Dab (dab), n. [Perh. corrupted fr. adept.] A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert. [Colloq.]
"One excels at a plan or the titlepage, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index." Goldsmith.

Dab, n. [Perh. so named from its quickness in diving beneath the sand. Cf. Dabchick.] (Zoöl.) A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species, Pleuronectes limanda. The American rough dab is Hippoglossoides platessoides.

Dab (dab), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Dabbed (dabd); p. pr. & vb. n. Dabbing.] [OE. dabben to strice; akin to OD. dabben to pinch, knead, fumble, dabble, and perh. to G. tappen to grope.]
1. To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.
"A sore should … be wiped … only by dabbing it over with fine lint." S. Sharp.
2. To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust. "To dab him in the neck." Sir T. More.

Dab, n.
1. A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.
"A scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak." Hawthorne.
2. A small mass of anything soft or moist.

Dabb (dab), n. (Zoöl.) A large, spine-tailed lizard ( Uromastix spinipes), found in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine; — called also dhobb, and dhubb.

Dabber
Dab´ber (dab"ber), n. That with which one dabs; hence, a pad or other device used by printers, engravers, etc., as for dabbing type or engraved plates with ink.

Dabble
Dab´ble (dab"b’l), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dabbled (-b’ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Dabbling (-b’ling).] [Freq. of dab: cf. OD. dabbelen.] To wet by little dips or strokes; to spatter; to sprinkle; to moisten; to wet. "Bright hair dabbled in blood." Shak.

Dabble
Dab´ble, v. i.
1. To play in water, as with the hands; to paddle or splash in mud or water.
"Where the duck dabbles ’mid the rustling sedge." Wordsworth.
2. To work in slight or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle. "Dabbling here and there with the text." Atterbury.
"During the first year at Dumfries, Burns for the first time began to dabble in politics." J. C. Shairp.

Dabbler
Dab´bler (dab"bler), n.
1. One who dabbles.
2. One who dips slightly into anything; a superficial meddler. "our dabblers in politics." Swift.

Dabblingly
Dab´bling•ly, adv. In a dabbling manner.

Dabchick
Dab´chick (dab"chik•), n. [For dabchick. See Dap, Dip, cf. Dipchick.] (Zoöl.) A small water bird ( Podilymbus podiceps), allied to the grebes, remarkable for its quickness in diving; — called also dapchick, dobchick, dipchick, didapper, dobber, devil-diver, hell-diver, and pied- billed grebe.

Dabster
Dab´ster, n. [Cf. Dab an expert.] One who is skilled; a master of his business; a proficient; an adept. [Colloq.] Sometimes improperly used for dabbler; as "I am but a dabster with gentle art."

Dace, n. [Written also dare, dart, fr. F. dard dase, dart, of German origin. Dace is for an older darce, fr. an OF. nom. darz. See Dart a javelin.] (Zoöl.) A small European cyprinoid fish ( Squalius leuciscus or Leuciscus vulgaris); — called also dare. In America the name is given to several related fishes of the genera Squalius, Minnilus, etc. The black-nosed dace is Rhinichthys atronasus the horned dace is Semotilus corporalis. For red dace, see Redfin.

Dacian
Da´cian, a. Of or pertaining to Dacia or the Dacians. — n. A native of ancient Dacia.

Dacoit
Da•coit´ (da•koit"), n. [Hind. dakait, dakayat.] One of a class of robbers, in India, who act in gangs.

Dacoity
Da•coit´y, n. The practice of gang robbery in India; robbery committed by dacoits.

Dacotahs
Da•co´tahs, n. pl.; sing. Dacotan . (Ethnol.) Same as Dacotas. Longfellow.

Dactylet
Dac´tyl•et, n. [ Dactyl + et.] A dactyl. [Obs.]

Dactylic
Dac•tyl´ic, a. [L. dactylicus, Gr., fr. .] Pertaining to, consisting chiefly or wholly of, dactyls; as dactylic verses.

Dactylic
Dac•tyl´ic, n.
1. A line consisting chiefly or wholly of dactyls; as these lines are dactylics.
2. pl. Dactylic meters.

Dactylioglyph
Dac•tyl´i•o•glyph (dak•til"i•o•glif), n. [Gr. daktyliogly•fos an engraver of gems; dakty•lios finger ring (fr. da•ktylos finger) + gly•fein to engrave.] (Fine Arts) (a) An engraver of gems for rings and other ornaments. (b) The inscription of the engraver’s name on a finger ring or gem.

Dactylioglyphy
Dac•tyl•i•og´ly•phy, n. The art or process of gem engraving.

Dactyliography
Dac•tyl•i•og´ra•phy, n. [Gr. dakty•lios finger ring + -graphy.] (Fine Arts) (a) The art of writing or engraving upon gems. (b) In general, the literature or history of the art.

Dactyliology
Dac•tyl•i•ol´o•gy, n. [Gr. dakty•lios finger ring + -logy.] (Fine Arts) (a) That branch of archaeology which has to do with gem engraving. (b) That branch of archaeology which has to do with finger rings.

Dactyliomancy
Dac•tyl´i•o•man•cy, n. [Gr. dakty•lios + -mancy.] Divination by means of finger rings.

Dactylist
Dac´tyl•ist, n. A writer of dactylic verse.

Dactylitis
Dac•tyl•i´tis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. da•ktylos finger + -itis.] (Med.) An inflammatory affection of the fingers. Gross.

Dactylology
Dac•tyl•ol´o•gy, n. [Gr. da•ktylos finger + -logy.] The art of communicating ideas by certain movements and positions of the fingers; — a method of conversing practiced by the deaf and dumb. There are two different manual alphabets, the one- hand alphabet (which was perfected by Abbe de l’Epee, who died in 1789), and the two-hand alphabet. The latter was probably based on the manual alphabet published by George Dalgarus of Aberdeen, in 1680. See Illustration in Appendix.

Dactylomancy
Dac•tyl´o•man•cy, n. Dactyliomancy. [R.] Am. Cyc.

Dactylonomy
Dac•tyl•on´o•my, n. [Gr. da•ktylos finger + no•mos law, distribution.] The art of numbering or counting by the fingers.

Dactylopterous
Dac•tyl•op´ter•ous, a. [Gr. da•ktylos finger + wing, fin.] (Zoöl.) Having the inferior rays of the pectoral fins partially or entirely free, as in the gurnards.

Dactylotheca
Dac•ty•lo•the´ca (dak•ti•lo•the"ka), n. [NL., fr. Gr. da•ktylos finger, toe + qh•kh case, box.] (Zoöl.) The scaly covering of the toes, as in birds.

Dactylozooid
Dac•tyl•o•zo´oid (dak•ti•lo•zo"oid), n. [Gr. da•ktylos finger + E. zooid.] (Zoöl.) A kind of zooid of Siphonophora which has an elongated or even vermiform body, with one tentacle, but no mouth. See Siphonophora.

Daddle
Dad´dle (dad"d’l), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Daddled, p. pr. & vb. n. Daddling.] [Prob. freq. of dade.] To toddle; to walk unsteadily, like a child or an old man; hence, to do anything slowly or feebly.

Daddy
Dad´dy, n. Diminutive of Dad. Dryden.

Dade, v. t. [Of. uncertain origin. Cf. Dandle, Daddle.] To hold up by leading strings or by the hand, as a child while he toddles. [Obs.]
"Little children when they learn to go By painful mothers daded to and fro." Drayton.

Dade, v. i. To walk unsteadily, as a child in leading strings, or just learning to walk; to move slowly. [Obs.]
"No sooner taught to dade, but from their mother trip." Drayton.

Dado
Da´do, n. ; pl. Dadoes (#). [It. dado die, cube, pedestal; of the same origin as E. die, n. See Die, n. ] (Arch.) (a) That part of a pedestal included between the base and the cornice (or surbase); the die. See Illust. of Column. Hence: (b) In any wall, that part of the basement included between the base and the base course. See Base course, under Base. (c) In interior decoration, the lower part of the wall of an apartment when adorned with moldings, or otherwise specially decorated. { Dae´dal, Dae•dal´ian }, a. [L. daedalus cunningly wrought, fr. Gr. ; cf. to work cunningly. The word also alludes to the mythical Daedalus (Gr., lit., the cunning worker).]
1. Cunningly or ingeniously formed or working; skillful; artistic; ingenious.
"Our bodies decked in our daedalian arms." Chapman.
"The daedal hand of Nature." J. Philips.
"The doth the daedal earth throw forth to thee, Out of her fruitful, abundant flowers." Spenser.
2. Crafty; deceitful. [R.] Keats.

Daemon
Dae´mon, n. , Dae•mon´ic, a. See Demon, Demonic.

Daffodil
Daf´fo•dil (daf"fo•dil), n. [OE. affodylle, prop., the asphodel, fr. LL. affodillus (cf. D. affodille or OF. asphodile, aphodille, F. asphodèle), L. asphodelus, fr. Gr. ’asfo•delos. The initial d in English is not satisfactorily explained. See Asphodel.] (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Asphodelus. (b) A plant of the genus Narcissus ( N. Pseudo-narcissus). It has a bulbous root and beautiful flowers, usually of a yellow hue. Called also daffodilly, daffadilly, daffadowndilly, daffydowndilly, etc.
"With damask roses and daffadillies set." Spenser.
"Strow me the ground with daffadowndillies, And cowslips, and kingcups, and loved lilies." Spenser.
"A college gown That clad her like an April daffodilly." Tennyson
"And chance-sown daffodil." Whittier.

Dag (dag), n. [Cf. F. dague, LL. daga, D. dagge (fr. French); all prob. fr. Celtic; Cf. Gael. dag a pistol, Armor. dag dagger, W. dager, dagr, Ir. daigear. Cf. Dagger.]
1. A dagger; a poniard. [Obs.] Johnson.
2. A large pistol formerly used. [Obs.]
"The Spaniards discharged their dags, and hurt some." Foxe.
"A sort of pistol, called dag, was used about the same time as hand guns and harquebuts." Grose.
3. (Zoöl.) The unbranched antler of a young deer.

Dag, n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. dagg, Icel. dögg. rad.71. See Dew.] A misty shower; dew. [Obs.]

Dag, n. [OE. dagge (cf. Dagger); or cf. AS. dag what is dangling.] A loose end; a dangling shred.
"Daglocks, clotted locks hanging in dags or jags at a sheep’s tail." Wedgwood.

Dag, v. t. [1, from Dag dew. 2, from Dag a loose end.]
1. To daggle or bemire. [Prov. Eng.] Johnson.
2. To cut into jags or points; to slash; as to dag a garment. [Obs.] Wright.

Dag, v. i. To be misty; to drizzle. [Prov. Eng.]

Dagger
Dag´ger (-ger), n. [Cf. OE. daggen to pierce, F. daguer. See Dag a dagger.]
1. A short weapon used for stabbing. This is the general term: cf. Poniard, Stiletto, Bowie knife, Dirk, Misericorde, Anlace.
2. (Print.) A mark of reference in the form of a dagger [†]. It is the second in order when more than one reference occurs on a page; — called also obelisk. Dagger moth (Zoöl.), any moth of the genus Apatalea. The larvae are often destructive to the foliage of fruit trees, etc. — Dagger of lath, the wooden weapon given to the Vice in the old Moralities. Shak. — Double dagger, a mark of reference [‡] which comes next in order after the dagger. — To look, or speak, daggers, to look or speak fiercely or reproachfully.

Dagger
Dag´ger, v. t. To pierce with a dagger; to stab. [Obs.]

Dagger
Dag´ger, n. [Perh. from diagonal.] A timber placed diagonally in a ship’s frame. Knight.

Dagges (dagz), n. pl. [OE. See Dag a loose end.] An ornamental cutting of the edges of garments, introduced about a. d. 1346, according to the Chronicles of St Albans. [Obs.] Halliwell.

Daggle-tail
Dag´gle-tail (-tal•), n. A slovenly woman; a slattern; a draggle-tail.

Daglock
Dag´lock (-lok•), n. [ Dag a loose end + lock.] A dirty or clotted lock of wool on a sheep; a taglock.

Dago
Da´go (da"go), n. ; pl. Dagos (-goz). [Cf. Sp. Diego, E. James.] A nickname given to a person of Spanish (or, by extension, Portuguese or Italian) descent. [U. S.]

Dagoba
Da•go´ba (da•go"ba), n. [Singhalese dagoba.] A dome- shaped structure built over relics of Buddha or some Buddhist saint. [East Indies]

Dagon
Da´gon (da"gon), [Heb. Dagon, fr. dag a fish: cf. Gr. Dagw•n.] The national god of the Philistines, represented with the face and hands and upper part of a man, and the tail of a fish. W. Smith.
"This day a solemn feast the people hold To Dagon, their sea idol." Milton.
"They brought it into the house of Dagon." 1 Sam. v. 2.

Dagon
Dag´on (dag"on), n. [See Dag a loose end.] A slip or piece. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Daguerreotype
Da•guerre´o•type (da•ger"o•tip), n. [From Daguerre the inventor + - type.]
1. An early variety of photograph, produced on a silver plate, or copper plate covered with silver, and rendered sensitive by the action of iodine, or iodine and bromine, on which, after exposure in the camera, the latent image is developed by the vapor of mercury.
2. The process of taking such pictures.

Daguerreotype
Da•guerre´o•type (da•ger"o•tip), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Daguerreotyped (-tipt); p. pr. & vb. n. Daguerreotyping (-ti•ping).]
1. To produce or represent by the daguerreotype process, as a picture.
2. To impress with great distinctness; to imprint; to imitate exactly. { Da•guerre´o•ty•per, Da•guerre´o•ty•pist } n. One who takes daguerreotypes.

Dahabeah
Da•ha•be´ah (dä•ha•be"a), n. [Ar.] A Nile boat constructed on the model of a floating house, having large lateen sails.

Dahlia
Dah´lia (däl"ya or dal"ya; 277, 106), n. ; pl. Dahlias (#). [Named after Andrew Dahl a Swedish botanist.] (Bot.) A genus of plants native to Mexico and Central America, of the order Compositae; also any plant or flower of the genus. The numerous varieties of cultivated dahlias bear conspicuous flowers which differ in color.

Dahlin
Dah´lin (dä"lin), n. [From Dahlia.] (Chem.) A variety of starch extracted from the dahlia; — called also inulin. See Inulin.

Dailiness
Dai´li•ness, n. Daily occurence. [R.]

Daily
Dai´ly (da"ly), a. [AS. daeglic; daeg day + -lic like. See Day.] Happening, or belonging to, each successive day; diurnal; as daily labor; a daily bulletin.
"Give us this day our daily bread." Matt. vi. 11.
"Bunyan has told us … that in New England his dream was the daily subject of the conversation of thousands." Macaulay.
Syn. — Daily, Diurnal. Daily is Anglo-Saxon, and diurnal is Latin. The former is used in reference to the ordinary concerns of life; as daily wants, daily cares, daily employments. The latter is appropriated chiefly by astronomers to what belongs to the astronomical day; as the diurnal revolution of the earth.
"Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heaven on all his ways." Milton.
"Half yet remains unsung, but narrower bound Within the visible diurnal sphere." Milton.

Daily
Dai´ly, n. ; pl. Dailies . A publication which appears regularly every day; as the morning dailies.

Daily
Dai´ly, adv. Every day; day by day; as a thing happens daily.

Daimio
Dai´mi•o, n. ; pl. Daimios (#). [Jap., fr. Chin. tai ming great name.] The title of the feudal nobles of Japan.
"The daimios, or territorial nobles, resided in Yedo and were divided into four classes." Am. Cyc.

Daint, n. [See Dainty, n. ] Something of exquisite taste; a dainty. [Obs.] — a. Dainty. [Obs.]
"To cherish him with diets daint." Spenser.

Daintiness
Dain´ti•ness, n. The quality of being dainty; nicety; niceness; elegance; delicacy; deliciousness; fastidiousness; squeamishness.
"The daintiness and niceness of our captains" Hakluyt.
"More notorious for the daintiness of the provision … than for the massiveness of the dish." Hakewill.
"The duke exeeded in the daintiness of his leg and foot, and the earl in the fine shape of his hands," Sir H. Wotton.

Daintrel
Dain´trel, n. [From daint or dainty; cf. OF. daintier.] Adelicacy. [Obs.] Halliwell.

Dainty
Dain´ty, n. ; pl. Dainties (#). [OE. deinie, dainte, deintie, deyntee, OF. deintie delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, fr. L. dignitas, fr. dignus worthy. See Deign, and cf. Dignity.]
1. Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [Obs.]
"I ne told no deyntee of her love." Chaucer.
2. That which is delicious or delicate; a delicacy.
"That precious nectar may the taste renew Of Eden’s dainties, by our parents lost." Beau. & Fl.
3. A term of fondness. [Poetic] B. Jonson.
Syn. — Dainty, Delicacy. These words are here compared as denoting articles of food. The term delicacy as applied to a nice article of any kind, and hence to articles of food which are particularly attractive. Dainty is stronger, and denotes some exquisite article of cookery. A hotel may be provided with all the delicacies of the season, and its table richly covered with dainties.
"These delicacies I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flowers, Walks and the melody of birds." Milton.
"[A table] furnished plenteously with bread, And dainties, remnants of the last regale." Cowper.

Dainty
Dain´ty, a. [ Compar. Daintier superl. Daintiest.]
1. Rare; valuable; costly. [Obs.]
"Full many a deynte horse had he in stable." Chaucer. Hence the proverb "dainty maketh dearth," i. e., rarity makes a thing dear or precious.
2. Delicious to the palate; toothsome.
"Dainty bits Make rich the ribs." Shak.
3. Nice; delicate; elegant, in form, manner, or breeding; well-formed; neat; tender.
"Those dainty limbs which nature lent For gentle usage and soft delicacy." Milton.
"I would be the girdle. About her dainty, dainty waist." Tennyson.
4. Requiring dainties. Hence: Overnice; hard to please; fastidious; squeamish; scrupulous; ceremonious.
"Thew were a fine and dainty people." Bacon.
"And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, But shift away." Shak. To make dainty, to assume or affect delicacy or fastidiousness. [Obs.]
"Ah ha, my mistresses! which of you all Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty, She, I’ll swear, hath corns." Shak.

Dairy
Dai´ry (da"ry), n. ; pl. Dairies (-riz). [OE. deierie, from deie, daie, maid; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. deigja maid, dairymaid, Sw. deja, orig., a baking maid, fr. Icel. deig. rad.66. See Dough.]
1. The place, room, or house where milk is kept, and converted into butter or cheese.
"What stores my dairies and my folds contain." Dryden.
2. That department of farming which is concerned in the production of milk, and its conversion into butter and cheese.
"Grounds were turned much in England either to feeding or dairy; and this advanced the trade of English butter." Temple.
3. A dairy farm. [R.] Dairy is much used adjectively or in combination; as dairy farm, dairy countries, dairy house or dairyhouse, dairyroom, dairywork, etc.

Dairymaid
Dai´ry•maid, n. A female servant whose business is the care of the dairy.

Dairyman
Dai´ry•man, n. ; pl. Dairymen . A man who keeps or takes care of a dairy.

Dairywoman
Dai´ry•wom•an, n. ; pl. Dairywomen . A woman who attends to a dairy.

Dais
Da´is (da"is), n. [OE. deis, des, table, dais, OF. deis table, F. dais a canopy, L. discus a quoit, a dish (from the shape), LL., table, fr. Gr. a quoit, a dish. See Dish.]
1. The high or principal table, at the end of a hall, at which the chief guests were seated; also the chief seat at the high table. [Obs.]
2. A platform slightly raised above the floor of a hall or large room, giving distinction to the table and seats placed upon it for the chief guests.
3. A canopy over the seat of a person of dignity. [Obs.] Shiply.

Daisy
Dai´sy (-zy), n. ; pl. Daisies (-ziz). [OE. dayesye, AS. daeges-eáge day’s eye, daisy. See Day, and Eye.] (Bot.) (a) A genus of low herbs ( Bellis), belonging to the family Compositae. The common English and classical daisy is B. perennis, which has a yellow disk and white or pinkish rays. (b) The whiteweed ( Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum), the plant commonly called daisy in North America; — called also oxeye daisy. See Whiteweed. The word daisy is also used for composite plants of other genera, as Erigeron, or fleabane. Michaelmas daisy (Bot.), any plant of the genus Aster, of which there are many species. — Oxeye daisy (Bot.), the whiteweed. See Daisy (b).

Dakoit
Da•koit´, n. , Da•koit´y, n. See Dacoit, Dacoity.

Dakotas
Da•ko´tas, n. pl.; sing. Dacota . (Ethnol.) An extensive race or stock of Indians, including many tribes, mostly dwelling west of the Mississippi River; — also in part, called Sioux. [Written also Dacotahs.]

Dal, n. [Hind.] Split pulse, esp. of Cajanus Indicus. [East Indies]

Dal segno
Dal• se"gno [It., from the sign.] (Mus.) A direction to go back to the sign and repeat from thence to the close. See Segno.

Dalf, imp. of Delve. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dalliance
Dal´li•ance, n. [From Dally.]
1. The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange of caresses; wanton play.
"Look thou be true, do not give dalliance Too much the rein." Shak.
"O, the dalliance and the wit, The flattery and the strife!" Tennyson.
2. Delay or procrastination. Shak.
3. Entertaining discourse. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dallop
Dal´lop (dal"lop), n. [Etymol. unknown.] A tuft or clump. [Obs.] Tusser.

Dally
Dal´ly (-ly), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Dallied (-lid); p. pr. & vb. n. Dallying.] [OE. dalien, dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G. dallen, dalen, dahlen, to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or AS. dol foolish, E. dull.]
1. To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle.
"We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer." Calamy.
"We have put off God, and dallied with his grace." Barrow.
2. To interchange caresses, especially with one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport.
"Not dallying with a brace of courtesans." Shak.
"Our aerie … dallies with the wind." Shak.

Dally
Dal´ly, v. t. To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
"Dallying off the time with often skirmishes." Knolles.

Dalmania
Dal•ma´ni•a, n. [From Dalman, the geologist.] (Paleon.) A genus of trilobites, of many species, common in the Upper Silurian and Devonian rocks.

Dalmanites
Dal•ma•ni´tes, n. Same as Dalmania.

Dalmatica
Dal•mat´i•ca n. Dal•mat´ic n. [LL. dalmatica: cf. F. dalmatique.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) A vestment with wide sleeves and with two stripes worn at Mass by deacons and by bishops at pontifical Mass — imitated from a dress originally worn in Dalmatia.
2. A robe worn on state ocasions as by English kings at their coronation.

Daltonian
Dal•to´ni•an, n. One afflicted with color blindness.

Daltonism
Dal´ton•ism, n. Inability to perceive or distinguish certain colors, esp. red; color blindness. It has various forms and degrees. So called from the chemist Dalton, who had this infirmity. Nichol.

Dam (dam), n. [OE. dame mistress, lady; also mother, dam. See Dame.]
1. A female parent; — used of beasts, especially of quadrupeds; sometimes applied in contempt to a human mother.
"Our sire and dam, now confined to horses, are a relic of this age (13th century) … . Dame is used of a hen; we now make a great difference between dame and dam." T. L. K. Oliphant.
"The dam runs lowing up and down, Looking the way her harmless young one went." Shak.
2. A king or crowned piece in the game of draughts.

Dam, n. [Akin to OLG., D., & Dan. dam, G. & Sw. damm, Icel. dammr, and AS. fordemman to stop up, Goth. Faúrdammjan.]
1. A barrier to prevent the flow of a liquid; esp., a bank of earth, or wall of any kind, as of masonry or wood, built across a water course, to confine and keep back flowing water.
2. (Metal.) A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace. Dam plate (Blast Furnace), an iron plate in front of the dam, to strengthen it.

Dam, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dammed (damd); p. pr. & vb. n. Damming.]
1. To obstruct or restrain the flow of, by a dam; to confine by constructing a dam, as a stream of water; — generally used with in or up.
"I’ll have the current in this place dammed up." Shak.
"A weight of earth that dams in the water." Mortimer.
2. To shut up; to stop up; to close; to restrain.
"The strait pass was dammed With dead men hurt behind, and cowards." Shak. To dam out, to keep out by means of a dam.

Damage feasant
Dam"age fea•sant [OF. damage + F. faisant doing, p. pr. See Feasible.] (Law) Doing injury; trespassing, as cattle. Blackstone.

Daman
Da´man (dä"man), n. (Zoöl.) A small herbivorous mammal of the genus Hyrax. The species found in Palestine and Syria is Hyrax Syriacus; that of Northern Africa is H. Brucei; — called also ashkoko, dassy, and rock rabbit. See Cony, and Hyrax.

Damascene
Dam´as•cene (dam"as•sen), a. [L. Damascenus of Damascus, fr. Damascus the city, Gr. Damasko•s. See Damask, and cf. Damaskeen, Damaskin, Damson.] Of or relating to Damascus.

Damascene
Dam´as•cene (dam"as•sen), n. A kind of plum, now called damson. See Damson.

Damascene
Dam•as•cene´ (dam• as•sen"), v. t. Same as Damask, or Damaskeen, v. t. "Damascened armor." Beaconsfield. "Cast and damascened steel." Ure.

Dambose
Dam´bose (dam"bos), n. (Chem.) A crystalline variety of fruit sugar obtained from dambonite.

Dame (dam), n. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam a mother, Dan, Danger, Dungeon, Dominie, Don, n. , Duenna.]
1. A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a woman in authority; especially, a lady.
"Then shall these lords do vex me half so much, As that proud dame, the lord protector’s wife." Shak.
2. The mistress of a family in common life, or the mistress of a common school; as a dame’s school.
"In the dame’s classes at the village school." Emerson.
3. A woman in general, esp. an elderly woman.
4. A mother; — applied to human beings and quadrupeds. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Damiana
Da•mi•a´na, n. [NL.; of uncertain origin.] (Med.) A Mexican drug, used as an aphrodisiac. There are several varieties derived from different plants, esp. from a species of Turnera and from Bigelovia veneta. Wood & Bache.

Damianist
Da´mi•an•ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Damian, patriarch of Alexandria in the 6th century, who held heretical opinions on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. { Dam´mar, Dam´ma•ra } n. [Jav. & Malay. damar.] An oleoresin used in making varnishes; dammar gum; dammara resin. It is obtained from certain resin trees indigenous to the East Indies, esp. Shorea robusta and the dammar pine. Dammar pine, (Bot.), a tree of the Moluccas ( Agathis orientalis, or Dammara orientalis), yielding dammar.

Dammara
Dam´ma•ra, n. (Bot.) A large tree of the order Coniferae, indigenous to the East Indies and Australasia; — called also Agathis. There are several species.

Damn (dam), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Damned (damd or dam"ned); p. pr. & vb. n. Damning (dam"ing or dam"ning).] [OE. damnen dampnen (with excrescent p), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
1. To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censure.
"He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him." Shak.
2. (Theol.) To doom to punishment in the future world; to consign to perdition; to curse.
3. To condemn as bad or displeasing, by open expression, as by denuciation, hissing, hooting, etc.
"You are not so arrant a critic as to damn them [the works of modern poets] … without hearing." Pope.
"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering teach the rest to sneer." Pope. Damn is sometimes used interjectionally, imperatively, and intensively.

Damn, v. i. To invoke damnation; to curse. "While I inwardly damn." Goldsmith.

Damnability
Dam•na•bil´i•ty, n. The quality of being damnable; damnableness. Sir T. More.

Damnable
Dam´na•ble, a. [L. damnabilis, fr. damnare: cf. F. damnable. See Damn.]
1. Liable to damnation; deserving, or for which one deserves, to be damned; of a damning nature.
"A creature unprepared unmeet for death, And to transport him in the mind he is, Were damnable." Shak.
2. Odious; pernicious; detestable.
"Begin, murderer; … leave thy damnable faces." Shak.

Damnably
Dam´na•bly, adv.
1. In a manner to incur severe censure, condemnation, or punishment.
2. Odiously; detestably; excessively. [Low]

Damnation
Dam•na´tion, n. [F. damnation, L. damnatio, fr. damnare. See Damn.]
1. The state of being damned; condemnation; openly expressed disapprobation.
2. (Theol.) Condemnation to everlasting punishment in the future state, or the punishment itself.
"How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" Matt. xxiii. 33.
"Wickedness is sin, and sin is damnation." Shak.
3. A sin deserving of everlasting punishment. [R.]
"The deep damnation of his taking- off." Shak.

Damned, a.
1. Sentenced to punishment in a future state; condemned; consigned to perdition.
2. Hateful; detestable; abominable.
"But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who doats, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves." Shak.

Damnific
Dam•nif´ic, a. [L. damnificus; damnum damage, loss + facere to make. See Damn.] Procuring or causing loss; mischievous; injurious.

Damnify
Dam´ni•fy (dam"ni•fi), v. t. [LL. damnificare, fr. L. damnificus: cf. OF. damnefier. See Damnific.] To cause loss or damage to; to injure; to impair. [R.]
"This work will ask as many more officials to make expurgations and expunctions, that the commonwealth of learning be not damnified." Milton.

Damningness
Damn´ing•ness, n. Tendency to bring damnation. "The damningness of them [sins]." Hammond.

damnum
dam´num, n. [L.] (law) Harm; detriment, either to character or property. { Dam´o•sel (dam"o•zel), Dam•o•sel´la (-zel"la), Da•moi•selle´ (da•mwä•zel") }, n. See Damsel. [Archaic]

Damp (damp), n. [Akin to LG., D., & Dan. damp vapor, steam, fog, G. dampf, Icel. dampi, Sw. damb dust, and to MNG. dimpfen to smoke, imp. dampf.]
1. Moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor.
"Night … with black air Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom." Milton.
2. Dejection; depression; cloud of the mind.
"Even now, while thus I stand blest in thy presence, A secret damp of grief comes o’er my soul." Addison.
"It must have thrown a damp over your autumn excursion." J. D. Forbes.
3. (Mining) A gaseous product, formed in coal mines, old wells, pints, etc. Choke damp, a damp consisting principally of carbonic acid gas; — so called from its extinguishing flame and animal life. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic. — Damp sheet, a curtain in a mine gallery to direct air currents and prevent accumulation of gas. — Fire damp, a damp consisting chiefly of light carbureted hydrogen; — so called from its tendence to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.

Damp, a. [ Compar. Damper superl. Dampest.]
1. Being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist; humid.
"O’erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear." Dryden.
2. Dejected; depressed; sunk. [R.]
"All these and more came flocking, but with looks Downcast and damp." Milton.

Damp, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Damped p. pr. & vb. n. Damping.] [OE. dampen to choke, suffocate. See Damp, n. ]
1. To render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen; as to damp cloth.
2. To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage. "To damp your tender hopes." Akenside.
"Usury dulls and damps all industries, improvements, and new inventions, wherein money would be stirring if it were not for this slug." Bacon.
"How many a day has been damped and darkened by an angry word!" Sir J. Lubbock.
"The failure of his enterprise damped the spirit of the soldiers." Macaulay.

Dampen
Damp´en, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dampened p. pr. & vb. n. Dampening.]
1. To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.
2. To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen.
"In a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm." The Century.

Dampen
Damp´en, v. i. To become damp; to deaden. Byron.

Damper
Damp´er, n. That which damps or checks; as: (a) A valve or movable plate in the flue or other part of a stove, furnace, etc., used to check or regulate the draught of air. (b) A contrivance, as in a pianoforte, to deaden vibrations; or, as in other pieces of mechanism, to check some action at a particular time.
"Nor did Sabrina’s presence seem to act as any damper at the modest little festivities." W. Black.

Dampish
Damp´ish, a. Moderately damp or moist. — Damp´ish•ly, adv. — Damp´ish•ness, n.

Dampne
Damp´ne, v. t. To damn. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dampness
Damp´ness, n. Moderate humidity; moisture; fogginess; moistness.

Dampy
Damp´y, a.
1. Somewhat damp. [Obs.] Drayton.
2. Dejected; gloomy; sorrowful. [Obs.] "Dispel dampy throughts." Haywards.

Damsel
Dam´sel, n. [OE. damosel, damesel, damisel, damsel, fr. OF. damoisele, damisele, gentlewoman, F. demoiselle young lady; cf. OF. damoisel young nobleman, F. damoiseau; fr. LL. domicella, dominicella, fem., domicellus, dominicellus, masc., dim. fr. L. domina, dominus. See Dame, and cf. Demoiselle, Doncella.]
1. A young person, either male or female, of noble or gentle extraction; as Damsel Pepin; Damsel Richard, Prince of Wales. [Obs.]
2. A young unmarried woman; a girl; a maiden.
"With her train of damsels she was gone, In shady walks the scorching heat to shun." Dryden.
"Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, … Goes by to towered Camelot." Tennyson.
3. (Milling) An attachment to a millstone spindle for shaking the hopper.

Danaide
Da´na•ide, n. [From the mythical Danaides, who were condemned to fill with water a vessel full of holes.] (Mach.) A water wheel having a vertical axis, and an inner and outer tapering shell, between which are vanes or floats attached usually to both shells, but sometimes only to one.

Danaite
Da´na•ite, n. [Named after J. Freeman Dana.] (Min.) A cobaltiferous variety of arsenopyrite.

Danalite
Da´na•lite, n. [Named after James Dwight Dana.] (Min.) A mineral occuring in octahedral crystals, also massive, of a reddish color. It is a silicate of iron, zinc manganese, and glucinum, containing sulphur.

Danburite
Dan´bu•rite, n. (Min.) A borosilicate of lime, first found at Danbury, Conn. It is near the topaz in form. Dana.

Dance (dans), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Danced p. pr. & vb. n. Dancing.] [F. danser, fr. OHG. danson to draw; akin to dinsan to draw, Goth. apinsan, and prob. from the same root (meaning to stretch) as E. thin. See Thin.]
1. To move with measured steps, or to a musical accompaniment; to go through, either alone or in company with others, with a regulated succession of movements, (commonly) to the sound of music; to trip or leap rhythmically.
"Jack shall pipe and Gill shall dance." Wither.
"Good shepherd, what fair swain is this Which dances with your daughter?" Shak.
2. To move nimbly or merrily; to express pleasure by motion; to caper; to frisk; to skip about.
"Then, ’tis time to dance off." Thackeray.
"More dances my rapt heart Than when I first my wedded mistress saw." Shak.
"Shadows in the glassy waters dance." Byron.
"Where rivulets dance their wayward round." Wordsworth. To dance on a rope, or To dance on nothing, to be hanged.

Dance, v. t. To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about, or up and down; to dandle.
"To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind." Shak.
"Thy grandsire loved thee well; Many a time he danced thee on his knee." Shak. To dance attendance, to come and go obsequiously; to be or remain in waiting, at the beck and call of another, with a view to please or gain favor.
"A man of his place, and so near our favor, To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasure." Shak.

Dance, n. [F. danse, of German origin. See Dance, v. i.]
1. The leaping, tripping, or measured stepping of one who dances; an amusement, in which the movements of the persons are regulated by art, in figures and in accord with music.
2. (Mus.) A tune by which dancing is regulated, as the minuet, the waltz, the cotillon, etc. The word dance was used ironically, by the older writers, of many proceedings besides dancing.
"Of remedies of love she knew parchance For of that art she couth the olde dance." Chaucer. Dance of Death (Art), an allegorical representation of the power of death over all, — the old, the young, the high, and the low, being led by a dancing skeleton. — Morris dance. See Morris. — To lead one a dance, to cause one to go through a series of movements or experiences as if guided by a partner in a dance not understood.

Dancette
Dan•cet•te´, a. [Cf. F. danche dancette, dent tooth.] (Her.) Deeply indented; having large teeth; thus, a fess dancette has only three teeth in the whole width of the escutcheon.

Dancing
Dan´cing, p. a. & vb. n. from Dance. Dancing girl, one of the women in the East Indies whose profession is to dance in the temples, or for the amusement of spectators. There are various classes of dancing girls. — Dancing master, a teacher of dancing. — Dancing school, a school or place where dancing is taught.

Dandie
Dan´die, n. (Zoöl.) One of a breed of small terriers; — called also Dandie Dinmont.

Dandified
Dan´di•fied, a. Made up like a dandy; having the dress or manners of a dandy; buckish.

Dandify
Dan´di•fy, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dandified p. pr. & vb. n. Dandifying.] [ Dandy + -fy.] To cause to resemble a dandy; to make dandyish.

Dandle
Dan´dle, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dandled p. pr. & vb. n. Dandling ] [Cf. G. dändeln to trifly, dandle, OD. & Prov. G. danten, G. tand trifly, prattle; Scot. dandill, dander, to go about idly, to trifly.]
1. To move up and down on one’s knee or in one’s arms, in affectionate play, as an infant.
"Ye shall be dandled … upon her knees." Is.
2. To treat with fondness, as if a child; to fondle; to toy with; to pet.
"They have put me in a silk gown and gaudy fool’s cap; I as ashamed to be dandled thus." Addison.
"The book, thus dandled into popularity by bishops and good ladies, contained many pieces of nursery eloquence." Jeffrey.
3. To play with; to put off or delay by trifles; to wheedle. [Obs.]
"Captains do so dandle their doings, and dally in the service, as it they would not have the enemy subdued." Spenser.

Dandriff
Dan´driff (dan"drif), n. See Dandruff. Swift.

Dandy
Dan´dy (dan"dy), n. ; pl. Dandies (-diz). [Cf. F. dandin, ninny, silly fellow, dandiner to waddle, to play the fool; prob. allied to E. dandle. Senses 2 & 3 are of uncertain etymol.]
1. One who affects special finery or gives undue attention to dress; a fop; a coxcomb.
2. (Naut.) (a) A sloop or cutter with a jigger on which a lugsail is set. (b) A small sail carried at or near the stern of small boats; — called also jigger, and mizzen.
3. A dandy roller. See below. Dandy brush, a yard whalebone brush. — Dandy fever. See Dengue. — Dandy line, a kind of fishing line to which are attached several crosspieces of whalebone which carry a hook at each end. — Dandy roller, a roller sieve used in machines for making paper, to press out water from the pulp, and set the paper.

Dandyism
Dan´dy•ism, n. The manners and dress of a dandy; foppishness. Byron.

Dandyize
Dan´dy•ize, v. t. & i. To make, or to act, like a dandy; to dandify.

Dandyling
Dan´dy•ling, n. [ Dandy + -ling.] A little or insignificant dandy; a contemptible fop.

Dane, n. [LL. Dani: cf. AS. Dene.] A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane. (Zoöl.) See Danish dog, under Danish. { Dane´geld•, Dane´gelt• }, n. [AS. danegeld. See Dane, and Geld, n. ] (Eng. Hist.) An annual tax formerly laid on the English nation to buy off the ravages of Danish invaders, or to maintain forces to oppose them. It afterward became a permanent tax, raised by an assessment, at first of one shilling, afterward of two shillings, upon every hide of land throughout the realm. Wharton’s Law Dict. Tomlins.

Dang, imp. of Ding. [Obs.]

Dang, v. t. [Cf. Ding.] To dash. [Obs.]
"Till she, o’ercome with anguish, shame, and rage, Danged down to hell her loathsome carriage." Marlowe.

Dangerful
Dan´ger•ful, a. Full of danger; dangerous. [Obs.] — Dan´ger•ful•ly, adv. [Obs.] Udall.

Dangerless
Dan´ger•less, a. Free from danger. [R.]

Dangerous
Dan´ger•ous, a. [OE., haughty, difficult, dangerous, fr. OF. dangereus, F. dangereux. See Danger.]
1. Attended or beset with danger; full of risk; perilous; hazardous; unsafe.
"Our troops set forth to-morrow; stay with us; The ways are dangerous." Shak.
"It is dangerous to assert a negative." Macaulay.
2. Causing danger; ready to do harm or injury.
"If they incline to think you dangerous To less than gods." Milton.
3. In a condition of danger, as from illness; threatened with death. [Colloq.] Forby. Bartlett.
4. Hard to suit; difficult to please. [Obs.]
"My wages ben full strait, and eke full small; My lord to me is hard and dangerous." Chaucer.
5. Reserved; not affable. [Obs.] "Of his speech dangerous." Chaucer. — Dan´ger•ous•ly, adv. — Dan´ger•ous•ness, n.

Dangleberry
Dan´gle•ber•ry, n. (Bot.) A dark blue, edible berry with a white bloom, and its shrub ( Gaylussacia frondosa) closely allied to the common huckleberry. The bush is also called blue tangle, and is found from New England to Kentucky, and southward.

Dangler
Dan´gler, n. One who dangles about or after others, especially after women; a trifler. " Danglers at toilets." Burke.

Daniel
Dan´i•el, n. A Hebrew prophet distinguished for sagacity and ripeness of judgment in youth; hence, a sagacious and upright judge.
"A Daniel come to judgment." Shak.

Danish
Dan´ish, a. [See Dane.] Belonging to the Danes, or to their language or country. - - n. The language of the Danes. Danish dog (Zoöl.), one of a large and powerful breed of dogs reared in Denmark; — called also great Dane. See Illustration in Appendix.

Dank, a. [Cf. dial, Sw. dank a moist place in a field, Icel. dökk pit, pool; possibly akin to E. damp or to daggle dew.] Damp; moist; humid; wet.
"Now that the fields are dank and ways are mire." Milton.
"Cheerless watches on the cold, dank ground." Trench.

Dank, n. Moisture; humidity; water. [Obs.]

Dank, n. A small silver coin current in Persia.

Dankish
Dank´ish, a. Somewhat dank. — Dank´ish•ness, n.
"In a dark and dankish vault at home." Shak.

Dannebrog
Dan´ne•brog, n. The ancient battle standard of Denmark, bearing figures of cross and crown. Order of Dannebrog, an ancient Danish order of knighthood.

Danseuse
Dan•seuse´, n. [F., fr. danser to dance.] A professional female dancer; a woman who dances at a public exhibition as in a ballet.

Dansk, a. [Dan.] Danish. [Obs.]

Dansker
Dansk´er, n. A Dane. [Obs.]
"Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris." Shak.

Dantean
Dan•te´an, a. Relating to, emanating from or resembling, the poet Dante or his writings.

Dantesque
Dan•tesque´, a. [Cf. It. Dantesco.] Dantelike; Dantean. Earle.

Danubian
Da•nu´bi•an, a. Pertaining to, or bordering on, the river Danube.

Dap (dap), v. i. [Cf. Dip.] (Angling) To drop the bait gently on the surface of the water.
"To catch a club by dapping with a grasshoper." Walton.

Daphne
Daph´ne, n. [L., a laurel tree, from Gr. da•fnh.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms.
2. (Myth.) A nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree.

Daphnetin
Daph´ne•tin, n. (Chem.) A colorless crystalline substance, C₉H₆O₄, extracted from daphnin.

Daphnia
Daph´ni•a, n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A genus of the genus Daphnia.

Daphnin
Daph´nin, n. [Cf. F. daphnine.] (Chem.) (a) A dark green bitter resin extracted from the mezereon ( Daphne mezereum) and regarded as the essential principle of the plant. [R.] (b) A white, crystalline, bitter substance, regarded as a glucoside, and extracted from Daphne mezereum and D. alpina.

Daphnomancy
Daph´no•man•cy, n. [Gr. da•fnh the laurel + -mancy.] Divination by means of the laurel.

Dapifer
Dap´i•fer, n. [L., daps a feast + ferre to bear.] One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grand master or steward of the king’s or a nobleman’s household.

Dapper
Dap´per, a. [OE. daper; prob. fr. D. dapper brave, valiant; akin to G. tapfer brave, OHG. taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobru good, Russ. dobrui. Cf. Deft.] Little and active; spruce; trim; smart; neat in dress or appearance; lively.
"He wondered how so many provinces could be held in subjection by such a dapper little man." Milton.
"The dapper ditties that I wont devise." Spenser.
"Sharp-nosed, dapper steam yachts." Julian Hawthorne.

Dapple
Dap´ple, n. [Cf. Icel. depill a spot, a dot, a dog with spots over the eyes, dapi a pool, and E. dimple.] One of the spots on a dappled animal.
"He has … as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples." Sir P. Sidney. { Dap´ple, Dap´pled }, a. Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as a dapple horse.
"Some dapple mists still floated along the peaks." Sir W. Scott. The word is used in composition to denote that some color is variegated or marked with spots; as dapple-bay; dapple-gray.
"His steed was all dapple-gray." Chaucer.
"O, swiftly can speed my dapple-gray steed." Sir W. Scott.

Dapple
Dap´ple, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dappled p. pr. & vb. n. Dappling.] To variegate with spots; to spot.
"The gentle day, … Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray." Shak.
"The dappled pink and blushing rose." Prior.

Darby
Dar´by, n. A plasterer’s float, having two handles; — used in smoothing ceilings, etc.

Darbyite
Dar´by•ite, n. One of the Plymouth Brethren, or of a sect among them; — so called from John N. Darby, one of the leaders of the Brethren.

Dardanian
Dar•da´ni•an, a. & n.[From L. Dardania, poetic name of Troy.] Trojan.

Dare, v. i. [ imp. Durst or Dared ; p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.] [OE. I dar, dear, I dare, imp. dorste, durste, AS. ic dear I dare, imp. dorste. inf. durran; akin to OS. gidar, gidorsta, gidurran, OHG. tar, torsta, turran, Goth. gadar, gadaúrsta, Gr. tharsei^n, tharrei^n, to be bold, tharsy•s bold, Skr. Dhrsh to be bold. rad.70.] To have adequate or sufficient courage for any purpose; to be bold or venturesome; not to be afraid; to venture.
"I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none." Shak.
"Why then did not the ministers use their new law? Bacause they durst not, because they could not." Macaulay.
"Who dared to sully her sweet love with suspicion." Thackeray.
"The tie of party was stronger than the tie of blood, because a partisan was more ready to dare without asking why." Jowett (Thuyd.). The present tense, I dare, is really an old past tense, so that the third person is he dare, but the form he dares is now often used, and will probably displace the obsolescent he dare, through grammatically as incorrect as he shalls or he cans. Skeat.
"The pore dar plede (the poor man dare plead)." P. Plowman.
"You know one dare not discover you." Dryden.
"The fellow dares not deceive me." Shak.
"Here boldly spread thy hands, no venom’d weed Dares blister them, no slimy snail dare creep." Beau. & Fl. Formerly durst was also used as the present. Sometimes the old form dare is found for durst or dared.

Dare, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.]
1. To have courage for; to attempt courageously; to venture to do or to undertake.
"What high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare every thing and do anything?" Bagehot.
"To wrest it from barbarism, to dare its solitudes." The Century.
2. To challenge; to provoke; to defy.
"Time, I dare thee to discover Such a youth and such a lover." Dryden.

Dare, n.
1. The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness; dash. [R.]
"It lends a luster … A large dare to our great enterprise." Shak.
2. Defiance; challenge.
"Childish, unworthy dares Are not enought to part our powers." Chapman.
"Sextus Pompeius Hath given the dare to Caesar." Shak.

Dare, v. i. [OE. darien, to lie hidden, be timid.] To lurk; to lie hid. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dare, v. t. To terrify; to daunt. [Obs.]
"For I have done those follies, those mad mischiefs, Would dare a woman." Beau. & Fl.To dare larks, to catch them by producing terror through to use of mirrors, scarlet cloth, a hawk, etc., so that they lie still till a net is thrown over them. Nares.

Dare, n. [See Dace.] (Zoöl.) A small fish; the dace.

Dare-deviltry
Dare´-dev•il•try, n; pl. Dare-deviltries . Reckless mischief; the action of a dare-devil.

Dareful
Dare´ful, a. Full of daring or of defiance; adventurous. [R.] Shak.

Darer
Dar´er, n. One who dares or defies. { Darg, Dargue }, n. [Scot., contr. fr. day work.] A day’s work; also a fixed amount of work, whether more or less than that of a day. [Local, Eng. & Scot.]

Daric
Dar´ic (dar"ik), n. [Gr. dareiko•s, of Persian origin.]
1. (Antiq.) (a) A gold coin of ancient Persia, weighing usually a little more than 128 grains, and bearing on one side the figure of an archer. (b) A silver coin of about 86 grains, having the figure of an archer, and hence, in modern times, called a daric.
2. Any very pure gold coin.

Daring
Dar´ing, n. Boldness; fearlessness; adventurousness; also a daring act.

Daring
Dar´ing, a. Bold; fearless; adventurous; as daring spirits. — Dar´ing•ly, adv. — Dar´ing•ness, n.

Dariole
Da•ri•ole´, n. [F.]
1. A crustade. [Obs.]
2. A shell or cup of pastry filled with custard, whipped cream, crushed macaroons, etc.

Dark (därk), a. [OE. dark, derk, deork, AS. dearc, deorc; cf. Gael. & Ir. dorch, dorcha, dark, black, dusky.]
1. Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.
"O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse Without all hope of day!" Milton.
"In the dark and silent grave." Sir W. Raleigh.
2. Not clear to the understanding; not easily seen through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.
"The dark problems of existence." Shairp.
"What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain." Hooker.
"What’s your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?" Shak.
3. Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.
"The age wherein he lived was dark, but he Could not want light who taught the world to see." Denhan.
"The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediaeval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night." Hallam.
4. Evincing black or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as a dark villain; a dark deed.
"Left him at large to his own dark designs." Milton.
5. Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.
"More dark and dark our woes." Shak.
"A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature." Macaulay.
"There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity." W. Irving.
6. Deprived of sight; blind. [Obs.]
"He was I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years." Evelyn. Dark is sometimes used to qualify another adjective; as dark blue, dark green, and sometimes it forms the first part of a compound; as dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-colored, dark-seated, dark-working. A dark horse, in racing or politics, a horse or a candidate whose chances of success are not known, and whose capabilities have not been made the subject of general comment or of wagers. [Colloq.] — Dark house, Dark room, a house or room in which madmen were confined. [Obs.] Shak. — Dark lantern. See Lantern. — The Dark Ages, a period of stagnation and obscurity in literature and art, lasting, according to Hallam, nearly 1000 years, from about 500 to about 1500 A. D.. See Middle Ages, under Middle. — The Dark and Bloody Ground, a phrase applied to the State of Kentucky, and said to be the significance of its name, in allusion to the frequent wars that were waged there between Indians. — The dark day, a day (May 19, 1780) when a remarkable and unexplained darkness extended over all New England. — To keep dark, to reveal nothing. [Low]

Dark, n.
1. Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.
"Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out." Shak.
2. The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.
"Look, what you do, you do it still i’ th’ dark." Shak.
"Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as much in the dark, and as void of knowledge, as before." Locke.
3. (Fine Arts) A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as the light and darks are well contrasted.
"The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights." Dryden.

Dark, v. t. To darken; to obscure. [Obs.] Milton.

Darken
Dark´en (därk"’n), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Darkened (-’nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Darkening (-n•ing).] [AS. deorcian. See Dark, a. ]
1. To make dark or black; to deprive of light; to obscure; as a darkened room.
"They [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened." Ex. x. 15.
"So spake the Sovran Voice; and clouds began To darken all the hill." Milton.
2. To render dim; to deprive of vision.
"Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see." Rom. xi. 10.
3. To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.
"Such was his wisdom that his confidence did seldom darkenhis foresight." Bacon.
"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Job. xxxviii. 2.
4. To cast a gloom upon.
"With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not The mirth of the feast." Shak.
5. To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
"I must not think there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness." Shak.

Darken
Dark´en, v. i. To grow or darker.

Darkener
Dark´en•er, n. One who, or that which, darkens.

Darkening
Dark´en•ing, n. Twilight; gloaming. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.

Darkful
Dark´ful, a. Full of darkness. [Obs.]

Darkish
Dark´ish, a. Somewhat dark; dusky.

Darkle
Dar´kle, v. i. [Freq. of dark.] To grow dark; to show indistinctly. Thackeray.

Darkling
Dark´ling, adv. [ Dark + the adverbial suffix -ling.] In the dark. [Poetic]
"So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling." Shak.
"As the wakeful bird Sings darkling." Milton.

Darkling
Dark´ling, p. pr. & a.
1. Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing.
"His honest brows darkling as he looked towards me." Thackeray.
2. Dark; gloomy. "The darkling precipice." Moore.

Darkly
Dark´ly, adv.
1. With imperfect light, clearness, or knowledge; obscurely; dimly; blindly; uncertainly.
"What fame to future times conveys but darkly down." Dryden.
"so softly dark and darkly pure." Byron.
2. With a dark, gloomy, cruel, or menacing look.
"Looking darkly at the clerguman." Hawthorne.

Darkness
Dark´ness, n.
1. The absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom.
"And darkness was upon the face of the deep." Gen. i. 2.
2. A state of privacy; secrecy.
"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light." Matt. x. 27.
3. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity.
"Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John. iii. 19.
"Pursue these sons of darkness: drive them out From all heaven’s bounds." Milton.
4. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion.
5. A state of distress or trouble.
"A day of clouds and of thick darkness." Joel. ii. 2.Prince of darkness, the Devil; Satan. "In the power of the Prince of darkness." Locke.
Syn. — Darkness, Dimness, Obscurity, Gloom. Darkness arises from a total, and dimness from a partial, want of light. A thing is obscure when so overclouded or covered as not to be easily perceived. As tha shade or obscurity increases, it deepens into gloom. What is dark is hidden from view; what is obscure is difficult to perceive or penetrate; the eye becomes dim with age; an impending storm fills the atmosphere with gloom. When taken figuratively, these words have a like use; as the darkness of ignorance; dimness of discernment; obscurity of reasoning; gloom of superstition.

Darky
Dark´y, n. A negro. [Sleng]

Darling
Dar´ling, n. [OE. derling, deorling, AS. deórling; deóre dear + -ling. See Dear, and -ling.] One dearly beloved; a favorite.
"And can do naught but wail her darling’s loss." Shak.

Darling
Dar´ling, a. Dearly beloved; regarded with especial kindness and tenderness; favorite. "Some darling science." I. Watts. "Darling sin." Macaulay.

Darlingtonia
Dar•ling•to´ni•a, n. [NL. Named after Dr. William Darlington, a botanist of West Chester, Penn.] (Bot.) A genus of California pitcher plants consisting of a single species. The long tubular leaves are hooded at the top, and frequently contain many insects drowned in the secretion of the leaves.

Darn (därn), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Darned (därnd); p. pr. & vb. n. Darning.] [OE. derne, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. darnio to piece, break in pieces, W. & Arm. to E. tear. Cf. Tear, v. t.] To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread.
"He spent every day ten hours in his closet, in darning his stockings." Swift. Darning last. See under Last. — Darning needle. (a) A long, strong needle for mending holes or rents, especially in stockings. (b) (Zoöl.) Any species of dragon fly, having a long, cylindrical body, resembling a needle. These flies are harmless and without stings. [In this sense, usually written with a hyphen.] Called also devil’s darning- needle.

Darn, n. A place mended by darning.

Darn, v. t. A colloquial euphemism for Damn.

Darner
Darn´er, n. One who mends by darning. { Dar´nex, Dar´nic } n. Same as Dornick.

Dart, n. [OF. dart, of German origin; cf. OHG. tart javelin, dart, AS. dara, daro, Sw. dart dagger, Icel. darrar dart.]
1. A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; a short lance; a javelin; hence, any sharp-pointed missile weapon, as an arrow.
"And he [Joab] took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom." 2 Sa. xviii. 14.
2. Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart.
"The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart." Hannan More.
3. A spear set as a prize in running. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. (Zoöl.) A fish; the dace. See Dace. Dart sac (Zoöl.), a sac connected with the reproductive organs of land snails, which contains a dart, or arrowlike structure.

Dart, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Darted; p. pr. & vb. n. Darting.]
1. To throw with a sudden effort or thrust, as a dart or other missile weapon; to hurl or launch.
2. To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send forth; to emit; to shoot; as the sun darts forth his beams.
"Or what ill eyes malignant glances dart?" Pope.

Dart, v. i.
1. To fly or pass swiftly, as a dart.
2. To start and run with velocity; to shoot rapidly along; as the deer darted from the thicket.

Dartars
Dar´tars, n. [F. dartre eruption, dandruff. rad.240.] A kind of scab or ulceration on the skin of lambs.

Darter
Dart´er, n.
1. One who darts, or who throw darts; that which darts.
2. (Zoöl.) The snakebird, a water bird of the genus Plotus; — so called because it darts out its long, snakelike neck at its prey. See Snakebird.
3. (Zoöl.) A small fresh-water etheostomoid fish. The group includes numerous genera and species, all of them American. See Etheostomoid.

Dartle
Dar´tle, v. t. & i. To pierce or shoot through; to dart repeatedly: — frequentative of dart.
"My star that dartles the red and the blue." R. Browning.

Dartoic
Dar•to´ic, a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the dartos.

Dartoid
Dar´toid, a. [ Dartos + - oid.] (Anat.) Like the dartos; dartoic; as dartoid tissue.

Dartos
Dar´tos, n. [NL., fr. Gr. flayed.] (Anat.) A thin layer of peculiar contractile tissue directly beneath the skin of the scrotum.

Dartrous
Dar´trous, a. [F. dartreux. See Dartars.] (Med.) Relating to, or partaking of the nature of, the disease called tetter; herpetic. Dartrous diathesis, A morbid condition of the system predisposing to the development of certain skin diseases, such as eczema, psoriasis, and pityriasis. Also called rheumic diathesis, and herpetism. Piffard.

Darwinianism
Dar•win´i•an•ism, n. Darwinism.

Darwinism
Dar´win•ism, n. (Biol.) The theory or doctrines put forth by Darwin. See above. Huxley.

Dase (daz), v. t. See Daze. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dash, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dashed p. pr. & vb. n. Dashing.] [Of. Scand. origin; cf. Dan daske to beat, strike, Sw. & Icel. daska, Dan. & Sw. dask blow.]
1. To throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; — often used with against.
"If you dash a stone against a stone in the botton of the water, it maketh a sound." Bacon.
2. To break, as by throwing or by collision; to shatter; to crust; to frustrate; to ruin.
"Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel." Ps. ii. 9.
"A brave vessel, … Dashed all to pieces." Shak.
"To perplex and dash Maturest counsels." Milton.
3. To put to shame; to confound; to confuse; to abash; to depress. South.
"Dash the proud gamester in his gilded car." Pope.
4. To throw in or on in a rapid, careless manner; to mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality; to overspread partially; to bespatter; to touch here and there; as to dash wine with water; to dash paint upon a picture.
"I take care to dash the character with such particular circumstance as may prevent ill-natured applications." Addison.
"The very source and fount of day Is dashed with wandering isles of night." Tennyson.
5. To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless haste; — with off; as to dash off a review or sermon.
6. To erase by a stroke; to strike out; knock out; — with out; as to dash out a word.

Dash, v. i. To rush with violence; to move impetuously; to strike violently; as the waves dash upon rocks.
"[He] dashed through thick and thin." Dryden.
"On each hand the gushing waters play, And down the rough cascade all dashing fall." Thomson.

Dash, n.
1. Violent striking together of two bodies; collision; crash.
2. A sudden check; abashment; frustration; ruin; as his hopes received a dash.
3. A slight admixture, infusion, or adulteration; a partial overspreading; as wine with a dash of water; red with a dash of purple.
"Innocence when it has in it a dash of folly." Addison.
4. A rapid movement, esp. one of short duration; a quick stroke or blow; a sudden onset or rush; as a bold dash at the enemy; a dash of rain.
"She takes upon her bravely at first dash." Shak.
5. Energy in style or action; animation; spirit.
6. A vain show; a blustering parade; a flourish; as to make or cut a great dash. [Low]
7. (Punctuation) A mark or line [—], in writing or printing, denoting a sudden break, stop, or transition in a sentence, or an abrupt change in its construction, a long or significant pause, or an unexpected or epigrammatic turn of sentiment. Dashes are also sometimes used instead of marks or parenthesis. John Wilson.
8. (Mus.) (a) The sign of staccato, a small mark [] denoting that the note over which it is placed is to be performed in a short, distinct manner. (b) The line drawn through a figure in the thorough bass, as a direction to raise the interval a semitone.
9. (Racing) A short, spirited effort or trial of speed upon a race course; — used in horse racing, when a single trial constitutes the race.

Dashboard
Dash´board (dash"bord•), n.
1. A board placed on the fore part of a carriage, sleigh, or other vehicle, to intercept water, mud, or snow, thrown up by the heels of the horses; — in England commonly called splashboard.
2. (Naut.) (a) The float of a paddle wheel. (b) A screen at the bow af a steam launch to keep off the spray; — called also sprayboard.

Dasheen
Dash•een´, n. A tropical aroid (of the genus Caladium, syn. Colocasia) having an edible farinaceous root. It is related to the taro and to the tanier, but is much superior to it in quality and is as easily cooked as the potato. It is a staple food plant of the tropics, being prepared like potatoes, and has been introduced into the Southern United States.

Dasher
Dash´er (dash"er), n.
1. That which dashes or agitates; as the dasher of a churn.
2. A dashboard or splashboard. [U. S.]
3. One who makes an ostentatious parade. [Low]

Dashing
Dash´ing, a. Bold; spirited; showy.
"The dashing and daring spirit is preferable to the listless." T. Campbell.

Dashingly
Dash´ing•ly, adv. Conspicuously; showily. [Colloq.]
" A dashingly dressed gentleman." Hawthorne.

Dashism
Dash´ism (-iz’m), n. The character of making ostentatious or blustering parade or show. [R. & Colloq.]
"He must fight a duel before his claim to … dashism can be universally allowed." V. Knox.

Dashpot
Dash´pot, n. (Mach.) A pneumatic or hydraulic cushion for a falling weight, as in the valve gear of a steam engine, to prevent shock. It consists of a chamber, containing air or a liquid, in which a piston ( a), attached to the weight, falls freely until it enters a space (as below the openings, b) from which the air or liquid can escape but slowly (as through cock c), when its fall is gradually checked. A cataract of an engine is sometimes called a dashpot.

Dashy
Dash´y, a. [From Dash.] Calculated to arrest attention; ostentatiously fashionable; showy. [Colloq.]

Dastardize
Das´tard•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dastardized p. pr. & vb. n. Dastardizing.] To make cowardly; to intimidate; to dispirit; as to dastardize my courage. Dryden.

Dastardly
Das´tard•ly, a. Meanly timid; cowardly; base; as a dastardly outrage.

Dastardness
Das´tard•ness, n. Dastardliness.

Dastardy
Das´tard•y, n. Base timidity; cowardliness.

Daswe
Das´we, v. i. See Dasewe [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dasypaedal
Das•y•pae´dal, a. (Zoöl.) Dasypaedic.

Dasypaedes
Das•y•pae´des, n. pl. [NL., from Gr. dasy•s hairy, shaggy +,, a child.] (Zoöl.) Those birds whose young are covered with down when hatched.

Dasypaedic
Das•y•pae´dic, a. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the Dasypaedes; ptilopaedic.

Dasyure
Das´y•ure (das"i•ur), n. [Gr. dasy•s thick, shaggy + o’yra• tail: cf. F. dasyure.] (Zoöl.) A carnivorous marsupial quadruped of Australia, belonging to the genus Dasyurus. There are several species.

Dasyurine
Das•y•u´rine, a. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or like, the dasyures.

Data
Da´ta, n. pl. [L. pl. of datum.] See Datum.

Dataria
Da•ta´ri•a, n. [LL., fr. L. datum given.] (R. C. Ch.) Formerly, a part of the Roman chancery; now, a separate office from which are sent graces or favors, cognizable in foro externo, such as appointments to benefices. The name is derived from the word datum, given or dated (with the indications of the time and place of granting the gift or favor).

Datary
Da´ta•ry, n. [LL. datarius. See Dataria.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) An officer in the pope’s court, having charge of the Dataria.
2. The office or employment of a datary.

Date line. The hypothetical line on the surface of the earth fixed by international or general agreement as a boundary on one side of which the same day shall have a different name and date in the calendar from its name and date on the other side. Speaking generally, the date line coincides with the meridian 180° from Greenwich. It deflects between north latitudes 80° and 45°, so that all Asia lies to the west, all North America, including the Aleutian Islands, to the east of the line; and between south latitudes 12° and 56°, so that Chatham Island and the Tonga group lie to the west of it. A vessel crossing this line to the westward sets the date forward by one day, as from Sunday to Monday. A vessel crossing the line to the eastward sets the date back by one day, as from Monday to Sunday. Hawaii has the same day name as San Francisco; Manila, the same day name as Australia, and this is one day later than the day of Hawaii. Thus when it is Monday May 1st at San Francisco it is Tuesday may 2d at Manila.

Dateless
Date´less, a. Without date; having no fixed time.

Dater
Dat´er, n. One who dates.

Datiscin
Da•tis´cin, n. (Chem.) A white crystalline glucoside extracted from the bastard hemp ( Datisca cannabina).

Dative
Da´tive, a. [L. dativus appropriate to giving, fr. dare to give. See 2d Date.]
1. (Gram.) Noting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter object, and is generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.
2. (Law) (a) In one’s gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office. (b) Removable, as distinguished from perpetual; — said of an officer. (c) Given by a magistrate, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law. Burril. Bouvier.Dative executor, one appointed by the judge of probate, his office answering to that of an administrator.

Dative
Da´tive, n. [L. dativus.] The dative case. See Dative, a. , 1.

Datolite
Dat´o•lite, n. [From. Gr. to divide + -lite; in allusion to the granular structure of a massive variety.] (Min.) A borosilicate of lime commonly occuring in glassy,, greenish crystals. [Written also datholite.]

Datum
Da´tum, n. ; pl. Data (#). [L. See 2d Date.]
1. Something given or admitted; a fact or principle granted; that upon which an inference or an argument is based; — used chiefly in the plural.
"Any writer, therefore, who … furnishes us with data sufficient to determine the time in which he wrote." Priestley.
2. pl. (Math.) The quantities or relations which are assumed to be given in any problem. Datum line (Surv.), the horizontal or base line, from which the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the plan of a railway, etc.

Dauber
Daub´er, n.
1. One who, or that which, daubs; especially, a coarse, unskillful painter.
2. (Copperplate Print.) A pad or ball of rags, covered over with canvas for inking plates; a dabber.
3. A low and gross flatterer.
4. (Zoöl.) The mud wasp; the mud dauber. { Daub´er•y, or Daub´ry }, n. A daubing; specious coloring; false pretenses.
"She works by charms, by spells, by the figure, and such daubery as this is." Shak.

Daubing
Daub´ing, n.
1. The act of one who daubs; that which is daubed.
2. A rough coat of mortar put upon a wall to give it the appearance of stone; rough-cast.
3. In currying, a mixture of fish oil and tallow worked into leather; — called also dubbing. Knight.

Daubreelite
Dau´bree•lite, n. [From Daubree, a French mineralogist.] (Min.) A sulphide of chromium observed in some meteoric irons.

Dauby
Daub´y, a. Smeary; viscous; glutinous; adhesive. "Dauby wax."

Daughter
Daugh´ter, n. ; pl. Daughters (#); obs. pl. Daughtren (#). [OE. doughter, doghter, dohter, AS. dohtor, dohter; akin to OS. dohtar, D. dochter, G. tochter, Icel. dottir, Sw. dotter, Dan. dotter, datter, Goth. daúhtar,, OSlav. dushti, Russ. doche, Lith. dukte, Gr. qyga•thr, Zend. dughdhar, Skr. duhitr; possibly originally, the milker, cf. Skr. duh to milk. rad.68, 245.]
1. The female offspring of the human species; a female child of any age; — applied also to the lower animals.
2. A female descendant; a woman.
"This woman, being a daughter of Abraham." Luke xiii. 16.
"Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughter of the land." Gen. xxxiv. 1.
3. A son’s wife; a daughter-in-law.
"And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters." Ruth. i. 11.
4. A term of address indicating parental interest.
"Daughter, be of good comfort." Matt. ix. 22.Daughter cell (Biol.), one of the cells formed by cell division. See Cell division, under Division.

Daughterliness
Daugh´ter•li•ness, n. The state of a daughter, or the conduct becoming a daughter.

Daughterly
Daugh´ter•ly, a. Becoming a daughter; filial.
"Sir Thomas liked her natural and dear daughterly affection towards him." Cavendish.

Dauk, v. t. See Dawk, v. t., to cut or gush.

Daunt, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Daunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Daunting.] [OF. danter, F. dompter to tame, subdue, fr. L. domitare, v. intens. of domare to tame. See Tame.]
1. To overcome; to conquer. [Obs.]
2. To repress or subdue the courage of; to check by fear of danger; to cow; to intimidate; to dishearten.
"Some presences daunt and discourage us." Glanvill.
Syn. — To dismay; appall. See Dismay.

Dauntless
Daunt´less, a. Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless; intrepid.
"Dauntless he rose, and to the fight returned." Dryden. — Daunt´less•ly, adv. — Daunt´less•ness, n.

Dauphin
Dau´phin, n. [F. dauphin, prop., a dolphin, from L. delphinus. See Dolphin. The name was given, for some reason unexplained, to Guigo, count of Vienne, in the 12th century, and was borne by succeeding counts of Vienne. In 1349, Dauphiny was bequeathed to Philippe de Valois, king of France, on condition that the heir of the crown should always hold the title of Dauphin de Viennois.] The title of the eldest son of the king of France, and heir to the crown. Since the revolution of 1830, the title has been discontinued. { Dau´phin•ess, or Dau´phine }, n. The title of the wife of the dauphin.

Davenport
Dav´en•port, n. [From the name of the original maker. Encyc. Dict.] A kind of small writing table, generally somewhat ornamental, and forming a piece of furniture for the parlor or boudoir.
"A much battered davenport in one of the windows, at which sat a lady writing." A. B. Edwards.

Davidic
Da•vid´ic, a. Of or pertaining to David, the king and psalmist of Israel, or to his family.

Davit
Dav´it, n. [Cf. F. davier forceps, davit, cooper’s instrument, G. david davit; all probably from the proper name David.] (Naut.) (a) A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship; — called also the fish davit. (b) pl. Curved arms of timber or iron, projecting over a ship’s side of stern, having tackle to raise or lower a boat, swing it in on deck, rig it out for lowering, etc.; — called also boat davits. Totten.

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

Davy lamp
Da"vy lamp See Safety lamp, under Lamp.

Daw (da), n. [OE. dawe; akin to OHG. taha, MHG. tahe, tahele, G. dohle. Cf. Caddow.] (Zoöl.) A European bird of the Crow family ( Corvus monedula), often nesting in church towers and ruins; a jackdaw.
"The loud daw, his throat displaying, draws The whole assembly of his fellow daws." Waller. The daw was reckoned as a silly bird, and a daw meant a simpleton. See in Shakespeare: — "Then thou dwellest with daws too." ( Coriolanus iv. 5, 1. 47.) Skeat.

Daw, v. i. [OE. dawen. See Dawn.] To dawn. [Obs.] See Dawn. Drayton.

Daw, v. t. [Contr. fr. Adaw.]
1. To rouse. [Obs.]
2. To daunt; to terrify. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Dawdler
Daw´dler, n. One who wastes time in trifling employments; an idler; a trifler.

Dawe, n. [See Day.] Day. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dawk, n. See Dak.

Dawk, v. t. [Prov. E. dauk to cut or pierce with a jerk; cf. OE. dalk a dimple. Cf. Ir. tolch, tollachd, tolladh, a hole, crevice, toll to bore, pierce, W. tyllu.] To cut or mark with an incision; to gash. Moxon.

Dawk, n. A hollow, crack, or cut, in timber. Moxon.

Dawn, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Dawned p. pr. & vb. n. Dawning.] [OE. dawnen, dawen, dagen, daien, AS. dagian to become day, to dawn, fr. daeg day; akin to D. dagen, G. tagen, Icel. daga, Dan. dages, Sw. dagas. See Day. rad.71.]
1. To begin to grow light in the morning; to grow light; to break, or begin to appear; as the day dawns; the morning dawns.
"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene … to see the sepulcher." Matt. xxviii. 1.
2. To began to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand. "In dawning youth." Dryden.
"When life awakes, and dawns at every line." Pope.
"Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid." Heber,

Dawn, n.
1. The break of day; the first appearance of light in the morning; show of approaching sunrise.
"And oft at dawn, deep noon, or falling eve." Thomson.
"No sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day." Hood.
2. First opening or expansion; first appearance; beginning; rise. "The dawn of time." Thomson.
"These tender circumstances diffuse a dawn of serenity over the soul." Pope.

Dawsonite
Daw´son•ite, n. [Named after J. W. Dawson of Montreal.] (Min.) A hydrous carbonate of alumina and soda, occuring in white, bladed crustals.

Day, n. [OE. day, dai,, dei, AS. daeg; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G, tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. rad.69. Cf. Dawn.]
1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time between sunrise and sunset, or from dawn to darkness; hence, the light; sunshine.
2. The period of the earth’s revolution on its axis. — ordinarily divided into twenty-four hours. It is measured by the interval between two successive transits of a celestial body over the same meridian, and takes a specific name from that of the body. Thus, if this is the sun, the day (the interval between two successive transits of the sun’s center over the same meridian) is called a solar day; if it is a star, a sidereal day; if it is the moon, a lunar day. See Civil day, Sidereal day, below.
3. Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work.
4. A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time.
"A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day." Jowett (Thucyd. )
"If my debtors do not keep their day, … I must with patience all the terms attend." Dryden.
5. (Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc.
"The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus." Shak.
"His name struck fear, his conduct won the day." Roscommon. Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as daybreak, daylight, work day, etc. Anniversary day. See Anniversary, n. — Astronomical day, a period equal to the mean solar day, but beginning at noon instead of at midnight, its twenty-four hours being numbered from 1 to 24; also the sidereal day, as that most used by astronomers. — Born days. See under Born. — Canicular days. See Dog day. — Civil day, the mean solar day, used in the ordinary reckoning of time, and among most modern nations beginning at mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each from 1 to 12. This is the period recognized by courts as constituting a day. The Babylonians and Hindoos began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans at midnight. — Day blindness. (Med.) See Nyctalopia. — Day by day, orDay after day, daily; every day; continually; without intermission of a day. See under By. "Day by day we magnify thee." Book of Common Prayer. — Days in bank (Eng. Law), certain stated days for the return of writs and the appearance of parties; — so called because originally peculiar to the Court of Common Bench, or Bench ( bank) as it was formerly termed. Burrill. - - Day in court, a day for the appearance of parties in a suit. — Days of devotion (R. C. Ch.), certain festivals on which devotion leads the faithful to attend mass. Shipley. — Days of grace. See Grace. — Days of obligation (R. C. Ch.), festival days when it is obligatory on the faithful to attend Mass. Shipley. — Day owl, (Zoöl.), an owl that flies by day. See Hawk owl. — Day rule (Eng. Law), an order of court (now abolished) allowing a prisoner, under certain circumstances, to go beyond the prison limits for a single day. — Day school, one which the pupils attend only in daytime, in distinction from a boarding school. — Day sight. (Med.) See Hemeralopia. — Day’s work (Naut.), the account or reckoning of a ship’s course for twenty-four hours, from noon to noon. — From day to day, as time passes; in the course of time; as he improves from day to day. — Jewish day, the time between sunset and sunset. — Mean solar day (Astron.), the mean or average of all the apparent solar days of the year. — One day, One of these days, at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later. "Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband." Shak. — Only from day to day, without certainty of continuance; temporarily. Bacon. — Sidereal day, the interval between two successive transits of the first point of Aries over the same meridian. The Sidereal day is 23 h. 56 m. 4.09 s. of mean solar time. — To win the day, to gain the victory, to be successful. S. Butler. — Week day, any day of the week except Sunday; a working day. — Working day. (a) A day when work may be legally done, in distinction from Sundays and legal holidays. (b) The number of hours, determined by law or custom, during which a workman, hired at a stated price per day, must work to be entitled to a day’s pay.

Dayaks
Day´aks (di"aks), n. pl. (Ethnol.) See Dyaks.

Daybreak
Day´break (da"brak•), n. The time of the first appearance of light in the morning.

Day-coal
Day´-coal (da"kol•), n. (Mining) The upper stratum of coal, as nearest the light or surface.

Daydream
Day´dream (-drem•), n. A vain fancy speculation; a reverie; a castle in the air; unfounded hope.
"Mrs. Lambert’s little daydream was over." Thackeray.

Daydreamer
Day´dream•er, n. One given to daydreams.

Dayflower
Day´flow•er (-flou•er), n. (Bot.) A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs ( Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.

Dayfly
Day´fly (da"fli•), n. (Zoöl.) A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; — so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

Day-laborer
Day´-la•bor•er, n. One who works by the day; — usually applied to a farm laborer, or to a workman who does not work at any particular trade. Goldsmith.

Daylight
Day´light (-lit), n.
1. The light of day as opposed to the darkness of night; the light of the sun, as opposed to that of the moon or to artificial light.
2. pl. The eyes. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

Daymaid
Day´maid (-m&amc;d•), n. A dairymaid. [Obs.]

Daymare
Day´mare (da"mâr•), n. [ Day + mare incubus.] (Med.) A kind of incubus which occurs during wakefulness, attended by the peculiar pressure on the chest which characterizes nightmare. Dunglison.

Day-net
Day´-net (-net•), n. A net for catching small birds.

Day-peep
Day´-peep (-pep•), n. The dawn. [Poetic] Milton.

Daysman
Days´man (daz"man), n. [From day in the sense of day fixed for trial.] An umpire or arbiter; a mediator.
"Neither is there any daysman betwixt us." Job ix. 33.

Dayspring
Day´spring (da"spring•), n. The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton.
"The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us." Luke i. 78.

Day-star
Day´-star (-stär•), n.
1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day.
"A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day- star arise in your hearts." 2 Peter i. 19.
2. The sun, as the orb of day. [Poetic]
"So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head, And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore Flames in the forehead of the morning sky." Milton.

Daytime
Day´time (-tim•), n. The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night.

Daywoman
Day´wom•an (-woom• an), n. A dairymaid. [Obs.]

Daze (daz), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dazed (dazd); p. pr. & vb. n. Dazing.] [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foolish, insane, AS. dwaes, dysig, stupid. rad.71. Cf. Dizzy, Doze.] To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb.
"While flashing beams do daze his feeble eyen." Spenser.
"Such souls, Whose sudden visitations daze the world." Sir H. Taylor.
"He comes out of the room in a dazed state, that is an odd though a sufficient substitute for interest." Dickens.

Daze, n.
1. The state of being dazed; as he was in a daze. [Colloq.]
2. (Mining) A glittering stone.

Dazzle
Daz´zle, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dazzled p. pr. & vb. n. Dazzling ] [Freq. of daze.]
1. To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance of light.
"Those heavenly shapes Will dazzle now the earthly, with their blaze Insufferably bright." Milton.
"An unreflected light did never yet Dazzle the vision feminine." Sir H. Taylor.
2. To bewilder or surprise with brilliancy or display of any kind. "Dazzled and drove back his enemies." Shak.

Dazzle
Daz´zle, v. i.
1. To be overpoweringly or intensely bright; to excite admiration by brilliancy.
"Ah, friend! to dazzle, let the vain design." Pope.
2. To be overpowered by light; to be confused by excess of brightness.
"An overlight maketh the eyes dazzle." Bacon.
"I dare not trust these eyes; They dance in mists, and dazzle with surprise." Dryden.

Dazzle
Daz´zle, n. A light of dazzling brilliancy.

Dazzlement
Daz´zle•ment, n. Dazzling flash, glare, or burst of light. Donne.

Dazzlingly
Daz´zling•ly, adv. In a dazzling manner.