| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| deacon | noun | 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., The chairman of an incorporated company., To read aloud each line of (a psalm or hymn) before singing it, — usually with off. |
| deaden | adjective | 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., To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to deaden a ship’s headway., To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine., To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to deaden gilding by a coat of size. |
| deadly | adjective | Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death; as, a deadly blow or wound., Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious; as, deadly enemies., Subject to death; mortal., In a manner resembling, or as if produced by, death., In a manner to occasion death; mortally., In an implacable manner; destructively., Extremely. |
| deafen | verb t. | To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly., To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc. |
| deafly | adverb | Without sense of sounds; obscurely., Lonely; solitary. |
| dealer | noun | 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., One who distributes cards to the players. |
| dealth | noun | Share dealt. |
| dearie | noun | Same as Deary. |
| dearly | adverb | In a dear manner; with affection; heartily; earnestly; as, to love one dearly., At a high rate or price; grievously., Exquisitely. |
| dearth | noun | Scarcity which renders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack of food on account of failure of crops; famine. |
| debarb | verb t. | To deprive of the beard. |
| debark | verb t. & i. | To go ashore from a ship or boat; to disembark; to put ashore. |
| debase | adjective | 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. |
| debate | verb t. | To engage in combat for; to strive for., To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against., To engage in strife or combat; to fight., 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., A fight or fighting; contest; strife., 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., Subject of discussion. |
| debile | adjective | Weak. |
| deblai | noun | The cavity from which the earth for parapets, etc. (remblai), is taken. |
| debosh | verb t. | To debauch. |
| debris | noun | Broken and detached fragments, taken collectively; especially, fragments detached from a rock or mountain, and piled up at the base., Rubbish, especially such as results from the destruction of anything; remains; ruins. |
| debted | p. adjective | Indebted; obliged to. |
| debtee | noun | One to whom a debt is due; creditor; — correlative to debtor. |
| debtor | noun | One who owes a debt; one who is indebted; — correlative to creditor. |
| decade | noun | 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. |
| decamp | verb i. | To break up a camp; to move away from a camping ground, usually by night or secretly., Hence, to depart suddenly; to run away; — generally used disparagingly. |
| decane | noun | A liquid hydrocarbon, C10H22, of the paraffin series, including several isomeric modifications. |
| decani | adjective | 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 | verb t. | 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. |
| decard | verb t. | To discard. |
| decede | noun | To withdraw. |
| deceit | noun | An attempt or disposition to deceive or lead into error; any declaration, artifice, or practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe what is false; a contrivance to entrap; deception; a wily device; fraud., Any trick, collusion, contrivance, false representation, or underhand practice, used to defraud another. When injury is thereby effected, an action of deceit, as it called, lies for compensation. |
| decene | noun | One of the higher hydrocarbons, C10H20, of the ethylene series. |
| decent | adjective | Suitable in words, behavior, dress, or ceremony; becoming; fit; decorous; proper; seemly; as, decent conduct; decent language., Free from immodesty or obscenity; modest., Comely; shapely; well-formed., Moderate, but competent; sufficient; hence, respectable; fairly good; reasonably comfortable or satisfying; as, a decent fortune; a decent person. |
| decern | verb t. | To perceive, discern, or decide., To decree; to adjudge. |
| decerp | verb t. | To pluck off; to crop; to gather. |
| decide | verb t. | To cut off; to separate., To bring to a termination, as a question, controversy, struggle, by giving the victory to one side or party; to render judgment concerning; to determine; to settle., To determine; to form a definite opinion; to come to a conclusion; to give decision; as, the court decided in favor of the defendant. |
| decile | noun | An aspect or position of two planets, when they are distant from each other a tenth part of the zodiac, or 36ยก. |
| decime | noun | A French coin, the tenth part of a franc, equal to about two cents. |
| decine | noun | One of the higher hydrocarbons, C10H15, of the acetylene series; — called also decenylene. |
| decked | imp. & past participle | of Deck |
| deckel | noun | Same as Deckle. |
| decker | noun | One who, or that which, decks or adorns; a coverer; as, a table decker., A vessel which has a deck or decks; — used esp. in composition; as, a single-decker; a three-decker. |
| deckle | noun | A separate thin wooden frame used to form the border of a hand mold, or a curb of India rubber or other material which rests on, and forms the edge of, the mold in a paper machine and determines the width of the paper. |
| decoct | verb t. | To prepare by boiling; to digest in hot or boiling water; to extract the strength or flavor of by boiling; to make an infusion of., To prepare by the heat of the stomach for assimilation; to digest; to concoct., To warm, strengthen, or invigorate, as if by boiling. |
| decore | verb t. | To decorate; to beautify. |
| decree | noun | An order from one having authority, deciding what is to be done by a subordinate; also, a determination by one having power, deciding what is to be done or to take place; edict, law; authoritative ru// decision., A decision, order, or sentence, given in a cause by a court of equity or admiralty., A determination or judgment of an umpire on a case submitted to him., An edict or law made by a council for regulating any business within their jurisdiction; as, the decrees of ecclesiastical councils., To determine judicially by authority, or by decree; to constitute by edict; to appoint by decree or law; to determine; to order; to ordain; as, a court decrees a restoration of property., To ordain by fate., To make decrees; — used absolutely. |
| decrew | verb i. | To decrease. |
| decurt | verb t. | To cut short; to curtail. |
| decury | noun | A set or squad of ten men under a decurion. |
| dedans | noun | A division, at one end of a tennis court, for spectators. |
| deduce | verb t. | To lead forth., To take away; to deduct; to subtract; as, to deduce a part from the whole., To derive or draw; to derive by logical process; to obtain or arrive at as the result of reasoning; to gather, as a truth or opinion, from what precedes or from premises; to infer; — with from or out of. |
| deduct | verb t. | To lead forth or out., To take away, separate, or remove, in numbering, estimating, or calculating; to subtract; — often with from or out of., To reduce; to diminish. |
| deduit | noun | Delight; pleasure. |
| deemed | imp. & past participle | of Deem |
| deepen | verb t. | To make deep or deeper; to increase the depth of; to sink lower; as, to deepen a well or a channel., To make darker or more intense; to darken; as, the event deepened the prevailing gloom., To make more poignant or affecting; to increase in degree; as, to deepen grief or sorrow., To make more grave or low in tone; as, to deepen the tones of an organ., To become deeper; as, the water deepens at every cast of the lead; the plot deepens. |
| deeply | adverb | At or to a great depth; far below the surface; as, to sink deeply., Profoundly; thoroughly; not superficially; in a high degree; intensely; as, deeply skilled in ethics., Very; with a tendency to darkness of color., Gravely; with low or deep tone; as, a deeply toned instrument., With profound skill; with art or intricacy; as, a deeply laid plot or intrigue. |
| deesis | noun | An invocation of, or address to, the Supreme Being. |
| deface | verb t. | To destroy or mar the face or external appearance of; to disfigure; to injure, spoil, or mar, by effacing or obliterating important features or portions of; as, to deface a monument; to deface an edifice; to deface writing; to deface a note, deed, or bond; to deface a record., To destroy; to make null. |
| defail | verb t. | To cause to fail. |
| defalk | verb t. | To lop off; to abate. |
| defame | verb t. | To harm or destroy the good fame or reputation of; to disgrace; especially, to speak evil of maliciously; to dishonor by slanderous reports; to calumniate; to asperse., To render infamous; to bring into disrepute., To charge; to accuse., Dishonor. |
| defeat | verb t. | To undo; to disfigure; to destroy., To render null and void, as a title; to frustrate, as hope; to deprive, as of an estate., To overcome or vanquish, as an army; to check, disperse, or ruin by victory; to overthrow., To resist with success; as, to defeat an assault., An undoing or annulling; destruction., Frustration by rendering null and void, or by prevention of success; as, the defeat of a plan or design., An overthrow, as of an army in battle; loss of a battle; repulse suffered; discomfiture; — opposed to victory. |
| defect | noun | Want or absence of something necessary for completeness or perfection; deficiency; — opposed to superfluity., Failing; fault; imperfection, whether physical or moral; blemish; as, a defect in the ear or eye; a defect in timber or iron; a defect of memory or judgment., To fail; to become deficient., To injure; to damage. |
| defend | verb t. | To ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to repel., To prohibit; to forbid., To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; — sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one’s self from, or against, one’s enemies., To deny the right of the plaintiff in regard to (the suit, or the wrong charged); to oppose or resist, as a claim at law; to contest, as a suit. |
| defier | noun | One who dares and defies; a contemner; as, a defier of the laws. |
| defile | verb i. | To march off in a line, file by file; to file off., Same as Defilade., Any narrow passage or gorge in which troops can march only in a file, or with a narrow front; a long, narrow pass between hills, rocks, etc., The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior. See Defilade., To make foul or impure; to make filthy; to dirty; to befoul; to pollute., To soil or sully; to tarnish, as reputation; to taint., To injure in purity of character; to corrupt., To corrupt the chastity of; to debauch; to violate., To make ceremonially unclean; to pollute. |
| define | verb t. | To fix the bounds of; to bring to a termination; to end., To determine or clearly exhibit the boundaries of; to mark the limits of; as, to define the extent of a kingdom or country., To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly; as, the defining power of an optical instrument., To determine the precise signification of; to fix the meaning of; to describe accurately; to explain; to expound or interpret; as, to define a word, a phrase, or a scientific term., To determine; to decide. |
| deflow | verb i. | To flow down. |
| deflux | noun | Downward flow. |
| deform | verb t. | To spoil the form of; to mar in form; to misshape; to disfigure., To render displeasing; to deprive of comeliness, grace, or perfection; to dishonor., Deformed; misshapen; shapeless; horrid. |
| defoul | verb t. | To tread down., To make foul; to defile. |
| defray | verb t. | To pay or discharge; to serve in payment of; to provide for, as a charge, debt, expenses, costs, etc., To avert or appease, as by paying off; to satisfy; as, to defray wrath. |
| deftly | adverb | Aptly; fitly; dexterously; neatly. |
| defuse | verb t. | To disorder; to make shapeless. |
| defied | imp. & past participle | of Defy |
| degree | noun | A step, stair, or staircase., One of a series of progressive steps upward or downward, in quality, rank, acquirement, and the like; a stage in progression; grade; gradation; as, degrees of vice and virtue; to advance by slow degrees; degree of comparison., The point or step of progression to which a person has arrived; rank or station in life; position., Measure of advancement; quality; extent; as, tastes differ in kind as well as in degree., Grade or rank to which scholars are admitted by a college or university, in recognition of their attainments; as, the degree of bachelor of arts, master, doctor, etc., A certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of blood; one remove in the chain of relationship; as, a relation in the third or fourth degree., Three figures taken together in numeration; thus, 140 is one degree, 222,140 two degrees., State as indicated by sum of exponents; more particularly, the degree of a term is indicated by the sum of the exponents of its literal factors; thus, a2b3c is a term of the sixth degree. The degree of a power, or radical, is denoted by its index, that of an equation by the greatest sum of the exponents of the unknown quantities in any term; thus, ax4 + bx2 = c, and mx2y2 + nyx = p, are both equations of the fourth degree., A 360th part of the circumference of a circle, which part is taken as the principal unit of measure for arcs and angles. The degree is divided into 60 minutes and the minute into 60 seconds., A division, space, or interval, marked on a mathematical or other instrument, as on a thermometer., A line or space of the staff. |
| degust | verb t. | To taste. |
| dehorn | verb t. | To deprive of horns; to prevent the growth of the horns of (cattle) by burning their ends soon after they start. See Dishorn. |
| dehors | preposition | Out of; without; foreign to; out of the agreement, record, will, or other instrument., All sorts of outworks in general, at a distance from the main works; any advanced works for protection or cover. |
| dehort | verb t. | To urge to abstain or refrain; to dissuade. |
| dehusk | verb t. | To remove the husk from. |
| deific | adjective | Alt. of Deifical |
| deject | verb t. | To cast down., To cast down the spirits of; to dispirit; to discourage; to dishearten., Dejected. |
| delate | verb | To carry; to convey., To carry abroad; to spread; to make public., To carry or bring against, as a charge; to inform against; to accuse; to denounce., To carry on; to conduct., To dilate. |
| delays | plural | of Delay |
| delete | verb t. | To blot out; to erase; to expunge; to dele; to omit. |
| delict | noun | An offense or transgression against law; (Scots Law) an offense of a lesser degree; a misdemeanor. |
| deline | verb t. | To delineate., To mark out. |
| deloul | noun | A special breed of the dromedary used for rapid traveling; the swift camel; — called also herire, and maharik. |
| deltas | plural | of Delta |
| deltic | adjective | Deltaic. |
| delude | verb t. | To lead from truth or into error; to mislead the mind or judgment of; to beguile; to impose on; to dupe; to make a fool of., To frustrate or disappoint. |
| deluge | noun | A washing away; an overflowing of the land by water; an inundation; a flood; specifically, The Deluge, the great flood in the days of Noah (Gen. vii.)., Fig.: Anything which overwhelms, or causes great destruction., To overflow with water; to inundate; to overwhelm., To overwhelm, as with a deluge; to cover; to overspread; to overpower; to submerge; to destroy; as, the northern nations deluged the Roman empire with their armies; the land is deluged with woe. |
| delved | imp. & past participle | of Delve |
| delver | noun | One who digs, as with a spade. |
| demain | noun | Rule; management., See Demesne. |
| demand | verb t. | To ask or call for with authority; to claim or seek from, as by authority or right; to claim, as something due; to call for urgently or peremptorily; as, to demand a debt; to demand obedience., To inquire authoritatively or earnestly; to ask, esp. in a peremptory manner; to question., To require as necessary or useful; to be in urgent need of; hence, to call for; as, the case demands care., To call into court; to summon., To make a demand; to inquire., The act of demanding; an asking with authority; a peremptory urging of a claim; a claiming or challenging as due; requisition; as, the demand of a creditor; a note payable on demand., Earnest inquiry; question; query., A diligent seeking or search; manifested want; desire to possess; request; as, a demand for certain goods; a person’s company is in great demand., That which one demands or has a right to demand; thing claimed as due; claim; as, demands on an estate., The asking or seeking for what is due or claimed as due., The right or title in virtue of which anything may be claimed; as, to hold a demand against a person., A thing or amount claimed to be due. |
| demean | verb t. | To manage; to conduct; to treat., To conduct; to behave; to comport; — followed by the reflexive pronoun., To debase; to lower; to degrade; — followed by the reflexive pronoun., Management; treatment., Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor., Demesne., Resources; means. |
| dement | verb t. | To deprive of reason; to make mad., Demented; dementate. |
| demise | noun | Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor., The decease of a royal or princely person; hence, also, the death of any illustrious person., The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter., To transfer or transmit by succession or inheritance; to grant or bestow by will; to bequeath., To convey; to give., To convey, as an estate, by lease; to lease. |
| demiss | adjective | Cast down; humble; submissive. |
| dempne | verb t. | To damn; to condemn. |
| demure | adjective | Of sober or serious mien; composed and decorous in bearing; of modest look; staid; grave., Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity., To look demurely. |
| demies | plural | of Demy |
| denary | adjective | Containing ten; tenfold; proceeding by tens; as, the denary, or decimal, scale., The number ten; a division into ten., A coin; the Anglicized form of denarius. |
| dengue | noun | A specific epidemic disease attended with high fever, cutaneous eruption, and severe pains in the head and limbs, resembling those of rheumatism; — called also breakbone fever. It occurs in India, Egypt, the West Indies, etc., is of short duration, and rarely fatal. |
| denial | noun | The act of gainsaying, refusing, or disowning; negation; — the contrary of affirmation., A refusal to admit the truth of a statement, charge, imputation, etc.; assertion of the untruth of a thing stated or maintained; a contradiction., A refusal to grant; rejection of a request., A refusal to acknowledge; disclaimer of connection with; disavowal; — the contrary of confession; as, the denial of a fault charged on one; a denial of God. |
| denier | noun | One who denies; as, a denier of a fact, or of the faith, or of Christ., A small copper coin of insignificant value. |
| denize | verb t. | To make a denizen; to confer the rights of citizenship upon; to naturalize. |
| dennet | noun | A light, open, two-wheeled carriage for one horse; a kind of gig. |
| denote | verb t. | To mark out plainly; to signify by a visible sign; to serve as the sign or name of; to indicate; to point out; as, the hands of the clock denote the hour., To be the sign of; to betoken; to signify; to mean. |
| dented | imp. & past participle | of Dent, Indented; impressed with little hollows. |
| dental | adjective | Of or pertaining to the teeth or to dentistry; as, dental surgery., Formed by the aid of the teeth; — said of certain articulations and the letters representing them; as, d t are dental letters., An articulation or letter formed by the aid of the teeth., A marine mollusk of the genus Dentalium, with a curved conical shell resembling a tooth. See Dentalium. |
| dentel | noun | Same as Dentil. |
| dentex | noun | An edible European marine fish (Sparus dentex, or Dentex vulgaris) of the family Percidae. |
| dentil | noun | A small square block or projection in cornices, a number of which are ranged in an ornamental band; — used particularly in the Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite orders. |
| denude | verb t. | To divest of all covering; to make bare or naked; to strip; to divest; as, to denude one of clothing, or lands. |
| denied | imp. & past participle | of Deny |
| deodar | noun | A kind of cedar (Cedrus Deodara), growing in India, highly valued for its size and beauty as well as for its timber, and also grown in England as an ornamental tree. |
| depart | verb i. | To part; to divide; to separate., To go forth or away; to quit, leave, or separate, as from a place or a person; to withdraw; — opposed to arrive; — often with from before the place, person, or thing left, and for or to before the destination., To forsake; to abandon; to desist or deviate (from); not to adhere to; — with from; as, we can not depart from our rules; to depart from a title or defense in legal pleading., To pass away; to perish., To quit this world; to die., To part thoroughly; to dispart; to divide; to separate., To divide in order to share; to apportion., To leave; to depart from., Division; separation, as of compound substances into their ingredients., A going away; departure; hence, death. |
| depend | verb i. | To hang down; to be sustained by being fastened or attached to something above., To hang in suspense; to be pending; to be undetermined or undecided; as, a cause depending in court., To rely for support; to be conditioned or contingent; to be connected with anything, as a cause of existence, or as a necessary condition; — followed by on or upon, formerly by of., To trust; to rest with confidence; to rely; to confide; to be certain; — with on or upon; as, we depend on the word or assurance of our friends; we depend on the mail at the usual hour., To serve; to attend; to act as a dependent or retainer., To impend. |
| depict | past participle | Depicted., Depicted., To form a colored likeness of; to represent by a picture; to paint; to portray., To represent in words; to describe vividly. |
| deploy | verb t. & i. | To open out; to unfold; to spread out (a body of troops) in such a way that they shall display a wider front and less depth; — the reverse of ploy; as, to deploy a column of troops into line of battle., Alt. of Deployment |
| depone | verb t. | To lay, as a stake; to wager., To lay down., To assert under oath; to depose., To testify under oath; to depose; to bear witness. |
| deport | verb t. | To transport; to carry away; to exile; to send into banishment., To carry or demean; to conduct; to behave; — followed by the reflexive pronoun., Behavior; carriage; demeanor; deportment. |
| depose | verb t. | To lay down; to divest one’s self of; to lay aside., To let fall; to deposit., To remove from a throne or other high station; to dethrone; to divest or deprive of office., To testify under oath; to bear testimony to; — now usually said of bearing testimony which is officially written down for future use., To put under oath., To bear witness; to testify under oath; to make deposition. |
| depper | adjective | Deeper. |
| depure | verb t. | To depurate; to purify. |
| depute | verb t. | To appoint as deputy or agent; to commission to act in one’s place; to delegate., To appoint; to assign; to choose., A person deputed; a deputy. |
| deputy | noun | One appointed as the substitute of another, and empowered to act for him, in his name or his behalf; a substitute in office; a lieutenant; a representative; a delegate; a vicegerent; as, the deputy of a prince, of a sheriff, of a township, etc., A member of the Chamber of Deputies. |
| derain | verb t. | To prove or to refute by proof; to clear (one’s self). |
| derail | verb t. | To cause to run off from the rails of a railroad, as a locomotive. |
| derbio | noun | A large European food fish (Lichia glauca). |
| deride | verb t. | To laugh at with contempt; to laugh to scorn; to turn to ridicule or make sport of; to mock; to scoff at. |
| derive | verb t. | To turn the course of, as water; to divert and distribute into subordinate channels; to diffuse; to communicate; to transmit; — followed by to, into, on, upon., To receive, as from a source or origin; to obtain by descent or by transmission; to draw; to deduce; — followed by from., To trace the origin, descent, or derivation of; to recognize transmission of; as, he derives this word from the Anglo-Saxon., To obtain one substance from another by actual or theoretical substitution; as, to derive an organic acid from its corresponding hydrocarbon., To flow; to have origin; to descend; to proceed; to be deduced. |
| dermal | adjective | Pertaining to the integument or skin of animals; dermic; as, the dermal secretions., Pertaining to the dermis or true skin. |
| dermic | adjective | Relating to the derm or skin., Pertaining to the dermis; dermal. |
| dermis | noun | The deep sensitive layer of the skin beneath the scarfskin or epidermis; — called also true skin, derm, derma, corium, cutis, and enderon. See Skin, and Illust. in Appendix. |
| dernly | adverb | Secretly; grievously; mournfully. |
| dervis | noun | A Turkish or Persian monk, especially one who professes extreme poverty and leads an austere life. |
| descry | verb t. | To spy out or discover by the eye, as objects distant or obscure; to espy; to recognize; to discern; to discover., To discover; to disclose; to reveal., Discovery or view, as of an army seen at a distance. |
| desert | noun | That which is deserved; the reward or the punishment justly due; claim to recompense, usually in a good sense; right to reward; merit., A deserted or forsaken region; a barren tract incapable of supporting population, as the vast sand plains of Asia and Africa are destitute and vegetation., A tract, which may be capable of sustaining a population, but has been left unoccupied and uncultivated; a wilderness; a solitary place., Of or pertaining to a desert; forsaken; without life or cultivation; unproductive; waste; barren; wild; desolate; solitary; as, they landed on a desert island., To leave (especially something which one should stay by and support); to leave in the lurch; to abandon; to forsake; — implying blame, except sometimes when used of localities; as, to desert a friend, a principle, a cause, one’s country., To abandon (the service) without leave; to forsake in violation of duty; to abscond from; as, to desert the army; to desert one’s colors., To abandon a service without leave; to quit military service without permission, before the expiration of one’s term; to abscond. |
| design | noun | To draw preliminary outline or main features of; to sketch for a pattern or model; to delineate; to trace out; to draw., To mark out and exhibit; to designate; to indicate; to show; to point out; to appoint., To create or produce, as a work of art; to form a plan or scheme of; to form in idea; to invent; to project; to lay out in the mind; as, a man designs an essay, a poem, a statue, or a cathedral., To intend or purpose; — usually with for before the remote object, but sometimes with to., To form a design or designs; to plan., A preliminary sketch; an outline or pattern of the main features of something to be executed, as of a picture, a building, or a decoration; a delineation; a plan., A plan or scheme formed in the mind of something to be done; preliminary conception; idea intended to be expressed in a visible form or carried into action; intention; purpose; — often used in a bad sense for evil intention or purpose; scheme; plot., Specifically, intention or purpose as revealed or inferred from the adaptation of means to an end; as, the argument from design., The realization of an inventive or decorative plan; esp., a work of decorative art considered as a new creation; conception or plan shown in completed work; as, this carved panel is a fine design, or of a fine design., The invention and conduct of the subject; the disposition of every part, and the general order of the whole. |
| desire | verb t. | To long for; to wish for earnestly; to covet., To express a wish for; to entreat; to request., To require; to demand; to claim., To miss; to regret., The natural longing that is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of any good, and impels to action or effort its continuance or possession; an eager wish to obtain or enjoy., An expressed wish; a request; petition., Anything which is desired; an object of longing., Excessive or morbid longing; lust; appetite., Grief; regret. |
| desist | verb i. | To cease to proceed or act; to stop; to forbear; — often with from. |
| desked | imp. & past participle | of Desk |
| desman | noun | An amphibious, insectivorous mammal found in Russia (Myogale moschata). It is allied to the moles, but is called muskrat by some English writers. |
| desmid | noun | Alt. of Desmidian |
| despot | noun | A master; a lord; especially, an absolute or irresponsible ruler or sovereign., One who rules regardless of a constitution or laws; a tyrant. |
| destin | noun | Destiny. |
| desume | verb t. | To select; to borrow. |
| detach | verb t. | To part; to separate or disunite; to disengage; — the opposite of attach; as, to detach the coats of a bulbous root from each other; to detach a man from a leader or from a party., To separate for a special object or use; — used especially in military language; as, to detach a ship from a fleet, or a company from a regiment., To push asunder; to come off or separate from anything; to disengage. |
| detail | noun | A minute portion; one of the small parts; a particular; an item; — used chiefly in the plural; as, the details of a scheme or transaction., A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars., The selection for a particular service of a person or a body of men; hence, the person or the body of men so selected., To relate in particulars; to particularize; to report minutely and distinctly; to enumerate; to specify; as, he detailed all the facts in due order., To tell off or appoint for a particular service, as an officer, a troop, or a squadron. |
| detain | verb t. | To keep back or from; to withhold., To restrain from proceeding; to stay or stop; to delay; as, we were detained by an accident., To hold or keep in custody., Detention. |
| detect | adjective | Detected., To uncover; to discover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect a crime or a criminal; to detect a mistake in an account., To inform against; to accuse. |
| detent | noun | That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch, pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking. |
| detest | verb t. | To witness against; to denounce; to condemn., To hate intensely; to abhor; to abominate; to loathe; as, we detest what is contemptible or evil. |
| detort | verb t. | To turn form the original or plain meaning; to pervert; to wrest. |
| detour | noun | A turning; a circuitous route; a deviation from a direct course; as, the detours of the Mississippi. |
| deturb | verb t. | To throw down. |
| deturn | verb t. | To turn away. |
| deuced | adjective | Devilish; excessive; extreme. |
| deused | adjective | See Deuce, Deuced. |
| deuto- | Alt. of Deut- | |
| devast | verb t. | To devastate. |
| devata | noun | A deity; a divine being; a good spirit; an idol. |
| devest | verb t. | To divest; to undress., To take away, as an authority, title, etc., to deprive; to alienate, as an estate., To be taken away, lost, or alienated, as a title or an estate. |
| device | noun | That which is devised, or formed by design; a contrivance; an invention; a project; a scheme; often, a scheme to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice., Power of devising; invention; contrivance., An emblematic design, generally consisting of one or more figures with a motto, used apart from heraldic bearings to denote the historical situation, the ambition, or the desire of the person adopting it. See Cognizance., Improperly, an heraldic bearing., Anything fancifully conceived., A spectacle or show., Opinion; decision. |
| devise | verb t. | To form in the mind by new combinations of ideas, new applications of principles, or new arrangement of parts; to formulate by thought; to contrive; to excogitate; to invent; to plan; to scheme; as, to devise an engine, a new mode of writing, a plan of defense, or an argument., To plan or scheme for; to purpose to obtain., To say; to relate; to describe., To imagine; to guess., To give by will; — used of real estate; formerly, also, of chattels., To form a scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider., The act of giving or disposing of real estate by will; — sometimes improperly applied to a bequest of personal estate., A will or testament, conveying real estate; the clause of a will making a gift of real property., Property devised, or given by will., Device. See Device. |
| devoid | verb t. | To empty out; to remove., Void; empty; vacant., Destitute; not in possession; — with of; as, devoid of sense; devoid of pity or of pride. |
| devoir | noun | Duty; service owed; hence, due act of civility or respect; — now usually in the plural; as, they paid their devoirs to the ladies. |
| devote | verb t. | To appropriate by vow; to set apart or dedicate by a solemn act; to consecrate; also, to consign over; to doom; to evil; to devote one to destruction; the city was devoted to the flames., To execrate; to curse., To give up wholly; to addict; to direct the attention of wholly or compound; to attach; — often with a reflexive pronoun; as, to devote one’s self to science, to one’s friends, to piety, etc., Devoted; addicted; devout., A devotee. |
| devoto | noun | A devotee. |
| devour | verb t. | To eat up with greediness; to consume ravenously; to feast upon like a wild beast or a glutton; to prey upon., To seize upon and destroy or appropriate greedily, selfishly, or wantonly; to consume; to swallow up; to use up; to waste; to annihilate., To enjoy with avidity; to appropriate or take in eagerly by the senses. |
| devout | verb t. | Devoted to religion or to religious feelings and duties; absorbed in religious exercises; given to devotion; pious; reverent; religious., Expressing devotion or piety; as, eyes devout; sighs devout; a devout posture., Warmly devoted; hearty; sincere; earnest; as, devout wishes for one’s welfare., A devotee., A devotional composition, or part of a composition; devotion. |
| devove | verb t. | To devote. |
| dewing | present participle & vb. noun | of Dew |
| dewlap | noun | The pendulous skin under the neck of an ox, which laps or licks the dew in grazing., The flesh upon the human throat, especially when with age. |
| dewret | verb t. | To ret or rot by the process called dewretting. |
| dewrot | verb t. | To rot, as flax or hemp, by exposure to rain, dew, and sun. See Dewretting. |
| dexter | adjective | Pertaining to, or situated on, the right hand; right, as opposed to sinister, or left., On the right-hand side of a shield, i. e., towards the right hand of its wearer. To a spectator in front, as in a pictorial representation, this would be the left side. |
| deynte | noun & adjective | Alt. of Deyntee |