DIA, Greek, a prefix, denotes through.

DIABASE, noun Another name of greenstone.

DIABATERIAL, adjective [Gr.] Border-passing.

DIABETES, noun [Gr., to pass through; to go or pass.] A long continued increased quantity of urine; an excessive and morbid discharge of urine.

DIABETIC, adjective Pertaining to diabetes.

DIABOLIC, DIABOLICAL, adjective [Latin , the devil.] Devilish; pertaining to the devil; hence, extremely malicious; impious; atrocious; nefarious; outrageously wicked; partaking of any quality ascribed to the devil; as a diabolical temper; a diabolical scheme or action.

DIABOLIC, DIABOLICAL adjective [Latin , the devil.] Devilish; pertaining to the devil; hence, extremely malicious; impious; atrocious; nefarious; outrageously wicked; partaking of any quality ascribed to the devil; as a DIABOLICAL temper; a DIABOLICAL scheme or action.

DIABOLICALLY, adverb In a diabolical manner; very wickedly; nefariously.

DIABOLICALNESS, noun The qualities of the devil.

DIABOLISM, noun

1. The actions of the devil.

2. Possession by the devil.

DIACAUSTIC, adjective [G., to burn or inflame.] Belonging to curves formed by refraction.

DIACHYLON, noun [Gr.] An emollient plaster.

DIACONAL, adjective [Latin] Pertaining to a deacon.

DIACOUSTIC, adjective [Gr., to hear.] Pertaining to the science or doctrine of refracted sounds.

DIACOUSTICS, noun The science or doctrine of refracted sounds; the consideration of the properties of sound refracted by passing through different mediums; called also diaphonics.

DIACRITICAL, adjective [Gr., to separate.] That separates or distinguishes; distinctive; as a diacritical point or mark.

The short vowel is never signified by any diacritical mark.

DIADELPH, noun [Gr., twice; a brother.] In botany, a plant whose stamens are united into two bodies or bundles by their filaments.

DIADELPHIAN, adjective Having its stamens united into two bodies by their filaments.

DIADEM, noun [Gr., to gird; to bind. Latin ]

1. Anciently, a head-band or fillet worn by kings as a badge or royalty. It was made of silk, linen or wool, and tied round the temples and forehead, the ends being tied behind and let fall on the neck. It was usually white and plain; sometimes embroidered with gold, or set with pearls and precious stones.

2. In modern usage, the mark or badge of royalty, worn on the head; a crown; and figuratively, empire; supreme power.

3. A distinguished or principal ornament.

A diadem of beauty. Isaiah 28:5.

DIADEMED, adjective Adorned with a diadem; crowned; ornamented.

DIADROM, noun [Gr., a running about; to run.] A course or passing; a vibration; the time in which the vibration of a pendulum is performed.

DIAGNOSTIC, adjective [Gr., to know.] Distinguishing; characteristic; indicating the nature of a disease.

DIAGNOSTIC, noun The sign or symptom by which a disease is known or distinguished from others. Diagnostics are of two kinds; the adjunct, or such as are common to several diseases; and the pathognomonic, which always attend the disease, and distinguish it from all others.

DIAGONAL, adjective [Gr. A corner.]

1. In geometry, extending from one angle to another of a quadrilateral figure, and dividing it into two equal parts.

2. Being in an angular direction.

DIAGONAL, noun A right line drawn from angle to angle of a quadrilateral figure, as a square or parallelogram, and dividing it into two equal parts. It is sometimes called the diameter, and sometimes the diametral.

DIAGONALLY, adverb In a diagonal direction.

DIAGRAM, noun [Gr., to write.] In geometry, a figure, draught or scheme delineated for the purpose of demonstrating the properties of any figure, as a square, triangle, circle, etc. Anciently, a musical scale.

DIAGRAPHIC, DIAGRAPHICAL, adjective [Gr., to describe.] Descriptive.

DIAGRAPHIC, DIAGRAPHICAL adjective [Gr., to describe.] Descriptive.

DIAL, noun An instrument for measuring time, by the aid of the sun; being a plate or plain surface, on which lines are drawn in such a manner, that the shadow of a wire, or of the upper edge of another plane, erected perpendicularly on the former, may show the true time of the day. The edge of the plane, which shows the time, is called the stile of the dial and this must be parallel to the axis of the earth. The line on which this plane is erected, is called the substile; and the angle included between the substile and stile, is called the elevation or highth of the stile. A dial may be horizontal, vertical, or inclining.

DIALECT, noun [Gr.]

1. The form or idiom of a language, peculiar to a province, or to a kingdom or state; consisting chiefly in differences of orthography or pronunciation. The Greek language is remarkable for four dialects, the Attic, Iionic, Doric and Eolic. A dialect is the branch of a parent language, with such local alterations as time, accident and revolutions may have introduced among descendants of the same stock or family, living in separate or remote situations. But in regard to a large portion of words, many languages, which are considered as distinct, are really dialects of one common language.

2. Language; speech, or manner of speaking.

DIALECTICAL, adjective

1. Pertaining to a dialect, or dialects; not radical.

2. Logical; argumental.

DIALECTICALLY, adverb In the manner of dialect.

DIALECTICIAN, noun A logician; a reasoner.

DIALECTICS, noun That branch of logic which teaches the rules and modes of reasoning.

DIALING, noun The art of constructing dials, or of drawing dials on a plane. The sciateric science, or knowledge of showing the time by shadows.

DIALIST, noun A constructor of dials; one skilled in dialing.

DIALLAGE, noun [Gr., difference, alluding to the difference of luster between its natural joints.] A mineral, the smaragdite of Saussure, of a lamellar or foliated structure. Its subspecies are green diallage metalloidal diallage and bronzite. The metalloidal subspecies is called schillersteing, or shiller spar.

DIALOGISM, noun A feigned speech between two or more.

DIALOGIST, noun [See Dialogue.] A speaker in a dialogue; also, a writer of dialogues.

DIALOGISTIC, adjective Having the form of a dialogue.

DIALOGISTICALLY, adverb In the manner of dialogue.

DIALOGIZE, verb intransitive [See Dialogue.] To discourse in dialogue.

DIALOGUE, noun Dialog. [Gr., to dispute; to speak.]

1. A conversation or conference between two or more persons; particularly, a formal conversation in theatrical performances; also, an exercise in colleges and schools, in which two or more persons carry on a discourse.

2. A written conversation, or a composition in which two or more persons are represented as conversing on some topic; as the dialogues of Cicero de Oratore, and de Natura Deorum.

DIALOGUE, verb intransitive To discourse together; to confer. [Not used.]

DIALYSIS, noun [Gr., to dissolve.]

1. A mark in writing or printing, consisting of two points placed over one of two vowels, to dissolve a diphthong, or to show that the two vowels are to be separated in pronunciation; as, aer, mosaic.

2. In medicine, debility; also, a solution of continuity.

DIAMANTINE, for adamantine. [Not in use.]

DIAMETER, noun [Gr., measure through.]

1. A right line passing through the center of a circle or other curvilinear figure, terminated by the circumference, and dividing the figure into two equal parts.

2. A right line passing through the center of a piece of timber, a rock or other object, from one side to the other; as the diameter of a tree, or of a stone.

DIAMETRAL, adjective Diametrical, which see.

DIAMETRALLY, adverb Diametrically.

DIAMETRICAL, adjective

1. Describing a diameter.

2. Observing the direction of a diameter; direct; as diametrical opposition.

DIAMETRICALLY, adverb In a diametrical direction; directly; as diametrically opposite.

DIAMOND, noun Dimond. [Latin , Gr. See Adamant.]

1. A mineral, gem or precious stone, of the most valuable kind, remarkable for its hardness, as it scratches all other minerals. When pure, the diamond is usually clear and transparent, but it is sometimes colored. In its rough state, it is commonly in the form of a roundish pebble, or of octahedral crystals. It consists of carbon, and when heated to 14 degrees Wedgewood, and exposed to a current of air, it is gradually, but completely combustible. When pure and transparent, it is said to be of the first water.

2. A very small printing letter.

3. A figure, otherwise called a rhombus.

DIAMOND, adjective Resembling a diamond as a diamond color; or consisting of diamonds, as a diamond chain.

DIAMONDED, adjective Having the figure of an oblique angled parallelogram, or rhombus.

DIANDER, noun [Gr., twice; a male.] In botany, a plant having two stamens.

DIANDRIAN, adjective Having two stamens.

DIAPASON, DIAPASE noun [Gr., through all.]

DIAPASM, noun [Gr., to sprinkle.] A perfume.

DIAPASON, DIAPASE, noun [Gr., through all.]

1. In music, the octave or interval which includes all the tones.

2. Among musical instrument-makers, a rule or scale by which they adjust the pipes of organs, the holes of flutes, etc., in due proportion for expressing the several tones and semitones.

DIAPASON-diapente, a compound consonance in a triple ratio, as 3 to 9, consisting of 9 tones and a semitone, or 19 semitones; a twelfth.

DIAPASON-diatessaron, a compound concord, founded on the proportion of 8 to 3, consisting of eight tones and a semitone.

DIAPASON-ditone, a compound concord, whose terms are as 10 to 4, or 5 to 2.

DIAPASON-semiditone, a compound concord, whose terms are in the proportion of 12 to 5.

DIAPENTE, noun [Gr., five.]

1. A fifth; an interval making the second of the concords, and with the diatessaron, an octave.

2. In medicine, a composition of five ingredients.

DIAPER, noun Figured linen cloth; a cloth wove in flowers or figures; much used for towels or napkins. Hence, a towel or napkin.

DIAPER, verb transitive To variegate or diversify, as cloth, with figures; to flower.

DIAPER, verb intransitive To draw flowers or figures, as upon cloth.

If you diaper on folds.

DIAPHANED, adjective Transparent. [Little used.]

DIAPHANEITY, noun [Gr., to shine through; to shine.] The power of transmitting light; transparency; pellucidness.

DIAPHANIC, adjective [Gr. See supra.] Having power to transmit light; transparent.

DIAPHANOUS, adjective [See supra.] Having power to transmit rays of light, as glass; pellucid; transparent; clear.

DIAPHORESIS, noun [Gr., to carry through; to carry.] Augmented perspiration; or an elimination of the humors of the body through the pores of the skin.

DIAPHORETIC, adjective [supra.] Having the power to increase perspiration; sudorific; sweating.

DIAPHORETIC, noun A medicine which promotes perspiration; a sudorific. Diaphoretics differ from sudorifics; the former only increase the insensible perspiration; the latter excite the sensible discharge called sweat.

DIAPHRAGM, noun Diafram. [Gr., to break off, to defend.]

1. In anatomy, the midriff, a muscle separating the chest or thorax from the abdomen or lower belly.

2. A partition or dividing substance.

DIAPORESIS, noun [Gr., to doubt.] In rhetoric, doubt; hesitation.

DIARESIS, DIARESY, noun [Gr., a division; to take away.] The dissolution of a diphthong; the mark placed over one of two vowels, denoting that they are to be pronounced separately, as distinct letters.

DIARESIS, DIARESY noun [Gr., a division; to take away.] The dissolution of a diphthong; the mark placed over one of two vowels, denoting that they are to be pronounced separately, as distinct letters.

DIARIAN, adjective [See Diary.] Pertaining to a diary; daily.

DIARIST, noun One who keeps a diary.

DIARRHEA, noun [Gr., to flow through; to flow.] Purging or flux; a frequent and copious evacuation of excrement by stool.

DIARRHETIC, adjective Promoting evacuation by stool; purgative.

DIARY, noun [Latin , a day.] An account of daily events or transactions; a journal; a register of daily occurrences or observations; as a diary of the weather. A diary fever is a fever of one day.

DIASCHISM, noun [Gr., a piece cut off; to cut off.] In music, the difference between the comma and enharmonic diesis, commonly called the lesser comma.

DIASPORE, noun [Gr., to disperse.] A mineral occurring in lamellar concretions, of a pearly gray color, and infusible. A small fragment, placed in the flame of a candle, almost instantly decrepitates, and is dispersed; whence its name. It is a mineral little known.

DIASTALTIC, adjective [Gr., dilating.] Dilated; noble; bold; an epithet given by the Greeks to certain intervals in music, as the major third, major sixth and major seventh.

DIASTEM, noun [Gr.] In music, a simple interval.

DIASTOLE, DIASTOLY, noun [Gr., to set or send from.]

DIASTOLE, DIASTOLY noun [Gr., to set or send from.]

1. Among physicians, a dilation of the heart, auricles and arteries; opposed to systole or contraction.

2. In grammar, the extension of a syllable; or a figure by which a syllable naturally short is made long.

DIASTYLE, noun [Gr.] An edifice in which three diameters of the columns are allowed for intercolumniations.

DIATESSARON, noun [Gr., four.] Among musicians, a concord or harmonic interval, composed of a greater tone, a lesser tone, and one greater semitone. Its proportion is as 4 to 3, and it is called a perfect fourth.

DIATONIC, adjective [Gr., by or through, sound.] Ascending or descending, as in sound, or from sound to sound. This epithet is given to a scale or gammut, to intervals of a certain kind, or to music composed of these intervals; as a diatonic series; a diatonic interval; diatonic melody or harmony. It is applied to ordinary music, containing only the two greater and lesser tones, and the greater semitone.

DIATRIBE, noun [Gr.] A continued discourse or disputation.

DIAZEUTIC, adjective [Gr., to disjoin.] A diazeutic tone, in ancient Greek music, disjoined two fourths, one on each side of it, and which, being joined to either, made a fifth. This is, in our music, from A to B.

DIBBLE, noun [probably from the root of top, tip, a point, and denoting a little sharp point; or allied to dip, to thrust in.] A pointed instrument, used in gardening and agriculture, to make holes for planting seeds, etc.

DIBBLE, verb transitive To plant with a dibble; or to make holes for planting seeds, etc.

DIBBLE, verb intransitive To dibble or dip; a term in angling.

DIBSTONE, noun A little stone which children throw at another stone.

DICACITY, noun [Latin] Pertness. [Little used.]

DICAST, noun [Gr., to judge; justice.] In ancient Greece, an officer answering nearly to our juryman.

DICE, noun plural of die; also, a game with dice

DICE, verb intransitive To play with dice

DICER, noun A player at dice.

DICHOTOMIZE, verb transitive [See the next word.] To cut into two parts; to divide into pairs.

DICHOTOMOUS, adjective [Gr., doubly, by pairs; to cut.] In botany, regularly dividing by pairs from top to bottom; as a dichotomous stem.

DICHOTOMY, noun [Gr., a division into two parts; to cut.]

1. Division or distribution of ideas by pairs. [Little used.]

2. In astronomy, that phase of the moon in which it appears bisected, or shows only half its disk, as at the quadratures.

DICHROIT, noun [See Iolite.]

DICKER, noun [Gr., ten. Latin ] In old authors, the number or quantity of ten, particularly ten hides or skins; but applied to other things, as a dicker gloves, etc. [I believe not used in America.]

DICOCCOUS, adjective [Gr., Latin , a grain.] Two-grained; consisting of two cohering grains or cells, with one seed in each; as a dicoccous capsule.

DICOTYLEDON, noun [Gr., two; a cavity.] A plant whose seeds divide into two lobes in germinating.

DICOTYLEDONOUS, adjective Having two lobes. A dicotyledonous plant is one whose seeds have two lobes, and consequently rise with two seminal leaves.

DICTATE, verb transitive [Latin , to speak.]

1. To tell with authority; to deliver, as an order, command, or direction; as, what God has dictated, it is our duty to believe.

2. To order or instruct what is to be said or written; as, a general dictates orders to his troops.

3. To suggest; to admonish; to direct by impulse on the mind. We say, the spirit of God dictated the messages of the prophets to Israel. Conscience often dictates to men the rules by which they are to govern their conduct.

DICTATE, noun

1. An order delivered; a command.

2. A rule, maxim or precept, delivered with authority.

I credit what the Grecian dictates say.

3. Suggestion; rule or direction suggested to the mind; as the dictates of reason or conscience.

DICTATED, participle passive Delivered with authority; ordered; directed; suggested.

DICTATING, participle present tense Uttering or delivering with authority; instructing what to say or write; ordering; suggesting to the mind.

DICTATION, noun The act of dictating; the act or practice of prescribing.

It affords security against the dictation of laws.

DICTATOR, noun [Latin]

1. One who dictates; one who prescribes rules and maxims for the direction of others.

2. One invested with absolute authority. In ancient Rome, a magistrate, created in times of exigence and distress, and invested with unlimited power. He remained in office six months.

DICTATORIAL, adjective

1. Pertaining to a dictator; absolute; unlimited; uncontrollable.

2. Imperious; dogmatical; overbearing; as, the officer assumed a dictatorial tone.

DICTATORSHIP, noun

1. The office of a dictator; the term of a dictators office.

2. Authority; imperiousness; dogmatism.

DICTATORY, adjective Overbearing; dogmatical.

DICTATURE, noun

1. The office of a dictator; dictatorship.

2. Absolute authority; the power that dictates.

DICTION, noun [Latin , to speak.] Expression of ideas by words; style; manner of expression.

DICTIONARY, noun [Latin , a word, or a speaking.] A book containing the words of a language arranged in alphabetical order, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon.

DID, pret of do, contracted from doed. I did thou didst, he did; we did you or ye did they did

Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry? Matthew 12:3.

The proper signification is, made, executed, performed; but it is used also to express the state of health.

And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the womens house, to know how Esther did Esther 2:4.

DID is used as the sign of the past tense of verbs, particularly in interrogative and negative sentences; as, did he command you to go? He did not command me. It is also used to express emphasis; as, I did love him beyond measure.

DIDACTIC, DIDACTICAL, adjective [Gr., to teach.] Adapted to teach; preceptive; containing doctrines, precepts, principles or rules; intended to instruct; as a didactic poem or essay.

DIDACTIC, DIDACTICAL adjective [Gr., to teach.] Adapted to teach; preceptive; containing doctrines, precepts, principles or rules; intended to instruct; as a didactic poem or essay.

DIDACTICALLY, adverb In a didactic manner; in a form to teach.

DIDAPPER, noun [from dip.] A bird that dives into the water, a species of Colymbus.

DIDASCALIC, adjective [Gr., to teach.] Didactic; preceptive; giving precepts. [Little used.]

DIDDER, verb intransitive To totter, as a child in walking.

DIDDLE, verb intransitive To totter, as a child in walking.

DIDECAHEDRAL, adjective [di and decahedral.] In crystalography, having the form of a dodecahedral prism with hexahedral summits.

DIDODECAHEDRAL, adjective [di and dodecahedral.] In crystalography, having the form of a dodecahedral prism with hexahedral summits.

DIDRACHMA, noun [Gr.] A piece of money, the fourth of an ounce of silver.

DIDUCTION, noun [Latin , to draw.] Separation by withdrawing one part from the other.

DIDYNAM, noun [Gr., power.] In botany, a plant of four stamens, disposed in two pairs, one being shorter than the other.

DIDYNAMIAN, adjective Containing four stamens, disposed in pairs, one shorter than the other.

DIE, verb intransitive [See Day.]

1. To be deprived of respiration, of the circulation of blood, and other bodily functions, and rendered incapable of resuscitation, as animals, either by natural decay, by disease, or by violence; to cease to live; to expire; to decease; to perish; and with respect to man, to depart from this world.

All the first born in the land of Egypt shall die Exodus 11:5.

The fish that is in the river shall die Exodus 7:18.

This word is followed by of or by. Men die of disease; of a fever; of sickness; of a fall; of grief. They die by the sword; by famine; by pestilence; by violence; by sickness; by disease. In some cases, custom has established the use of the one, to the exclusion of the other; but in many cases, either by or of may be used at the pleasure of the writer or speaker. The use of for, he died for thirst, is not elegant nor common.

2. To be punished with death; to lose life for a crime, or for the sake of another.

I will relieve my master, if I die for it. Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:7.

Christ died for our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

3. To come to an end; to cease; to be lost; to perish or come to nothing; as, let the secret die in your own breast.

4. To sink; to faint.

His heart died withing him, and he became as a stone. 1 Samuel 25:1.

5. To languish with pleasure or tenderness; followed by away.

To sounds of heavenly harps she dies away.

6. To languish with affection.

The young men acknowledged that they died for Rebecca.

7. To recede as sound, and become less distinct; to become less and less; or to vanish from the sight, or disappear gradually. Sound or color dies away.

8. To lose vegetable life; to wither; to perish; as plants or seeds. Plants die for want of water. Some plants die annually.

9. To become vapid or spiritless, as liquors; mostly used in the participle; as the cider or beer is dead.

10. In theology, to perish everlastingly; to suffer divine wrath and punishment in the future world.

11. To become indifferent to, or to cease to be under the power of; as, to die to sin.

12. To endure great danger and distress.

I die daily. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

To die away, to decrease gradually; to cease to blow; as, the wind dies away.

DIE, noun plural dice.

1. A small cube, marked on its faces with numbers from one to six, used in gaming, by being thrown from a box.

He ventured his all on the cast of a die

2. Any cubic body; a flat tablet.

3. Hazard; chance.

Such is the die of war.

DIE, noun plural Dies. A stamp used in coining money, in founderies, etc.

DIECIAN, noun [Gr., two; house.] In botany, one of a class of plants, whose male and female flowers are on different plants of the same species.

DIER. [See Dyer.]

DIESIS, noun [Gr., a division.] In music, the division of a tone, less than a semitone; or an interval consisting of a less or imperfect semitone.

DIET, noun [Latin , Gr., manner of living, mode of life prescribe by a physician, food, a room, parlor or bed room. In the middle ages, this word was used to denote the provision or food for one day, and for a journey of one day. Hence it seems to be from dies, day, or its root; and hence the word may have come to signify a meal or supper, and the room occupied for eating.]

1. Food or victuals; as, milk is a wholesome diet; flesh is nourishing diet

2. Food regulated by a physician, or by medical rules; food prescribed for the prevention or cure of disease, and limited in kind or quantity. I restrained myself to a regular diet of flesh once a day.

3. Allowance of provision.

For his diet there was a continual diet given him by the king. Jeremiah 52:34.

4. Board, or boarding; as, to pay a certain sum for diet washing and lodging.

DIET, noun [G.] An assembly of the states or circles of the empire of Germany and of Poland; a convention of princes, electors, ecclesiastical dignitaries, and representatives of free cities, to deliberate on the affairs of the empire. There are also diets of states and cantons.

DIET, verb transitive

1. To feed; to board; to furnish provisions for; as, the master diets his apprentice.

2. To take food by rules prescribed; as, an invalid should carefully diet himself.

3. To feed; to furnish aliment; as, to diet revenge.

DIET, verb intransitive

1. To eat according to rules prescribed.

2. To eat; to feed; as, the students diet in commons.

DIETARY, adjective Pertaining to diet or the rules of diet.

DIETED, participle passive Fed; boarded; fed by prescribed rules.

DIETER, noun One who diets; one who prescribes rules for eating; one who prepares food by rules.

DIETETIC, DIETETICAL, adjective [Gr.] Pertaining to diet, or to the rules for regulating the kind and quantity of food to be eaten.

DIETETIC, DIETETICAL adjective [Gr.] Pertaining to diet, or to the rules for regulating the kind and quantity of food to be eaten.

DIETINE, noun A subordinate or local diet; a cantonal convention.

DIETING, noun A subordinate or local diet; a cantonal convention.

DIETING, participle present tense Taking food; prescribing rules for eating; taking food according to prescribed rules.

DIFFARREATION, noun [Latin] The parting of a cake; a ceremony among the Romans, at the divorce of man and wife.

DIFFER, verb intransitive [Latin , to bear or move apart. See Bear.]

1. Literally, to be separate. Hence, to be unlike, dissimilar, distinct or various, in nature, condition, form or qualities; followed by from. Men differ from brutes; a statue differs from a picture; wisdom differs from folly.

One star differeth from another star in glory. 1 Corinthians 15:41.

2. To disagree; not to accord; to be of a contrary opinion. We are all free to differ in opinion, and sometimes our sentiments differ less than we at first suppose.

3. To contend; to be at variance; to strive or debate in words; to dispute; to quarrel.

Well never differ with a crowded pit.

DIFFER, verb transitive To cause to be different or various. A different dialect and pronunciation differs persons of divers countries. [This transitive use of the verb is not common, nor to be commended.]

DIFFERENCE, noun

1. The state of being unlike or distinct; distinction; disagreement; want of sameness; variation; dissimilarity. difference may be total or partial, and exist in the nature and essence of things, in the form, the qualities or degrees. There is a difference in nature between animals and plants; a difference in form between the genera and species of animals; a difference of quality in paper; and a difference in degrees of heat, or of light.

2. The quality which distinguishes one thing from another.

3. Dispute; debate; contention; quarrel; controversy.

What was the difference? It was a contention in public.

4. The point in dispute; ground of controversy.

5. A logical distinction.

6. Evidences or marks of distinction.

The marks and differences of sovereignty.

7. Distinction.

There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. Romans 10:12.

8. In mathematics, the remainder of a sum or quantity, after a lesser sum or quantity is subtracted.

9. In logic, an essential attribute, belonging to some species, and not found in the genus; being the idea that defines the species.

10. In heraldry, a certain figure added to a coat of arms, serving to distinguish one family from another, or to show how distant a younger branch is from the elder or principal branch.

DIFFERENCE, verb transitive To cause a difference or distinction. A regular administration of justice according to fixed laws differences a civilized from a savage state.

DIFFERENT, adjective

1. Distinct; separate; not the same; as, we belong to different churches or nations.

2. Various or contrary; of various or contrary natures, forms or qualities; unlike; dissimilar; as different kinds of food or drink; different states of health; different shapes; different degrees of excellence.

DIFFERENTIAL, adjective An epithet applied to an infinitely small quantity, so small as to be less than any assignable quantity. This is called a differential quantity. The differential method is applied to the doctrine of infinitesimals, or infinitely small quantities, called the arithmetic of fluxions. It consists in descending from whole quantities to their infinitely small differences, and comparing them. Hence it is called the differential calculus, or analysis of infinitesimals.

DIFFERENTLY, adverb In a different manner; variously. Men are differently affected with the same eloquence.

DIFFERING, participle present tense Being unlike or distinct; disagreeing; contending.

DIFFICILE, adjective [Latin] Difficult; hard; scrupulous. [Not used.]

DIFFICILENESS, noun Difficulty to be persuaded. [Not used.]

DIFFICULT, adjective [Latin , easy to be made or done; to make or do.]

1. Hard to be made, done or performed; not easy; attended with labor and pains; as, our task is difficult It is difficult to persuade men to abandon vice. It is difficult to ascend a steep hill, or travel a bad road.

2. Hard to be pleased; not easily wrought upon; not readily yielding; not compliant; unaccommodating; rigid; austere; not easily managed or persuaded; as a difficult man; a person of a difficult temper.

3. Hard to be ascended as a hill, traveled as a road, or crossed as a river, etc. We say, a difficult ascent; a difficult road; a difficult river to cross; etc.

DIFFICULTY, noun [Latin]

1. Hardness to be done or accomplished; the state of any thing which renders its performance laborious or perplexing; opposed to easiness or facility; as the difficulty of a task or enterprise; a work of labor and difficulty

2. That which is hard to be performed or surmounted. We often mistake difficulties for impossibilities. To overcome difficulties is an evidence of a great mind.

3. Perplexity; embarrassment of affairs; trouble; whatever renders progress or execution of designs laborious. We lie under many difficulties, by reason of bad markets, or a low state of trade.

4. Objection; obstacle to belief; that which cannot be easily understood, explained or believed, Men often raise difficulties concerning miracles and mysteries in religion, which candid research will remove.

5. In a popular sense, bodily complaints; indisposition.

DIFFIDE, verb intransitive [Latin , to trust.] To distrust; to have no confidence in. [Little used.]

DIFFIDENCE, noun [Latin , to trust. See Faith.]

1. Distrust; want of confidence; any doubt of the power, ability or disposition of others. It is said there was a general diffidence of the strength and resources of the nation, and of the sincerity of the king.

2. More generally, distrust of ones self; want of confidence in our own power, competency, correctness or wisdom; a doubt respecting some personal qualification. We speak or write with diffidence when we doubt our ability to speak or write correctly or to the satisfaction of others. The effect of diffidence is some degree of reserve, modesty, timidity or bashfulness. Hence,

3. Modest reserve; a moderate degree of timidity or bashfulness; as, he addressed the audience or the prince with diffidence

DIFFIDENT, adjective

1. Distrustful; wanting confidence; doubting of anothers power, disposition, sincerity or intention.

Be not diffident of wisdom.

Be diffident in dealing with strangers.

2. Distrustful of ones self; not confident; doubtful of ones own power or competency.

Distress makes the humble heart diffident

3. Reserved; modest; timid; as a diffident youth.

DIFFIDENTLY, adverb With distrust; in a distrusting manner; modestly.

DIFFLUENCE, DIFFLUENCY, noun [Latin] A flowing or falling away on all sides.

DIFFLUENCE, DIFFLUENCY noun [Latin] A flowing or falling away on all sides.

DIFFLUENT, adjective Flowing away on all sides; not fixed.

DIFFORM, adjective [Latin]

1. Irregular in form; not uniform; anomalous; as a difform flower or corol, the parts of which do not correspond in size or proportion; so difform leaves.

2. Unlike; dissimilar.

The unequal refractions of difform rays.

DIFFORMITY, noun Irregularity of form; want of uniformity.

DIFFRANCHISE, DIFFRANCHISEMENT, [See Disfranchise, which is the word in use.]

DIFFUSE, verb transitive diffuze. [Latin , to pour, to spread.]

1. To pour out and spread, as a fluid; to cause to flow and spread.

The river rose and diffused its waters over the adjacent plain.

2. To spread; to send out or extend in all directions; to disperse. Flowers diffuse their odors. The fame of Washington is diffused over Europe. The knowledge of the true God will be diffused over the earth.

DIFFUSE, adjective

1. Widely spread; dispersed.

2. Copious; prolix; using many words; giving full descriptions; as, Livy is a diffuse writer.

3. Copious; verbose; containing full or particular accounts; concise; as a diffuse style.

DIFFUSED, participle passive Diffuzed.

1. Spread; dispersed.

2. Loose; flowing; wild.

DIFFUSEDLY, adverb Diffuzedly. In a diffused manner; with wide dispersion.

DIFFUSEDNESS, noun Diffuzedness. The state of being widely spread.

DIFFUSELY, adverb

1. Widely; extensively.

2. Copiously; with many words; fully.

DIFFUSIBILITY, noun Diffuzibility. The quality of being diffusible, or capable of being spread; as the diffusibility of clay in water.

DIFFUSIBLE, adjective Diffuzible. That may flow or be spread in all directions; that may be dispersed; as diffusible stimuli.

DIFFUSIBLENESS, noun S as z. Diffusibility.

DIFFUSION, noun S as z.

1. A spreading or flowing of a liquid substance or fluid, in a lateral as well as a lineal direction; as the diffusion of water; the diffusion of air or light.

2. A spreading or scattering; dispersion; as a diffusion of dust or of seeds.

3. A spreading; extension; propagation; as the diffusion of knowledge, or of good principles.

4. Copiousness; exuberance, as of style. [Little used.]

DIFFUSIVE, adjective Having the quality of diffusing, or spreading by flowing, as liquid substances or fluids; or of dispersing, as minute particles. Water, air and light; dust, smoke and odors, are diffusive substances.

2. Extended; spread widely; extending in all directions; extensive; as diffusive charity or benevolence.

DIFFUSIVELY, adverb Widely; extensively; every way.

DIFFUSIVENESS, noun

1. The power of diffusing, or state of being diffused; dispersion.

2. Extension, or extensiveness; as the diffusiveness of benevolence.

3. The quality or state of being diffuse, as an author or his style; verboseness; copisousness of words or expression.

DIG, verb transitive preterit tense Digger or dug; participle passive Digged or dug. [G.]

1. To open and break or turn up the earth with a spade or other sharp instrument.

Be first to dig the ground.

2. To excavate; to form an opening in the earth by digging and removing the loose earth; as, to dig a well, a pit or a mine.

3. To pierce or open with a snout or by other means, as swine or moles.

4. To pierce with a pointed instrument; to thrust in.

Still for the growing liver digged his breast.

To dig down, is to undermine and cause to fall by digging; as, to dig down a wall.

To dig out, or to dig from, is to obtain by digging; as, to dig coals from a mine; to dig out fossils. But the preposition is often omitted, and it is said, the men are digging coals, or digging iron ore. In such phrases, some word is understood; They are digging out ore, or digging for coals, or digging ore from the earth.

To dig up, is to obtain something from the earth by opening it, or uncovering the thing with a spade or other instrument, or to force out from the earth by a bar; as, to dig up a stone.

DIG, verb intransitive

1. To work with a spade or other piercing instrument; to do servile work.

I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. Luke 16:3.

2. To work in search of; to search.

They dig for it, more than for hid treasures. Job 3:21.

To dig in, is to pierce with a spade or other pointed instrument.

Son of man, dig now in the wall. Ezekiel 8:8.

To dig through, to open a passage through; to make an opening from one side to the other.

DIGAMMA, noun [Gr., double gamma.] The name of F, most absurdly given to that letter, when first invented or used by the Eolians, on account of its figure. A letter should be named from its sound, and not from its shape. The letter is ef.

DIGAMY, noun Second marriage. [Not in use.]

DIGASTRIC, adjective [Gr., belly.] Having a double belly; an epithet given to a muscle of the lower jaw.

DIGERENT, adjective [Latin] Digesting. [Not in use.]

DIGEST, noun [Latin , put in order.]

1. A collection or body of Roman laws, digested or arranged under proper titles by order of the Emperor Justinian. A pandect.

2. Any collection, compilation, abridgment or summary of laws, disposed under proper heads or titles; as the digest of Comyns.

DIGEST, verb transitive Latin , to distribute, or to dissolve; to bear, carry, or wear.]

1. To distribute into suitable classes, or under proper heads or titles; to arrange in convenient order; to dispose in due method; as, to digest the Roman laws or the common law.

2. To arrange methodically in the mind; to form with due arrangement of parts; as, to digest a plan or scheme.

3. To separate or dissolve in the stomach, as food; to reduce to minute parts fit to enter the lacteals and circulate; to concoct; to covert into chyme.

4. In chemistry, to soften and prepare by heat; to expose to a gentle heat in a boiler or matrass, as a preparation for chemical operations.

5. To bear with patience; to brook; to receive without resentment; not to reject; as, say what you will, he will digest it.

6. To prepare in the mind; to dispose in a manner that shall improve the understanding and heart; to prepare for nourishing practical duties; as, to digest a discourse or sermon.

7. To dispose an ulcer or wound to suppurate.

8. To dissolve and prepare for manure, as plants and other substances.

DIGEST, verb intransitive

1. To be prepared by heat.

2. To suppurate; to generate laudable pus; as an ulcer or wound.

3. To dissolve and be prepared for manure, as substances in compost.

DIGESTED, participle passive Reduced to method; arranged in due order; concocted or prepared in the stomach or by a gentle heat; received without rejection; borne; disposed for use.

DIGESTER, noun

1. He that digests or disposes in order.

2. One who digests his food.

3. A medicine or article of food that aids digestion, or strengthens the digestive power of the stomach.

4. A strong vessel contrived by Papin, in which to boil bony substances with a strong heat, and reduce them to a fluid state, or in general, to increase the solvent power of water.

DIGESTIBILITY, noun The quality of being digestible.

DIGESTIBLE, adjective Capable of being digested.

DIGESTING, participle present tense Arranging in due order, or under proper heads; dissolving and preparing for circulation in the stomach; softening and preparing by heat; disposing for practice; disposing to generate pus; brooking; reducing by heat to a fluid state.

DIGESTION, noun [Latin]

1. The conversion of food into chyme, or the process of dissolving aliment in the stomach and preparing it for circulation and nourishment. A good digestion is essential to health.

2. In chemistry, the operation of exposing bodies to a gentle heat, to prepare them for some action on each other; or the slow action of a solvent on any substance.

3. The act of methodizing and reducing to order; the maturation of a design.

4. The process of maturing an ulcer or wound, and disposing it to generate pus; or the generation of matter.

5. The process of dissolution and preparation of substances for manure, as in compost.

DIGESTIVE, adjective

1. Having the power to cause digestion in the stomach; as a digestive preparation or medicine.

2. Capable of softening and preparing by heat.

3. Methodizing; reducing to order; as digestive thought.

4. Causing maturation in wounds or ulcers.

5. Dissolving.

DIGESTIVE, noun

1. In medicine, any preparation or medicine which increases the tone of the stomach, and aids digestion; a stomachic; a corroborant.

2. In surgery, an application which ripens an ulcer or wound, or disposes it to suppurate.

DIGESTIVE salt, the muriate of potash.

DIGESTURE, noun Concoction; digestion. [Little used.]

DIGGED, preterit tense and participle passive of dig.

DIGGER, noun One who digs; one who opens, throws up and breaks the earth; one who opens a well, pit, trench or ditch.

DIGHT, verb transitive dite. [Latin] To prepare; to put in order; hence, to dress, or put on; to array; to adorn. [Obsolete, or used only in poetry.]

DIGIT, noun [Latin , a finger, that is, a shoot; Gr.]

1. The measure of a fingers breadth, or three fourths of an inch.

2. The twelfth part of the diameter of the sun or moon; a term used to express the quantity of an eclipse; as, an eclipse of six digits is one which hides one half of the disk.

3. In arithmetic, any integer under 10; so called from counting on the fingers. Thus 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. are called digits.

DIGITAL, adjective [Latin] Pertaining to the fingers, or to digits.

DIGITATE, DIGITATED, adjective In botany, a digitate leaf is one which branches into several distinct leaflets like fingers; or when a simple, undivided petiole connects several leaflets at the end of it.

DIGLADIATE, verb transitive [Latin] To fence; to quarrel. [Little used.]

DIGLADIATION, noun A combat with swords; a quarrel.

DIGNIFICATION, noun [See Dignify.] The act of dignifying; exaltation; promotion.

DIGNIFIED, participle passive [See Dignify.]

1. Exalted; honored; invested with dignity; as the dignified clergy.

2. adjective Marked with dignity; noble; as dignified conduct, or manner.

To the great astonishment of the Jews, the manners of Jesus are familiar, yet dignified

DIGNIFY, verb transitive [Latin , worthy; to make.]

1. To invest with honor or dignity; to exalt in rank; to promote; to elevate to a high office.

2. To honor; to make illustrious; to distinguish by some excellence, or that which gives celebrity.

Your worth will dignify our feast.

DIGNITARY, noun An ecclesiastic who holds a dignity, or a benefice which gives him some pre-eminence over mere priests and canons, as a bishop, dean, archdeacon, prebendary, etc.

DIGNITY, noun [Latin , worthy.]

1. True honor; nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice, with an abhorrence of mean and sinful actions; opposed to meanness. In this sense, we speak of the dignity of mind, and dignity of sentiments. This dignity is based on moral rectitude; all vice is incompatible with true dignity of mind. The man who deliberately injures another, whether male or female, has no true dignity of soul.

2. Elevation; honorable place or rank of elevation; degree of excellence, either in estimation, or in the order of nature. Man is superior in dignity to brutes.

3. Elevation of aspect; grandeur of mein; as a man of native dignity

4. Elevation of deportment; as dignity of manners or behavior.

5. An elevated office, civil or ecclesiastical, giving a high rank in society; advancement; preferment, or the rank attached to it. We say, a man enjoys his dignity with moderation, or without haughtiness. Among ecclesiastics, dignity is office or preferment joined with power or jurisdiction.

6. The rank or title of a nobleman.

7. In oratory, one of the three parts of elocution, consisting in the right use of tropes and figures.

8. In astrology, an advantage which a planet has on account of its being in some particular place of the zodiac, or in a particular station in respect to other planets.

9. A general maxim, or principle. [Not used.]

DIGNOTION, noun [Latin] Distinguishing mark; distinction. [Not in use.]

DIGONOUS, adjective [Gr., an angle.] In botany, having two angles, as a stem.

DIGRAPH, noun [Gr., to write.] A union of two vowels, of which one only is pronounced, as in head, breath.

DIGRESS, verb intransitive [Latin , to step. See Grade.]

1. Literally, to step or go from the way or road; hence, to depart or wander from the main subject, design or tenor of a discourse, argument or narration; used only of speaking or writing.

In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition, as often as a man varies the signification of any term.

2. To go out of the right way or common track; to deviate; in a literal sense. [Not now in use.]

DIGRESSING, participle present tense Departing from the main subject.

DIGRESSION, noun [Latin]

1. The act of digressing; a departure from the main subject under consideration; an excursion of speech or writing.

2. The part or passage of a discourse, argument or narration, which deviates from the main subject, tenor or design, but which may have some relation to it, or be of use to it.

3. Diviation from a regular course; as, the digression of the sun is not equal. [Little used.]

DIGRESSIONAL, adjective Pertaining to or consisting in digression; departing from the main purpose or subject.

DIGRESSIVE, adjective Departing from the main subject; partaking of the nature of digression.

DIGRESSIVELY, adverb By way of digression.

DIGYN, noun [Gr., two; a female.] In botany, a plant having two pistils.

DIGYNIAN, adjective Having two pistils.

DIHEDRAL, adjective [Gr., supra; a seat or face.] Having two sides, as a figure.

DIHEDRON, noun [Supra.] A figure with two sides or surfaces.

DIHEXAHEDRAL, adjective [di and hexahedral.] In crystalography, having the form of a hexahedral prism with trihedral summits.

DIJUDICATE, verb transitive [Latin] To judge or determine by censure.

DIJUDICATION, noun Judicial distinction.

DIKE, noun [G. See Dig. It is radically the same word as ditch, and this is its primary sense; but by an easy transition, it came to signify also the bank formed by digging and throwing up earth. Intrenchment is sometimes used both for a ditch and a rampart.]

1. A ditch; an excavation made in the earth by digging, of greater length than breadth, intended as a reservoir of water, a drain, or for other purpose.

2. A mound of earth, of stones, or of other materials, intended to prevent low lands, from being inundated by the sea or a river. The low countries of Holland are thus defended by dikes.

3. A vein of basalt, greenstone or other stony substance.

DIKE, verb transitive To surround with a dike; to secure by a bank.

DIKE, verb intransitive To dig. [Not in use.]

DILACERATE, verb transitive [Latin , to tear.] To tear; to rend asunder; to separate by force.

DILACERATED, participle passive Torn; rent asunder.

DILACERATING, participle present tense Tearing; rending in two.

DILACERATION, noun The act of rending asunder; a tearing, or rending. [In lieu of these words, lacerate, laceration, are generally used.]

DILANIATE, verb transitive [Latin , to rend in pieces.] To tear; to rend in pieces; to mangle. [Little used.]

DILANIATION, noun A tearing in pieces.

DILAPIDATE, verb intransitive [Latin , to stone; a stone. It seems originally to have signified to pull down stone-work, or to suffer such work to fall to pieces.] To go to ruin; to fall by decay.

DILAPIDATE, verb transitive

1. To pull down; to waste or destroy; to suffer to go to ruin.

If the bishop, parson, or vicar, etc., dilapidates the buildings, or cuts down the timber of the patrimony of the church--

2. To waste; to squander.

DILAPIDATED, participle passive Wasted; ruined; pulled down; suffered to go to ruin.

DILAPIDATING, participle present tense Wasting; pulling down; suffering to go to ruin.

DILAPIDATION, noun

1. Ecclesiastical waste; a voluntary wasting or suffering to go to decay any building in possession of an incumbent. dilapidation is voluntary or active, when an incumbent pulls down a building; permissive or passive, when he suffers it to decay and neglects to repair it. dilapidation extends to the waste or destruction of wood, and other property of the church.

2. Destruction; demolition; decay; ruin.

3. Peculation.

DILAPIDATOR, noun One who causes dilapidation.

DILATABILITY, noun [See Dilate.] The quality of admitting expansion by the elastic force of the body itself, or of another elastic substance acting upon it; opposed to contractibility.

DILATABLE, adjective Capable of expansion; possessing elasticity; elastic. A bladder is dilatable by the force of air; air is dilatable by heat. It is opposed to contractible.

DILATATION, noun The act of expanding; expansion; a spreading or extending in all directions; the state of being expanded; opposed to contraction. dilatation differs from extension, as the latter is applied to lines and surfaces; the former to bodies that spread, open or enlarge in all directions. A line or a plain is extended; a bladder, an artery, a balloon is dilated.

DILATE, verb transitive [Latin See Delay.]

1. To expand; to distend; to enlarge or extend in all directions; opposed to contract. The air dilates the lungs; air is dilated by rarefaction.

2. To enlarge; to relate at large; to tell copiously or diffusely; as, to dilate upon the policy of a measure. In this sense, it is generally used intransitively. Spenser and Shakespeare have used it in a transitive sense; as, to dilate a theme.

DILATE, adjective Expanded; expansive.

DILATED, participle passive Expanded; distended; enlarge so as to occupy a greater space.

DILATER, noun One who enlarges; that which expands.

DILATING, participle present tense Expanding; enlarging; speaking largely.

DILATOR, noun That which widens or expands; a muscle that dilates.

DILATORILY, adverb With delay; tardily.

DILATORINESS, noun [from dilatory.] The quality of being dilatory or late; lateness; slowness in motion; delay in proceeding; tardiness.

DILATORY, adjective [Latin See Delay and Dilate.]

1. Literally, drawing out or extending in time; hence, slow; late; tardy; applied to things; as dilatory councils or measures.

2. Given to procrastination; not proceeding with diligence; making delay; slow; late; applied to persons; as a dilatory messenger. A man is dilatory when he delays attendance, or performance of business, beyond the proper time.

3. In law, intended to make delay; tending to delay; as a dilatory plea, which is designed or which tends to delay the trial of a cause.

DILECTION, noun [Latin] A loving.

DILEMMA, noun [Gr., a syllogism which strikes on each side; an assumption; to take.]

1. In logic, an argument equally conclusive by contrary suppositions. A young rhetorician said to an old sophist; Instruct me in pleading, and I will pay you, when I gain a cause. The master sued for the reward, and the scholar endeavored to elude the claim by a dilemma If I gain my cause, I shall withhold your pay, because the award of the judge will be against you. It I lose it, I may withhold it, because I shall not yet have gained a cause. The master replied: If you gain your cause, you must pay me, because you are to pay me, when you gain a cause; if you lose it, you must pay me, because you are to pay me, when you gain a cause; if you lose it, you must pay me, because the judge will award it.

2. A difficult or doubtful choice; a state of things in which evils or obstacles present themselves on every side, and it is difficult to determine what course to pursue.

A strong dilemma in a desperate case!

To act with infamy, or quit the place.

DILETTANTE, noun One who delights in promoting science or the fine arts.

DILIGENCE, noun [Latin , to love earnestly; to choose.]

1. Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

DILIGENCE is the philosophers stone that turns every thing to gold.

Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. 2 Peter 1:5.

2. Care; heed; heedfulness.

Keep thy heart with all diligence Proverbs 4:23.

3. The name of a stage-coach, used in France.

DILIGENT, adjective [Latin]

1. Steady in application to business; constant in effort or exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; assiduous; attentive; industrious; not idle or negligent; applied to persons.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings. Provers 22.

2. Steadily applied; prosecuted with care and constant effort; careful; assiduous; as, make diligent search.

The judges shall make diligent inquisition. Judges 19:1.

DILIGENTLY, adverb With steady application and care; with industry or assiduity; not carelessly; not negligently.

Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 6:7.

DILL, noun [G.] An annual plant of the genus Anethum, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent and aromatic.

DILUCID, adjective [Latin] Clear. [Not in use.]

DILUCIDATE, verb transitive To make clear. [Not in use. See Elucidate.]

DILUENT, adjective [Latin See Dilute.]

1. Making liquid or more fluid; making thin; attenuating.

2. Weakening the strength of, by mixture with water.

DILUENT, noun

1. That which thins or attenuates; that which makes more liquid.

2. That which weakens the strength of; as water, which, mixed with wine or spirit, reduces the strength of it.

DILUTE, verb transitive [Latin , to wash. See Deluge.]

1. Literally, to wash; but appropriately, to render liquid, or more liquid; to make thin, or more fluid. Thus sirup or molasses is made thin or more liquid by an admixture with water; and the water is said to dilute it. Hence,

2. To weaken, as spirit or an acid, by an admixture of water, which renderst the spirit or acid less concentrated. Thus, we dilute spirit, wine or a decoction by adding to it water.

3. To make weak or weaker, as color, by mixture.

4. To weaken; to reduce the strength or standard of; as, to dilute virtue.

DILUTE, adjective Thin; attenuated; reduced in strength, as spirit or color.

DILUTED, participle passive Made liquid; rendered more fluid; weakened, made thin, as liquids.

DILUTER, noun That which makes thin, or more liquid.

DILUTING, participle present tense Making thin or more liquid; weakening.

DILUTION, noun The act of making thin, weak, or more liquid. Opposite to dilution is coagulation or thickening.

DILUVIAL, DILUVIAN, adjective [Latin , a deluge. See Dilute.]

DILUVIAL, DILUVIAN adjective [Latin , a deluge. See Dilute.]

1. Pertaining to a flood or deluge, more especially to the deluge in Noahs day.

2. Effected or produced by a deluge, particularly by the great flood in the days of Noah.

DILUVIATE, verb intransitive To run as a flood. [Not much used.]

DILUVIUM, noun [Latin] In geology, a deposit of superficial loam, sand, gravel, etc., caused by the deluge.

DIM, adjective [See Damp.]

1. Not seeing clearly; having the vision obscured and indistinct.

When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim Genesis 27:1.

2. Not clearly seen; obscure; imperfectly seen or discovered; as a dim prospect.

3. Somewhat dark; dusky; not luminous; as a dim shade.

4. Dull of apprehension; having obscure conceptions.

The understanding is dim

5. Having its luster obscured; sullied; tarnished.

How is the gold become dim? Lamentations 4:1.

DIM, verb transitive

1. To cloud; to impair the powers of vision; as, to dim the eyes.

2. To obscure; as, to dim the sight; to dim the prospect.

3. To render dull the powers of conception.

4. To make less bright; to obscure.

Each passion dimmed his face.

5. To render less bright; to tarnish or sully; as, to dim gold.

DIMBLE, noun A bower; a cell or retreat. [Not in use.]

DIME, noun A silver coin of the United States, of the value of ten cents; the tenth of a dollar.

DIMENSION, noun [Latin , to measure; Gr. See Mete and Measure.] In geometry, the extent of a body, or length, breadth and thickness or depth. A line has one dimension or length; a superficies has two dimensions, length and breadth; and a solid has three dimensions, length, breadth and thickness or depth. The word is generally used int eh plural, and denotes the whole space occupied by a body, or its capacity, size, measure; as the dimensions of a room, or of a ship; the dimensions of a farm, of a kingdom, etc.

DIMENSIONLESS, adjective Without any definite measure or extent; boundless.

DIMENSITY, noun Extent; capacity.

DIMENSIVE, adjective That marks the boundaries or outlines.

Who can draw the souls dimensive lines?

DIMETER, adjective [Latin] Having two poetical measures.

DIMETER, noun A verse of two measures.

DIMICILIARY, adjective Pertaining to an abode, or the residence of a person or family. A domiciliary visit is a visit to a private dwelling, particularly for the purpose of searching it, under authority.

DIMIDIATE, verb transitive [Latin] To divide into two equal parts.

DIMIDIATED, adjective [Latin , middle.] Divided into two equal parts; halved.

DIMIDIATION, noun The act of having; division into two equal parts.

DIMINISH, verb transitive [Latin , to lessen; less.]

1. To lessen; to make less or smaller, by any means; opposed to increase and augment; as, to diminish the size of a thing by contraction, or by cutting off a part; to diminish a number by subtraction; to diminish the revenue by limiting commerce, or reducing the customs; to diminish strength or safety; to diminish the heat of a room. It is particularly applied to bulk and quantity, as shorten is to length.

2. To lessen; to impair; to degrade.

I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. Ezekiel 29:15.

3. In music, to take from a note by a sharp, flat or natural.

To diminish from, to take away something.

Neither shall you diminish aught from it Deuteronomy 4:2.

DIMINISH, verb intransitive To lessen; to become or appear less or smaller. The size of an object diminishes, as we recede from it.

DIMINISHABLE, adjective Capable of being reduced in size or quantity.

DIMINISHED, participle passive Lessened; made smaller; reduced in size; contracted; degraded.

DIMINISHING, participle present tense Lessening; contracting; degrading.

DIMINISHINGLY, adverb In a manner to lessen reputation.

DIMINUENT, adjective Lessening. [Little used.]

DIMINUTE, adjective Small. [Not in use.]

DIMINUTION, noun [Latin]

1. The act of lessening; a making smaller; opposed to augmentation; as the diminution of size, of wealth, of power, of safety.

2. The state of becoming or appearing less; opposed to increase; as the diminution of the apparent diameter of a receding body.

3. Discredit; loss of dignity; degradation.

4. Deprivation of dignity; a lessening of estimation.

5. In architecture, the contraction of the upper part of a column, by which its diameter is made less than that of the lower part.

6. In music, the imitation of or reply to a subject in notes of half the length or value of those of the subject itself.

DIMINUTIVE, adjective Small; little; narrow; contracted; as a diminutive race of men or other animals; a diminutive thought.

DIMINUTIVE, noun In grammar, a word formed from another word, usually an appellative or generic term, to express a little thing of the kind; as, in Latin, lapillus, a little stone, from lapis; cellula, a little cell, from cella, a cell; in French, maisonnette, a little house, from maison, a house; in English, manikin, a little man, from man.

DIMINUTIVELY, adverb In a diminutive manner; in a manner to lessen; as, to speak diminutively of another.

DIMINUTIVENESS, noun Smallness; littleness; want of bulk; want of dignity.

DIMISH, adjective [from dim.] Somewhat dim, or obscure.

DIMISSORY, adjective [Latin See Dismiss.]

1. Sending away; dismissing to another jurisdiction. A letter dimissory is one given by a bishop to a candidate for holy orders, having a title in his diocese, directed to some other bishop, and giving leave for the bearer to be ordained by him.

2. Granting leave to depart.

DIMIT, verb transitive [Latin] To permit to go; to grant to farm; to let. [Not in use.]

DIMITY, noun A kind of white cotton cloth, ribbed or figured.

DIMLY, adverb [See Dim.]

1. In a dim or obscure manner; with imperfect sight.

2. Not brightly, or clearly; with a faint light.

DIMMING, participle present tense Obscuring.

DIMMING, noun Obscurity.

DIMNESS, noun

1. Dullness of sight; as the dimness of the eyes.

2. Obscurity of vision; imperfect sight; as the dimness of a view.

3. Faintness; imperfection; as the dimness of a color.

4. Want of brightness; as the dimness of gold or silver.

5. Want of clear apprehension; stupidity; as the dimness of perception.

DIMPLE, noun [G., to reel, to indent.] A small natural cavity or depression in the cheek or other part of the face.

DIMPLE, verb intransitive To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.

And smiling eddies dimpled on the main.

DIMPLED, adjective Set with dimples; as a dimpled cheek.

DIMPLY, adjective Full of dimples, or small depressions; as the dimply flood.

DIN, noun [Latin This word probably belongs to the root of tone and thunder, and denotes a rumbling or rattling noise.] Noise; a loud sound; particularly, a rattling, clattering or rumbling sound, long continued; as the din of arms; the din of war.

DIN, verb transitive To strike with continued or confused sound; to stun with noise; to harass with clamor; as, to din the ears with cries; to din with clamor.

DINE, verb intransitive [Latin , to cease. Gr., to feast.] To eat the chief meal of the day. This meal seems originally to have been taken about the middle of the day, at least in northern climates, as it still is by laboring people. Among people in the higher walks of life, and in commercial towns, the time of dining is from tow to five or six oclock in the afternoon.

DINE, verb transitive To give a dinner to; to furnish with the principal meal; to feed; as, the landlord dined a hundred men.

DINETICAL, adjective [Gr.] Whirling round. [Not used.]

DING, verb transitive preterit tense dung or dinged. To thrust or dash with violence. [Little used.]

DING, verb intransitive To bluster; to bounce. [A low word.]

DINGINESS, noun [See Dingy.] A dusky or dark hue; brownness.

DINGLE, noun A narrow dale or valley between hills.

DINGY, adjective Soiled; sullied; of a dark color; brown; dusky; dun.

DINING, participle present tense Eating the principal meal in the day.

DINNER, noun [See Dine.]

1. The meal taken about the middle of the day; or the principal meal of the day, eaten between noon and evening.

2. An entertainment; a feast.

Behold, I have prepared my dinner Matthew 22:4.

DINT, noun

1. A blow; a stroke.

2. Force; violence; power exerted; as, to win by dint of arms, by dint of war, by dint of argument or importunity.

3. The mark made by a blow; a cavity or impression made by a blow or by pressure on a substance; often pronounced dent.

His hands had made a dint

DINT, verb transitive To make a mark or cavity on a substance by a blow or by pressure. [See Indent.]

DINTED, participle passive Marked by a blow or by pressure; as deep-dinted furrows.

DINTING, participle present tense Impressing marks or cavities.

DINUMERATION, noun The act of numbering singly. [Little used.]

DIOCESAN, adjective [See Diocese. The accent on the first and on the third syllable is nearly equal. The accent given to this word int he English books is wrong, almost to ridiculousness.] Pertaining to a diocese.

DIOCESAN, noun A bishop; one in possession of a diocese, and having the ecclesiastical jurisdiction over it.

DIOCESE, noun [Gr., administration, a province or jurisdiction; residence; to dwell; a house. diocese is a very erroneous orthography.] The circuit or extent of a bishops jurisdiction; an ecclesiastical division of a kingdom or state, subject to the authority of a bishop. In England there are two provinces or circuits of archbishops jurisdiction, Canterbury and York. The province of Canterbury contains twenty-one dioceses, and that of York three, besides the isle of Man. Every diocese is divided into archdeaconries, of which there are sixty; and each archdeaconry, into rural deaneries; and every deanery, into parishes. A diocese was originally a division of the Roman empire for the purpose of civil government, a prefecture. But the term is now exclusively appropriated to ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

DIOCTAHEDRAL, adjective [Dis and octahedral.] In crystalography, having the form of an octahedral prism with tetrahedral summits.

DIODON, noun The sun-fish; a genus of fishes of a singular form, appearing like the fore part of the body of a deep fish amputated in the middle.

DIOMEDE, noun An aquatic fowl of the webfooted kind, about the size of a common domestic hen, but its neck and legs much longer.

DIOPSIDE, noun [Gr.] A rare mineral, regarded by Hauy as a variety of augite, and called by Jameson a subspecies of oblique-edged augite, occurring in prismatic crystals, of a vitreous luster, and of a pale green, or a greenish or yellowish white. The variety with four-sided prims has been called Mussite, from Mussa in Piedmont. It resembles the Sahlite.

DIOPTASE, noun Emerald copper ore, a translucent mineral, occurring crystalized in six-sided prisms.

DIOPTRIC, DIOPTRICAL, adjective [Gr., to see through; to see.]

DIOPTRIC, DIOPTRICAL adjective [Gr., to see through; to see.]

1. Affording a medium for the sight; assisting the sight in the view of distant objects; as a dioptric glass.

2. Pertaining to dioptrics, or the science of refracted light.

DIOPTRICS, noun That part of optics which treats of the refractions of light passing through different mediums, as through air, water or glass.

DIORISM, noun [Gr.] Definition. [Rarely used.]

DIORISTIC, adjective Distinguishing; defining. [Rarely used.]

DIORISTICALLY, adverb In a distinguishing manner. [Rarely used.]

DIP, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive dipped or dipt. [G.]

1. To plunge or immerse, for a moment or short time, in water or other liquid substance; to put into a fluid and withdraw.

The priest shall dip his finger int he blood. Leviticus 4:6.

Let him dip his foot in oil. Deuteronomy 33:24.

One dip the pencil, and one string the lyre.

2. To take with a ladle or other vessel by immersing it in a fluid, as to dip water from a boiler; often with out, as to dip out water.

3. To engage; to take concern; used intransitively, but the passive participle is used.

He was a little dipt in the rebellion of the commons.

4. To engage as a pledge; to mortgage. [Little used.]

5. To moisten; to wet. [Unusual.]

6. To baptize by immersion.

DIP, verb intransitive

1. To sink; to emerge in a liquid.

2. To enter; to pierce.

3. To engage; to take a concern; as, to dip into the funds.

4. To enter slightly; to look cursorily, or here and there; as, to dip into a volume of history.

5. To choose by chance; to thrust and take.

6. To incline downward; as, the magnetic needle dips. [See Dipping.]

DIP, noun Inclination downward; a sloping; a direction below a horizontal line; depression; as the dip of the needle. The dip of a stratum, in geology, is its greatest inclination to the horizon, or that on a line perpendicular to its direction or course; called also the pitch.

DIPETALOUS, adjective [Gr., a leaf or petal.] Having two flower-leaves or petals; two-petaled.

DIPHTHONGAL, adjective Belonging to a diphthong; consisting of two vowel sounds pronounced in one syllable.

DIPHYLLOUS, adjective [Gr., a leaf.] In botany, having two leaves, as a calyx, etc.

DIPLOE, noun [Gr., double.] The soft meditullium, medullary substance, or porous part, between the plates of the skull.

DIPLOMA, noun [Gr., to double or fold. Anciently, a letter or other composition written on paper or parchment and folded; afterwards, an y letter, literary monument, or public document.] A letter or writing conferring some power, authority, privilege or honor. Diplomas are given to graduates of colleges on their receiving the usual degrees; to clergymen who are licensed to exercise the ministerial functions; to physicians who are licensed to practice their profession; and to agents who are authorized to transact business fro their principals. A diploma then is a writing or instrument, usually under seal and signed by the proper person or officer, conferring merely honor, as int he case of graduates, or authority, as int he case of physicians, agents, etc.

DIPLOMACY, noun [This word, like supremacy, retains the accent of its original.]

1. The customs, rules and privileges of embassadors, envoys and other representatives of princes and states at foreign courts; forms of negotiation.

2. A diplomatic body the whole body of ministers at a foreign court.

3. The agency or management of ministers at a foreign court.

DIPLOMATED, adjective Made by diplomas.

DIPLOMATIC, adjective

1. Pertaining to diplomas; privileged.

2. Furnished with a diploma; authorized by letters or credentials to transact business for a sovereign at a foreign court. Ministers at a court are denominated a diplomatic body.

3. Pertaining to ministers at a foreign court, or to men authorized by diploma; as a diplomatic character; diplomatic management.

DIPLOMATIC, noun A minister, official agent or envoy to a foreign court.

DIPLOMATICS, noun The science of diplomas, or of ancient writings, literary and public documents, letters, decrees, charters, codicils, etc., which has for its object to decipher old writings, to ascertain their authenticity, their dat, signatures, etc.

DIPPER, noun

1. One that dips; he or that which dips.

2. A vessel used to dip water or other liquor; a ladle.

DIPPING, participle present tense

1. Plunging or immersing into a liquid and speedily withdrawing, as to ascertain the temperature of water by dipping the finger int it; baptizing by immersion.

2. Engaging or taking a concern in.

3. Looking into here and there; examining in a cursory, slight or hasty manner.

4. Inclining downward, as the magnetic needle.

5. Breaking; inclining; as a vein of ore.

DIPPING, noun

1. The act of plunging or immersing.

2. The act of inclining towards the earth; inclination downwards; as the dipping of the needle.

3. The interruption of a vein of ore, or stratum of a fossil, in a mine; or a sloping downwards.

4. The act of baptizing by the immersion of the whole body in water.

DIPRISMATIC, adjective [di and prismatic.] Doubly prismatic.

DIPSAS, noun [gr., dry, thirsty; to thirst.] A serpent whose bite produces a mortal thirst. See Deuteronomy 8:1.

DIPTER, DIPTERA, noun [Gr., a wing.] The dipters are an order of insects having only two wings, and two poisers, as the fly.

DIPTER, DIPTERA noun [Gr., a wing.] The dipters are an order of insects having only two wings, and two poisers, as the fly.

DIPTERAL, adjective Having two wings only.

DIPTOTE, noun [Gr., to fall.] In grammar, a noun which has only two cases; as, suppetiae, supetias.

DIPTYCH, noun [Gr., to fold.] A public register of the names of consuls and other magistrates among pagans; and of bishops, martyrs and others, among Christians; so called because it sometimes two leaves folded, but is sometimes contained three or more leaves. The sacred diptych was a double catalogue, in one of which were registered the names of the living, and in the other the names of the dead, which were to be rehearsed during the office.

DIPYRE, noun A mineral occurring in minute prisms, either single or adhering to each other in fascicular groups. Before the blowpipe, it melts with ebullition or intumescence, and its powder on hot coals phosphoresces with a feeble light. Its name, from Gr., two; fire, indicates the double effect of fire, in producing fusion and phosphorescence.

DIRE, adjective [Latin] Dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; evil in a great degree.

DIRE was the tossing, deep the groans.

DIRECT, adjective [Latin , to make straight. See Right.]

1. Straight; right; as, to pass in a direct line from one body or place to another. It is opposed to crooked, winding, oblique. It is also opposed to refracted; as a direct ray of light.

2. In astronomy, appearing to move forward in the zodiac, in the direction of the sign; opposed to retrograde; as, the motion of a planet is direct

3. In the line of father and sons; opposed to collateral; as a descendant in the direct line.

4. Leading or tending to an end, as by a straight line or course; not circuitous. Thus we speak of direct means to effect an object; a direct course; a direct way.

5. Open; not ambiguous or doubtful.

6. Plain; express; not ambiguous; as, he said this in direct words; he made a direct acknowledgment.

7. In music, a direct interval is that which forms any kind of harmony on the fundamental sound which produces it; as the fifth, major third and octave.

DIRECT tax, is a tax assess on real estate, as houses and lands.

DIRECT, verb transitive [Latin]

1. To point or aim in a straight line, towards a place or object; as, to direct an arrow or a piece of ordnance; to direct the eye; to direct a course or flight.

2. To point; to show the right road or course; as, he directed me to the left hand road.

3. To regulate; to guide or lead; to govern; to cause to proceed in a particular manner; as, to direct the affairs of a nation.

Wisdom is profitable to direct Ecclesiastes 10:10.

4. To prescribe a course; to mark out a way. Job 37:3.

5. To order; to instruct; to point out a course of proceeding, with authority; to command. But direct is a softer term than command.

DIRECT, noun In music, a character placed at the end of a stave to direct the performer to the first note of the next stave.

DIRECTED, participle passive Aimed; pointed; guided; regulated; governed; ordered; instructed.

DIRECTER, noun A director, which see.

DIRECTING, participle present tense Aiming; pointing; guiding; regulating; governing; ordering.

DIRECTION, noun [Latin]

1. Aim at a certain point; a pointing towards, in a straight line or course; as, the direction of good works to a good end.

2. The line in which a body moves by impulse; course. Matter or body cannot alter the direction of its own motion.

3. A straight line or course. A star appeared int eh direction of a certain tower. The ship sailed in a south-easterly direction

4. The act of governing; administration; management; guidance; superintendence; as the direction of public affairs; direction of domestic concerns; the direction of a bank.

5. Regularity; adjustment.

All chance, direction which thou canst not see.

6. Order; prescription; either verbal or written; instruction in what manner to proceed. The employer gives directions to his workmen; the physician, to his patient.

7. The superscription of a letter, including the name, title and place of abode of the person for whom it is intended.

8. A body or board of directors.

DIRECTIVE, adjective

1. Having the power of direction; as a directive rule.

2. Informing; instructing; shewing way.

DIRECTLY, adverb

1. In a straight lin or course; rectilineally; not in a winding course. Aim directly to the object. Gravity tends directly to the center of the earth.

2. Immediately; soon; without delay; as, he will be with us directly

3. Openly; expressly, without circumlocution or ambiguity, or without a train or inferences.

No man hath been so impious, as directly to condemn prayer.

DIRECTNESS, noun Straightness; a straight course; nearness of way.

DIRECTOR, noun

1. One who directs; one who superintends, governs or manages; one who prescribes to others, by virtue of authority; an instructor; a counselor.

2. That which directs; a rule; an ordinance.

3. One appointed to transact the affairs of a company; as the director of a bank, or of the India Company.

4. That which directs or controls by influence.

Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct.

5. In surgery, a grooved probe, intended to direct the edge of the knife or scissors in opening sinuses or fistulae; a guide for and incision-knife.

DIRECTORIAL, adjective Pertaining to directors or direction; containing direction or command.

DIRECTORY, adjective Containing directions; enjoining; instructing.

DIRECTORY, noun

1. A guide; a rule to direct; particularly, a book containing directions for public worship, or religious services. The Bible is our best directory in faith and practice.

2. A book containing an alphabetical list of the inhabitants of a city, with their places of abode.

3. The supreme council of France, in the late revolution.

4. A board of directors.

DIRECTRESS, noun A female who directs or manages.

DIRECTRIX, noun A female who governs or directs.

DIREFUL, adjective [See Dire.] Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; as direful fiend; a direful misfortune.

DIREFULLY, adverb Dreadfully; terribly; woefully.

DIREMPTION, noun [Latin] A separation.

DIRENESS, noun Terribleness; horror; dismalness.

DIREPTION, noun [Latin] The act of plundering.

DIRGE, noun Durj. [Latin , a word used in the funeral service.] A song or tune intended to express grief, sorrow and mourning; as a funeral dirge

DIRIGENT, DIRECTRIX, noun [See Direct.] In geometry, the line of motion along which the describent line or surface is carried in the generation of any plane or solid figure.

DIRK, noun Durk. A kind of dagger or poniard.

DIRK, adjective Durk. Dark.

DIRK, verb transitive durk.

1. To darken.

2. To poniard; to stab.

DIRT, n durt.

1. Any foul or filthy substance; excrement; earth; mud; mire; dust; whatever adhering to any thing, renders it foul or unclean.

The fat closed, and the dirt came out. Judges 3:22.

Whose waters cast up mire and dirt Isaiah 57:20.

2. Meanness; sordidness. [Not in use.]

DIRT, verb transitive durt. To make foul or filthy; to soil; to bedaub; to pollute; to defile.

DIRTILY, adverb Durtily. [from dirty.]

1. In a dirty manner; foully; nastily; filthily.

2. Meanly; sordidly; by low means.

DIRTINESS, noun Durtiness.

1. Filthiness; foulness; nastiness.

2. Meanness; baseness; sordidness.

DIRTY, adjective Durty.

1. Foul; nasty; filthy; not clean; as dirty hands.

2. Not clean; not pure; turbid; as dirty water.

3. Cloudy; dark; dusky; as a dirty white.

4. Mean; base; low; despicable; groveling; as a dirty fellow; a dirty employment.

DIRTY, verb transitive durty.

1. To foul; to make filthy; to soil; as, to dirty the clothes or hands.

2. To tarnish; to sully; to scandalize; applied to reputation.

DIRUPTION, noun [Latin , to burst.] A bursting or rending asunder. [See Disruption.]

DIS, a prefix or inseparable preposition, from the Latin, whence Fr. Des, Sp. dis and de may in some instances be the same word contracted. dis denotes separation, a parting from; hence it has the force of a privative and negative, as in disarm, disoblige, disagree. In some cases, it still signifies separation, as in distribute, disconnect.

DISABILITY, noun [from disable.]

1. Want of competent natural or bodily power, strength or ability; weakness; impotence; as disability arising from infirmity or broken limbs.

2. Want of competent intellectual power or strength of mind; incapacity; as the disability of a deranged person to reason or to make contracts.

3. Want of competent means or instruments. [In this sense, inability is generally used.]

4. Want of legal qualifications; incapacity; as a disability to inherit an estate, when the ancestor has been attainted. [In this sense, it has a plural.]

DISABILITY differs from inability, in denoting deprivation of ability; whereas inability denotes destitution of ability, either by deprivation or otherwise.

DISABLE, verb transitive [dis and able.]

1. To render unable; to deprive of competent natural strength or power. A man is disabled to walk by a broken or paralytic leg, by sickness, etc.

2. To deprive of mental power, as by destroying or weakening the understanding.

3. To deprive of adequate means, instruments or resources. A nation may be disabled to carry on war by want of money. The loss of a ship may disable a man to prosecute commerce, or to pay his debts.

4. To destroy the strength; or to weaken and impair so as to render incapable of action, service or resistance. A fleet is disabled by a storm, or by a battle. A ship is disabled by the loss of her masts or spars.

5. To destroy or impair and weaken the means which render any thing active, efficacious or useful; to destroy or diminish any competent means.

6. To deprive of legal qualifications, or competent power; to incapacitate; to render incapable.

An attainder of the ancestor corrupts the blood and disables his children to inherit.

DISABLED, participle passive Deprived of competent power, corporeal or intellectual; rendered incapable; deprived of means.

DISABLEMENT, noun Weakness; disability; legal impediment.

DISABLING, participle present tense Rendering unable or incapable; depriving of adequate power or capacity, or of legal qualifications.

DISABUSE, verb transitive disabuze. [See Abuse.] To free from mistake; to undeceive; to disengage from fallacy or deception; to set right. It is our duty to disabuse ourselves of false notions and prejudices.

If men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, hypocrisy and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history.

DISABUSED, participle passive Disabuzed. Undeceived.

DISABUSING, participle present tense Disabuzing. Undeceiving.

DISACCOMMODATE, verb transitive [dis and accommodate.] To put to inconvenience.

DISACCOMMODATION, noun [dis and accommodation.] A state of being unaccommodated; a state of being unprepared.

DISACCORD, verb intransitive [dis and accord.] To refuse assent. [Not used.]

DISACCUSTOM, verb transitive [dis and accustom.] To neglect familiar or customary practice; to destroy the force of habit by disuse.

DISACCUSTOMED, participle passive Disused; having neglected practice or familiar use.

DISACKNOWLEDGE, verb transitive [dis and acknowledge.] To deny; to disown.

DISACKNOWLEDGED, participle passive Denied; disowned.

DISACKNOWLEDGING, participle present tense Denying; disowning.

DISACQUAINT, verb transitive [See Acquaint.] To dissolve acquaintance. [Little used.]

DISACQUAINTANCE, noun Neglect or disuse of familiarity, or familiar knowledge of.

DISADORN, verb transitive To deprive of ornaments.

DISADVANCE, verb transitive or I. To check; to halt. [Not in use.]

DISADVANTAGE, noun

1. That which prevents success, or renders it difficult; a state not favorable to successful operation. The army commenced an attack on the enemy, notwithstanding the disadvantage of its position.

2. Any unfavorable state; a state in which some loss or injury may be sustained. Hence,

3. Loss; injury; prejudice to interest, fame, credit, profit, or other good; as, to sell goods to disadvantage

DISADVANTAGE, verb transitive To injure in interest; to prejudice.

DISADVANTAGEABLE, adjective Not advantageous. [Not in use.]

DISADVANTAGEOUS, adjective Unfavorable to success or prosperity; inconvenient; not adapted to promote interest, reputation or other good; as, the situation of an army is disadvantageous for attack or defense. We are apt to view characters int eh most disadvantageous lights.

DISADVANTAGEOUSLY, adverb In a manner not favorable to success, or to interest, profit or reputation; with loss or inconvenience.

DISADVANTAGEOUSNESS, noun Unfavorableness to success; inconvenience; loss.

DISADVENTURE, noun Misfortune. [Not used.]

DISADVENTUROUS, adjective Unprosperous. [Not used.]

DISAFFECT, verb transitive [dis and affect.]

1. To alienate affection; to make less friendly to; to make less faithful to a person, party or cause, or less zealous to support it; to make discontented or unfriendly ; as, an attempt was made to disaffect the army.

2. To disdain, or dislike.

3. To throw into disorder.

DISAFFECTED, participle passive or adjective Having the affections alienated; indisposed to favor or support; unfriendly; followed by with or to; as, these men are disaffected with the government, or disaffected to the king, or to the administration.

DISAFFECTEDLY, adverb In a disaffected manner.

DISAFFECTEDNESS, noun The quality of being disaffected.

DISAFFECTING, participle present tense Alienating the affections; making less friendly.

DISAFFECTION, noun

1. Alienation of affection, attachment or good will; want of affection; or more generally, positive enmity, dislike or unfriendliness; disloyalty. It generally signifies more than indifference; as the disaffection of people to their prince or government; the disaffection of allies; disaffection to religion.

2. Disorder; bad constitution; in a physical sense. [Little used.]

DISAFFECTIONATE, adjective Not well disposed; not friendly.

DISAFFIRM, verb transitive disafferm. [dis and affirm.]

1. To deny; to contradict.

2. To overthrow or annul, as a judicial decision, by a contrary judgment of a superior tribunal.

DISAFFIRMANCE, noun

1. Denial; negation; disproof; confutation.

2. Overthrow or annulment, by the decision of a superior tribunal; as disaffirmance of judgment.

DISAFFIRMED, participle passive Denied; contradicted; overthrown.

DISAFFIRMING, participle present tense Denying; contradicting; annulling.

DISAFFOREST, verb transitive [dis and afforest.] To reduce from the privileges of a forest to the state of common ground; to strip of forest laws and their oppressive privileges.

By Charter 9. Hen. III many forests were disafforested.

DISAFFORESTED, participle passive Stripped of forest privileges.

DISAFFORESTING, participle present tense Depriving of forest privileges.

DISAGGREGATE, verb transitive [dis and aggregate.] To separate an aggregate mass into its component parts.

DISAGGREGATED, participle passive Separated, as an aggregate mass.

DISAGGREGATING, participle present tense Separating, as the parts of an aggregate body.

DISAGGREGATION, noun The act or operation of separating an aggregate body into its component parts.

DISAGREE, verb intransitive [dis and agree.]=

1. To differ; to be not accordant or coincident; to be not the same; to be not exactly similar. Two ideas disagree when they are not the same, or when they are not exactly alike. The histories of th same fact often disagree

2. To differ, as in opinion; as, the best judges sometimes disagree

Who shall decide when doctors disagree?

3. To be unsuitable. Medicine sometimes disagrees with the patient; food often disagrees with the stomach or the taste.

4. To differ; to be in opposition.

Men often reject the plainest sense of scripture, because it disagrees with their reason or preconceived opinions.

It is usually followed by with. But we say, I disagree to your proposal. The use of from after disagree is not common.

DISAGREEABLE, adjective

1. Contrary; unsuitable; not conformable; not congruous. [Little used.]

This conduct was disagreeable to her natural sincerity.

2. Unpleasing; offensive to the mind, or to the sense; but expressing less than disgusting and odious. Behavior may be disagreeable to our minds; food may be disagreeable to the taste; many things are disagreeable to the sight; sounds may be disagreeable to the ear, and odors to the smell. Whatever is disagreeable gives some pain or uneasiness.

DISAGREEABLENESS, noun

1. Unsuitableness; contrariety.

2. Unpleasantness; offensiveness to the mind, or to the senses; as the disagreeableness of anothers manners; the disagreeableness of a taste, sound or smell.

DISAGREEABLY, adverb Unsuitable; unpleasantly; offensively.

DISAGREEING, participle present tense Differing; not according or coinciding.

DISAGREEMENT, noun

1. Difference, either in form or essence; dissimilitude; diversity; as the disagreement of two ideas, of two pictures, of two stories or narrations.

2. Difference of opinion or sentiments.

3. Unsuitableness.

DISALLIEGE, verb transitive To alienate from allegiance. [Not in use.]

DISALLOW, verb transitive [dis and allow.] To refuse permission, or not to permit; not to grant; not to make or suppose lawful; not to authorize; to disapprove. God disallows that Christians should conform to the immoral practices of the world. A good man disallows every kind of profaneness.

2. To testify dislike or disapprobation; to refuse assent.

But if her father shall disallow her int he day that he heareth, not nay of her vows or her bonds--shall stand. Numbers 30:5.

3. Not to approve; not to receive; to reject.

To whom coming, as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. 1 Peter 2:4.

4. Not to allow or admit as just; to reject; as, to disallow an account or charge.

DISALLOWABLE, adjective Not allowable; not to be suffered.

DISALLOWANCE, noun Disapprobation; refusal to admit or permit; prohibition; rejection.

DISALLOWED, participle passive Not granted, permitted or admitted; disapproved; rejected.

DISALLOWING, participle present tense Not permitting; not admitting; disapproving; rejecting.

DISALLY, verb transitive [dis and ally.] To form an improper alliance.

DISANCHOR, verb transitive [dis and anchor.] To force from its anchors, as a ship.

DISANGELICAL, adjective Not angelical. [Not used.]

DISANIMATE, verb transitive [dis and animate.]

1. To deprive of life. [Not used.]

2. To deprive of spirit or courage; to discourage; to dishearten; to deject.

DISANIMATED, participle passive Discouraged; dispirited.

DISANIMATING, participle present tense Discouraging; disheartening.

DISANIMATION, noun

1. The act of discouraging; depression of spirits.

2. Privation of life. [Not used.]

DISANNUL, verb transitive [dis and annul. In this instance, the prefix dis is improperly used, and of no effect. But its use is well established.] To annul; to make void; to deprive of authority or force; to nullify; to abolish; as, to disannul a law or an ordinance.

Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? Job 40:8. Galatians 3:15.

DISANNULLED, participle passive Annulled; vacated; made void.

DISANNULLING, participle present tense Making void; depriving of authority or binding force.

DISANNULMENT, noun The act of making void; as the disannulment of a law or decree.

Disannual differs from repeal, as the genus from the species. A repeal makes a law void by the same power that enacted it. Annulment or disannulment destroys its force and authority by repeal or by other means.

DISANOINT, verb transitive To render consecration invalid.

DISAPPAREL, verb intransitive To disrobe; to strip of raiment.

DISAPPEAR, verb intransitive [dis and appear.]

1. To vanish from the sight; to recede from the view; to become invisible by vanishing or departing, or by being enveloped in any thing that conceals, or by the interposition of an object. Darkness disappears at the access of light, and light disappears at the approach of darkness. A ship disappears by departure to a distance; the sun disappears in a fog, or behind a cloud, or in setting.

2. To cease; as, the epidemic has disappeared.

3. To withdraw from observation. The debtor disappears when he absconds.

DISAPPEARANCE, noun Cessation of appearance; a removal from sight.

DISAPPEARING, participle present tense Vanishing; receding from the sight; becoming invisible.

DISAPPEARING, noun A vanishing or removal from sight.

DISAPPOINT, verb transitive [dis and appoint; properly, to unfix or unsettle.]

1. To defeat of expectation, wish, hope, desire or intention; to frustrate; to balk; to hinder from the possession or enjoyment of that which was intended, desired, hoped or expected. We say, a man is disappointed of his hopes or expectations, or his hopes, desires, intentions or expectations are disappointed. A bad season disappoints the farmer of his crops; a defeat disappoints an enemy of his spoil The man promised me a visit, by he disappointed me.

Without counsel purposes are disappointed. Proverbs 15:22.

2. To frustrate; to prevent an effect intended.

The retiring foe shrinks from the wound, and disappoints the blow.

DISAPPOINTED, participle passive Defeated of expectation, hope, desire, or design; frustrated.

DISAPPOINTING, participle present tense Defeating of expectation, hope, desire or purpose; frustrating.

DISAPPOINTMENT, noun Defeat or failure of expectation, hope, wish, desire or intention; miscarriage of design or plan.

We are apt to complain of the disappointment of our hopes and schemes, but disappointments often prove blessings and save us from calamity or ruin.

DISAPPRECIATE, verb transitive [dis and appreciate.] To undervalue; not to esteem.

DISAPPROBATION, noun [dis and approbation.] A disapproving; dislike; the act of the mind which condemns what is supposed to be wrong, whether the act is expressed or not. We often disapprove, when we do not express disapprobation

DISAPPROBATORY, adjective Containing disapprobation; tending to disapprove.

DISAPPROPRIATE, adjective [dis and appropriate.] Not appropriated, or not having appropriated church property; a disappropriate church is one from which the appropriated parsonage, glebe and tithes are severed.

The appropriation may be severed and the church become disappropriate two ways.

DISAPPROPRIATE, verb transitive

1. To sever or separate, as an appropriation; to withdraw from an appropriate use.

The appropriations of the several parsonages would have been, by the rules of the common law, disappropriated.

2. To deprive of appropriated property, as a church.

DISAPPROVAL, noun Disapprobation; dislike.

DISAPPROVE, verb transitive

1. To dislike; to condemn in opinion or judgment; to censure as wrong. We often disapprove the conduct of others, or public measures, whether we express an opinion or not. It is often followed by of; as, to disapprove of behavior. But modern usage inclines to omit of.

2. To manifest dislike or disapprobation; to reject, as disliked, what is proposed for sanction.

The sentence of the court-marital was disapproved by the commander in chief.

DISAPPROVED, participle passive Disliked; condemned; rejected.

DISAPPROVING, participle present tense Disliking; condemning; rejecting from dislike.

DISARD, noun A prattler; a boasting talkier.

DISARM, verb transitive s as z.

1. To deprive of arms; to take the arms or weapons from , usually by force or authority; as, he disarmed his foes; the prince gave orders to disarm his subjects. With of before the thing taken away; as, to disarm one of his weapons.

2. To deprive of means of attack or defense; as, to disarm a venomous serpent.

3. To deprive of force, strength, or means of annoyance; to render harmless; to quell; as, to disarm rage or passion.

4. To strip; to divest of any thing injurious or threatening; as, piety disarms death of its terrors.

DISARMED, participle passive Deprived of arms; stripped of the means of defense or annoyance; rendered harmless; subdued.

DISARMING, participle present tense Stripping of arms or weapons; subduing; rendering harmless.

DISARRANGE, verb transitive [dis and arrange.] To put out of order; to unsettle or disturb the order or due arrangement of parts. [See Derange, which is more generally used.]

DISARRANGEMENT, noun The act of disturbing order or method; disorder.

DISARRAY, verb transitive [dis and array.]

1. To undress; to divest of clothes.

2. To throw into disorder; to rout, as troops.

DISARRAY, noun

1. Disorder; confusion; loss or want of array or regular order.

2. Undress.

DISARRAYED, participle passive Divested of clothes or array; disordered.

DISARRAYING, participle present tense Divesting of clothes; throwing into disorder.

DISASSIDUITY, noun Want of assiduity or care. [Not used.]

DISASSOCIATE, verb transitive To disunite; to disconnect things associated.

DISASTER, noun Dizaster. [Gr., a star; a word of astrological origin.]

1. A blast or stroke of an unfavorable planet.

2. Misfortune; mishap; calamity; any unfortunate event, especially a sudden misfortune; as, we met with many disasters on the road.

DISASTER, verb transitive To blast by the stroke of an unlucky planet; also, to injure; to afflict.

DISASTERED, participle passive Blasted; injured; afflicted.

DISASTROUS, adjective

1. Unlucky; unfortunate; calamitous; occasioning loss or injury; as, the day was disastrous; the battle proved disastrous; their fate was disastrous

Fly the pursuit of my disastrous love.

2. Gloomy; dismal; threatening disaster.

The moon, in dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds.

DISASTROUSLY, adverb Unfortunately; in a dismal manner.

DISASTROUSNESS, noun Unfortunateness; calamitousness.

DISAUTHORIZE, verb transitive [dis and authorize.] To deprive of credit or authority. [Little used.]

DISAVOUCH, verb transitive [dis and avouch. See Vow.] To retract profession; to deny; to disown. [Little used.]

DISAVOW, verb transitive [dis and avow. See Vow.]

1. To deny; to disown; to deny to be true, as a fact or charge respecting ones self; as, he was charged with embezzlement, but he disavows the fact. A man may disavow his name or signature; he may disavow a knowledge of a fact, or his concern in a transaction. Opposed to own or acknowledge.

2. To deny; to disown; to reject.

3. To dissent from; not to admit as true or justifiable; not to vindicate.

The Envoy disavowed some parts of the Presidents proclamation.

DISAVOWAL, noun

1. Denial; a disowning.

A disavowal of fear often proceeds from fear.

2. Rejection; a declining to vindicate.

DISAVOWED, participle passive Denied; disowned.

DISAVOWING, participle present tense Denying; disowning; rejecting as something not to be maintained or vindicated.

DISAVOWMENT, noun Denial; a disowning.

DISBAND, verb transitive [dis and band.]

1. To dismiss from military service; to break up a band, or body of men enlisted; as, to disband an army or a regiment; to disband troops.

2. To scatter; to disperse.

DISBAND, verb intransitive

1. To retire from military service; to separate; to break up; as, the army, at the close of the war, disbands.

2. To separate; to dissolve connection.

Human society may disband [Improper.]

3. To be dissolved. [Not used.]

When both rocks and all things shall disband

DISBANDED, participle passive Dismissed from military service; separated.

DISBANDING, participle present tense Dismissing from military service; separating; dissolving connection.

DISBARK, verb transitive To land from a ship; to put on shore.

DISBELIEF, noun [dis and belief.] Refusal of credit or faith; denial of belief.

Our belief or disbelief of a thing does not alter the nature of the thing.

DISBELIEVE, verb transitive [dis and believe.] Not to believe; to hold not to be true or not to exist; to refuse to credit. Some men disbelieve the inspiration of the scriptures, and the immortality of the soul.

DISBELIEVED, participle passive Not believed; discredited.

DISBELIEVER, noun One who refuses belief; one who denies to be true or real.

DISBELIEVING, participle present tense Withholding belief; discrediting.

DISBENCH, verb transitive [dis and bench.] To drive from a bench or seat.

DISBLAME, verb transitive To clear from blame. [Not used.]

DISBODIED, adjective Disembodied, which is the word now used.

DISBOWEL, verb transitive [dis and bowel.] To take out the intestines.

DISBRANCH, verb transitive [dis and branch.]

1. To cut off or separate, as the branch of a tree. [Little used.]

2. To deprive of branches. [Little used.]

DISBUD, verb transitive To deprive of buds or shoots.

DISBURDEN, verb transitive [dis and burden. See Burden.]

1. To remove a burden from ; to unload; to discharge.

2. To throw off a burden; to disencumber; to clear of any thing weighty, troublesome or cumbersome; as, to disburden ones self of grief or care; to disburden of superfluous ornaments.

DISBURDEN, verb intransitive To ease the mind; to be relieved.

DISBURDENED, participle passive Eased of a burden; unloaded; disencumbered.

DISBURDENING, participle present tense Unloading; discharging; throwing off a burden; disencumbering.

DISBURSE, verb transitive disburs. To pay out, as money; to spend or lay out; primarily, to pay money from a public chest or treasury, but applicable to a private purse.

DISBURSED, participle passive Paid out; expended.

DISBURSEMENT, noun Disbursment.

1. The act of paying out, as money from a public or private chest.

2. The money or sum paid out; as, the annual disbursements exceed the income.

DISBURSER, noun One who pays out or disburses money.

DISBURSING, participle passive Paying out, or expending.

DISC, noun [Latin See Disk.] The face or breadth of the sun or moon; also, the width of the aperture of a telescope glass.

DISCALCEATE, verb transitive [Latin , a shoe.] To pull off the shoes or sandals.

DISCALCEATED, participle passive Stripped of shoes.

DISCALCEATION, noun The act of pulling off the shoes or sandals.

DISCANDY, verb intransitive [dis and candy.] To melt; to dissolve.

DISCARD, verb transitive

1. To throw out of the hand such cards as are useless.

2. To dismiss from service or employment, or from society; to cast off; as, to discard spies and informers; to discard an old servant; to discard an associate.

3. To thrust away; to reject; as, to discard prejudices.

DISCARDED, participle passive Thrown out; dismissed from service; rejected.

DISCARDING, participle present tense Throwing out; dismissing from employment; rejecting.

DISCARNATE, adjective [dia and Latin , flesh.] Stripped of flesh.

DISCASE, verb transitive [dis and case.] To take off a covering from; to strip; to undress.

DISCEPTATOR, noun [Latin] One who arbitrates or decides. [Not used.]

DISCERN, verb transitive s as z. [Latin , to separate or distinguish, Gr.]

1. To separate by the eye, or by the understanding. Hence,

2. To distinguish; to see the difference between two or more things; to discriminate; as, to discern the blossom-buds from the leaf-buds of plants.

DISCERN thou what is thine--Genesis 31:32.

3. To make the difference.

For nothing else discerns the virtue or the vice.

4. To discover; to see; to distinguish by the eye.

I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Proverbs 7:7.

5. To discover by the intellect; to distinguish; hence, to have knowledge of; to judge.

So is my lord the king to discern good and bad. 2 Samuel 14:17.

A wise mans heart discerneth time and judgment. Ecclesiastes 8:5.

DISCERN, verb intransitive

1. To see or understand the difference; to make distinction; as, to discern between good and evil, truth and falsehood.

2. To have judicial cognizance.

DISCERNED, participle passive Distinguished; seen; discovered.

DISCERNER, noun

1. One who sees, discovers or distinguishes; an observer.

2. One who knows and judges; one who has the power of distinguishing.

He was a great observer and discerner of mens natures and humors.

3. That which distinguishes; or that which causes to understand.

The word of God is quick and powerful--a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.

DISCERNIBLE, adjective That may be seen distinctly; discoverable by the eye or the understanding; distinguishable. A star is discernible by the eye; the identity or difference of ideas is discernible by the understanding.

DISCERNIBLENESS, noun Visibleness.

DISCERNIBLY, adverb In a manner to be discerned, seen or discovered; visibly.

DISCERNING, participle present tense

1. Distinguishing; seeing; discovering; knowing; judging.

2. adjective Having power to discern; capable of seeing, discriminating, knowing and judging; sharp-sighted; penetrating; acute; as a discerning man or mind.

DISCERNING, noun The act of discerning; discernment.

DISCERNINGLY, adverb With discernment; acutely; with judgment; skillfully.

DISCERNMENT, noun The act of discerning; also, the power or faculty of the mind, by which it distinguishes one thing from another, as truth from falsehood, virtue from vice; acuteness of judgment; power of perceiving differences of things or ideas, and their relations and tendencies. The errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment

DISCERP, verb transitive [Latin] To tear in pieces; to separate. [Not used.]

DISCERPIBILITY, noun Capability or liableness to be torn asunder or disunited.

DISCERPIBLE, adjective [Latin , to seize, to tear. In some dictionaries it is written discerptible, on the authority of Glanville and More; and error indeed, but of little consequence, as the word is rarely or never used.] That may be torn asunder; separable; capable of being disunited by violence.

DISCERPTION, noun The act of pulling to pieces, or of separating the parts.

DISCESSION, noun [Latin] Departure. [Not used.]

DISCHARGE, verb transitive

1. To unload, as a ship; to take out, as a cargo; applied both to the ship and the loading. We say, to discharge a ship; but more generally, to discharge a cargo or the lading of the ship.

2. To free from any load or burden; to throw off or exonerate; as, discharge of business.

3. To throw off a load or charge; to let fly; to shoot; applied to fire-arms; as, to dis-charge a pistol or a cannon; or to discharge a ball or grape-shot.

4. To pay; as, to discharge a debt, a bond, a note.

5. To send away, as a creditor by payment of what is due to him. He discharge his creditors.

6. To free from claim or demand; to give an acquittance to, or a receipt in full, as to a debtor. The creditor discharged his debtor.

7. To free from an obligation; as, to discharge a man from further duty or service; to discharge a surety.

8. To clear from an accusation or crime; to acquit; to absolve; to set free; with of; as, to discharge a man of all blame.

9. To throw off or out; to let fly; to give vent to; as, to discharge a horrible oath; to discharge fury or vengeance.

10. To perform or execute, as a duty or office considered as a charge. One man discharges the office of a sheriff; another that of a priest. We are all bound to discharge the duties of piety, of benevolence and charity.

11. To divest of an office or employment; to dismiss from service; as, to discharge a steward or a servant; to discharge a soldier or seaman; to discharge a jury.

12. To dismiss; to release; to send away from any business or appointment.

DISCHARGE your powers to their several counties.

13. To emit or send out; as, an ulcer discharges pus; a pipe discharges water.

14. To release; to liberate from confinement; as, to discharge a prisoner.

15. To put away; to remove; to clear from; to destroy. In general, to throw off any load or incumbrance; to free or clear.

DISCHARGE, verb intransitive To break up.

The cloud, if it were oily or fatty, would not discharge

DISCHARGE, noun

1. An unloading, as of a ship; as the discharge of a cargo.

2. A throwing out; vent; emission; applied to a fluid, a flowing or issuing out, or a throwing out; as the discharge of water from a spring, or from a spout; applied to fire-arms, an explosion; as a discharge of cannon.

3. That which is thrown out; matter emitted; as a thin serous discharge; a purulent discharge

4. Dismission from office or service; or the writing which evidences the dismission. The general, the soldier, obtains a discharge

5. Release from obligation, debt or penalty; or the writing which is evidence of it; an acquittance; as, the debtor has a discharge

6. Absolution from a crime or accusation; acquittance.

7. Ransom; liberation; price paid for deliverance.

8. Performance; execution; applied to an office, trust or duty. A good man is faithful in the discharge of his duties, public and private.

9. Liberation; release from imprisonment or other confinement.

10. Exemption; escape.

There is no discharge in that war. Ecclesiastes 8:8.

11. Payment, as of a debt.

DISCHARGED, participle passive Unloaded; let off; shot; thrown out; dismissed from service; paid; released; acquitted; freed from debt or penalty; liberated; performed; executed.

DISCHARGER, noun

1. He that discharges in any manner.

2. One who fires a gun.

3. In electricity, an instrument for discharging a Leyden phial, jar, etc., by opening a communication between the two surfaces.

DISCHARGING, participle passive Unlading; letting fly; shooting; throwing out; emiting; dismissing from service; paying; releasing from debt, obligation or claim; acquitting; liberating; performing; executing.

DISCHURCH, verb transitive To deprive of the rank of a church.

DISCIDE, verb transitive To divide; to cut in pieces. [Not used.]

DISCINCT, adjective Ungirded.

DISCIND, verb transitive To cut in two. [Not used.]

DISCIPLE, noun [Latin , to learn.]

1. A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another; as the disciples of Plato.

2. A follower; an adherent to the doctrines of another. Hence the constant attendants of Christ were called his disciples; and hence all Christians are called his disciples, as they profess to learn and receive his doctrines and precepts.

DISCIPLE, verb transitive

1. To teach; to train, or bring up.

2. To make disciples of; to convert to doctrines or principles.

This authority he employed in sending missionaries to disciple all nations.

3. To punish; to discipline. [Not in use.]

DISCIPLED, participle passive Taught; trained; brought up; made a disciple.

DISCIPLESHIP, noun The state of a disciple or follower in doctrines and precepts.

DISCIPLINABLE, adjective [See Discipline.]

1. Capable of instruction, and improvement in learning.

2. That may be subjected to discipline; as a disciplinable offense, in church government.

3. Subject or liable to discipline, as the member of a church.

DISCIPLINABLENESS, noun

1. Capacity of receiving instruction by education.

2. The state of being subject to discipline.

DISCIPLINANT, noun One of a religious order, so called from their practice of scourging themselves, or other rigid discipline.

DISCIPLINARIAN, adjective Pertaining to discipline.

DISCIPLINARIAN, noun One who disciplines; one versed in rules, principles and practice, and who teaches them with precision; particularly, one who instructs in military and naval tactics and maneuvers. It is chiefly used in the latter sense, and especially for one who is well versed in, or teaches with exactness, military exercises and evolutions.

2. A puritan or presbyterian; so called from his rigid adherence to religious discipline. [I believe not now used.]

DISCIPLINARY, adjective

1. Pertaining to discipline; intended for discipline or government; promoting discipline; as, certain canons of the church are disciplinary

2. Relating to a regular course of education; intended for instruction.

The evils of life, pain, sickness, losses, sorrows, dangers and disappointments, are disciplinary and remedial.

DISCIPLINE, noun [Latin , to learn.]

1. Education; instruction; cultivation and improvement, comprehending instruction in arts, sciences, correct sentiments, morals and manners, and due subordination to authority.

2. Instruction and government, comprehending the communication of knowledge and the regulation of practice; as military discipline which includes instruction in manual exercise, evolutions and subordination.

3. Rule of government; method of regulating principles and practice; as the discipline prescribed for the church.

4. Subjection to laws, rules, order, precepts or regulations; as, the troops are under excellent discipline; the passions should be kept under strict discipline

5. Correction; chastisement; punishment intended to correct crimes or errors; as the discipline of the strap.

6. In ecclesiastical affairs, the execution of the laws by which the church is governed, and infliction of the penalties enjoined against offenders, who profess the religion of Jesus Christ.

7. Chastisement or bodily punishment inflicted on a delinquent in the Romish Church; or that chastisement or external mortification which a religious person inflicts on himself.

DISCIPLINE, verb transitive

1. To instruct or educate; to inform the mind; to prepare by instructing in correct principles and habits; as, to discipline youth for a profession, or for future usefulness.

2. To instruct and govern; to teach rules and practice, and accustom to order and subordination; as, to discipline troops or an army.

3. To correct; to chastise; to punish.

4. To execute the laws of the church on offenders, with a view to bring them to repentance and reformation of life.

5. To advance and prepare by instruction.

DISCIPLINED, participle passive Instructed; educated; subjected to rules and regulations; corrected; chastised; punished; admonished.

DISCIPLINING, participle passive Instructing; educating; subjecting to order and subordination; correcting; chastising; admonishing; punishing.

DISCLAIM, verb transitive [dis and claim.]

1. To disown; to disavow; to deny the possession of; to reject as not belonging to ones self. A man disclaims all knowledge of a particular transaction; he disclaims every pretension to eloquence; he disclaims nay right to interfere in the affairs of his neighbor; he disclaims all pretensions to military skill. It is opposed to claim or challenge.

2. To renounce; to reject; as, to disclaim the authority of the pope.

3. To deny all claim. A tenant may disclaim to hold of his lord.

DISCLAIM, verb intransitive To disavow all part or share. [Unusual.]

Nature disclaims in thee.

DISCLAIMATION, noun The act of disclaiming; a disavowing. [Not used.]

DISCLAIMED, participle passive Disowned; disavowed; rejected; denied.

DISCLAIMER, noun

1. A person who disclaims, disowns or renounces.

2. In law, an express or implied denial by a tenant that he holds an estate of his lord; a denial of tenure, by plea or otherwise.

DISCLAIMING, participle present tense Disowning; disavowing; denying; renouncing.

DISCLOSE, verb transitive discloze. [dis and close; Latin See Close.]

1. To uncover; to open; to remove a cover from, and lay open to the view.

The shells being broken, the stone included in them is disclosed.

2. To discover; to lay open to the view; to bring to light. Events have disclosed the designs of the ministry.

3. To reveal by words; to tell; to utter; as, to disclose the secret thoughts of the heart.

4. To make known; to show in any manner. A blush may disclose a secret passion in the breast.

5. To open; to hatch. [Not used.]

The ostrich layeth her eggs under sand, where the heat of the sun discloseth them.

DISCLOSE, noun Discovery.

DISCLOSED, participle passive Uncovered; opened to view; made known; revealed; told; uttered.

DISCLOSER, noun One who discloses or reveals.

DISCLOSING, participle present tense Uncovering; opening to view; revealing; making known; telling.

DISCLOSURE, noun Disclozhur.

1. The act of disclosing; an uncovering and opening to view; discovery.

2. The act of revealing; utterance of what was secret; a telling.

3. The act of making known what was concealed.

4. That which is disclosed or made known.

DISCLUSION, noun Discluzhun. [Latin] An emission; a throwing out. [Little used.]

DISCOAST, verb intransitive To depart from; to quit the coast. [Not used.]

DISCOHERENT, adjective Incoherent. The latter is generally used.

DISCOID, noun Something in form of a discus or disk.

DISCOID, DISCOIDAL adjective Having the form of a disk. Discoid or discous flowers, are compound flowers, not radiated, but the florets all tubular, as the tansy, southern-wood, etc.

DISCOLOR, verb transitive [Latin]

1. To alter the natural hue or color of; to stain; to tinge. A drop of wine will discolor a glass of water; silver is discolored by sea-water.

2. To change any color, natural or artificial; to alter a color partially. It differs from color and dye, in denoting a partial alteration, rather than an entire change of color.

3. Figuratively, to alter the complexion; to change the appearance; as, to discolor ideas.

DISCOLORATION, noun

1. The act of altering the color; a staining.

2. Alteration of color; stain; as spots and discolorations of the skin.

3. Alteration of complexion or appearance.

DISCOLORED, participle passive

1. Altered in color; stained.

2. adjective Variegated; being of divers colors.

DISCOLORING, participle present tense Altering the color of hue; staining; changing the complexion.

DISCOMFIT, verb transitive [Latin , to fasten, to nail; to fix.] To rout; to defeat; to scatter in fight; to cause to flee; to vanquish.

Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:13.

He, fugitive, declined superior strength, discomfited, pursued.

DISCOMFIT, noun Rout; dispersion; defeat; overthrow.

DISCOMFITED, participle passive Routed; defeated; overthrown.

DISCOMFITING, participle present tense Routing; defeating.

DISCOMFITURE, noun Rout; defeat in battle; dispersion; overthrow.

Every mans sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture 1 Samuel 14:20.

2. Defeat; frustration; disappointment.

DISCOMFORT, noun [dis and comfort.] Uneasiness; disturbance of peace; pain; grief; inquietude.

DISCOMFORT, verb transitive To disturb peace or happiness; to make uneasy; to pain; to grieve; to sadden; to deject.

DISCOMFORTABLE, adjective

1. Causing uneasiness; unpleasant; giving pain; making sad. [Little used.]

2. Uneasy; melancholy; refusing comfort. [Not used.] [Instead of this word, uncomfortable is used.]

DISCOMFORTED, participle passive Made uneasy; disturbed; pained; grieved.

DISCOMFORTING, participle present tense Disturbing peace and happiness; making uneasy; grieving.

DISCOMMEND, verb transitive [dis and commend.] To blame; to censure; to mention with disapprobation.

I do not discommend the lofty style in tragedy.

DISCOMMENDABLE, adjective Blamable; censurable; deserving disapprobation.

DISCOMMENDABLENESS, noun Blamableness; the quality of being worthy of disapprobation.

DISCOMMENDATION, noun Blame; censure; reproach.

DISCOMMENDER, noun One who discommends; a dispraiser.

DISCOMMENDING, participle present tense Blaming; censuring.

DISCOMMODE, verb transitive To put to inconvenience; to incommode; to molest; to trouble. [Discommodate is not used.]

DISCOMMODED, participle passive Put to inconvenience; molested; incommoded.

DISCOMMODING, participle present tense Putting to inconvenience; giving trouble to.

DISCOMMODIOUS, adjective Inconvenient; troublesome.

DISCOMMODITY, noun Inconvenience; trouble; hurt; disadvantage.

DISCOMMON, verb transitive [dis and common.]

1. To appropriate common land; to separate and inclose common.

2. To deprive of the privileges of a place.

DISCOMPLEXION, verb transitive To change the complexion or color. [Not used.]

DISCOMPOSE, verb transitive discompoze. [dis and compose.]

1. To unsettle; to disorder; to disturb; applied to things.

2. To disturb peace and quietness; to agitate; to ruffle; applied to the temper or mind; expressing less agitation than fret and vex, or expressing vexation with decorum.

3. To displace; to discard. [Not in use.]

DISCOMPOSED, participle passive Unsettled; disordered; ruffled; agitated; disturbed.

DISCOMPOSING, participle present tense Unsettling; putting out of order; ruffling; agitating; disturbing tranquility.

DISCOMPOSITION, noun Inconsistency. [Not used.]

DISCOMPOSURE, noun Discompozhur. Disorder; agitation; disturbance; perturbation; as discomposure of mind.

DISCONCERT, verb transitive [dis and concert.]

1. To break or interrupt any order, plan or harmonious scheme; to defeat; to frustrate. The emperor disconcerted the plans of his enemy. Their schemes were disconcerted.

2. To unsettle the mind; to discompose; to disturb; to confuse. An unexpected question may disconcert the ablest advocate in his argument.

DISCONCERTED, participle passive Broken; interrupted; disordered; defeated; unsettled; discomposed; confused.

DISCONCERTING, participle present tense Disordering; defeating; discomposing; disturbing.

DISCONCERTION, noun The act of disconcerting.

DISCONFORMITY, noun [dis and conformity.] Want of agreement or conformity; inconsistency.

DISCONGRUITY, noun [dis and congruity.] Want of congruity; incongruity; disagreement; inconsistency.

DISCONNECT, verb transitive [dis and connect.] To separate; to disunite; to dissolve connection.

The commonwealth would, in a few generations, crumble away, be disconnected into the dust and powder of individuality--

This restriction disconnects bank paper and the precious metals.

DISCONNECTED, participle passive Separated; disunited. This word is not synonymous with unconnected, though often confounded with it. disconnected implies a previous connection; unconnected does not necessarily imply any previous union.

DISCONNECTING, participle present tense Separating; disuniting.

DISCONNECTION, noun The act of separating, or state of being disunited; separation; want of union.

Nothing was therefore to be left in all the subordinate members, but weakness, disconnection and confusion.

DISCONSENT, verb intransitive [dis and consent.] To differ; to disagree; not to consent.

DISCONSOLATE, adjective [dis and Latin ] [See Console.]

1. Destitute of comfort or consolation; sorrowful; hopeless or not expecting comfort; sad; dejected; melancholy; as a parent, bereaved of an only child and disconsolate

2. Not affording comfort; cheerless; as the disconsolate darkness of a winters night.

DISCONSOLATELY, adverb In a disconsolate manner; without comfort.

DISCONSOLATENESS, noun The state of being disconsolate or comfortless.

DISCONSOLATION, noun Want of comfort.

DISCONTENT, noun [dis and content.] Want of content; uneasiness or inquietude of mind; dissatisfaction at any present state of things.

DISCONTENT, adjective Uneasy; dissatisfied.

DISCONTENT, verb transitive To make uneasy at the present state; to dissatisfy.

DISCONTENTED, participle passive or adjective Uneasy in mind; dissatisfied; unquiet; as, discontented citizens make bad subjects.

DISCONTENTEDLY, adverb In a discontented manner or mood.

DISCONTENTEDNESS, noun Uneasiness of mind; inquietude; dissatisfaction.

DISCONTENTING, adjective Giving uneasiness.

DISCONTENTMENT, noun The state of being uneasy in mind; uneasiness; inquietude; discontent.

DISCONTINUANCE, noun [See Discontinue.]

1. Want of continuance; cessation; intermission; interruption of continuance; as a discontinuance of conversation or intercourse.

2. Want of continued connection or cohesion of parts; want of union; disruption.

3. In law, a breaking off or interruption of possession, as where a tenant in tail makes a feoffment in fee-simple, or for the life of the feoffee, or in tail, which he has not power to do; in this case, the entry of the feoffee is lawful, during the life of the feoffor; but if he retains possession after the death of the feoffor, it is an injury which is termed a discontinuance the legal estate of the heir in tail being discontinued, till a recovery can be had in law.

4. discontinuance of a suit, is when a plaintiff leaves a chasm in the proceedings in his cause, as by not continuing the process regularly from day to day; in which case the defendant is not bound to attend. Formerly the demise of the king caused a discontinuance of all suits; but this is remedied by statute 1. Ed. VI.

DISCONTINUATION, noun Breach or interruption of continuity; disruption of parts; separation of parts which form a connected series.

DISCONTINUE, verb transitive [dis and continue.]

1. To leave off; to cause to cease, as a practice or habit; to stop; to put an end to; as, to discontinue the intemperate use of spirits. Inveterate customs are not discontinued without inconvenience.

The depredations on our commerce were not to be discontinued.

2. To break off; to interrupt.

3. To cease to take or receive; as, to discontinue a daily prayer.

DISCONTINUE, verb intransitive

1. To cease; to leave the possession, or lose an established or long enjoyed right.

Thyself shalt discontinue from thine heritage. Jeremiah 17:4.

2. To lose the cohesion of parts; to suffer disruption or separation of substance. [Little used.]

DISCONTINUED, participle passive Left off; interrupted; broken off.

DISCONTINUER, noun One who discontinues a rule or practice.

DISCONTINUING, participle present tense Ceasing; interrupting; breaking off.

DISCONTINUITY, noun Disunion of parts; want of cohesion.

DISCONTINUOUS, adjective

1. Broken off; interrupted.

2. Separated; wide; gaping.

DISCONVENIENCE, noun [dis and convenience.] Incongruity; disagreement. [Little used.]

DISCONVENIENT, adjective Incongruous.

DISCORD, noun [Latin]

1. Disagreement among persons or things. Between persons, difference of opinions; variance; opposition; contention; strife; any disagreement which produces angry passions, contest, disputes, litigation or war. discord may exist between families, parties and nations.

2. Disagreement; want of order; a clashing.

All discord harmony not understood.

3. In music, disagreement of sounds; dissonance; a union of sounds which is inharmonious, grating and disagreeable to the ear; or an interval whose extremes do not coalesce. Thus the second and the seventh, when sounded together, make a discord The term discord is applied to each of the two sounds which form the dissonance, and to the interval; but more properly to the mixed sound of dissonant tones. It is opposed to concord and harmony.

DISCORD, verb intransitive To disagree; to jar; to clash; not to suit; not to be coincident. [Not in use.]

DISCORDANCE, DISCORDANCY, noun [Latin] Disagreement; opposition; inconsistency; as a discordance of opinions, or of sounds.

DISCORDANCE, DISCORDANCY noun [Latin] Disagreement; opposition; inconsistency; as a discordance of opinions, or of sounds.

DISCORDANT, adjective [Latin]

1. Disagreeing; incongruous; contradictory; being at variance; as discordant opinions; discordant rules or principles.

2. Opposite; contrarious; not coincident; as the discordant attractions of comets, or of different planets.

3. Dissonant; not in unison; not harmonious; not accordant harsh; jarring; as discordant notes or sounds.

DISCORDANTLY, adverb Dissonantly; in a discordant manner; inconsistently; in a manner to jar or clash; in disagreement with another, or with itself.

DISCORDFUL, adjective Quarrelsome; contentious.

DISCOUNSEL, verb transitive To dissuade. [Not in use.]

DISCOUNT, noun [See Count. Literally, a counting back or from.]

1. A sum deducted for prompt or advanced payment; an allowance or deduction from a sum due, or from a credit; a certain rate per cent deducted from the credit price of goods sold, on account of prompt payment; or any deduction from the customary price, or from a sum due or to be due at a future time. Thus the merchant who gives a credit of three months will deduct a certain rate per cent for payment in hand, and the holder of a note or bill of exchange will deduct a certain rate per cent of the amount of the note or bill for advanced payment, which deduction is called a discount

2. Among bankers, the deduction of a sum for advanced payment; particularly, the deduction of the interest on a sum lent, at the time of lending. The discounts at banking institutions are usually the amount of legal interest paid by the borrower, and deducted from the sum borrowed, at the commencement of the credit.

3. The sum deducted or refunded; as, the discount was five per cent.

4. The act of discounting. A note is lodged in the bank for discount The banks have suspended discounts.

DISCOUNT, verb transitive

1. To deduct a certain sum or rate per cent from the principal sum. Merchants discount five or six per cent, for prompt or for advanced payment.

2. To lend or advance the amount of, deducting the interest or other rate per cent from the principal, at the time of the loan or advance. The banks discount notes and bills of exchange, on good security.

The first rule--to discount only unexceptionable paper.

DISCOUNT, verb intransitive To lend or make a practice of lending money, deducting the interest at the time of the loan. The banks discount for sixty or ninety days, sometimes for longer terms.

DISCOUNTABLE, adjective That may be discounted. Certain forms are necessary to render notes discountable at a bank. A bill may be discountable for more than sixty days.

DISCOUNTED, participle passive

1. Deducted from a principal sum; paid back; refunded or allowed; as, the sum of five per cent was discounted

2. Having the amount lent on discount or deduction of a sum in advance; as, the bill was discounted for sixty days.

DISCOUNTENANCE, verb transitive [dis and countenance.]

1. To abash; to ruffle or discompose the countenance; to put to shame; to put out of countenance. [Not used.]

How would one look from his majestic brow--Discountenance her despised.

2. To discourage; to check; to restrain by frowns, censure, arguments, opposition, or cold treatment. The good citizen will discountenance vice by every lawful means.

DISCOUNTENANCE, noun Cold treatment; unfavorable aspect; unfriendly regard; disapprobation; whatever tends to check or discourage.

He thought a little discountenance on those persons would suppress that spirit.

DISCOUNTENANCED, participle passive Abashed; discouraged; checked; frowned on.

DISCOUNTENANCER, noun One who discourages by cold treatment, frowns, censure or expression of disapprobation; one who checks or depresses by unfriendly regards.

DISCOUNTENANCING, participle present tense Abashing; discouraging; checking by disapprobation or unfriendly regards.

DISCOUNTER, noun One who advances money on discounts.

DISCOUNTING, participle present tense

1. Deducting a sum for prompt or advanced payment.

2. Lending on discount.

DISCOUNTING, noun The act or practice of lending money on discounts.

The profitable business of a bank consists in discounting

DISCOURAGE, verb transitive discurage. [dis and courage. See Courage.]

1. To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits; to deject; to deprive of confidence.

Fathers, provoke not your children, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3:21.

2. To deter from any thing; with from.

Why discourage ye the hearts of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? Numbers 32:7.

3. To attempt to repress or prevent; to dissuade from; as, to discourage an effort.

DISCOURAGED, participle passive Discuraged. Disheartened; deprived of courage or confidence; depressed in spirits; dejected; checked.

DISCOURAGEMENT, noun Discuragement.

1. The act of disheartening, or depriving of courage; the act of deterring or dissuading from an undertaking; the act of depressing confidence.

2. That which destroys or abates courage; that which depresses confidence or hope; that which deters or tends to deter from an undertaking, or from the prosecution of any thing. Evil examples are great discouragements to virtue. The revolution was commenced under every possible discouragement

DISCOURAGER, noun Discurager. One who discourages; one who disheartens, or depresses the courage; one who impresses or fear of success; one who dissuades from an undertaking.

DISCOURAGING, participle present tense Discuraging.

1. Disheartening; depressing courage.

2. adjective Tending to dishearten, or to depress the courage; as discouraging prospects.

DISCOURSE, noun Discors. [Latin , to run.]

1. The act of the undertaking, by which it passes from premises to consequences; the act which connects propositions, and deduces conclusions from them. [This sense is now obsolete.]

2. Literally, a running over a subject in speech; hence, a communication of thoughts by words, either to individuals, to companies, or to public assemblies. discourse to an individual or to a small company is called conversation or talk; mutual interchange or thoughts; mutual intercourse of language. It is applied to the familiar communication of thoughts by an individual, or to the mutual communication of two or more. We say, I was pleased with his discourse and he heard our discourse

The vanquished party with the victors joined, nor wanted sweet discourse the banquet of the mind.

3. Effusion of language; speech.

4. A written treatise; a formal dissertation; as the discourse of Plutarch on garrulity; of Cicero on old age.

5. A sermon, uttered or written. We say, an extemporaneous discourse or a written discourse

DISCOURSE, verb intransitive

1. To talk; to converse; to but it expresses rather more formality than talk. He discoursed with us an hour on the events of the war. We discoursed together on our mutual concerns.

2. To communicate thoughts or ideas in a formal manner; to treat upon in a solemn, set manner; as, to discourse on the properties of the circle; the preacher discoursed on the nature and effects of faith.

3. To reason; to pass from premises to consequences.

DISCOURSE, verb transitive To treat of; to talk over; to discuss. [Not used.]

Let use discourse our fortunes.

DISCOURSER, noun

1. One who discourses; a speaker; a haranguer.

2. The writer of a treatise or dissertation.

DISCOURSING, participle present tense Talking; conversing; preaching; discussing; treating at some length or in a formal manner.

DISCOURSIVE, adjective

1. Reasoning; passing from premises to consequences.

2. Containing dialogue or conversation; interlocutory.

The epic is interlaced with dialogue or discoursive scenes.

DISCOURTEOUS, adjective Discurteous. [dis and courteous.] Uncivil; rude; uncomplaisant; wanting in good manners; as discourteous knight.

DISCOURTEOUSLY, adverb Discurteously. In a rude or uncivil manner; with incivility.

DISCOURTESY, noun Discurtesy. [dis and courtesy.] Incivility; rudeness of behavior or language; ill manners; act of disrespect.

Be calm in arguing; for fierceness makes error a fault, and truth discourtesy

DISCOURTSHIP, noun Want of respect.

DISCOUS, adjective [Latin] Broad; flat; wide; used of the middle plain and flat part of some flowers.

DISCOVER, verb transitive [See Cover.]

1. Literally, to uncover; to remove a covering. Isaiah 22:8.

2. To lay open to the view; to disclose; to show; to make visible; to expose to view something before unseen or concealed.

Go, draw aside the curtains and discover the several caskets to this noble prince.

He discovereth deep things out of darkness. Job 12:22.

Law can discover sin, but not remove.

3. To reveal; to make known.

We will discover ourselves to them. 1 Samuel 14:8.

DISCOVER not a secret to another. Proverbs 25:9.

4. To espy; to have the first sight of; as, a man at mast-head discovered land.

When we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand. Acts 21:3.

5. To find out; to obtain the first knowledge of; to come to the knowledge of something sought or before unknown. Columbus discovered the variation of the magnetic needle. We often discover our mistakes, when too late to prevent their evil effects.

6. To detect; as, we discovered the artifice; the thief, finding himself discovered, attempted to escape.

DISCOVER differs from invent. We discover what before existed, though to us unknown; we invent what did not before exist.

DISCOVERABLE, adjective

1. That may be discovered; that may be brought to light, or exposed to view.

2. That may be seen; as, many minute animals are discoverable only by the help of the microscope.

3. That may be found out, or made known; as, the scriptures reveal many things not discoverable by the light of reason.

4. Apparent; visible; exposed to view.

Nothing discoverable in the lunar surface is ever covered.

DISCOVERED, participle passive Uncovered; disclosed to view; laid open; revealed; espied or first seen; found out; detected.

DISCOVERER, noun

1. One who discovers; one who first sees or espies; one who finds out, or first comes to the knowledge of something.

2. A scout; an explorer.

DISCOVERING, participle present tense Uncovering; disclosing to view; laying open; revealing; making known; espying; finding out; detecting.

DISCOVERTURE, noun A state of being released from coverture; freedom of a woman from the coverture of a husband.

DISCOVERY, noun

1. The action of disclosing to view, or bringing to light; as, by the discovery of a plot, the public peace is preserved.

2. Disclosure; a making known; as, a bankrupt is bound to make a full discovery of his estate and effects.

3. The action of finding something hidden; as the discovery of lead or silver in the earth.

4. The act of finding out, or coming to the knowledge of; as the discovery of truth; the discovery of magnetism.

5. The act of espying; first sight of; as the discovery of America by Columbus, or of the Continent by Cabot.

6. That which is discovered, found out or revealed; that which is first brought to light, seen or known. The properties of the magnet were an important discovery Redemption from sin was a discovery beyond the power of human philosophy.

7. In dramatic poetry, the unraveling of a plot, or the manner of unfolding the plot or fable of a comedy or tragedy.

DISCREDIT, noun [See the Verb.]

1. Want of credit or good reputation; some degree of disgrace or reproach; disesteem; applied to persons or things. Frauds in manufactures bring them into discredit

It is the duty of every Christian to be concerned for the reputation or discredit his life may bring on his profession.

2. Want of belief, trust or confidence; disbelief; as, later accounts have brought the story into discredit

DISCREDIT, verb transitive

1. To disbelieve; to give no credit to; not to credit or believe; as, the report is discredited.

2. To deprive of credit or good reputation; to make less reputable or honorable; to bring into disesteem; to bring into some degree of disgrace, or into disrepute.

He least discredits his travels, who returns the same man he went.

Our virtues will be often discredited with the appearance of evil.

3. To deprive of credibility.

DISCREDITABLE, adjective Tending to injure credit; injurious to reputation; disgraceful; disreputable.

DISCREDITED, participle passive Disbelieved; brought into disrepute; disgraced.

DISCREDITING, participle present tense Disbelieving; not trusting to; depriving of credit; disgracing.

DISCREET, adjective [Latin , Gr. It is sometimes written discrete; the distinction between discreet and discrete are arbitrary, but perhaps not entirely useless. The literal sense is, separate, reserved, wary, hence discerning.]

1. Prudent; wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash.

It is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to society.

Let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise. Genesis 41:33.

DISCREETLY, adverb Prudently; circumspectly; cautiously; with nice judgment of what is best to be done or omitted.

DISCREETNESS, noun The quality of being discreet; discretion.

DISCREPANCE, DISCREPANCY, noun [Latin , to give a different sound, to vary, to jar; to creak. See Crepitate.] Difference; disagreement; contrariety; applicable to facts or opinions.

DISCREPANCE, DISCREPANCY noun [Latin , to give a different sound, to vary, to jar; to creak. See Crepitate.] Difference; disagreement; contrariety; applicable to facts or opinions.

There is no real DISCREPANCY between these tow genealogies.

DISCREPANT, adjective Different; disagreeing; contrary.

DISCRETE, adjective [Latin See Discreet.]

1. Separate; distinct; disjunct. discrete proportion is when the ratio of two or more pairs of numbers or quantities is the same, but there is not the same proportion between all the numbers; as 3:6::8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6, as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 is to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or continual proportion, as 3:6::12:24.

2. Disjunctive; as, I resign my life, but not my honor, is a discrete proposition.

DISCRETE, verb transitive To separate; to discontinue. [Not used.]

DISCRETION, noun [L, a separating. See Discreet.]

1. Prudence, or knowledge and prudence; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution; nice discernment and judgment, directed by circumspection, and primarily regarding ones own conduct.

A good man--will guide his affairs with discretion Psalms 112:5.

My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion Proverbs 3:21.

2. Liberty or power of acting without other control than ones own judgment; as, the management of affairs was left to the discretion of the prince; he is left to his own discretion Hence,

To surrender at discretion is to surrender without stipulation or terms, and commit ones self entirely to the power of the conqueror.

3. Disjunction; separation. [Not much used.]

DISCRETIONARY, DISCRETIONAL adjective Left to discretion; unrestrained except by discretion or judgment; that is to be directed or managed by discretion only. Thus, the President of the United States is, in certain cases, invested with discretionary powers, to act according to circumstances.

DISCRETIONARILY, DISCRETIONALLY adverb At discretion; according to discretion.

DISCRETIONARILY, DISCRETIONALLY, adverb At discretion; according to discretion.

DISCRETIONARY, DISCRETIONAL, adjective Left to discretion; unrestrained except by discretion or judgment; that is to be directed or managed by discretion only. Thus, the President of the United States is, in certain cases, invested with discretionary powers, to act according to circumstances.

DISCRETIVE, adjective [See Discreet and Discrete.]

1. Disjunctive; noting separation or opposition. In logic, a discretive proposition expresses some distinction, opposition or variety, by means of but, though, yet, etc.; as, travelers change their climate, but not their temper; Job was patient, though his grief was great.

2. In grammar, discretive distinctions are such as imply opposition or difference; as, not a man, but a beast.

3. Separate; distinct.

DISCRETIVELY, adverb In a discretive manner.

DISCRIMINABLE, adjective That may be discriminated.

DISCRIMINATE, verb transitive [Latin , difference, distinction; differently applied; Gr., Latin ]

1. To distinguish; to observe the difference between; as, we may usually discriminate true from false modesty.

2. To separate; to select from others; to make a distinction between; as, in the last judgment, the righteous will be discriminated from the wicked.

3. To mark with notes of difference; to distinguish by some note or mark. We discriminate animals by names, as nature has discriminated them by different shapes and habits.

DISCRIMINATE, verb intransitive

1. To make a difference or distinction; as, in the application of law, and the punishment of crimes, the judge should discriminate between degrees of guilt.

2. To observe or note a difference; to distinguish; as, in judging of evidence, we should be careful to discriminate between probability and slight presumption.

DISCRIMINATE, adjective Distinguished; having the difference marked.

DISCRIMINATED, participle passive Separated; distinguished.

DISCRIMINATELY, adverb Distinctly; with minute distinction; particularly.

DISCRIMINATENESS, noun Distinctness; marked difference.

DISCRIMINATING, participle present tense

1. Separating; distinguishing; marking with notes of difference.

2.a. Distinguishing; peculiar; characterized by peculiar differences; as the discriminating doctrines of the gospel.

3.a. That discriminates; able to make nice distinctions; as a discriminating mind.

DISCRIMINATION, noun

1. The act of distinguishing; the act of making or observing a difference; distinction; as the discrimination between right and wrong.

2. The state of being distinguished.

3. Mark of distinction.

DISCRIMINATIVE, adjective

1. That makes the mark of distinction; that constitutes the mark of difference; characteristic; as the discriminative features of men.

2. That observes distinction; as discriminative providence.

DISCRIMINATIVELY, adverb With discrimination or distinction.

DISCRIMINOUS, adjective Hazardous. [Not used.]

DISCUBITORY, adjective [Latin , to lie down or lean.] Leaning; inclining; or fitted to a leaning posture.

DISCULPATE, verb transitive [Latin , a fault.] To free from blame or fault; to exculpate; to excuse.

Neither does this effect of the independence of nations disculpate the author of an unjust war.

DISCULPATED, participle passive Cleared from blame; exculpated.

DISCULPATING, participle present tense Freeing from blame; excusing.

DISCUMBENCY, noun [Latin See Discubitory.] The act of leaning at meat, according to the manner of the ancients.

DISCUMBER, verb transitive [dis and cumber.] To unburden; to throw off any thing cumbersome; to disengage from any troublesome weight, or impediment; to disencumber. [The latter is generally used.]

DISCURE, verb transitive To discover; to reveal. [Not used.]

DISCURRENT, adjective Not current. [Not used.]

DISCURSION, noun [Latin , to run.] A running or rambling about.

DISCURSIST, noun [See Discourse.] A disputer. [Not in use.]

DISCURSIVE, adjective [Latin , supra.]

1. Moving or roving about; desultory.

2. Argumentative; reasoning; proceeding regularly from premises to consequences; sometimes written discursive Whether brutes have a kind of discursive faculty.

DISCURSIVELY, adverb Argumentatively; in the form of reasoning or argument.

DISCURSIVENESS, noun Range or gradation of argument.

DISCURSORY, adjective Argumental; rational.

DISCUS, noun [Latin]

1. A quoit; a piece of iron, copper or stone, to be thrown in play; used by the ancients.

2. In botany, the middle plain part of a radiated compound flower, generally consisting of small florets, with a hollow regular petal, as in the marigold and daisy.

3. The face or surface of the sun or moon. [See Disk.]

DISCUSS, verb transitive [Latin] Literally, to drive; to beat or to shake in pieces; to separate by beating or shaking.

1. To disperse; to scatter; to dissolve; to repel; as, to discuss a tumor; a medical use of the word.

2. To debate; to agitate by argument; to clear of objections and difficulties, with a view to find or illustrate truth; to sift; to examine by disputation; to ventilate; to reason on, for the purpose of separating truth from falsehood. We discuss a subject, a point, a problem, a question, the propriety, expedience or justice of a measure, etc.

3. To break in pieces. [The primary sense, but not used.]

4. To shake off. [Not in use.]

DISCUSSED, participle passive Dispersed; dissipated; debated; agitated; argued.

DISCUSSER, noun One who discusses; one who sifts or examines.

DISCUSSING, participle present tense Dispersing; resolving; scattering; debating; agitating; examining by argument.

DISCUSSING, noun Discussion; examination.

DISCUSSION, noun

1. In surgery, resolution; the dispersion of a tumor or any coagulated matter.

2. Debate; disquisition; the agitation of a point or subject with a view to elicit truth; the treating of a subject by argument, to clear it of difficulties, and separate truth from falsehood.

DISCUSSIVE, adjective Having the power to discuss, resolve or disperse tumors or coagulated matter.

DISCUSSIVE, noun A medicine that discusses; a discutient.

DISCUTIENT, adjective [Latin] Discussing; dispersing morbid matter.

DISCUTIENT, noun A medicine or application which disperses a tumor or any coagulated fluid in the body; sometimes it is equivalent to carminative.

DISDAIN, verb transitive [Latin , to think worthy; worthy. See Dignity.] To think unworthy; to deem worthless; to consider to be unworthy of notice, care, regard, esteem, or unworthy of ones character; to scorn; to contemn. The man of elevated mind disdains a mean action; he disdains the society of profligate, worthless men; he disdains to corrupt the innocent, or insult the weak. Goliath disdained David.

Whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock. Job 30:1.

DISDAIN, noun Contempt; scorn; a passion excited in noble minds, by the hatred or detestation of what is mean and dishonorable, and implying a consciousness of superiority of mind, or a supposed superiority of mind, or a supposed superiority. In ignoble minds, disdain may spring from unwarrantable pride or haughtiness, and be directed toward objects of worth. It implies hatred, and sometimes anger.

How my soul is moved with just disdain

DISDAINED, participle passive Despised; contemned; scorned.

DISDAINFUL, adjective

1. Full of disdain; as disdainful soul.

2. Expressing disdain; as a disdainful look.

3. Contemptuous; scornful; haughty; indignant.

DISDAINFULLY, adverb Contemptuously; with scorn; in a haughty manner.

DISDAINFULNESS, noun Contempt; contemptuousness; haughty scorn.

DISDAINING, participle present tense Contemning; scorning.

DISDAINING, noun Contempt; scorn.

DISDIACLASTIC, adjective An epithet given by Bartholine and others to a substance supposed to be crystal, but which is a fine pellucid spar, called also Iceland crystal, and by Dr. Hill, from its shape, parallelopipedum.

DISDIAPASON, BISDIAPASON, noun [See Diapason.] In music, a compound concord in the quadruple ratio of 4:1 or 8:2.

DISDIAPASON diapente, a cocord in a sectuple ratio of 1:6.

DISDIAPASON semi-diapente, a compound concord in the proportion of 16:3.

DISDIAPASON ditone, a compound consontance in the proportion of 10:2.

DISDIAPASON semi-ditone, a compound concord in the proportion of 24:5.

DISEASE, noun Dizeze. [dis and ease.]

1. In its primary sense, pain, uneasiness, distress, and so used by Spenser; but in this sense, obsolete.

2. The cause of pain or uneasiness; distemper; malady; sickness; disorder; any state of a living body in which the natural functions of the organs are interrupted or disturbed, either by defective or preternatural action, without a disrupture of parts by violence, which is called a wound. The first effect of disease is uneasiness or pain, and the ultimate effect is death. A disease may affect the whole body, or a particular limb or part of the body. We say a diseased limb; a disease in the head or stomach; and such partial affection of the body is called a local or topical disease The word is also applied to the disorders of other animals, as well as to those of man; and to any derangement of the vegetative functions of plants.

The shafts of disease shoot across our path in such a variety of courses, that the atmosphere of human life is darkened by their number, and the escape of an individual becomes almost miraculous.

3. A disordered state of the mind or intellect, by which the reason is impaired.

4. In society, vice; corrupt state of morals. Vices are called moral diseases.

A wise man converses with the wicked, as a physician with the sick, not to catch the disease but to cure it.

5. Political or civil disorder, or vices in a state; any practice which tends to disturb the peace of society, or impede or prevent the regular administration of government.

The instability, injustice and confusion introduced into the public councils have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have every where perished.

DISEASE, verb transitive dizeze.

1. To interrupt or impair any or all the natural and regular functions of the several organs of a living body; to afflict with pain or sickness to make morbid; used chiefly in the passive participle, as a diseased body, a diseased stomach; but diseased may here be considered as an adjective.

2. To interrupt or render imperfect the regular functions of the brain, or of the intellect; to disorder; to derange.

3. To infect; to communicate disease to, by contagion.

4. To pain; to make uneasy.

DISEASED, participle passive or adjective Dizezed. Disordered; distempered; sick.

DISEASEDNESS, noun Dizezedness. The state of being diseased; a morbid state; sickness.

DISEASEFUL, adjective Dizezeful.

1. Abounding with disease; producing diseases; as diseaseful climate.

2. Occasioning uneasiness.

DISEASEMENT, noun Dizezement. Uneasiness; inconvenience.

DISEDGED, a [dis and edge.] Blunted; made dull.

DISEMBARK, verb transitive [dis and embark.] To land; to debark; to remove from on board a ship to the land; to put on shore; applied particularly to the landing of troops and military apparatus; as, the general disembarked the troops at sun-rise.

DISEMBARK, verb intransitive To land; to debark; to quit a ship for residence or action on shore; as, the light infantry and calvary disembarked, and marched to meet the enemy.

DISEMBARKED, participle passive Landed; put on shore.

DISEMBARKING, participle present tense Landing; removing from on board a ship to land.

DISEMBARKMENT, noun The act of disembarking.

DISEMBARRASS, verb transitive [dis and embarrass.] To free from embarrassment or perplexity; to clear; to extricate.

DISEMBARRASSED, participle passive Freed from embarrassment; extricated from difficulty.

DISEMBARRASSING, participle present tense Freeing from embarrassment or perplexity; extricating.

DISEMBARRASSMENT, noun The act of extricating from perplexity.

DISEMBAY, verb transitive To clear from a bay.

DISEMBITTER, verb transitive [dis and embitter.] To free from bitterness; to clear from acrimony; to render sweet or pleasant.

DISEMBODIED, adjective [dis and embodied.]

1. Divested of the body; as disembodied spirits or souls.

2. Separated; discharged from keeping in a body.

DISEMBODY, verb transitive