7 letter word starting with de

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Words Parts of Speech Meaning/Definition/Similar Words
deadish adjective Somewhat dead, dull, or lifeless; deathlike.
dealing present participle & vb. noun of Deal, 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.
deanery noun The office or the revenue of a dean. See the Note under Benefice, n., 3., The residence of a dean., The territorial jurisdiction of a dean.
deathly adjective Deadly; fatal; mortal; destructive., Deadly; as, deathly pale or sick.
debacle noun 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 debris.
debased imp. & past participle of Debase, Turned upside down from its proper position; inverted; reversed.
debaser noun One who, or that which, debases.
debated imp. & past participle of Debate
debater noun One who debates; one given to argument; a disputant; a controvertist.
debauch noun 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., Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; drunkenness; lewdness; debauchery., An act or occasion of debauchery.
debeige noun A kind of woolen or mixed dress goods.
debited imp. & past participle of Debit
debitor noun A debtor.
debouch verb i. To march out from a wood, defile, or other confined spot, into open ground; to issue.
deburse verb t. & i. To disburse.
decadal adjective Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.
decagon noun 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.
decalog noun Decalogue.
decanal adjective Pertaining to a dean or deanery.
decapod noun A crustacean with ten feet or legs, as a crab; one of the Decapoda. Also used adjectively.
decayed imp. & past participle of Decay, Fallen, as to physical or social condition; affected with decay; rotten; as, decayed vegetation or vegetables; a decayed fortune or gentleman.
decayer noun A causer of decay.
decease noun Departure, especially departure from this life; death., To depart from this life; to die; to pass away.
deceive verb t. To lead into error; to cause to believe what is false, or disbelieve what is true; to impose upon; to mislead; to cheat; to disappoint; to delude; to insnare., To beguile; to amuse, so as to divert the attention; to while away; to take away as if by deception., To deprive by fraud or stealth; to defraud.
decence noun Decency.
decency noun The quality or state of being decent, suitable, or becoming, in words or behavior; propriety of form in social intercourse, in actions, or in discourse; proper formality; becoming ceremony; seemliness; hence, freedom from obscenity or indecorum; modesty., That which is proper or becoming.
decerpt adjective Plucked off or away.
decharm verb t. To free from a charm; to disenchant.
decided imp. & past participle of Decide, Free from ambiguity; unequivocal; unmistakable; unquestionable; clear; evident; as, a decided advantage., Free from doubt or wavering; determined; of fixed purpose; fully settled; positive; resolute; as, a decided opinion or purpose.
decider noun One who decides.
decidua noun The inner layer of the wall of the uterus, which envelops the embryo, forms a part of the placenta, and is discharged with it.
decimal adjective Of or pertaining to decimals; numbered or proceeding by tens; having a tenfold increase or decrease, each unit being ten times the unit next smaller; as, decimal notation; a decimal coinage., A number expressed in the scale of tens; specifically, and almost exclusively, used as synonymous with a decimal fraction.
decking present participle & vb. noun of Deck
declaim verb i. To speak rhetorically; to make a formal speech or oration; to harangue; specifically, to recite a speech, poem, etc., in public as a rhetorical exercise; to practice public speaking; as, the students declaim twice a week., To speak for rhetorical display; to speak pompously, noisily, or theatrically; to make an empty speech; to rehearse trite arguments in debate; to rant., To utter in public; to deliver in a rhetorical or set manner., To defend by declamation; to advocate loudly.
declare verb t. To make clear; to free from obscurity., To make known by language; to communicate or manifest explicitly and plainly in any way; to exhibit; to publish; to proclaim; to announce., To make declaration of; to assert; to affirm; to set forth; to avow; as, he declares the story to be false., To make full statement of, as goods, etc., for the purpose of paying taxes, duties, etc., To make a declaration, or an open and explicit avowal; to proclaim one’s self; — often with for or against; as, victory declares against the allies., To state the plaintiff’s cause of action at law in a legal form; as, the plaintiff declares in trespass.
decline verb i. To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend., To tend or draw towards a close, decay, or extinction; to tend to a less perfect state; to become diminished or impaired; to fail; to sink; to diminish; to lessen; as, the day declines; virtue declines; religion declines; business declines., To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw; as, a line that declines from straightness; conduct that declines from sound morals., To turn away; to shun; to refuse; — the opposite of accept or consent; as, he declined, upon principle., To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall., To cause to decrease or diminish., To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or comply with; reject; to shun; to avoid; as, to decline an offer; to decline a contest; he declined any participation with them., To inflect, or rehearse in order the changes of grammatical form of; as, to decline a noun or an adjective., To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun., A falling off; a tendency to a worse state; diminution or decay; deterioration; also, the period when a thing is tending toward extinction or a less perfect state; as, the decline of life; the decline of strength; the decline of virtue and religion., That period of a disorder or paroxysm when the symptoms begin to abate in violence; as, the decline of a fever., A gradual sinking and wasting away of the physical faculties; any wasting disease, esp. pulmonary consumption; as, to die of a decline.
decolor verb t. To deprive of color; to bleach.
decorum noun Propriety of manner or conduct; grace arising from suitableness of speech and behavior to one’s own character, or to the place and occasion; decency of conduct; seemliness; that which is seemly or suitable.
decoyed imp. & past participle of Decoy
decoyer noun One who decoys another.
decreed imp. & past participle of Decree
decreer noun One who decrees.
decreet noun The final judgment of the Court of Session, or of an inferior court, by which the question at issue is decided.
decrete noun A decree.
decrial noun A crying down; a clamorous censure; condemnation by censure.
decrier noun One who decries.
decrown verb t. To deprive of a crown; to discrown.
decried imp. & past participle of Decry
decuman adjective Large; chief; — applied to an extraordinary billow, supposed by some to be every tenth in order. [R.] Also used substantively.
decuple adjective Tenfold., A number ten times repeated., To make tenfold; to multiply by ten.
decylic adjective Allied to, or containing, the radical decyl.
dedimus noun A writ to commission private persons to do some act in place of a judge, as to examine a witness, etc.
deduced imp. & past participle of Deduce
deedful adjective Full of deeds or exploits; active; stirring.
deeming present participle & vb. noun of Deem
deerlet noun A chevrotain. See Kanchil, and Napu.
defaced imp. & past participle of Deface
defacer noun One who, or that which, defaces or disfigures.
defamed imp. & past participle of Defame
defamer noun One who defames; a slanderer; a detractor; a calumniator.
default noun A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires; as, this evil has happened through the governor’s default., Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or wisdom., A neglect of, or failure to take, some step necessary to secure the benefit of law, as a failure to appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc., To fail in duty; to offend., To fail in fulfilling a contract, agreement, or duty., To fail to appear in court; to let a case go by default., To fail to perform or pay; to be guilty of neglect of; to omit; as, to default a dividend., To call a defendant or other party whose duty it is to be present in court, and make entry of his default, if he fails to appear; to enter a default against., To leave out of account; to omit.
defence noun & verb t. See Defense., The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger., That which defends or protects; anything employed to oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain security; a guard; a protection., Protecting plea; vindication; justification., The defendant’s answer or plea; an opposing or denial of the truth or validity of the plaintiff’s or prosecutor’s case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff’s action., Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy; practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc., Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
defense noun Alt. of Defence, To furnish with defenses; to fortify.
defiant adjective Full of defiance; bold; insolent; as, a defiant spirit or act.
deficit noun Deficiency in amount or quality; a falling short; lack; as, a deficit in taxes, revenue, etc.
defiled imp. & past participle of Defile
defiler noun One who defiles; one who corrupts or violates; that which pollutes.
defined imp. & past participle of Define
definer noun One who defines or explains.
deflate verb t. To reduce from an inflated condition.
deflect verb t. To cause to turn aside; to bend; as, rays of light are often deflected., To turn aside; to deviate from a right or a horizontal line, or from a proper position, course or direction; to swerve.
deflour verb t. To deprive of flowers., To take away the prime beauty and grace of; to rob of the choicest ornament., To deprive of virginity, as a woman; to violate; to ravish; also, to seduce.
deforce verb To keep from the rightful owner; to withhold wrongfully the possession of, as of lands or a freehold., To resist the execution of the law; to oppose by force, as an officer in the execution of his duty.
defraud verb t. To deprive of some right, interest, or property, by a deceitful device; to withhold from wrongfully; to injure by embezzlement; to cheat; to overreach; as, to defraud a servant, or a creditor, or the state; — with of before the thing taken or withheld.
defunct adjective Having finished the course of life; dead; deceased., A dead person; one deceased.
defying present participle & vb. noun of Defy
degener verb i. To degenerate.
degrade verb t. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer., To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man., To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down., To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.
dehisce verb i. To gape; to open by dehiscence.
deicide noun The act of killing a being of a divine nature; particularly, the putting to death of Jesus Christ., One concerned in putting Christ to death.
deictic adjective Direct; proving directly; — applied to reasoning, and opposed to elenchtic or refutative.
deified adjective Honored or worshiped as a deity; treated with supreme regard; godlike., of Deify
deifier noun One who deifies.
deiform adjective Godlike, or of a godlike form., Conformable to the will of God.
deigned imp. & past participle of Deign
deistic adjective Alt. of Deistical
deitate adjective Deified.
deities plural of Deity
dejecta noun pl. Excrements; as, the dejecta of the sick.
dejeune noun A dejeuner.
de jure By right; of right; by law; — often opposed to de facto.
delaine noun A kind of fabric for women’s dresses.
delapse verb i. To pass down by inheritance; to lapse.
delated imp. & past participle of Delate
delator noun An accuser; an informer.
delayed imp. & past participle of Delay
delayer noun One who delays; one who lingers.
deleing present participle & vb. noun of Dele
deleble adjective Capable of being blotted out or erased.
delenda noun pl. Things to be erased or blotted out.
deleted imp. & past participle of Delete
deliber verb t. & i. To deliberate.
delices noun pl. Delicacies; delights.
delight verb t. A high degree of gratification of mind; a high- wrought state of pleasurable feeling; lively pleasure; extreme satisfaction; joy., That which gives great pleasure or delight., Licentious pleasure; lust., To give delight to; to affect with great pleasure; to please highly; as, a beautiful landscape delights the eye; harmony delights the ear., To have or take great delight or pleasure; to be greatly pleased or rejoiced; — followed by an infinitive, or by in.
delilah noun The mistress of Samson, who betrayed him (Judges xvi.); hence, a harlot; a temptress.
delimit verb t. To fix the limits of; to demarcate; to bound.
deliver verb t. To set free from restraint; to set at liberty; to release; to liberate, as from control; to give up; to free; to save; to rescue from evil actual or feared; — often with from or out of; as, to deliver one from captivity, or from fear of death., To give or transfer; to yield possession or control of; to part with (to); to make over; to commit; to surrender; to resign; — often with up or over, to or into., To make over to the knowledge of another; to communicate; to utter; to speak; to impart., To give forth in action or exercise; to discharge; as, to deliver a blow; to deliver a broadside, or a ball., To free from, or disburden of, young; to relieve of a child in childbirth; to bring forth; — often with of., To discover; to show., To deliberate., To admit; to allow to pass., Free; nimble; sprightly; active.
delphic adjective Of or relating to Delphi, or to the famous oracle of that place., Ambiguous; mysterious.
delphin adjective Alt. of Delphine, A fatty substance contained in the oil of the dolphin and the porpoise; — called also phocenin.
deltaic adjective Relating to, or like, a delta.
deltoid adjective Shaped like the Greek / (delta); delta-shaped; triangular.
deluded imp. & past participle of Delude
deluder noun One who deludes; a deceiver; an impostor.
deluged imp. & past participle of Deluge
delving present participle & vb. noun of Delve
demagog noun Demagogue.
demarch noun March; walk; gait., A chief or ruler of a deme or district in Greece.
demency noun Dementia; loss of mental powers. See Insanity.
demerge verb t. To plunge down into; to sink; to immerse.
demerit noun That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert., That which deserves blame; ill desert; a fault; a vice; misconduct; — the opposite of merit., The state of one who deserves ill., To deserve; — said in reference to both praise and blame., To depreciate or cry down., To deserve praise or blame.
demerse verb t. To immerse.
demesne noun A lord’s chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor’s own use.
demigod noun A half god, or an inferior deity; a fabulous hero, the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
demiman noun A half man.
demirep noun A woman of doubtful reputation or suspected character; an adventuress.
demised imp. & past participle of Demise
demonic adjective Of or pertaining to a demon or to demons; demoniac.
demonry noun Demoniacal influence or possession.
demotic adjective Of or pertaining to the people; popular; common.
demount verb i. To dismount.
demster noun A deemster., An officer whose duty it was to announce the doom or sentence pronounced by the court.
demulce verb t. To soothe; to mollify; to pacify; to soften.
denarii plural of Denarius
denizen noun A dweller; an inhabitant., One who is admitted by favor to all or a part of the rights of citizenship, where he did not possess them by birth; an adopted or naturalized citizen., One admitted to residence in a foreign country., To constitute (one) a denizen; to admit to residence, with certain rights and privileges., To provide with denizens; to populate with adopted or naturalized occupants.
denoted imp. & past participle of Denote
densely adverb In a dense, compact manner.
density noun The quality of being dense, close, or thick; compactness; — opposed to rarity., The ratio of mass, or quantity of matter, to bulk or volume, esp. as compared with the mass and volume of a portion of some substance used as a standard., Depth of shade.
denting present participle & vb. noun of Dent
dentary adjective Pertaining to, or bearing, teeth., The distal bone of the lower jaw in many animals, which may or may not bear teeth.
dentate adjective Alt. of Dentated
dentile noun A small tooth, like that of a saw.
dential adjective Of or pertaining to dentine.
dentine noun The dense calcified substance of which teeth are largely composed. It contains less animal matter than bone, and in the teeth of man is situated beneath the enamel.
dentist noun One whose business it is to clean, extract, or repair natural teeth, and to make and insert artificial ones; a dental surgeon.
dentize verb t. & i. To breed or cut new teeth.
dentoid adjective Shaped like a tooth; tooth-shaped.
denture noun An artificial tooth, block, or set of teeth.
denying present participle & vb. noun of Deny
deodand noun A personal chattel which had caused the death of a person, and for that reason was given to God, that is, forfeited to the crown, to be applied to pious uses, and distributed in alms by the high almoner. Thus, if a cart ran over a man and killed him, it was forfeited as a deodand.
deodate noun A gift or offering to God.
depaint past participle Painted., To paint; to picture; hence, to describe; to delineate in words; to depict., To mark with, or as with, color; to color.
depeach verb t. To discharge.
deplant verb t. To take up (plants); to transplant.
deplete adjective To empty or unload, as the vessels of human system, by bloodletting or by medicine., To reduce by destroying or consuming the vital powers of; to exhaust, as a country of its strength or resources, a treasury of money, etc.
deplore verb t. To feel or to express deep and poignant grief for; to bewail; to lament; to mourn; to sorrow over., To complain of., To regard as hopeless; to give up., To lament.
deplume verb t. To strip or pluck off the feather of; to deprive of of plumage., To lay bare; to expose.
deponed imp. & past participle of Depone
deposal noun The act of deposing from office; a removal from the throne.
deposed imp. & past participle of Depose
deposer noun One who deposes or degrades from office., One who testifies or deposes; a deponent.
deposit noun To lay down; to place; to put; to let fall or throw down (as sediment); as, a crocodile deposits her eggs in the sand; the waters deposited a rich alluvium., To lay up or away for safe keeping; to put up; to store; as, to deposit goods in a warehouse., To lodge in some one’s hands for safe keeping; to commit to the custody of another; to intrust; esp., to place in a bank, as a sum of money subject to order., To lay aside; to rid one’s self of., That which is deposited, or laid or thrown down; as, a deposit in a flue; especially, matter precipitated from a solution (as the siliceous deposits of hot springs), or that which is mechanically deposited (as the mud, gravel, etc., deposits of a river)., A natural occurrence of a useful mineral under the conditions to invite exploitation., That which is placed anywhere, or in any one’s hands, for safe keeping; something intrusted to the care of another; esp., money lodged with a bank or banker, subject to order; anything given as pledge or security., A bailment of money or goods to be kept gratuitously for the bailor., Money lodged with a party as earnest or security for the performance of a duty assumed by the person depositing., A place of deposit; a depository.
deprave noun t. To speak ill of; to depreciate; to malign; to revile., To make bad or worse; to vitiate; to corrupt.
depress verb t. To press down; to cause to sink; to let fall; to lower; as, to depress the muzzle of a gun; to depress the eyes., To bring down or humble; to abase, as pride., To cast a gloom upon; to sadden; as, his spirits were depressed., To lessen the activity of; to make dull; embarrass, as trade, commerce, etc., To lessen in price; to cause to decline in value; to cheapen; to depreciate., To reduce (an equation) in a lower degree., Having the middle lower than the border; concave.
deprive verb t. To take away; to put an end; to destroy., To dispossess; to bereave; to divest; to hinder from possessing; to debar; to shut out from; — with a remoter object, usually preceded by of., To divest of office; to depose; to dispossess of dignity, especially ecclesiastical.
depthen verb t. To deepen.
depulse verb t. To drive away.
deputed imp. & past participle of Depute
deraign verb t. Alt. of Derain
derange verb t. To put out of place, order, or rank; to disturb the proper arrangement or order of; to throw into disorder, confusion, or embarrassment; to disorder; to disarrange; as, to derange the plans of a commander, or the affairs of a nation., To disturb in action or function, as a part or organ, or the whole of a machine or organism., To disturb in the orderly or normal action of the intellect; to render insane.
dereine verb t. Alt. of Dereyne
dereyne verb t. Same as Darraign.
derided imp. & past participle of Deride
derider noun One who derides, or laughs at, another in contempt; a mocker; a scoffer.
derival noun Derivation.
derived imp. & past participle of Derive
deriver noun One who derives.
dermoid adjective Same as Dermatoid.
dernful adjective Secret; hence, lonely; sad; mournful.
dernier adjective Last; final.
derrick noun A mast, spar, or tall frame, supported at the top by stays or guys, with suitable tackle for hoisting heavy weights, as stones in building.
derring adjective Daring or warlike.
dervish noun Alt. of Dervis
dervise noun Alt. of Dervis
descant verb i. Originally, a double song; a melody or counterpoint sung above the plain song of the tenor; a variation of an air; a variation by ornament of the main subject or plain song., The upper voice in part music., The canto, cantus, or soprano voice; the treble., A discourse formed on its theme, like variations on a musical air; a comment or comments., To sing a variation or accomplishment., To comment freely; to discourse with fullness and particularity; to discourse at large.
descend verb i. To pass from a higher to a lower place; to move downwards; to come or go down in any way, as by falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to plunge; to fall; to incline downward; — the opposite of ascend., To enter mentally; to retire., To make an attack, or incursion, as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence; — with on or upon., To come down to a lower, less fortunate, humbler, less virtuous, or worse, state or station; to lower or abase one’s self; as, he descended from his high estate., To pass from the more general or important to the particular or less important matters to be considered., To come down, as from a source, original, or stock; to be derived; to proceed by generation or by transmission; to fall or pass by inheritance; as, the beggar may descend from a prince; a crown descends to the heir., To move toward the south, or to the southward., To fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone., To go down upon or along; to pass from a higher to a lower part of; as, they descended the river in boats; to descend a ladder.
descent noun The act of descending, or passing downward; change of place from higher to lower., Incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from sea; — often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy., Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc., Derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction., Transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity., Inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent., That which is descended; descendants; issue., A step or remove downward in any scale of gradation; a degree in the scale of genealogy; a generation., Lowest place; extreme downward place., A passing from a higher to a lower tone.
deserve verb t. To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as, the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise., To serve; to treat; to benefit., To be worthy of recompense; — usually with ill or with well.
desight noun An unsightly object.
desired imp. & past participle of Desire
desirer noun One who desires, asks, or wishes.
desking present participle & vb. noun of Desk
desmine noun Same as Stilbite. It commonly occurs in bundles or tufts of crystals.
desmoid adjective Resembling, or having the characteristics of, a ligament; ligamentous.
despair verb i. To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation; — often with of., To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of., To cause to despair., Loss of hope; utter hopelessness; complete despondency., That which is despaired of.
despect noun Contempt.
despeed verb t. To send hastily.
despend verb t. To spend; to squander. See Dispend.
despise verb t. To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of.
despite noun Malice; malignity; spite; malicious anger; contemptuous hate., An act of malice, hatred, or defiance; contemptuous defiance; a deed of contempt., To vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously., In spite of; against, or in defiance of; notwithstanding; as, despite his prejudices.
despoil verb t. To strip, as of clothing; to divest or unclothe., To deprive for spoil; to plunder; to rob; to pillage; to strip; to divest; — usually followed by of., Spoil.
despond verb i. To give up, the will, courage, or spirit; to be thoroughly disheartened; to lose all courage; to become dispirited or depressed; to take an unhopeful view., Despondency.
desport verb t. & i. See Disport.
despume verb t. To free from spume or scum.
dessert noun A service of pastry, fruits, or sweetmeats, at the close of a feast or entertainment; pastry, fruits, etc., forming the last course at dinner.
destine verb t. To determine the future condition or application of; to set apart by design for a future use or purpose; to fix, as by destiny or by an authoritative decree; to doom; to ordain or preordain; to appoint; — often with the remoter object preceded by to or for.
destiny noun That to which any person or thing is destined; predetermined state; condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom., The fixed order of things; invincible necessity; fate; a resistless power or agency conceived of as determining the future, whether in general or of an individual.
destrer noun Alt. of Dextrer
dextrer noun A war horse., A war horse; a destrer.
destrie verb t. To destroy.
destroy verb t. To unbuild; to pull or tear down; to separate virulently into its constituent parts; to break up the structure and organic existence of; to demolish., To ruin; to bring to naught; to put an end to; to annihilate; to consume., To put an end to the existence, prosperity, or beauty of; to kill.
desuete adjective Disused; out of use.
deterge verb t. To cleanse; to purge away, as foul or offending matter from the body, or from an ulcer.
detinue noun A person or thing detained, A form of action for the recovery of a personal chattel wrongfully detained.
detract verb t. To take away; to withdraw., To take credit or reputation from; to defame., To take away a part or something, especially from one’s credit; to lessen reputation; to derogate; to defame; — often with from.
detrain verb i. & t. To alight, or to cause to alight, from a railway train.
detrect verb t. To refuse; to decline.
detrite adjective Worn out.
detrude verb t. To thrust down or out; to push down with force.
deutzia noun A genus of shrubs with pretty white flowers, much cultivated.
develin noun The European swift.
develop verb t. To free from that which infolds or envelops; to unfold; to lay open by degrees or in detail; to make visible or known; to disclose; to produce or give forth; as, to develop theories; a motor that develops 100 horse power., To unfold gradually, as a flower from a bud; hence, to bring through a succession of states or stages, each of which is preparatory to the next; to form or expand by a process of growth; to cause to change gradually from an embryo, or a lower state, to a higher state or form of being; as, sunshine and rain develop the bud into a flower; to develop the mind., To advance; to further; to prefect; to make to increase; to promote the growth of., To change the form of, as of an algebraic expression, by executing certain indicated operations without changing the value., To cause to become visible, as an invisible or latent image upon plate, by submitting it to chemical agents; to bring to view., To go through a process of natural evolution or growth, by successive changes from a less perfect to a more perfect or more highly organized state; to advance from a simpler form of existence to one more complex either in structure or function; as, a blossom develops from a bud; the seed develops into a plant; the embryo develops into a well-formed animal; the mind develops year by year., To become apparent gradually; as, a picture on sensitive paper develops on the application of heat; the plans of the conspirators develop.
deviant adjective Deviating.
deviate verb i. To go out of the way; to turn aside from a course or a method; to stray or go astray; to err; to digress; to diverge; to vary., To cause to deviate.
deviled imp. & past participle of Devil
devilet noun A little devil.
devilry noun Conduct suitable to the devil; extreme wickedness; deviltry., The whole body of evil spirits.
devious adjective Out of a straight line; winding; varying from directness; as, a devious path or way., Going out of the right or common course; going astray; erring; wandering; as, a devious step.
devisal noun A devising.
devised imp. & past participle of Devise
devisee noun One to whom a devise is made, or real estate given by will.
deviser noun One who devises.
devisor noun One who devises, or gives real estate by will; a testator; — correlative to devisee.
devolve verb t. To roll onward or downward; to pass on., To transfer from one person to another; to deliver over; to hand down; — generally with upon, sometimes with to or into., To pass by transmission or succession; to be handed over or down; — generally with on or upon, sometimes with to or into; as, after the general fell, the command devolved upon (or on) the next officer in rank.
devoted imp. & past participle of Devote, Consecrated to a purpose; strongly attached; zealous; devout; as, a devoted admirer.
devotee noun One who is wholly devoted; esp., one given wholly to religion; one who is superstitiously given to religious duties and ceremonies; a bigot.
devoter noun One who devotes; a worshiper.
devotor noun A worshiper; one given to devotion.
dewclaw noun In any animal, esp. of the Herbivora, a rudimentary claw or small hoof not reaching the ground.
dewdrop noun A drop of dew.
dewfall noun The falling of dew; the time when dew begins to fall.
dewless adjective Having no dew.
dewworm noun See Earthworm.
dextrad adverb Toward the right side; dextrally.
dextral adjective Right, as opposed to sinistral, or left.
dextrin noun A translucent, gummy, amorphous substance, nearly tasteless and odorless, used as a substitute for gum, for sizing, etc., and obtained from starch by the action of heat, acids, or diastase. It is of somewhat variable composition, containing several carbohydrates which change easily to their respective varieties of sugar. It is so named from its rotating the plane of polarization to the right; — called also British gum, Alsace gum, gommelin, leiocome, etc. See Achroodextrin, and Erythrodextrin.
dextro- A prefix, from L. dexter, meaning, pertaining to, or toward, the right, having the property of turning the plane of polarized light to the right; as, dextrotartaric acid.
deyntee noun & adjective See Dainty.