DE -abbr

  1. defensive end
  2. Delaware
  3. diatomaceous earth
  4. doctor of engineering

de- -prefix

  1. do the opposite of
    • de activate
  2. reverse of
    • de -emphasis
  3. remove (a specified thing) from
    • de louse
  4. remove from (a specified thing)
    • de throne
  5. reduce
    • de value
  6. something derived from (a specified thing)
    • de compound
    : derived from something (of a specified nature)
    • de nominative
  7. get off of (a specified thing)
    • de train
  8. having a molecule characterized by the removal of one or more atoms (of a specified element)
    • de oxy-

DEA -abbr

  1. Drug Enforcement Administration

de·ac·ces·sion [,dē-ik-'se-shən, -ak-] -vt, n

  1. to sell or otherwise dispose of (an item in a collection)
    • the museum deaccession ed several paintings

de·acid·i·fy [,dē-ə-'si-də-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to remove acid from : reduce the acidity of (as by neutralization)

dea·con ['dē-kən] -n

  1. : a subordinate officer in a Christian church: as
  2. a Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Orthodox cleric ranking next below a priest
  3. one of the laymen elected by a church with congregational polity to serve in worship, in pastoral care, and on administrative committees
  4. a Mormon in the lowest grade of the Aaronic priesthood

dea·con·ess ['dē-kə-nəs] -n

  1. a woman chosen to assist in the church ministry
  2. one in a Protestant order

deacon's bench -n

  1. a bench with usu. spindled arms and back

de·ac·ti·vate [(,)dē-'ak-tə-,vāt] -vt, n

  1. to make inactive or ineffective
    • deactivate a bomb
    • deactivate a chemical compound

dead ['ded] -adj, n

  1. deprived of life : no longer alive
  2. having the appearance of death : deathly
    • in a dead faint
  3. lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb
  4. very tired
  5. incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually : unresponsive
    • dead to pity
  6. grown cold : extinguished
    • dead coals
  7. inanimate, inert
    • dead matter
  8. barren, infertile
    • dead soil
  9. no longer producing or functioning : exhausted
    • a dead battery
  10. lacking power or effect
    • a dead law
  11. no longer having interest, relevance, or significance
    • a dead issue
  12. no longer in use : obsolete
    • a dead language
  13. no longer active : extinct
    • a dead volcano
  14. lacking in gaiety or animation
    • a dead party
  15. lacking in commercial activity : quiet
  16. commercially idle or unproductive
    • dead capital
  17. lacking elasticity
    • a dead tennis ball
  18. being out of action or out of use
    • the phone went dead
  19. free from any connection to a source of voltage and free from electric charges
  20. being out of play
    • a dead ball
  21. temporarily forbidden to play or to make a certain play in croquet
  22. not running or circulating : stagnant
    • dead water
  23. not turning
    • the dead center of a lathe
  24. not imparting motion or power although otherwise functioning
    • a dead rear axle
  25. lacking warmth, vigor, or taste
  26. absolutely uniform
    • a dead level
  27. unerring
  28. exact
    • dead center of the target
  29. certain to be doomed
    • he's dead if he's late for curfew
  30. irrevocable
    • a dead loss
  31. abrupt
    • brought to a dead stop
  32. complete, absolute
    • a dead silence
  33. all-out
    • caught it on the dead run
  34. devoid of former occupants
    • dead villages
  35. one that is dead usu. used collectively
  36. the state of being dead
    • raised him from the dead -- Col 2:12(RSV)
  37. the time of greatest quiet
    • the dead of night
  38. absolutely, utterly
    • dead certain
    • finished dead last
  39. suddenly and completely
    • stopped dead
  40. directly
    • dead ahead

dead air -n

  1. a period of silence esp. during a broadcast

deadair space ['ded-'er-] -n

  1. an unventilated air space

dead·beat ['ded-,bēt] -n

  1. loafer
  2. one who persistently fails to pay personal debts or expenses

deadbeat -adj

  1. having a pointer that gives a reading with little or no oscillation

dead bolt -n

  1. a lock bolt that is moved by turning a knob or key without action of a spring

deadcat bounce -n

  1. a brief and insignificant recovery (as of stock prices) after a steep decline

dead duck -n

  1. one that is doomed

dead·en ['de-dᵊn] -vb, n, adv

  1. to impair in vigor or sensation : blunt
    • deaden ed his enthusiasm
    • deaden ed the pain
  2. to deprive of brilliance
  3. to make vapid or spiritless
    • oxygen deaden s wine
  4. to make (as a wall) impervious to sound
  5. to deprive of life : kill
  6. to become dead : lose life or vigor

deadend ['ded-,end] -adj, n

  1. lacking opportunities esp. for advancement
    • a deadend job
  2. lacking an exit
    • a deadend street
  3. unruly
    • deadend kids
  4. to come to a dead end : terminate
    • the road deadend s at the lake
    • the investigation deadend ed

dead end ['ded-'end] -n

  1. an end (as of a street) without an exit
  2. a position, situation, or course of action that leads to nothing further

dead·en·ing -n

  1. material used to soundproof walls or floors

dead·eye ['ded-,ī] -n

  1. a rounded wood block encircled by a rope or an iron band and having holes to receive the lanyard that is used esp. to set up shrouds and stays
  2. an unerring marksman

dead·fall [-,fȯl] -n

  1. a trap so constructed that a weight (as a heavy log) falls on an animal and kills or disables it
  2. a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches

dead hand -n

  1. mortmain
  2. the oppressive influence of the past

dead·head ['ded-,hed] -n

  1. one who has not paid for a ticket
  2. a dull or stupid person
  3. a partially submerged log

deadhead -vi

  1. to make esp. a return trip without a load
  2. to deadhead a plant
  3. to remove the faded flowers of (a plant) esp. to keep a neat appearance and to promote reblooming by preventing seed production

dead heat -n

  1. a tie with no single winner of a race
  2. tie

dead horse -n

  1. an exhausted or profitless topic or issue usu. used in the phrases beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse

dead letter -n

  1. something that has lost its force or authority without being formally abolished
  2. a letter that is undeliverable and unreturnable by the post office

dead lift ['ded-,lift] -n, vt

  1. a lift in weight lifting in which the weight is lifted from the floor to hip level

dead·light ['ded-,līt] -n

  1. a metal cover or shutter fitted to a port to keep out light and water

dead·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot
  2. a date or time before which something must be done
  3. the time after which copy is not accepted for a particular issue of a publication

dead load -n

  1. a constant load in a structure (as a bridge, building, or machine) that is due to the weight of the members, the supported structure, and permanent attachments or accessories

dead·lock ['ded-,läk] -n, vb

  1. a state of inaction or neutralization resulting from the opposition of equally powerful uncompromising persons or factions : standstill
    • the deadlock was broken with a key compromise
  2. a tie score

dead·ly ['ded-lē] -adj, n

  1. likely to cause or capable of producing death
    • deadly poison
  2. aiming to kill or destroy : implacable
    • a deadly enemy
  3. highly effective
    • a deadly expose
  4. unerring
    • a deadly marksman
  5. marked by determination or extreme seriousness
  6. tending to deprive of force or vitality
    • a deadly habit
  7. suggestive of death esp. in dullness or lack of animation
    • deadly bores
    • a deadly conversation
  8. very great : extreme

deadly -adv

  1. in a manner to cause death : mortally
  2. suggesting death
  3. extremely
    • deadly serious

deadly nightshade -n

  1. belladonna

deadly sin -n

  1. one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth held to be fatal to spiritual progress

dead·man ['ded-,man] -n

  1. an anchor (as a metal plate) buried in snow and used (as in mountain climbing) to secure a rope

dead man's float -n

  1. a prone floating position with the arms extended forward

dead march -n

  1. a solemn march for a funeral

dead meat -n

  1. one that is doomed
    • he's dead meat if they catch him

dead metaphor -n

  1. a word or phrase (as time is running out) that has lost its metaphoric force through common usage

deadon ['ded-'ȯn, -'än] -adj

  1. exactly correct or accurate
    • a deadon analysis
    • his impersonations were deadon

dead·pan ['ded-,pan] -adj, adv

  1. marked by an impassive matter-of-fact manner, style, or expression
    • a deadpan comedy

deadpan -n

  1. a completely expressionless face
  2. a deadpan manner of behavior or presentation
  3. to express in a deadpan manner

dead presidents -n pl

  1. U.S. money in the form of bills
  2. dollars

dead reckoning -n, vb

  1. the determination without the aid of celestial observations of the position of a ship or aircraft from the record of the courses sailed or flown, the distance made, and the known or estimated drift
  2. guesswork

dead space -n

  1. the portion of the respiratory system which is external to the bronchioles and through which air must pass to reach the bronchioles and alveoli

deadstick landing ['ded-,stik-] -n

  1. a landing of an airplane or spacecraft made without power

deadtree ['ded-'trē] -adj

  1. being the print version of a work available in both print and electronic formats
    • reads the deadtree edition

dead·weight ['ded-'wāt] -n

  1. the unrelieved weight of an inert mass
  2. dead load
  3. a ship's load including the total weight of cargo, fuel, stores, crew, and passengers

deadweight ton -n

  1. a long ton used in indicating a ship's gross capacity abbr. dwt

dead·wood [-,wu̇d] -n

  1. wood dead on the tree
  2. useless personnel or material
  3. solid timbers built in at the extreme bow and stern of a ship when too narrow to permit framing
  4. bowling pins that have been knocked down but remain on the alley

de·aer·ate [,dē-'er-,āt] -vt, n

  1. to remove air or gas from

deaf ['def, dial 'dēf] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking or deficient in the sense of hearing
  2. unwilling to hear or listen : not to be persuaded
    • was overwrought and deaf to reason

deafaid ['def-,ād] -n

  1. hearing aid

deaf·en ['de-fən] -vt

  1. to make deaf
    • was deafen ed by the explosion

deaf·en·ing -adj, adv

  1. that deafens
  2. very loud : earsplitting
    • fell with a deafening clap
  3. very noticeable
    • their silence on the issue was deafening

deafmute ['def-'myüt] -n, adj

  1. a deaf person who cannot speak

deal ['dēl] -n

  1. part, portion
  2. a usu. large or indefinite quantity or degree
    • a great deal of support
    • a good deal faster
  3. the act or right of distributing cards to players in a card game
  4. hand
  5. to give as one's portion : apportion
    • tried to deal justice to all
    • dealt out three sandwiches apiece
  6. to distribute (playing cards) to players in a game
  7. administer, deliver
    • dealt him a blow
  8. sell
    • deal s drugs
  9. trade
    • deal a player to another team
  10. to distribute the cards in a card game
  11. to concern oneself or itself
    • the book deal s with education
  12. to engage in bargaining : trade
  13. to sell or distribute something as a business
    • deal in insurance
  14. to take action with regard to someone or something
    • deal with an offender
  15. to reach or try to reach a state of acceptance or reconcilement
    • trying to deal with her son's death
  16. an act of dealing : transaction
  17. bargain
  18. contract
    • signed a 2-year deal
  19. package deal
  20. treatment received
    • a dirty deal
  21. an arrangement for mutual advantage
  22. affair
    • dinner was an informal deal
  23. situation, story
    • what is the deal with that guy?
  24. mccoy used in the phrase the real deal
  25. a board of fir or pine
  26. pine or fir wood

de·alat·ed [(,)dē-'ā-,lā-təd] -adj, n

  1. divested of the wings used of postnuptial adults of insects (as ants) that drop their wings after a nuptial flight

deal·er·ship ['dē-lər-,ship] -n

  1. an authorized sales agency
    • an automobile dealership

deal·fish ['dēl-,fish] -n

  1. any of several silvery ribbonfishes (genus Trachipterus,esp. T. arcticus) inhabiting deep seas

deal·ing -n

  1. method of business : manner of conduct
  2. friendly or business interactions

dealing box -n

  1. a case that holds a deck of playing cards so that they may be dealt one by one

de·am·i·nase [(,)dē-'a-mi-,nās, -,nāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that hydrolyzes amino compounds (as amino acids) with removal of the amino group

de·am·i·nate [-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove the amino group from (a compound)

dean ['dēn] -n, vi

  1. the head of the chapter of a collegiate or cathedral church
  2. a Roman Catholic priest who supervises one district of a diocese
  3. the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
  4. a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling and disciplining students
  5. doyen

dean·ery ['dēn-rē, 'dē-nə-rē] -n

  1. the office, jurisdiction, or official residence of a clerical dean

dean's list -n

  1. a list of students receiving special recognition from the dean of a college because of superior scholarship

dear ['dir] -adj

  1. severe, sore
    • in our dear peril -- Shak.
  2. noble
  3. highly valued : precious
    • a dear friend
    often used in a salutation
    • dear Sir
  4. affectionate, fond
  5. high or exorbitant in price : expensive
    • eggs are very dear just now
  6. heartfelt
    • our dear est prayers
  7. dearly
    • the effort cost them dear
  8. dearly
    • so dear I loved the man -- Shak.
  9. a loved one : sweetheart
  10. a lovable person
  11. used esp. to express annoyance or dismay

Dear John [-'jän] -n

  1. a letter (as to a soldier) in which a wife asks for a divorce or a girlfriend breaks off an engagement or a friendship

dear·ly -adv

  1. with affection : fondly
  2. heartily, earnestly
    • prayed so dearly for peace
  3. at a high rate or price
    • paid dearly for the error

dearth ['dərth] -n

  1. scarcity that makes dear
  2. famine
  3. an inadequate supply : lack
    • a dearth of evidence

dea·sil ['dē-zəl] -adv

  1. clockwise

death ['deth] -n

  1. a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life
  2. an instance of dying
    • a disease causing many death s
  3. the cause or occasion of loss of life
    • drinking was the death of him
  4. a cause of ruin
    • the slander that was death to my character -- Wilkie Collins
  5. the destroyer of life represented usu. as a skeleton with a scythe
  6. the state of being dead
  7. the passing or destruction of something inanimate
    • the death of vaudeville
  8. extinction
  9. civil death
  10. slaughter
  11. the lie of life in matter : that which is unreal and untrue

death·bed ['deth-,bed] -n

  1. the bed in which a person dies
  2. the last hours of life

death benefit -n

  1. money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

death·blow ['deth-,blō] -n

  1. a destructive or killing stroke or event

death camas -n

  1. any of several plants (genus Zigadenus) of the lily family that cause poisoning of livestock in the western U.S.

death camp -n

  1. a concentration camp in which large numbers of prisoners are systematically killed

death cap -n

  1. a very poisonous mushroom ( Amanita phalloides) of deciduous woods of No. America and Europe that varies in color from pure white to olive or yellow and has a prominent volva at the base called also death cup

death·care ['deth-,ker] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or providing products or services for the burial or cremation of the dead
    • the deathcare industry

death duty -n

  1. death tax

death grip -n

  1. an extremely tight grip caused esp. by fear
  2. hold
    • maintained their death grip on overseas markets

death instinct -n

  1. an innate and unconscious tendency toward self-destruction postulated in psychoanalytic theory to explain aggressive and destructive behavior not satisfactorily explained by the pleasure principle called also Thanatos

death·less ['deth-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. immortal, imperishable
    • deathless fame

death·ly ['deth-lē] -adj, adv

  1. fatal
  2. of, relating to, or suggestive of death
    • a deathly pallor

death mask -n

  1. a cast taken from the face of a dead person

death metal -n

  1. a type of heavy metal music that is characterized by the use of dark, violent, or gory imagery

death rate -n

  1. the ratio between deaths and individuals in a specified population and time

death rattle -n

  1. a rattling or gurgling sound produced by air passing through mucus in the lungs and air passages of a dying person

death ray -n

  1. a weapon that generates an intense beam of particles or radiation by which it destroys its target

death row -n

  1. a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death usu. used with on
    • prisoners waiting on death row

death sentence -n

  1. a sentence condemning a convicted defendant to death
  2. an affliction or a situation that is considered to be fatal
  3. a prognosis of death

death'shead ['deths-,hed] -n

  1. a human skull or a depiction of a human skull symbolizing death

death'shead hawk moth -n

  1. a large dark hawk moth ( Acherontia atropos) esp. of Mediterranean regions with markings resembling a human skull on the back of the thorax called also death's-head moth

deaths·man ['deths-mən] -n

  1. executioner

death squad -n

  1. any of various extremist groups whose members kill suspected political adversaries and criminals

death tax -n

  1. a tax arising on the transmission of property after the owner's death
  2. estate tax

death trap -n

  1. a structure or situation that is potentially very dangerous to life

death warrant -n

  1. a warrant for the execution of a death sentence
  2. deathblow

death·watch ['deth-,wäch] -n

  1. a small insect that makes a ticking sound
  2. deathwatch beetle

deathwatch -n

  1. a vigil kept over the dead or dying
  2. the guard set over a criminal to be executed

deathwatch beetle -n

  1. any of various small beetles (family Anobiidae, esp. Xestobium rufovillosum) that bore in seasoned or dead wood (as of old buildings) and make a tapping noise as a mating call

death wish -n

  1. the conscious or unconscious desire for the death of oneself or of another

deb ['deb] -n

  1. debutante
  2. debenture

de·ba·cle [dē-'bä-kəl, di-, -'ba-; ÷'de-bə-kəl] -n

  1. a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river
  2. a violent disruption (as of an army) : rout
  3. a great disaster
  4. a complete failure : fiasco

de·bar [di-'bär, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to bar from having or doing something : preclude

de·bark [di-'bärk, dē-] -vb, n

  1. disembark
  2. to remove bark from

de·base [di-'bās, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to lower in status, esteem, quality, or character
  2. to reduce the intrinsic value of (a coin) by increasing the base-metal content
  3. to reduce the exchange value of (a monetary unit)

de·bat·able [di-'bā-tə-bəl, dē-] -adj, adv

  1. claimed by more than one country
    • debatable border territory
  2. open to dispute : questionable
    • the debatable wisdom of his advice
  3. open to debate
  4. capable of being debated

de·bate [di-'bāt, dē-] -n

  1. : a contention by words or arguments: as
  2. the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure
  3. a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

debate [-'bāt-mənt] -vb, n

  1. fight, contend
  2. to contend in words
  3. to discuss a question by considering opposed arguments
  4. to participate in a debate
  5. to argue about
    • the subject was hotly debated
  6. to engage (an opponent) in debate
  7. to turn over in one's mind
    • he's still debating what to do

de·bauch [di-'bȯch, -'bäch, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to make disloyal
  2. to seduce from chastity
  3. to lead away from virtue or excellence
  4. to corrupt by intemperance or sensuality

debauch -n

  1. an act or occasion of debauchery
  2. orgy

de·bauch·ee [di-,bȯ-'chē, -,bä-; ,de-bə-'shē, -'shā] -n

  1. one given to debauchery

de·bauch·ery [di-'bȯ-chə-rē, -chrē, -'bä-] -n

  1. extreme indulgence in sensuality
  2. orgies
  3. seduction from virtue or duty

de·beak [(,)dē-'bēk] -vt

  1. to remove the tip of the upper mandible of (as a chicken) to prevent cannibalism and fighting

de·beard [-'bird] -vt

  1. to remove the byssus from (a mussel)

de·ben·ture [di-'ben-chər] -n

  1. a corporate security other than an equity security : bond
  2. a bond backed by the general credit of the issuer rather than a specific lien on particular assets

de·bil·i·tate [di-'bi-lə-,tāt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to impair the strength of : enfeeble

de·bil·i·ty [di-'bi-lə-tē, dē-] -n

  1. weakness, infirmity

deb·it ['de-bət] -vt

  1. to enter upon the debit side of an account : charge with a debit

debit -n

  1. a record of an indebtedness
  2. an entry on the left-hand side of an account constituting an addition to an expense or asset account or a deduction from a revenue, net worth, or liability account
  3. the sum of the items entered as debits
  4. a charge against a bank deposit account
  5. drawback, shortcoming

debit card -n

  1. a card like a credit card by which money may be withdrawn or the cost of purchases paid directly from the holder's bank account without the payment of interest

deb·o·nair [,de-bə-'ner] -adj, adv, n

  1. gentle, courteous
  2. suave, urbane
    • a debonair performer
  3. lighthearted, nonchalant

de·bone [(,)dē-'bōn] -vt, n

  1. bone
    • debone a roast

Deb·o·rah ['de-b(ə-)rə] -n

  1. a Hebrew prophetess who rallied the Israelites in their struggles against the Canaanites

de·bouch [di-'bau̇ch, -'büsh, dē-] -vb, n

  1. to cause to emerge : discharge
  2. to march out into open ground
    • troops debouch ing from the town
  3. emerge, issue
    • rivers debouch ing into the sea

de·bride·ment [di-'brēd-mənt, dā-, -,mänt, dā-brēd-'mäⁿ] -n, vt

  1. the usu. surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue

de·brief [(,)dē-'brēf] -vt

  1. to interrogate (as a pilot) usu. upon return (as from a mission) in order to obtain useful information
  2. to carefully review upon completion
    • debrief the flight

de·bris [də-'brē, dā-', 'dā-,, Brit usu 'de-(,)brē] -n

  1. the remains of something broken down or destroyed
  2. an accumulation of fragments of rock
  3. something discarded : rubbish

debt ['det] -n, adj

  1. sin, trespass
  2. something owed : obligation
    • unable to pay off his debt s
  3. a state of owing
    • deeply in debt
  4. the common-law action for the recovery of money held to be due

debt·or ['de-tər] -n

  1. one guilty of neglect or violation of duty
  2. one who owes a debt

debt service -n

  1. the amount of interest and sinking fund payments due annually on long-term debt

de·bug [(,)dē-'bəg] -vt, n

  1. to remove insects from
  2. to eliminate errors in or malfunctions of
    • debug a computer program
  3. to remove a concealed microphone or wiretapping device from

de·bunk [(,)dē-'bəŋk] -vt, n

  1. to expose the sham or falseness of
    • debunk a legend

de·but ['dā-,byü, dā-'] -n

  1. a first appearance
    • made her singing debut
  2. a formal entrance into society

debut -vi

  1. to make a debut
  2. to present to the public for the first time : introduce
    • debut a new product

deb·u·tant ['de-byu̇-,tänt] -n

  1. one making a debut

deb·u·tante ['de-byu̇-,tänt] -n

  1. debutant
  2. a young woman making her formal entrance into society

dec -abbr

  1. deceased
  2. declaration; declared
  3. declination
  4. decorated; decorative
  5. decrease
  6. decrescendo

Dec -abbr

  1. December

deca- -comb form

  1. ten
    • deca syllabic
    • deka meter

de·cade ['de-,kād, de-'kād; esp sense 1b 'de-kəd] -n, adj

  1. : a group or set of 10: as
  2. a period of 10 years
  3. a division of the rosary that consists primarily of 10 Hail Marys
  4. a ratio of 10 to 1 : order of magnitude

de·cade·long ['de-,kād-,lȯŋ] -adj

  1. lasting a decade

dec·a·dence ['de-kə-dən(t)s also di-'kā-] -n

  1. the process of becoming decadent : the quality or state of being decadent
  2. a period of decline

dec·a·den·cy [-dᵊn-sē] -n

  1. decadence

dec·a·dent ['de-kə-dənt also di-'kā-] -adj, adv

  1. marked by decay or decline
  2. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the decadents
  3. characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence
    • decadent pleasures

decadent -n

  1. one of a group of late 19th century French and English writers tending toward artificial and unconventional subjects and subtilized style
  2. one that is decadent

de·caf ['dē-,kaf] -n

  1. decaffeinated coffee

de·caf·fein·at·ed [(,)dē-'ka-fə-nā-təd, -fē-ə-] -adj

  1. having the caffeine removed
    • decaffeinated coffee
    • decaffeinated tea

deca·gon ['de-kə-,gän] -n

  1. a plane polygon of 10 angles and 10 sides

deca·gram [-,gram] -n

  1. dekagram

deca·he·dron [,de-kə-'hē-drən] -n

  1. a polyhedron of 10 faces

de·cal ['dē-,kal, di-'kal; Canad usu 'de-kəl] -n

  1. a picture, design, or label made to be transferred (as to glass) from specially prepared paper

de·cal·ci·fi·ca·tion [(,)dē-,kal-sə-fə-'kā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the removal or loss of calcium or calcium compounds (as from bones or soil)

de·cal·co·ma·nia [di-,kal-kə-'mā-nē-ə] -n

  1. the art or process of transferring pictures and designs from specially prepared paper (as to glass)
  2. decal

deca·li·ter ['de-kə-,lē-tər] -n

  1. dekaliter

deca·logue ['de-kə-,lȯg, -,läg] -n

  1. ten commandments
  2. a basic set of rules carrying binding authority

deca·me·ter ['de-kə-,mē-tər] -n

  1. dekameter

de·cam·e·ter [de-'ka-mə-tər, də-] -n

  1. a line of verse consisting of 10 metrical feet

deca·me·tho·ni·um [,de-kə-mə-'thō-nē-əm] -n

  1. a synthetic ion used in the form of either its bromide or iodide salts (C 16H 38Br 2N 2or C 16H 38I 2N 2) as a skeletal muscle relaxant
  2. either of these salts

deca·met·ric [,de-kə-'me-trik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a radio wave of high frequency

de·camp [di-'kamp, dē-] -vi, n

  1. to break up a camp
  2. to depart suddenly : abscond

dec·ane ['de-,kān] -n

  1. any of several isomeric liquid alkanes C 10H 22

de·cant [di-'kant, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to draw off (a liquid) without disturbing the sediment or the lower liquid layers
  2. to pour from one vessel into another
  3. to pour out, transfer, or unload as if by pouring

de·cant·er [di-'kan-tər, dē-] -n

  1. a vessel used to decant or to receive decanted liquids
  2. an ornamental glass bottle used for serving wine

de·cap·i·tate [di-'ka-pə-,tāt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to cut off the head of : behead

deca·pod ['de-kə-,päd] -n, adj, adj or n

  1. any of an order (Decapoda) of crustaceans (as shrimps, lobsters, and crabs) with five pairs of thoracic appendages one or more of which are modified into pincers, with stalked eyes, and with the head and thorax fused into a cephalothorax and covered by a carapace
  2. any of the cephalopod mollusks (orders Sepioidea and Teuthoidea) with 10 arms including cuttlefishes, squids, and related forms

de·car·bon·ate [(,)dē-'kär-bə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove carbon dioxide or carbonic acid from

de·car·bon·ize [(,)dē-'kär-bə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove carbon from

de·car·box·yl·ase [,dē-kär-'bäk-sə-,lās, -,lāz] -n

  1. any of a group of enzymes that accelerate decarboxylation esp. of amino acids

de·car·box·yl·ation [-,bäk-sə-'lā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the removal or elimination of carboxyl from a molecule

de·car·bu·rize [(,)dē-'kär-b(y)ə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. decarbonize

dec·are ['de-,ker, -,kär] -n

  1. a metric unit of area equal to 10 ares or 0.2471 acre

de·ca·su·al·iza·tion [(,)dē-,ka-zh(ə-)wə-lə-'zā-shən, -,ka-zhə-lə, -,ka-zhü-ə-lə-] -n

  1. the process of eliminating the employment of casual workers in order to stabilize the workforce

deca·syl·lab·ic [,de-kə-sə-'la-bik] -adj, n

  1. consisting of 10 syllables or composed of verses of 10 syllables

de·cath·lete [di-'kath-,lēt] -n

  1. an athlete who competes in the decathlon

de·cath·lon [di-'kath-lən, -,län, -'ka-thə-] -n

  1. a 10-event athletic contest
  2. a composite contest that consists of the 100-meter, 400-meter, and 1500-meter runs, the 110-meter high hurdles, the javelin and discus throws, shot put, pole vault, high jump, and long jump

de·cay [di-'kā] -vb, n

  1. to decline from a sound or prosperous condition
  2. to decrease usu. gradually in size, quantity, activity, or force
  3. to fall into ruin
  4. to decline in health, strength, or vigor
  5. to undergo decomposition
    • decay ing fruit
  6. to cause to decay : impair
    • infirmity that decay s the wise -- Shak.
  7. to destroy by decomposition

decay -n

  1. gradual decline in strength, soundness, or prosperity or in degree of excellence or perfection
  2. a wasting or wearing away : ruin
  3. destruction, death
  4. rot
  5. aerobic decomposition of proteins chiefly by bacteria
  6. the product of decay
  7. a decline in health or vigor
  8. : decrease in quantity, activity, or force: as
  9. spontaneous decrease in the number of radioactive atoms in radioactive material
  10. spontaneous disintegration (as of an atom or a particle)

Dec·ca ['de-kə] -n

  1. a system of long-range navigation used chiefly in Europe that utilizes the phase differences of continuous-wave signals from synchronized ground transmitters to establish position

decd -abbr

  1. deceased

de·cease [di-'sēs] -n, vi

  1. departure from life : death

de·ceased [-'sēst] -adj

  1. no longer living
  2. recently dead used of persons

deceased -n

  1. a dead person
    • the will of the deceased

de·ce·dent [di-'sē-dᵊnt] -n

  1. a deceased person used chiefly in law

de·ceit [di-'sēt] -n

  1. the act or practice of deceiving : deception
  2. an attempt or device to deceive : trick
  3. the quality of being deceitful : deceitfulness

de·ceit·ful [-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. : having a tendency or disposition to deceive:
  2. not honest
    • a deceitful child
  3. deceptive, misleading
    • deceitful advertising

de·ceiv·able [di-'sē-və-bəl] -adj

  1. deceitful, deceptive
  2. capable of being deceived

de·ceive [di-'sēv] -vb, n, adv

  1. ensnare
  2. to be false to
  3. to fail to fulfill
  4. cheat
  5. to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid
  6. to while away
  7. to practice deceit
  8. to give a false impression
    • appearances can deceive

de·cel·er·ate [(,)dē-'se-lə-,rāt] -vb, n

  1. to reduce the speed of : slow down
    • decelerate a car
  2. to decrease the rate of progress of
    • decelerate growth
    • decelerate soil erosion
  3. to move at decreasing speed

De·cem·ber [di-'sem-bər, dē-] -n

  1. the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar

De·cem·brist [-brist] -n

  1. one taking part in the unsuccessful uprising against the Russian emperor Nicholas I in December 1825

de·cem·vir [di-'sem-vər] -n, adj

  1. one of a ruling body of 10
  2. one of a body of 10 magistrates in ancient Rome

de·cen·cy ['dē-sᵊn-sē] -n

  1. fitness
  2. orderliness
  3. the quality or state of being decent : propriety
  4. conformity to standards of taste, propriety, or quality
  5. standard of propriety usu. used in pl.
  6. conditions or services considered essential for a proper standard of living
  7. literary decorum

de·cen·ni·al [di-'se-nē-əl] -adj, n, adv

  1. consisting of or lasting for 10 years
  2. occurring or being done every 10 years
    • the decennial census

de·cen·ni·um [-nē-əm] -n

  1. a period of 10 years : decade

de·cent ['dē-sᵊnt] -adj, adv

  1. appropriate
  2. well-formed : handsome
  3. conforming to standards of propriety, good taste, or morality
    • decent behavior
  4. modestly clothed
  5. free from immodesty or obscenity
    • decent language
  6. fairly good : adequate, satisfactory
    • decent wages
  7. marked by moral integrity, kindness, and goodwill
    • hard-working and decent folks
    • it's very decent of them to help

de·cen·ter [(,)dē-'sen-tər, -'se-nər] -vt

  1. to cause to lose or shift from an established center or focus
  2. to disconnect from practical or theoretical assumptions of origin, priority, or essence
    • decenter Western conceptions of history -- Ernest Larsen

de·cen·tral·i·sa·tion [(,)dē-,sen-trə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vb

(variant of decentralization)

  1. the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers
  2. the delegation of power from a central authority to regional and local authorities
  3. the redistribution of population and industry from urban centers to outlying areas

de·cen·tral·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,sen-trə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vb

  1. the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers
  2. the delegation of power from a central authority to regional and local authorities
  3. the redistribution of population and industry from urban centers to outlying areas

de·cep·tion [di-'sep-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act of deceiving
  2. the fact or condition of being deceived
  3. something that deceives : trick
    • a clever deception

de·cep·tive [di-'sep-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. tending or having power to deceive : misleading
    • a deceptive appearance

de·cer·e·brate [(,)dē-'ser-ə-brət, -,brāt] -adj

  1. characteristic of decerebration
    • decerebrate rigidity
  2. having the cerebrum removed or made inactive
  3. to remove the cerebrum from
  4. to make incapable of cerebral activity

de·cer·ti·fy [(,)dē-'sər-tə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to withdraw or revoke the certification of

de·chlo·ri·nate [(,)dē-'klȯr-ə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove chlorine from
    • dechlorinate water

deci- -comb form

  1. one tenth part of
    • deci meter

deci·bel ['de-sə-,bel, -bəl] -n

  1. a unit for expressing the ratio of two amounts of electric or acoustic signal power equal to 10 times the common logarithm of this ratio
  2. a unit for expressing the ratio of the magnitudes of two electric voltages or currents or analogous acoustic quantities equal to 20 times the common logarithm of the voltage or current ratio
  3. a unit for expressing the relative intensity of sounds on a scale from zero for the average least perceptible sound to about 130 for the average pain level
  4. degree of loudness
  5. extremely loud sound usu. used in pl.

de·cide [di-'sīd, dē-] -vb, n, adj

  1. to make a final choice or judgment about
    • decide what to do
  2. to select as a course of action used with an infinitive
    • decided to go
  3. to infer on the basis of evidence
  4. conclude
    • they decided that he was right
  5. to bring to a definitive end
    • one blow decided the fight
  6. to induce to come to a choice
    • her pleas decided him to help
  7. to make a choice or judgment
    • decide on where to go

de·cid·ed -adj, adv, n

  1. unquestionable
    • a decided advantage
  2. free from doubt or wavering
    • has decided ideas on politics

de·cid·ing -adj

  1. that decides : decisive
    • drove in the deciding run

de·cid·ua [di-'si-jə-wə, -jü-ə] -n, adj

  1. the part of the endometrium that in higher placental mammals undergoes special modifications in preparation for and during pregnancy and is cast off at parturition
  2. the part of the endometrium cast off in the process of menstruation

de·cid·u·ous [di-'si-jə-wəs, -jü-əs] -adj, n

  1. falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle
    • deciduous leaves
    • deciduous scales
  2. having deciduous parts
    • maples, birches, and other deciduous trees
  3. having the dominant plants deciduous
    • a deciduous forest
  4. ephemeral

deciduous tooth -n

  1. milk tooth

dec·ile ['de-,sī(-ə)l, -səl] -n, adj

  1. any one of nine numbers that divide a frequency distribution into 10 classes such that each contains the same number of individuals
  2. any one of these 10 classes

dec·i·mal ['de-sə-məl, 'des-məl] -adj, adv

  1. : numbered or proceeding by tens:
  2. based on the number 10
  3. expressed in or utilizing a decimal system esp. with a decimal point
  4. subdivided into 10th or 100th units
    • decimal coinage

decimal -n

  1. any real number expressed in base 10
  2. decimal fraction

decimal fraction -n

  1. a fraction (as .25 or .025 ) or mixed number (as 3.025 3) in which the denominator is a power of 10 usu. expressed by use of the decimal point

dec·i·mal·i·sa·tion [,de-sə-mə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vt

(variant of decimalization)

  1. conversion (as of a currency) to a decimal system

dec·i·mal·i·za·tion [,de-sə-mə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vt

  1. conversion (as of a currency) to a decimal system

decimal place -n

  1. the position of a digit as counted to the right of the decimal point in a decimal

decimal point -n

  1. a period, centered dot, or in some countries a comma at the left of a proper decimal fraction (as .678) or between the parts of a mixed number (as 3.678) expressed by a whole number and a decimal fraction

decimal system -n

  1. a number system that uses a notation in which each number is expressed in base 10 by using one of the first nine integers or 0 in each place and letting each place value be a power of 10
  2. a system of measurement or currency in which the basic units increase by powers of 10

dec·i·mate ['de-sə-,māt] -vt, n

  1. to select by lot and kill every tenth man of
  2. to exact a tax of 10 percent from
    • poor as a decimated Cavalier -- John Dryden
  3. to reduce drastically esp. in number
    • cholera decimated the population
  4. to cause great destruction or harm to
    • firebombs decimated the city
    • an industry decimated by recession

de·ci·pher [dē-'sī-fər] -vt, adj, n

  1. decode
  2. depict
  3. to make out the meaning of despite indistinctness or obscurity
  4. to interpret the meaning of

de·ci·sion [di-'si-zhən] -n, adj

  1. the act or process of deciding
  2. a determination arrived at after consideration : conclusion
    • make a decision
  3. a report of a conclusion
    • a 5-page decision
  4. promptness and firmness in deciding : determination
    • acting with decision
  5. win
  6. a victory in boxing decided on points
    • a unanimous decision
  7. a win or loss officially credited to a pitcher in baseball
    • has five wins in eight decision s

decision -vt

  1. to win a decision over (a boxing opponent)

decision theory -n

  1. a branch of statistical theory concerned with quantifying the process of making choices between alternatives

decision tree -n

  1. a tree diagram which is used for making decisions in business or computer programming and in which the branches represent choices with associated risks, costs, results, or probabilities

de·ci·sive [di-'sī-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. having the power or quality of deciding
    • a decisive battle
  2. resolute, determined
    • a decisive manner
  3. unmistakable, unquestionable
    • a decisive superiority

deck ['dek] -n

  1. a platform in a ship serving usu. as a structural element and forming the floor for its compartments
  2. : something resembling the deck of a ship: as
  3. a story or tier of a building (as a sports stadium)
    • the upper deck
  4. the roadway of a bridge
  5. a flat floored roofless area adjoining a house
  6. the lid of the compartment at the rear of the body of an automobile
  7. the compartment
  8. a layer of clouds
  9. a pack of playing cards
  10. a packet of narcotics
  11. tape deck
  12. cover
  13. to clothe in a striking or elegant manner : array
    • deck ed out in furs
  14. decorate
    • deck the halls with boughs of holly -- English carol
  15. to portray or present with embellishments
  16. to furnish with or as if with a deck
  17. to knock down forcibly : floor
    • deck ed him with one punch

deck chair -n

  1. a folding chair often having an adjustable leg rest

deck·er ['de-kər] -n

  1. something having a specified number of decks, levels, floors, or layers used in combination
    • many of the city's buses are double- deckers

deck·hand ['dek-,hand] -n

  1. a sailor who performs manual duties

deck·house [-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a superstructure on a ship's upper deck

deck·ing ['de-kiŋ] -n

  1. deck
  2. material for a deck

deck·le ['de-kəl] -n

  1. a frame around the edges of a mold used in making paper by hand
  2. either of the bands around the edge of the wire of a papermaking machine that determine the width of the web

deckle edge [-'ejd] -n, adj

  1. the rough untrimmed edge of paper left by a deckle or produced artificially

deck shoe -n

  1. a low shoe having a nonslip sole and a lace that is threaded through a channel around the back of the shoe

deck tennis -n

  1. a game in which players toss a ring or quoit back and forth over a net

de·claim [di-'klām, dē-] -vb, n

  1. to speak rhetorically
  2. to recite something as an exercise in elocution
  3. to speak pompously or bombastically : harangue
  4. to deliver rhetorically
    • an actor declaim ing his lines
  5. to recite in elocution

de·clam·a·to·ry [di-'kla-mə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or marked by declamation or rhetorical display
    • declamatory speeches

de·clar·ant [di-'kler-ənt] -n

  1. a person who makes a statement or declaration esp. in connection with a legal proceeding

dec·la·ra·tion [,de-klə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the act of declaring : announcement
  2. the first pleading in a common-law action
  3. a statement made by a party to a legal transaction usu. not under oath
  4. something that is declared
    • a declaration of love
  5. a document containing such a declaration

de·clar·a·tive [di-'kler-ə-tiv] -adj, adv

  1. making a declaration : declaratory
    • a declarative sentence

de·clar·a·to·ry [-ə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. serving to declare, set forth, or explain
  2. declaring what is the existing law
    • declaratory statute
  3. declaring a legal right or interpretation
    • a declaratory judgment

de·clare [di-'kler] -vb, adj

  1. to make known formally, officially, or explicitly
  2. to make clear
  3. to make evident : show
  4. to state emphatically : affirm
    • declare s his innocence
  5. to make a full statement of (one's taxable or dutiable property)
  6. to announce (as a trump suit) in a card game
  7. meld
  8. to make payable
    • declare a dividend
  9. to make a declaration
  10. to avow one's opinion or support
  11. to announce one's intentions (as to run for political office)
    • declared for mayor

de·clar·er [di-'kler-ər] -n

  1. one that declares
  2. the bridge player who names the trump and plays both his or her own hand and that of the dummy

de·class [(,)dē-'klas] -vt

  1. to remove from a class
  2. to assign to a lower social status

de·clas·se [,dā-,kla-'sā, -,klä-] -adj

  1. fallen or lowered in class, rank, or social position
  2. of inferior status

de·clas·si·fy [(,)dē-'kla-sə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to remove or reduce the security classification of
    • declassify a secret document

de·claw [-'klȯ] -vt

  1. to remove the claws of (as a cat) surgically

de·clen·sion [di-'klen(t)-shən] -n, adj

  1. noun, adjective, or pronoun inflection esp. in some prescribed order of the forms
  2. a class of nouns or adjectives having the same type of inflectional forms
  3. a falling off or away : deterioration
  4. descent, slope

dec·li·na·tion [,de-klə-'nā-shən] -n, adj

  1. angular distance north or south from the celestial equator measured along a great circle passing through the celestial poles
  2. a turning aside or swerving
  3. deterioration
    • moral declination
  4. a bending downward : inclination
  5. a formal refusal
  6. the angle formed between a magnetic needle and the geographical meridian

de·cline [di-'klīn, dē-] -vb, adj, n

  1. to turn from a straight course : stray
  2. to slope downward : descend
  3. to bend down : droop
  4. to stoop to what is unworthy
  5. to sink toward setting
  6. to draw toward a close : wane
    • the day declined
  7. to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition
    • his health declined
    • morale declined
  8. to withhold consent
  9. to become less in amount
    • prices declined
  10. to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)
  11. avert
  12. avoid
  13. to cause to bend or bow downward
  14. to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with
    • decline battle
  15. to refuse esp. courteously
    • decline an invitation

decline [also 'dē-,klīn] -n

  1. : the process of declining:
  2. a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away
  3. a change to a lower state or level
    • the decline of the aristocracy
  4. the period during which something is deteriorating or approaching its end
    • an empire in decline
  5. a downward slope
  6. a wasting disease
  7. pulmonary tuberculosis

de·clin·ing [-niŋ] -adj

  1. of or relating to the period during which something is deteriorating or nearing its end
    • her declining years

de·clin·ist [di-'klī-nist] -n

  1. one who theorizes that a nation or society is in or is headed for a state of economic, political, or social decline

de·cliv·i·tous [di-'kli-və-təs] -adj

  1. moderately steep

de·cliv·i·ty [-tē] -n

  1. downward inclination
  2. a descending slope

de·co ['de-(,)kō, dā-'kō, 'dā-,] -n

  1. art deco

de·coct [di-'käkt] -vt

  1. to extract the flavor of by boiling
  2. boil down, concentrate

de·coc·tion [di-'käk-shən] -n

  1. an extract obtained by decocting
  2. the act or process of decocting

de·code [(,)dē-'kōd] -vt

  1. to convert (as a coded message) into intelligible form
  2. to recognize and interpret (an electronic signal)
  3. decipher
  4. to discover the underlying meaning of
    • decode the play's imagery

de·cod·er [-'kō-dər] -n

  1. one that decodes
  2. an electronic device that converts signals from one form to another (as for unscrambling a television transmission)

de·col·late [dē-'kä-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. behead

de·col·le·tage [(,)dā-,kä-lə-'täzh, (,)dā-,kȯl-'täzh, ,de-klə-] -n

  1. the low-cut neckline of a dress
  2. a decollete dress
  3. bust

de·col·le·te [(,)dā-,käl-'tā, -,kȯl-, -lə-'tā; also dā-'kȯl-tā] -adj

  1. wearing a strapless or low-necked dress
  2. having a low-cut neckline

decollete -n

  1. decolletage

de·col·o·nize [(,)dē-'kä-lə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to free from colonial status

de·col·or·ize [(,)dē-'kə-lə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove color from
    • decolorize vinegar by adsorption of impurities on activated charcoal

de·com·mis·sion [,dē-kə-'mi-shən] -vt

  1. to remove (as a ship or nuclear power plant) from service

de·com·pen·sa·tion [(,)dē-,käm-pən-'sā-shən, -,pen-] -n, vb

  1. loss of physiological or psychological compensation
  2. inability of the heart to maintain adequate circulation

de·com·pose [,dē-kəm-'pōz] -vb, n, adj

  1. to separate into constituent parts or elements or into simpler compounds
    • decompose water by electrolysis
    • decompose a word into its base and affixes
  2. rot
  3. to break up into constituent parts by or as if by a chemical process : decay, rot
    • fruit decompose s

de·com·pos·er [,dē-kəm-'pō-zər] -n

  1. any of various organisms (as many bacteria and fungi) that return constituents of organic substances to ecological cycles by feeding on and breaking down dead protoplasm

de·com·pound [,dē-'käm-,pau̇nd, ,dē-kəm-'] -adj

  1. having divisions that are themselves compound

de·com·press [,dē-kəm-'pres] -vt, n

  1. to release from pressure or compression
  2. to convert (as a compressed file or signal) to an expanded or original size
  3. to undergo release from pressure
  4. relax
    • need a week off to decompress

decompression sickness -n

  1. a sometimes fatal disorder that is marked by neuralgic pains and paralysis, distress in breathing, and often collapse and that is caused by the release of gas bubbles (as of nitrogen) in tissue upon too rapid decrease in air pressure after a stay in a compressed atmosphere called also bends, caisson disease

de·con·cen·trate [(,)dē-'kän(t)-sən-,trāt] -vt, n

  1. to reduce or abolish the concentration of : decentralize

de·con·di·tion [,dē-kən-'di-shən] -vt

  1. to cause extinction of (a conditioned response)
  2. to cause to lose physical fitness

de·con·ges·tant [,dē-kən-'jes-tənt] -n, adj

  1. an agent that relieves congestion (as of mucous membranes)

de·con·ges·tion [,dē-kən-'jes(h)-chən] -n, vt, adj

  1. the process of relieving congestion

de·con·se·crate [(,)dē-'kän(t)-sə-,krāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove the sacred character of
    • deconsecrate a church

de·con·struct [,dē-kən-'strəkt] -vt, adj, n

  1. to examine (as a work of literature) using the methods of deconstruction
  2. to take apart or examine in order to reveal the basis or composition of often with the intention of exposing biases, flaws, or inconsistencies
    • deconstruct the myths of both the left and the right -- Wayne Karlin
  3. to adapt or separate the elements of for use in an ironic or radically new way
    • uses his masterly tailoring skills to deconstruct the classics -- Vogue
  4. destroy, demolish
    • nations that are deconstruct ing themselves -- Jim Hoagland

de·con·struc·tion [,dē-kən-'strək-shən] -n

  1. a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers
  2. an instance of the use of this method
    • a deconstruction of the natureculture opposition in Rousseau's work
  3. the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy

de·con·struc·tion·ism [-shə-,ni-zəm] -n, adj or n

  1. deconstruction

de·con·struc·tiv·ism [-'strək-ti-,vi-zəm] -n, adj or n

  1. an architectural movement or style influenced by deconstruction that encourages radical freedom of form and the open manifestation of complexity in a building rather than strict attention to functional concerns and conventional design elements (as right angles or grids)

de·con·tam·i·nate [,dē-kən-'ta-mə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. to rid of contamination (as radioactive material)

de·con·tex·tu·al·ize [,dē-kən-'teks-chə-wə-,līz, -chə-,līz, -chü-ə-,līz] -vt

  1. to remove from a context

de·con·trol [,dē-kən-'trōl] -vt, n

  1. to end control of

de·cor [dā-'kȯr, di-'; 'de-,kȯr, 'dā-,] -n

  1. a stage setting
  2. decoration
  3. the style and layout of interior furnishings

dec·o·rate ['de-kə-,rāt] -vt

  1. to add honor to
  2. to furnish with something ornamental
    • decorate a room
  3. to award a mark of honor to
    • a soldier decorated for valor

dec·o·ra·tion [,de-kə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of decorating
  2. something that adorns, enriches, or beautifies : ornament
  3. a badge of honor (as a U.S. military award)

Decoration Day -n

  1. memorial day

dec·o·ra·tive ['de-k(ə-)rə-tiv, 'de-kə-,rā-] -adj, adv, n

  1. serving to decorate
  2. purely ornamental

decorative art -n

  1. art that is concerned primarily with the creation of useful items (as furniture, ceramics, or textiles) usu. used in pl.
  2. objects of decorative art

dec·o·ra·tor ['de-kə-,rā-tər] -n

  1. one that decorates
  2. one that designs or executes interiors and their furnishings

decorator -adj

  1. suitable for interior decoration
    • decorator fabrics

dec·o·rous ['de-kər-əs also di-'kȯr-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by propriety and good taste : correct
    • decorous conduct

de·cor·ti·ca·tion [(,)dē-,kȯr-tə-'kā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the act or process of removing the outer coverings (as bark or husks) from something (as fiber or seed)
  2. the surgical removal of the outer layer or covering of an organ or structure (as the brain or a kidney)

de·co·rum [di-'kȯr-əm] -n

  1. literary and dramatic propriety : fitness
  2. propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance
  3. orderliness
  4. the conventions of polite behavior

de·cou·page [,dā-(,)kü-'päzh] -n, vt

  1. the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usu. several layers of finish (as lacquer or varnish)
  2. work produced by decoupage

de·cou·ple [(,)dē-'kə-pəl] -vt

  1. to eliminate the interrelationship of : separate

de·coy ['dē-,kȯi, di-'] -n

  1. a pond into which wildfowl are lured for capture
  2. someone or something used to lure or lead another into a trap
  3. an artificial bird used to attract live birds within shot
  4. someone or something used to draw attention away from another
  5. to lure by or as if by a decoy : entice

de·crease [di-'krēs, 'dē-,] -vb, adv

  1. to grow progressively less (as in size, amount, number, or intensity)
  2. to cause to decrease
  3. the process of decreasing
  4. an amount of diminution : reduction

de·cree [di-'krē] -n

  1. an order usu. having the force of law
  2. a religious ordinance enacted by council or titular head
  3. a foreordaining will
  4. a judicial decision of the Roman emperor
  5. a judicial decision esp. in an equity or probate court

decree [-'krē-ər] -vb, n

  1. to command or enjoin by or as if by decree
    • decree an amnesty
  2. to determine or order judicially
    • decree a punishment
  3. ordain

de·creelaw [di-'krē-,lȯ] -n

  1. a decree of a ruler or ministry having the force of a law enacted by the legislature

dec·re·ment ['de-krə-mənt] -n, adj

  1. a gradual decrease in quality or quantity
  2. the quantity lost by diminution or waste
  3. the amount of decrease (as of a variable)

de·crep·it [di-'kre-pət] -adj, adv

  1. wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old age
  2. impaired by use or wear : worn-out
  3. fallen into ruin or disrepair
  4. dilapidated, run-down

de·crep·i·tate [di-'kre-pə-,tāt] -vb, n

  1. to roast or calcine (as salt) so as to cause crackling or until crackling stops
  2. to become decrepitated

de·crep·i·tude [di-'kre-pə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. the quality or state of being decrepit

de·cre·scen·do [,dā-krə-'shen-(,)dō] -n

  1. a gradual decrease in volume of a musical passage
  2. a decrescendo musical passage

decrescendo -adv or adj

  1. with a decrease in volume used as a direction in music

de·cres·cent [di-'kre-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. becoming less by gradual diminution : decreasing, waning

de·cre·tal [di-'krē-tᵊl, 'de-kri-tᵊl] -n

  1. decree
  2. a papal letter giving an authoritative decision on a point of canon law

de·cre·tive [-'krē-tiv] -adj

  1. having the force of a decree : decretory

de·cre·to·ry ['de-krə-,tȯr-ē, di-'krē-tər-ē] -adj

  1. relating to or fixed by a decree or decision

de·crim·i·nal·ize [(,)dē-'kri-mə-nə-,līz, -'krim-nəl-] -vt, n

  1. to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of
  2. to repeal a strict ban on while keeping under some form of regulation
    • decriminalize the possession of marijuana

de·cry [di-'krī, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to depreciate (as a coin) officially or publicly
  2. to express strong disapproval of
    • decry the emphasis on sex

de·crypt [(,)dē-'kript] -vt, n

  1. decode

de·cu·bi·tus ulcer [di-'kyü-bə-təs-] -n

  1. bedsore

de·cum·bent [di-'kəm-bənt, dē-] -adj

  1. lying down
  2. reclining on the ground but with ascending apex or extremity

dec·u·ple ['de-kyə-pəl] -adj

  1. tenfold
  2. taken in groups of 10

de·cu·ri·on [di-'kyu̇r-ē-ən] -n

  1. a Roman cavalry officer in command of 10 men
  2. a member of a Roman senate

de·cur·rent [di-'kər-ənt, -'kə-rənt] -adj

  1. running or extending downward along the stem
    • decurrent leaves

de·curved [(,)dē-'kərvd] -adj

  1. curved downward : bent down
    • a decurved bill

de·cus·sate ['de-kə-,sāt, di-'kə-,sāt] -vb

  1. intersect, cross
  2. arranged in pairs each at right angles to the next pair above or below
    • decussate leaves

de·cus·sa·tion [,de-kə-'sā-shən, ,dē-,kə-] -n

  1. the action of crossing (as of nerve fibers) esp. in the form of an X
  2. a crossed tract of nerve fibers passing between centers on opposite sides of the nervous system

ded·i·cate ['de-di-kət] -adj

  1. dedicated
  2. to devote to the worship of a divine being
  3. to set apart (a church) to sacred uses with solemn rites
  4. to set apart to a definite use
    • money dedicated to their vacation fund
  5. to commit to a goal or way of life
    • ready to dedicate his life to public service
  6. to inscribe or address by way of compliment
    • dedicate a book to a friend
  7. to open to public use

ded·i·cat·ed -adj, adv

  1. devoted to a cause, ideal, or purpose : zealous
    • a dedicated scholar
  2. given over to a particular purpose
    • a dedicated Web server

ded·i·ca·tee [,de-di-kə-'tē] -n

  1. one to whom a thing is dedicated

ded·i·ca·tion [,de-di-'kā-shən] -n, adj

  1. an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or to a sacred use
  2. a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose
  3. a name and often a message prefixed to a literary, musical, or artistic production in tribute to a person or cause
  4. self-sacrificing devotion
    • her dedication to the cause
  5. a ceremony to mark the official completion or opening of something (as a building)

de·dif·fer·en·ti·a·tion [(,)dē-,di-fə-,ren-chē-'ā-shən] -n, vi

  1. reversion of specialized structures (as cells) to a more generalized or primitive condition often as a preliminary to major physiological or structural change

de·duce [di-'düs, dē-; chiefly Brit -'dyüs] -vt, adj

  1. to determine by deduction
  2. to infer from a general principle
  3. to trace the course of

de·duct [di-'dəkt, dē-] -vt

  1. to take away (an amount) from a total : subtract
  2. deduce, infer

de·duct·ible [di-'dək-tə-bəl, dē-] -adj, n

  1. allowable as a deduction
    • expenses that are deductible from taxable income

deductible -n

  1. a clause in an insurance policy that relieves the insurer of responsibility for an initial specified loss of the kind insured against
  2. the amount of the loss specified in such a clause

de·duc·tion [di-'dək-shən, dē-] -n

  1. an act of taking away
    • deduction of legitimate business expenses
  2. something that is or may be subtracted
    • deduction s from his taxable income
  3. the deriving of a conclusion by reasoning
  4. inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general or universal premises
  5. a conclusion reached by logical deduction

de·duc·tive [di-'dək-tiv, dē-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or provable by deduction
  2. employing deduction in reasoning

dee ['dē] -n

  1. the letter d
  2. something shaped like the letter D

deed ['dēd] -n, adj

  1. something that is done
    • evil deed s
  2. a usu. illustrious act or action : feat, exploit
    • a hero's daring deed s
  3. the act of performing : action
    • righteous in word and in deed
  4. a signed and usu. sealed instrument containing some legal transfer, bargain, or contract
  5. to convey or transfer by deed

deed poll [-'pōl] -n

  1. a deed (as to change one's name) made and executed by only one party

deedy ['dē-dē] -adj

  1. industrious

dee·jay ['dē-,jā] -n, vb

  1. disc jockey

deem ['dēm] -vb

  1. to come to think or judge : consider
    • deem ed it wise to go slow
  2. to have an opinion : believe

deem·pha·size [(,)dē-'em(p)-fə-,sīz] -vt, n

  1. to reduce in relative importance
  2. play down

deen·er·gize [,dē-'e-nər-,jīz] -vt

  1. to disconnect from a source of electricity : shut off the power to

deep ['dēp] -adj, adv, n

  1. : extending far from some surface or area: as
  2. extending far downward
    • a deep well
  3. extending well inward from an outer surface
    • a deep gash
    • a deep -chested animal
  4. not located superficially within the body
    • deep pressure receptors in muscles
  5. extending well back from a surface accepted as front
    • a deep closet
  6. extending far laterally from the center
    • deep borders of lace
  7. occurring or located near the outer limits of the playing area
    • hit to deep right field
  8. thrown deep
    • a deep pass
  9. having a specified extension in an implied direction usu. downward or backward
    • a shelf 20 inches deep
    • cars parked three- deep
  10. difficult to penetrate or comprehend : recondite
    • deep mathematical problems
  11. mysterious, obscure
    • a deep dark secret
  12. grave in nature or effect
    • in deep est disgrace
  13. of penetrating intellect : wise
    • a deep thinker
  14. intensely engrossed or immersed
    • she was deep in her book
  15. characterized by profundity of feeling or quality
    • a deep sleep
  16. deep-seated
    • deep religious beliefs
  17. high in saturation and low in lightness
  18. having a low musical pitch or pitch range
    • a deep voice
  19. situated well within the boundaries
    • a house deep in the woods
  20. remote in time or space
  21. being below the level of consciousness
    • deep neuroses
  22. covered, enclosed, or filled to a specified degree usu. used in combination
    • ankle- deep in mud
  23. large
    • deep discounts
  24. having many good players
    • a deep bull pen
  25. to a great depth : deeply
    • still waters run deep
  26. far on : late
    • danced deep into the night
  27. near the outer limits of the playing area
    • the shortstop was playing deep
  28. long
  29. a vast or immeasurable extent : abyss
  30. the extent of surrounding space or time
  31. ocean
  32. any of the deep portions of a body of water
  33. a generally long and narrow area in the ocean where the depth exceeds 3000 fathoms (5500 meters)
  34. the middle or most intense part
    • the deep of winter
  35. any of the fathom points on a sounding line other than the marks

deepdish [-,dish] -adj

  1. baked in a deep dish
    • a deepdish pizza
  2. baked in a deep dish with usu. a fruit filling and no bottom crust

deep ecology -n

  1. a movement or a body of concepts that considers humans no more important than other species and that advocates a corresponding radical readjustment of the relationships between humans and nature

deep·en ['dē-pən] -vb

  1. to make deep or deeper
  2. to become deeper or more profound

deep fat -n

  1. hot fat or oil deep enough in a cooking utensil to cover the food to be fried

deep focus -n

  1. a photographic effect or technique (as in filmmaking) characterized by great depth of field

Deep·freeze ['dēp-,frēz] -trademark

  1. used for a freezer for food storage

deepfreeze ['dēp-'frēz] -vt

  1. quick-freeze
  2. to store in a frozen state

deep freeze ['dēp-,frēz] -n

  1. cold storage
    • a bill ... in deep freeze awaiting a new congress -- Newsweek
  2. intense cold

deepfry ['dēp-'frī] -vt

  1. to cook in deep fat

deep fryer -n

  1. a utensil suitable for deep-fat frying

deep pocket ['dēp-'pä-kə-təd] -n, adj

  1. a person or an organization having substantial financial resources
  2. substantial financial resources
    • a corporation with deep pockets

deeproot·ed ['dēp-'rü-təd, -'ru̇-] -adj

  1. deeply implanted or established
    • a deeprooted loyalty

deepsea ['dēp-'sē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or occurring in the deeper parts of the sea
    • deepsea fishing

deepseat·ed ['dēp-'sē-təd] -adj

  1. situated far below the surface
    • a deepseated inflammation
  2. firmly established
    • a deepseated tradition

deepsix ['dēp-'siks] -vt

  1. to get rid of : discard, eliminate
    • legislators voting to deepsix a government program
  2. to throw overboard

deep six -n

  1. a place of disposal or abandonment used esp. in the phrase give it the deep six

deepsky ['dēp-,skī] -adj

  1. relating to or existing in space outside the solar system
    • deepsky objects

deep space -n

  1. space well outside the earth's atmosphere and esp. that part lying beyond the earth-moon system

deep structure -n

  1. a formal representation of the underlying semantic content of a sentence
  2. the structure which such a representation specifies

deep throat -n

  1. an informant who divulges damaging information under cover of anonymity

deep·wa·ter ['dēp-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by water of considerable depth
    • deepwater sailors
  2. able to accommodate oceangoing vessels
    • deepwater ports

deer ['dir] -n, adj

  1. animal
  2. a small mammal
  3. any of numerous slender-legged ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usu. brownish fur and antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females of a few forms

deer·ber·ry [-,ber-ē, -,be-rē] -n

  1. either of two shrubs ( Vaccinium stamineumor V. caesium) of the heath family that are found in dry woods and scrub of the eastern U.S.
  2. the edible fruit of a deerberry

deer·fly ['dir-,flī] -n

  1. any of numerous small horseflies (as of the genus Chrysops) that include important vectors of tularemia

deer·hound [-,hau̇nd] -n

  1. scottish deerhound

deer mouse -n

  1. any of various mice (genus Peromyscus) of No. and Central America
  2. one ( P. maniculatus) widely distributed in forests and grasslands of No. America

deer·skin ['dir-,skin] -n

  1. leather made from the skin of a deer
  2. a garment of this leather

deer·stalk·er [-,stȯ-kər] -n

  1. a close-fitting hat with a visor at the front and the back and with earflaps that may be worn up or down called also deerstalker cap deerstalker hat

deer tick -n

  1. an ixodid tick ( Ixodes scapularissyn. I. dammini) of the eastern U.S. and Canada that transmits the bacterium causing Lyme disease called also black-legged tick

deer·yard ['dir-,yärd] -n

  1. a place where deer herd in winter

dees·ca·late [(,)dē-'es-kə-,lāt, ÷-kyə-] -vt, n, adj

  1. limit
  2. to decrease in extent, volume, or scope

deet ['dēt] -n

  1. a colorless oily liquid insect and tick repellent C 12H 17NO

def ['def] -adj

  1. cool
  2. defendant; defense
  3. deferred
  4. defined; definition
  5. definite

de·face [di-'fās, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to mar the appearance of : injure by effacing significant details
    • deface an inscription
  2. impair
  3. destroy

de fac·to [di-'fak-(,)tō, dā-, dē-] -adv

  1. in reality : actually

de facto -adj

  1. actual
  2. being such in effect though not formally recognized
    • a de facto state of war
  3. exercising power as if legally constituted
    • a de facto government
  4. resulting from economic or social factors rather than from laws or actions of the state
    • de facto segregation

de·fal·cate [di-'fal-,kāt, -'fȯl-, dē-; 'de-fəl-] -vb, n

  1. deduct, curtail
  2. to engage in embezzlement

de·fal·ca·tion [,dē-,fal-'kā-shən, ,dē-,fȯl-, di-; ,de-fəl-] -n

  1. deduction
  2. the act or an instance of embezzling
  3. a failure to meet a promise or an expectation

def·a·ma·tion [,de-fə-'mā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act of defaming another : calumny

de·fame [di-'fām, dē-] -vt, n

  1. disgrace
  2. to harm the reputation of by libel or slander
  3. accuse

de·fa·mil·iar·ize [(,)dē-fə-'mil-yə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to present or render in an unfamiliar artistic form usu. to stimulate fresh perception

de·fang [(,)dē-'faŋ] -vt

  1. to make harmless or less powerful

de·fat [(,)dē-'fat] -vt

  1. to remove fat from

de·fault [di-'fȯlt, dē-; 'dē-,fȯlt] -n

  1. failure to do something required by duty or law : neglect
  2. fault
  3. a failure to pay financial debts
  4. failure to appear at the required time in a legal proceeding
  5. failure to compete in or to finish an appointed contest
    • lost the game by default
  6. a selection made usu. automatically or without active consideration due to lack of a viable alternative
    • remained the club's president by default
  7. a selection automatically used by a computer program in the absence of a choice made by the user

default -vi, n

  1. : to fail to fulfill a contract, agreement, or duty: as
  2. to fail to meet a financial obligation
    • default on a loan
  3. to fail to appear in court
  4. to fail to compete in or to finish an appointed contest
  5. to forfeit a contest by such failure
  6. to make a default selection
    • the program default s to a standard font
  7. to fail to perform, pay, or make good
  8. forfeit
  9. to exclude (a player or a team) from a contest by default

DEF·CON ['def-,kän] -n

  1. any of five levels of U.S. military defense readiness ranked according to the perceived threat to national security

de·fea·sance [di-'fē-zən(t)s] -n

  1. the termination of a property interest in accordance with stipulated conditions (as in a deed)
  2. an instrument stating such conditions of limitation
  3. a rendering null or void
  4. defeat, overthrow

de·fea·si·ble [di-'fē-zə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being annulled or made void
    • a defeasible claim

de·feat [di-'fēt, dē-] -vt, adj

  1. destroy
  2. nullify
    • defeat an estate
  3. frustrate
    • defeat a hope
  4. to win victory over : beat
    • defeat the opposing team

defeat -n

  1. frustration by nullification or by prevention of success
    • the bill suffered defeat in the Senate
  2. destruction
  3. an overthrow esp. of an army in battle
  4. the loss of a contest

de·feat·ism [di-'fē-,ti-zəm, dē-] -n, n or adj

  1. an attitude of accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat

de·fea·ture [di-'fē-chər, dē-] -n

  1. disfigurement
  2. defeat

def·e·cate ['de-fi-,kāt] -vb, n

  1. to free from impurity or corruption
  2. to discharge from the anus
  3. to discharge feces from the bowels

de·fect ['dē-,fekt, di-'] -n

  1. an imperfection that impairs worth or utility : shortcoming
    • the grave defect s in our foreign policy
  2. an imperfection (as a vacancy or an unlike atom) in a crystal lattice
  3. a lack of something necessary for completeness, adequacy, or perfection : deficiency
    • a hearing defect
  4. to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology
  5. to leave one situation (as a job) often to go over to a rival
    • the reporter defect ed to another network

de·fec·tion [di-'fek-shən] -n

  1. conscious abandonment of allegiance or duty (as to a person, cause, or doctrine) : desertion

de·fec·tive [di-'fek-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. imperfect in form or function : faulty
    • a defective pane of glass
  2. falling below the norm in structure or in mental or physical function
    • defective eyesight
  3. lacking one or more of the usual forms of grammatical inflection
    • must is a defective verb

defective -n

  1. a person who is subnormal physically or mentally

de·fem·i·nize [(,)dē-'fe-mə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to divest of feminine qualities or characteristics : masculinize

de·fence [di-'fen(t)s; as antonym of “offense,” often 'dē-,] -n, adj, adv

(variant of defense)

  1. the act or action of defending
    • the defense of our country
    • speak out in defense of justice
  2. a defendant's denial, answer, or plea
  3. capability of resisting attack
  4. defensive play or ability
    • a player known for good defense
  5. means or method of defending or protecting oneself, one's team, or another
  6. a defensive structure
  7. an argument in support or justification
  8. the collected facts and method adopted by a defendant to protect and defend against a plaintiff's action
  9. a sequence of moves available in chess to the second player in the opening
  10. a defending party or group (as in a court of law)
    • the defense rests
  11. a defensive team
  12. the military and industrial aggregate that authorizes and supervises arms production
    • appropriations for defense
    • defense contract

de·fend [di-'fend] -vb, adj

  1. to drive danger or attack away from
    • defend our shores
  2. to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism
    • defend a theory
  3. to prove (as a doctoral thesis) valid by answering questions in an oral exam
  4. to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at
    • elects to defend the south goal
  5. prevent, forbid
  6. to act as attorney for
  7. to deny or oppose the right of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or a wrong charged) : contest
  8. to retain or seek to retain (as a title or position) against a challenge in a contest
    • they successfully defend ed their championship
  9. to take action against attack or challenge
  10. to play or be on defense
    • playing deep to defend against a pass
  11. to play against the high bidder in a card game

de·fen·dant [di-'fen-dənt, in legal circles often -,dant] -n

  1. a person required to make answer in a legal action or suit

defendant -adj

  1. being on the defensive : defending

de·fend·er [di-'fen-dər] -n

  1. one that defends
  2. a player in a sport (as football) assigned to a defensive position

de·fen·es·tra·tion [(,)dē-,fe-nə-'strā-shən] -n, vt

  1. a throwing of a person or thing out of a window
  2. a usu. swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office)

de·fense [di-'fen(t)s; as antonym of “offense,” often 'dē-,] -n, adj, adv

  1. the act or action of defending
    • the defense of our country
    • speak out in defense of justice
  2. a defendant's denial, answer, or plea
  3. capability of resisting attack
  4. defensive play or ability
    • a player known for good defense
  5. means or method of defending or protecting oneself, one's team, or another
  6. a defensive structure
  7. an argument in support or justification
  8. the collected facts and method adopted by a defendant to protect and defend against a plaintiff's action
  9. a sequence of moves available in chess to the second player in the opening
  10. a defending party or group (as in a court of law)
    • the defense rests
  11. a defensive team
  12. the military and industrial aggregate that authorizes and supervises arms production
    • appropriations for defense
    • defense contract

defense -vt

  1. to take specific defensive action against (an opposing team or player or an offensive play)

de·fense·man [-mən, -,man] -n

  1. a player in a sport (as hockey) who is assigned to a defensive zone or position

defense mechanism -n

  1. an often unconscious mental process (as repression) that makes possible compromise solutions to personal problems
  2. a defensive reaction by an organism

de·fen·si·ble [di-'fen(t)-sə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being defended
    • defensible theories
    • a defensible hill

de·fen·sive [di-'fen(t)-siv, 'dē-,] -adj, adv, n

  1. serving to defend or protect
    • defensive fortifications
  2. devoted to resisting or preventing aggression or attack
    • defensive behavior
  3. of or relating to the attempt to keep an opponent from scoring in a game or contest
    • a player with good defensive skills
  4. valuable in defensive play
    • a defensive card in bridge
  5. designed to keep an opponent from being the highest bidder
    • a defensive bid

defensive -n

  1. a defensive position

defensive medicine -n

  1. the practice of ordering medical tests, procedures, or consultations of doubtful clinical value in order to protect the prescribing physician from malpractice suits

de·fer [di-'fər] -vt, n

  1. put off, delay
  2. to postpone induction of (a person) into military service

defer -vb

  1. to delegate to another
    • he could defer his job to no one -- J. A. Michener
  2. to submit to another's wishes, opinion, or governance usu. through deference or respect
    • deferred to her father's wishes

def·er·ence ['de-fə-rən(t)s, 'def-rən(t)s] -n

  1. respect and esteem due a superior or an elder
  2. affected or ingratiating regard for another's wishes

def·er·ent ['de-fə-rənt, 'def-rənt] -adj

  1. deferential

def·er·en·tial [,de-fə-'ren-chəl] -adj, adv

  1. showing or expressing deference
    • deferential attention

de·fer·ment [di-'fər-mənt] -n

  1. the act of delaying or postponing
  2. official postponement of military service

de·fer·ra·ble [di-'fər-ə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of or suitable or eligible for being deferred

de·fer·ral [di-'fər-əl] -n

  1. the act of delaying : postponement

de·ferred -adj

  1. withheld for or until a stated time
    • a deferred payment
  2. charged in cases of delayed handling
    • a deferred rate

de·fer·ves·cence [,dē-(,)fər-'ve-sᵊn(t)s, ,de-fər-] -n

  1. the subsidence of a fever

deffer ['def] -adj

(variant of def)

  1. cool
  2. defendant; defense
  3. deferred
  4. defined; definition
  5. definite

deffest ['def] -adj

(variant of def)

  1. cool
  2. defendant; defense
  3. deferred
  4. defined; definition
  5. definite

de·fi·ance [di-'fī-ən(t)s, dē-] -n

  1. the act or an instance of defying : challenge
  2. disposition to resist : willingness to contend or fight

de·fi·ant [-ənt] -adj, adv

  1. full of or showing defiance : bold, impudent
    • defiant rebels
    • a defiant refusal

de·fi·bril·la·tor [(,)dē-'fi-brə-,lā-tər] -n, vt

  1. an electronic device that applies an electric shock to restore the rhythm of a fibrillating heart

de·fi·brin·ate [(,)dē-'fi-brə-,nāt, -'fī-] -vt, n

  1. to remove fibrin from (blood)

de·fi·cien·cy [di-'fi-shən-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being deficient : inadequacy
  2. : an amount that is lacking or inadequate : shortage: as
  3. a shortage of substances necessary to health
  4. deletion

deficiency disease -n

  1. a disease (as scurvy) caused by a lack of essential dietary elements and esp. a vitamin or mineral

de·fi·cient [di-'fi-shənt] -adj, adv

  1. lacking in some necessary quality or element
    • deficient in judgment
  2. not up to a normal standard or complement : defective
    • deficient strength

deficient -n

  1. one that is deficient
    • a mental deficient

def·i·cit ['de-fə-sət, Brit also di-'fis-ət or 'dē-fə-sət] -n

  1. deficiency in amount or quality
    • a deficit in rainfall
  2. a lack or impairment in a functional capacity
    • cognitive deficit s
    • a hearing deficit
  3. disadvantage
    • scored two runs to overcome a 21 deficit
  4. an excess of expenditure over revenue
  5. a loss in business operations

deficit spending -n

  1. the spending of public funds raised by borrowing rather than by taxation

de·fi·er [di-'fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. one that defies
    • a defier of convention

def·i·lade ['de-fə-,lād, -,läd] -vt, n

  1. to arrange (fortifications) so as to protect the lines from frontal or enfilading fire and the interior from fire from above or behind

de·file [di-'fī(-ə)l, dē-] -vt, n

  1. : to make unclean or impure: as
  2. to corrupt the purity or perfection of : debase
    • the countryside defiled by billboards
  3. to violate the chastity of : deflower
  4. to make physically unclean esp. with something unpleasant or contaminating
    • boots defiled with blood
  5. to violate the sanctity of : desecrate
    • defile a sanctuary
  6. sully, dishonor
  7. a narrow passage or gorge
  8. to march off in a line

de·fin·able [di-'fī-nə-bəl] -adj, adv

  1. able to be defined
  2. able to be specified to have a particular function or operation
    • definable keys

de·fine [di-'fīn] -vb, n

  1. to determine or identify the essential qualities or meaning of
    • whatever define s us as human
  2. to discover and set forth the meaning of (as a word)
  3. to create on a computer
    • define a window
    • define a procedure
  4. to fix or mark the limits of : demarcate
    • rigidly defined property lines
  5. to make distinct, clear, or detailed esp. in outline
    • the issues aren't too well defined
  6. characterize, distinguish
    • you define yourself by the choices you make -- Denison Univ. Bull.
  7. to make a definition

de·fin·i·en·dum [di-,fi-nē-'en-dəm] -n

  1. an expression that is being defined

de·fin·i·ens [di-'fi-nē-,enz] -n

  1. an expression that defines : definition

def·i·nite ['de-fə-nit, 'def-nət] -adj, adv, n

  1. having distinct or certain limits
    • set definite standards for pupils to meet
  2. free of all ambiguity, uncertainty, or obscurity
    • demanded a definite answer
  3. unquestionable, decided
    • the quarterback was a definite hero today
  4. typically designating an identified or immediately identifiable person or thing
    • the definite article the
  5. being constant in number, usu. less than 20, and occurring in multiples of the petal number
    • stamens definite
  6. cymose
    • a definite inflorescence

definite integral -n

  1. the difference between the values of the integral of a given function f( x) for an upper value band a lower value aof the independent variable x

def·i·ni·tion [,de-fə-'ni-shən] -n, adj

  1. an act of determining
  2. the formal proclamation of a Roman Catholic dogma
  3. a statement expressing the essential nature of something
  4. a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol
    • dictionary definition s
  5. a product of defining
  6. the action or process of defining
  7. the action or the power of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear
    • the definition of a telescope
    • her comic genius is beyond definition
  8. clarity of visual presentation : distinctness of outline or detail
    • improve the definition of an image
  9. clarity esp. of musical sound in reproduction
  10. sharp demarcation of outlines or limits
    • a jacket with distinct waist definition

de·fin·i·tive [di-'fi-nə-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation
    • a definitive victory
  2. authoritative and apparently exhaustive
    • a definitive edition
  3. serving to define or specify precisely
    • definitive laws
  4. serving as a perfect example : quintessential
    • a definitive bourgeois
  5. fully differentiated or developed
    • a definitive organ
  6. issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used

definitive -n

  1. a definitive postage stamp

definitive host -n

  1. the host in which the sexual reproduction of a parasite takes place

de·fi·ni·tize ['de-fə-nə-,tīz, di-'fi-] -vt

  1. to make definite

de·fi·ni·tude [di-'fi-nə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. precision, definiteness

def·la·grate ['def-lə-,grāt] -vb, n

  1. to cause to deflagrate
  2. to burn rapidly with intense heat and sparks being given off

de·flate [di-'flāt, ,dē-] -vb, n

  1. to release air or gas from
    • deflate a tire
  2. to reduce in size, importance, or effectiveness
    • deflate his ego with cutting remarks
  3. to reduce (a price level) or cause (a volume of credit) to contract
  4. to lose firmness through or as if through the escape of contained gas

de·fla·tion [di-'flā-shən, ,dē-] -n, adj

  1. an act or instance of deflating : the state of being deflated
  2. a contraction in the volume of available money or credit that results in a general decline in prices
  3. the erosion of soil by the wind

de·flect [di-'flekt, dē-] -vb, adj, n

  1. to turn aside esp. from a straight course or fixed direction
  2. to turn aside : deviate

de·flec·tion [di-'flek-shən, dē-] -n

  1. a turning aside or off course : deviation
  2. the departure of an indicator or pointer from the zero reading on the scale of an instrument

de·flexed ['dē-,flekst, di-'] -adj

  1. turned abruptly downward
    • a deflexed leaf

de·flo·ra·tion [,def-lə-'rā-shən, ,dē-flȯ-] -n

  1. rupture of the hymen

de·flow·er [(,)dē-'flau̇(-ə)r] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of virginity
  2. to take away the prime beauty of

de·fog [(,)dē-'fȯg, -'fäg] -vt, n

  1. to remove fog or condensed moisture from
    • defog a windshield

de·fo·li·ant [(,)dē-'fō-lē-ənt] -n

  1. a chemical spray or dust applied to plants in order to cause the leaves to drop off prematurely

de·fo·li·ate [-lē-,āt] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of leaves esp. prematurely

de·force [(,)dē-'fȯrs] -vt, n

  1. to keep (as lands) by force from the rightful owner
  2. to eject (a person) from possession by force

de·for·es·ta·tion [(,)dē-,fȯr-ə-'stā-shən, -,fär-] -n, vt

  1. the action or process of clearing of forests
  2. the state of having been cleared of forests

de·form [di-'fȯrm, dē-] -vb, adj

  1. to spoil the form of
  2. to spoil the looks of : disfigure
    • a face deform ed by bitterness
  3. to mar the character of
    • a marriage deform ed by jealousy
  4. to alter the shape of by stress
  5. to become misshapen or changed in shape

de·for·mal·ize [(,)dē-'fȯr-mə-,līz] -vt

  1. to make less formal

de·for·ma·tion [,dē-,fȯr-'mā-shən, ,de-fər-] -n, adj

  1. alteration of form or shape
  2. the product of such alteration
  3. the action of deforming : the state of being deformed
  4. change for the worse

de·for·ma·tive [di-'fȯr-mə-tiv, dē-] -adj

  1. tending to deform

de·formed -adj

  1. distorted or unshapely in form : misshapen

de·for·mi·ty [di-'fȯr-mə-tē, dē-] -n

  1. the state of being deformed
  2. : imperfection, blemish: as
  3. a physical blemish or distortion : disfigurement
  4. a moral or aesthetic flaw or defect

de·frag [dē-'frag] -vt

  1. defragment

de·frag·ment [(,)dē-'frag-mənt] -vt, n

  1. to reorganize separated fragments of related data on (a computer disk) into a contiguous arrangement

de·frag·ment·er [-'frag-,men-tər, -mən-] -n

  1. software that defragments a computer disk

de·fraud [di-'frȯd, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of something by deception or fraud

de·fray [di-'frā, dē-] -vt, adj, n

  1. to provide for the payment of : pay
  2. to bear the expenses of

de·frock [(,)dē-'fräk] -vt

  1. to deprive (as a priest) of the right to exercise the functions of office
  2. to remove from a position of honor or privilege

de·frost [di-'frȯst, 'dē-,] -vt, n

  1. to release from a frozen state
    • defrost meat
  2. to free from ice
    • defrost the refrigerator
  3. defog
  4. to thaw out esp. from a deep-frozen state

deft ['deft] -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized by facility and skill

de·funct [di-'fəŋkt, dē-] -adj

  1. no longer living, existing, or functioning
    • that firm is now defunct

de·fund [(,)dē-'fənd] -vt

  1. to withdraw funding from

de·fuse [(,)dē-'fyüz] -vt

  1. to remove the fuse from (as a mine or bomb)
  2. to make less harmful, potent, or tense
    • defuse the crisis

de·fy [di-'fī, dē-] -vt

  1. to challenge to combat
  2. to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare
  3. to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard
    • defy public opinion
  4. to resist attempts at : withstand
    • the paintings defy classification
  5. challenge, defiance

deg -abbr

  1. degree

de·ga·ge [,dā-,gä-'zhā] -adj

  1. free of constraint : nonchalant
  2. being free and easy
    • clothes with a degage look
  3. extended with toe pointed in preparation for a ballet step

de·gas [(,)dē-'gas] -vt

  1. to remove gas from
    • degas an electron tube

de Gaull·ism [di-'gō-,li-zəm, -'gȯ-] -n

  1. gaullism

de·gauss [(,)dē-'gau̇s] -vt, n

  1. to remove or neutralize the magnetic field of
    • degauss a ship
    • degauss a magnetic tape

de·gen·der·ize [dē-'jen-də-,rīz] -vt

  1. to eliminate any reference to a specific gender in (as a word, text, or act)

de·gen·er·a·cy [di-'jen-rə-sē, -'je-nə-, dē-] -n

  1. the state of being degenerate
  2. the process of becoming degenerate
  3. sexual perversion
  4. the coding of an amino acid by more than one codon

de·gen·er·ate [di-'jen-rət, -'je-nə-, dē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state
  2. having sunk to a condition below that which is normal to a type
  3. having sunk to a lower and usu. corrupt and vicious state
  4. degraded
  5. being mathematically simpler (as by having a factor or constant equal to zero) than the typical case
    • a degenerate hyperbola
  6. characterized by atoms stripped of their electrons and by very great density
    • degenerate matter
  7. consisting of degenerate matter
    • a degenerate star
  8. having two or more states or subdivisions
    • degenerate energy level
  9. having more than one codon representing an amino acid
  10. being such a codon
  11. to pass from a higher to a lower type or condition : deteriorate
  12. to sink into a low intellectual or moral state
  13. to decline in quality
    • the poetry gradually degenerate s into jingles
  14. to decline from a condition or from the standards of a species, race, or breed
  15. to evolve or develop into a less autonomous or less functionally active form
    • degenerated into dependent parasites
  16. to cause to degenerate
  17. : one that is degenerate: as
  18. one degraded from the normal moral standard
  19. a sexual pervert
  20. one showing signs of reversion to an earlier culture stage

de·gen·er·a·tion [di-,je-nə-'rā-shən, ,dē-] -n

  1. degenerate condition
  2. a lowering of effective power, vitality, or essential quality to an enfeebled and worsened kind or state
  3. intellectual, moral, or artistic decline
  4. progressive deterioration of physical characters from a level representing the norm of earlier generations or forms
  5. deterioration of a tissue or an organ in which its function is diminished or its structure is impaired

de·gen·er·a·tive [di-'je-nə-rə-tiv, -'jen-rə-; -'je-nə-,rā-; dē-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, involving, or causing degeneration
    • a degenerative disease

de·gla·ci·a·tion [(,)dē-,glā-s(h)ē-'ā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the melting of ice
  2. the retreat of a glacier or ice sheet

de·glam·or·ize [(,)dē-'gla-mə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove the glamour from
    • a book that deglamorize s Hollywood

de·glaze [(,)dē-'glāz] -vt

  1. to remove the glaze from
    • deglaze pottery

deglaze -vt

  1. to dissolve the small particles of sauteed meat remaining in (a pan) by adding a liquid and heating

de·glu·ti·tion [,dē-glü-'ti-shən, ,de-glü-] -n

  1. the act or process of swallowing

de·grad·able [di-'grā-də-bəl, dē-] -adj, n

  1. capable of being chemically degraded
    • degradable detergents

deg·ra·da·tion [,de-grə-'dā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act or process of degrading
  2. decline to a low, destitute, or demoralized state
  3. moral or intellectual decadence : degeneration

de·grade [di-'grād, dē-] -vb, n, adv

  1. to lower in grade, rank, or status : demote
  2. to strip of rank or honors
  3. to lower to an inferior or less effective level
    • degrade the image quality
  4. to scale down in desirability or salability
  5. to bring to low esteem or into disrepute
    • his actions have degraded his profession
  6. to drag down in moral or intellectual character : corrupt
  7. to impair in respect to some physical property
    • material degraded by exposure to sunlight
  8. to wear down by erosion
  9. to reduce the complexity of (a chemical compound) : decompose
  10. to pass from a higher grade or class to a lower
  11. to become reduced in complexity

de·grad·ed [-'grā-dəd] -adj, adv

  1. reduced far below ordinary standards of civilized life and conduct
  2. characterized by degeneration of structure or function

de·gran·u·la·tion [(,)dē-,gra-nyə-'lā-shən] -n

  1. the process of losing granules
  2. the process by which cytoplasmic granules (as of mast cells) release their contents

de·grease [(,)dē-'grēs, -'grēz] -vt, n

  1. to remove grease from

de·gree [di-'grē] -n, adj

  1. a step or stage in a process, course, or order of classification
    • advanced by degree s
  2. a rank or grade of official, ecclesiastical, or social position
    • people of low degree
  3. a particular standing esp. as to dignity or worth
  4. the civil condition or status of a person
  5. a step in a direct line of descent or in the line of ascent to a common ancestor
  6. step, stair
  7. a member of a series arranged in steps
  8. a measure of damage to tissue caused by injury or disease
  9. the extent, measure, or scope of an action, condition, or relation
    • different in degree but not in kind
  10. relative intensity
    • a high degree of stress
  11. one of the forms or sets of forms used in the comparison of an adjective or adverb
  12. a legal measure of guilt or negligence
    • found guilty of robbery in the first degree
  13. a title conferred on students by a college, university, or professional school on completion of a program of study
  14. a grade of membership attained in a ritualistic order or society
  15. an academic title conferred to honor distinguished achievement or service
  16. the formal ceremonies observed in the conferral of such a distinction
  17. a unit of measure for angles equal to an angle with its vertex at the center of a circle and its sides cutting off of the circumference
  18. a unit of measure for arcs of a circle equal to the amount of arc that subtends a central angle of one degree
  19. a position or space on the earth or in the heavens as measured by degrees of latitude
  20. a step, note, or tone of a musical scale
  21. a line or space of the musical staff
  22. one of the divisions or intervals marked on a scale of a measuring instrument
  23. any of various units for measuring temperature
  24. the sum of the exponents of the variables in the term of highest degree in a polynomial, polynomial function, or polynomial equation
  25. the sum of the exponents of the variable factors of a monomial
  26. the greatest power of the derivative of highest order in a differential equation after the equation has been rationalized and cleared of fractions with respect to the derivative

de·greeday [di-'grē-,dā] -n

  1. a unit that represents one degree of difference from a given point (as 65) in the mean daily outdoor temperature and that is used esp. to measure heat requirements

degree of freedom

  1. any of a limited number of ways in which a body may move or in which a dynamic system may change
  2. one of the capabilities of a statistic for variation of which there are as many as the number of unrestricted and independent variables determining its value

de·gres·sive [di-'gre-siv, 'dē-] -adj, adv

  1. tending to descend or decrease

de·grin·go·lade [,dā-,graⁿ(ŋ)-gə-'läd] -n

  1. a rapid decline or deterioration (as in strength, position, or condition) : downfall

de·gum [(,)dē-'gəm] -vt

  1. to free from gum, a gummy substance, or sericin

de·gus·ta·tion [,dē-,gəs-'tā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the action or an instance of tasting esp. in a series of small portions

de haut en bas [də-ō-täⁿ-bä] -adj or adv

  1. of superiority : of or with condescension

de·hisce [di-'his] -vi

  1. to split along a natural line
  2. to discharge contents by so splitting
    • seedpods dehiscing at maturity

de·his·cence [di-'hi-sᵊn(t)s] -n, adj

  1. an act or instance of dehiscing
    • pollen freed by dehiscence of the anther

de·horn [(,)dē-'hȯrn] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of horns
  2. to prevent the growth of the horns of

de·hu·man·ize [(,)dē-'hyü-mə-,nīz, (,)dē-'yü-] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of human qualities, personality, or spirit

de·hu·mid·i·fy [,dē-hyü-'mi-də-,fī, ,dē-yü-] -vt, n

  1. to remove moisture from (as air)

de·hy·drate [(,)dē-'hī-,drāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from (a chemical compound) in the proportion in which they form water
  2. to remove water from (as foods)
  3. to deprive of vitality or savor
  4. to lose water or body fluids

de·hy·dra·tion [,dē-,hī-'drā-shən] -n

  1. the process of dehydrating
  2. an abnormal depletion of body fluids

de·hy·dro·chlo·ri·na·tion [(,)dē-,hī-drə-,klȯr-ə-'nā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the process of removing hydrogen and chlorine or hydrogen chloride from a compound

de·hy·dro·epi·an·dros·ter·one [(,)dē-,hī-drō-,e-pē-an-'dräs-tə-,rōn] -n

  1. a weakly androgenic ketosteroid C 19H 28O 2secreted by the adrenal glands that is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of testosterone and estrogens (as estradiol)
  2. a synthetic derivative of this compound abbr DHEA

de·hy·dro·ge·nase [,dē-(,)hī-'drä-jə-,nās, (,)dē-'hī-drə-jə-, -,nāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that accelerates the removal of hydrogen from metabolites and its transfer to other substances

de·hy·dro·ge·na·tion [,dē-(,)hī-,drä-jə-'nā-shən, (,)dē-,hī-drə-jə-] -n, vt

  1. the removal of hydrogen from a chemical compound

de·ice [(,)dē-'īs] -vt, n

  1. to rid or keep free of ice
    • deice an airplane's wings

de·i·cide ['dē-ə-,sīd, 'dā-ə-] -n

  1. the act of killing a divine being or a symbolic substitute of such a being
  2. the killer or destroyer of a god

deic·tic ['dīk-tik also 'dāk-] -adj

  1. showing or pointing out directly
    • the words this, that, and those have a deictic function

de·i·fi·ca·tion [,dē-ə-fə-'kā-shən, ,dā-] -n

  1. the act or an instance of deifying

de·i·fy ['dē-ə-,fī, 'dā-] -vt

  1. to make a god of
  2. to take as an object of worship
  3. to glorify as of supreme worth

deign ['dān] -vb

  1. to condescend reluctantly and with a strong sense of the affront to one's superiority that is involved
  2. stoop
    • would not even deign to talk to him
  3. to condescend to give or offer

deil ['dēl] -n

  1. devil

de·in·dus·tri·al·i·za·tion [(,)dē-in-,dəs-trē-ə-lə-'zā-shən] -n, vb

  1. the reduction or destruction of a nation's or region's industrial capacity

dei·non·y·chus [(,)dī-'nä-ni-kəs] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Deinonychus) of small bipedal carnivorous theropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous having a very large sharp claw on the second digit of both hind feet

de·in·sti·tu·tion·al·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,in(t)-stə-,tü-shə-nə-lə-'zā-shən, -,tyü-] -n, vt

  1. the release of institutionalized individuals from institutional care (as in a psychiatric hospital) to care in the community
  2. the reform or modification of an institution to remove or disguise its institutional character

de·ion·ize [(,)dē-'ī-ə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove ions from
    • deionize water by ion exchange

de·ism ['dē-,i-zəm, 'dā-] -n, adj, adv

  1. a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe

de·i·ty ['dē-ə-tē, 'dā-] -n

  1. the rank or essential nature of a god : divinity
  2. god , supreme being
  3. a god or goddess
    • the deities of ancient Greece
  4. one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful

deix·is ['dīk-sis also 'dāk-] -n

  1. the pointing or specifying function of some words (as definite articles and demonstrative pronouns) whose denotation changes from one discourse to another

de·ja vu [,dā-,zhä-'vü, -'vᵫ] -n

  1. the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time
  2. a feeling that one has seen or heard something before
  3. something overly or unpleasantly familiar

de·ject [di-'jekt, dē-] -adj

  1. dejected

deject -vt

  1. to make gloomy

de·jec·ta [di-'jek-tə, dē-] -n pl

  1. feces, excrement

de·ject·ed [di-'jek-təd, dē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. cast down in spirits : depressed
  2. downcast
  3. thrown down
  4. lowered in rank or condition

de·jec·tion [di-'jek-shən, dē-] -n

  1. lowness of spirits

de ju·re [(,)dē-'ju̇r-ē, (,)dā-'yu̇r-] -adv or adj

  1. by right : of right
  2. based on laws or actions of the state
    • de jure segregation

deka·met·ric [,de-kə-'me-trik] -adj

  1. decametric

deke ['dēk] -vb, n

  1. to fake (an opponent) out of position (as in ice hockey)
  2. to deke an opponent

del -abbr

  1. delegate; delegation
  2. delete

Del -abbr

  1. Delaware

de·lam·i·na·tion [(,)dē-,la-mə-'nā-shən] -n, vi

  1. separation into constituent layers

de·late [di-'lāt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. accuse, denounce
  2. report, relate

Del·a·ware ['de-lə-,wer, -wər] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people orig. of the Delaware valley
  2. the Algonquian language of the Delaware

de·lay [di-'lā, dē-] -n

  1. the act of delaying : the state of being delayed
    • get started without delay
  2. an instance of being delayed
  3. the time during which something is delayed
    • a delay of 30 minutes

delay -vb, n

  1. put off, postpone
    • delay a departure
  2. to stop, detain, or hinder for a time
    • the mails were delay ed by heavy snows
  3. to cause to be slower or to occur more slowly than normal
    • delay a child's development
  4. to move or act slowly
  5. to cause delay

de·le ['dē-(,)lē] -vt

  1. to delete esp. from typeset matter

dele -n

  1. a mark indicating that something is to be deled

de·lec·ta·ble [di-'lek-tə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. highly pleasing : delightful
    • a delectable melody
  2. delicious
    • a delectable meal

delectable -n

  1. something that is delectable
  2. a delicious food item

de·lec·ta·tion [,dē-,lek-'tā-shən, di-; ,de-lək-] -n

  1. delight, enjoyment

del·e·ga·ble ['de-li-gə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being delegated

del·e·ga·cy [-gə-sē] -n

  1. a body of delegates : board
  2. the act of delegating
  3. appointment as delegate

del·e·gate ['de-li-gət, -,gāt] -n

  1. : a person acting for another: as
  2. a representative to a convention or conference
  3. a representative of a U.S. territory in the House of Representatives
  4. a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia
  5. to entrust to another
    • delegate authority
  6. to appoint as one's representative
  7. to assign responsibility or authority
    • a good manager knows how to delegate

del·e·ga·tion [,de-li-'gā-shən] -n

  1. the act of empowering to act for another
  2. a group of persons chosen to represent others

de·le·git·i·mate [,dē-lə-'ji-tə-,māt] -vt, n

  1. delegitimize

de·le·git·i·mize [-'ji-tə-,mīz] -vt, n

  1. to diminish or destroy the legitimacy, prestige, or authority of
    • delegitimize a government

de·lete [di-'lēt, dē-] -vt

  1. to eliminate esp. by blotting out, cutting out, or erasing
    • delete a passage in a manuscript
    • delete a computer file

del·e·te·ri·ous [,de-lə-'tir-ē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way
    • deleterious effects
    • deleterious to health

de·le·tion [di-'lē-shən, dē-] -n

  1. the act of deleting
  2. something deleted
  3. the absence of a section of genetic material from a gene or chromosome
  4. the mutational process that results in a deletion

delft ['delft] -n

  1. tin-glazed Dutch earthenware with blue and white or polychrome decoration
  2. ceramic ware (as tiles) resembling or imitative of Dutch delft

delft·ware ['delft-,wer] -n

  1. delft

Del·hi belly ['de-lē-] -n

  1. diarrhea contracted in India esp. by tourists
  2. traveler's diarrhea

deli ['de-lē] -n

  1. delicatessen

de·lib·er·ate [di-'li-bə-,rāt] -vb

  1. to think about or discuss issues and decisions carefully
  2. to think about deliberately and often with formal discussion before reaching a decision
  3. characterized by or resulting from careful and thorough consideration
    • a deliberate decision
  4. characterized by awareness of the consequences
    • deliberate falsehood
  5. slow, unhurried, and steady as though allowing time for decision on each individual action involved
    • a deliberate pace

de·lib·er·a·tion [di-,li-bə-'rā-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. the act of deliberating
  2. a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for and against a measure
  3. the quality or state of being deliberate

del·i·ca·cy ['de-li-kə-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being luxurious
  2. indulgence
  3. something pleasing to eat that is considered rare or luxurious
    • considered caviar a delicacy
  4. the quality or state of being dainty : fineness
    • lace of great delicacy
  5. frailty
    • the delicacy of his health
  6. fineness or subtle expressiveness of touch (as in painting or music)
  7. precise and refined perception and discrimination
  8. extreme sensitivity : precision
    • an electronic instrument of great delicacy
  9. refined sensibility in feeling or conduct
  10. the quality or state of being squeamish
  11. the quality or state of requiring delicate handling

del·i·cate ['de-li-kət] -adj, adv

  1. : pleasing to the senses:
  2. generally pleasant
    • the climate's delicate, the air most sweet -- Shak.
  3. pleasing to the sense of taste or smell esp. in a mild or subtle way
    • a delicate aroma
    • a robust wine will dominate delicate dishes
  4. marked by daintiness or charm of color, lines, or proportions
    • a delicate floral print
    • an ample tear trilled down her delicate cheek -- Shak.
  5. marked by fineness of structure, workmanship, or texture
    • a delicate tracery
    • a delicate lace
  6. marked by keen sensitivity or fine discrimination
    • delicate insights
    • a more delicate syntactic analysis -- R. H. Robins
  7. fastidious, squeamish
    • a person of delicate tastes
  8. not robust in health or constitution : weak, sickly
    • had been considered a delicate child
  9. easily torn or damaged : fragile
    • the delicate chain of life
  10. : requiring careful handling:
  11. easily unsettled or upset
    • a delicate balance
    • the delicate relationships defined by the Constitution -- New Yorker
  12. requiring skill or tact
    • in a delicate position
    • delicate negotiations
    • a delicate operation
  13. involving matters of a deeply personal nature : sensitive
    • this is a delicate matter. Could I possibly speak to you alone -- Daphne Du Maurier
  14. marked by care, skill, or tact
    • delicate handling of a difficult situation
  15. marked by great precision or sensitivity
    • a delicate instrument

delicate -n

  1. something delicate

del·i·ca·tes·sen [,de-li-kə-'te-sᵊn] -n pl

  1. ready-to-eat food products (as cooked meats and prepared salads)
  2. a store where delicatessen are sold

de·li·cious [di-'li-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. affording great pleasure : delightful
    • delicious anecdotes
  2. appealing to one of the bodily senses esp. of taste or smell

Delicious -n

  1. a sweet red or yellow eating apple of U.S. origin that has a crown of five rounded prominences on the end opposite the stem

de·lict [di-'likt, dē-] -n

  1. an offense against the law

de·light [di-'līt, dē-] -n

  1. a high degree of gratification : joy
  2. extreme satisfaction
  3. something that gives great pleasure
    • her performance was a delight
  4. the power of affording pleasure

delight -vb, n

  1. to take great pleasure
    • delight ed in playing the guitar
  2. to give keen enjoyment
    • a book certain to delight
  3. to give joy or satisfaction to

de·light·ed -adj, adv, n

  1. delightful
  2. highly pleased

de·light·ful [di-'līt-fəl, dē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. highly pleasing
    • a delightful surprise

de·light·some [-'līt-səm] -adj

  1. very pleasing : delightful

De·li·lah [di-'lī-lə] -n

  1. the mistress and betrayer of Samson in the book of Judges

de·lim·it [di-'li-mət, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to fix or define the limits of

de·lim·it·er [di-'li-mə-tər, dē-] -n

  1. a character that marks the beginning or end of a unit of data

de·lin·eate [di-'li-nē-,āt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to indicate or represent by drawn or painted lines
  2. to mark the outline of
    • lights delineating the narrow streets
  3. to describe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail
    • delineate a character in the story
    • delineate the steps to be taken by the government

de·lin·ea·tion [-,li-nē-'ā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act of delineating
  2. something made by delineating

de·lin·quen·cy [di-'liŋ-kwən-sē, -'lin-] -n

  1. a delinquent act
  2. conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law
  3. juvenile delinquency
  4. a debt on which payment is overdue

de·lin·quent [-kwənt] -n

  1. a delinquent person

delinquent -adj, adv

  1. offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law
  2. being overdue in payment
    • a delinquent charge account
  3. of, relating to, or characteristic of delinquents : marked by delinquency
    • delinquent behavior

del·i·quesce [,de-li-'kwes] -vi

  1. to dissolve or melt away
  2. to become soft or liquid with age or maturity used of some fungal structures (as gills)

del·i·ques·cent [-'kwe-sᵊnt] -adj, n

  1. tending to melt or dissolve
  2. tending to undergo gradual dissolution and liquefaction by the attraction and absorption of moisture from the air
  3. having repeated division into branches
    • elms are deliquescent trees

de·lir·i·ous [di-'lir-ē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of delirium
    • delirious mutterings
  2. affected with or marked by delirium
    • delirious with fever
    • delirious fans

de·lir·i·um [di-'lir-ē-əm] -n

  1. an acute mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention usu. accompanied by disordered speech and hallucinations
  2. frenzied excitement
    • he would stride about his room in a delirium of joy -- Thomas Wolfe

delirium tre·mens [-'trē-mənz, -'tre-] -n

  1. a violent delirium with tremors that is induced by excessive and prolonged use of alcoholic liquors called also d.t.'s

de·lish [di-'lish] -adj

  1. delicious

de·list [(,)dē-'list] -vt

  1. to remove from a list
  2. to remove (a security) from the list of securities that may be dealt in on a particular exchange

de·liv·er [di-'li-vər, dē-] -vb, n, adj

  1. to set free
    • and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil -- Mt 6:13(AV)
  2. to take and hand over to or leave for another : convey
    • deliver a package
  3. hand over, surrender
    • deliver ed the prisoners to the sheriff
    • deliver ed themselves over to God
  4. to assist in giving birth
  5. to aid in the birth of
  6. to give birth to
  7. to cause (oneself) to produce as if by giving birth
    • has deliver ed himself of half an autobiography -- H. C. Schonberg
  8. speak, sing, utter
    • deliver ed their lines with style
    • deliver a song
    • deliver a speech
  9. to send (something aimed or guided) to an intended target or destination
    • ability to deliver nuclear warheads
    • deliver ed a fastball
  10. to bring (as votes) to the support of a candidate or cause
  11. to come through with : produce
    • can deliver the best results
    • the new car deliver s high gas mileage
  12. to produce the promised, desired, or expected results : come through
    • can't deliver on all these promises

de·liv·er·ance [di-'li-v(ə-)rən(t)s, dē-] -n

  1. the act of delivering someone or something : the state of being delivered
  2. liberation, rescue
  3. something delivered
  4. an opinion or decision (as the verdict of a jury) expressed publicly

de·liv·ery [di-'li-v(ə-)rē, dē-] -n

  1. the act or manner of delivering something
  2. something delivered

delivery boy -n

  1. a person employed by a retail store to deliver small orders to customers on call

de·liv·ery·man [-v(ə-)rē-mən, -,man] -n

  1. a person who delivers wholesale or retail goods to customers usu. over a regular local route

dell ['del] -n

  1. a secluded hollow or small valley usu. covered with trees or turf

Del·mon·i·co steak [del-'mä-ni-(,)kō-] -n

  1. club steak called also Delmonico

de·lo·cal·ize [(,)dē-'lō-kə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to free from the limitations of locality
  2. to remove (a charge or charge carrier) from a particular position

de·louse [(,)dē-'lau̇s, -'lau̇z] -vt

  1. to remove lice from

Del·phi·an ['del-fē-ən] -adj

  1. delphic

Del·phic ['del-fik] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to ancient Delphi or its oracle
  2. ambiguous, obscure
    • Delphic utterances

del·phin·i·um [del-'fi-nē-əm] -n

  1. any of a large genus ( Delphinium) of the buttercup family that comprises chiefly perennial erect branching herbs with palmately divided leaves and irregular flowers in showy spikes and includes several that are poisonous

Del·phi·nus [del-'fī-nəs, -'fē-] -n

  1. a northern constellation nearly west of Pegasus

delt ['delt] -n

  1. deltoid usu. used in pl.

del·ta ['del-tə] -n, adj

  1. the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet
  2. something shaped like a capital Greek delta
  3. the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river
  4. an increment of a variable symbol
  5. delta wave

delta -adj

  1. fourth in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom symbol

Delta

  1. a communications code word for the letter d

delta ray -n

  1. an electron ejected by an ionizing particle in its passage through matter

delta wave -n

  1. a high amplitude electrical rhythm of the brain with a frequency of less than four cycles per second that occurs esp. in slow-wave sleep, in infancy, and in many diseased conditions of the brain called also delta delta rhythm

delta wing -n

  1. a triangular swept-back airplane wing with a usu. straight trailing edge

del·toid ['del-,tȯid] -n

  1. a large triangular muscle that covers the shoulder joint and serves to raise the arm laterally

deltoid -adj

  1. having a triangular shape
    • a deltoid leaf
  2. relating to, associated with, or supplying the deltoid

del·toi·de·us [del-'tȯi-dē-əs] -n

  1. deltoid

de·lude [di-'lüd, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to mislead the mind or judgment of : deceive, trick
  2. frustrate, disappoint
  3. evade, elude

del·uge ['del-,yüj, -,yüzh; ÷də-'lüj, 'dā-,lüj] -n

  1. an overflowing of the land by water
  2. a drenching rain
  3. an overwhelming amount or number
    • received a deluge of offers

deluge -vt

  1. to overflow with water : inundate
  2. overwhelm, swamp

de·lu·sion [di-'lü-zhən, dē-] -n, adj

  1. the act of deluding : the state of being deluded
  2. something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
  3. a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary
  4. the abnormal state marked by such beliefs

de·lu·sive [-'lü-siv, -'lü-ziv] -adj, adv, n

  1. likely to delude
    • delusive promises
  2. constituting a delusion
    • delusive beliefs

de·lu·so·ry [-sə-rē, -zə-] -adj

  1. deceptive, delusive

de·lus·ter [(,)dē-'ləs-tər] -vt

  1. to reduce the sheen of (as yarn or fabric)

de·luxe [di-'ləks, dē- also -'lu̇ks, -'lüks] -adj

  1. notably luxurious, elegant, or expensive
    • a deluxe edition
    • deluxe hotels

delve ['delv] -vb, n

  1. excavate
  2. to dig or labor with or as if with a spade
  3. to make a careful or detailed search for information
    • delved into the past
  4. to examine a subject in detail
    • the book delve s into the latest research
  5. cave, hollow

dely -abbr

  1. delivery

dem -abbr

  1. demonstrative

Dem ['dem] -n

  1. democrat

de·mag·ne·tize [(,)dē-'mag-nə-,tīz] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of magnetic properties

dem·a·gog·ic [,de-mə-'gä-gik also -'gä-jik or -'gō-jik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a demagogue : employing demagoguery

dem·a·gogue ['de-mə-,gäg] -n

  1. a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power
  2. a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times

demagogue -vb

  1. to behave like a demagogue
  2. to treat (as an issue) in a demagogic manner

de·mand [di-'mand, -'mänd, dē-] -n

  1. an act of demanding or asking esp. with authority
    • a demand for obedience
  2. something claimed as due
    • a list of demand s
  3. question
  4. willingness and ability to purchase a commodity or service
    • the demand for quality day care
  5. the quantity of a commodity or service wanted at a specified price and time
    • supply and demand
  6. a seeking or state of being sought after
    • in great demand as an entertainer
  7. urgent need
  8. the requirement of work or of the expenditure of a resource
    • equal to the demand s of the office
    • demand s on one's time
    • oxygen demand for waste oxidation

demand [-'man-də-bəl] -vb, adj, n

  1. to make a demand : ask
  2. to ask or call for with authority : claim as due or just
    • demand ed to see a lawyer
  3. to call for urgently, peremptorily, or insistently
    • demand ed that the rioters disperse
  4. to ask authoritatively or earnestly to be informed of
    • demand the reason for the dismissal
  5. to require to come : summon
  6. to call for as useful or necessary
    • etiquette demand s a handwritten thank-you

de·man·dant [di-'man-dənt] -n

  1. the plaintiff in a real action
  2. one who makes a demand or claim

demand deposit -n

  1. a bank deposit that can be withdrawn without advance notice

de·mand·ing [-'man-diŋ-lē] -adj, adv, n

  1. requiring much time, effort, or attention : exacting
    • a demanding job
    • demanding customers

demand loan -n

  1. call loan

demand note -n

  1. a note payable on demand

de·mandpull [di-'man(d)-,pu̇l] -n, adj

  1. an increase or upward trend in spendable money that tends to result in increased competition for available goods and services and a corresponding increase in consumer prices

de·mandside [di-'mand-,sīd] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being an economic theory that advocates use of government spending and growth in the money supply to stimulate the demand for goods and services and therefore expand economic activity

dem·an·toid ['de-mən-,tȯid] -n

  1. a green variety of garnet used as a gem

de·mar·cate [di-'mär-,kāt, 'dē-,] -vt, n

  1. delimit
  2. to set apart : distinguish
    • demarcate teachers as mentor, master and model teachers based on their level of education -- Shanay Cadette

de·marche [dā-'märsh, di-', 'dā-,] -n

  1. a course of action : maneuver
  2. a diplomatic or political initiative or maneuver
  3. a petition or protest presented through diplomatic channels

de·mark [di-'märk] -vt

  1. demarcate

de·ma·te·ri·al·ize [,dē-mə-'tir-ē-ə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to cause to become or appear immaterial
  2. to lose or appear to lose materiality

deme ['dēm] -n

  1. a unit of local government in ancient Attica
  2. a local population of closely related interbreeding organisms

de·mean [di-'mēn] -vt

  1. to conduct or behave (oneself) usu. in a proper manner

demean -vt

  1. to lower in character, status, or reputation

de·mean·or [di-'mē-nər] -n

  1. behavior toward others : outward manner

de·mean·our [di-'mē-nər] -n

(variant of demeanor)

  1. behavior toward others : outward manner

de·ment·ed [di-'men-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. mad, insane
  2. suffering from or exhibiting cognitive dementia

de·men·tia [di-'men(t)-shə, -shē-ə] -n, adj

  1. a usu. progressive condition (as Alzheimer's disease) marked by deteriorated cognitive functioning often with emotional apathy
  2. madness, insanity
    • a fanaticism bordering on dementia

dementia prae·cox [-'prē-,käks] -n

  1. schizophrenia

dem·e·rara sugar [,de-mə-'rär-ə-, -'rer-] -n

  1. a coarse light-brown raw sugar

de·mer·it [di-'mer-ət, dē-, -'me-rət] -n

  1. offense
  2. a quality that deserves blame or lacks merit : fault, defect
  3. lack of merit
  4. a mark usu. entailing a loss of privilege given to an offender

De·mer·ol ['de-mə-,rȯl, -,rōl] -trademark

  1. used for meperidine

de·mer·sal [di-'mər-səl] -adj

  1. living near, deposited on, or sinking to the bottom of the sea
    • demersal fish eggs

de·mesne [di-'mān, -'mēn] -n

  1. legal possession of land as one's own
  2. manorial land actually possessed by the lord and not held by tenants
  3. the land attached to a mansion
  4. landed property : estate
  5. region , territory
  6. realm , domain

De·me·ter [di-'mē-tər] -n

  1. the Greek goddess of agriculture

de·meth·yl·ate [(')dē-'me-thə-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. to remove a methyl group from (a chemical compound)

demi- -prefix

  1. half
    • demi semiquaver
  2. one that partly belongs to (a specified type or class)
    • demi god

demiglace ['de-mē-,glas] -n

  1. a highly concentrated reduced brown sauce often used as a base for other sauces

demi·god ['de-mē-,gäd] -n

  1. a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god
  2. a person so outstanding as to seem to approach the divine
    • the demigod s of jazz

demi·god·dess ['de-mē-,gä-dəs] -n

  1. a female demigod

demi·john ['de-mē-,jän] -n

  1. a large narrow-necked bottle usu. enclosed in wickerwork

de·mil·i·ta·rize [(,)dē-'mi-lə-tə-,rīz, di-] -vt, n

  1. to do away with the military organization or potential of
  2. to prohibit (as a zone or frontier area) from being used for military purposes
  3. to rid of military characteristics or uses

demi·mon·daine [,de-mi-,män-'dān, -'män-,, -mē-] -n

  1. a woman supported by a wealthy lover
  2. a woman of the demimonde

demi·monde ['de-mi-,mänd, -mē-] -n

  1. a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers
  2. their world
  3. the world of prostitution
  4. a distinct circle or world that is often an isolated part of a larger world
    • a night in the disco demimonde
  5. one having low reputation or prestige

de·min·er·al·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,mi-nə-rə-lə-'zā-shən, di-] -n, vt

  1. loss of bodily minerals (as calcium salts) esp. in disease
  2. the process of removing mineral matter or salts (as from water)

de min·i·mis [dē-'mi-nə-məs, dā-'mē-ni-mis] -adj

  1. lacking significance or importance : so minor as to merit disregard
    • de minimis fringe benefits

demi·rep ['de-mi-,rep, -mē-] -n

  1. demimondaine

de·mise [di-'mīz] -vb

  1. to convey (as an estate) by will or lease
  2. convey, give
  3. to transmit by succession or inheritance
  4. die, decease
  5. to pass by descent or bequest
    • the property has demised to the king's heirs

demise -n

  1. the conveyance of an estate
  2. transfer of the sovereignty to a successor
  3. death
  4. a cessation of existence or activity
  5. a loss of position or status

demisec [,de-mi-'sek, -mē-] -adj

  1. moderately sweet

demi·semi·qua·ver [,de-mē-'se-mē-,kwā-vər] -n

  1. thirty-second note

de·mis·sion [di-'mi-shən] -n

  1. resignation, abdication

de·mit [di-'mit] -vb

  1. dismiss
  2. resign
  3. to withdraw from office or membership

demi·tasse ['de-mi-,tas, -,täs, -mē] -n

  1. a small cup of black coffee
  2. the cup used to serve it

demi·urge ['de-mē-,ərj] -n, adj

  1. a Platonic subordinate deity who fashions the sensible world in the light of eternal ideas
  2. a Gnostic subordinate deity who is the creator of the material world
  3. one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power

demi·world ['de-mē-,wərld] -n

  1. demimonde
    • the demiworld of drugs

demo ['de-(,)mō] -n

  1. democrat
  2. demonstration
  3. demonstration
  4. demonstrator
  5. a recording intended to show off a song or performer to a record producer

de·mob [(,)dē-'mäb, di-] -vt

  1. demobilize

demob -n

  1. the act or process of demobilizing

de·mo·bi·lize [di-'mō-bə-,līz, ,dē-] -vt, n

  1. disband
  2. to discharge from military service

de·moc·ra·cy [di-'mä-krə-sē] -n

  1. government by the people
  2. rule of the majority
  3. a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usu. involving periodically held free elections
  4. a political unit that has a democratic government
  5. the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the U.S.
    • from emancipation Republicanism to New Deal Democracy -- C. M. Roberts
  6. the common people esp. when constituting the source of political authority
  7. the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

dem·o·crat ['de-mə-,krat] -n

  1. an adherent of democracy
  2. one who practices social equality
  3. a member of the Democratic party of the U.S.

dem·o·crat·ic [,de-mə-'kra-tik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or favoring democracy
  2. of or relating to one of the two major political parties in the U.S. evolving in the early 19th century from the anti-federalists and the Democratic-Republican party and associated in modern times with policies of broad social reform and internationalism
  3. relating to, appealing to, or available to the broad masses of the people
    • democratic art
  4. favoring social equality : not snobbish

democratic centralism -n

  1. a principle of Communist party organization by which members take part in policy discussions and elections at all levels but must follow decisions made at higher levels

DemocraticRepublican -adj

  1. of or relating to a major American political party of the early 19th century favoring a strict interpretation of the Constitution to restrict the powers of the federal government and emphasizing states' rights

de·moc·ra·tize [di-'mä-krə-,tīz] -vt, n

  1. to make democratic

de·mo·de [,dā-mō-'dā] -adj

  1. no longer fashionable : out-of-date

de·mod·ed [(,)dē-'mō-dəd] -adj

  1. demode

de·mod·u·late [(,)dē-'mä-jə-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. to extract the information from (a modulated signal)

De·mo·gor·gon [,dē-mə-'gȯr-gən, 'dē-mə-,] -n

  1. a mysterious spirit or deity often explained as a primeval creator god who antedates the gods of Greek mythology

de·mo·graph·ic [,de-mə-'gra-fik, ,dē-mə-] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to demography or demographics
  2. relating to the dynamic balance of a population esp. with regard to density and capacity for expansion or decline

demographic -n

  1. the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used esp. to identify markets
  2. a market or segment of the population identified by demographics

de·mog·ra·phy [di-'mä-grə-fē] -n

  1. the statistical study of human populations esp. with reference to size and density, distribution, and vital statistics

dem·oi·selle [,dem-wə-'zel] -n

  1. a young lady
  2. damselfish

De·Moi·vre's theorem [di-'mȯi-vərz-, -'mwäv(-rə)z-] -n

  1. a theorem of complex numbers: the nth power of a complex number has for its absolute value and its argument respectively the nth power of the absolute value and ntimes the argument of the complex number

de·mol·ish [di-'mä-lish] -vt, n

  1. tear down, raze
  2. to break to pieces : smash
  3. to do away with : destroy
  4. to strip of any pretense of merit or credence

de·mo·li·tion [,de-mə-'li-shən, ,dē-mə-] -n

  1. the act of demolishing
  2. destruction in war by means of explosives
  3. explosives for destruction in war

demolition derby -n

  1. a contest in which skilled drivers ram old cars into one another until only one car remains running
  2. something that resembles a demolition derby in destructiveness

de·mon ['dē-mən] -n, adj, vt

  1. an evil spirit
  2. a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin
  3. an attendant power or spirit : genius
  4. a supernatural being of Greek mythology intermediate between gods and men
  5. one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness
    • a demon for work

de·mon·e·tize [(,)dē-'mä-nə-,tīz, -'mə-] -vt, n

  1. to stop using (a metal) as a monetary standard
  2. to deprive of value for official payment

de·mo·ni·ac [di-'mō-nē-,ak] -adj, adv

  1. possessed or influenced by a demon
  2. demonic
    • demoniac rage

demoniac -n

  1. one possessed by a demon

de·mon·ic [di-'mä-nik, dē-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of a demon : fiendish
    • demonic cruelty
    • demonic laughter

de·mon·ol·o·gy [,dē-mə-'nä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the study of demons or evil spirits
  2. belief in demons : a doctrine of evil spirits
  3. a catalog of enemies
    • the liberal creed at that time put Big Business in a central place in its demonology -- Carl Kaysen

de·mon·stra·ble [di-'män(t)-strə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being demonstrated
  2. apparent, evident

dem·on·strate ['de-mən-,strāt] -vb

  1. to show clearly
    • demonstrate a willingness to cooperate
  2. to prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence
  3. to illustrate and explain esp. with many examples
    • demonstrate a procedure
  4. to show or prove the value or efficiency of to a prospective buyer
    • demonstrate a new product
  5. to make a demonstration
    • crowds demonstrating for the right to vote

dem·on·stra·tion [,de-mən-'strā-shən] -n, adj

  1. : an act, process, or means of demonstrating to the intelligence: as
  2. conclusive evidence : proof
  3. derivation
  4. a showing of the merits of a product or service to a prospective consumer
  5. an outward expression or display
  6. a show of armed force
  7. a public display of group feelings toward a person or cause

de·mon·stra·tive [di-'män(t)-strə-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. demonstrating as real or true
  2. characterized or established by demonstration
  3. pointing out the one referred to and distinguishing it from others of the same class
    • demonstrative pronouns
  4. marked by display of feeling
  5. inclined to display feelings openly

demonstrative -n

  1. a demonstrative word or morpheme

dem·on·stra·tor ['de-mən-,strā-tər] -n

  1. : one that demonstrates:
  2. a product (as an automobile) used to demonstrate performance or merits to prospective buyers
  3. a person who engages in a public demonstration

de·mor·al·ize [di-'mȯr-ə-,līz, ,dē-, -'mär-] -vt, n, adv

  1. to corrupt the morals of
  2. to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit
  3. to upset or destroy the normal functioning of
  4. to throw into disorder

de·mos ['dē-,mäs] -n

  1. populace
  2. the common people of an ancient Greek state

de·mote [di-'mōt, ,dē-] -vt, n

  1. to reduce to a lower grade or rank
  2. to relegate to a less important position

de·mot·ic [di-'mä-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or written in a simplified form of the ancient Egyptian hieratic writing
  2. popular, common
    • demotic idiom
  3. of or relating to the form of Modern Greek that is based on everyday speech

de·mount [(,)dē-'mau̇nt] -vt, adj

  1. to remove from a mounted position
  2. disassemble

de·mul·cent [di-'məl-sənt] -adj

  1. soothing

demulcent -n

  1. a usu. mucilaginous or oily substance (as tragacanth) that can soothe or protect an abraded mucous membrane

de·mul·ti·plex·er [(,)dē-'məl-tə-,plek-sər] -n

  1. an electronic device that separates a multiplex signal into its component parts

de·mur [di-'mər] -vi

  1. delay, hesitate
  2. to file a demurrer
  3. to take exception : object often used with to or at

demur -n

  1. hesitation (as in doing or accepting) usu. based on doubt of the acceptability of something offered or proposed
  2. the act or an instance of objecting : protest

de·mure [di-'myu̇r] -adj, adv, n

  1. reserved, modest
  2. affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : coy

de·mur·rage [di-'mər-ij, -'mə-rij] -n

  1. the detention of a ship by the freighter beyond the time allowed for loading, unloading, or sailing
  2. a charge for detaining a ship, freight car, or truck

de·mur·ral [di-'mər-əl, -'mə-rəl] -n

  1. the act or an instance of demurring

de·mur·rer [di-'mər-ər, -'mə-rər] -n

  1. a response in a court proceeding in which the defendant does not dispute the truth of the allegation but claims it is not sufficient grounds to justify legal action
  2. objection
  3. one that demurs

de·my·e·lin·at·ing [(,)dē-'mī-ə-lə-,nā-tiŋ] -adj, n

  1. causing or characterized by the loss or destruction of myelin
    • demyelinating diseases
    • a demyelinating agent

de·mys·ti·fy [(,)dē-'mis-tə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to eliminate the mystifying features of

de·my·thol·o·gize [,dē-mi-'thä-lə-,jīz] -vt, n

  1. to divest of mythological forms in order to uncover the meaning underlying them
    • demythologize the Gospels
  2. to divest of mythical elements or associations

den ['den] -n

  1. the lair of a wild usu. predatory animal
  2. a hollow or cavern used esp. as a hideout
  3. a center of secret activity
  4. a small usu. squalid dwelling
  5. a comfortable usu. secluded room
  6. a subdivision of a Cub Scout pack made up of two or more boys
  7. to live in or retire to a den
    • polar bears den in ice caves or snowdrifts
  8. to drive into a den

Den -abbr

  1. Denmark

de·nar·i·us [di-'ner-ē-əs] -n

  1. a small silver coin of ancient Rome
  2. a gold coin of the Roman Empire equivalent to 25 denarii

de·na·tion·al·ize [(')dē-'nash-nə-,līz, -'na-shə-nə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to divest of national character or rights
  2. to remove from ownership or control by the national government

de·nat·u·ral·ize [(,)dē-'na-ch(ə-)rə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to make unnatural
  2. to deprive of the rights and duties of a citizen

de·na·ture [(,)dē-'nā-chər] -vb, n

  1. dehumanize
  2. : to deprive of natural qualities : change the nature of: as
  3. to make (alcohol) unfit for drinking (as by adding an obnoxious substance) without impairing usefulness for other purposes
  4. to modify the molecular structure of (as a protein or DNA) esp. by heat, acid, alkali, or ultraviolet radiation so as to destroy or diminish some of the original properties and esp. the specific biological activity
  5. to become denatured

de·na·zi·fy [(,)dē-'nät-si-,fī, -'nat-] -vt, n

  1. to rid of Nazism and its influence

dendr- -comb form

  1. tree
    • dendro logy
    : resembling a tree
    • dendr ite

den·dri·form ['den-drə-,fȯrm] -adj

  1. treelike in form

den·drite ['den-,drīt] -n

  1. a branching treelike figure produced on or in a mineral by a foreign mineral
  2. the mineral so marked
  3. a crystallized arborescent form
  4. any of the usu. branching protoplasmic processes that conduct impulses toward the body of a neuron

den·drit·ic [(,)den-'dri-tik] -adj

  1. resembling or having dendrites : branching like a tree
    • a dendritic drainage system
    • dendritic cells

dendritic cell -n

  1. any of various antigen-presenting cells with long irregular processes

den·dro·chro·nol·o·gy [,den-(,)drō-krə-'nä-lə-jē] -n, adj, adv

  1. the science of dating events and variations in environment in former periods by comparative study of growth rings in trees and aged wood

den·dro·gram ['den-drə-,gram] -n

  1. a branching diagram representing a hierarchy of categories based on degree of similarity or number of shared characteristics esp. in biological taxonomy

den·droid ['den-,drȯid] -adj

  1. resembling a tree in form : arborescent

den·drol·o·gy [den-'drä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the study of trees

dene ['dēn] -n

  1. valley

De·ne [de-'nā, dā-] -n

  1. a member of any of the Athabascan-speaking peoples of the interior of Alaska and northwestern Canada
  2. the languages of these peoples

Den·eb ['de-,neb, -nəb] -n

  1. a star of the first magnitude in Cygnus

den·e·ga·tion [,de-ni-'gā-shən] -n

  1. denial

de·ner·vate ['dē-(,)nər-,vāt] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of a nerve supply

den·gue ['deŋ-gē, -,gā] -n

  1. an acute infectious disease caused by a flavivirus (species Dengue virusof the genus Flavivirus), transmitted by aedes mosquitoes, and characterized by headache, severe joint pain, and a rash called also breakbone fever dengue fever

de·ni ['de-nē, 'dā-] -n pl

  1. see denar at

de·ni·abil·i·ty [dē-,nī-ə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. the ability to deny something esp. on the basis of being officially uninformed

de·ni·able [di-'nī-ə-bəl, dē-] -adj

  1. capable of being denied

de·ni·al [di-'nī(-ə)l, dē-] -n

  1. refusal to satisfy a request or desire
  2. refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge)
  3. assertion that an allegation is false
  4. refusal to acknowledge a person or a thing : disavowal
  5. the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
  6. self-denial
  7. negation in logic
  8. a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality

de·ni·er [di-'nī(-ə)r, dē-] -n

  1. one who denies
    • denier s of the truth

de·nier -n

  1. a small orig. silver coin formerly used in western Europe
  2. a unit of fineness for yarn equal to the fineness of a yarn weighing one gram for each 9000 meters
    • 100- denier yarn is finer than 150- denier yarn

den·i·grate ['de-ni-,grāt] -vt, n, adj

  1. to attack the reputation of : defame
    • denigrate one's opponents
  2. to deny the importance or validity of : belittle
    • denigrate their achievements

den·im ['de-nəm] -n, adj

  1. a firm durable twilled usu. cotton fabric woven with colored warp and white filling threads
  2. a similar fabric woven in colored stripes
  3. overalls or trousers usu. of blue denim

de·ni·tri·fi·ca·tion [(,)dē-,nī-trə-fə-'kā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the loss or removal of nitrogen or nitrogen compounds
  2. reduction of nitrates or nitrites commonly by bacteria (as in soil) that usu. results in the escape of nitrogen into the air

den·i·zen ['de-nə-zən] -n

  1. inhabitant
    • denizen s of the forest
  2. a person admitted to residence in a foreign country
  3. an alien admitted to rights of citizenship
  4. one that frequents a place
    • nightclub denizen s

den mother -n

  1. a female adult leader of a Cub Scout den
  2. a person seen in the role of leader or protector of a group

de·nom·i·nal [dē-'nä-mə-nᵊl] -adj

  1. derived from a noun

de·nom·i·nate [di-'nä-mə-,nāt, dē-] -vt

  1. to give a name to : designate
  2. to express or designate in some denomination
    • will denominate prices in U.S. dollars

de·nom·i·nate number [di-,nä-mə-nət-] -n

  1. a number (as 7in 7 feet) that specifies a quantity in terms of a unit of measurement

de·nom·i·na·tion [di-,nä-mə-'nā-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. an act of denominating
  2. a value or size of a series of values or sizes (as of money)
  3. name, designation
  4. a general name for a category
  5. a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices

de·nom·i·na·tion·al·ism [-shə-nə-,li-zəm] -n

  1. devotion to denominational principles or interests
  2. the emphasizing of denominational differences to the point of being narrowly exclusive : sectarianism

de·nom·i·na·tive [di-'nä-mə-nə-tiv] -adj, n

  1. derived from a noun or adjective

de·nom·i·na·tor [di-'nä-mə-,nā-tər] -n

  1. the part of a fraction that is below the line and that functions as the divisor of the numerator
  2. a shared trait
    • a common denominator
  3. the average level (as of taste or opinion) : standard

de·no·ta·tion [,dē-nō-'tā-shən] -n

  1. an act or process of denoting
  2. meaning
  3. a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea
  4. a denoting term : name
  5. sign, indication
    • visible denotation s of divine wrath
  6. the totality of things to which a term is applicable esp. in logic

de·no·ta·tive ['dē-nō-,tā-tiv, di-'nō-tə-tiv] -adj

  1. denoting or tending to denote
  2. relating to denotation

de·note [di-'nōt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to serve as an indication of : betoken
    • the swollen bellies that denote starvation
  2. to serve as an arbitrary mark for
    • red flares denoting danger
  3. to make known : announce
    • his crestfallen look denoted his distress
  4. to serve as a linguistic expression of the notion of : mean
  5. to stand for : designate

de·noue·ment [,dā-,nü-'mäⁿ, dā-'nü-,] -n

  1. the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work
  2. the outcome of a complex sequence of events

de·nounce [di-'nau̇n(t)s, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to pronounce esp. publicly to be blameworthy or evil
    • they denounced him as a bigot
  2. proclaim
  3. to announce threateningly
  4. to inform against : accuse
  5. portend
  6. to announce formally the termination of (as a treaty)

de no·vo [di-'nō-(,)vō, dā-, dē-] -adv or adj

  1. over again : anew
    • a case tried de novo

dense ['den(t)s] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by compactness or crowding together of parts
    • dense vegetation
    • dense traffic
  2. having a high mass per unit volume
    • carbon dioxide is a dense gas
  3. slow to understand : stupid, thickheaded
    • was too dense to get the joke
  4. extreme
    • dense ignorance
  5. having between any two elements at least one element
    • the set of rational numbers is dense
  6. demanding concentration to follow or comprehend
    • dense prose
  7. having high or relatively high opacity
    • a dense fog
    • a dense photographic negative

den·si·fy ['den(t)-sə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to make denser : compress

den·si·tom·e·ter [,den(t)-sə-'tä-mə-tər] -n, adj

  1. an instrument for determining optical, photographic, or mass density
    • diagnose osteoporosis using an X-ray bone densitometer

den·si·ty ['den(t)-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being dense
  2. : the quantity per unit volume, unit area, or unit length: as
  3. the mass of a substance per unit volume
  4. the distribution of a quantity (as mass, electricity, or energy) per unit usu. of space (as length, area, or volume)
  5. the average number of individuals or units per space unit
    • a population density of 500 per square mile
    • a housing density of 10 houses per acre
  6. the degree of opacity of a translucent medium
  7. the common logarithm of the opacity

density function -n

  1. probability density function

dent ['dent] -vb

  1. to make a dent in
    • dent a car's bumper
  2. to have a weakening effect on
  3. to form a dent by sinking inward : become dented
  4. a depression or hollow made by a blow or by pressure
  5. an appreciable impression or effect often made against resistance
    • hasn't made a dent in the problem
  6. a weakening or lessening effect
    • costs that have made a dent in the budget
  7. tooth
  8. dental; dentist; dentistry

dent- -comb form

  1. tooth : teeth
    • denti form

den·tal ['den-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the teeth or dentistry
  2. articulated with the tip or blade of the tongue against or near the upper front teeth

dental -n

  1. a dental consonant

dental floss -n

  1. a thread used to clean between the teeth

dental hygienist -n

  1. a licensed dental professional who cleans and examines teeth

den·ta·li·um [den-'tā-lē-əm] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Dentalium) of widely distributed tooth shells
  2. tooth shell

dental technician -n

  1. one who makes dental appliances

den·tate ['den-,tāt] -adj

  1. having teeth or pointed conical projections
    • a dentate margin of a leaf

dent corn -n

  1. an Indian corn having kernels that contain both hard and soft starch and that become indented at maturity

den·ti·cle ['den-ti-kəl] -n

  1. a conical pointed projection (as a small tooth)

den·tic·u·late [den-'ti-kyə-lət] -adj, n

  1. finely dentate or serrate
    • a denticulate shell
    • a denticulate margin of a leaf
  2. cut into dentils

den·ti·form ['den-tə-,fȯrm] -adj

  1. shaped like a tooth

den·ti·frice ['den-tə-frəs] -n

  1. a powder, paste, or liquid for cleaning the teeth

den·til ['den-tᵊl, -,til] -n, adj

  1. one of a series of small projecting rectangular blocks forming a molding esp. under a cornice

den·tin ['den-tᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a calcareous material similar to but harder and denser than bone that composes the principal mass of a tooth

den·tist ['den-təst] -n

  1. one who is skilled in and licensed to practice the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth, jaws, and mouth and who makes and inserts false teeth

den·tist·ry ['den-tə-strē] -n

  1. the art or profession of a dentist

den·ti·tion [den-'ti-shən] -n

  1. the development and cutting of teeth
  2. the character of a set of teeth esp. with regard to their number, kind, and arrangement
  3. teeth

den·tu·lous ['den-chə-ləs] -adj

  1. having teeth

den·ture ['den-chər] -n

  1. a set of teeth
  2. an artificial replacement for one or more teeth
  3. a set of false teeth

den·tur·ist ['den-chə-rist] -n

  1. a dental technician who makes, fits, and repairs dentures directly for the public

de·nu·cle·ar·ize [(')dē-'n(y)ü-klē-ə-,rīz, ÷-kyə-lə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove nuclear arms from : prohibit the use of nuclear arms in

de·nude [di-'n(y)üd, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of something important
  2. to strip of all covering or surface layers
  3. to lay bare by erosion
  4. to strip (land) of forests

de·nu·mer·a·ble [di-'n(y)ü-mə-rə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. countable

de·nun·ci·a·tion [di-,nən(t)-sē-'ā-shən] -n, adj

  1. an act of denouncing
  2. a public condemnation

Den·ver boot ['den-vər-] -n

  1. a metal clamp that is locked onto one of the wheels of an automobile to immobilize it esp. until its owner pays accumulated parking fines

Denver omelet -n

  1. western omelet

Denver sandwich -n

  1. western sandwich

de·ny [di-'nī, dē-] -vt, adv

  1. to declare untrue
    • deny an allegation
  2. to refuse to admit or acknowledge : disavow
    • deny responsibility
  3. to give a negative answer to
    • deny ing the petitioners
  4. to refuse to grant
    • deny a request
  5. to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires
  6. decline
  7. to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of

de·o·dar ['dē-ə-,där] -n

  1. an East Indian cedar ( Cedrus deodara)

de·odor·ant [dē-'ō-də-rənt] -n, adj

  1. a preparation that destroys or masks unpleasant odors

de·odor·ize [dē-'ō-də-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to eliminate or prevent the offensive odor of
  2. to make (something unpleasant or reprehensible) more acceptable
    • the movie deodorize s his scandalous career

de·on·tic [(,)dē-'än-tik] -adj

  1. of or relating to moral obligation : deontological

de·on·tol·o·gy [,dē-,än-'tä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. the theory or study of moral obligation

Deo vo·len·te [,dā-(,)ō-vō-'len-tē, ,dē-]

  1. God being willing

de·ox·i·dize [(,)dē-'äk-sə-,dīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove esp. elemental oxygen from
    • deoxidize the compound

de·oxy [(,)dē-'äk-sē] -adj

  1. containing less oxygen in the molecule than the compound from which it is derived
    • deoxy sugars
    usu. used in combination
    • deoxy ribonucleic acid

de·ox·y·gen·ate [(,)dē-'äk-si-jə-,nāt, ,dē-äk-'si-jə-] -vt, n

  1. to remove esp. molecular oxygen from
    • deoxygenate s the lake water

de·ox·y·gen·at·ed -adj

  1. having the hemoglobin in the reduced state

de·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ase [(,)dē-'äk-si-,rī-bō-'n(y)ü-klē-,ās, -,āz] -n

  1. dnase

de·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ic acid [(,)dē-'äk-si-,rī-bō-n(y)u̇-,klē-ik-, -,klā-] -n

  1. dna

de·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·o·tide [-'n(y)ü-klē-ə-,tīd] -n

  1. a nucleotide that contains deoxyribose and is a constituent of DNA

de·oxy·ri·bose [(,)dē-,äk-si-'rī-,bōs, -,bōz] -n

  1. a pentose sugar C 5H 10O 4that is a structural element of DNA

dep -abbr

  1. depart; departure
  2. department
  3. deponent
  4. deposed
  5. deposit
  6. depot
  7. deputy

de·part [di-'pärt, dē-] -vb

  1. to go away : leave
  2. die
  3. to turn aside : deviate
  4. to go away from : leave

de·part·ed -adj

  1. bygone
    • departed days
  2. having died esp. recently
    • mourning our departed friend

de·part·ee [-pär-'tē] -n

  1. a person who is departing or who has departed

de·part·ment [di-'pärt-mənt] -n, adj, adv

  1. a distinct sphere : province
    • that's not my department
  2. a category consisting esp. of a measurable activity or attribute
    • lacking in the trustworthiness department -- Garrison Keillor
  3. : a functional or territorial division: as
  4. a major administrative division of a government
  5. a major territorial administrative subdivision
  6. a division of a college or school giving instruction in a particular subject
  7. a major division of a business
  8. a section of a department store handling a particular kind of merchandise
  9. a territorial subdivision made for the administration and training of military units

de·part·men·tal·ize [di-,pärt-'men-tə-,līz, ,dē-] -vt, n

  1. to divide into departments

department store -n

  1. a store having separate sections for a wide variety of goods

de·par·ture [di-'pär-chər] -n

  1. the act or an instance of departing
  2. death
  3. a setting out (as on a new course)
  4. divergence
    • a departure from tradition

de·pau·per·ate [di-'pȯ-pə-rət] -adj

  1. falling short of natural development or size
  2. impoverished
    • a depauperate fauna

de·pend [di-'pend] -vi

  1. to be determined, based, or contingent
    • life depend s on food
    • the value of Y depend s on X
  2. to be pending or undecided
  3. to place reliance or trust
    • you can depend on me
  4. to be dependent esp. for financial support
  5. to hang down

de·pend·able [di-'pen-də-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being depended on : reliable
    • a dependable source of income

de·pen·dence [di-'pen-dən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being dependent
  2. the quality or state of being influenced or determined by or subject to another
  3. reliance, trust
  4. one that is relied on
  5. drug addiction
    • developed a dependence on painkillers
  6. habituation

de·pen·den·cy [-dən(t)-sē] -n

  1. dependence
  2. something that is dependent on something else
  3. a territorial unit under the jurisdiction of a nation but not formally annexed by it
  4. a building (as a stable) that is an adjunct to a main dwelling

de·pen·dent [di-'pen-dənt] -adj, adv

  1. hanging down
  2. determined or conditioned by another : contingent
    • plans that are dependent on the weather
  3. relying on another for support
    • dependent children
  4. affected with a drug dependence
  5. subject to another's jurisdiction
    • a dependent territory
  6. subordinate
    • dependent clauses
  7. not mathematically or statistically independent
    • a dependent set of vectors
    • dependent events
  8. equivalent
    • dependent equations

dependent [-dənt] -n

  1. dependency
  2. one that is dependent
  3. a person who relies on another for support

dependent variable -n

  1. a mathematical variable whose value is determined by that of one or more other variables in a function

de·per·son·al·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,pər-snə-lə-'zā-shən, -,pər-sə-nə-lə-] -n

  1. an act or process of depersonalizing
  2. the quality or state of being depersonalized
  3. a psychopathological syndrome characterized by loss of identity and feelings of unreality and strangeness about one's own behavior

de·per·son·al·ize [(')dē-'pər-snə-,līz, -'pər-sə-nə-] -vt

  1. to deprive of the sense of personal identity
    • schools that depersonalize students
  2. to make impersonal
    • depersonalizing medical care

de·phos·phor·y·la·tion [(,)dē-,fäs-fȯr-ə-'lā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the process of removing phosphate groups from an organic compound (as ATP) by hydrolysis
  2. the resulting state

de·pict [di-'pikt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to represent by or as if by a picture
    • a mural depict ing a famous battle
  2. describe

de·pig·men·ta·tion [(,)dē-,pig-mən-'tā-shən, -,men-] -n

  1. loss of normal pigmentation

dep·i·la·tion [,de-pə-'lā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the removal of hair, wool, or bristles by chemical or mechanical methods

de·pil·a·to·ry [di-'pi-lə-,tȯr-ē] -n, adj

  1. an agent for removing hair, wool, or bristles

de·plane [(,)dē-'plān] -vi

  1. to disembark from an airplane

de·plete [di-'plēt] -vt, adj, n

  1. to empty of a principal substance
  2. to lessen markedly in quantity, content, power, or value

de·plor·able [di-'plȯr-ə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. lamentable
    • a deplorable death
  2. deserving censure or contempt : wretched
    • deplorable living conditions

de·plore [di-'plȯr] -vt, n, adv

  1. to feel or express grief for
  2. to regret strongly
  3. to consider unfortunate or deserving of deprecation
    • many critics deplore his methods

de·ploy [di-'plȯi] -vb, adj, n

  1. to extend (a military unit) esp. in width
  2. to place in battle formation or appropriate positions
  3. to spread out, utilize, or arrange for a deliberate purpose
    • deploy a sales force
    • deploy a parachute
  4. to move, spread out, or function while being deployed
    • the troops deploy ed along the front
    • the parachute failed to deploy

de·po·lar·ize [(,)dē-'pō-lə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to cause to become partially or wholly unpolarized
  2. to prevent or remove polarization of (as a dry cell or cell membrane)

de·po·lit·i·cize [,dē-pə-'li-tə-,sīz] -vt, n

  1. to remove the political character of : take out of the realm of politics
    • depoliticize foreign aid

de·po·ly·mer·ize [(,)dē-pə-'li-mə-,rīz, -'pä-lə-mə-] -vt, n

  1. to decompose (macromolecules) into simpler compounds (as monomers)
  2. to undergo decomposition into simpler compounds

de·pone [di-'pōn] -vb

  1. testify

de·po·nent [di-'pō-nənt] -adj

  1. occurring with passive or middle voice forms but with active voice meaning
    • the deponent verbs in Latin and Greek

deponent -n

  1. a deponent verb
  2. one who gives evidence

de·pop·u·late [(,)dē-'pä-pyə-,lāt] -vt, n

  1. ravage
  2. to reduce greatly the population of

de·port [di-'pȯrt, dē-] -vt

  1. to behave or comport (oneself) esp. in accord with a code
  2. to carry away
  3. to send out of the country by legal deportation

de·port·able [di-'pȯr-tə-bəl, dē-] -adj

  1. punishable by deportation
    • deportable offenses
  2. subject to deportation
    • deportable aliens

de·por·ta·tion [,dē-,pȯr-'tā-shən, -pər-] -n

  1. an act or instance of deporting
  2. the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is unlawful or prejudicial

de·por·tee [,dē-,pȯr-'tē, di-] -n

  1. one who has been deported or is under sentence of deportation

de·port·ment [di-'pȯrt-mənt, dē-] -n

  1. the manner in which one conducts oneself : behavior

de·pos·al [di-'pō-zəl, dē-] -n

  1. an act of deposing from office

de·pose [di-'pōz, dē-] -vb

  1. to remove from a throne or other high position
  2. to put down : deposit
  3. to testify to under oath or by affidavit
  4. affirm, assert
  5. to take a deposition of
    • depose a witness
  6. to bear witness

de·pos·it [di-'pä-zət] -vb, n

  1. to place esp. for safekeeping or as a pledge
  2. to put in a bank
  3. to lay down : place
  4. to let fall (as sediment)
  5. to become deposited

deposit -n

  1. the state of being deposited
  2. : something placed for safekeeping: as
  3. money deposited in a bank
  4. money given as a pledge or down payment
  5. a place of deposit : depository
  6. an act of depositing
  7. something laid down
  8. matter deposited by a natural process
  9. a natural accumulation (as of iron ore, coal, or gas)

de·pos·i·tary [di-'pä-zə-,ter-ē] -n

  1. a person to whom something is entrusted
  2. depository

de·po·si·tion [,de-pə-'zi-shən, ,dē-pə-] -n, adj

  1. an act of removing from a position of authority
  2. a testifying esp. before a court
  3. declaration
  4. testimony taken down in writing under oath
  5. out-of-court testimony made under oath and recorded by an authorized officer for later use in court
  6. a meeting at which such testimony is taken
  7. an act or process of depositing
  8. something deposited : deposit

de·pos·i·to·ry [di-'pä-zə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. depositary
  2. a place where something is deposited esp. for safekeeping

depository library -n

  1. a library designated to receive U.S. government publications

de·pot [1 & 2 are 'de-(,)pō also 'dē-, 3 is 'dē- sometimes 'de-] -n

  1. a place for storing goods or motor vehicles
  2. store, cache
    • a fat depot in the body
  3. a place for the storage of military supplies
  4. a place for the reception and forwarding of military replacements
  5. a building for railroad or bus passengers or freight

depr -abbr

  1. depreciation
  2. depression

de·prave [di-'prāv] -vt, n

  1. to speak ill of : malign
  2. to make bad : corrupt
  3. to corrupt morally

de·praved [di-'prāvd] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by corruption or evil
  2. perverted

de·prav·i·ty [di-'pra-və-tē also -'prā-] -n

  1. a corrupt act or practice
  2. the quality or state of being depraved

dep·re·cate ['de-pri-,kāt] -vt, adv, n

  1. to pray against (as an evil)
  2. to seek to avert
    • deprecate the wrath...of the Roman people -- Tobias Smollett
  3. to express disapproval of
  4. play down: make little of
    • speaks five languages...but deprecate s this facility -- Time
  5. belittle, disparage
    • the most reluctantly admired and least easily deprecated of...novelists -- New Yorker

dep·re·ca·to·ry ['de-pri-kə-,tȯr-ē, 'de-prə-,kā-tə-rē] -adj, adv

  1. seeking to avert disapproval : apologetic
  2. serving to deprecate : disapproving

de·pre·ci·ate [di-'prē-shē-,āt] -vb, adj, adv, n

  1. to lower in estimation or esteem
  2. to lower the price or estimated value of
    • depreciate property
  3. to deduct from taxable income a portion of the original cost of (a business asset) over several years as the value of the asset decreases
  4. to fall in value

dep·re·date ['de-prə-,dāt] -vb, n, adj

  1. to lay waste : plunder, ravage
  2. to engage in plunder

dep·re·nyl ['de-prə-,nil] -n

  1. a monoamine oxidase inhibitor C 13H 17N used esp. to treat Parkinson's disease

de·press [di-'pres, dē-] -vt, adj

  1. repress, subjugate
  2. to press down
    • depress a typewriter key
  3. to cause to sink to a lower position
  4. to lessen the activity or strength of
    • drugs that may depress the appetite
  5. sadden, discourage
    • don't let the news depress you
  6. to decrease the market value or marketability of

de·pres·sant [di-'pre-sᵊnt, dē-] -n, adj

  1. one that depresses
  2. an agent that reduces a bodily functional activity or an instinctive desire (as appetite)

de·pressed -adj

  1. low in spirits : sad
  2. affected by psychological depression
  3. vertically flattened
    • a depressed cactus
  4. having the central part lower than the margin
  5. lying flat or prostrate
  6. dorsoventrally flattened
  7. suffering from economic depression
  8. underprivileged
  9. being below the standard

de·press·ing [-siŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. that depresses
  2. causing emotional depression
    • a depressing story

de·pres·sion [di-'pre-shən, dē-] -n

  1. the angular distance of a celestial object below the horizon
  2. the size of an angle of depression
  3. : an act of depressing or a state of being depressed: as
  4. a pressing down : lowering
  5. a state of feeling sad : dejection
  6. a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked esp. by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies
  7. a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force
  8. a lowering of vitality or functional activity
  9. a depressed place or part : hollow
  10. low
  11. a period of low general economic activity marked esp. by rising levels of unemployment

Depression glass -n

  1. tinted glassware machine-produced during the 1930s

de·pres·sive [di-'pre-siv, dē-] -adj, adv

  1. tending to depress
  2. of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
    • depressive symptoms
    • a depressive patient

depressive -n

  1. one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression

de·pres·sor [di-'pre-sər, dē-] -n

  1. : one that depresses: as
  2. a muscle that draws down a part
  3. a device for pressing down or aside
  4. a nerve or nerve fiber that decreases the activity or the tone of the organ or the part it innervates

de·pres·sur·ize [(,)dē-'pre-shə-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to release pressure from

dep·ri·va·tion [,de-prə-'vā-shən also ,dē-,prī-] -n

  1. the state of being deprived : privation
  2. removal from an office, dignity, or benefice
  3. an act or instance of depriving : loss

de·prive [di-'prīv] -vt

  1. remove
  2. to take something away from
    • deprived him of his professorship -- J. M. Phalen
  3. to remove from office
  4. to withhold something from
    • deprived a citizen of her rights

de·prived -adj

  1. marked by deprivation esp. of the necessities of life or of healthful environmental influences
    • culturally deprived children

de·pro·gram [(,)dē-'prō-,gram, -grəm] -vt, n

  1. to dissuade or try to dissuade from strongly held convictions (as religious beliefs) or a firmly established or innate behavior
    • the necessity of countering propaganda and deprogramming the indoctrinated -- Toni Cade Bambara

dept -abbr

  1. department

depth ['depth] -n, adj

  1. a deep place in a body of water
    • fish living at great depth s
  2. a part that is far from the outside or surface
    • the depth s of the woods
  3. abyss
  4. a profound or intense state (as of thought or feeling)
    • the depth s of misery
  5. a reprehensibly low condition
    • hadn't realized that standards had fallen to such depth s
  6. the middle of a time (as winter)
  7. the worst part
  8. the perpendicular measurement downward from a surface
  9. the direct linear measurement from front to back
  10. the quality of being deep
  11. the degree of intensity
    • depth of a color
  12. the quality of being profound (as in insight) or full (as of knowledge)
  13. the quality or state of being complete or thorough
    • a study will be made in depth
  14. a large number of good players
    • a team that lacks depth

depth charge -n

  1. an antisubmarine weapon that consists essentially of a drum filled with explosives which is dropped near a target and descends to a predetermined depth where it explodes called also depth bomb

depth of field

  1. the range of distances of the object in front of an image-forming device (as a camera lens) measured along the axis of the device throughout which the image has acceptable sharpness

depth perception -n

  1. the ability to judge the distance of objects and the spatial relationship of objects at different distances

depth psychology -n

  1. psychoanalysis
  2. psychology concerned esp. with the unconscious mind

dep·u·ta·tion [,de-pyə-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the act of appointing a deputy
  2. a group of people appointed to represent others

de·pute [di-'pyüt] -vt

  1. delegate

dep·u·tize ['de-pyə-,tīz] -vb, n

  1. to appoint as deputy
  2. to act as deputy

dep·u·ty ['de-pyə-tē] -n

  1. a person appointed as a substitute with power to act
  2. a second in command or assistant who usu. takes charge when his or her superior is absent
  3. a member of the lower house of some legislative assemblies

der -abbr

  1. derivation; derivative

de·rac·i·nate [(,)dē-'ra-sə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. uproot
  2. to remove or separate from a native environment or culture
  3. to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from

de·rail [di-'rāl, dē-] -vb, n

  1. to cause to run off the rails
  2. to obstruct the progress of : frustrate
    • security problems derail ed the tour
  3. to upset the stability or composure of
    • divorce...can seriously derail an employee -- Joanne Gordon
  4. to leave the rails

de·rail·leur [di-'rā-lər] -n

  1. a mechanism for shifting gears on a bicycle that operates by moving the chain from one set of exposed gears to another

de·range [di-'rānj] -vt, n

  1. to disturb the operation or functions of
  2. disarrange
    • hatless, with tie deranged -- G. W. Stonier
  3. to make insane

de·rate [(,)dē-'rāt] -vt

  1. to lower the rated capability of (as electrical or mechanical apparatus) because of deterioration or inadequacy

der·by ['dər-bē, esp Brit 'där-] -n

  1. any of several horse races held annually and usu. restricted to three-year-olds
  2. a race or contest open to all comers or to a specified category of contestants
    • bicycle derby
  3. a man's stiff felt hat with dome-shaped crown and narrow brim

Derbys -abbr

  1. Derbyshire

de·re·al·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,rē-ə-lə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. a feeling of altered reality (as that occurring in schizophrenia or in some drug reactions) in which one's surroundings appear unreal or unfamiliar

de·reg·u·la·tion [(,)dē-,re-gyə-'lā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the act or process of removing restrictions and regulations

der·e·lict ['der-ə-,likt, 'de-rə-] -adj

  1. abandoned esp. by the owner or occupant
  2. run-down
  3. lacking a sense of duty : negligent

derelict -n

  1. something voluntarily abandoned
  2. a ship abandoned on the high seas
  3. a tract of land left dry by receding water
  4. a destitute homeless social misfit : vagrant, bum

der·e·lic·tion [,der-ə-'lik-shən, ,de-rə-] -n

  1. an intentional abandonment
  2. the state of being abandoned
  3. a recession of water leaving permanently dry land
  4. intentional or conscious neglect : delinquency
    • dereliction of duty
  5. fault, shortcoming

de·re·press [,dē-ri-'pres] -vt, n

  1. to activate (a gene or enzyme) by releasing from a blocked state

de·ride [di-'rīd, dē-] -vt, n, adv

  1. to laugh at contemptuously
  2. to subject to usu. bitter or contemptuous ridicule

de ri·gueur [də-(,)rē-'gər] -adj

  1. prescribed or required by fashion, etiquette, or custom : proper

de·ri·sion [di-'ri-zhən] -n

  1. the use of ridicule or scorn to show contempt
  2. a state of being derided
  3. an object of ridicule or scorn

de·ri·sive [di-'rī-siv, -ziv; -'ri-ziv, -'ri-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. expressing or causing derision
    • derisive laughter

de·ri·so·ry [di-'rī-sə-rē, -zə-] -adj

  1. expressing derision : derisive
  2. worthy of derision
  3. laughably small
    • land could be bought for a derisory sum

de·riv·able [di-'rī-və-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being derived

der·i·vate ['der-ə-,vāt, 'de-rə-] -n

  1. derivative

der·i·va·tion [,der-ə-'vā-shən, ,de-rə-] -n, adj

  1. the formation of a word from another word or base (as by the addition of a usu. noninflectional affix)
  2. an act of ascertaining or stating the derivation of a word
  3. etymology
  4. the relation of a word to its base
  5. source, origin
  6. descent, origination
  7. something derived : derivative
  8. an act or process of deriving
  9. a sequence of statements (as in logic or mathematics) showing that a result is a necessary consequence of previously accepted statements

de·riv·a·tive [di-'ri-və-tiv] -n

  1. a word formed by derivation
  2. something derived
  3. the limit of the ratio of the change in a function to the corresponding change in its independent variable as the latter change approaches zero
  4. a chemical substance related structurally to another substance and theoretically derivable from it
  5. a substance that can be made from another substance
  6. a contract or security that derives its value from that of an underlying asset (as another security) or from the value of a rate (as of interest or currency exchange) or index of asset value (as a stock index)

derivative -adj, adv, n

  1. formed by derivation
    • a derivative word
  2. made up of or marked by derived elements
  3. lacking originality : banal

de·riv·a·ti·za·tion [də-,ri-və-tə-'zā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the conversion of a chemical compound into a derivative (as for identification)

de·rive [di-'rīv, dē-] -vb, n

  1. to take, receive, or obtain esp. from a specified source
  2. to obtain (a chemical substance) actually or theoretically from a parent substance
  3. infer, deduce
  4. bring
  5. to trace the derivation of
  6. to have or take origin : come as a derivative

derived -adj

  1. being, possessing, or marked by a character (as the large brain in humans) not present in the ancestral form
    • derived features

derm -abbr

  1. dermatologist; dermatology

derm- -comb form

  1. skin
    • derm al

derm·abra·sion [,dər-mə-'brā-zhən] -n

  1. surgical removal of skin blemishes or imperfections (as scars or tattoos) by abrasion (as with sandpaper or wire brushes)

der·mal ['dər-məl] -adj

  1. of or relating to skin and esp. to the dermis : cutaneous
  2. epidermal

dermat- -comb form

  1. skin
    • dermat itis
    • dermato logy

der·ma·ti·tis [,dər-mə-'tī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the skin

der·ma·to·glyph·ics [,dər-mə-tə-'gli-fiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr, adj

  1. skin patterns
  2. patterns of the specialized skin of the inferior surfaces of the hands and feet
  3. the science of the study of skin patterns

der·ma·tol·o·gy [,dər-mə-'tä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. a branch of medicine dealing with the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases

der·ma·tome ['dər-mə-,tōm] -n, adj

  1. the lateral wall of a somite from which the dermis is produced

der·ma·to·my·o·si·tis [,dər-mə-tō-,mī-ə-'sī-təs, (,)dər-,ma-] -n

  1. an inflammatory disease of skin and muscle marked esp. by muscular weakness and skin rash

der·ma·to·phyte [(,)dər-'ma-tə-,fīt, 'dər-mə-] -n

  1. a fungus parasitic on the skin or skin derivatives (as hair or nails)

der·ma·to·sis [,dər-mə-'tō-səs] -n

  1. a disease of the skin

der·mes·tid [(,)dər-'mes-təd] -n, adj

  1. any of a family (Dermestidae) of beetles with clubbed antennae that are very destructive to organic material of animal origin (as dried meat, wool, or museum specimens)

der·mis ['dər-məs] -n

  1. the sensitive vascular inner mesodermic layer of the skin called also corium cutis

der·moid cyst ['dər-,mȯid-] -n

  1. a cystic tumor often of the ovary that contains skin and skin derivatives (as hair or teeth) called also dermoid

der·nier cri [,dern-,yā-'krē] -n

  1. the newest fashion

der·o·gate ['der-ə-,gāt, 'de-rə-] -vb, n, adj

  1. to cause to seem inferior : disparage
  2. to take away a part so as to impair : detract
  3. to act beneath one's position or character

de·rog·a·to·ry [di-'rä-gə-,tȯr-ē] -adj, adv

  1. detracting from the character or standing of something often used with to, towards, or of
  2. expressive of a low opinion : disparaging
    • derogatory remarks

der·rick ['der-ik, 'de-rik] -n

  1. a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam
  2. a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering

der·ri·ere [,der-ē-'er, ,de-rē-] -n

  1. buttocks

der·ringdo [,der-iŋ-'dü, ,de-riŋ-] -n

  1. daring action : daring
    • deeds of derringdo

der·rin·ger ['der-ən-jər, 'de-rən-] -n

  1. a short-barreled pocket pistol

der·ris ['der-əs, 'de-rəs] -n

  1. a preparation chiefly of ground derris roots used as an insecticide
  2. any of a large genus ( Derris) of tropical Eurasian shrubs and woody vines of the legume family including sources of poisons and esp. commercial sources of rotenone

der·vish ['dər-vish] -n

  1. a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (as bodily movements leading to a trance)
  2. one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish

des- -prefix

  1. de- esp. before vowels
    • des oxy

DES [,dē-(,)ē-'es] -n

  1. diethylstilbestrol

de·sa·cral·ize [(,)dē-'sā-krə-,līz, -'sa-] -vt, n

  1. to divest of sacred qualities or status

de·sa·li·nate [(,)dē-'sa-lə-,nāt also -'sā-] -vt, n

  1. desalt

de·sa·li·nize [(,)dē-'sa-lə-,nīz also -'sā-] -vt, n

  1. desalt

de·salt [(,)dē-'sȯlt] -vt, n

  1. to remove salt from

de·sanc·ti·fy [(,)dē-'saŋ(k)-tə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. desacralize

des·cant ['des-,kant] -n

  1. a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the tenor
  2. the art of composing or improvising contrapuntal part music
  3. the music so composed or improvised
  4. soprano, treble
  5. a superimposed counterpoint to a simple melody sung typically by some or all of the sopranos
  6. discourse or comment on a theme
  7. to sing or play a descant
  8. sing
  9. comment, discourse

de·scend [di-'send, dē-] -vb, adj

  1. to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one
    • descend ed from the platform
  2. to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive
  3. to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source : derive
    • descend s from an old merchant family
  4. to pass by inheritance
    • a desk that has descend ed in the family
  5. to pass by transmission
    • songs descend ed from old ballads
  6. to incline, lead, or extend downward
    • the road descend s to the river
  7. to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack)
  8. to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above
    • reporters descend ed on the candidate
  9. to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent
  10. to lower oneself in status or dignity : stoop
  11. to worsen and sink in condition or estimation
  12. to pass, move, or climb down or down along
  13. to extend down along

de·scen·dant [di-'sen-dənt] -adj

  1. moving or directed downward
  2. proceeding from an ancestor or source

descendant -n

  1. one descended from another or from a common stock
  2. one deriving directly from a precursor or prototype

de·scend·er [di-'sen-dər, 'dē-,] -n

  1. the part of a lowercase letter (as p) that descends below the main body of the letter
  2. a letter that has such a part

de·scen·sion [di-'sen-chən] -n

  1. descent

de·scent [di-'sent] -n

  1. derivation from an ancestor : birth, lineage
    • of French descent
  2. transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usu. in the descending line
  3. the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock
  4. the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source : derivation
  5. the act or process of descending
  6. a step downward in a scale of gradation
  7. one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale
  8. an inclination downward : slope
  9. a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway)
  10. the lowest part
  11. attack, invasion
  12. a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)
  13. a downward step (as in station or value) : decline
    • descent of the family to actual poverty

de·scram·ble [(,)dē-'skram-bəl] -vt, n

  1. unscramble

de·scribe [di-'skrīb] -vt, adj, n

  1. to represent or give an account of in words
    • describe a picture
  2. to represent by a figure, model, or picture : delineate
  3. distribute
  4. to trace or traverse the outline of
    • describe a circle
  5. observe, perceive

de·scrip·tion [di-'skrip-shən] -n

  1. an act of describing
  2. discourse intended to give a mental image of something experienced
  3. a descriptive statement or account
  4. kind or character esp. as determined by salient features
    • opposed to any tax of so radical a description

de·scrip·tive [di-'skrip-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. serving to describe
    • a descriptive account
  2. referring to, constituting, or grounded in matters of observation or experience
    • the descriptive basis of science
  3. factually grounded or informative rather than normative, prescriptive, or emotive
    • descriptive cultural studies
  4. expressing the quality, kind, or condition of what is denoted by the modified term
    • hot in hot water is a descriptive adjective
  5. nonrestrictive
  6. of, relating to, or dealing with the structure of a language at a particular time usu. with exclusion of historical and comparative data
    • descriptive linguistics

de·scrip·tor [di-'skrip-tər] -n

  1. something (as a word or characteristic feature) that serves to describe or identify
  2. a word or phrase (as an index term) used to identify an item (as a subject or document) in an information retrieval system

de·scry [di-'skrī] -vt

  1. to catch sight of
    • I descried a sail -- Jonathan Swift
  2. find out, discover
  3. to make known : reveal

descry -n

  1. discovery or view from afar

Des·de·mo·na [,dez-də-'mō-nə] -n

  1. the wife of Othello in Shakespeare's Othello

des·e·crate ['de-si-,krāt] -vt, n

  1. to violate the sanctity of : profane
    • desecrate a shrine
  2. to treat disrespectfully, irreverently, or outrageously
    • the kind of shore development...that has desecrated so many waterfronts -- John Fischer

des·e·cra·tion [,de-si-'krā-shən] -n

  1. an act or instance of desecrating : the state of being desecrated

de·seg·re·gate [(,)dē-'se-gri-,gāt] -vt

  1. to eliminate segregation in
  2. to free of any law, provision, or practice requiring isolation of the members of a particular race in separate units
  3. to become desegregated

de·seg·re·ga·tion [(,)dē-,se-gri-'gā-shən] -n

  1. the action or an instance of desegregating
  2. the state of being desegregated

de·se·lect [,dē-sə-'lekt] -vt

  1. dismiss, reject

de·sen·si·tize [(,)dē-'sen(t)-sə-,tīz] -vt, n

  1. to make (a sensitized or hypersensitive individual) insensitive or nonreactive to a sensitizing agent
  2. to make emotionally insensitive or callous
  3. to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli that formerly induced it

des·ert ['de-zərt] -n, adj

  1. arid land with usu. sparse vegetation
  2. such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually
  3. an area of water apparently devoid of life
  4. a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract
  5. a desolate or forbidding area
    • lost in a desert of doubt
  6. desolate and sparsely occupied or unoccupied
    • a desert island
  7. of or relating to a desert
  8. forsaken

de·sert [di-'zərt] -n

  1. the quality or fact of deserving reward or punishment
  2. deserved reward or punishment usu. used in plural
    • got their just desert s
  3. excellence, worth
  4. to withdraw from or leave usu. without intent to return
    • desert a town
  5. to leave in the lurch
    • desert a friend in trouble
  6. to abandon (military service) without leave
  7. to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification
  8. to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return

de·sert·i·fi·ca·tion [di-,zər-tə-fə-'kā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the process of becoming desert (as from land mismanagement or climate change)

de·ser·tion [di-'zər-shən] -n

  1. an act of deserting
  2. the abandonment without consent or legal justification of a person, post, or relationship and the associated duties and obligations
    • sued for divorce on grounds of desertion
  3. a state of being deserted or forsaken

desert locust -n

  1. a destructive migratory locust ( Schistocerca gregaria) of southwestern Asia and parts of northern Africa

desert soil -n

  1. a soil that develops under sparse shrub vegetation in warm to cool arid climates with a light-colored surface soil usu. underlain by calcareous material and a hardpan layer

desert tortoise -n

  1. a large burrowing land tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii) of arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico

desert varnish -n

  1. a dark coating which is found on rocks after long exposure in desert regions and whose color is due to iron and manganese oxides

de·serve [di-'zərv] -vb, n

  1. to be worthy of : merit
    • deserve s another chance
  2. to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital
    • have become recognized as they deserve -- T. S. Eliot

de·served [-'zərvd] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or being that which one deserves
    • a deserved reputation

de·serv·ing [-'zər-viŋ] -n

  1. desert, merit
    • reward the proud according to their deserving s -- Charles Kingsley

deserving -adj

  1. meritorious, worthy
  2. meriting financial aid
    • scholarships for deserving students

de·sex [(,)dē-'seks] -vt

  1. castrate, spay
  2. to eliminate perceived sexism from
    • desex the language of church Bible study programs -- R. M. Harley
  3. desexualize

de·sex·u·al·ize [(,)dē-'sek-sh(ə-)wə-,līz, -'sek-shə-,līz, -'sek-shü-ə-] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of sexual characters or power
  2. to divest of sexual quality

deshabille [,dis-ə-'bēl, -'bil] -n

(variant of dishabille)

  1. negligee
  2. the state of being dressed in a casual or careless style
  3. a deliberately careless or casual manner

des·ic·cant ['de-si-kənt] -n

  1. a drying agent (as calcium chloride)

des·ic·cate ['de-si-,kāt] -vb, n, adj

  1. to dry up
  2. to preserve (a food) by drying : dehydrate
  3. to drain of emotional or intellectual vitality
  4. to become dried up

de·sid·er·ate [di-'si-də-,rāt, -'zi-] -vt, n, adj

  1. to entertain or express a wish to have or attain

de·sid·er·a·tum [di-,si-də-'rä-təm, -,zi-, -'rā-] -n

  1. something desired as essential

de·sign [di-'zīn] -vb, adv

  1. to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive
  2. to conceive and plan out in the mind
    • he design ed the perfect crime
  3. to have as a purpose : intend
    • she design ed to excel in her studies
  4. to devise for a specific function or end
    • a book design ed primarily as a college textbook
  5. to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name
  6. to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of
  7. to draw the plans for
    • design a building
  8. to conceive or execute a plan
  9. to draw, lay out, or prepare a design

design -n

  1. a particular purpose held in view by an individual or group
    • he has ambitious design s for his son
  2. deliberate purposive planning
    • more by accident than design
  3. a mental project or scheme in which means to an end are laid down
  4. a deliberate undercover project or scheme : plot
  5. aggressive or evil intent used with on or against
    • he has design s on the money
  6. a preliminary sketch or outline showing the main features of something to be executed
    • the design for the new stadium
  7. an underlying scheme that governs functioning, developing, or unfolding : pattern, motif
    • the general design of the epic
  8. a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (as a scientific experiment)
  9. the process of preparing this
  10. the arrangement of elements or details in a product or work of art
  11. a decorative pattern
    • a floral design
  12. the creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs

des·ig·nate ['de-zig-,nāt, -nət] -adj

  1. chosen but not yet installed
    • ambassador designate
  2. to indicate and set apart for a specific purpose, office, or duty
    • designate a group to prepare a plan
  3. to point out the location of
    • a marker designating the battle
  4. to distinguish as to class
    • the area we designate as that of spiritual values -- J. B. Conant
  5. specify, stipulate
    • to be sent by a designated shipper
  6. denote
    • associate names with the people they designate
  7. to call by a distinctive title, term, or expression
    • a particle designated the neutron

designated driver -n

  1. a person chosen to abstain from intoxicants (as alcohol) so as to transport others safely who are not abstaining

designated hitter -n

  1. a baseball player designated at the start of the game to bat in place of the pitcher without causing the pitcher to be removed from the game
  2. representative, substitute

des·ig·na·tion [,de-zig-'nā-shən] -n

  1. the act of indicating or identifying
  2. appointment to or selection for an office, post, or service
  3. a distinguishing name, sign, or title
  4. the relation between a sign and the thing signified

des·ig·nee [,de-zig-'nē] -n

  1. one that is designated

de·sign·er [di-'zī-nər] -n

  1. : one that designs: as
  2. one who creates and often executes plans for a project or structure
    • urban designer s
    • a theater set designer
  3. one that creates and manufactures a new product style or design
  4. one who designs and manufactures high-fashion clothing
    • the designer 's new fall line

designer -adj

  1. of, relating to, or produced by a designer
    • designer wallpaper
    • wearing a designer original
  2. displaying the name, signature, or logo of a designer or manufacturer
    • designer jeans
  3. intended to reflect the latest in sophisticated taste or fashion
    • designer ice cream
    • a designer haircut
  4. modified artificially (as by genetic engineering) to fulfill individual specifications or meet a need
    • designer foods
    • designer estrogens

designer drug -n

  1. a synthetic version of a controlled substance (as heroin) that is produced with a slightly altered molecular structure to avoid having it classified as an illicit drug

de·sign·ing [di-'zī-niŋ] -adj

  1. practicing forethought
  2. crafty, scheming
    • falling into the snares of a designing enemy -- Charles Dickens

de·sign·ment [di-'zīn-mənt] -n

  1. plan, purpose

de·sip·ra·mine [də-'zi-prə-,mēn] -n

  1. a tricyclic antidepressant C 18H 22N 2

de·sir·abil·i·ty [di-,zī-rə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. desirable conditions
    • had understood and studied certain desirabilities -- D. D. Eisenhower
  2. the quality, fact, or degree of being desirable

de·sir·able [di-'zī-rə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. having pleasing qualities or properties : attractive
    • a desirable woman
  2. worth seeking or doing as advantageous, beneficial, or wise : advisable
    • desirable legislation

desirable -n

  1. one that is desirable

de·sire [di-'zī(-ə)r, dē-] -vb

  1. to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for
    • desire success
  2. to express a wish for : request
    • they desire an immediate answer
  3. to express a wish to : ask
  4. invite
  5. to feel the loss of
  6. to have or feel desire

desire -n

  1. conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment
  2. longing, craving
  3. sexual urge or appetite
  4. a usu. formal request or petition for some action
  5. something desired

de·sir·ous [di-'zī(-ə)r-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. impelled or governed by desire
    • desirous of fame

de·sist [di-'sist, -'zist, dē-] -vi, n

  1. to cease to proceed or act

desk ['desk] -n

  1. a table, frame, or case with a sloping or horizontal surface esp. for writing and reading and often with drawers, compartments, and pigeonholes
  2. a reading table or lectern from which a liturgical service is read
  3. a table, counter, stand, or booth at which a person works
  4. a division of an organization specializing in a particular phase of activity
    • the Russian desk in the Department of State
  5. a seating position according to rank in an orchestra
    • a first- desk violinist

desk·bound ['desk-,bau̇nd] -adj

  1. restricted to work at a desk

deskill [,dē-'skil] -vt

  1. to reduce the level of skill needed for (a job)
  2. to reduce the level of skill needed for a job by (a worker)

desk jockey -n

  1. a person whose job involves working at a desk

desk·man ['desk-,man, -mən] -n

  1. a person who works at a desk
  2. a newspaperman who processes news and prepares copy

desk·top ['desk-,täp] -n

  1. the top of a desk
  2. an area or window on a computer screen in which icons are arranged in a manner analogous to objects on top of a desk
  3. a desktop computer

desktop -adj

  1. of a size that can be conveniently used on a desk or table
    • desktop computers

desktop publishing -n

  1. the production of printed matter by means of a desktop computer having a layout program that integrates text and graphics

desm- -comb form

  1. bond : ligament
    • desmo some

des·mid ['dez-məd] -n

  1. any of numerous unicellular or colonial green algae (order Zygnematales, esp. family Desmidiaceae)

des·mo·some ['dez-mə-,sōm] -n, adj

  1. a specialized structure of the cell membrane esp. of an epithelial cell that serves as a zone of adhesion to anchor contiguous cells together

des·o·late ['de-sə-lət, 'de-zə-] -adj, adv, n

  1. devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted
  2. joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one
    • a desolate widow
  3. showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated
    • a desolate old house
  4. barren, lifeless
    • a desolate landscape
  5. devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : gloomy
    • desolate memories
  6. : to make desolate:
  7. to deprive of inhabitants
  8. to lay waste
  9. forsake
  10. to make wretched

des·o·la·tion [,de-sə-'lā-shən, ,de-zə-] -n

  1. the action of desolating
  2. grief, sadness
  3. loneliness
  4. devastation, ruin
    • a scene of utter desolation
  5. barren wasteland

de·sorb [(,)dē-'sȯrb, -'zȯrb] -vt

  1. to remove (a sorbed substance) by the reverse of adsorption or absorption

de·sorp·tion [-'sȯrp-shən, -'zȯrp-] -n

  1. the process of desorbing

des·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ic acid [de-,zäk-sē-'rī-bō-n(y)u̇-,klē-ik-, -,klā-] -n

  1. dna

de·spair [di-'sper] -vb, n

  1. to lose all hope or confidence
    • despair of winning
  2. to lose hope for

despair -n

  1. utter loss of hope
    • a cry of despair
    • gave up in despair
  2. a cause of hopelessness
    • an incorrigible child is the despair of his parents

de·spair·ing [-iŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. given to, arising from, or marked by despair : devoid of hope

des·patch [di-'spach] -vb, n

(variant of dispatch)

  1. to send off or away with promptness or speed
  2. to send off on official business
  3. to kill with quick efficiency
  4. deprive
  5. to dispose of (as a task) rapidly or efficiently
  6. defeat
  7. to make haste : hurry
  8. a message sent with speed
  9. an important official message sent by a diplomatic, military, or naval officer
  10. a news item filed by a correspondent
  11. : the act of dispatching: as
  12. dismissal
  13. the act of killing
  14. prompt settlement (as of an item of business)
  15. quick riddance
  16. a sending off : shipment
  17. promptness and efficiency in performance or transmission
    • done with dispatch

des·per·a·do [,des-pə-'rä-(,)dō, -'rā-] -n

  1. a bold or violent criminal
  2. a bandit of the western U.S. in the 19th century

des·per·ate ['des-p(ə-)rət, -pərt] -adj, n

  1. having lost hope
    • a desperate spirit crying for relief
  2. giving no ground for hope
    • the outlook was desperate
  3. moved by despair
    • victims made desperate by abuse
  4. involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
    • made a desperate leap for the rope
  5. suffering extreme need or anxiety
    • desperate for money
  6. involving extreme danger or possible disaster
    • a desperate situation
  7. of extreme intensity
  8. shocking, outrageous

des·per·ate·ly ['des-p(ə-)rət-lē, -pərt-] -adv

  1. in a desperate manner
    • struggling desperately
  2. extremely, terribly
    • desperately tired
    • desperately important

des·per·a·tion [,des-pə-'rā-shən] -n

  1. loss of hope and surrender to despair
  2. a state of hopelessness leading to rashness

de·spi·ca·ble [di-'spi-kə-bəl, 'des-(,)pi-] -adj, n, adv

  1. deserving to be despised : so worthless or obnoxious as to rouse moral indignation
    • despicable behavior

de·spir·i·tu·al·ize [(,)dē-'spi-ri-ch(ə-)wə-,līz, -chə-,līz, -chü-ə-] -vt

  1. to deprive of spiritual character or influence

de·spise [di-'spīz] -vt, n

  1. to look down on with contempt or aversion
    • despised the weak
  2. to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful

de·spite [di-'spīt] -n

  1. the feeling or attitude of despising : contempt
  2. malice, spite
  3. an act showing contempt or defiance
  4. detriment, disadvantage
    • I know of no government which stands to its obligations, even in its own despite, more solidly -- Sir Winston Churchill

despite -vt

  1. to treat with contempt
  2. to provoke to anger : vex
  3. in spite of
    • played despite an injury

de·spite·ful [di-'spīt-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. expressing malice or hate

de·spit·eous [di-'spi-tē-əs] -adj, adv

  1. feeling or showing despite : malicious

de·spoil [di-'spȯi(-ə)l] -vt, n

  1. to strip of belongings, possessions, or value : pillage

de·spo·li·a·tion [di-,spō-lē-'ā-shən] -n

  1. the action or process of despoiling : spoliation

de·spond [di-'spänd] -vi

  1. to become despondent

despond -n

  1. despondency

de·spon·dence [di-'spän-dən(t)s] -n

  1. despondency

de·spon·den·cy [-dən-sē] -n

  1. the state of being despondent : dejection, hopelessness

de·spon·dent [-dənt] -adj, adv

  1. feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression
    • despondent about his health

des·pot ['des-pət, -,pät] -n

  1. a Byzantine emperor or prince
  2. a bishop or patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church
  3. an Italian hereditary prince or military leader during the Renaissance
  4. a ruler with absolute power and authority
  5. a person exercising power tyrannically

des·pot·ic [des-'pä-tik, dis-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a despot

des·po·tism ['des-pə-,ti-zəm] -n

  1. rule by a despot
  2. despotic exercise of power
  3. a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power : absolutism
  4. a despotic state

des·qua·mate ['des-kwə-,māt] -vi, n

  1. to peel off in scales

des·sert [di-'zərt] -n

  1. a usu. sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usu. served at the end of a meal
  2. a fresh fruit served after a sweet course

des·sert·spoon [-,spün] -n

  1. a spoon intermediate in size between a teaspoon and a tablespoon for use in eating dessert
  2. dessertspoonful

des·sert·spoon·ful [di-'zərt-,spün-,fu̇l] -n

  1. as much as a dessertspoon will hold
  2. a unit of measure equal to about 2 fluid drams

dessert wine -n

  1. a usu. sweet wine typically served with dessert or afterward

de·sta·bi·lize [(,)dē-'stā-bə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to make unstable
  2. to cause (as a government) to be incapable of functioning or surviving

de·stain [(,)dē-'stān] -vt

  1. to selectively remove stain from (a specimen for microscopic study)

deSta·lin·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,stä-lə-nə-'zā-shən, -,sta-] -n

  1. the discrediting of Stalin and his policies

de·stig·ma·tize [(,)dē-'stig-mə-,tīz] -vt

  1. to remove associations of shame or disgrace from
    • destigmatize mental illness

de Stijl [də-'stī(-ə)l, -'stāl] -n

  1. a school of art founded in Holland in 1917 typically using rectangular forms and the primary colors plus black and white and asymmetric balance

des·ti·na·tion [,des-tə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. the purpose for which something is destined
  2. an act of appointing, setting aside for a purpose, or predetermining
  3. a place to which one is journeying or to which something is sent
    • kept their destination secret
  4. a place worthy of travel or an extended visit often used attributively
    • a destination restaurant
    • a destination resort

des·tine ['des-tən] -vt

  1. to decree beforehand : predetermine
  2. to designate, assign, or dedicate in advance
    • the younger son was destined for the priesthood
    • a trait that destine s them to failure
  3. to direct, devise, or set apart for a specific purpose or place
    • freight destined for European ports

des·ti·ny ['des-tə-nē] -n

  1. something to which a person or thing is destined : fortune
    • wants to control his own destiny
  2. a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency

des·ti·tute ['des-tə-,tüt, -,t(y)üt] -adj, n

  1. lacking something needed or desirable
    • a lake destitute of fish
  2. lacking possessions and resources
  3. suffering extreme poverty
    • a destitute old man

des·ti·tu·tion [,des-tə-'tü-shən, -'tyü-] -n

  1. the state of being destitute
  2. such extreme want as threatens life unless relieved

destress ['dē-'stres] -vi

  1. to release bodily or mental tension : unwind

des·trier ['des-trē-ər, də-'strir] -n

  1. warhorse
  2. a charger used esp. in medieval tournaments

de·stroy [di-'strȯi, dē-] -vb

  1. to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of
    • destroy ed the files
  2. to ruin as if by tearing to shreds
    • their reputation was destroy ed
  3. to put out of existence : kill
    • destroy an injured horse
  4. neutralize
    • the moon destroy s the light of the stars
  5. annihilate, vanquish
    • armies had been crippled but not destroy ed -- W. L. Shirer
  6. to cause destruction

de·stroy·er [di-'strȯi(-ə)r, dē-] -n

  1. one that destroys
  2. a small fast warship used esp. to support larger vessels and usu. armed with guns, depth charges, torpedoes, and often guided missiles

destroyer escort -n

  1. a warship similar to but smaller than a destroyer

destroying angel -n

  1. any of several very poisonous pure white amanita mushrooms (as Amanita vernaor A. virosa) : death cap

de·struc·ti·ble [di-'strək-tə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being destroyed

de·struc·tion [di-'strək-shən] -n

  1. the state or fact of being destroyed : ruin
  2. the action or process of destroying something
  3. a destroying agency

de·struc·tion·ist [-sh(ə-)nəst] -n

  1. one who delights in or advocates destruction

de·struc·tive [di-'strək-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. causing destruction : ruinous
    • destructive storm
  2. designed or tending to hurt or destroy
    • destructive criticism

destructive distillation -n

  1. decomposition of a substance (as wood, coal, or oil) by heat in a closed container and collection of the volatile products produced

de·struc·tiv·i·ty [di-,strək-'ti-və-tē, ,dē-] -n

  1. capacity for destruction

de·sue·tude ['de-swi-,tüd, -,tyüd, di-'sü-ə-, -'syü-] -n

  1. discontinuance from use or exercise : disuse

de·sul·fur·i·za·tion [(,)dē-,səl-fər-ə-'zā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the removal of sulfur or sulfur compounds (as from coal or flue gas)

des·ul·to·ry ['de-səl-,tȯr-ē also -zəl-] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose
    • a dragged-out ordeal of...desultory shopping -- Herman Wouk
  2. not connected with the main subject
  3. disappointing in progress, performance, or quality
    • a desultory fifth place finish
    • a desultory wine

det -abbr

  1. detached; detachment
  2. detail
  3. determine

de·tach [di-'tach, dē-] -vt, n, adj, adv

  1. to separate esp. from a larger mass and usu. without violence or damage
  2. disengage, withdraw

de·tached [di-'tacht, dē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. standing by itself : separate, unconnected
  2. not sharing any wall with another building
    • a detached house
  3. exhibiting an aloof objectivity usu. free from prejudice or self-interest
    • a detached observer

detached service -n

  1. military service away from one's assigned organization

de·tach·ment [di-'tach-mənt, dē-] -n

  1. the action or process of detaching : separation
  2. the dispatch of a body of troops or part of a fleet from the main body for a special mission or service
  3. the part so dispatched
  4. a permanently organized separate unit usu. smaller than a platoon and of special composition
  5. indifference to worldly concerns : aloofness
  6. freedom from bias or prejudice

de·tail [di-'tāl, 'dē-,tāl] -n

  1. extended treatment of or attention to particular items
  2. : a part of a whole: as
  3. a small and subordinate part : particular
  4. a reproduction of such a part of a work of art
  5. a part considered or requiring to be considered separately from the whole
  6. the small elements that collectively constitute a work of art
  7. the small elements of a photographic image corresponding to those of the subject
  8. selection of a person or group for a particular task (as in military service)
  9. the person or group selected
  10. the task to be performed

detail -vt, n

  1. to report minutely and distinctly : specify
    • detail ed their grievances
  2. to assign to a particular task
  3. to furnish with the smaller elements of design and finish
    • trimmings that detail slips and petticoats
  4. to make detail drawings

de·tailed [di-'tāld, 'dē-,tāld] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by abundant detail or by thoroughness in treating small items or parts
    • the detailed study of history

de·tail·ing ['dē-,tāl-iŋ] -n

  1. the act or process of meticulously cleaning and refurbishing an automobile

detail man -n

  1. a sales representative of a drug manufacturer who introduces new drugs esp. to physicians and pharmacists

de·tain [di-'tān, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to hold or keep in or as if in custody
    • detain ed by the police for questioning
  2. to keep back (as something due) : withhold
  3. to restrain esp. from proceeding
    • was detain ed by a flat tire

de·tain·ee [di-,tā-'nē, ,dē-] -n

  1. a person held in custody esp. for political reasons

de·tain·er [di-'tā-nər] -n

  1. the act of keeping something in one's possession
  2. the withholding from the rightful owner of something that has lawfully come into the possession of the holder
  3. detention in custody
  4. a writ authorizing the keeper of a prison to continue to hold a person in custody

detd -abbr

  1. determined

de·tect [di-'tekt, dē-] -vb, n, adj

  1. to discover the true character of
  2. to discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
    • detect alcohol in the blood
  3. demodulate
  4. to work as a detective

de·tec·tion [di-'tek-shən] -n

  1. the act of detecting : the state or fact of being detected
  2. the process of demodulating

de·tec·tive [di-'tek-tiv] -adj

  1. fitted for or used in detecting something
    • had perfected his detective sensibilities
  2. of or relating to detectives or their work
    • a detective novel

detective -n

  1. one employed or engaged in detecting lawbreakers or in getting information that is not readily or publicly accessible

de·tec·tor [di-'tek-tər] -n

  1. : one that detects: as
  2. a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity
  3. a rectifier of high-frequency current used esp. for extracting the intelligence from a radio signal

de·tent ['dē-,tent, di-'] -n

  1. a device (as a catch, dog, or spring-operated ball) for positioning and holding one mechanical part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts

de·tente [dā-'tänt] -n

  1. the relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as between nations)
  2. a policy promoting this
  3. a period of detente

de·ten·tion [di-'ten-chən] -n

  1. the act or fact of detaining or holding back
  2. a holding in custody
  3. the state of being detained
  4. a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court

detention home -n

  1. a house of detention for juvenile delinquents usu. under the supervision of a juvenile court

de·ter [di-'tər, dē-] -vt, n, adj

  1. to turn aside, discourage, or prevent from acting
    • she would not be deterred by threats
  2. inhibit
    • painting to deter rust

de·terge [di-'tərj] -vt, n

  1. to wash off : cleanse

de·ter·gen·cy [di-'tər-jən(t)-sē] -n

  1. cleansing quality or power

de·ter·gent [-jənt] -adj

  1. that cleanses : cleansing
    • a detergent oil

detergent -n

  1. : a cleansing agent: as
  2. soap
  3. any of numerous synthetic water-soluble or liquid organic preparations that are chemically different from soaps but are able to emulsify oils, hold dirt in suspension, and act as wetting agents
  4. an oil-soluble substance that holds insoluble foreign matter in suspension and is used in lubricating oils and dry-cleaning solvents

de·te·ri·o·rate [di-'tir-ē-ə-,rāt, dē-] -vb, adj

  1. to make inferior in quality or value : impair
  2. disintegrate
  3. to become impaired in quality, functioning, or condition : degenerate
    • allowed a tradition of academic excellence to deteriorate
    • his health deteriorated

de·te·ri·o·ra·tion [di-,tir-ē-ə-'rā-shən, dē-] -n

  1. the action or process of deteriorating : the state of having deteriorated

de·ter·min·able [-'tər-mə-nə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being determined, definitely ascertained, or decided upon
    • a determinable cause
  2. liable to be terminated : terminable
    • a determinable estate

de·ter·mi·na·cy [di-'tər-mə-nə-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being determinate
  2. the state of being definitely and unequivocally characterized : exactness
  3. the state of being determined or necessitated

de·ter·mi·nant [di-'tər-mə-nənt] -n, adj

  1. an element that identifies or determines the nature of something or that fixes or conditions an outcome
  2. a square array of numbers bordered on the left and right by a vertical line and having a value equal to the algebraic sum of all possible products where the number of factors in each product is the same as the number of rows or columns, each factor in a given product is taken from a different row and column, and the sign of a product is positive or negative depending upon whether the number of permutations necessary to place the indices representing each factor's position in its row or column in the order of the natural numbers is odd or even
  3. gene
  4. epitope

de·ter·mi·nate [di-'tər-mə-nət] -adj, adv, n

  1. having defined limits
    • a determinate period of time
  2. definitely settled
    • a determinate order of precedence
  3. conclusively determined : definitive
    • a determinate answer
  4. characterized by sequential flowering from the central or uppermost bud to the lateral or basal buds
  5. characterized by growth in which the main stem ends in an inflorescence and stops growing with only branches from the main stem having further and similarly restricted growth
    • determinate tomato plants
  6. relating to, being, or undergoing egg cleavage in which each division irreversibly separates portions of the zygote with specific potencies for further development

de·ter·mi·na·tion [di-,tər-mə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. a judicial decision settling and ending a controversy
  2. the resolving of a question by argument or reasoning
  3. termination
  4. the act of deciding definitely and firmly
  5. the result of such an act of decision
  6. firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end
    • a woman of great courage and determination
  7. : a fixing or finding of the position, magnitude, value, or character of something: as
  8. the act, process, or result of an accurate measurement
  9. an identification of the taxonomic position of a plant or animal
  10. the definition of a concept in logic by its essential constituents
  11. the addition of a differentia to a concept to limit its denotation
  12. direction or tendency to a certain end : impulsion
  13. the fixation of the destiny of undifferentiated embryonic tissue

de·ter·mi·na·tive [-'tər-mə-,nā-tiv, -'tər-mə-nə-] -adj, n

  1. having power or tendency to determine : tending to fix, settle, or define something
    • regard experiments as determinative of the principles from which deductions could be made -- S. F. Mason

de·ter·mi·na·tor [di-'tər-mə-,nā-tər] -n

  1. determiner

de·ter·mine [di-'tər-mən, dē-] -vb

  1. to fix conclusively or authoritatively
    • determine national policy
  2. to decide by judicial sentence
    • determine a plea
  3. to settle or decide by choice of alternatives or possibilities
    • trying to determine the best time to go
  4. resolve
    • she determined to do better
  5. to fix the form, position, or character of beforehand : ordain
    • two points determine a straight line
  6. to bring about as a result : regulate
    • demand determine s the price
  7. to fix the boundaries of
  8. to limit in extent or scope
  9. to put or set an end to : terminate
    • determine an estate
  10. to find out or come to a decision about by investigation, reasoning, or calculation
    • determine the answer to the problem
    • determine a position at sea
  11. to bring about the determination of
    • determine the fate of a cell
  12. to come to a decision
  13. to come to an end or become void

de·ter·mined [-'tər-mənd] -adj, adv, n

  1. having reached a decision : firmly resolved
    • determined to be a pilot
  2. showing determination
    • a determined effort
  3. characterized by determination
    • will deter all but the most determined thief -- Security World

de·ter·min·er [-'tər-mə-nər] -n

  1. : one that determines: as
  2. gene
  3. a word (as an article, possessive, demonstrative, or quantifier) that makes specific the denotation of a noun phrase

de·ter·min·ism [di-'tər-mə-,ni-zəm, dē-] -n, n or adj, adj, adv

  1. a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
  2. a belief in predestination
  3. the quality or state of being determined

de·ter·rence [di-'tər-ən(t)s, -'ter-; -'tə-rən(t)s, -'te-; dē-] -n

  1. : the act or process of deterring: as
  2. the inhibition of criminal behavior by fear esp. of punishment
  3. the maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack

de·ter·rent [-ənt, -rənt] -adj, n, adv

  1. serving to deter
    • a deterrent effect
  2. relating to deterrence
    • a deterrent view of punishment

de·ter·sive [di-'tər-siv, -ziv] -adj, n

  1. detergent

de·test [di-'test, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to feel intense and often violent antipathy toward : loathe
  2. curse, denounce

de·test·able [di-'tes-tə-bəl, dē-] -adj, n, adv

  1. arousing or meriting intense dislike : abominable

de·tes·ta·tion [,dē-,tes-'tā-shən, di-] -n

  1. extreme hatred or dislike : abhorrence, loathing
  2. an object of hatred or contempt

de·throne [di-'thrōn, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to remove from a throne or place of power or prominence
    • dethrone a king
    • trying to dethrone the champion

de·tick [(,)dē-'tik] -vt, n

  1. to remove ticks from

det·i·nue ['de-tᵊn-,(y)ü] -n

  1. a common-law action for the recovery of a personal chattel wrongfully detained or of its value
  2. detention of something due
  3. the unlawful detention of a personal chattel from another

detn -abbr

  1. detention
  2. determination

det·o·na·ble ['de-tᵊn-ə-bəl, -tə-nə-] -adj, n

  1. capable of being detonated

det·o·nate ['de-tᵊn-,āt, 'de-tə-,nāt] -vb, adj

  1. to explode with sudden violence
  2. to cause to detonate
    • detonate a bomb
  3. to set off in a burst of activity : spark
    • programs that detonated controversies

det·o·na·tion [,de-tᵊn-'ā-shən, ,de-tə-'nā-] -n

  1. the action or process of detonating
  2. rapid combustion in an internal combustion engine that results in knocking

det·o·na·tor ['de-tᵊn-,ā-tər, -tə-,nā-] -n

  1. a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating a high explosive

de·tour ['dē-,tu̇r also di-'tu̇r] -n

  1. a deviation from a direct course or the usual procedure
  2. a roundabout way temporarily replacing part of a route

detour -vi

  1. to proceed by a detour
    • detour around road construction
  2. to send by a circuitous route
    • detour traffic around an accident
  3. to avoid by going around : bypass
    • detour an accident site

de·tox ['dē-,täks, di-'täks] -n, vb

  1. detoxification from an intoxicating or addictive substance
    • a detox clinic
  2. a detox program or facility
    • spent one week in detox

de·tox·i·cate [(,)dē-'täk-sə-,kāt] -vt, n

  1. detoxify
  2. detoxify

de·tox·i·fy [(,)dē-'täk-sə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to remove a harmful substance (as a poison or toxin) or the effect of such from
  2. to render (a harmful substance) harmless
  3. to free (as a drug user or an alcoholic) from an intoxicating or an addictive substance in the body or from dependence on or addiction to such a substance
  4. neutralize

de·tract [di-'trakt, dē-] -vb, n

  1. to speak ill of
  2. to take away
  3. divert
    • detract attention
  4. to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of something often used with from
    • small errors that do not seriously detract from the book

de·trac·tion [di-'trak-shən, dē-] -n, adj, adv

  1. a lessening of reputation or esteem esp. by envious, malicious, or petty criticism : belittling, disparagement
  2. a taking away
    • it is no detraction from its dignity or prestige -- J. F. Golay

de·train [(,)dē-'trān] -vi, n

  1. to get off a railroad train
  2. to remove from a railroad train

de·trib·al·ize [(,)dē-'trī-bə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to cause to lose tribal identity : acculturate

det·ri·ment ['de-trə-mənt] -n

  1. injury, damage
    • did hard work without detriment to his health
  2. a cause of injury or damage
    • a detriment to progress

det·ri·men·tal [,de-trə-'men-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. obviously harmful : damaging
    • the detrimental effects of pollution

detrimental -n

  1. an undesirable or harmful person or thing

de·tri·tion [di-'tri-shən] -n

  1. a wearing off or away

de·tri·ti·vore [di-'trī-tə-,vȯr] -n

  1. an organism (as an earthworm or a fungus) that feeds on dead and decomposing organic matter

de·tri·tus [di-'trī-təs] -n, adj

  1. loose material (as rock fragments or organic particles) that results directly from disintegration
  2. a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away : debris
  3. miscellaneous remnants : odds and ends
    • sifting through the detritus of his childhood -- Michael Tomasky

de trop [də-'trō] -adj

  1. too much or too many : superfluous, excessive

de·tu·mes·cence [,dē-t(y)ü-'me-sᵊn(t)s] -n, adj

  1. subsidence or diminution of swelling or erection

Deu·ca·lion [d(y)ü-'kāl-yən] -n

  1. a survivor with his wife Pyrrha of a great flood by which Zeus destroys the rest of the human race

deuce ['düs also 'dyüs] -n

  1. the face of a die that bears two spots
  2. a playing card bearing an index number two
  3. a throw of the dice yielding two points
  4. a tie in tennis after each side has scored 40 requiring two consecutive points by one side to win
  5. devil, dickens used chiefly as a mild oath
    • what the deuce is he up to now
  6. something notable of its kind
    • a deuce of a mess
  7. to bring the score of (a tennis game or set) to deuce

deuc·ed ['dü-səd also 'dyü-] -adj, adv

  1. damned, confounded
    • in a deuced fix

deuces wild -n

  1. a card game (as poker) in which each deuce may represent any card designated by its holder

de·us ex ma·chi·na ['dā-əs-,eks-'mä-ki-nə, -'ma-, -,nä; -mə-'shē-nə] -n

  1. a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
  2. a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty

Deut -abbr

  1. Deuteronomy

deuter- -comb form

  1. second : secondary
    • deuter anopia

deu·ter·ag·o·nist [,dü-tə-'ra-gə-nist also ,dyü-] -n

  1. the actor taking the part of second importance in a classical Greek drama
  2. a person who serves as a foil to another

deu·ter·anom·a·lous [,dü-tə-rə-'nä-mə-ləs also ,dyü-] -adj, n

  1. exhibiting partial loss of green color vision so that an increased intensity of green is required in a mixture of red and green to match a given yellow

deu·ter·an·ope ['dü-tə-rə-,nōp also 'dyü-] -n

  1. an individual affected with deuteranopia

deu·ter·an·opia [,dü-tə-rə-'nō-pē-ə also ,dyü-] -n, adj

  1. color blindness marked by usu. complete loss of ability to distinguish colors

deu·ter·ate ['dü-tə-,rāt also 'dyü-] -vt, n

  1. to introduce deuterium into (a compound)

deu·te·ri·um [dü-'tir-ē-əm also dyü-] -n

  1. an isotope of hydrogen that has one proton and one neutron in its nucleus and that has twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen symbol D called also heavy hydrogen

deuterium oxide -n

  1. heavy water

deu·tero·ca·non·i·cal [,dü-tə-rō-kə-'nä-ni-kəl also ,dyü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting the books of Scripture contained in the Septuagint but not in the Hebrew canon

deu·ter·on ['dü-tə-,rän also 'dyü-] -n

  1. a deuterium nucleus

Deu·ter·o·nom·ic [,dü-tə-rə-'nä-mik also ,dyü-] -adj

  1. of or relating to the book of Deuteronomy, its style, or its contents

Deu·ter·on·o·mist [,dü-tə-'rä-nə-mist also ,dyü-] -n, adj

  1. any of the writers or editors of a Deuteronomic body of source material often distinguished in the earlier books of the Old Testament

Deu·ter·on·o·my [,dü-tə-'rä-nə-mē also ,dyü-] -n

  1. the fifth book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture containing narrative and Mosaic laws

deu·tero·stome ['dü-tə-rō-,stōm also 'dyü-] -n

  1. any of a major division (Deuterostomia) of the animal kingdom that includes the bilaterally symmetrical animals (as the chordates) with indeterminate cleavage and a mouth that does not arise from the blastopore

deut·sche mark ['dȯich-,märk, 'doi-chə-,] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of West Germany from 1948 to 1990 and of reunited Germany from 1990 to 2001

deut·zia ['düt-sē-ə also 'dyüt-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Deutzia) of the saxifrage family of ornamental shrubs with usu. white or pink flowers

dev -abbr

  1. deviation

de·val·u·ate [(,)dē-'val-yə-,wāt, -yü-,āt] -vb

  1. devalue

de·val·u·a·tion [(,)dē-,val-yə-'wā-shən, -yü-'ā-] -n

  1. an official reduction in the exchange value of a currency by a lowering of its gold equivalency or its value relative to another currency
  2. a lessening esp. of status or stature : decline

de·val·ue [(,)dē-'val-(,)yü] -vt

  1. to institute the devaluation of (money)
  2. to lessen the value of
  3. to institute devaluation

De·va·na·ga·ri [,dā-və-'nä-gə-rē] -n

  1. an alphabet usu. employed for Sanskrit and also used as a literary hand for various modern languages of India

dev·as·tate ['de-və-,stāt] -vt, adv, n, adj

  1. to bring to ruin or desolation by violent action
    • a country devastated by war
  2. to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness : overwhelm
    • devastated by grief
    • her wisecrack devastated the class

de·vein [(,)dē-'vān] -vt

  1. to remove the dark dorsal vein from (shrimp)

de·vel·op [di-'vel-əp, dē-] -vb, adj

  1. to set forth or make clear by degrees or in detail : expound
    • develop a thesis
  2. to make visible or manifest
  3. to treat (as in dyeing) with an agent to cause the appearance of color
  4. to subject (exposed photograph material) esp. to chemicals in order to produce a visible image
    • develop film
  5. to make visible by such a method
    • develop pictures
  6. to elaborate (a musical idea) by the working out of rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme
  7. to work out the possibilities of
    • develop an idea
  8. to create or produce esp. by deliberate effort over time
    • develop new ways of doing business
    • develop software
  9. to make active or promote the growth of
    • develop ed his muscles
  10. to make available or usable
    • develop natural resources
  11. to make suitable for commercial or residential purposes
    • develop land
  12. to move (as a chess piece) from the original position to one providing more opportunity for effective use
  13. to cause to unfold gradually
    • develop ed his argument
  14. to expand by a process of growth
    • working to develop the company further
  15. to cause to grow and differentiate along lines natural to its kind
    • rain and sun develop the grain
  16. to become infected or affected by
    • develop ed pneumonia
  17. to acquire gradually
    • develop an appreciation for ballet
  18. to go through a process of natural growth, differentiation, or evolution by successive changes
    • a blossom develop s from a bud
  19. to acquire secondary sex characteristics
  20. to become gradually manifest
  21. to come into being gradually
    • the situation develop ing in eastern Europe
  22. turn out
    • it develop ed that no one had paid the bill

de·vel·oped [di-'ve-ləpt] -adj

  1. having a relatively high level of industrialization and standard of living
    • a developed country

de·vel·op·er [-lə-pər] -n

  1. : one that develops: as
  2. a chemical used to develop exposed photographic materials
  3. a person who develops real estate
  4. a person or company that develops computer software

de·vel·op·ing [-lə-piŋ] -adj

  1. underdeveloped
    • developing nations

de·vel·op·ment [di-'ve-ləp-mənt, dē-] -n

  1. the act, process, or result of developing
    • development of new ideas
    • an interesting development
  2. the state of being developed
    • a project in development
  3. a developed tract of land
  4. one with houses built on it

de·vel·op·men·tal [dē-,ve-ləp-'men-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or being development
    • developmental processes
    • developmental biology
  2. experimental
    • developmental aircraft
  3. serving economic development
    • developmental highways
  4. designed to assist growth or bring about improvement (as of a skill)
    • developmental toys

developmentally disabled -adj

  1. having a physical or mental disability that becomes apparent in childhood and prevents, impedes, or limits normal development

de·verb·al [(,)dē-'vər-bəl] -adj

  1. deverbative

de·verb·a·tive [(,)dē-'vər-bə-tiv] -adj, n

  1. derived from a verb
    • the deverbative noun developer is derived from develop
  2. used in derivation from a verb
    • the deverbative suffix -er in developer

de·vest [di-'vest] -vt

  1. divest

de·vi·ance ['dē-vē-ən(t)s] -n

  1. deviant quality, state, or behavior

de·vi·an·cy [-ən-sē] -n

  1. deviance

de·vi·ant [-ənt] -adj, n

  1. deviating esp. from an accepted norm
    • deviant behavior

de·vi·ate ['dē-vē-,āt] -vb, n, adj

  1. to stray esp. from a standard, principle, or topic
  2. to depart from an established course or norm
    • a flight forced by weather to deviate south
  3. to cause to turn out of a previous course
  4. one that deviates from a norm
  5. a person who differs markedly from a group norm
  6. a statistical variable that gives the deviation of another variable from a fixed value (as the mean)
  7. departing significantly from the behavioral norms of a particular society
    • deviate behavior

de·vi·a·tion [,dē-vē-'ā-shən] -n, n or adj

  1. : an act or instance of deviating: as
  2. deflection of the needle of a compass caused by local magnetic influences (as in a ship)
  3. the difference between a value in a frequency distribution and a fixed number (as the mean)
  4. departure from an established ideology or party line
  5. noticeable or marked departure from accepted norms of behavior

de·vice [di-'vīs] -n

  1. : something devised or contrived: as
  2. plan, procedure, technique
  3. a scheme to deceive : stratagem, trick
  4. something fanciful, elaborate, or intricate in design
  5. something (as a figure of speech) in a literary work designed to achieve a particular artistic effect
  6. masque, spectacle
  7. a conventional stage practice or means (as a stage whisper) used to achieve a particular dramatic effect
  8. a piece of equipment or a mechanism designed to serve a special purpose or perform a special function
    • an electronic device
  9. desire, inclination
    • left to my own device s
  10. an emblematic design used esp. as a heraldic bearing

dev·il ['de-vᵊl dial 'di-] -n

  1. the personal supreme spirit of evil often represented in Jewish and Christian belief as the tempter of humankind, the leader of all apostate angels, and the ruler of hell usu. used with the often used as an interjection, an intensive, or a generalized term of abuse
    • what the devil is this?
    • the devil you say
  2. an evil spirit : demon
  3. an extremely wicked person : fiend
  4. a great evil
  5. a person of notable energy, recklessness, and dashing spirit
  6. one who is mischievous
    • those kids are little devil s today
  7. fellow usu. used in the phrases poor devil, lucky devil
  8. something very trying or provoking
    • having a devil of a time with this problem
  9. severe criticism or rebuke : hell used with the
    • I'll probably catch the devil for this
  10. the difficult, deceptive, or problematic part of something
    • the devil is in the details
  11. dust devil
  12. the opposite of Truth : a belief in sin, sickness, and death : evil, error

devil ['de-və-liŋ, 'dev-liŋ] -vt

  1. to season highly
    • devil ed eggs
  2. tease, annoy

dev·il·fish ['de-vᵊl-,fish] -n

  1. manta ray
  2. octopus
  3. any large cephalopod

dev·il·ish ['de-vᵊl-ish, 'dev-lish] -adj, adv, n

  1. : resembling or befitting a devil: as
  2. evil, sinister
  3. mischievous, roguish
    • a devilish grin
  4. extreme
    • in a devilish hurry

dev·ilmaycare [,de-vᵊl-(,)mā-'ker] -adj

  1. easygoing, carefree
    • a devilmaycare attitude

dev·il·ment ['de-vᵊl-mənt, -,ment] -n

  1. mischief

dev·il·ry ['de-vᵊl-rē] -n

  1. action performed with the help of the devil : witchcraft
  2. wickedness
  3. mischief
  4. an act of devilry

devil's advocate -n

  1. a Roman Catholic official whose duty is to examine critically the evidence on which a demand for beatification or canonization rests
  2. a person who champions the less accepted cause for the sake of argument

devil's claw -n

  1. any of several herbs (genus Proboscideasyn. Martyniaof the family Martyniaceae) of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico that have edible pods yielding a black sewing material used in basket making

devil's club -n

  1. a spiny western No. American shrub ( Oplopanax horridus) of the ginseng family having large lobed leaves and stems covered with dense sharp prickles

devil's darning needle -n

  1. dragonfly
  2. damselfly

devil's food cake -n

  1. a rich chocolate cake

devil's paintbrush -n

  1. orange hawkweed
  2. any of various hawkweeds that are naturalized weeds in the eastern U.S.

devil theory -n

  1. a theory of history: political and social crises arise from the deliberate actions of evil or misguided leaders rather than as a natural result of conditions

dev·il·wood ['de-vᵊl-,wu̇d] -n

  1. a small tree ( Osmanthus americanus) of the olive family that is native to the southern U.S.

de·vi·ous ['dē-vē-əs, -vyəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. wandering, roundabout
    • a devious path
  2. moving without a fixed course : errant
    • devious breezes
  3. out-of-the-way, remote
  4. deviating from a right, accepted, or common course
    • devious conduct
  5. not straightforward : cunning
    • a devious politician
  6. deceptive
    • a devious trick

de·vise [di-'vīz] -vt, adj, n

  1. to form in the mind by new combinations or applications of ideas or principles : invent
    • devise a new strategy
  2. conceive, imagine
  3. to plan to obtain or bring about : plot
    • devise one's death
  4. to give (real estate) by will

devise -n

  1. the act of giving or disposing of real property by will
  2. a will or clause of a will disposing of real property
  3. property devised by will

de·vi·see [,de-və-'zē, di-,vī-'zē] -n

  1. one to whom a devise of property is made

de·vi·sor [,de-və-'zȯr; di-'vī-zər, -,vī-'zȯr] -n

  1. one who devises property in a will

de·vi·tal·ize [(,)dē-'vī-tə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of life, vigor, or effectiveness

de·vit·ri·fy [(,)dē-'vi-trə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to deprive of glassy luster and transparency
  2. to change (as a glass) from a vitreous to a crystalline condition

de·vo·cal·ize [(,)dē-'vō-kə-,līz] -vt

  1. devoice

de·voice [(,)dē-'vȯis] -vt

  1. to pronounce (as a sometimes or formerly voiced sound) without vibration of the vocal cords

de·void [di-'vȯid] -adj

  1. being without a usual, typical, or expected attribute or accompaniment used with of
    • an argument devoid of sense
    • a landscape devoid of life

de·voir [də-'vwär, 'de-,] -n

  1. duty, responsibility
  2. a usu. formal act of civility or respect

de·vo·lu·tion [,de-və-'lü-shən also ,dē-və-] -n, adj

  1. transference (as of rights, powers, property, or responsibility) to another
  2. the surrender of powers to local authorities by a central government
  3. retrograde evolution : degeneration

de·volve [di-'välv, -'vȯlv, dē-] -vb

  1. to pass on (as responsibility, rights, or powers) from one person or entity to another
    • devolving to western Europe full responsibility for its own defense -- Christopher Lane
  2. to pass by transmission or succession
    • the estate devolved on a distant cousin
  3. to fall or be passed usu. as a responsibility or obligation
    • the responsibility for breadwinning has devolved increasingly upon women -- Barbara Ehrenreich
  4. to come by or as if by flowing down
    • his allegedly subversive campaigns...devolve from his belief in basic American rights -- Frank Deford
  5. to degenerate through a gradual change or evolution
    • where order devolve s into chaos -- Johns Hopkins Mag.

dev·on ['de-vən] -n

  1. any of an English breed of vigorous red cattle used for meat and milk

Devon -abbr

  1. Devonshire

De·vo·ni·an [di-'vō-nē-ən] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to Devonshire, England
  2. of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era between the Silurian and the Mississippian or the corresponding system of rocks

Devon rex -n

  1. any of a breed of large-eared cats having a very short wavy or curly coat with sparse guard hairs

Dev·on·shire cream [,de-vən-,shir-, -shər-] -n

  1. clotted cream

de·vote [di-'vōt, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to commit by a solemn act
    • devoted herself to serving God
  2. to give over or direct (as time, money, or effort) to a cause, enterprise, or activity

devoted -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized by loyalty and devotion
    • a devoted fan
    • he is devoted to her

dev·o·tee [,de-,vō-'tē, ,dē-, ,dā-, də-, -'tā] -n

  1. an ardent follower, supporter, or enthusiast (as of a religion, art form, or sport)

de·vo·tion [di-'vō-shən, dē-] -n

  1. religious fervor : piety
  2. an act of prayer or private worship usu. used in pl.
  3. a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate worship of a congregation
  4. the act of devoting
    • devotion of time and energy
  5. the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal
    • her devotion to the cause
    • filial devotion
  6. the object of one's devotion

de·vo·tion·al [-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by devotion
    • devotional literature

devotional -n

  1. a short worship service

de·vour [di-'vau̇(-ə)r, dē-] -vt, n

  1. to eat up greedily or ravenously
  2. to use up or destroy as if by eating
    • we are devour ing the world's resources
  3. to prey upon
    • devour ed by guilt
  4. to enjoy avidly
    • devour s books

de·vout [di-'vau̇t] -adj, adv, n

  1. devoted to religion or to religious duties or exercises
  2. expressing devotion or piety
    • a devout attitude
  3. devoted to a pursuit, belief, or mode of behavior : serious, earnest
    • a devout baseball fan
    • born a devout coward -- G. B. Shaw
  4. warmly sincere
    • a devout wish for peace

dew ['dü also 'dyü] -n, vt, adj

  1. moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies esp. at night
  2. something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh
  3. : moisture esp. when appearing in minute droplets: as
  4. tears
  5. sweat
  6. droplets of water produced by a plant in transpiration

DEW -abbr

  1. distant early warning

dew·ar ['dü-ər also 'dyü-] -n

  1. a glass or metal container made like a vacuum bottle that is used esp. for storing liquefied gases called also Dewar flask

de·wa·ter [(,)dē-'wȯt-ər, -'wät-] -vt, n

  1. to remove water from

dew·ber·ry ['dü-,ber-ē also 'dyü-] -n

  1. any of several sweet edible berries related to and resembling blackberries
  2. a trailing or decumbent bramble (genus Rubus) that bears dewberries

dew·claw ['dü-,klȯ also 'dyü-] -n

  1. a vestigial digit not reaching to the ground on the foot of a mammal
  2. a claw or hoof terminating such a digit

dew·drop ['dü-,dräp also 'dyü-] -n

  1. a drop of dew

Dew·ey decimal classification ['dü-ē- also 'dyü-] -n

  1. a system of classifying books and other publications whereby main classes are designated by a 3-digit number and subdivisions are shown by numbers after a decimal point called also Dewey decimal system

dew·fall ['dü-,fȯl also 'dyü-] -n

  1. formation of dew
  2. the time when dew begins to deposit

dew·lap ['dü-,lap also 'dyü-] -n, adj

  1. loose skin hanging under the neck of an animal
  2. loose flesh on the human throat

de·worm [(,)dē-'wərm] -vt, n

  1. to rid (as a dog) of worms : worm

dew point -n

  1. the temperature at which a vapor (as water) begins or would begin to condense

dew worm -n

  1. night crawler

dewy ['dü-ē also 'dyü-] -adj, adv, n

  1. moist with, affected by, or suggestive of dew
    • dewy grass
  2. innocent, unsophisticated
    • from a dewy bride to an ill-mannered, murderous courtesan -- Melvin Gussow

dewyeyed ['dü-ē-,īd also 'dyü-] -adj

  1. naively innocent and trusting
    • a dewyeyed optimist

dex ['deks] -n

  1. the sulfate of dextroamphetamine

DEXA -abbr

  1. dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

dexa·meth·a·sone [,dek-sə-'me-thə-,sōn, -,zōn] -n

  1. a synthetic glucocorticoid C 22H 29FO 5used esp. as an anti-inflammatory agent

Dex·e·drine ['dek-sə-,drēn, -drən] -trademark

  1. used for a preparation of the sulfate of dextroamphetamine

dex·fen·flur·a·mine [,deks-'fen-flu̇r-ə-,mēn] -n

  1. the dextrorotatory form of fenfluramine formerly used to treat obesity but withdrawn due to its association with heart valve disease

dex·ies ['dek-sēz] -n pl

  1. tablets or capsules of the sulfate of dextroamphetamine

dex·ter ['dek-stər] -adj, adv

  1. relating to or situated on the right
  2. being or relating to the side of a heraldic shield at the right of the person bearing it

dex·ter·i·ty [dek-'ster-ə-tē, -'ste-rə-] -n

  1. mental skill or quickness : adroitness
  2. readiness and grace in physical activity
  3. skill and ease in using the hands
    • manual dexterity

dex·ter·ous ['dek-st(ə-)rəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. mentally adroit and skillful : clever
    • her dexterous handling of the crisis
  2. done with dexterity : artful
    • a dexterous maneuver
  3. skillful and competent with the hands
    • a dexterous surgeon

dextr- -comb form

  1. right : on or toward the right
    • dextro rotatory
  2. dextrorotatory
    • dextro amphetamine

dex·tral ['dek-strəl] -adj

  1. : of or relating to the right : inclined to the right: as
  2. right-handed
  3. having the whorls coiling clockwise down the spire when viewed with the apex toward the observer and having the aperture situated on the right of the axis when held with the spire uppermost and with the aperture opening toward the observer

dex·tran ['dek-stran, -strən] -n

  1. any of numerous glucose biopolymers of variable molecular weight that are produced esp. by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria (as genus Leuconostoc), are found in dental plaque, and are used esp. in blood plasma substitutes

dex·tran·ase [-strə-,nās, -,nāz] -n

  1. a hydrolase that prevents tooth decay by breaking down dextran and eliminating dental plaque

dex·trin ['dek-strən] -n

  1. any of various water-soluble gummy polysaccharides (C 6H 10O 5) n obtained from starch by the action of heat, acids, or enzymes and used as adhesives, as sizes for paper and textiles, as thickening agents (as in syrups), and in beer

dex·tro ['dek-(,)strō] -adj

  1. dextrorotatory

dex·tro·am·phet·amine ['dek-(,)strō-am-'fe-tə-,mēn, -mən] -n

  1. the dextrorotatory sulfate of amphetamine

dex·tro·me·thor·phan [,dek-strō-mi-'thȯr-,fan] -n

  1. a nonaddictive cough suppressant C 18H 25NO that is widely used esp. in the form of a hydrated hydrogen bromide complex

dex·tro·ro·ta·to·ry [-'rō-tə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. turning clockwise or toward the right
  2. rotating the plane of polarization of light toward the right
    • dextrorotatory crystals

dex·trose ['dek-,strōs, -,strōz] -n

  1. dextrorotatory glucose

dey ['dā] -n

  1. a ruling official of the Ottoman Empire in northern Africa