Chapter 423

De*struc"tion (?) , n. [L. destructio : cf. F. destruction . See Destroy .]

1. The act of destroying; a tearing down; a bringing to naught; subversion; demolition; ruin; slaying; devastation.

The Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction . Esth. ix. 5.

'Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. Shak.

Destruction of venerable establishment. Hallam.

2. The state of being destroyed, demolished, ruined, slain, or devastated.

This town came to destruction . Chaucer.

Thou castedst them down into destruction . Ps. lxxiii. 18.

2. A destroying agency; a cause of ruin or of devastation; a destroyer.

The destruction that wasteth at noonday. Ps. xci. 6.

Syn. -- Demolition; subversion; overthrow; desolation; extirpation; extinction; devastation; downfall; extermination; havoc; ruin.

Destructionist <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tion*ist , n.

1. One who delights in destroying that which is valuable; one whose principles and influence tend to destroy existing institutions; a destructive.

2. (Theol.) One who believes in the final destruction or complete annihilation of the wicked; -- called also annihilationist .

Shipley.

Destructive <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tive (?) , a. [L. destructivus : cf. F. destructif .] Causing destruction; tending to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; -- often with of or to ; as, intemperance is destructive of health; evil examples are destructive to the morals of youth.

Time's destructive power. Wordsworth.

Destructive distillation . See Distillation . -- Destructive sorties (<?/) (Logic) , a process of reasoning which involves the denial of the first of a series of dependent propositions as a consequence of the denial of the last; a species of reductio ad absurdum .

Whately.

Syn. -- Mortal; deadly; poisonous; fatal; ruinous; malignant; baleful; pernicious; mischievous.

Destructive <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tive , n. One who destroys; a radical reformer; a destructionist.

Destructively <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tive*ly , adv. In a destructive manner.

Destructiveness <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tive*ness (?) , n.

1. The quality of destroying or ruining.

Prynne.

2. (Phren.) The faculty supposed to impel to the commission of acts of destruction; propensity to destroy.

Destructor <Xpage=400>

De*struc"tor (?) , n. [L., from destruere . See Destroy , and cf. Destroyer .] A destroyer. [R.]

Fire, the destructive and the artificial death of things. Boyle.

Destruie <Xpage=400>

De*struie" (?) , v. t. To destroy. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Desudation <Xpage=400>

Des`u*da"tion (?) , n. [L. desudatio , fr. desudare to sweat greatly; de + sudare to sweat.] (Med.) A sweating; a profuse or morbid sweating, often succeeded by an eruption of small pimples.

Desuete <Xpage=400>

De*suete" (?) , a. [L. desuetus , p. p. of desuescere to disuse.] Disused; out of use. [R.]

Desuetude <Xpage=400>

Des"ue*tude (?) , n. [L. desuetudo , from desuescere , to grow out of use, disuse; de + suescere to become used or accustomed: cf. F. d\'82su\'82tude . See Custom .] The cessation of use; disuse; discontinuance of practice, custom, or fashion.

The desuetude abrogated the law, which, before, custom had established. Jer. Taylor.

Desulphurate <Xpage=400>

De*sul"phu*rate (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Desulphurated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Desulphurating .] To deprive of sulphur.

Desulphuration <Xpage=400>

De*sul`phu*ra"tion (?) , n. [Cf. F. d\'82sulfuration .] The act or process of depriving of sulphur.

Desulphurize <Xpage=400>

De*sul"phur*ize (?) , v. t. To desulphurate; to deprive of sulphur. -- De*sul`phur*i*za"tion (#) , n.

Desultorily <Xpage=400>

Des"ul*to*ri*ly (?) , adv. In a desultory manner; without method; loosely; immethodically.

Desultoriness <Xpage=400>

Des"ul*to*ri*ness , n. The quality of being desultory or without order or method; unconnectedness.

The seeming desultoriness of my method. Boyle.

Desultorious <Xpage=400>

Des`ul*to"ri*ous (?) , a. Desultory. [R.]

Desultory <Xpage=400>

Des"ul*to*ry (?) , a. [L. desultorius , fr. desultor a leaper, fr. desilire , desultum , to leap down; de + salire to leap. See Saltation .]

1. Leaping or skipping about. [Obs.]

I shot at it [a bird], but it was so desultory that I missed my aim. Gilbert White.

2. Jumping, or passing, from one thing or subject to another, without order or rational connection; without logical sequence; disconnected; immethodical; aimless; as, desultory minds .

Atterbury.

He [Goldsmith] knew nothing accurately; his reading had been desultory . Macaulay.

3. Out of course; by the way; as a digression; not connected with the subject; as, a desultory remark .

Syn. -- Rambling; roving; immethodical; discursive; inconstant; unsettled; cursory; slight; hasty; loose.

Desume <Xpage=400>

De*sume" (?) , v. t. [L. desumere ; de + sumere to take.] To select; to borrow. [Obs.]

Sir. M. Hale.

Desynonymization <Xpage=400>

De`syn*on`y*mi*za"tion (?) , n. The act of desynonymizing.

Desynonymize <Xpage=400>

De`syn*on"y*mize (?) , v. t. To deprive of synonymous character; to discriminate in use; -- applied to words which have been employed as synonyms.

Coleridge. Trench.

Detach <Xpage=400>

De*tach" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Detached (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Detaching .] [F. d\'82tacher (cf. It. distaccare , staccare ); pref. d\'82 (L. dis ) + the root found also in E. attach . See Attach , and cf. Staccato .]

1. To part; to separate or disunite; to disengage; -- the opposite of attach ; as, to detach the coats of a bulbous root from each other; to detach a man from a leader or from a party.

2. To separate for a special object or use; -- used especially in military language; as, to detach a ship from a fleet, or a company from a regiment .

Syn. -- To separate; disunite; disengage; sever; disjoin; withdraw;; draw off. See Detail .

Detach <Xpage=400>

De*tach" , v. i. To push asunder; to come off or separate from anything; to disengage.

[A vapor] detaching , fold by fold, From those still heights. Tennyson.

Detachable <Xpage=400>

De*tach"a*ble (?) , a. That can be detached.

Detached <Xpage=400>

De*tached" (?) , a. Separate; unconnected, or imperfectly connected; as, detached parcels . "Extensive and detached empire."

Burke.

Detached escapement . See Escapement .

Detachment <Xpage=400>

De*tach"ment (?) , n. [Cf. F. d\'82tachement .]

1. The act of detaching or separating, or the state of being detached.

2. That which is detached; especially, a body of troops or part of a fleet sent from the main body on special service.

Troops . . . widely scattered in little detachments . Bancroft.

3. Abstraction from worldly objects; renunciation.

A trial which would have demanded of him a most heroic faith and the detachment of a saint. J. H. Newman.

Detail <Xpage=400>

De"tail (?; 277) , n. [F. d\'82tail , fr. d\'82tailler to cut in pieces, tell in detail; pref. d\'82- (L. de or dis- ) + tailler to cut. See Tailor .]

1. A minute portion; one of the small parts; a particular; an item; -- used chiefly in the plural; as, the details of a scheme or transaction .

The details of the campaign in Italy. Motley.

2. A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars.

3. (Mil.) The selection for a particular service of a person or a body of men; hence, the person or the body of men so selected.

Detail drawing , a drawing of the full size, or on a large scale, of some part of a building, machine, etc. -- In detail , in subdivisions; part by part; item; circumstantially; with particularity.

Syn. -- Account; relation; narrative; recital; explanation; narration.

Detail <Xpage=400>

De"tail (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Detailed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Detailing .] [Cf. F. d\'82tailler to cut up in pieces, tell in detail. See Detail , n. ]

1. To relate in particulars; to particularize; to report minutely and distinctly; to enumerate; to specify; as, he detailed all the facts in due order .

2. (Mil.) To tell off or appoint for a particular service, as an officer, a troop, or a squadron.

Syn. -- Detail , Detach . Detail respect the act of individualizing the person or body that is separated; detach , the removing for the given end or object.

Detailer <Xpage=400>

De*tail"er (?) , n. One who details.

Detain <Xpage=400>

De*tain" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Detained (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Detaining .] [F. d\'82tenir , L. detinere , detentum ; de + tenere to hold. See Tenable .]

1. To keep back or from; to withhold.

Detain not the wages of the hireling. Jer. Taylor.

2. To restrain from proceeding; to stay or stop; to delay; as, we were detained by an accident .

Let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. Judges xiii. 15.

3. To hold or keep in custody.

Syn. -- To withhold; retain; stop; stay; arrest; check; retard; delay; hinder.

Detain <Xpage=400>

De*tain" , n. Detention. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Detainder <Xpage=400>

De*tain"der (?) , n. (Law) A writ. See Detinue .

Detainer <Xpage=400>

De*tain"er (?) , n.

1. One who detains.

2. (Law) (a) The keeping possession of what belongs to another; detention of what is another's, even though the original taking may have been lawful . Forcible detainer is indictable at common law. (b) A writ authorizing the keeper of a prison to continue to keep a person in custody.

Detainment <Xpage=400>

De*tain"ment (?) , n. [Cf. OF. detenement .] Detention. [R.]

Blackstone.

Detect <Xpage=400>

De*tect" (?) , a. [L. detectus , p. p. of detegere to uncover, detect; de + tegere to cover. See Tegument .] Detected. [Obs.]

Fabyan.

Detect <Xpage=400>

De*tect" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Detected ; p. pr. & vb. n. Detecting .]

1. To uncover; to discover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect a crime or a criminal; to detect a mistake in an account.

Plain good intention . . . is as easily discovered at the first view, as fraud is surely detected at last. Burke.

Like following life through creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect . Pope.

2. To inform against; to accuse. [Obs.]

He was untruly judged to have preached such articles as he was detected of. Sir T. More.

Syn. -- To discover; find out; lay bare; expose.

Detectable, Detectible <Xpage=400>

De*tect"a*ble (?) , De*tect"i*ble (?) , a. Capable of being detected or found out; as, parties not detectable . "Errors detectible at a glance."

Latham.

Detecter <Xpage=400>

De*tect"er (?) , n. One who, or that which, detects or brings to light; one who finds out what another attempts to conceal; a detector.

Detection <Xpage=400>

De*tec"tion (?) , n. [L. detectio an uncovering, revealing.] The act of detecting; the laying open what was concealed or hidden; discovery; as, the detection of a thief; the detection of fraud, forgery, or a plot.

Such secrets of guilt are never from detection . D. Webster.

Detective <Xpage=400>

De*tect"ive (?) , a. Fitted for, or skilled in, detecting; employed in detecting crime or criminals; as, a detective officer .

Detective <Xpage=400>

De*tect"ive , n. One who business it is so detect criminals or discover matters of secrecy.

Detector <Xpage=400>

De*tect"or (?) , n. [L., a revealer.] One who, or that which, detects; a detecter.

Shak.

A deathbed's detector of the heart. Young.

Bank-note detector , a publication containing a description of genuine and counterfeit bank notes, designed to enable persons to discriminate between them. -- Detector l<?/<?/k . See under Lock .

Detenebrate <Xpage=400>

De*ten"e*brate (?) , v. t. [L. de + tenebrare to make dark, fr. tenebrae darkness.] To remove darkness from. [Obs.]

Ash.

Detent <Xpage=400>

De*tent" (?) , n. [F. d\'82tente , fr. d\'82tendre to unbend, relax; pref. d\'82- (L. dis- or de ) + tendre to stretch. See Distend .] (Mech.) That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch, pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.

Detention <Xpage=400>

De*ten"tion (?) , n. [L. detentio : cf. F. d\'82tention . See Detain .]

1. The act of detaining or keeping back; a withholding.

2. The state of being detained (stopped or hindered); delay from necessity.

3. Confinement; restraint; custody.

The archduke Philip . . . found himself in a sort of honorable detention at Henry's court. Hallam.

Deter <Xpage=400>

De*ter" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deterred (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Deterring .] [L. deterrere ; de + terrere to frighten, terrify. See Terror .] To prevent by fear; hence, to hinder or prevent from action by fear of consequences, or difficulty, risk, etc.

Addison.

Potent enemies tempt and deter us from our duty. Tillotson.

My own face deters me from my glass. Prior.

Deterge <Xpage=400>

De*terge" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deterged (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Deterging .] [L. detergere , detersum ; de + tergere to rub or wipe off: cf. F. d\'82terger .] To cleanse; to purge away, as foul or offending matter from the body, or from an ulcer.

Detergency <Xpage=400>

De*ter"gen*cy (?) , n. A cleansing quality or power.

De Foe.

Detergent <Xpage=400>

De*ter"gent (?) , a. [L. detergens , -entis , p. pr. of detergere : cf. F. d\'82tergent .] Cleansing; purging. -- n. A substance which cleanses the skin, as water or soap; a medicine to cleanse wounds, ulcers, etc.

Deteriorate <Xpage=400>

De*te"ri*o*rate (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deteriorated (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Deteriorating (?) .] [L. deterioratus , p. p. of deteriorate to deteriorate, fr. deterior worse, prob. a comparative fr. de down, away.] To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair; as, to deteriorate the mind .

Whately.

The art of war . . . was greatly deteriorated . Southey.

<-- p. 401 -->

Deteriorate <Xpage=401>

De*te"ri*o*rate (?) , v. i. To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.

Under such conditions, the mind rapidly deteriorates . Goldsmith.

Deterioration <Xpage=401>

De*te`ri*o*ra"tion (?) , n. [LL. deterioratio : cf. F. d\'82t\'82rioration .] The process of growing worse, or the state of having grown worse.

Deteriority <Xpage=401>

De*te`ri*or"i*ty (?) , n. [L. deterior worse. See Deteriorate .] Worse state or quality; inferiority. "The deteriority of the diet." [R.]

Ray.

Determent <Xpage=401>

De*ter"ment (?) , n. [From Deter .] The act of deterring; also, that which deters.

Boyle.

Determinability <Xpage=401>

De*ter`mi*na*bil"i*ty (?) , n. The quality of being determinable; determinableness.

Coleridge.

Determinable <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*na*ble (?) , a. [L. determinabilis finite. See Determine , v. t. ] Capable of being determined, definitely ascertained, decided upon, or brought to a conclusion.

Not wholly determinable from the grammatical use of the words. South.

Determinableness <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*na*ble*ness , n. Capability of being determined; determinability.

Determinacy <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*na*cy (?) , n. Determinateness. [R.]

Determinant <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*nant (?) , a. [L. determinans , p. pr. of determinare : cf. F. d\'82terminant .] Serving to determine or limit; determinative.

Determinant <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*nant , n.

1. That which serves to determine; that which causes determination.

2. (Math.) The sum of a series of products of several numbers, these products being formed according to certain specified laws; thus, the determinant of the nine numbers.

a, b, c, a\'b7, b\'b7, c\'b7, a\'b7\'b7, b\'b7\'b7, c\'b7\'b7,

is a b\'b7 c\'b7\'b7 -- a b\'b7\'b7 c\'b7 + a\'b7 b\'b7\'b7 c] -- a\'b7 b c\'b7\'b7 + a\'b7\'b7 b\'b7 c . The determinant is written by placing the numbers from which it is formed in a square between two vertical lines. The theory of determinants forms a very important branch of modern mathematics.

3. (Logic) A mark or attribute, attached to the subject or predicate, narrowing the extent of both, but rendering them more definite and precise.

Abp. Thomson.

Determinate <Xpage=401>

De*ter"mi*nate (?) , a. [L. determinatus , p. p. of determinare . See Determine .]

1. Having defined limits; not uncertain or arbitrary; fixed; established; definite.

Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet. Dryden.