F. W. Robertson.
11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
12. Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music.
13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.
Del"i*cate, n. 1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.]
With abstinence all delicates he sees.
Dryden.
<! p. 386 !>
2. A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, -- those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, -- are only of the Corinth metal.
Holland.
Del"i*cate*ly (?), adv. In a delicate manner.
Del"i*cate*ness, n. The quality of being delicate.
Del"i*ces (?), n. pl. [F. délices, fr. L. deliciae.] Delicacies; delights. [Obs.] "Dainty delices." Spenser.
De*li"ci*ate (?), v. t. To delight one's self; to indulge in feasting; to revel. [Obs.]
De*li"cious (?), a. [OF. delicieus, F. délicieux, L. deliciosus, fr. deliciae delight, fr. delicere to allure. See Delight.] 1. Affording exquisite pleasure; delightful; most sweet or grateful to the senses, especially to the taste; charming.
Some delicious landscape.
Coleridge.
One draught of spring's delicious air.
Keble.
Were not his words delicious?
Tennyson.
2. Addicted to pleasure; seeking enjoyment; luxurious; effeminate. [Obs.]
Others, lastly, of a more delicious and airy spirit, retire themselves to the enjoyments of ease and luxury.
Milton.
Syn. -- Delicious, Delightful. Delicious refers to the pleasure derived from certain of the senses, particularly the taste and smell; as, delicious food; a delicious fragrance. Delightful may also refer to most of the senses (as, delightful music; a delightful prospect; delightful sensations), but has a higher application to matters of taste, feeling, and sentiment; as, a delightful abode, conversation, employment; delightful scenes, etc.
Like the rich fruit he sings, delicious in decay.
Smith.
No spring, nor summer, on the mountain seen,
Smiles with gay fruits or with delightful green.
Addison.
De*li"cious*ly, adv. Delightfully; as, to feed deliciously; to be deliciously entertained.
De*li"cious*ness, n. 1. The quality of being delicious; as, the deliciousness of a repast.
2. Luxury. "To drive away all superfluity and deliciousness." Sir T. North.
De*lict" (?), n. [L. delictum fault.] (Law) An offense or transgression against law; (Scots Law) an offense of a lesser degree; a misdemeanor.
Every regulation of the civil code necessarily implies a delict in the event of its violation.
Jeffrey.
Del"i*gate (?), v. t. [L. deligatus, p. p. of deligare to bind up; de- + ligare to bind.] (Surg.) To bind up; to bandage.
Del`i*ga"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. déligation.] (Surg.) A binding up; a bandaging. Wiseman.
De*light" (?), n. [OE. delit, OF. delit, deleit, fr. delitier, to delight. See Delight, v. t.] 1. A high degree of gratification of mind; a high- wrought state of pleasurable feeling; lively pleasure; extreme satisfaction; joy.
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Shak.
A fool hath no delight in understanding.
Prov. xviii. 2.
2. That which gives great pleasure or delight.
Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight.
Milton.
3. Licentious pleasure; lust. [Obs.] Chaucer.
De*light", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Delighting.] [OE. deliten, OF. delitier, deleitier, F. délecter, fr. L. delectare to entice away, to delight (sc. by attracting or alluring), intens. of delicere to allure, delight; de- + lacere to entice, allure; cf. laqueus a snare. Cf. Delectate, Delicate, Delicious, Dilettante, Elicit, Lace.] To give delight to; to affect with great pleasure; to please highly; as, a beautiful landscape delights the eye; harmony delights the ear.
Inventions to delight the taste.
Shak.
Delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds.
Tennyson.
De*light", v. i. To have or take great delight or pleasure; to be greatly pleased or rejoiced; -- followed by an infinitive, or by in.
Love delights in praises.
Shak.
I delight to do thy will, O my God.
Ps. xl. 8.
De*light"a*ble (?), a. [See Delectable.] Capable of delighting; delightful. [Obs.]
Many a spice delightable.
Rom. of R.
De*light"ed, a. Endowed with delight.
If virtue no delighted beauty lack.
Shak.
Syn. -- Glad; pleased; gratified. See Glad.
De*light"ed*ly, adv. With delight; gladly.
De*light"er (?), n. One who gives or takes delight.
De*light"ful (?), a. Highly pleasing; affording great pleasure and satisfaction. "Delightful bowers." Spenser. "Delightful fruit.>" Milton.
Syn. -- Delicious; charming. See Delicious.
-- De*light"ful*ly, adv. -- De*light"ful*ness, n.
De*light"ing, a. Giving delight; gladdening. -- De*light"ing*ly, adv. Jer. Taylor.
De*light"less, a. Void of delight. Thomson.
De*light"ous (?) a. [OF. delitos.] Delightful. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
De*light"some (?), a. Very pleasing; delightful. "Delightsome vigor." Grew.
Ye shall be a delightsome land, . . . saith the Lord.
Mal. iii. 12.
-- De*light"some*ly, adv. -- De*light"some*ness, n.
De*li"lah (?), n. The mistress of Samson, who betrayed him (Judges xvi.); hence, a harlot; a temptress.
Other Delilahs on a smaller scale Burns met with during his Dumfries sojourn.
J. C. Shairp.
De*lim"it (?), v. t. [L. delimitare: cf. F. délimiter.] To fix the limits of; to demarcate; to bound.
De*lim`i*ta"tion (?), n. [L. delimitatio: cf. F. délimitation.] The act or process of fixing limits or boundaries; limitation. Gladstone.
De*line" (d*ln"), v. t. 1. To delineate. [Obs.]
2. To mark out. [Obs.] R. North.
De*lin"e*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being, or liable to be, delineated. Feltham.
De*lin"e*a*ment (?), &?;. [See Delineate.] Delineation; sketch. Dr. H. More.
De*lin"e*ate (?), a. [L. delineatus, p. p. of delineare to delineate; de- + lineare to draw, fr. linea line. See Line.] Delineated; portrayed. [R.]
De*lin"e*ate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delineated; p. pr. & vb. n. Delineating.] 1. To indicate by lines drawn in the form or figure of; to represent by sketch, design, or diagram; to sketch out; to portray; to picture; in drawing and engraving, to represent in lines, as with the pen, pencil, or graver; hence, to represent with accuracy and minuteness. See Delineation.
Adventurous to delineate nature's form.
Akenside.
2. To portray to the mind or understanding by words; to set forth; to describe.
Customs or habits delineated with great accuracy.
Walpole.
De*lin`e*a"tion (?), n. [L. delineatio: cf. F. délinéation.] 1. The act of representing, portraying, or describing, as by lines, diagrams, sketches, etc.; drawing an outline; as, the delineation of a scene or face; in drawing and engraving, representation by means of lines, as distinguished from representation by means of tints and shades; accurate and minute representation, as distinguished from art that is careless of details, or subordinates them excessively.
2. A delineated picture; representation; sketch; description in words.
Their softest delineations of female beauty.
W. Irving.
Syn. -- Sketch; portrait; outline. See Sketch.
De*lin"e*a`tor (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, delineates; a sketcher.
2. (Surv.) A perambulator which records distances and delineates a profile, as of a road.
De*lin"e*a*to*ry (?), a. That delineates; descriptive; drawing the outline; delineating.
De*lin"e*a*ture (?; 135), n. Delineation. [Obs.]
Del`i*ni"tion (?), n. [L. delinere to smear. See Liniment.] A smearing. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
De*lin"quen*cy (?), n.; pl. Delinquencies (#). [L. delinquentia, fr. delinquens.] Failure or omission of duty; a fault; a misdeed; an offense; a misdemeanor; a crime.
The delinquencies of the little commonwealth would be represented in the most glaring colors.
Motley.
De*lin"quent (?) a. [L. delinquens, -entis, p. pr. of delinquere to fail, be wanting in one's duty, do wrong; de- + linquere to leave. See Loan, n.] Failing in duty; offending by neglect of duty.
De*lin"quent, n. One who fails or neglects to perform his duty; an offender or transgressor; one who commits a fault or a crime; a culprit.
A delinquent ought to be cited in the place or jurisdiction where the delinquency was committed.
Ayliffe.
De*lin"quent*ly, adv. So as to fail in duty.
Del"i*quate (?), v. i. [L. deliquatus, p. p. of deliquare to clear off, de- + liquare to make liquid, melt, dissolve.] To melt or be dissolved; to deliquesce. [Obs.] Boyle.
Del"i*quate, v. t. To cause to melt away; to dissolve; to consume; to waste. [Obs.]
Dilapidating, or rather deliquating, his bishopric.
Fuller.
Del`i*qua"tion (?), n. A melting. [Obs.]
Del`i*quesce" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Deliquesced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deliquescing.] [L. deliquescere to melt, dissolve; de- + liquescere to become fluid, melt, fr. liquere to be fluid. See Liquid.] (Chem.) To dissolve gradually and become liquid by attracting and absorbing moisture from the air, as certain salts, acids, and alkalies.
In very moist air crystals of strontites deliquesce.
Black.
Del`i*ques"cence (?), n. [Cf. F. déliquescence.] The act of deliquescing or liquefying; process by which anything deliquesces; tendency to melt.
Del`i*ques"cent (?), a. [L. deliquescens, -entis, p. pr. of deliquescere: cf. F. déliquescent.] 1. Dissolving; liquefying by contact with the air; capable of attracting moisture from the atmosphere and becoming liquid; as, deliquescent salts.
2. (Bot.) Branching so that the stem is lost in branches, as in most deciduous trees. Gray.
De*liq"ui*ate (?), v. i. [L. deliquia a flowing off, a gutter, deliquium a flowing down, fr. deliquare. See Deliquate.] To melt and become liquid by absorbing water from the air; to deliquesce. Fourcroy.
De*liq`ui*a"tion (?), n. The act of deliquiating.
||De*liq"ui*um (?), n. [L. See Deliquiate.] 1. (Chem.) A melting or dissolution in the air, or in a moist place; a liquid condition; as, a salt falls into a deliquium. [R.]
2. A sinking away; a swooning. [Obs.] Bacon.
3. A melting or maudlin mood. Carlyle.
De*lir"a*cy (?), n. [See Delirate.] Delirium. [Obs.]
De*lir"a*ment (?), n. [L. deliramentum, fr. delirare. See Delirium.] A wandering of the mind; a crazy fancy. [Obs.] Heywood.
De*lir"an*cy (?), n. Delirium. [Obs.] Gauden.
De*lir"ant (?), a. [L. delirans, - antis, p. pr. of delirare. See Delirium.] Delirious. [Obs.] Owen.
De*lir"ate (?), v. t. & i. [L. deliratus, p. p. of delirare. See Delirium.] To madden; to rave. [Obs.]
An infatuating and delirating spirit in it.
Holland.
Del`i*ra"tion (?), n. [L. deliratio.] Aberration of mind; delirium. J. Morley.
Deliration or alienation of the understanding.
Mede.
De*lir"i*ant (?), n. [See Delirium.] (Med.) A poison which occasions a persistent delirium, or mental aberration (as belladonna).
De*lir`i*fa"cient (?), a. [Delirium + L. faciens, -entis, p. pr. of facere to make.] (Med.) Producing, or tending to produce, delirium. -- n. Any substance which tends to cause delirium.
De*lir"i*ous (?), a. [From Delirium.] Having a delirium; wandering in mind; light- headed; insane; raving; wild; as, a delirious patient; delirious fancies. -- De*lir"i*ous*ly, adv. -- De*lir"i*ous*ness, n.
De*lir"i*um (?), n. [L., fr. delirare to rave, to wander in mind, prop., to go out of the furrow in plowing; de- + lira furrow, track; perh. akin to G. geleise track, rut, and E. last to endure.] 1. (Med.) A state in which the thoughts, expressions, and actions are wild, irregular, and incoherent; mental aberration; a roving or wandering of the mind, -- usually dependent on a fever or some other disease, and so distinguished from mania, or madness.
2. Strong excitement; wild enthusiasm; madness.
The popular delirium [of the French Revolution] at first caught his enthusiastic mind.
W. Irving.
The delirium of the preceding session (of Parliament).
Morley.
Delirium tremens (&?;). [L., trembling delirium] (Med.), a violent delirium induced by the excessive and prolonged use of intoxicating liquors. -- Traumatic delirium (Med.), a variety of delirium following injury.
Syn. -- Insanity; frenzy; madness; derangement; aberration; mania; lunacy; fury. See Insanity.
De*lit" (?), n. Delight. [Obs.] Chaucer.
De*lit"a*ble (?), a. Delightful; delectable. [Obs.]
Del`i*tes"cence (?), n. [See Delitescent.] 1. Concealment; seclusion; retirement.
The delitescence of mental activities.
Sir W. Hamilton.
2. (Med.) The sudden disappearance of inflammation.
Del`i*tes"cen*cy (?), n. Concealment; seclusion.
The mental organization of the novelist must be characterized, to speak craniologically, by an extraordinary development of the passion for delitescency.
Sir W. Scott.
Del`i*tes"cent (?), a. [L. delitescens, -entis, p. pr. of delitescere to lie hid.] Lying hid; concealed.
De*lit"i*gate (?), v. i. [L. delitigare to rail. See Litigate.] To chide; to rail heartily. [Obs.]
De*lit`i*ga"tion (?), n. Chiding; brawl. [Obs.]
De*liv"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delivered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Delivering.] [F. délivrer, LL. deliberare to liberate, give over, fr. L. de + liberare to set free. See Liberate.] 1. To set free from restraint; to set at liberty; to release; to liberate, as from control; to give up; to free; to save; to rescue from evil actual or feared; -- often with from or out of; as, to deliver one from captivity, or from fear of death.
He that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
Ezek. xxxiii. 5.
Promise was that I
Should Israel from Philistian yoke deliver.
Milton.
2. To give or transfer; to yield possession or control of; to part with (to); to make over; to commit; to surrender; to resign; -- often with up or over, to or into.
Thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand.
Gen. xl. 13.
The constables have delivered her over.
Shak.
The exalted mind
All sense of woe delivers to the wind.
Pope.
3. To make over to the knowledge of another; to communicate; to utter; to speak; to impart.
Till he these words to him deliver might.
Spenser.
Whereof the former delivers the precepts of the art, and the latter the perfection.
Bacon.
4. To give forth in action or exercise; to discharge; as, to deliver a blow; to deliver a broadside, or a ball.
Shaking his head and delivering some show of tears.
Sidney.
An uninstructed bowler . . . thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it.
Sir W. Scott.
5. To free from, or disburden of, young; to relieve of a child in childbirth; to bring forth; -- often with of.
She was delivered safe and soon.
Gower.
Tully was long ere he could be delivered of a few verses, and those poor ones.
Peacham.
6. To discover; to show. [Poetic]
I 'll deliver
Myself your loyal servant.
Shak.
7. To deliberate. [Obs.] Chaucer.
8. To admit; to allow to pass. [Obs.] Bacon.
Syn. -- To Deliver, Give Forth, Discharge, Liberate, Pronounce, Utter. Deliver denotes, literally, to set free. Hence the term is extensively applied to cases where a thing is made to pass from a confined state to one of greater freedom or openness. Hence it may, in certain connections, be used as synonymous with any or all of the above-mentioned words, as will be seen from the following examples: One who delivers a package gives it forth; one who delivers a cargo discharges it; one who delivers a captive liberates him; one who delivers a message or a discourse utters or pronounces it; when soldiers deliver their fire, they set it free or give it forth.
De*liv"er, a. [OF. delivre free, unfettered. See Deliver, v. t.] Free; nimble; sprightly; active. [Obs.]
Wonderly deliver and great of strength.
Chaucer.
De*liv"er*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being, or about to be, delivered; necessary to be delivered. Hale.
De*liv"er*ance (?), n. [F. délivrance, fr. délivrer.] 1. The act of delivering or freeing from restraint, captivity, peril, and the like; rescue; as, the deliverance of a captive.
He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives.
Luke iv. 18.
One death or one deliverance we will share.
Dryden.
2. Act of bringing forth children. [Archaic] Shak.
3. Act of speaking; utterance. [Archaic] Shak.
In this and in the preceding sense delivery is the word more commonly used.
4. The state of being delivered, or freed from restraint.
I do desire deliverance from these officers.
Shak.
5. Anything delivered or communicated; esp., an opinion or decision expressed publicly. [Scot.]
6. (Metaph.) Any fact or truth which is decisively attested or intuitively known as a psychological or philosophical datum; as, the deliverance of consciousness.
De*liv"er*er (?), n. 1. One who delivers or rescues; a preserver.
2. One who relates or communicates.
<! p. 387 !>
De*liv"er*ess (?), n. A female deliverer. [R.] Evelyn.
De*liv"er*ly, adv. Actively; quickly; nimbly. [Obs.]
Swim with your bodies,
And carry it sweetly and deliverly.
Beau. & Fl.
De*liv"er*ness, n. Nimbleness; agility. [Obs.]
De*liv"er*y, n.; pl. Deliveries (&?;). 1. The act of delivering from restraint; rescue; release; liberation; as, the delivery of a captive from his dungeon.
2. The act of delivering up or over; surrender; transfer of the body or substance of a thing; distribution; as, the delivery of a fort, of hostages, of a criminal, of goods, of letters.
3. The act or style of utterance; manner of speaking; as, a good delivery; a clear delivery.
4. The act of giving birth; parturition; the expulsion or extraction of a fetus and its membranes.
5. The act of exerting one's strength or limbs.
Neater limbs and freer delivery.
Sir H. Wotton.
6. The act or manner of delivering a ball; as, the pitcher has a swift delivery.
Dell (?), n. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.] 1. A small, retired valley; a ravine.
In dells and dales, concealed from human sight.
Tickell.
2. A young woman; a wench. [Obs.]
Sweet doxies and dells.
B. Jonson.
||Del"la Crus"ca (?). A shortened form of Accademia della Crusca, an academy in Florence, Italy, founded in the 16th century, especially for conserving the purity of the Italian language.
The Accademia della Crusca (literally, academy of the bran or chaff) was so called in allusion to its chief object of bolting or purifying the national language.
Del`la*crus"can (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Accademia della Crusca in Florence.
The Dellacruscan School, a name given in satire to a class of affected English writers, most of whom lived in Florence, about a. d. 1785.
||De"loo (d"l), n. (Zoöl.) The duykerbok.
||De*loul" (d*ll"), n. [Prob. of Arabic or Bedouin origin.] (Zoöl.) A special breed of the dromedary used for rapid traveling; the swift camel; -- called also herire, and maharik.
Delph (?), n. Delftware.
Five nothings in five plates of delph.
Swift.
Delph, n. (Hydraul. Engin.) The drain on the land side of a sea embankment. Knight.
Del"phi*an (?), a. Delphic.
Del"phic (?), a. [L. Delphicus, fr. Gr. Delfiko`s, fr. Delfoi`, L. Delphi, a town of Phocis, in Greece, now Kastri.] (Gr. Antiq.) 1. Of or relating to Delphi, or to the famous oracle of that place.
2. Ambiguous; mysterious. "If he is silent or delphic." New York Times.
{ Del"phin, Del"phine } (?), a. [See Dauphin.] Pertaining to the dauphin of France; as, the Delphin classics, an edition of the Latin classics, prepared in the reign of Louis XIV., for the use of the dauphin (in usum Delphini).
Del"phin, n. [L. delphinus a dolphin.] (Chem.) A fatty substance contained in the oil of the dolphin and the porpoise; -- called also phocenin.
Del"phine (?), a. [L. delphinus a dolphin, Gr. delfi`s, delfi`n.] Pertaining to the dolphin, a genus of fishes.
Del*phin"ic (?), a. [See Delphin, n.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the dolphin; phocenic.
Delphinic acid. (Chem.) See Valeric acid, under Valeric. [Obs.]
Del*phin"ic, a. [From NL. Delphinium, the name of the genus.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the larkspur; specifically, relating to the stavesacre (Delphinium staphisagria).
Del"phi*nine (?; 104), n. [Cf. F. delphinine.] (Chem.) A poisonous alkaloid extracted from the stavesacre (Delphinium staphisagria), as a colorless amorphous powder.
Del"phi*noid (?), a. [L. delphinus a dolphin + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or resembling, the dolphin.
||Del`phi*noi"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) The division of Cetacea which comprises the dolphins, porpoises, and related forms.
||Del*phi"nus (?), n. [L., a dolphin, fr. Gr. delfi`s, delfi`n.] 1. (Zoöl.) A genus of Cetacea, including the dolphin. See Dolphin, 1.
2. (Astron.) The Dolphin, a constellation near the equator and east of Aquila.
Del"ta (?), n.; pl. Deltas (#). [Gr. de`lta, the name of the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (the capital form of which is , Eng. D), from the Phœnician name of the corresponding letter. The Greeks called the alluvial deposit at the mouth of the Nile, from its shape, the Delta of the Nile.] A tract of land shaped like the letter delta (), especially when the land is alluvial and inclosed between two or more mouths of a river; as, the delta of the Ganges, of the Nile, or of the Mississippi.
Del`ta*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [Delta + L. facere to make.] The formation of a delta or of deltas. [R.]
Del*ta"ic (?), a. Relating to, or like, a delta.
||Del*thy"ris (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. de`lta the name of the letter + thy`ra door.] (Zoöl.) A name formerly given to certain Silurian brachiopod shells of the genus Spirifer.
Delthyris limestone (Geol.), one of the divisions of the Upper Silurian rocks in New York.
Del"tic (?), a. Deltaic.
||Del*tid"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. de`lta, the letter .] (Zoöl.) The triangular space under the beak of many brachiopod shells.
Del`to*he"dron (?), n. [Gr. de`lta, the letter + 'e`dra seat, base.] (Crystallog.) A solid bounded by twelve quadrilateral faces. It is a hemihedral form of the isometric system, allied to the tetrahedron.
Del"toid (?), a. [Gr. deltoeidh`s delta- shaped; de`lta the name of the letter + e'i^dos form: cf. F. deltoïde. See Delta.] Shaped like the Greek (delta); delta-shaped; triangular.
Deltoid leaf (Bot.), a leaf in the form of a triangle with the stem inserted at the middle of the base. -- Deltoid muscle (Anat.), a triangular muscle in the shoulder which serves to move the arm directly upward.
De*lud"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being deluded; liable to be imposed on; gullible. Sir T. Browne.
De*lude" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deluded; p. pr. & vb. n. Deluding.] [L. deludere, delusum; de- + ludere to play, make sport of, mock. See Ludicrous.] 1. To lead from truth or into error; to mislead the mind or judgment of; to beguile; to impose on; to dupe; to make a fool of.
To delude the nation by an airy phantom.
Burke.
2. To frustrate or disappoint.
It deludes thy search.
Dryden.
Syn. -- To mislead; deceive; beguile; cajole; cheat; dupe. See Deceive.
De*lud"er (?), n. One who deludes; a deceiver; an impostor.
Del"uge (?), n. [F. déluge, L. diluvium, fr. diluere wash away; di- = dis- + luere, equiv. to lavare to wash. See Lave, and cf. Diluvium.] 1. A washing away; an overflowing of the land by water; an inundation; a flood; specifically, The Deluge, the great flood in the days of Noah (Gen. vii.).
2. Fig.: Anything which overwhelms, or causes great destruction. "The deluge of summer." Lowell.
A fiery deluge fed
With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed.
Milton.
As I grub up some quaint old fragment of a [London] street, or a house, or a shop, or tomb or burial ground, which has still survived in the deluge.
F. Harrison.
After me the deluge.
(Aprés moi le déluge.)
Madame de Pompadour.
Del"uge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deluged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deluging.] 1. To overflow with water; to inundate; to overwhelm.
The deluged earth would useless grow.
Blackmore.
2. To overwhelm, as with a deluge; to cover; to overspread; to overpower; to submerge; to destroy; as, the northern nations deluged the Roman empire with their armies; the land is deluged with woe.
At length corruption, like a general flood . . .
Shall deluge all.
Pope.
||De*lun"dung (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) An East Indian carnivorous mammal (Prionodon gracilis), resembling the civets, but without scent pouches. It is handsomely spotted.
De*lu"sion (?) n. [L. delusio, fr. deludere. See Delude.] 1. The act of deluding; deception; a misleading of the mind. Pope.
2. The state of being deluded or misled.
3. That which is falsely or delusively believed or propagated; false belief; error in belief.
And fondly mourned the dear delusion gone.
Prior.
Syn. -- Delusion, Illusion. These words both imply some deception practiced upon the mind. Delusion is deception from want of knowledge; illusion is deception from morbid imagination. An illusion is a false show, a mere cheat on the fancy or senses. It is, in other words, some idea or image presented to the bodily or mental vision which does not exist in reality. A delusion is a false judgment, usually affecting the real concerns of life. Or, in other words, it is an erroneous view of something which exists indeed, but has by no means the qualities or attributes ascribed to it. Thus we speak of the illusions of fancy, the illusions of hope, illusive prospects, illusive appearances, etc. In like manner, we speak of the delusions of stockjobbing, the delusions of honorable men, delusive appearances in trade, of being deluded by a seeming excellence.
"A fanatic, either religious or political, is the subject of strong delusions; while the term illusion is applied solely to the visions of an uncontrolled imagination, the chimerical ideas of one blinded by hope, passion, or credulity, or lastly, to spectral and other ocular deceptions, to which the word delusion is never applied." Whately.
De*lu"sion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to delusions; as, delusional monomania.
De*lu"sive (?), a. [See Delude.] Apt or fitted to delude; tending to mislead the mind; deceptive; beguiling; delusory; as, delusive arts; a delusive dream.
Delusive and unsubstantial ideas.
Whewell.
-- De*lu"sive*ly, adv. -- De*lu"sive*ness, n.
De*lu"so*ry (?) a. Delusive; fallacious. Glanvill.
Delve (?) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Delving.] [AS. delfan to dig; akin to OS. bidelban to bury, D. delven to dig, MHG. telben, and possibly to E. dale. Cf. Delf a mine.] 1. To dig; to open (the ground) as with a spade.
Delve of convenient depth your thrashing floor.
Dryden.
2. To dig into; to penetrate; to trace out; to fathom.
I can not delve him to the root.
Shak.
Delve, v. i. To dig or labor with a spade, or as with a spade; to labor as a drudge.
Delve may I not: I shame to beg.
Wyclif (Luke xvi. 3).
Delve, n. [See Delve, v. t., and cf. Delf a mine.] A place dug; a pit; a ditch; a den; a cave.
Which to that shady delve him brought at last.
Spenser.
The very tigers from their delves
Look out.
Moore.
Delv"er (?), n. One who digs, as with a spade.
De*mag"net*ize (?), v. t. 1. To deprive of magnetic properties. See Magnetize.
If the bar be rapidly magnetized and demagnetized.
Am. Cyc.
2. To free from mesmeric influence; to demesmerize.
-- De*mag`net*i*za"tion, n. -- De*mag"net*i`zer (#), n.
Dem"a*gog (?; 115), n. Demagogue.
{ Dem`a*gog"ic (?), Dem`a*gog"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. dhmagwkiko`s: cf. F. démagogique.] Relating to, or like, a demagogue; factious.
Dem"a*gog*ism (?; 115), n. The practices of a demagogue.
Dem"a*gogue (?; 115), n. [Gr. dhmagwgo`s a popular leader; commonly in a bad sense, a leader of the mob; dh^mos the people + 'agwgo`s leading, fr. 'a`gein to lead; akin to E. act: cf. F. démagogue.] A leader of the rabble; one who attempts to control the multitude by specious or deceitful arts; an unprincipled and factious mob orator or political leader.
Dem"a*gog`y (?), n. [Cf. F. démagogie, Gr. dhmagwgi`a leadership of the people.] Demagogism.
De*main" (?), n. [See Demesne.] 1. Rule; management. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. (Law) See Demesne.
De*mand" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demanded; p. pr. & vb. n. Demanding.] [F. demander, LL. demandare to demand, summon, send word, fr. L. demandare to give in charge, intrust; de- + mandare to commit to one's charge, commission, order, command. Cf. Mandate, Commend.] 1. To ask or call for with authority; to claim or seek from, as by authority or right; to claim, as something due; to call for urgently or peremptorily; as, to demand a debt; to demand obedience.
This, in our foresaid holy father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee.
Shak.
2. To inquire authoritatively or earnestly; to ask, esp. in a peremptory manner; to question.
I did demand what news from Shrewsbury.
Shak.
3. To require as necessary or useful; to be in urgent need of; hence, to call for; as, the case demands care.
4. (Law) To call into court; to summon. Burrill.
De*mand", v. i. To make a demand; to inquire.
The soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do?
Luke iii. 14.
De*mand", n. [F. demande, fr. demander. See Demand, v. t.] 1. The act of demanding; an asking with authority; a peremptory urging of a claim; a claiming or challenging as due; requisition; as, the demand of a creditor; a note payable on demand.
The demand [is] by the word of the holy ones.
Dan. iv. 17.
He that has confidence to turn his wishes into demands will be but a little way from thinking he ought to obtain them.
Locke.
2. Earnest inquiry; question; query. Shak.
3. A diligent seeking or search; manifested want; desire to possess; request; as, a demand for certain goods; a person's company is in great demand.
In 1678 came forth a second edition [Pilgrim's Progress] with additions; and then the demand became immense.
Macaulay.
4. That which one demands or has a right to demand; thing claimed as due; claim; as, demands on an estate.
5. (Law) (a) The asking or seeking for what is due or claimed as due. (b) The right or title in virtue of which anything may be claimed; as, to hold a demand against a person. (c) A thing or amount claimed to be due.
In demand, in request; being much sought after. -- On demand, upon presentation and request of payment.
De*mand"a*ble (?), a. That may be demanded or claimed. "All sums demandable." Bacon.
De*mand"ant (?) n. [F. demandant, p. pr. of demander.] One who demands; the plaintiff in a real action; any plaintiff.
De*mand"er (?), n. One who demands.
De*mand"ress (?), n. A woman who demands.
De*man"toid (?), n. [G. demant diamond + -oid.] (Min.) A yellow-green, transparent variety of garnet found in the Urals. It is valued as a gem because of its brilliancy of luster, whence the name.
De*mar"cate (?), v. t. [See Demarcation.] To mark by bounds; to set the limits of; to separate; to discriminate. Wilkinson.
De`mar*ca"tion (?), n. [F. démarcation; pref. dé- (L. de) + marquer to mark, of German origin. See Mark.] The act of marking, or of ascertaining and setting a limit; separation; distinction.
The speculative line of demarcation, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable.
Burke.
De*march" (?), n. [F. démarche. See March, n.] March; walk; gait. [Obs.]
De*march (d"märk), n. [Gr. dh`marchos; dh^mos people + 'a`rchein to rule.] A chief or ruler of a deme or district in Greece.
De`mar*ka"tion, n. Same as Demarcation.
De`ma*te"ri*al*ize (?), v. t. To deprive of material or physical qualities or characteristics.
Dematerializing matter by stripping it of everything which . . . has distinguished matter.
Milman.
Deme (dm), n. [Gr. dh^mos.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) A territorial subdivision of Attica (also of modern Greece), corresponding to a township. Jowett (Thucyd.).
2. (Biol.) An undifferentiated aggregate of cells or plastids.
De*mean" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demeaned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Demeaning.] [OF. demener to conduct, guide, manage, F. se démener to struggle; pref. dé- (L. de) + mener to lead, drive, carry on, conduct, fr. L. minare to drive animals by threatening cries, fr. minari to threaten. See Menace.] 1. To manage; to conduct; to treat.
[Our] clergy have with violence demeaned the matter.
Milton.
2. To conduct; to behave; to comport; -- followed by the reflexive pronoun.
They have demeaned themselves
Like men born to renown by life or death.
Shak.
They answered . . . that they should demean themselves according to their instructions.
Clarendon.
<! p. 388 !>
3. To debase; to lower; to degrade; -- followed by the reflexive pronoun.
Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter.
Thackeray.
This sense is probably due to a false etymology which regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean.
De*mean" (?), n. [OF. demene. See Demean, v. t.] 1. Management; treatment. [Obs.]
Vile demean and usage bad.
Spenser.
2. Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor. [Obs.]
With grave demean and solemn vanity.
West.
De*mean", n. [See Demesne.] 1. Demesne. [Obs.]
2. pl. Resources; means. [Obs.]
You know
How narrow our demeans are.
Massinger.
De*mean"ance (?), n. Demeanor. [Obs.] Skelton.
De*mean"or (?), n. [Written also demeanour.] [For demeanure, fr. demean. See Demean, v. t.] 1. Management; treatment; conduct. [Obs.]
God commits the managing so great a trust . . . wholly to the demeanor of every grown man.
Milton.
2. Behavior; deportment; carriage; bearing; mien.
His demeanor was singularly pleasing.
Macaulay.
The men, as usual, liked her artless kindness and simple refined demeanor.
Thackeray.
De*mean"ure (?), n. Behavior. [Obs.] Spenser.
De"men*cy (?), n. [L. dementia, fr. demens mad. See Dement.] Dementia; loss of mental powers. See Insanity.
De*ment" (?), v. t. [L. dementare, fr. demens, -mentis, out of one's mind, mad; de + mens mind. See Mental, and cf. Dementate.] To deprive of reason; to make mad. [R.] Bale.
De*ment", a. [L. demens, - mentis.] Demented; dementate. [R.] J. H. Newman.
De*men"tate (?), a. [L. dementatus, p. p. See Dement, v. t.] Deprived of reason.
Arise, thou dementate sinner!
Hammond.
De*men"tate (?) v. t. To deprive of reason; to dement. [R.] Burton.
De`men*ta"tion (?), n. The act of depriving of reason; madness. Whitlock.
De*ment"ed (?), a. [From Dement.] Insane; mad; of unsound mind. -- De*ment"ed*ness, n.
||De*men"ti*a (?), n. [L., fr. demens. See Dement.] Insanity; madness; esp. that form which consists in weakness or total loss of thought and reason; mental imbecility; idiocy.
De*meph"i*tize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demephitized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Demephitizing.] [Cf. F. méphitiser to infect with mephitis.] To purify from mephitic or foul air. -- De*meph`i*ti*za"tion, n.
De*merge" (?), v. t. [L. demergere.] To plunge down into; to sink; to immerse. [Obs.]
The water in which it was demerged.
Boyle.
De*mer"it (?), n. [F. démérite demerit (in sense 2), OF. demerite demerit (in sense 1), fr. L. demerere to deserve well, LL., to deserve well or ill; de- + merere to deserve. See De-, and Merit.] 1. That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert. [Obs.]
By many benefits and demerits whereby they obliged their adherents, [they] acquired this reputation.
Holland.
2. That which deserves blame; ill desert; a fault; a vice; misconduct; -- the opposite of merit.
They see no merit or demerit in any man or any action.
Burke.
Secure, unless forfeited by any demerit or offense.
Sir W. Temple.
3. The state of one who deserves ill.
De*mer"it, v. t. [Cf. F. démériter to deserve ill. See Demerit, n.] 1. To deserve; -- said in reference to both praise and blame. [Obs.]
If I have demerited any love or thanks.
Udall.
Executed as a traitor . . . as he well demerited.
State Trials (1645).
2. To depreciate or cry down. [R.] Bp. Woolton.
De*mer"it, v. i. To deserve praise or blame.
De*merse" (?), v. t. [L. demersus, p. p. of demergere. See Merge.] To immerse. [Obs.] Boyle.
De*mersed" (?), a. (Bot.) Situated or growing under water, as leaves; submersed.
De*mer"sion (?) n. [L. demersio.] 1. The act of plunging into a fluid; a drowning.
2. The state of being overwhelmed in water, or as if in water. Ray.
De*mes"mer*ize (?), v. t. To relieve from mesmeric influence. See Mesmerize.
De*mesne" (?), n. [OE. demeine, demain, rule, demesne, OF. demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine, power, F. domaine domain, fr. L. dominium property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, proprietor, owner. See Dame, and cf. Demain, Domain, Danger, Dungeon.] (Law) A lord's chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor's own use. [Written also demain.] Wharton's Law Dict. Burrill.
Ancient demesne. (Eng. Law) See under Ancient.
De*mesn"i*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a demesne; of the nature of a demesne.
Dem"i- (?). [F. demi-, fr. L. dimidius half; di- = dis- + medius middle. See Medium, and cf. Demy, Dimidiate.] A prefix, signifying half.
De*mi" (?), n. See Demy, n.
Dem"i*bas"tion (?; 106), n. [Cf. F. demi- bastion.] (Fort.) A half bastion, or that part of a bastion consisting of one face and one flank.
Dem"i*bri*gade" (?), n. [Cf. F. demi- brigade.] A half brigade.
Dem"i*ca`dence (?) n. (Mus.) An imperfect or half cadence, falling on the dominant instead of on the key note.
Dem"i*can"non (?), n. (Mil. Antiq.) A kind of ordnance, carrying a ball weighing from thirty to thirty-six pounds. Shak.
Dem"i*cir`cle (?), n. [Cf. F. demi- cercle.] An instrument for measuring angles, in surveying, etc. It resembles a protractor, but has an alidade, sights, and a compass.
Dem"i*cul"ver*in (?), n. (Mil. Antiq.) A kind of ordnance, carrying a ball weighing from nine to thirteen pounds.
Dem"i*de"i*fy (?) v. t. To deify in part. Cowper.
Dem"i*dev`il (?), n. A half devil. Shak.
Dem"i*god (?), n. A half god, or an inferior deity; a fabulous hero, the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
Dem"i*god`dess (?), n. A female demigod.
Dem"i*gorge` (?), n. [Cf. F. demi- gorge.] (Fort.) Half the gorge, or entrance into a bastion, taken from the angle of the flank to the center of the bastion.
Dem"i*grate (?), v. i. [L. demigrare, demigratum, to emigrate. See De-, and Migrate.] To emigrate. [Obs.] Cockeram.
Dem`i*gra"tion (?) n. [L. demigratio.] Emigration. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Dem"i*groat` (?), n. A half groat.
Dem"i-is`land (?), n. Peninsula. [Obs.] Knolles.
Dem"i*john (?), n. [F. dame- jeanne, i.e., Lady Jane, a corruption of Ar. damajna, damjna, prob. fr. Damaghan a town in the Persian province of Khorassan, once famous for its glass works.] A glass vessel or bottle with a large body and small neck, inclosed in wickerwork.
Dem"i*lance` (?), n. A light lance; a short spear; a half pike; also, a demilancer.
Dem"i*lan`cer (?), n. A soldier of light cavalry of the 16th century, who carried a demilance.
Dem"i*lune` (?), n. [F. demi- lune.] 1. (Fort.) A work constructed beyond the main ditch of a fortress, and in front of the curtain between two bastions, intended to defend the curtain; a ravelin. See Ravelin.
2. (Physiol.) A crescentic mass of granular protoplasm present in the salivary glands.
Each crescent is made of polyhedral cells which under some circumstances are supposed to give rise to new salivary cells.
Dem"i*man` (?), n. A half man. [R.] Knolles.
Dem`i*monde" (?), n. [F.; demi + monde world, L. mundus.] Persons of doubtful reputation; esp., women who are kept as mistresses, though not public prostitutes; demireps.
Literary demimonde, writers of the lowest kind.
Dem"i*na"tured (?; 135), a. Having half the nature of another. [R.] Shak.
Dem"i*qua`ver (?), n. (Mus.) A note of half the length of the quaver; a semiquaver. [R.]
{ Dem`i*re*lief" (?), Dem`i*re*lie"vo (?), } n. Half relief. See Demi- rilievo.
Dem"i*rep` (?), n. [Contr. fr. demi- reputation.] A woman of doubtful reputation or suspected character; an adventuress. [Colloq.] De Quincey.
||Dem"i-ri*lie"vo (?), n. [Pref. demi- + It. rilievo.] (Fine Arts) (a) Half relief; sculpture in relief of which the figures project from the background by one half their full roundness. (b) A work of sculpture of the above character. See Alto-rilievo.
De*mis`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. (Law) The state of being demisable.
De*mis"a*ble (?), a. [From Demise.] (Law) Capable of being leased; as, a demisable estate.
De*mise" (?), n. [F. démettre, p. p. démis, démise, to put away, lay down; pref. dé- (L. de or dis-) + mettre to put, place, lay, fr. L. mittere to send. See Mission, and cf. Dismiss, Demit.] 1. Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
2. The decease of a royal or princely person; hence, also, the death of any illustrious person.
After the demise of the Queen [of George II.], in 1737, they [drawing- rooms] were held but twice a week.
P. Cunningham.
3. (Law) The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter. Bouvier.
The demise of the crown is a transfer of the crown, royal authority, or kingdom, to a successor. Thus, when Edward IV. was driven from his throne for a few months by the house of Lancaster, this temporary transfer of his dignity was called a demise. Thus the natural death of a king or queen came to be denominated a demise, as by that event the crown is transferred to a successor. Blackstone.
Demise and redemise, a conveyance where there are mutual leases made from one to another of the same land, or something out of it.
Syn. -- Death; decease; departure. See Death.
De*mise", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demised (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Demising.] 1. To transfer or transmit by succession or inheritance; to grant or bestow by will; to bequeath. "Power to demise my lands." Swift.
What honor
Canst thou demise to any child of mine?
Shak.
2. To convey; to give. [R.]
His soul is at his conception demised to him.
Hammond.
3. (Law) To convey, as an estate, by lease; to lease.
Dem`i*sem"i*qua`ver (?), n. (Mus.) A short note, equal in time to the half of a semiquaver, or the thirty-second part of a whole note.
De*miss" (?), a. [L. demissus, p. p. of demittere.] Cast down; humble; submissive. [Obs.]
He down descended like a most demiss
And abject thrall.
Spenser.
De*mis"sion (?), n. [L. demissio, fr. demittere. See Demit.] 1. The act of demitting, or the state of being demitted; a letting down; a lowering; dejection. "Demission of mind." Hammond.
Demission of sovereign authority.