw. dag, G, tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ) toburn. *69. Cf. Dawn.]
1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time between sunrise and sunset, or from dawn to darkness; hence, the light; sunshine.
2. The period of the earth's revolution on its axis. — ordinarily divided into twenty-four hours. It is measured by the interval between two successive transits of a celestial body over the same meridian, and takes a specific name from that of the body. Thus, if this is the sun, the day (the interval between two successive transits of the sun's center over the same meridian) is called a solar day; if it is a star, a sidereal day; if it is the moon, a lunar day. See Civil day, Sidereal day, below.
3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work.
4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time. A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day. Jowett (Thucyd. ) If my debtors do not keep their day, . . . I must with patience all the terms attend. Dryden.
5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc. The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. Shak. His name struck fear, his conduct won the day. Roscommon.
Note: Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc.
Anniversary day. See Anniversary, n. — Astronomical day, a period equal to the mean solar day, but beginning at noon instead of at midnight, its twenty-four hours being numbered from 1 to 24; also, the sidereal day, as that most used by astronomers. — Born days. See under Born. — Canicular days. See Dog day. — Civil day, the mean solar day, used in the ordinary reckoning of time, and among most modern nations beginning at mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each from 1 to 12. This is the period recognized by courts as constituting a day. The Babylonians and Hindoos began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans at midnight. — Day blindness. (Med.) See Nyctalopia. — Day by day, or Day after day, daily; every day; continually; without intermission of a day. See under By. "Day by day we magnify thee." Book of Common Prayer. — Days in bank (Eng. Law), certain stated days for the return of writs and the appearance of parties; — so called because originally peculiar to the Court of Common Bench, or Bench (bank) as it was formerly termed. Burrill. — Day in court, a day for the appearance of parties in a suit. — Days of devotion (R. C. Ch.), certain festivals on which devotion leads the faithful to attend mass. Shipley. — Days of grace. See Grace. — Days of obligation (R. C. Ch.), festival days when it is obligatory on the faithful to attend Mass. Shipley. — Day owl, (Zoöl.), an owl that flies by day. See Hawk owl. — Day rule (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished) allowing a prisoner, under certain circumstances, to go beyond the prison limits for a single day. — Day school, one which the pupils attend only in daytime, in distinction from a boarding school. — Day sight. (Med.) See Hemeralopia. — Day's work (Naut.), the account or reckoning of a ship's course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon. — From day to day, as time passes; in the course of time; as, he improves from day to day. — Jewish day, the time between sunset and sunset. — Mean solar day (Astron.), the mean or average of all the apparent solar days of the year. — One day, One of these days, at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later. "Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband." Shak. — Only from day to day, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. Bacon. — Sidereal day, the interval between two successive transits of the first point of Aries over the same meridian. The Sidereal day is 23 h. 56 m. 4.09 s. of mean solar time. — To win the day, to gain the victory, to be successful. S. Butler. — Week day, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day. — Working day. (a) A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. (b) The number of hours, determined by law or custom, during which a workman, hired at a stated price per day, must work to be entitled to a day's pay.
DAYAKSDay"aks, n. pl. (Ethnol.)
Defn: See Dyaks.
DAYBOOKDay"book, n.
Defn: A journal of accounts; a primary record book in which are recorded the debts and credits, or accounts of the day, in their order, and from which they are transferred to the journal.
DAYBREAKDay"break`, n.
Defn: The time of the first appearance of light in the morning.
DAY-COALDay"-coal`, n. (Mining)
Defn: The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface.
DAYDREAMDay"dream`, n.
Defn: A vain fancy speculation; a reverie; a castle in the air;unfounded hope.Mrs. Lambert's little daydream was over. Thackeray.
DAYDREAMERDay"dream`er, n.
Defn: One given to draydreams.
DAYFLOWERDay"flow`er, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs(Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.
DAYFLYDay"fly`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; — so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.
DAY-LABORDay"-la`bor, n.
Defn: Labor hired or performed by the day. Milton.
DAY-LABORERDay"-la`bor*er, n.
Defn: One who works by the day; — usually applied to a farm laborer, or to a workman who does not work at any particular trade. Goldsmith.
DAYLIGHTDay"light`, n.
1. The light of day as opposed to the darkness of night; the light of the sun, as opposed to that of the moon or to artificial light.
2. pl.
Defn: The eyes. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
DAY LILY Day" lil`y. (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants (Hemerocallis) closely resembling true lilies, but having tuberous rootstocks instead of bulbs. The common species have long narrow leaves and either yellow or tawny-orange flowers. (b) A genus of plants (Funkia) differing from the last in having ovate veiny leaves, and large white or blue flowers.
DAYMAIDDay"maid`, n.
Defn: A dairymaid. [Obs.]
DAYMAREDay"mare`, n. Etym: [Day + mare incubus.] (Med.)
Defn: A kind of incubus which occurs during wakefulness, attended by the peculiar pressure on the chest which characterizes nightmare. Dunglison.
DAY-NETDay"-net`, n.
Defn: A net for catching small birds.
DAY-PEEPDay"-peep`, n.
Defn: The dawn. [Poetic] Milton.
DAYSMANDays"man, n. Etym: [From day in the sense of day fixed for trial.]
Defn: An umpire or arbiter; a mediator.Neither is there any daysman betwixt us. Job ix. 33.
DAYSPRINGDay"spring, n.
Defn: The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton. The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke i. 78.
DAY-STARDay"-star`, n.
1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day. A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter i. 19.
2. The sun, as the orb of day. [Poetic] So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head, And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore Flames in the forehead of the morning sky. Milton.
DAYTIMEDay"time`, n.
Defn: The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night.
DAYWOMANDay"wom`an, n.
Defn: A dairymaid. [Obs.]
DAZE Daze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dazing.] Etym: [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foolish, insane, AS. dw, dysig, stupid. Dizzy, Doze.]
Defn: To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb. While flashing beams do daze his feeble eyen. Spenser. Such souls, Whose sudden visitations daze the world. Sir H. Taylor. He comes out of the room in a dazed state, that is an odd though a sufficient substitute for interest. Dickens.
DAZEDaze, n.
1. The state of being dazed; as, he was in a daze. [Colloq.]
2. (Mining)
Defn: A glittering stone.
DAZZLEDaz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dazzling.]Etym: [Freq. of daze.]
1. To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance oflight.Those heavenly shapes Will dazzle now the earthly, with their blazeInsufferably bright. Milton.An unreflected light did never yet Dazzle the vision feminine. Sir H.Taylor.
2. To bewilder or surprise with brilliancy or display of any kind. "Dazzled and drove back his enemies." Shak.
DAZZLEDaz"zle, v. i.
1. To be overpoweringly or intensely bright; to excite admiration by brilliancy. Ah, friend! to dazzle, let the vain design. Pope.
2. To be overpowered by light; to be confused by excess of brightness. An overlight maketh the eyes dazzle. Bacon. I dare not trust these eyes; They dance in mists, and dazzle with surprise. Dryden.
DAZZLEDaz"zle, n.
Defn: A light of dazzling brilliancy.
DAZZLEMENTDaz"zle*ment, n.
Defn: Dazzling flash, glare, or burst of light. Donne.
DAZZLINGLYDaz"zling*ly, adv.
Defn: In a dazzling manner.
DE-De-.
Defn: A prefix from Latin de down, from, away; as in debark, decline, decease, deduct, decamp. In words from the French it is equivalent to Latin dis- apart, away; or sometimes to de. Cf. Dis-. It is negative and opposite in derange, deform, destroy, etc. It is intensive in deprave, despoil, declare, desolate, etc.
DEACON Dea"con, n. Etym: [OE. diakne, deakne, deken, AS. diacon, deacon, L. diaconus, fr. Gr. dean.]
1. (Eccl.)
Defn: An officer in Christian churches appointed to perform certain subordinate duties varying in different communions. In the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, a person admitted to the lowest order in the ministry, subordinate to the bishops and priests. In Presbyterian churches, he is subordinate to the minister and elders, and has charge of certain duties connected with the communion service and the care of the poor. In Congregational churches, he is subordinate to the pastor, and has duties as in the Presbyterian church.
2. The chairman of an incorporated company. [Scot.]
DEACONDea"con, v. t.
Defn: To read aloud each line of (a psalm or hymn) before singing it, — usually with off. [Colloq. New. Eng.] See Line, v. t.
Note: The expression is derived from a former custom in the Congregational churches of New England. It was part of the office of a deacon to read aloud the psalm given out, one line at a time, the congregation singing each line as soon as read; — called, also, lining out the psalm.
DEACONESSDea"con*ess, n. (Eccl.)
Defn: A female deacon; as: (a) (Primitive Ch.) One of an order of women whose duties resembled those of deacons. (b) (Ch. of Eng. and Prot. Epis. Ch.)
Defn: A woman set apart for church work by a bishop. (c) A woman chosen as a helper in church work, as among the Congregationalists.
DEACONHOODDea"con*hood, n.
Defn: The state of being a deacon; office of a deacon; deaconship.
DEACONRYDea"con*ry, n.
Defn: See Deaconship.
DEACONSHIPDea"con*ship, n.
Defn: The office or ministry of a deacon or deaconess.
DEAD Dead, a. Etym: [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. deád; akin to OS. d, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dau, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See Die, and cf. Death.]
1. Deprived of life; — opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. "The queen, my lord, is dead." Shak. The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger. Arbuthnot. Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living. Shak.
2. Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter.
3. Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep.
4. Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight.
5. So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor.
6. Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade.
7. Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc.
8. Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall. "The ground is a dead flat." C. Reade.
9. Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty. I had them a dead bargain. Goldsmith.
10. Bringing death; deadly. Shak.
11. Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works. "Dead in trespasses." Eph. ii. 1.
12. (Paint.) (a) Flat; without gloss; — said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect. (b) Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson.
13. (Law)
Defn: Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead.
14. (Mach.)
Defn: Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle. Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; — said of a ship or any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point toward which a vessel would go. — Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. — Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. — Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. — Dead center, or Dead point (Mach.), either of two points in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and connecting rod lie a straight line. It corresponds to the end of a stroke; as, A and B are dead centers of the crank mechanism in which the crank C drives, or is driven by, the lever L. — Dead color (Paint.), a color which has no gloss upon it. — Dead coloring (Oil paint.), the layer of colors, the preparation for what is to follow. In modern painting this is usually in monochrome. — Dead door (Shipbuilding), a storm shutter fitted to the outside of the quarter-gallery door. — Dead flat (Naut.), the widest or midship frame. — Dead freight (Mar. Law), a sum of money paid by a person who charters a whole vessel but fails to make out a full cargo. The payment is made for the unoccupied capacity. Abbott. — Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there is no ore. — Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person civilly dead. "Serfs held in dead hand." Morley. See Mortmain. — Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor buoy. — Dead heat, a heat or course between two or more race horses, boats, etc., in which they come out exactly equal, so that neither wins. — Dead horse, an expression applied to a debt for wages paid in advance. [Law] — Dead language, a language which is no longer spoken or in common use by a people, and is known only in writings, as the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. — Dead letter. (a) A letter which, after lying for a certain fixed time uncalled for at the post office to which it was directed, is then sent to the general post office to be opened. (b) That which has lost its force or authority; as, the law has become a dead letter. — Dead-letter office, a department of the general post office where dead letters are examined and disposed of. — Dead level, a term applied to a flat country. — Dead lift, a direct lift, without assistance from mechanical advantage, as from levers, pulleys, etc.; hence, an extreme emergency. "(As we say) at a dead lift." Robynson (More's Utopia). — Dead line (Mil.), a line drawn within or around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being instantly shot. — Dead load (Civil Engin.), a constant, motionless load, as the weight of a structure, in distinction from a moving load, as a train of cars, or a variable pressure, as of wind. — Dead march (Mus.), a piece of solemn music intended to be played as an accompaniment to a funeral procession. — Dead nettle (Bot.), a harmless plant with leaves like a nettle (Lamium album). — Dead oil (Chem.), the heavy oil obtained in the distillation of coal tar, and containing phenol, naphthalus, etc. — Dead plate (Mach.), a solid covering over a part of a fire grate, to prevent the entrance of air through that part. — Dead pledge, a mortgage. See Mortgage. — Dead point. (Mach.) See Dead center. — Dead reckoning (Naut.), the method of determining the place of a ship from a record kept of the courses sailed as given by compass, and the distance made on each course as found by log, with allowance for leeway, etc., without the aid of celestial observations. — Dead rise, the transverse upward curvature of a vessel's floor. — Dead rising, an elliptical line drawn on the sheer plan to determine the sweep of the floorheads throughout the ship's length. — Dead-Sea apple. See under Apple. — Dead set. See under Set. — Dead shot. (a) An unerring marksman. (b) A shot certain to be made. — Dead smooth, the finest cut made; — said of files. — Dead wall (Arch.), a blank wall unbroken by windows or other openings. — Dead water (Naut.), the eddy water closing in under a ship's stern when sailing. — Dead weight. (a) A heavy or oppressive burden. Dryden. (b) (Shipping) A ship's lading, when it consists of heavy goods; or, the heaviest part of a ship's cargo. (c) (Railroad) The weight of rolling stock, the live weight being the load. Knight. — Dead wind (Naut.), a wind directly ahead, or opposed to the ship's course. — To be dead, to die. [Obs.] I deme thee, thou must algate be dead. Chaucer.
Syn.— Inanimate; deceased; extinct. See Lifeless.
DEADDead, adv.
Defn: To a degree resembling death; to the last degree; completely;wholly. [Colloq.]I was tired of reading, and dead sleepy. Dickens.Dead drunk, so drunk as to be unconscious.
DEADDead, n.
1. The most quiet or deathlike time; the period of profoundest repose, inertness, or gloom; as, the dead of winter. When the drum beat at dead of night. Campbell.
2. One who is dead; — commonly used collectively. And Abraham stood up from before his dead. Gen. xxiii. 3.
DEADDead, v. t.
Defn: To make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigor.[Obs.]Heaven's stern decree, With many an ill, hath numbed and deaded me.Chapman.
DEADDead, v. i.
Defn: To die; to lose life or force. [Obs.]So iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straightway.Bacon.
DEAD BEATDead` beat".
Defn: See Beat, n., 7. [Low, U.S.]
DEADBEATDead"beat`, a. (Physics)
Defn: Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; — said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.
DEADBORNDead"born`, a.
Defn: Stillborn. Pope.
DEADENDead"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deadened; p. pr. & vb. n. Deadening.]Etym: [From Dead; cf. AS. d to kill, put to death. See Dead, a.]
1. To make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt; as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a sound.
As harper lays his open palm Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.Longfellow.
2. To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to deaden a ship's headway.
3. To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine.
4. To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to deaden gilding by a coat of size.
DEADENERDead"en*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, deadens or checks.
DEAD-EYEDead"-eye`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A round, flattish, wooden block, encircled by a rope, or an iron band, and pierced with three holes to receive the lanyard; — used to extend the shrouds and stays, and for other purposes. Called also deadman's eye. Totten.
DEADHEADDead"head`, n.
1. One who receives free tickets for theaters, public conveyances, etc. [Colloq. U. S.]
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A buoy. See under Dead, a.
DEADHEARTED; DEAD-HEARTEDDead"*heart`ed, a.
Defn: Having a dull, faint heart; spiritless; listless.— Dead"*heart`ed*ness, n. Bp. Hall.
DEADHOUSEDead"house`, n.
Defn: A morgue; a place for the temporary reception and exposure of dead bodies.
DEADISHDead"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat dead, dull, or lifeless; deathlike.The lips put on a deadish paleness. A. Stafford.
DEADLATCHDead"latch`, n.
Defn: A kind of latch whose bolt may be so locked by a detent that it can not be opened from the inside by the handle, or from the outside by the latch key. Knight.
DEADLIGHTDead"light`, n. (Naut.)
Defn: A strong shutter, made to fit open ports and keep out water in a storm.
DEADLIHOODDead"li*hood, n.
Defn: State of the dead. [Obs.]
DEADLINESSDead"li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being deadly.
DEADLOCKDead"lock`, n.
1. A lock which is not self-latching, but requires a key to throw the bolt forward.
2. A counteraction of things, which produces an entire stoppage; a complete obstruction of action. Things are at a deadlock. London Times. The Board is much more likely to be at a deadlock of two to two. The Century.
DEADLYDead"ly, a.
1. Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death; as, a deadly blow or wound.
2. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious; as, deadly enemies. Thy assailant is quick, skillful, and deadly. Shak.
3. Subject to death; mortal. [Obs.]The image of a deadly man. Wyclif (Rom. i. 23).Deadly nightshade (Bot.), a poisonous plant; belladonna. See underNightshade.
DEADLYDead"ly, adv.
1. In a manner resembling, or as if produced by, death. "Deadly pale." Shak.
2. In a manner to occasion death; mortally. The groanings of a deadly wounded man. Ezek. xxx. 24.
3. In an implacable manner; destructively.
4. Extremely. [Obs.] "Deadly weary." Orrery. "So deadly cunning a man." Arbuthnot.
DEADNESSDead"ness, n.
Defn: The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness; inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a limb, a body, or a tree; the deadness of an eye; deadness of the affections; the deadness of beer or cider; deadness to the world, and the like.
DEAD-PAYDead"-pay`, n.
Defn: Pay drawn for soldiers, or others, really dead, whose names arekept on the rolls.O you commanders, That, like me, have no dead-pays. Massinger.
DEAD-RECKONINGDead"-reck`on*ing, n. (Naut.)
Defn: See under Dead, a.
DEADSDeads, n. pl. (Mining)
Defn: The substances which inclose the ore on every side.
DEAD-STROKEDead"-stroke`, a. (Mech.)
Defn: Making a stroke without recoil; deadbeat. Dead-stroke hammer (Mach.), a power hammer having a spring interposed between the driving mechanism and the hammer head, or helve, to lessen the recoil of the hammer and reduce the shock upon the mechanism.
DEADWOODDead"wood`, n.