Chapter CXIV: Conclusion: Con*clu"sion, n. Etym: F., fr. L. conclusio. See Conclude (23)

Speaking generally, the date line coincides with the meridian 180º from Greenwich. It deflects between north latitudes 80º and 45º, so that all Asia lies to the west, all North America, including the Aleutian Islands, to the east of the line; and between south latitudes 12º and 56º, so that Chatham Island and the Tonga group lie to the west of it. A vessel crossing this line to the westward sets the date forward by one day, as from Sunday to Monday. A vessel crossing the line to the eastward sets the date back by one day, as from Monday to Sunday. Hawaii has the same day name as San Francisco; Manila, the same day name as Australia, and this is one day later than the day of Hawaii. Thus when it is Monday May 1st at San Francisco it is Tuesday may 2d at Manila.

DATER Dat"er, n.

Defn: One who dates.

DATISCIN Da*tis"cin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A white crystalline glucoside extracted from the bastard hemp (Datisca cannabina).

DATIVE Da"tive, a. Etym: [L. dativus appropriate to giving, fr. dare to give. See 2d Date.]

1. (Gram.)

Defn: Noting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter object, and is generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.

2. (Law) (a) In one's gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office. (b) Removable, as distinguished from perpetual; -- said of an officer. (c) Given by a magistrate, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law. Burril. Bouvier. Dative executor, one appointed by the judge of probate, his office answering to that of an administrator.

DATIVE Da"tive, n. Etym: [L. dativus.]

Defn: The dative case. See Dative, a.,

1.

DATIVELY Da"tive*ly, adv.

Defn: As a gift. [R.]

DATOLITE Dat"o*lite, n. Etym: [From. Gr. to divide + -lite; in allusion to the granular structure of a massive variety.] (Min.)

Defn: A borosilicate of lime commonly occuring in glassy,, greenish crystals. [Written also datholite.]

DATUM Da"tum, n.; pl. Data. Etym: [L. See 2d Date.]

1. Something given or admitted; a fact or principle granted; that upon which an inference or an argument is based; -- used chiefly in the plural. Any writer, therefore, who . . . furnishes us with data sufficient to determine the time in which he wrote. Priestley.

2. pl. (Math.)

Defn: The quantities or relations which are assumed to be given in any problem. Datum line (Surv.), the horizontal or base line, from which the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the plan of a railway, etc.

DATURA Da*tu"ra, n. Etym: [NL.; cf. Skr. dhatt, Per. & Ar. tat, Tat.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of solanaceous plants, with large funnel-shaped flowers and a four-celled, capsular fruit.

Note: The commonest species are the thorn apple (D. stramonium), with a prickly capsule (see Illust. of capsule), white flowers and green stem, and D. tatula, with a purplish tinge of the stem and flowers. Both are narcotic and dangerously poisonous.

DATURINE Da*tu"rine, n. Etym: [From Datura.] (Chem.)

Defn: Atropine; -- called also daturia and daturina.

DAUB Daub, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Daubed; p. pr. & vb. n. Daubing.] Etym: [OE. dauben to smear, OF. dauber to plaster, fr. L. dealbare to whitewash, plaster; de- + albare to whiten, fr. albus white, perh. also confused with W. dwb plaster, dwbio to plaster, Ir. & OGael. dob plaster. See Alb, and cf. Dealbate.]

1. To smear with soft, adhesive matter, as pitch, slime, mud, etc.; to plaster; to bedaub; to besmear. She took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch. Ex. ii. 3.

2. To paint in a coarse or unskillful manner. If a picture is daubed with many bright and glaring colors, the vulgar admire it is an excellent piece. I. Watts. A lame, imperfect piece, rudely daubed over. Dryden.

3. To cover with a specious or deceitful exterior; to disguise; to conceal. So smooth he daubed his vice with show of virtue. Shak.

4. To flatter excessively or glossy. [R.] I can safely say, however, that, without any daubing at all, I am very sincerely your very affectionate, humble servant. Smollett.

5. To put on without taste; to deck gaudily. [R.] Let him be daubed with lace. Dryden.

DAUB Daub, v. i.

Defn: To smear; to play the flatterer. His conscience . . . will not daub nor flatter. South.

DAUB Daub, n.

1. A viscous, sticky application; a spot smeared or dabed; a smear.

2. (Paint.)

Defn: A picture coarsely executed. Did you . . . take a look at the grand picture . . . 'T is a melancholy daub, my lord. Sterne.

DAUBER Daub"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, daubs; especially, a coarse, unskillful painter.

2. (Copperplate Print.)

Defn: A pad or ball of rags, covered over with canvas, for inking plates; a dabber.

3. A low and gross flattere.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The mud wasp; the mud dauber.

DAUBERY; DAUBRY Daub"er*y, or Daub"ry, n.

Defn: A daubing; specious coloring; false pretenses. She works by charms, by spells, by the figure, and such daubery as this is. Shak.

DAUBING Daub"ing, n.

1. The act of one who daubs; that which is daubed.

2. A rough coat of mortar put upon a wall to give it the appearance of stone; rough-cast.

3. In currying, a mixture of fish oil and tallow worked into leather; -- called also dubbing. Knight.

DAUBREELITE Dau"bree*lite, n. Etym: [From Daubrée, a French mineralogist.] (Min.)

Defn: A sulphide of chromium observed in some meteoric irons.

DAUBY Daub"y, a.

Defn: Smeary; viscous; glutinous; adhesive. "Dauby wax."

DAUGHTER Daugh"ter, n.; pl. Daughters; obs. pl. Daughtren. Etym: [OE. doughter, doghter, dohter, AS. dohtor, dohter; akin to OS. dohtar, D. dochter, G. tochter, Icel. d, Sw. dotter, Dan. dotter, datter, Goth. daúhtar,, OSlav. d, Russ. doche, Lith. dukt, Gr. , Zendughdhar, Skr. duhit; possibly originally, the milker, cf. Skr. duh to milk. sq. root68, 245.]

1. The female offspring of the human species; a female child of any age; -- applied also to the lower animals.

2. A female descendant; a woman. This woman, being a daughter of Abraham. Luke xiii. 16. Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughter of the land. Gen. xxxiv. 1.

3. A son's wife; a daughter-in-law. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Ruth. i. 11.

4. A term of adress indicating parental interest. Daughter, be of good comfort. Matt. ix. 22. Daughter cell (Biol.), one of the cells formed by cell division. See Cell division, under Division.

DAUGHTER-IN-LAW Daugh"ter-in-law`, n.; pl. Daughters-in-law.

Defn: The wife of one's son.

DAUGHTERLINESS Daugh"ter*li*ness, n.

Defn: The state of a daughter, or the conduct becoming a daughter.

DAUGHTERLY Daugh"ter*ly, a.

Defn: Becoming a daughter; filial. Sir Thomas liked her natural and dear daughterly affection towards him. Cavendish.

DAUK Dauk, v. t.

Defn: See Dawk, v. t., to cut or gush.

DAUN Daun, n.

Defn: A variant of Dan, a title of honor. [Obs.] Chaucer.

DAUNT Daunt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Daunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Daunting.] Etym: [OF. danter, F. dompter to tame, subdue, fr. L. domitare, v. intens. of domare to tame. See Tame.]

1. To overcome; to conquer. [Obs.]

2. To repress or subdue the courage of; to check by fear of danger; to cow; to intimidate; to dishearten. Some presences daunt and discourage us. Glanvill.

Syn. -- To dismay; appall. See Dismay.

DAUNTER Daunt"er, n.

Defn: One who daunts.

DAUNTLESS Daunt"less, a.

Defn: Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless; intrepid. Dauntless he rose, and to the fight returned. Dryden. -- Daunt"less*ly, adv. -- Daunt"less*ness, n.

DAUPHIN Dau"phin, n. Etym: [F. dauphin, prop., a dolphin, from L. delphinus. See Dolphin. The name was given, for some reason unexplained, to Guigo, count of Vienne, in the 12th century, and was borne by succeeding counts of Vienne. In 1349, Dauphiny was bequeathed to Philippe de Valois, king of France, on condition that the heir of the crown should always hold the title of Dauphin de Viennois.]

Defn: The title of the eldest son of the king of France, and heir to the crown. Since the revolution of 1830, the title has been discontinued.

DAUPHINESS; DAUPHINE Dau"phin*ess, or Dau"phine, n.

Defn: The title of the wife of the dauphin.

DAUW Dauw, n. Etym: [D.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The striped quagga, or Burchell's zebra, of South Africa (Asinus Burchellii); -- called also peechi, or peetsi.

DAVENPORT Dav"en*port, n. Etym: [From the name of the original maker. Encyc. Dict.]

Defn: A kind of small writing table, generally somewhat ornamental, and forming a piece of furniture for the parlor or boudoir. A much battered davenport in one of the windows, at which sat a lady writing. A. B. Edwards.

DAVIDIC Da*vid"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to David, the king and psalmist of Israel, or to his family.

DAVIT Dav"it, n. Etym: [Cf. F. davier forceps, davit, cooper's instrument, G. david davit; all probably from the proper name David.] (Naut.) (a) A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship; -- called also the fish davit. (b) pl.

Defn: Curved arms of timber or iron, projecting over a ship's side of stern, having tackle to raise or lower a boat, swing it in on deck, rig it out for lowering, etc.; -- called also boat davits. Totten.

DAVY JONES Da"vy Jones".

Defn: The spirit of the sea; sea devil; -- a term used by sailors. This same Davy Jones, according to the mythology of sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is seen in various shapes warning the devoted wretch of death and woe. Smollett. Davy Jones's Locker, the ocean, or bottom of the ocean. -- Gone to Davy Jones's Locker, dead, and buried in the sea; thrown overboard.

DAVY LAMP Da"vy lamp`.

Defn: See Safety lamp, under Lamp.

DAVYNE Da"vyne, n. Etym: [See Davyum.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of nephelite from Vesuvius.

DAVYUM Da"vy*um, n. Etym: [Named after Sir Humphry Davy, the English chemist.] (Chem.)

Defn: A rare metallic element found in platinum ore. It is a white malleable substance. Symbol Da. Atomic weight 154.

DAW Daw, n. Etym: [OE. dawe; akin to OHG. taha, MHG. tahe, tahele, G. dohle. Cf. Caddow.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European bird of the Crow family (Corvus monedula), often nesting in church towers and ruins; a jackdaw. The loud daw, his throat displaying, draw The whole assembly of his fellow daws. Waller.

Note: The daw was reckoned as a silly bird, and a daw meant a simpleton. See in Shakespeare: -- "Then thou dwellest with daws too." (Coriolanus iv. 5, 1. 47.) Skeat.

DAW Daw, v. i. Etym: [OE. dawen. See Dawn.]

Defn: To dawn. [Obs.] See Dawn.

DAW Daw, v. t. Etym: [Contr. fr. Adaw.]

1. To rouse. [Obs.]

2. To daunt; to terrify. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

DAWDLE Daw"dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dawdled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dawdling.] Etym: [Cf. Daddle.]

Defn: To waste time in trifling employment; to trifle; to saunter. Come some evening and dawdle over a dish of tea with me. Johnson. We . . . dawdle up and down Pall Mall. Thackeray.

DAWDLE Daw"dle, v. t.

Defn: To waste by trifling; as, to dawdle away a whole morning.

DAWDLE Daw"dle, n.

Defn: A dawdler. Colman & Carrick.

DAWDLER Daw"dler, n.

Defn: One who wastes time in trifling employments; an idler; a trifler.

DAWE Dawe, n. Etym: [See Day.]

Defn: Day. [Obs.] Chaucer.

DAWISH Daw"ish, a.

Defn: Like a daw.

DAWK Dawk, n.

Defn: See Dak.

DAWK Dawk, v. t. Etym: [Prov. E. dauk to cut or pierce with a jerk; cf. OE. dalk a dimple. Cf. Ir. tolch, tollachd, tolladh, a hole, crevice, toll to bore, pierce, W. tyllu.]

Defn: To cut or mark with an incision; to gash. Moxon.

DAWK Dawk, n.

Defn: A hollow, crack, or cut, in timber. Moxon.

DAWN Dawn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dawned; p. pr. & vb. n. Dawning.] Etym: [OE. dawnen, dawen, dagen, daien, AS. dagian to become day, to dawn, fr. dæg day; akin to D. dagen, G. tagen, Icel. daga, Dan. dages, Sw. dagas. See Day.

1. To begin to grow light in the morning; to grow light; to break, or begin to appear; as, the day dawns; the morning dawns. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene . . . to see the sepulcher. Matt. xxviii. 1.

2. To began to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand. "In dawning youth." Dryden. When life awakes, and dawns at every line. Pope. Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid. Heber,

DAWN Dawn, n.

1. The break of day; the first appeareance of light in the morning; show of approaching sunrise. And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve. Thomson. No sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day. Hood.

2. First opening or expansion; first appearance; beginning; rise. "The dawn of time." Thomson. These tender circumstances diffuse a dawn of serenity over the soul. Pope.

DAWSONITE Daw"son*ite, n. Etym: [Named after J. W. Dawson of Montreal.] (Min.)

Defn: A hydrous carbonate of alumina and soda, occuring in white, bladed crustals.

DAY Day, n. Etym: [OE. day, dai,, dei, AS. dæg; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G, tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ) to burn. *69. Cf. Dawn.]

1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time between sunrise and sunset, or from dawn to darkness; hence, the light; sunshine.

2. The period of the earth's revolution on its axis. -- ordinarily divided into twenty-four hours. It is measured by the interval between two successive transits of a celestial body over the same meridian, and takes a specific name from that of the body. Thus, if this is the sun, the day (the interval between two successive transits of the sun's center over the same meridian) is called a solar day; if it is a star, a sidereal day; if it is the moon, a lunar day. See Civil day, Sidereal day, below.

3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work.

4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time. A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day. Jowett (Thucyd. ) If my debtors do not keep their day, . . . I must with patience all the terms attend. Dryden.

5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc. The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. Shak. His name struck fear, his conduct won the day. Roscommon.

Note: Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, workday, etc.

Anniversary day. See Anniversary, n. -- Astronomical day, a period equal to the mean solar day, but beginning at noon instead of at midnight, its twenty-four hours being numbered from 1 to 24; also, the sidereal day, as that most used by astronomers. -- Born days. See under Born. -- Canicular days. See Dog day. -- Civil day, the mean solar day, used in the ordinary reckoning of time, and among most modern nations beginning at mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each from 1 to 12. This is the period recognized by courts as constituting a day. The Babylonians and Hindoos began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans at midnight. -- Day blindness. (Med.) See Nyctalopia. -- Day by day, or Day after day, daily; every day; continually; without intermission of a day. See under By. "Day by day we magnify thee." Book of Common Prayer. -- Days in bank (Eng. Law), certain stated days for the return of writs and the appearance of parties; -- so called because originally peculiar to the Court of Common Bench, or Bench (bank) as it was formerly termed. Burrill. -- Day in court, a day for the appearance of parties in a suit. -- Days of devotion (R. C. Ch.), certain festivals on which devotion leads the faithful to attend mass. Shipley. -- Days of grace. See Grace. -- Days of obligation (R. C. Ch.), festival days when it is obligatory on the faithful to attend Mass. Shipley. -- Day owl, (Zoöl.), an owl that flies by day. See Hawk owl. -- Day rule (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished) allowing a prisoner, under certain circumstances, to go beyond the prison limits for a single day. -- Day school, one which the pupils attend only in daytime, in distinction from a boarding school. -- Day sight. (Med.) See Hemeralopia. -- Day's work (Naut.), the account or reckoning of a ship's course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon. -- From day to day, as time passes; in the course of time; as, he improves from day to day. -- Jewish day, the time between sunset and sunset. -- Mean solar day (Astron.), the mean or average of all the apparent solar days of the year. -- One day, One of these days, at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later. "Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband." Shak. -- Only from day to day, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. Bacon. -- Sidereal day, the interval between two successive transits of the first point of Aries over the same meridian. The Sidereal day is 23 h. 56 m. 4.09 s. of mean solar time. -- To win the day, to gain the victory, to be successful. S. Butler. -- Week day, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day. -- Working day. (a) A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. (b) The number of hours, determined by law or custom, during which a workman, hired at a stated price per day, must work to be entitled to a day's pay.

DAYAKS Day"aks, n. pl. (Ethnol.)

Defn: See Dyaks.

DAYBOOK Day"book, n.

Defn: A journal of accounts; a primary record book in which are recorded the debts and credits, or accounts of the day, in their order, and from which they are transferred to the journal.

DAYBREAK Day"break`, n.

Defn: The time of the first appearance of light in the morning.

DAY-COAL Day"-coal`, n. (Mining)

Defn: The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface.

DAYDREAM Day"dream`, n.

Defn: A vain fancy speculation; a reverie; a castle in the air; unfounded hope. Mrs. Lambert's little daydream was over. Thackeray.

DAYDREAMER Day"dream`er, n.

Defn: One given to draydreams.

DAYFLOWER Day"flow`er, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs (Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.

DAYFLY Day"fly`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; -- so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

DAY-LABOR Day"-la`bor, n.

Defn: Labor hired or performed by the day. Milton.

DAY-LABORER Day"-la`bor*er, n.

Defn: One who works by the day; -- usually applied to a farm laborer, or to a workman who does not work at any particular trade. Goldsmith.

DAYLIGHT Day"light`, n.

1. The light of day as opposed to the darkness of night; the light of the sun, as opposed to that of the moon or to artificial light.

2. pl.

Defn: The eyes. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

DAY LILY Day" lil`y. (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants (Hemerocallis) closely resembling true lilies, but having tuberous rootstocks instead of bulbs. The common species have long narrow leaves and either yellow or tawny-orange flowers. (b) A genus of plants (Funkia) differing from the last in having ovate veiny leaves, and large white or blue flowers.

DAYMAID Day"maid`, n.

Defn: A dairymaid. [Obs.]

DAYMARE Day"mare`, n. Etym: [Day + mare incubus.] (Med.)

Defn: A kind of incubus which occurs during wakefulness, attended by the peculiar pressure on the chest which characterizes nightmare. Dunglison.

DAY-NET Day"-net`, n.

Defn: A net for catching small birds.

DAY-PEEP Day"-peep`, n.

Defn: The dawn. [Poetic] Milton.

DAYSMAN Days"man, n. Etym: [From day in the sense of day fixed for trial.]

Defn: An umpire or arbiter; a mediator. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us. Job ix. 33.

DAYSPRING Day"spring, n.

Defn: The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton. The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke i. 78.

DAY-STAR Day"-star`, n.

1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day. A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter i. 19.

2. The sun, as the orb of day. [Poetic] So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head, And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore Flames in the forehead of the morning sky. Milton.

DAYTIME Day"time`, n.

Defn: The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night.

DAYWOMAN Day"wom`an, n.

Defn: A dairymaid. [Obs.]

DAZE Daze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dazing.] Etym: [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foolish, insane, AS. dw, dysig, stupid. Dizzy, Doze.]

Defn: To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb. While flashing beams do daze his feeble eyen. Spenser. Such souls, Whose sudden visitations daze the world. Sir H. Taylor. He comes out of the room in a dazed state, that is an odd though a sufficient substitute for interest. Dickens.

DAZE Daze, n.

1. The state of being dazed; as, he was in a daze. [Colloq.]

2. (Mining)

Defn: A glittering stone.

DAZZLE Daz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Dazzling.] Etym: [Freq. of daze.]

1. To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance of light. Those heavenly shapes Will dazzle now the earthly, with their blaze Insufferably bright. Milton. An unreflected light did never yet Dazzle the vision feminine. Sir H. Taylor.

2. To bewilder or surprise with brilliancy or display of any kind. "Dazzled and drove back his enemies." Shak.

DAZZLE Daz"zle, v. i.

1. To be overpoweringly or intensely bright; to excite admiration by brilliancy. Ah, friend! to dazzle, let the vain design. Pope.

2. To be overpowered by light; to be confused by excess of brightness. An overlight maketh the eyes dazzle. Bacon. I dare not trust these eyes; They dance in mists, and dazzle with surprise. Dryden.

DAZZLE Daz"zle, n.

Defn: A light of dazzling brilliancy.

DAZZLEMENT Daz"zle*ment, n.

Defn: Dazzling flash, glare, or burst of light. Donne.

DAZZLINGLY Daz"zling*ly, adv.

Defn: In a dazzling manner.

DE- De-.

Defn: A prefix from Latin de down, from, away; as in debark, decline, decease, deduct, decamp. In words from the French it is equivalent to Latin dis- apart, away; or sometimes to de. Cf. Dis-. It is negative and opposite in derange, deform, destroy, etc. It is intensive in deprave, despoil, declare, desolate, etc.

DEACON Dea"con, n. Etym: [OE. diakne, deakne, deken, AS. diacon, deacon, L. diaconus, fr. Gr. dean.]

1. (Eccl.)

Defn: An officer in Christian churches appointed to perform certain subordinate duties varying in different communions. In the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, a person admitted to the lowest order in the ministry, subordinate to the bishops and priests. In Presbyterian churches, he is subordinate to the minister and elders, and has charge of certain duties connected with the communion service and the care of the poor. In Congregational churches, he is subordinate to the pastor, and has duties as in the Presbyterian church.

2. The chairman of an incorporated company. [Scot.]

DEACON Dea"con, v. t.

Defn: To read aloud each line of (a psalm or hymn) before singing it, -- usually with off. [Colloq. New. Eng.] See Line, v. t.

Note: The expression is derived from a former custom in the Congregational churches of New England. It was part of the office of a deacon to read aloud the psalm given out, one line at a time, the congregation singing each line as soon as read; -- called, also, lining out the psalm.

DEACONESS Dea"con*ess, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: A female deacon; as: (a) (Primitive Ch.) One of an order of women whose duties resembled those of deacons. (b) (Ch. of Eng. and Prot. Epis. Ch.)

Defn: A woman set apart for church work by a bishop. (c) A woman chosen as a helper in church work, as among the Congregationalists.

DEACONHOOD Dea"con*hood, n.

Defn: The state of being a deacon; office of a deacon; deaconship.

DEACONRY Dea"con*ry, n.

Defn: See Deaconship.

DEACONSHIP Dea"con*ship, n.

Defn: The office or ministry of a deacon or deaconess.

DEAD Dead, a. Etym: [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. deád; akin to OS. d, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dau, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See Die, and cf. Death.]

1. Deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. "The queen, my lord, is dead." Shak. The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger. Arbuthnot. Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living. Shak.

2. Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter.

3. Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep.

4. Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight.

5. So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor.

6. Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade.

7. Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc.

8. Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall. "The ground is a dead flat." C. Reade.

9. Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty. I had them a dead bargain. Goldsmith.

10. Bringing death; deadly. Shak.

11. Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works. "Dead in trespasses." Eph. ii. 1.

12. (Paint.) (a) Flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect. (b) Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson.

13. (Law)

Defn: Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead.

14. (Mach.)

Defn: Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle. Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; -- said of a ship or any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point toward which a vessel would go. -- Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. -- Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. -- Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. -- Dead center, or Dead point (Mach.), either of two points in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and connecting rod lie a straight line. It corresponds to the end of a stroke; as, A and B are dead centers of the crank mechanism in which the crank C drives, or is driven by, the lever L. -- Dead color (Paint.), a color which has no gloss upon it. -- Dead coloring (Oil paint.), the layer of colors, the preparation for what is to follow. In modern painting this is usually in monochrome. -- Dead door (Shipbuilding), a storm shutter fitted to the outside of the quarter-gallery door. -- Dead flat (Naut.), the widest or midship frame. -- Dead freight (Mar. Law), a sum of money paid by a person who charters a whole vessel but fails to make out a full cargo. The payment is made for the unoccupied capacity. Abbott. -- Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there is no ore. -- Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person civilly dead. "Serfs held in dead hand." Morley. See Mortmain. -- Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor buoy. -- Dead heat, a heat or course between two or more race horses, boats, etc., in which they come out exactly equal, so that neither wins. -- Dead horse, an expression applied to a debt for wages paid in advance. [Law] -- Dead language, a language which is no longer spoken or in common use by a people, and is known only in writings, as the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. -- Dead letter. (a) A letter which, after lying for a certain fixed time uncalled for at the post office to which it was directed, is then sent to the general post office to be opened. (b) That which has lost its force or authority; as, the law has become a dead letter. -- Dead-letter office, a department of the general post office where dead letters are examined and disposed of. -- Dead level, a term applied to a flat country. -- Dead lift, a direct lift, without assistance from mechanical advantage, as from levers, pulleys, etc.; hence, an extreme emergency. "(As we say) at a dead lift." Robynson (More's Utopia). -- Dead line (Mil.), a line drawn within or around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being instantly shot. -- Dead load (Civil Engin.), a constant, motionless load, as the weight of a structure, in distinction from a moving load, as a train of cars, or a variable pressure, as of wind. -- Dead march (Mus.), a piece of solemn music intended to be played as an accompaniment to a funeral procession. -- Dead nettle (Bot.), a harmless plant with leaves like a nettle (Lamium album). -- Dead oil (Chem.), the heavy oil obtained in the distillation of coal tar, and containing phenol, naphthalus, etc. -- Dead plate (Mach.), a solid covering over a part of a fire grate, to prevent the entrance of air through that part. -- Dead pledge, a mortgage. See Mortgage. -- Dead point. (Mach.) See Dead center. -- Dead reckoning (Naut.), the method of determining the place of a ship from a record kept of the courses sailed as given by compass, and the distance made on each course as found by log, with allowance for leeway, etc., without the aid of celestial observations. -- Dead rise, the transverse upward curvature of a vessel's floor. -- Dead rising, an elliptical line drawn on the sheer plan to determine the sweep of the floorheads throughout the ship's length. -- Dead-Sea apple. See under Apple. -- Dead set. See under Set. -- Dead shot. (a) An unerring marksman. (b) A shot certain to be made. -- Dead smooth, the finest cut made; -- said of files. -- Dead wall (Arch.), a blank wall unbroken by windows or other openings. -- Dead water (Naut.), the eddy water closing in under a ship's stern when sailing. -- Dead weight. (a) A heavy or oppressive burden. Dryden. (b) (Shipping) A ship's lading, when it consists of heavy goods; or, the heaviest part of a ship's cargo. (c) (Railroad) The weight of rolling stock, the live weight being the load. Knight. -- Dead wind (Naut.), a wind directly ahead, or opposed to the ship's course. -- To be dead, to die. [Obs.] I deme thee, thou must algate be dead. Chaucer.

Syn. -- Inanimate; deceased; extinct. See Lifeless.

DEAD Dead, adv.

Defn: To a degree resembling death; to the last degree; completely; wholly. [Colloq.] I was tired of reading, and dead sleepy. Dickens. Dead drunk, so drunk as to be unconscious.

DEAD Dead, n.

1. The most quiet or deathlike time; the period of profoundest repose, inertness, or gloom; as, the dead of winter. When the drum beat at dead of night. Campbell.

2. One who is dead; -- commonly used collectively. And Abraham stood up from before his dead. Gen. xxiii. 3.

DEAD Dead, v. t.

Defn: To make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigor. [Obs.] Heaven's stern decree, With many an ill, hath numbed and deaded me. Chapman.

DEAD Dead, v. i.

Defn: To die; to lose life or force. [Obs.] So iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straightway. Bacon.

DEAD BEAT Dead` beat".

Defn: See Beat, n., 7. [Low, U.S.]

DEADBEAT Dead"beat`, a. (Physics)

Defn: Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.

DEADBORN Dead"born`, a.

Defn: Stillborn. Pope.

DEADEN Dead"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deadened; p. pr. & vb. n. Deadening.] Etym: [From Dead; cf. AS. d to kill, put to death. See Dead, a.]

1. To make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt; as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a sound.

As harper lays his open palm Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations. Longfellow.

2. To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to deaden a ship's headway.

3. To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine.

4. To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to deaden gilding by a coat of size.

DEADENER Dead"en*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, deadens or checks.

DEAD-EYE Dead"-eye`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A round, flattish, wooden block, encircled by a rope, or an iron band, and pierced with three holes to receive the lanyard; -- used to extend the shrouds and stays, and for other purposes. Called also deadman's eye. Totten.

DEADHEAD Dead"head`, n.

1. One who receives free tickets for theaters, public conveyances, etc. [Colloq. U. S.]

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A buoy. See under Dead, a.

DEADHEARTED; DEAD-HEARTED Dead"*heart`ed, a.

Defn: Having a dull, faint heart; spiritless; listless. -- Dead"*heart`ed*ness, n. Bp. Hall.

DEADHOUSE Dead"house`, n.

Defn: A morgue; a place for the temporary reception and exposure of dead bodies.

DEADISH Dead"ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat dead, dull, or lifeless; deathlike. The lips put on a deadish paleness. A. Stafford.

DEADLATCH Dead"latch`, n.

Defn: A kind of latch whose bolt may be so locked by a detent that it can not be opened from the inside by the handle, or from the outside by the latch key. Knight.

DEADLIGHT Dead"light`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A strong shutter, made to fit open ports and keep out water in a storm.

DEADLIHOOD Dead"li*hood, n.

Defn: State of the dead. [Obs.]

DEADLINESS Dead"li*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being deadly.

DEADLOCK Dead"lock`, n.

1. A lock which is not self-latching, but requires a key to throw the bolt forward.

2. A counteraction of things, which produces an entire stoppage; a complete obstruction of action. Things are at a deadlock. London Times. The Board is much more likely to be at a deadlock of two to two. The Century.

DEADLY Dead"ly, a.

1. Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death; as, a deadly blow or wound.

2. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious; as, deadly enemies. Thy assailant is quick, skillful, and deadly. Shak.

3. Subject to death; mortal. [Obs.] The image of a deadly man. Wyclif (Rom. i. 23). Deadly nightshade (Bot.), a poisonous plant; belladonna. See under Nightshade.

DEADLY Dead"ly, adv.

1. In a manner resembling, or as if produced by, death. "Deadly pale." Shak.

2. In a manner to occasion death; mortally. The groanings of a deadly wounded man. Ezek. xxx. 24.

3. In an implacable manner; destructively.

4. Extremely. [Obs.] "Deadly weary." Orrery. "So deadly cunning a man." Arbuthnot.

DEADNESS Dead"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness; inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a limb, a body, or a tree; the deadness of an eye; deadness of the affections; the deadness of beer or cider; deadness to the world, and the like.

DEAD-PAY Dead"-pay`, n.

Defn: Pay drawn for soldiers, or others, really dead, whose names are kept on the rolls. O you commanders, That, like me, have no dead-pays. Massinger.

DEAD-RECKONING Dead"-reck`on*ing, n. (Naut.)

Defn: See under Dead, a.

DEADS Deads, n. pl. (Mining)

Defn: The substances which inclose the ore on every side.

DEAD-STROKE Dead"-stroke`, a. (Mech.)

Defn: Making a stroke without recoil; deadbeat. Dead-stroke hammer (Mach.), a power hammer having a spring interposed between the driving mechanism and the hammer head, or helve, to lessen the recoil of the hammer and reduce the shock upon the mechanism.

DEADWOOD Dead"wood`, n.

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A mass of timbers built into the bow and stern of a vessel to give solidity.

2. Dead trees or branches; useless material.

DEADWORKS Dead"works`, n. pl. (Naut.)

Defn: The parts of a ship above the water when she is laden.

DEAF Deaf, a. Etym: [OE. def, deaf, deef, AS. deáf; akin to D. doof, G. taub, Icel. daufr, Dan. döv, Sw. döf, Goth. daubs, and prob. to E. dumb (the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. to Gr. toben to rage. Cf. Dumb.]

1. Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing; as, a deaf man. Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf. Shak.

2. Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; -- with to; as, deaf to reason. O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery! Shak.

3. Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened. Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight. Dryden.

4. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened. [R.] A deaf murmur through the squadron went. Dryden.

5. Decayed; tasteless; dead; as, a deaf nut; deaf corn. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught. Holland. Deaf and dumb, without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. See Deaf-mute.

DEAF Deaf, v. t.

Defn: To deafen. [Obs.] Dryden.

DEAFEN Deaf"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deafened; p. pr. & vb. n. Deafening.] Etym: [From Deaf.]

1. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly. Deafened and stunned with their promiscuous cries. Addison.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc.

DEAFENING Deaf"en*ing, n.

Defn: The act or process of rendering impervious to sound, as a floor or wall; also, the material with which the spaces are filled in this process; pugging.

DEAFLY Deaf"ly, adv.

Defn: Without sense of sounds; obscurely.

DEAFLY Deaf"ly, a.

Defn: Lonely; solitary. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

DEAF-MUTE Deaf"-mute`, n.

Defn: A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation or defect of hearing, has either failed the acquire the power of speech, or has lost it. [See Illust. of Dactylology.] Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by artificial methods, they have been taught to speak imperfectly.

DEAF-MUTISM Deaf"-mut`ism, n.

Defn: The condition of being a deaf-mute.

DEAFNESS Deaf"ness, n.

1. Incapacity of perceiving sounds; the state of the organs which prevents the impression which constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing.

2. Unwillingness to hear; voluntary rejection of what is addressed to the understanding. Nervous deafness, a variety of deafness dependent upon morbid change in some portion of the nervous system, especially the auditory nerve.

DEAL Deal, n. Etym: [OE. del, deel, part, AS. d; akin to OS. d, D. & Dan. deel, G. theil, teil, Icel. deild, Sw. del, Goth. dails. Dole.]

1. A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold. Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour. Num. xv. 9. As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power. M. Arnold. She was resolved to be a good deal more circumspect. W. Black.

Note: It was formerly limited by some, every, never a, a thousand, etc.; as, some deal; but these are now obsolete or vulgar. In general, we now qualify the word with great or good, and often use it adverbially, by being understood; as, a great deal of time and pains; a great (or good) deal better or worse; that is, better by a great deal, or by a great part or difference.

2. The process of dealing cards to the players; also, the portion disturbed. The deal, the shuffle, and the cut. Swift.

3. Distribution; apportionment. [Colloq.]

4. An arrangement to attain a desired result by a combination of interested parties; -- applied to stock speculations and political bargains. [Slang]

5. Etym: [Prob. from D. deel a plank, threshing floor. See Thill.]

Defn: The division of a piece of timber made by sawing; a board or plank; particularly, a board or plank of fir or pine above seven inches in width, and exceeding six feet in length. If narrower than this, it is called a batten; if shorter, a deal end.

Note: Whole deal is a general term for planking one and one half inches thick.

6. Wood of the pine or fir; as, a floor of deal. Deal tree, a fir tree. Dr. Prior.

DEAL Deal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dealt; p. pr. & vb. n. Dealing.] Etym: [OE. delen, AS. d, fr. d share; akin to OS. d, D. deelen, G. theilen, teilen, Icel. deila, Sw. dela, Dan. dele, Goth. dailjan. See Deal, n.]

1. To divide; to separate in portions; hence, to give in portions; to distribute; to bestow successively; -- sometimes with out. Is not to deal thy bread to the hungry Is. lviii. 7. And Rome deals out her blessings and her gold. Tickell. The nightly mallet deals resounding blows. Gay. Hissing through the skies, the feathery deaths were dealt. Dryden.

2. Specifically: To distribute, as cards, to the players at the commencement of a game; as, to deal the cards; to deal one a jack.

DEAL Deal, v. i.

1. To make distribution; to share out in portions, as cards to the players.

2. To do a distributing or retailing business, as distinguished from that of a manufacturer or producer; to traffic; to trade; to do business; as, he deals in flour. They buy and sell, they deal and traffic. South. This is to drive to wholesale trade, when all other petty merchants deal but for parcels. Dr. H. More.

3. To act as an intermediary in business or any affairs; to manage; to make arrangements; -- followed by between or with. Sometimes he that deals between man and man, raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either. Bacon.

4. To conduct one's self; to behave or act in any affair or towards any one; to treat. If he will deal clearly and impartially, . . . he will acknowledge all this to be true. Tillotson.

5. To contend (with); to treat (with), by way of opposition, check, or correction; as, he has turbulent passions to deal with. To deal by, to treat, either well or ill; as, to deal well by servants. "Such an one deals not fairly by his own mind." Locke. -- To deal in. (a) To have to do with; to be engaged in; to practice; as, they deal in political matters. (b) To buy and sell; to furnish, as a retailer or wholesaler; as, they deal in fish. -- To deal with. (a) To treat in any manner; to use, whether well or ill; to have to do with; specifically, to trade with. "Dealing with witches." Shak. (b) To reprove solemnly; to expostulate with. The deacons of his church, who, to use their own phrase, "dealt with him" on the sin of rejecting the aid which Providence so manifestly held out. Hawthorne. Return . . . and I will deal well with thee. Gen. xxxii. 9.

DEALBATE De*al"bate, v. t. Etym: [L. dealbatus, p. p. of dealbare. See Daub.]

Defn: To whiten. [Obs.] Cockeram.

DEALBATION De`al*ba"tion, n. Etym: [L. dealbatio: cf. F. déalbation.]

Defn: Act of bleaching; a whitening. [Obs.]

DEALER Deal"er, n.

1. One who deals; one who has to do, or has concern, with others; esp., a trader, a trafficker, a shopkeeper, a broker, or a merchant; as, a dealer in dry goods; a dealer in stocks; a retail dealer.

2. One who distributes cards to the players.

DEALFISH Deal"fish`, n. Etym: [From deal a long, narrow plank.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A long, thin fish of the arctic seas (Trachypterus arcticus).

DEALING Deal"ing, n.

Defn: The act of one who deals; distribution of anything, as of cards to the players; method of business; traffic; intercourse; transaction; as, to have dealings with a person. Double dealing, insincere, treacherous dealing; duplicity. -- Plain dealing, fair, sincere, honorable dealing; honest, outspoken expression of opinion.

DEALTH Dealth, n.

Defn: Share dealt. [Obs.]

DEAMBULATE De*am"bu*late, v. i. Etym: [L. deambulare, deambulatum; de- + ambulare to walk.]

Defn: To walk abroad. [Obs.] Cockeram.

DEAMBULATION De*am`bu*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. deambulatio.]

Defn: A walking abroad; a promenading. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

DEAMBULATORY De*am"bu*la*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. deambulator a traveler.]

Defn: Going about from place to place; wandering; of or pertaining to a deambulatory. [Obs.] "Deambulatory actors." Bp. Morton.

DEAMBULATORY De*am"bu*la*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. deambulatorium.]

Defn: A covered place in which to walk; an ambulatory.

DEAN Dean, n. Etym: [OE. dene, deene, OF. deien, dien, F. doyen, eldest of a corporation, a dean, L. decanus the chief of ten, one set over ten persons, e. g., over soldiers or over monks, from decem ten. See Ten, and cf. Decemvir.]

1. A dignitary or presiding officer in certain ecclesiastical and lay bodies; esp., an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop. Dean of cathedral church, the chief officer of a chapter; he is an ecclesiastical magistrate next in degree to bishop, and has immediate charge of the cathedral and its estates. -- Dean of peculiars, a dean holding a preferment which has some peculiarity relative to spiritual superiors and the jurisdiction exercised in it. [Eng.] -- Rural dean, one having, under the bishop, the especial care and inspection of the clergy within certain parishes or districts of the diocese.

2. The collegiate officer in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England, who, besides other duties, has regard to the moral condition of the college. Shipley.

3. The head or presiding officer in the faculty of some colleges or universities.

4. A registrar or secretary of the faculty in a department of a college, as in a medical, or theological, or scientific department. [U.S.]

5. The chief or senior of a company on occasion of ceremony; as, the dean of the diplomatic corps; -- so called by courtesy. Cardinal dean, the senior cardinal bishop of the college of cardinals at Rome. Shipley. -- Dean and chapter, the legal corporation and governing body of a cathedral. It consists of the dean, who is chief, and his canons or prebendaries. -- Dean of arches, the lay judge of the court of arches. -- Dean of faculty, the president of an incorporation or barristers; specifically, the president of the incorporation of advocates in Edinburgh. -- Dean of guild, a magistrate of Scotch burghs, formerly, and still, in some burghs, chosen by the Guildry, whose duty is to superintend the erection of new buildings and see that they conform to the law. -- Dean of a monastery, Monastic dean, a monastic superior over ten monks. -- Dean's stall. See Decanal stall, under Decanal.

DEANERY Dean"er*y, n.; pl. Deaneries (.

1. The office or the revenue of a dean. See the Note under Benefice, n., 3.

2. The residence of a dean. Shak.

3. The territorial jurisdiction of a dean. Each archdeaconry is divided into rural deaneries, and each deanery is divided into parishes. Blackstone.

DEANSHIP Dean"ship, n.

Defn: The office of a dean. I dont't value your deanship a straw. Swift.

DEAR Dear, a. [Compar. Dearer; superl. Dearest.] Etym: [OE. dere, deore, AS. deóre; akin to OS. diuri, D. duur, OHG. tiuri, G. theuer, teuer, Icel. d, Dan. & Sw. dyr. Cf. Darling, Dearth.]

1. Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive. The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. Shak.

2. Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.

3. Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious. "Hear me, dear lady." Shak. Neither count I my life dear unto myself. Acts xx. 24. And the last joy was dearer than the rest. Pope. Dear as remember'd kisses after death. Tennyson.

4. Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention. (a) Of agreeable things and interests. [I'll] leave you to attend him: some dear cause Will in concealment wrap me up awhile. Shak. His dearest wish was to escape from the bustle and glitter of Whitehall. Macaulay. (b) Of disagreeable things and antipathies. In our dear peril. Shak. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven Or ever I had seen that day. Shak.

DEAR Dear, n.

Defn: A dear one; lover; sweetheart. That kiss I carried from thee, dear. Shak.

DEAR Dear, adv.

Defn: Dearly; at a high price. If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear. Shak.

DEAR Dear, v. t.

Defn: To endear. [Obs.] Shelton.

DEARBORN Dear"born, n.

Defn: A four-wheeled carriage, with curtained sides.

DEAR-BOUGHT Dear"-bought`, a.

Defn: Bought at a high price; as, dear-bought experience.

DEARE Deare,

Defn: variant of Dere, v. t. & n. [Obs.]

DEARIE Dear"ie, n.

Defn: Same as Deary. Dickens.

DEARLING Dear"ling, n.

Defn: A darling. [Obs.] Spenser.

DEAR-LOVED Dear"-loved`, a.

Defn: Greatly beloved. Shak.

DEARLY Dear"ly, adv.

1. In a dear manner; with affection; heartily; earnestly; as, to love one dearly.

2. At a high rate or price; grievously. He buys his mistress dearly with his throne. Dryden.

3. Exquisitely. [Obs.] Shak.

DEARN Dearn, a. Etym: [AS. derne, dyrne, dierne, hidden, secret. Cf. Derne.]

Defn: Secret; lonely; solitary; dreadful. [Obs.] Shak. -- Dearn"ly, adv. [Obs.] Chaucer.

DEARN Dearn, v. t.

Defn: Same as Darn. [Obs.]

DEARNESS Dear"ness, n.

1. The quality or state of being dear; costliness; excess of price. The dearness of corn. Swift.

2. Fondness; preciousness; love; tenderness. The dearness of friendship. Bacon.

DEARTH Dearth, n. Etym: [OE. derthe, fr. dere. See Dear.]

Defn: Scarcity which renders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack of food on account of failure of crops; famine. There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt. Acts vii. 11. He with her press'd, she faint with dearth. Shak. Dearth of plot, and narrowness of imagination. Dryden.

DEARTICULATE De`ar*tic"u*late, v. t.

Defn: To disjoint.

DEARWORTH Dear"worth`, a. Etym: [See Derworth.]

Defn: Precious. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

DEARY Dear"y, n.

Defn: A dear; a darling. [Familiar]

DEAS De"as, n.

Defn: See Dais. [Scot.]

DEATH Death, n. Etym: [OE. deth, dea, AS. deá; akin to OS. d, D. dood, G. tod, Icel. dau, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daupus; from a verb meaning to die. See Die, v. i., and cf. Dead.]

1. The cessation of all vital phenomena without capability of resuscitation, either in animals or plants.

Note: Local death is going on at times and in all parts of the living body, in which individual cells and elements are being cast off and replaced by new; a process essential to life. General death is of two kinds; death of the body as a whole (somatic or systemic death), and death of the tissues. By the former is implied the absolute cessation of the functions of the brain, the circulatory and the respiratory organs; by the latter the entire disappearance of the vital actions of the ultimate structural constituents of the body. When death takes place, the body as a whole dies first, the death of the tissues sometimes not occurring until after a considerable interval. Huxley.

2. Total privation or loss; extinction; cessation; as, the death of memory. The death of a language can not be exactly compared with the death of a plant. J. Peile.

3. Manner of dying; act or state of passing from life. A death that I abhor. Shak. Let me die the death of the righteous. Num. xxiii. 10.

4. Cause of loss of life. Swiftly flies the feathered death. Dryden. He caught his death the last county sessions. Addison.