1. (Naut.)
Defn: A mass of timbers built into the bow and stern of a vessel to give solidity.
2. Dead trees or branches; useless material.
DEADWORKSDead"works`, n. pl. (Naut.)
Defn: The parts of a ship above the water when she is laden.
DEAF Deaf, a. Etym: [OE. def, deaf, deef, AS. deáf; akin to D. doof, G. taub, Icel. daufr, Dan. döv, Sw. döf, Goth. daubs, and prob. to E. dumb (the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. to Gr. toben to rage. Cf. Dumb.]
1. Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing; as, a deaf man. Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf. Shak.
2. Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; — with to; as, deaf to reason. O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery! Shak.
3. Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened. Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight. Dryden.
4. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened. [R.] A deaf murmur through the squadron went. Dryden.
5. Decayed; tasteless; dead; as, a deaf nut; deaf corn. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught. Holland. Deaf and dumb, without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. See Deaf-mute.
DEAFDeaf, v. t.
Defn: To deafen. [Obs.] Dryden.
DEAFENDeaf"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deafened; p. pr. & vb. n. Deafening.]Etym: [From Deaf.]
1. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly. Deafened and stunned with their promiscuous cries. Addison.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc.
DEAFENINGDeaf"en*ing, n.
Defn: The act or process of rendering impervious to sound, as a floor or wall; also, the material with which the spaces are filled in this process; pugging.
DEAFLYDeaf"ly, adv.
Defn: Without sense of sounds; obscurely.
DEAFLYDeaf"ly, a.
Defn: Lonely; solitary. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
DEAF-MUTEDeaf"-mute`, n.
Defn: A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation or defect of hearing, has either failed the acquire the power of speech, or has lost it. [See Illust. of Dactylology.] Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by artificial methods, they have been taught to speak imperfectly.
DEAF-MUTISMDeaf"-mut`ism, n.
Defn: The condition of being a deaf-mute.
DEAFNESSDeaf"ness, n.
1. Incapacity of perceiving sounds; the state of the organs which prevents the impression which constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing.
2. Unwillingness to hear; voluntary rejection of what is addressed to the understanding. Nervous deafness, a variety of deafness dependent upon morbid change in some portion of the nervous system, especially the auditory nerve.
DEAL Deal, n. Etym: [OE. del, deel, part, AS. d; akin to OS. d, D. & Dan. deel, G. theil, teil, Icel. deild, Sw. del, Goth. dails. Dole.]
1. A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold. Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour. Num. xv. 9. As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power. M. Arnold. She was resolved to be a good deal more circumspect. W. Black.
Note: It was formerly limited by some, every, never a, a thousand, etc.; as, some deal; but these are now obsolete or vulgar. In general, we now qualify the word with great or good, and often use it adverbially, by being understood; as, a great deal of time and pains; a great (or good) deal better or worse; that is, better by a great deal, or by a great part or difference.
2. The process of dealing cards to the players; also, the portion disturbed. The deal, the shuffle, and the cut. Swift.
3. Distribution; apportionment. [Colloq.]
4. An arrangement to attain a desired result by a combination of interested parties; — applied to stock speculations and political bargains. [Slang]
5. Etym: [Prob. from D. deel a plank, threshing floor. See Thill.]
Defn: The division of a piece of timber made by sawing; a board or plank; particularly, a board or plank of fir or pine above seven inches in width, and exceeding six feet in length. If narrower than this, it is called a batten; if shorter, a deal end.
Note: Whole deal is a general term for planking one and one half inches thick.
6. Wood of the pine or fir; as, a floor of deal. Deal tree, a fir tree. Dr. Prior.
DEAL Deal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dealt; p. pr. & vb. n. Dealing.] Etym: [OE. delen, AS. d, fr. d share; akin to OS. d, D. deelen, G. theilen, teilen, Icel. deila, Sw. dela, Dan. dele, Goth. dailjan. See Deal, n.]
1. To divide; to separate in portions; hence, to give in portions; to distribute; to bestow successively; — sometimes with out. Is not to deal thy bread to the hungry Is. lviii. 7. And Rome deals out her blessings and her gold. Tickell. The nightly mallet deals resounding blows. Gay. Hissing through the skies, the feathery deaths were dealt. Dryden.
2. Specifically: To distribute, as cards, to the players at the commencement of a game; as, to deal the cards; to deal one a jack.
DEALDeal, v. i.
1. To make distribution; to share out in portions, as cards to the players.
2. To do a distributing or retailing business, as distinguished from that of a manufacturer or producer; to traffic; to trade; to do business; as, he deals in flour. They buy and sell, they deal and traffic. South. This is to drive to wholesale trade, when all other petty merchants deal but for parcels. Dr. H. More.
3. To act as an intermediary in business or any affairs; to manage; to make arrangements; — followed by between or with. Sometimes he that deals between man and man, raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either. Bacon.
4. To conduct one's self; to behave or act in any affair or towards any one; to treat. If he will deal clearly and impartially, . . . he will acknowledge all this to be true. Tillotson.
5. To contend (with); to treat (with), by way of opposition, check, or correction; as, he has turbulent passions to deal with. To deal by, to treat, either well or ill; as, to deal well by servants. "Such an one deals not fairly by his own mind." Locke. — To deal in. (a) To have to do with; to be engaged in; to practice; as, they deal in political matters. (b) To buy and sell; to furnish, as a retailer or wholesaler; as, they deal in fish. — To deal with. (a) To treat in any manner; to use, whether well or ill; to have to do with; specifically, to trade with. "Dealing with witches." Shak. (b) To reprove solemnly; to expostulate with. The deacons of his church, who, to use their own phrase, "dealt with him" on the sin of rejecting the aid which Providence so manifestly held out. Hawthorne. Return . . . and I will deal well with thee. Gen. xxxii. 9.
DEALBATEDe*al"bate, v. t. Etym: [L. dealbatus, p. p. of dealbare. See Daub.]
Defn: To whiten. [Obs.] Cockeram.
DEALBATIONDe`al*ba"tion, n. Etym: [L. dealbatio: cf. F. déalbation.]
Defn: Act of bleaching; a whitening. [Obs.]
DEALERDeal"er, n.
1. One who deals; one who has to do, or has concern, with others; esp., a trader, a trafficker, a shopkeeper, a broker, or a merchant; as, a dealer in dry goods; a dealer in stocks; a retail dealer.
2. One who distributes cards to the players.
DEALFISHDeal"fish`, n. Etym: [From deal a long, narrow plank.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A long, thin fish of the arctic seas (Trachypterus arcticus).
DEALINGDeal"ing, n.
Defn: The act of one who deals; distribution of anything, as of cards to the players; method of business; traffic; intercourse; transaction; as, to have dealings with a person. Double dealing, insincere, treacherous dealing; duplicity. — Plain dealing, fair, sincere, honorable dealing; honest, outspoken expression of opinion.
DEALTHDealth, n.
Defn: Share dealt. [Obs.]
DEAMBULATE De*am"bu*late, v. i. Etym: [L. deambulare, deambulatum; de- + ambulare to walk.]
Defn: To walk abroad. [Obs.] Cockeram.
DEAMBULATIONDe*am`bu*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. deambulatio.]
Defn: A walking abroad; a promenading. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
DEAMBULATORYDe*am"bu*la*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. deambulator a traveler.]
Defn: Going about from place to place; wandering; of or pertaining to a deambulatory. [Obs.] "Deambulatory actors." Bp. Morton.
DEAMBULATORYDe*am"bu*la*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. deambulatorium.]
Defn: A covered place in which to walk; an ambulatory.
DEAN Dean, n. Etym: [OE. dene, deene, OF. deien, dien, F. doyen, eldest of a corporation, a dean, L. decanus the chief of ten, one set over ten persons, e. g., over soldiers or over monks, from decem ten. See Ten, and cf. Decemvir.]
1. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical and lay bodies; esp., an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop. Dean of cathedral church, the chief officer of a chapter; he is an ecclesiastical magistrate next in degree to bishop, and has immediate charge of the cathedral and its estates. — Dean of peculiars, a dean holding a preferment which has some peculiarity relative to spiritual superiors and the jurisdiction exercised in it. [Eng.] — Rural dean, one having, under the bishop, the especial care and inspection of the clergy within certain parishes or districts of the diocese.
2. The collegiate officer in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England, who, besides other duties, has regard to the moral condition of the college. Shipley.
3. The head or presiding officer in the faculty of some colleges or universities.
4. A registrar or secretary of the faculty in a department of a college, as in a medical, or theological, or scientific department. [U.S.]
5. The chief or senior of a company on occasion of ceremony; as, the dean of the diplomatic corps; — so called by courtesy. Cardinal dean, the senior cardinal bishop of the college of cardinals at Rome. Shipley. — Dean and chapter, the legal corporation and governing body of a cathedral. It consists of the dean, who is chief, and his canons or prebendaries. — Dean of arches, the lay judge of the court of arches. — Dean of faculty, the president of an incorporation or barristers; specifically, the president of the incorporation of advocates in Edinburgh. — Dean of guild, a magistrate of Scotch burghs, formerly, and still, in some burghs, chosen by the Guildry, whose duty is to superintend the erection of new buildings and see that they conform to the law. — Dean of a monastery, Monastic dean, a monastic superior over ten monks. — Dean's stall. See Decanal stall, under Decanal.
DEANERYDean"er*y, n.; pl. Deaneries (.
1. The office or the revenue of a dean. See the Note under Benefice, n., 3.
2. The residence of a dean. Shak.
3. The territorial jurisdiction of a dean. Each archdeaconry is divided into rural deaneries, and each deanery is divided into parishes. Blackstone.
DEANSHIPDean"ship, n.
Defn: The office of a dean.I dont't value your deanship a straw. Swift.
DEARDear, a. [Compar. Dearer; superl. Dearest.] Etym: [OE. dere, deore,AS. deóre; akin to OS. diuri, D. duur, OHG. tiuri, G. theuer, teuer,Icel. d, Dan. & Sw. dyr. Cf. Darling, Dearth.]
1. Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive. The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. Shak.
2. Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.
3. Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious. "Hear me,dear lady." Shak.Neither count I my life dear unto myself. Acts xx. 24.And the last joy was dearer than the rest. Pope.Dear as remember'd kisses after death. Tennyson.
4. Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention. (a) Of agreeable things and interests. [I'll] leave you to attend him: some dear cause Will in concealment wrap me up awhile. Shak. His dearest wish was to escape from the bustle and glitter of Whitehall. Macaulay. (b) Of disagreeable things and antipathies. In our dear peril. Shak. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven Or ever I had seen that day. Shak.
DEARDear, n.
Defn: A dear one; lover; sweetheart.That kiss I carried from thee, dear. Shak.
DEARDear, adv.
Defn: Dearly; at a high price.If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear. Shak.
DEARDear, v. t.
Defn: To endear. [Obs.] Shelton.
DEARBORNDear"born, n.
Defn: A four-wheeled carriage, with curtained sides.
DEAR-BOUGHTDear"-bought`, a.
Defn: Bought at a high price; as, dear-bought experience.
DEAREDeare,
Defn: variant of Dere, v. t. & n. [Obs.]
DEARIEDear"ie, n.
Defn: Same as Deary. Dickens.
DEARLINGDear"ling, n.
Defn: A darling. [Obs.] Spenser.
DEAR-LOVEDDear"-loved`, a.
Defn: Greatly beloved. Shak.
DEARLYDear"ly, adv.
1. In a dear manner; with affection; heartily; earnestly; as, to love one dearly.
2. At a high rate or price; grievously. He buys his mistress dearly with his throne. Dryden.
3. Exquisitely. [Obs.] Shak.
DEARNDearn, a. Etym: [AS. derne, dyrne, dierne, hidden, secret. Cf.Derne.]
Defn: Secret; lonely; solitary; dreadful. [Obs.] Shak.— Dearn"ly, adv. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DEARNDearn, v. t.
Defn: Same as Darn. [Obs.]
DEARNESSDear"ness, n.
1. The quality or state of being dear; costliness; excess of price. The dearness of corn. Swift.
2. Fondness; preciousness; love; tenderness. The dearness of friendship. Bacon.
DEARTHDearth, n. Etym: [OE. derthe, fr. dere. See Dear.]
Defn: Scarcity which renders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack offood on account of failure of crops; famine.There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt. Acts vii. 11.He with her press'd, she faint with dearth. Shak.Dearth of plot, and narrowness of imagination. Dryden.
DEARTICULATEDe`ar*tic"u*late, v. t.
Defn: To disjoint.
DEARWORTHDear"worth`, a. Etym: [See Derworth.]
Defn: Precious. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
DEARYDear"y, n.
Defn: A dear; a darling. [Familiar]
DEASDe"as, n.
Defn: See Dais. [Scot.]
DEATH Death, n. Etym: [OE. deth, dea, AS. deá; akin to OS. d, D. dood, G. tod, Icel. dau, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daupus; from a verb meaning to die. See Die, v. i., and cf. Dead.]
1. The cessation of all vital phenomena without capability of resuscitation, either in animals or plants.
Note: Local death is going on at times and in all parts of the living body, in which individual cells and elements are being cast off and replaced by new; a process essential to life. General death is of two kinds; death of the body as a whole (somatic or systemic death), and death of the tissues. By the former is implied the absolute cessation of the functions of the brain, the circulatory and the respiratory organs; by the latter the entire disappearance of the vital actions of the ultimate structural constituents of the body. When death takes place, the body as a whole dies first, the death of the tissues sometimes not occurring until after a considerable interval. Huxley.
2. Total privation or loss; extinction; cessation; as, the death of memory. The death of a language can not be exactly compared with the death of a plant. J. Peile.
3. Manner of dying; act or state of passing from life. A death that I abhor. Shak. Let me die the death of the righteous. Num. xxiii. 10.
4. Cause of loss of life. Swiftly flies the feathered death. Dryden. He caught his death the last county sessions. Addison.
5. Personified: The destroyer of life, — conventionally represented as a skeleton with a scythe. Death! great proprietor of all. Young. And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that at on him was Death. Rev. vi. 8.
6. Danger of death. "In deaths oft." 2 Cor. xi. 23.
7. Murder; murderous character. Not to suffer a man of death to live. Bacon.
8. (Theol.)
Defn: Loss of spiritual life.To be death. Rom. viii. 6.
9. Anything so dreadful as to be like death.It was death to them to think of entertaining such doctrines.Atterbury.And urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death. Judg. xvi. 16.
Note: Death is much used adjectively and as the first part of a compound, meaning, in general, of or pertaining to death, causing or presaging death; as, deathbed or death bed; deathblow or death blow, etc. Black death. See Black death, in the Vocabulary. — Civil death, the separation of a man from civil society, or the debarring him from the enjoyment of civil rights, as by banishment, attainder, abjuration of the realm, entering a monastery, etc. Blackstone. — Death adder. (Zoöl.) (a) A kind of viper found in South Africa (Acanthophis tortor); — so called from the virulence of its venom. (b) A venomous Australian snake of the family Elapidæ, of several species, as the Hoplocephalus superbus and Acanthopis antarctica. — Death bell, a bell that announces a death. The death bell thrice was heard to ring. Mickle. — Death candle, a light like that of a candle, viewed by the superstitious as presaging death. — Death damp, a cold sweat at the coming on of death. — Death fire, a kind of ignis fatuus supposed to forebode death. And round about in reel and rout, The death fires danced at night. Coleridge. — Death grapple, a grapple or struggle for life. — Death in life, a condition but little removed from death; a living death. [Poetic] "Lay lingering out a five years' death in life." Tennyson. — Death knell, a stroke or tolling of a bell, announcing a death. — Death rate, the relation or ratio of the number of deaths to the population. At all ages the death rate is higher in towns than in rural districts. Darwin. — Death rattle, a rattling or gurgling in the throat of a dying person. — Death's door, the boundary of life; the partition dividing life from death. — Death stroke, a stroke causing death. — Death throe, the spasm of death. — Death token, the signal of approaching death. — Death warrant. (a) (Law) An order from the proper authority for the execution of a criminal. (b) That which puts an end to expectation, hope, or joy. — Death wound. (a) A fatal wound or injury. (b) (Naut.) The springing of a fatal leak. — Spiritual death (Scripture), the corruption and perversion of the soul by sin, with the loss of the favor of God. — The gates of death, the grave. Have the gates of death been opened unto thee Job xxxviii. 17. — The second death, condemnation to eternal separation from God. Rev. ii. 11. — To be the death of, to be the cause of death to; to make die. "It was one who should be the death of both his parents." Milton.
Syn. — Death, Decrase, Departure, Release. Death applies to the termination of every form of existence, both animal and vegetable; the other words only to the human race. Decease is the term used in law for the removal of a human being out of life in the ordinary course of nature. Demise was formerly confined to decease of princes, but is now sometimes used of distinguished men in general; as, the demise of Mr. Pitt. Departure and release are peculiarly terms of Christian affection and hope. A violent death is not usually called a decease. Departure implies a friendly taking leave of life. Release implies a deliverance from a life of suffering or sorrow.
DEATHBEDDeath"bed, n.
Defn: The bed in which a person dies; hence, the closing hours of life of one who dies by sickness or the like; the last sickness. That often-quoted passage from Lord Hervey in which the Queen's deathbed is described. Thackeray.
DEATHBIRDDeath"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Tengmalm's or Richardson's owl (Nyctale Tengmalmi); — so called from a superstition of the North American Indians that its note presages death.
DEATHBLOWDeath"blow`, n.
Defn: A mortal or crushing blow; a stroke or event which kills ordestroys.The deathblow of my hope. Byron.
DEATHFULDeath"ful, a.
1. Full of death or slaughter; murderous; destructive; bloody. These eyes behold The deathful scene. Pope.
2. Liable to undergo death; mortal. The deathless gods and deathful earth. Chapman.
DEATHFULNESSDeath"ful*ness, n.
Defn: Appearance of death. Jer. Taylor.
DEATHLESSDeath"less, a.
Defn: Not subject to death, destruction, or extinction; immortal; undying; imperishable; as, deathless beings; deathless fame.
DEATHLIKEDeath"like`, a.
1. Resembling death. A deathlike slumber, and a dead repose. Pope.
2. Deadly. [Obs.] "Deathlike dragons." Shak.
DEATHLINESSDeath"li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being deathly; deadliness. Southey.
DEATHLYDeath"ly, a.
Defn: Deadly; fatal; mortal; destructive.
DEATHLYDeath"ly, adv.
Defn: Deadly; as, deathly pale or sick.
DEATH'S-HEADDeath's"-head`, n.
Defn: A naked human skull as the emblem of death; the head of the conventional personification of death. I had rather be married to a death's-head with a bone in his mouth. Shak. Death's-head moth (Zoöl.), a very large European moth (Acherontia atropos), so called from a figure resembling a human skull on the back of the thorax; — called also death's-head sphinx.
DEATH'S-HERBDeath's"-herb`, n.
Defn: The deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). Dr. Prior.
DEATHSMANDeaths"man, n.
Defn: An executioner; a headsman or hangman. [Obs.] Shak.
DEATHWARDDeath"ward, adv.
Defn: Toward death.
DEATHWATCHDeath"watch` (; 224), n.
1. (Zoöl.) (a) A small beetle (Anobium tessellatum and other allied species). By forcibly striking its head against woodwork it makes a ticking sound, which is a call of the sexes to each other, but has been imagined by superstitious people to presage death. (b) A small wingless insect, of the family Psocidæ, which makes a similar but fainter sound; — called also deathtick. She is always seeing apparitions and hearing deathwatches. Addison. I did not hear the dog howl, mother, or the deathwatch beat. Tennyson.
2. The guard set over a criminal before his execution.
DEAURATE De*au"rate, a. Etym: [L. deauratus, p. p. of deaurare to gild; de- + aurum gold.]
Defn: Gilded. [Obs.]
DEAURATEDe*au"rate, v. t.
Defn: To gild. [Obs.] Bailey.
DEAURATIONDe`au*ra"tion, n.
Defn: Act of gilding. [Obs.]
DEAVEDeave, v. t. Etym: [See Deafen.]
Defn: To stun or stupefy with noise; to deafen. [Scot.]
DEBACCHATE De*bac"chate, v. i. Etym: [L. debacchatus, p. p. of debacchari to rage; de- + bacchari to rage like a bacchant.]
Defn: To rave as a bacchanal. [R.] Cockeram.
DEBACCHATIONDe`bac*cha"tion, n. Etym: [L. debacchatio.]
Defn: Wild raving or debauchery. [R.] Prynne.
DEBACLEDe*ba"cle, n. Etym: [F. débâcle, fr. débâcler to unbar, break loose;pref. dé- (prob. = L. dis) + bâcler to bolt, fr. L. baculum a stick.](Geol.)
Defn: A breaking or bursting forth; a violent rush or flood of waters which breaks down opposing barriers, and hurls forward and disperses blocks of stone and other débris.
DEBARDe*bar", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debarred; p. pr. & vb. n. Debarring.]Etym: [Pref. de- + bar.]
Defn: To cut off from entrance, as if by a bar or barrier; to preclude; to hinder from approach, entry, or enjoyment; to shut out or exclude; to deny or refuse; — with from, and sometimes with of. Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed Labor, as to debar us when we need Refreshment. Milton. Their wages were so low as to debar them, not only from the comforts but from the common decencies of civilized life. Buckle.
DEBARBDe*barb", v. t. Etym: [Pref. de- + L. barba beard.]
Defn: To deprive of the beard. [Obs.] Bailey.
DEBARKDe"bark", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Debarked; p. pr. & vb. n.Debarking.] Etym: [F. débarquer; pref. dé- (L. dis-) + barque. SeeBark the vessel, and cf. Disbark.]
Defn: To go ashore from a ship or boat; to disembark; to put ashore.
DEBARKATIONDe`bar*ka"tion, n.
Defn: Disembarkation.The debarkation, therefore, had to take place by small steamers. U.S. Grant.
DEBARMENTDe*bar"ment, n.
Defn: Hindrance from approach; exclusion.
DEBARRASSDe*bar"rass, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. débarrasser. See Embarrass.]
Defn: To disembarrass; to relieve. [R.]
DEBASEDe*base", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debased; p. pr. & vb. n. Debasing.]Etym: [Pref. de- + base. See Base, a., and cf. Abase.]
Defn: To reduce from a higher to a lower state or grade of worth, dignity, purity, station, etc.; to degrade; to lower; to deteriorate; to abase; as, to debase the character by crime; to debase the mind by frivolity; to debase style by vulgar words. The coin which was adulterated and debased. Hale. It is a kind of taking God's name in vain to debase religion with such frivolous disputes. Hooker. And to debase the sons, exalts the sires. Pope.
Syn.— To abase; degrade. See Abase.
DEBASEDDe*based", a. (Her.)
Defn: Turned upside down from its proper position; inverted; reversed.
DEBASEMENTDe*base"ment, n.
Defn: The act of debasing or the state of being debased. Milton.
DEBASERDe*bas"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, debases.
DEBASINGLYDe*bas"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a manner to debase.
DEBATABLEDe*bat"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. debatable. See Debate.]
Defn: Liable to be debated; disputable; subject to controversy orcontention; open to question or dispute; as, a debatable question.The Debatable Land or Ground, a tract of land between the Esk and theSark, claimed by both England and Scotland; the Batable Ground.
DEBATEDe*bate", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debated; p. pr. & vb. n. Debating.]Etym: [OF. debatre, F. débattre; L. de + batuere to beat. See Batter,v. t., and cf. Abate.]
1. To engage in combat for; to strive for. Volunteers . . . thronged to serve under his banner, and the cause of religion was debated with the same ardor in Spain as on the plains of Palestine. Prescott.
2. To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against. A wise council . . . that did debate this business. Shak. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself. Prov. xxv. 9.
Syn.— To argue; discuss; dispute; controvert. See Argue, and Discuss.
DEBATEDe*bate", v. i.
1. To engage in strife or combat; to fight. [Obs.] Chaucer. Well could he tourney and in lists debate. Spenser.
2. To contend in words; to dispute; hence, to deliberate; to consider; to discuss or examine different arguments in the mind; — often followed by on or upon. He presents that great soul debating upon the subject of life and death with his intimate friends. Tatler.
DEBATEDe*bate", n. Etym: [F. débat, fr. débattre. See Debate, v. t.]
1. A fight or fighting; contest; strife. [Archaic] On the day of the Trinity next ensuing was a great debate . . . and in that murder there were slain . . . fourscore. R. of Gloucester. But question fierce and proud reply Gave signal soon of dire debate. Sir W. Scott.
2. Contention in words or arguments; discussion for the purpose of elucidating truth or influencing action; strife in argument; controversy; as, the debates in Parliament or in Congress. Heard, noted, answer'd, as in full debate. Pope.
3. Subject of discussion. [R.] Statutes and edicts concerning this debate. Milton.
DEBATEFULDe*bate"ful, a.
Defn: Full of contention; contentious; quarrelsome. [Obs.] Spenser.
DEBATEFULLYDe*bate"ful*ly, adv.
Defn: With contention. [Obs.]
DEBATEMENTDe*bate"ment, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. debatement a beating.]
Defn: Controversy; deliberation; debate. [R.]A serious question and debatement with myself. Milton.
DEBATERDe*bat"er, n.
Defn: One who debates; one given to argument; a disputant; acontrovertist.Debate where leisure serves with dull debaters. Shak.
DEBATINGDe*bat"ing, n.
Defn: The act of discussing or arguing; discussion. Debating society or club, a society or club for the purpose of debate and improvement in extemporaneous speaking.
DEBATINGLYDe*bat"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of a debate.
DEBAUCH De*bauch", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Debauched; p. pr. & vb. n. Debauching.] Etym: [F. débaucher, prob. originally, to entice away from the workshop; pref. dé- (L. dis- or de) + OF. bauche, bauge, hut, cf. F. bauge lair of a wild boar; prob. from G. or Icel., cf. Icel. balkr. See Balk, n.]
Defn: To lead away from purity or excellence; to corrupt in character or principles; to mar; to vitiate; to pollute; to seduce; as, to debauch one's self by intemperance; to debauch a woman; to debauch an army. Learning not debauched by ambition. Burke. A man must have got his conscience thoroughly debauched and hardened before he can arrive to the height of sin. South. Her pride debauched her judgment and her eyes. Cowley.
DEBAUCHDe*bauch", n. Etym: [Cf. F. débauche.]
1. Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; drunkenness; lewdness; debauchery. The first physicians by debauch were made. Dryden.
2. An act or occasion of debauchery. Silenus, from his night's debauch, Fatigued and sick. Cowley.
DEBAUCHEDDe*bauched", a.
Defn: Dissolute; dissipated. "A coarse and debauched look." Ld.Lytton.
DEBAUCHEDLYDe*bauch"ed*ly, adv.
Defn: In a profligate manner.
DEBAUCHEDNESSDe*bauch"ed*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being debauched; intemperance. Bp. Hall.
DEBAUCHEEDeb`au*chee", n. Etym: [F. dé, n., properly p. p. of débaucher. SeeDebauch, v. t.]
Defn: One who is given to intemperance or bacchanalian excesses; a man habitually lewd; a libertine.
DEBAUCHERDe*bauch"er, n.
Defn: One who debauches or corrupts others; especially, a seducer to lewdness.
DEBAUCHERYDe*bauch"er*y, n.; pl. Debaucheries (.
1. Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance. The republic of Paris will endeavor to complete the debauchery of the army. Burke.
2. Excessive indulgence of the appetites; especially, excessive indulgence of lust; intemperance; sensuality; habitual lewdness. Oppose . . . debauchery by temperance. Sprat.
DEBAUCHMENTDe*bauch"ment, n.
Defn: The act of corrupting; the act of seducing from virtue or duty.
DEBAUCHNESSDe*bauch"ness, n.
Defn: Debauchedness. [Obs.]
DEBEIGEDe*beige", n. Etym: [F. de of + beige the natural color of wool.]
Defn: A kind of woolen or mixed dress goods. [Written also debage.]
DEBELDe*bel", v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. débeller. See Debellate.]
Defn: To conquer. [Obs.] Milton.
DEBELLATE De*bel"late, v. t. Etym: [L. debellatus, p. p. of debellare to subdue; de- + bellum war.]
Defn: To subdue; to conquer in war. [Obs.] Speed.
DEBELLATIONDeb`el*la"tion, n. Etym: [LL. debellatio.]
Defn: The act of conquering or subduing. [Obs.]
DE BENE ESSEDe be"ne es"se. Etym: [L.] (Law)
Defn: Of well being; of formal sufficiency for the time; conditionally; provisionally. Abbott.
DEBENTURE De*ben"ture, n. Etym: [L. debentur they are due, fr. debere to owe; cf. F. debentur. So called because these receipts began with the words Debentur mihi.]
1. A writing acknowledging a debt; a writing or certificate signed by a public officer, as evidence of a debt due to some person; the sum thus due.
2. A customhouse certificate entitling an exporter of imported goods to a drawback of duties paid on their importation. Burrill.
Note: It is applied in England to deeds of mortgage given by railway companies for borrowed money; also to municipal and other bonds and securities for money loaned.
DEBENTUREDDe*ben"tured, a.
Defn: Entitled to drawback or debenture; as, debentured goods.
DEBENTURE STOCKDebenture stock. (Finance)
Defn: The debt or series of debts, collectively, represented by a series of debentures; a debt secured by a trust deed of property for the benefit of the holders of shares in the debt or of a series of debentures. By the terms of much debenture stock the holders are not entitled to demand payment until the winding up of the company or default in payment; in the winding up of the company or default in payment; in the case of railway debentures, they cannot demand payment of the principal, and the debtor company cannot redeem the stock, except by authority of an act of Parliament. [Eng.]
DEBILEDeb"ile, a. Etym: [L. debilis: cf. F. débile. See Debility.]
Defn: Weak. [Obs.] Shak.
DEBILITANTDe*bil"i*tant, a. Etym: [L. debilitants, p. pr.] (Med.)
Defn: Diminishing the energy of organs; reducing excitement; as, a debilitant drug.
DEBILITATEDe*bil"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debilitated; p. pr. & vb. n.Debilitating.] Etym: [L. debilitatus, p. p. of debilitare todebilitate, fr. debilis. See Debility.]
Defn: To impair the strength of; to weaken; to enfeeble; as, to debilitate the body by intemperance. Various ails debilitate the mind. Jenyns. The debilitated frame of Mr. Bertram was exhausted by this last effort. Sir W. Scott.
DEBILITATIONDe*bil`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. debilitatio: cf. F. débilitation.]
Defn: The act or process of debilitating, or the condition of one who is debilitated; weakness.
DEBILITY De*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. debilitas, fr. debilis weak, prob. fr. de- + habilis able: cf. F. débilité. See Able, a.]
Defn: The state of being weak; weakness; feebleness; languor. The inconveniences of too strong a perspiration, which are debility, faintness, and sometimes sudden death. Arbuthnot.
Syn. — Debility, Infirmity, Imbecility. An infirmity belongs, for the most part, to particular members, and is often temporary, as of the eyes, etc. Debility is more general, and while it lasts impairs the ordinary functions of nature. Imbecility attaches to the whole frame, and renders it more or less powerless. Debility may be constitutional or may be the result or superinduced causes; Imbecility is always constitutional; infirmity is accidental, and results from sickness or a decay of the frame. These words, in their figurative uses, have the same distinctions; we speak of infirmity of will, debility of body, and an Imbecility which affects the whole man; but Imbecility is often used with specific reference to feebleness of mind.
DEBIT Deb"it, n. Etym: [L. debitum what is due, debt, from debere to owe: cf. F. débit. See Debt.]
Defn: A debt; an entry on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; — mostly used adjectively; as, the debit side of an account.
DEBITDeb"it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debited; p. pr. & vb. n. Debiting.]
1. To charge with debt; — the opposite of, and correlative to, credit; as, to debit a purchaser for the goods sold.
2. (Bookkeeping)
Defn: To enter on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; as, to debit the amount of goods sold.
DEBITORDeb"it*or, n. Etym: [L. See Debtor.]
Defn: A debtor. [Obs.] Shak.
DEBITUMINIZATIONDe`bi*tu`mi*ni*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of depriving of bitumen.
DEBITUMINIZEDe`bi*tu"mi*nize, v. t.
Defn: To deprive of bitumen.
DEBLAIDé`blai", n. Etym: [F.] (Fort.)
Defn: The cavity from which the earth for parapets, etc. (remblai), is taken.
DEBONAIR Deb`o*nair", a. Etym: [OE. debonere, OF. de bon aire, debonaire, of good descent or lineage, excellent, debonair, F. débonnaire debonair; de of (L. de) + bon good (L. bonus) + aire. See Air, and Bounty, and cf. Bonair.]
Defn: Characterized by courteousness, affability, or gentleness; of good appearance and manners; graceful; complaisant. Was never prince so meek and debonair. Spenser.
DEBONAIRITYDeb`o*nair"i*ty, n. Etym: [OF. debonaireté, F. débonnaireté.]
Defn: Debonairness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
DEBONAIRLYDeb`o*nair"ly, adv.
Defn: Courteously; elegantly.
DEBONAIRNESSDeb`o*nair"ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being debonair; good humor; gentleness; courtesy. Sterne.
DEBOSHDe*bosh", v. t. Etym: [Old form of debauch.]
Defn: To debauch. [Obs.] "A deboshed lady." Beau. & Fl.
DEBOSHMENTDe*bosh"ment, n.
Defn: Debauchment. [Obs.]
DEBOUCHDe*bouch", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Debouched; p. pr. & vb. n.Debouching.] Etym: [F. déboucher; pref. dé- (L. dis- or de) + boucherto stop up, fr. bouche mouth, fr. L. bucca the cheek. Cf.Disembogue.]
Defn: To march out from a wood, defile, or other confined spot, intoopen ground; to issue.Battalions debouching on the plain. Prescott.
DEBOUCHEDé`bou`ché", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A place for exit; an outlet; hence, a market for goods.The débouchés were ordered widened to afford easy egress. TheCentury.
DEBOUCHUREDé`bou`chure", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: The outward opening of a river, of a valley, or of a strait.
DEBRIS Dé`bris", n. Etym: [F., fr. pref. dé- (L. dis) + briser to break, shatter; perh. of Celtic origin.]
1. (Geol.)
Defn: Broken and detached fragments, taken collectively; especially, fragments detached from a rock or mountain, and piled up at the base.
2. Rubbish, especially such as results from the destruction of anything; remains; ruins.
DEBRUISEDDe*bruised", a. Etym: [Cf. OF. debruisier to shatter, break. Cf.Bruise.] (Her.)
Defn: Surmounted by an ordinary; as, a lion is debruised when a bend or other ordinary is placed over it, as in the cut. The lion of England and the lilies of France without the baton sinister, under which, according to the laws of heraldry, they where debruised in token of his illegitimate birth. Macaulay.
DEBTDebt, n. Etym: [OE. dette, F. dette, LL. debita, fr. L. debitus owed,p. p. of debere to owe, prop., to have on loan; de- + habere to have.See Habit, and cf. Debit, Due.]
1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay to another, or to perform for his benefit; thing owed; obligation; liability. Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt. Shak. When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty. Franklin.
2. A duty neglected or violated; a fault; a sin; a trespass. "Forgive us our debts." Matt. vi. 12.
3. (Law)
Defn: An action at law to recover a certain specified sum of moneyalleged to be due. Burrill. Bond debt, Book debt, etc. See underBond, Book, etc.— Debt of nature, death.
DEBTEDDebt"ed, p. a.
Defn: Indebted; obliged to. [R.]I stand debted to this gentleman. Shak.
DEBTEEDebt*ee", n. (Law)
Defn: One to whom a debt is due; creditor; — correlative to debtor.Blackstone.
DEBTLESSDebt"less, a.
Defn: Free from debt. Chaucer.
DEBTOR Debt"or, n. Etym: [OE. dettur, dettour, OF. detor, detur, detour, F. débiteur, fr. L. debitor, fr. debere to owe. See Debt.]
Defn: One who owes a debt; one who is indebted; — correlative tocreditor.[I 'll] bring your latter hazard back again, And thankfully restdebtor for the first. Shak.In Athens an insolvent debtor became slave to his creditor. Mitford.Debtors for our lives to you. Tennyson.
DEBULLIATEDe*bul"li*ate, v. i. Etym: [Pref. dé- + L. bullire to boil.]
Defn: To boil over. [Obs.]
DEBULLITIONDeb`ul*li"tion, n. Etym: [See Debulliate.]
Defn: A bubbling or boiling over. [Obs.] Bailey.
DEBURSEDe*burse", v. t. & i. Etym: [Pref. de + L. bursa purse.]
Defn: To disburse. [Obs.] Ludlow.
DEBUSCOPE De"bu*scope, n. Etym: [From the inventor, Debus, a French optician + -scope.] (Opt.)
Defn: A modification of the kaleidoscope; — used to reflect images so as to form beautiful designs.
DEBUT Dé`but", n. Etym: [F. début, prop., the first cast or throw at play, fr. but aim, mark. See Butt an end.]
Defn: A beginning or first attempt; hence, a first appearance before the public, as of an actor or public speaker.
DEBUTANT; DEBUTANTE De`bu`tant", n.; fem. De`bu`tante" (. Etym: [F., p. pr. of débuter to have the first throw, to make one's début. See Début.]
Defn: A person who makes his (or her) first appearance before the public.
DECA-Dec"a-. Etym: [Cf. Ten.]
Defn: A prefix, from Gr. de`ka, signifying ten; specifically (Metric System), a prefix signifying the weight or measure that is ten times the principal unit.
DECACERATA De*cac`e*ra"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. de`ka ten + ke`ras a horn.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; — called also Decapoda. [Written also Decacera.] See Dibranchiata.
DECACHORD; DECACHORDON Dec"a*chord, Dec`a*chor"don, n. Etym: [Gr. deka`chordos tenstringed; de`ka ten + chordj` a string.]
1. An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp.
2. Something consisting of ten parts. W. Watson.
DECACUMINATEDDec`a*cu"mi*na`ted, a. Etym: [L. decacuminare to cut off the top. SeeCacuminate.]
Defn: Having the point or top cut off. [Obs.] Bailey.
DECADDec"ad, n.
Defn: A decade.Averill was a decad and a half his elder. Tennyson.
DECADALDec"a*dal, a.
Defn: Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.
DECADEDec"ade, n. Etym: [F. décade, L. decas, -adis, fr. Gr. Ten.]
Defn: A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [Written also decad.] During this notable decade of years. Gladstone.
DECADENCE; DECADENCY De*ca"dence, De*ca"den*cy, n. Etym: [LL. decadentia; L. de- + cadere to fall: cf. F. décadence. See Decay.]
Defn: A falling away; decay; deterioration; declension. "The old castle, where the family lived in their decadence.' Sir W. Scott.
DECADENTDe*ca"dent, a.
Defn: Decaying; deteriorating.
DECADISTDec"a*dist, n.
Defn: A writer of a book divided into decades; as, Livy was a decadist. [R.]
DECAGONDec"a*gon, n. Etym: [Pref. deca- + Gr. décagone.] (Geom.)
Defn: A plane figure having ten sides and ten angles; any figure having ten angles. A regular decagon is one that has all its sides and angles equal.
DECAGONALDe*cag"o*nal, a.
Defn: Pertaining to a decagon; having ten sides.
DECAGRAM; DECAGRAMMEDec"a*gram, Dec"a*gramme, n. Etym: [F. décagramme; Gr. gramme. SeeGram.]
Defn: A weight of the metric system; ten grams, equal to about 154.32 grains avoirdupois.
DECAGYNIADec`a*gyn"i*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan order of plants characterized by having ten styles.
DECAGYNIAN; DECCAGYNOUSDec`a*gyn"i*an, Dec*cag"y*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. décagyne.] (Bot.)
Defn: Belonging to the Decagynia; having ten styles.
DECAHEDRALDec`a*he"dral, a.
Defn: Having ten sides.
DECAHEDRON Dec`a*he"dron, n.; pl. E. Decahedrons, L. Decahedra. Etym: [Pref. deca- + Gr. 'e`dra a seat, a base, fr. 'e`zesthai to sit: cf. F. décaèdre.] (Geom.)
Defn: A solid figure or body inclosed by ten plane surfaces. [Written also, less correctly, decaedron.]
DECALCIFICATIONDe*cal`ci*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The removal of calcareous matter.
DECALCIFYDe*cal"ci*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decalcified; p. pr. & vb. n.Decalcifying.]
Defn: To deprive of calcareous matter; thus, to decalcify bones is to remove the stony part, and leave only the gelatin.
DECALCOMANIA; DECALCOMANIEDe*cal`co*ma"ni*a, De*cal`co*ma"nie, n. Etym: [F. décalcomanie.]
Defn: The art or process of transferring pictures and designs to china, glass, marble, etc., and permanently fixing them thereto.
DECALITER; DECALITREDec"a*li`ter, Dec"a*li`tre, n. Etym: [F. décalitre; Gr. litre. SeeLiter.]
Defn: A measure of capacity in the metric system; a cubic volume of ten liters, equal to about 610.24 cubic inches, that is, 2.642 wine gallons.
DECALOGDec"a*log, n.
Defn: Decalogue.
DECALOGISTDe*cal"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who explains the decalogue. J. Gregory.
DECALOGUEDec"a*logue, n. Etym: [F. décalogue, L. decalogus, fr. Gr. Ten.]
Defn: The Ten Commandments or precepts given by God to Moses on MountSinai, and originally written on two tables of stone.
DECAMERONDe*cam"e*ron, n. Etym: [It. decamerone, fr. Gr. décaméron.]
Defn: A celebrated collection of tales, supposed to be related in ten days; — written in the 14th century, by Boccaccio, an Italian.
DECAMETER; DECAMETREDec"a*me`ter, Dec"a*me`tre, n. Etym: [F. décamètre; Gr. mètre. SeeMeter.]
Defn: A measure of length in the metric system; ten meters, equal to about 393.7 inches.
DECAMPDe*camp", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Decamped; p. pr. & vb. n. Decamping.]Etym: [F. décamper; pref. dé- (L. dis) + camp camp. See Camp.]
1. To break up a camp; to move away from a camping ground, usually by night or secretly. Macaulay.
2. Hence, to depart suddenly; to run away; — generally used disparagingly. The fathers were ordered to decamp, and the house was once again converted into a tavern. Goldsmith.
DECAMPMENTDe*camp"ment, n. Etym: [Cf. F. décampement.]
Defn: Departure from a camp; a marching off.
DECANALDec"a*nal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. décanal. See Dean.]
Defn: Pertaining to a dean or deanery.His rectorial as well as decanal residence. Churton.Decanal side, the side of the choir on which the dean's tall isplaced.— Decanal stall, the stall allotted to the dean in the choir, onthe right or south side of the chancel. Shipley.
DECANDRIADe*can"dri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A Linnæan class of plants characterized by having ten stamens.
DECANDRIAN; DECANDROUSDe*can"dri*an, De*can"drous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. décandre.] (Bot.)
Defn: Belonging to the Decandria; having ten stamens.
DECANEDec"ane, n. Etym: [See Deca-.] (Chem.)
Defn: A liquid hydrocarbon, C10H22, of the paraffin series, including several isomeric modifications.
DECANGULARDec*an"gu*lar, a. Etym: [Pref. deca- + angular.]
Defn: Having ten angles.
DECANIDe*ca"ni, a. Etym: [L., lit., of the dean.]
Defn: Used of the side of the choir on which the dean's stall is placed; decanal; — correlative to cantoris; as, the decanal, or decani, side.
DECANT De*cant", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Decanting.] Etym: [F. décanter (cf. It. decantare), prop., to pour off from the edge of a vessel; pref. dé- (L. de) + OF. cant (It. canto) edge, border, end. See Cant an edge.]
Defn: To pour off gently, as liquor, so as not to disturb the sediment; or to pour from one vessel into another; as, to decant wine.
DECANTATEDe*can"tate, v. t.
Defn: To decant. [Obs.]
DECANTATIONDe`can*ta"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. décantation.]
Defn: The act of pouring off a clear liquor gently from its lees or sediment, or from one vessel into another.
DECANTERDe*cant"er, n.
1. A vessel used to decant liquors, or for receiving decanted liquors; a kind of glass bottle used for holding wine or other liquors, from which drinking glasses are filled.
2. One who decants liquors.
DECAPHYLLOUSDe*caph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Pref. deca- + Gr. décaphylle.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having ten leaves.
DECAPITATEDe*cap"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decapitated; p. pr. & vb. n.Decapitating.] Etym: [LL. decapitatus, p. p. of decapitare; L. de- +caput head. See Chief.]
1. To cut off the head of; to behead.
2. To remove summarily from office. [Colloq. U. S.]
DECAPITATIONDe*cap`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [LL. decapitatio: cf. F. décapitation.]
Defn: The act of beheading; beheading.
DECAPODDec"a*pod, n. Etym: [Cf. F. décapode.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A crustacean with ten feet or legs, as a crab; one of theDecapoda. Also used adjectively.
DECAPODADe*cap"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The order of Crustacea which includes the shrimps, lobsters, crabs, etc.
Note: They have a carapace, covering and uniting the somites of the head and thorax and inclosing a gill chamber on each side, and usually have five (rarely six) pairs of legs. They are divided into two principal groups: Brachyura and Macrura. Some writers recognize a third (Anomura) intermediate between the others.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of the dibranchiate cephalopods including the cuttlefishes and squids. See Decacera.
DECAPODAL; DECAPODOUSDec*ap"o*dal, Dec*ap"o*dous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Belonging to the decapods; having ten feet; ten-footed.
DECARBONATEDe*car"bon*ate, v. t.
Defn: To deprive of carbonic acid.
DECARBONIZATIONDe*car`bon*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The action or process of depriving a substance of carbon.
DECARBONIZEDe*car"bon*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decarbonized; p. pr. & vb. n.Decarbonizing.]
Defn: To deprive of carbon; as, to decarbonize steel; to decarbonize the blood. Decarbonized iron. See Malleable iron. — Decarbonized steel, homogenous wrought iron made by a steel process, as that of Bessemer; ingot iron.
DECARBONIZERDe*car"bon*i`zer, n.
Defn: He who, or that which, decarbonizes a substance.
DECARBURIZATIONDe*car`bu*ri*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act, process, or result of decarburizing.
DECARBURIZEDe*car"bu*rize, v. t.
Defn: To deprive of carbon; to remove the carbon from.
DECARDDe*card", v. t.
Defn: To discard. [Obs.]You have cast those by, decarded them. J. Fletcher.
DECARDINALIZEDe*car"di*nal*ize, v. t.
Defn: To depose from the rank of cardinal.
DECASTEREDec"a*stere, n. Etym: [L. décastère; Gr. stère a stere.] (MetricSystem)
Defn: A measure of capacity, equal to ten steres, or ten cubic meters.
DECASTICHDec"a*stich, n. Etym: [Pref. deca- + Gr.
Defn: A poem consisting of ten lines.
DECASTYLEDec"a*style, a. Etym: [Gr. (Arch.)
Defn: Having ten columns in front; — said of a portico, temple, etc.— n.
Defn: A portico having ten pillars or columns in front.
DECASYLLABIC Dec`a*syl*lab"ic, a. Etym: [Pref. deca- + syllabic: cf. F. décasyllabique, décasyllable.]
Defn: Having, or consisting of, ten syllables.
DECATHLONDe*cath"lon, n. [See Deca-; Pentathlon.]
Defn: In the modern Olympic Games, a composite contest consisting of a 100-meter run, a broad jump, putting the shot, a running high-jump, a 400-meter run, throwing the discus, a 100-meter hurdle race, pole vaulting, throwing the javelin, and a 1500-meter run.
DECATOICDec`a*to"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, decane.
DECAYDe*cay", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Decayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Decaying.]Etym: [OF. decaeir, dechaer, decheoir, F. déchoir, to decline, fall,become less; L. de- + cadere to fall. See Chance.]
Defn: To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to become weak, corrupt, or disintegrated; to rot; to perish; as, a tree decays; fortunes decay; hopes decay. Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith.
DECAYDe*cay", v. t.
1. To cause to decay; to impair. [R.] Infirmity, that decays the wise. Shak.
2. To destroy. [Obs.] Shak.
DECAYDe*cay", n.
1. Gradual failure of health, strength, soundness, prosperity, or of any species of excellence or perfection; tendency toward dissolution or extinction; corruption; rottenness; decline; deterioration; as, the decay of the body; the decay of virtue; the decay of the Roman empire; a castle in decay. Perhaps my God, though he be far before, May turn, and take me by the hand, and more -May strengthen my decays. Herbert. His [Johnson's] failure was not to be ascribed to intellectual decay. Macaulay. Which has caused the decay of the consonants to follow somewhat different laws. James Byrne.
2. Destruction; death. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. Cause of decay. [R.] He that plots to be the only figure among ciphers, is the decay of the whole age. Bacon.
Syn.— Decline; consumption. See Decline.
DECAYEDDe*cayed", a.
Defn: Fallen, as to physical or social condition; affected withdecay; rotten; as, decayed vegetation or vegetables; a decayedfortune or gentleman.— De*cay"ed*ness, n.