| Term | Definition |
|
daring |
adj. Brave. |
|
Darwinism |
n. The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of evolution of higher forms. |
|
dastard |
n. A base coward. |
|
datum |
n. A premise, starting-point, or given fact. |
|
dauntless |
adj. Fearless. |
|
day-man |
n. A day-laborer. |
|
dead-heat |
n. A race in which two or more competitors come out even, and there is no winner. |
|
dearth |
n. Scarcity, as of something customary, essential ,or desirable. |
|
death's-head |
n. A human skull as a symbol of death. |
|
debase |
v. To lower in character or virtue. |
|
debatable |
adj. Subject to contention or dispute. |
|
debonair |
adj. Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner. |
|
debut |
n. A first appearance in society or on the stage. |
|
decagon |
n. A figure with ten sides and ten angles. |
|
decagram |
n. A weight of 10 grams. |
|
decaliter |
n. A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters. |
|
decalogue |
n. The ten commandments. |
|
Decameron |
n. A volume consisting of ten parts or books. |
|
decameter |
n. A length of ten meters. |
|
decamp |
v. To leave suddenly or unexpectedly. |
|
decapitate |
v. To behead. |
|
decapod |
adj. Ten-footed or ten-armed. |
|
decasyllable |
n. A line of ten syllables. |
|
deceit |
n. Falsehood. |
|
deceitful |
adj. Fraudulent. |
|
deceive |
v. To mislead by or as by falsehood. |
|
decency |
n. Moral fitness. |
|
decent |
adj. Characterized by propriety of conduct, speech, manners, or dress. |
|
deciduous |
adj. Falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit when ripe, etc. |
|
decimal |
adj. Founded on the number 10. |
|
decimate |
v. To destroy a measurable or large proportion of. |
|
decipher |
v. To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible. |
|
declamation |
n. A speech recited or intended for recitation from memory in public. |
|
declamatory |
adj. A full and formal style of utterance. |
|
declarative |
adj. Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement or affirmation. |
|
declension |
n. The change of endings in nouns and ,adj. to express their different relations of gender. |
|
decorate |
v. To embellish. |
|
decorous |
adj. Suitable for the occasion or circumstances. |
|
decoy |
n. Anything that allures, or is intended to allures into danger or temptation. |
|
decrepit |
adj. Enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity. |
|
dedication |
n. The voluntary consecration or relinquishment of something to an end or cause. |
|
deduce |
v. To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or principles. |
|
deface |
v. To mar or disfigure the face or external surface of. |
|
defalcate |
v. To cut off or take away, as a part of something. |
|
defamation |
n. Malicious and groundless injury done to the reputation or good name of another. |
|
defame |
v. To slander. |
|
default |
n. The neglect or omission of a legal requirement. |
|
defendant |
n. A person against whom a suit is brought. |
|
defensible |
adj. Capable of being maintained or justified. |
|
defensive |
adj. Carried on in resistance to aggression. |
|
defer |
v. To delay or put off to some other time. |
|
deference |
n. Respectful submission or yielding, as to another's opinion, wishes, or judgment. |
|
defiant |
adj. Characterized by bold or insolent opposition. |
|
deficiency |
n. Lack or insufficiency. |
|
deficient |
adj. Not having an adequate or proper supply or amount. |
|
definite |
adj. Having an exact signification or positive meaning. |
|
deflect |
v. To cause to turn aside or downward. |
|
deforest |
v. To clear of forests. |
|
deform |
v. To disfigure. |
|
deformity |
n. A disfigurement. |
|
defraud |
v. To deprive of something dishonestly. |
|
defray |
v. To make payment for. |
|
degeneracy |
n. A becoming worse. |
|
degenerate |
v. To become worse or inferior. |
|
degradation |
n. Diminution, as of strength or magnitude. |
|
degrade |
v. To take away honors or position from. |
|
dehydrate |
v. To deprive of water. |
|
deify |
v. To regard or worship as a god. |
|
deign |
v. To deem worthy of notice or account. |
|
deist |
n. One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation. |
|
deity |
n. A god, goddess, or divine person. |
|
deject |
v. To dishearten. |
|
dejection |
n. Melancholy. |
|
delectable |
adj. Delightful to the taste or to the senses. |
|
delectation |
n. Delight. |
|
deleterious |
adj. Hurtful, morally or physically. |
|
delicacy |
n. That which is agreeable to a fine taste. |
|
delineate |
v. To represent by sketch or diagram. |
|
deliquesce |
v. To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of moisture from the air. |
|
delirious |
adj. Raving. |
|
delude |
v. To mislead the mind or judgment of. |
|
deluge |
v. To overwhelm with a flood of water. |
|
delusion |
n. Mistaken conviction, especially when more or less enduring. |
|
demagnetize |
v. To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism. |
|
demagogue |
n. An unprincipled politician. |
|
demeanor |
n. Deportment. |
|
demented |
adj. Insane. |
|
demerit |
n. A mark for failure or bad conduct. |
|
demise |
n. Death. |
|
demobilize |
v. To disband, as troops. |
|
demolish |
v. To annihilate. |
|
demonstrable |
adj. Capable of positive proof. |
|
demonstrate |
v. To prove indubitably. |
|
demonstrative |
adj. Inclined to strong exhibition or expression of feeling or thoughts. |
|
demonstrator |
n. One who proves in a convincing and conclusive manner. |
|
demulcent |
n. Any application soothing to an irritable surface |
|
demurrage |
n. the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of sailing. |
|
dendroid |
adj. Like a tree. |
|
dendrology |
n. The natural history of trees. |
|
denizen |
n. Inhabitant. |
|
denominate |
v. To give a name or epithet to. |
|
denomination |
n. A body of Christians united by a common faith and form of worship and discipline. |
|
denominator |
n. Part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal parts into which the unit is divided. |
|
denote |
v. To designate by word or mark. |
|
denouement |
n. That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up. |
|
denounce |
v. To point out or publicly accuse as deserving of punishment, censure, or odium. |
|
dentifrice |
n. Any preparation used for cleaning the teeth. |
|
denude |
v. To strip the covering from. |
|
denunciation |
n. The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or punishment. |
|
deplete |
v. To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste. |
|
deplorable |
adj. Contemptible. |
|
deplore |
v. To regard with grief or sorrow. |
|
deponent |
adj. Laying down. |
|
depopulate |
v. To remove the inhabitants from. |
|
deport |
v. To take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony. |
|
deportment |
n. Demeanor. |
|
deposition |
n. Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for use as evidence in court. |
|
depositor |
n. One who makes a deposit, or has an amount deposited. |
|
depository |
n. A place where anything is kept in safety. |
|
deprave |
v. To render bad, especially morally bad. |
|
deprecate |
v. To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite. |
|
depreciate |
v. To lessen the worth of. |
|
depreciation |
n. A lowering in value or an underrating in worth. |
|
depress |
v. To press down. |
|
depression |
n. A falling of the spirits. |
|
depth |
n. Deepness. |
|
derelict |
adj. Neglectful of obligation. |
|
deride |
v. To ridicule. |
|
derisible |
adj. Open to ridicule. |
|
derision |
n. Ridicule. |
|
derivation |
n. That process by which a word is traced from its original root or primitive form and meaning. |
|
derivative |
adj. Coming or acquired from some origin. |
|
derive |
v. To deduce, as from a premise. |
|
dermatology |
n. The branch of medical science which relates to the skin and its diseases. |
|
derrick |
n. An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights. |
|
descendant |
n. One who is descended lineally from another, as a child, grandchild, etc. |
|
descendent |
adj. Proceeding downward. |
|
descent |
n. The act of moving or going downward. |
|
descry |
v. To discern. |
|
desert |
v. To abandon without regard to the welfare of the abandoned |
|
desiccant |
n. Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs moisture, as that of wounds. |
|
designate |
v. To select or appoint, as by authority. |
|
desist |
v. To cease from action. |
|
desistance |
n. Cessation. |
|
despair |
n. Utter hopelessness and despondency. |
|
desperado |
n. One without regard for law or life. |
|
desperate |
adj. Resorted to in a last extremity, or as if prompted by utter despair. |
|
despicable |
adj. Contemptible. |
|
despond |
v. To lose spirit, courage, or hope. |
|
despondent |
adj. Disheartened. |
|
despot |
n. An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
|
despotism |
n. Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part. |
|
destitute |
adj. Poverty-stricken. |
|
desultory |
adj. Not connected with what precedes. |
|
deter |
v. To frighten away. |
|
deteriorate |
v. To grow worse. |
|
determinate |
adj. Definitely limited or fixed. |
|
determination |
n. The act of deciding. |
|
deterrent |
adj. Hindering from action through fear. |
|
detest |
v. To dislike or hate with intensity. |
|
detract |
v. To take away in such manner as to lessen value or estimation. |
|
detriment |
n. Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss. |
|
detrude |
v. To push down forcibly. |
|
deviate |
v. To take a different course. |
|
devilry |
n. Malicious mischief. |
|
deviltry |
n. Wanton and malicious mischief. |
|
devious |
adj. Out of the common or regular track. |
|
devise |
v. To invent. |
|
devout |
adj. Religious. |
|
dexterity |
n. Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work. |
|
diabolic |
adj. Characteristic of the devil. |
|
diacritical |
adj. Marking a difference. |
|
diagnose |
v. To distinguish, as a disease, by its characteristic phenomena. |
|
diagnosis |
n. Determination of the distinctive nature of a disease. |
|
dialect |
n. Forms of speech collectively that are peculiar to the people of a particular district. |
|
dialectician |
n. A logician. |
|
dialogue |
n. A formal conversation in which two or more take part. |
|
diaphanous |
adj. Transparent. |
|
diatomic |
adj. Containing only two atoms. |
|
diatribe |
n. A bitter or malicious criticism. |
|
dictum |
n. A positive utterance. |
|
didactic |
adj. Pertaining to teaching. |
|
difference |
n. Dissimilarity in any respect. |
|
differentia |
n. Any essential characteristic of a species by reason of which it differs from other species. |
|
differential |
adj. Distinctive. |
|
differentiate |
v. To acquire a distinct and separate character. |
|
diffidence |
n. Self-distrust. |
|
diffident |
adj. Affected or possessed with self-distrust. |
|
diffusible |
adj. Spreading rapidly through the system and acting quickly. |
|
diffusion |
n. Dispersion. |
|
dignitary |
n. One who holds high rank. |
|
digraph |
n. A union of two characters representing a single sound. |
|
digress |
v. To turn aside from the main subject and for a time dwell on some incidental matter. |
|
dilate |
v. To enlarge in all directions. |
|
dilatory |
adj. Tending to cause delay. |
|
dilemma |
n. A situation in which a choice between opposing modes of conduct is necessary. |
|
dilettante |
n. A superficial amateur. |
|
diligence |
n. Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken. |
|
dilute |
v. To make more fluid or less concentrated by admixture with something. |
|
diminution |
n. Reduction. |
|
diphthong |
n. The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable or running together the sounds. |
|
diplomacy |
n. Tact, shrewdness, or skill in conducting any kind of negotiations or in social matters. |
|
diplomat |
n. A representative of one sovereign state at the capital or court of another. |
|
diplomatic |
adj. Characterized by special tact in negotiations. |
|
diplomatist |
n. One remarkable for tact and shrewd management. |
|
disagree |
v. To be opposite in opinion. |
|
disallow |
v. To withhold permission or sanction. |
|
disappear |
v. To cease to exist, either actually or for the time being. |
|
disappoint |
v. To fail to fulfill the expectation, hope, wish, or desire of. |
|
disapprove |
v. To regard with blame. |
|
disarm |
v. To deprive of weapons. |
|
disarrange |
v. To throw out of order. |
|
disavow |
v. To disclaim responsibility for. |
|
disavowal |
n. Denial. |
|
disbeliever |
n. One who refuses to believe. |
|
disburden |
v. To disencumber. |
|
disburse |
v. To pay out or expend, as money from a fund. |
|
discard |
v. To reject. |
|
discernible |
adj. Perceivable. |
|
disciple |
n. One who believes the teaching of another, or who adopts and follows some doctrine. |
|
disciplinary |
adj. Having the nature of systematic training or subjection to authority. |
|
discipline |
v. To train to obedience. |
|
disclaim |
v. To disavow any claim to, connection with, or responsibility to. |
|
discolor |
v. To stain. |
|
discomfit |
v. To put to confusion. |
|
discomfort |
n. The state of being positively uncomfortable. |
|
disconnect |
v. To undo or dissolve the connection or association of. |
|
disconsolate |
adj. Grief-stricken. |
|
discontinuance |
n. Interruption or intermission. |
|
discord |
n. Absence of harmoniousness. |
|
discountenance |
v. To look upon with disfavor. |
|
discover |
v. To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously unknown or unperceived. |
|
discredit |
v. To injure the reputation of. |
|
discreet |
adj. Judicious. |
|
discrepant |
adj. Opposite. |
|
discriminate |
v. To draw a distinction. |
|
discursive |
adj. Passing from one subject to another. |
|
discussion |
n. Debate. |
|
disenfranchise |
v. To deprive of any right privilege or power |
|
disengage |
v. To become detached. |
|
disfavor |
n. Disregard. |
|
disfigure |
v. To impair or injure the beauty, symmetry, or appearance of. |
|
dishabille |
n. Undress or negligent attire. |
|
dishonest |
adj. Untrustworthy. |
|
disillusion |
v. To disenchant. |
|
disinfect |
v. To remove or destroy the poison of infectious or contagious diseases. |
|
disinfectant |
n. A substance used to destroy the germs of infectious diseases. |
|
disinherit |
v. To deprive of an inheritance. |
|
disinterested |
adj. Impartial. |
|
disjunctive |
adj. Helping or serving to disconnect or separate. |
|
dislocate |
v. To put out of proper place or order. |
|
dismissal |
n. Displacement by authority from an office or an employment. |
|
dismount |
v. To throw down, push off, or otherwise remove from a horse or the like. |
|
disobedience |
n. Neglect or refusal to comply with an authoritative injunction. |
|
disobedient |
adj. Neglecting or refusing to obey. |
|
disown |
v. To refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as connected with oneself. |
|
disparage |
v. To regard or speak of slightingly. |
|
disparity |
n. Inequality. |
|
dispel |
v. To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions. |
|
dispensation |
n. That which is bestowed on or appointed to one from a higher power. |
|
displace |
v. To put out of the proper or accustomed place. |
|
dispossess |
v. To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate. |
|
disputation |
n. Verbal controversy. |
|
disqualify |
v. To debar. |
|
disquiet |
v. To deprive of peace or tranquillity. |
|
disregard |
v. To take no notice of. |
|
disreputable |
adj. Dishonorable or disgraceful. |
|
disrepute |
n. A bad name or character. |
|
disrobe |
v. To unclothe. |
|
disrupt |
v. To burst or break asunder. |
|
dissatisfy |
v. To displease. |
|
dissect |
v. To cut apart or to pieces. |
|
dissection |
n. The act or operation of cutting in pieces, specifically of a plant or an animal. |
|
dissemble |
v. To hide by pretending something different. |
|
disseminate |
v. To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown. |
|
dissension |
n. Angry or violent difference of opinion. |
|
dissent |
n. Disagreement. |
|
dissentient |
n. One who disagrees. |
|
dissentious |
adj. Contentious. |
|
dissertation |
n. Thesis. |
|
disservice |
n. An ill turn. |
|
dissever |
v. To divide. |
|
dissimilar |
adj. Different. |
|
dissipate |
v. To disperse or disappear. |
|
dissipation |
n. The state of being dispersed or scattered. |
|
dissolute |
adj. Lewd. |
|
dissolution |
n. A breaking up of a union of persons. |
|
dissolve |
v. To liquefy or soften, as by heat or moisture. |
|
dissonance |
n. Discord. |
|
dissonant |
adj. Harsh or disagreeable in sound. |
|
dissuade |
v. To change the purpose or alter the plans of by persuasion, counsel, or pleading. |
|
dissuasion |
n. The act of changing the purpose of or altering the plans of through persuasion, or pleading. |
|
disyllable |
n. A word of two syllables. |
|
distemper |
n. A disease or malady. |
|
distend |
v. To stretch out or expand in every direction. |
|
distensible |
adj. Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every direction. |
|
distention |
n. Expansion. |
|
distill |
v. To extract or produce by vaporization and condensation. |
|
distillation |
n. Separation of the more volatile parts of a substance from those less volatile. |
|
distiller |
n. One occupied in the business of distilling alcoholic liquors. |
|
distinction |
n. A note or designation of honor, officially recognizing superiority or success in studies. |
|
distort |
v. To twist into an unnatural or irregular form. |
|
distrain |
v. To subject a person to distress. |
|
distrainor |
n. One who subjects a person to distress. |
|
distraught |
adj. Bewildered. |
|
distrust |
n. Lack of confidence in the power, wisdom, or good intent of any person. |
|
disunion |
n. Separation of relations or interests. |
|
diurnal |
adj. Daily. |
|
divagation |
n. Digression. |
|
divergent |
adj. Tending in different directions. |
|
diverse |
adj. Capable of various forms. |
|
diversion |
n. Pastime. |
|
diversity |
n. Dissimilitude. |
|
divert |
v. To turn from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
|
divertible |
adj. Able to be turned from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
|
divest |
v. To strip, specifically of clothes, ornaments, or accouterments or disinvestment. |
|
divination |
n. The pretended forecast of future events or discovery of what is lost or hidden. |
|
divinity |
n. The quality or character of being godlike. |
|
divisible |
adj. Capable of being separated into parts. |
|
divisor |
n. That by which a number or quantity is divided. |
|
divulge |
v. To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret. |
|
divulgence |
n. A divulging. |
|
docile |
adj. Easy to manage. |
|
docket |
n. The registry of judgments of a court. |
|
doe |
n. The female of the deer. |
|
dogma |
n. A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming authority. |
|
dogmatic |
adj. Making statements without argument or evidence. |
|
dogmatize |
v. To make positive assertions without supporting them by argument or evidence. |
|
doleful |
adj. Melancholy. |
|
dolesome |
adj. Melancholy. |
|
dolor |
n. Lamentation. |
|
dolorous |
adj. Expressing or causing sorrow or pain. |
|
domain |
n. A sphere or field of action or interest. |
|
domesticity |
n. Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
|
domicile |
n. The place where one lives. |
|
dominance |
n. Ascendancy. |
|
dominant |
adj. Conspicuously prominent. |
|
dominate |
v. To influence controllingly. |
|
domination |
n. Control by the exercise of power or constituted authority. |
|
domineer |
v. To rule with insolence or unnecessary annoyance. |
|
donate |
v. To bestow as a gift, especially for a worthy cause. |
|
donator |
n. One who makes a donation or present. |
|
donee |
n. A person to whom a donation is made. |
|
donor |
n. One who makes a donation or present. |
|
dormant |
adj. Being in a state of or resembling sleep. |
|
doublet |
n. One of a pair of like things. |
|
dowry |
n. The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage. |
|
drachma |
n. A modern and an ancient Greek coin. |
|
dragnet |
n. A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water. |
|
dragoon |
n. In the British army, a cavalryman. |
|
drainage |
n. The means of draining collectively, as a system of conduits, trenches, pipes, etc. |
|
dramatist |
n. One who writes plays. |
|
dramatize |
v. To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical manner. |
|
drastic |
adj. Acting vigorously. |
|
drought |
n. Dry weather, especially when so long continued as to cause vegetation to wither. |
|
drowsy |
adj. Heavy with sleepiness. |
|
drudgery |
n. Hard and constant work in any menial or dull occupation. |
|
dubious |
adj. Doubtful. |
|
duckling |
n. A young duck. |
|
ductile |
adj. Capable of being drawn out, as into wire or a thread. |
|
duet |
n. A composition for two voices or instruments. |
|
dun |
v. To make a demand or repeated demands on for payment. |
|
duplex |
adj. Having two parts. |
|
duplicity |
n. Double-dealing. |
|