The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 474
Dove (?) , n. [OE. dove , duve , douve , AS. d<?/fe ; akin to OS. d<?/ba , D. duif , OHG. t<?/ba , G. taube , Icel. d<?/fa , Sw. dufva , Dan. due , Goth. d<?/b<?/ ; perh. from the root of E. dive .]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A pigeon of the genus Columba and various related genera. The species are numerous.
&hand; The domestic dove, including the varieties called fantails , tumblers , carrier pigeons , etc., was derived from the rock pigeon ( Columba livia ) of Europe and Asia; the turtledove of Europe, celebrated for its sweet, plaintive note, is C. turtur or Turtur vulgaris ; the ringdove , the largest of European species, is C. palumbus ; the Carolina dove , or Mourning dove , is Zenaidura macroura ; the sea dove is the little auk ( Mergulus alle or Alle alle ). See Turtledove , Ground dove , and Rock pigeon . The dove is a symbol of innocence, gentleness, and affection; also, in art and in the Scriptures, the typical symbol of the Holy Ghost . <-- also a symbol of peace -->
2. A word of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.
O my dove , . . . let me hear thy voice. Cant. ii. 14.
Dove tick (Zo\'94l.) , a mite ( Argas reflexus ) which infests doves and other birds. -- Soiled dove , a prostitute. [Slang]
Dovecot, Dovecote <Xpage=448>
Dove"cot` (?) , Dove"cote` (?) , n. A small house or box, raised to a considerable height above the ground, and having compartments, in which domestic pigeons breed; a dove house.
Like an eagle in a dovecote , I Fluttered your Volscians in Corioli. Shak.
Dove-eyed <Xpage=448>
Dove"-eyed` (?) , a. Having eyes like a dove; meekeyed; as, dove-eyed Peace .
Dovekie <Xpage=448>
Dove"kie (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A guillemot ( Uria grylle ), of the arctic regions. Also applied to the little auk or sea dove. See under Dove .
Dovelet <Xpage=448>
Dove"let (?) , n. A young or small dove.
Booth.
Dovelike <Xpage=448>
Dove"like` (?) , a. Mild as a dove; gentle; pure and lovable.
Longfellow.
Dove plant <Xpage=448>
Dove" plant` (?) . (Bot.) A Central American orchid ( Peristeria elata ), having a flower stem five or six feet high, with numerous globose white fragrant flowers. The column in the center of the flower resembles a dove; -- called also Holy Spirit plant .
Dover's Powder <Xpage=448>
Do"ver's Pow"der (?) . [From Dr. Dover , an English physician.] (Med.) A powder of ipecac and opium, compounded, in the United States, with sugar of milk, but in England (as formerly in the United States) with sulphate of potash, and in France (as in Dr. Dover's original prescription) with nitrate and sulphate of potash and licorice. It is an anodyne diaphoretic.
Dove's-foot <Xpage=448>
Dove's"-foot` (?) , n. (Bot.) (a) A small annual species of Geranium, native in England; -- so called from the shape of the leaf . (b) The columbine. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Doveship <Xpage=448>
Dove"ship (?) , n. The possession of dovelike qualities, harmlessness and innocence. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
Dovetail <Xpage=448>
Dove"tail` (?) , n. (Carp.) A flaring tenon, or tongue (shaped like a bird's tail spread), and a mortise, or socket, into which it fits tightly, making an interlocking joint between two pieces which resists pulling a part in all directions except one.
Dovetail molding (Arch.) , a molding of any convex section arranged in a sort of zigzag, like a series of dovetails. -- Dovetail saw (Carp.) , a saw used in dovetailing.
Dovetail <Xpage=448>
Dove"tail` , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dovetailed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Dovetailing .]
1. (Carp.) (a) To cut to a dovetail . (b) To join by means of dovetails.
2. To fit in or connect strongly, skillfully, or nicely; to fit ingeniously or complexly.
He put together a piece of joinery so crossly indented and whimsically dovetailed . . . that it was indeed a very curious show. Burke.
Dovish <Xpage=448>
Dov"ish (?) , a. Like a dove; harmless; innocent. "Joined with dovish simplicity."
Latimer.
Dow <Xpage=448>
Dow (?) , n. A kind of vessel. See Dhow .
Dow <Xpage=448>
Dow , v. t. [F. douer . See Dower .] To furnish with a dower; to endow. [Obs.]
Wyclif.
Dowable <Xpage=448>
Dow"a*ble (?) , a. [From Dow , v. t. ] Capable of being endowed; entitled to dower.
Blackstone.
Dowager <Xpage=448>
Dow"a*ger (?) , n. [OF. douagiere , fr. douage dower. See Dower .]
1. (Eng. Law) A widow endowed, or having a jointure; a widow who either enjoys a dower from her deceased husband, or has property of her own brought by her to her husband on marriage, and settled on her after his decease.
Blount. Burrill.
2. A title given in England to a widow, to distinguish her from the wife of her husband's heir bearing the same name; -- chiefly applied to widows of personages of rank.
With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans. Tennyson.
Queen dowager , the widow of a king.
Dowagerism <Xpage=448>
Dow"a*ger*ism (?) , n. The rank or condition of a dowager; formality, as that of a dowager. Also used figuratively.
Mansions that have passed away into dowagerism . Thackeray.
Dowcet <Xpage=448>
Dow"cet (?) , n. [See Doucet .] One of the testicles of a hart or stag. [Spelt also doucet .]
B. Jonson.
Dowdy <Xpage=448>
Dow"dy (?) , a. [ Compar. Dowdier (?) ; superl. Dowdiest .] [Scot. dawdie slovenly, daw , da sluggard, drab, Prov. E. dowd flat, dead.] Showing a vulgar taste in dress; awkward and slovenly in dress; vulgar-looking. -- Dow"di*ly (#) , adv. -- Dow"di*ness , n.
Dowdy <Xpage=448>
Dow"dy , n. ; pl. Dowdies (<?/) . An awkward, vulgarly dressed, inelegant woman.
Shak. Dryden.
Dowdyish <Xpage=448>
Dow"dy*ish , a. Like a dowdy.
Dowel <Xpage=448>
Dow"el (?) , n. [Cf. G. d\'94bel peg, F. douelle state of a cask, surface of an arch, douille socket, little pipe, cartridge.] (Mech.)
1. A pin, or block, of wood or metal, fitting into holes in the abutting portions of two pieces, and being partly in one piece and partly in the other, to keep them in their proper relative position.
2. A piece of wood driven into a wall, so that other pieces may be nailed to it.
Dowel joint , a joint secured by a dowel or dowels. -- Dowel pin , a dowel. See Dowel , n. , 1 .
Dowel <Xpage=448>
Dow"el , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Doweled (?) ∨ Dowelled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Doweling or Dowelling .] To fasten together by dowels; to furnish with dowels; as, a cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask .
Dower <Xpage=448>
Dow"er (?) , n. [F. douaire , LL. dotarium , from L. dotare to endow, portion, fr. dos dower; akin to Gr. <?/ gift, and to L. dare to give. See 1st Date , and cf. Dot dowry, Dotation .]
1. That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.
How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower ! Sir J. Davies.
Man in his primeval dower arrayed. Wordsworth.
2. The property with which a woman is endowed ; especially: (a) That which a woman brings to a husband in marriage; dowry. [Obs.]
His wife brought in dower Cilicia's crown. Dryden.
(b) (Law) That portion of the real estate of a man which his widow enjoys during her life, or to which a woman is entitled after the death of her husband .
Blackstone.
&hand; Dower , in modern use, is and should be distinguished from dowry . The former is a provision for a widow on her husband's death; the latter is a bride's portion on her marriage. Abbott.
Assignment of dower . See under Assignment .
Dowered <Xpage=448>
Dow"ered (?) , p. a. Furnished with, or as with, dower or a marriage portion.
Shak.
Dowerless <Xpage=448>
Dow"er*less , a. Destitute of dower; having no marriage portion.
Shak.
Dowery <Xpage=448>
Dow"er*y (?) , n. See Dower .
Dowitcher <Xpage=448>
Dow"itch*er (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The red-breasted or gray snipe ( Macrorhamphus griseus ); -- called also brownback , and grayback .
Dowl <Xpage=448>
Dowl (?) , n. Same as Dowle .
Dowlas <Xpage=448>
Dow"las (?) , n. [Prob. fr. Doullens , a town of Picardy, in France, formerly celebrated for this manufacture.] A coarse linen cloth made in the north of England and in Scotland, now nearly replaced by calico.
Shak.
Dowle <Xpage=448>
Dowle (?) , n. [Cf. OF. douille soft. Cf. Ductile .] Feathery or wool-like down; filament of a feather.
Shak.
No feather, or dowle of a feather. De Quincey.
Down <Xpage=448>
Down (?) , n. [Akin to LG. dune , dun , Icel. d<?/nn , Sw. dun , Dan. duun , G. daune , cf. D. dons ; perh. akin to E. dust .]
1. Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool ; esp.: (a) (Zo\'94l.) The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets . (b) (Bot.) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle . (c) The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
And the first down begins to shade his face. Dryden.
2. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down
When in the down I sink my head, Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath. Tennyson.
Thou bosom softness, down of all my cares! Southern.
<page="449"> Page 449
Down tree (Bot.) , a tree of Central America ( Ochroma Lagopus ), the seeds of which are enveloped in vegetable wool.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down (?) , v. t. To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. [R.]
Young.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , n. [OE. dun , doun , AS. d<?/n ; of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. d<?/n hill, fortified hill, Gael. dun heap, hillock, hill, W. din a fortified hill or mount; akin to E. town . See Town , and cf. Down , adv. & prep. , Dune .]
1. A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; -- usually in the plural.
Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the downs of Sussex. Ray.
She went by dale, and she went by down . Tennyson.
2. A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; -- usually in the plural. [Eng.]
Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his downs . Sandys.
3. pl. A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war.
On the 11th [June, 1771] we run up the channel . . . at noon we were abreast of Dover, and about three came to an anchor in the Downs , and went ashore at Deal. Cook (First Voyage).
4. pl. [From the adverb.] A state of depression; low state; abasement. [Colloq.]
It the downs of life too much outnumber the ups. M. Arnold.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , adv. [For older adown , AS. ad<?/n , ad<?/ne , prop., from or off the hill. See 3d Down , and cf. Adown , and cf. Adown .]
1. In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; -- the opposite of up .
2. Hence, in many derived uses, as: (a) From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; -- used with verbs indicating motion.
It will be rain to-night. Let it come down . Shak.
I sit me down beside the hazel grove. Tennyson.
And that drags down his life. Tennyson.
There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself down . Addison.
The French . . . shone down [i. e., outshone ] the English. Shak.
(b) In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a decent; below the horizon; of the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet .
I was down and out of breath. Shak.
The moon is down ; I have not heard the clock. Shak.
He that is down needs fear no fall. Bunyan.
3. From a remoter or higher antiquity.
Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation. D. Webster.
4. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence; as, to boil down in cookery, or in making decoctions .
Arbuthnot.
&hand; Down is sometimes used elliptically, standing for go down , come down , tear down , take down , put down , haul down , pay down , and the like, especially in command or exclamation.
Down , therefore, and beg mercy of the duke. Shak.
If he be hungry more than wanton, bread alone will down . Locke.
Down is also used intensively; as, to be loaded down ; to fall down ; to hang down ; to drop down ; to pay down .
The temple of Her\'8a at Argos was burnt down . Jowett (Thucyd. ).
Down , as well as up , is sometimes used in a conventional sense; as, down East.
Persons in London say down to Scotland, etc., and those in the provinces, up to London. Stormonth.
Down helm (Naut.) , an order to the helmsman to put the helm to leeward. -- Down on ∨ upon (joined with a verb indicating motion, as go , come , pounce ), to attack, implying the idea of threatening power.
Come down upon us with a mighty power. Shak.
-- Down with , take down, throw down, put down; -- used in energetic command. " Down with the palace; fire it." Dryden . -- To be down on , to dislike and treat harshly. [Slang, U.S.] -- To cry down . See under Cry , v. t. -- To cut down . See under Cut , v. t. -- Up and down , with rising and falling motion; to and fro; hither and thither; everywhere. "Let them wander up and down ." Ps. lix. 15 .
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , prep. [From Down , adv. ]
1. In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on; as, down a hill; down a well.
2. Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea; as, to sail or swim down a stream; to sail down the sound.
Down the country , toward the sea, or toward the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean. -- Down the sound , in the direction of the ebbing tide; toward the sea.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Downed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Downing .] To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down. [Archaic or Colloq.] "To down proud hearts."
Sir P. Sidney.
I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house. Madame D'Arblay.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , v. i. To go down; to descend.
Locke.
Down <Xpage=449>
Down , a. 1. Downcast; as, a down look . [R.]
2. Downright; absolute; positive; as, a down denial . [Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.
3. Downward; going down; sloping; as, a down stroke; a down grade; a down train on a railway.
Down draught , a downward draft, as in a flue, chimney, shaft of a mine, etc. -- Down in the mouth , chopfallen; dejected. <-- = down at the mouth -->
Downbear <Xpage=449>
Down"bear` (?) , v. t. To bear down; to depress.
Downcast <Xpage=449>
Down"cast` (?) , a. Cast downward; directed to the ground, from bashfulness, modesty, dejection, or guilt.
'T is love, said she; and then my downcast eyes, And guilty dumbness, witnessed my surprise. Dryden.
- Down"cast`ly , adv. -- Down"cast`ness , n.
Downcast <Xpage=449>
Down"cast` , n. 1. Downcast or melancholy look.
That downcast of thine eye. Beau. & Fl.
2. (mining) A ventilating shaft down which the air passes in circulating through a mine.
Downcome <Xpage=449>
Down"come` (?) , n. 1. Sudden fall; downfall; overthrow.
Milton.
2. (Iron Manuf.) A pipe for leading combustible gases downward from the top of the blast furnace to the hot-blast stoves, boilers, etc., where they are burned.
Downfall <Xpage=449>
Down"fall` (?) , n. 1. A sudden fall; a body of things falling.
Those cataracts or downfalls aforesaid. Holland.
Each downfall of a flood the mountains pour. Dryden.
2. A sudden descent from rank or state, reputation or happiness; destruction; ruin.
Dire were the consequences which would follow the downfall of so important a place. Motley.
Downfallen <Xpage=449>
Down"fall`en (?) , a. Fallen; ruined.
Carew.
Downfalling <Xpage=449>
Down"fall`ing , a. Falling down.
Downgyved <Xpage=449>
Down"gyved` (?) , a. Hanging down like gyves or fetters. [Poetic & Rare]
Shak.
Downhaul <Xpage=449>
Down"haul` (?) , n. (Naut.) A rope to haul down, or to assist in hauling down, a sail; as, a staysail downhaul ; a trysail downhaul .
Downhearted <Xpage=449>
Down"heart`ed (?) , a. Dejected; low-spirited.
Downhill <Xpage=449>