The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section D and E
Chapter 25
De*struct" (?), v. t. [L. destructus, p. p. of destruere. See Destroy.] To destroy. [Obs.] Mede.
De*struc`ti*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. destructibilité.] The quality of being capable of destruction; destructibleness.
De*struc"ti*ble (?), a. [L. destructibilis.] Liable to destruction; capable of being destroyed.
De*struc"ti*ble*ness, n. The quality of being destructible.
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.
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.
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.
De*struc"tive, n. One who destroys; a radical reformer; a destructionist.
De*struc"tive*ly, adv. In a destructive manner.
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.
De*struc"tor (?), n. [L., from destruere. See Destroy, and cf. Destroyer.] A destroyer. [R.]
Fire, the destructor and the artificial death of things.
Boyle.
De*struie" (?), v. t. To destroy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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.
De*suete" (?), a. [L. desuetus, p. p. of desuescere to disuse.] Disused; out of use. [R.]
Des"ue*tude (?), n. [L. desuetudo, from desuescere, to grow out of use, disuse; de + suescere to become used or accustomed: cf. F. désuétude. 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.
De*sul"phu*rate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Desulphurated; p. pr. & vb. n. Desulphurating.] To deprive of sulphur.
De*sul`phu*ra"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. désulfuration.] The act or process of depriving of sulphur.
De*sul"phur*ize (?), v. t. To desulphurate; to deprive of sulphur. -- De*sul`phur*i*za"tion (#), n.
Des"ul*to*ri*ly (?), adv. In a desultory manner; without method; loosely; immethodically.
Des"ul*to*ri*ness, n. The quality of being desultory or without order or method; unconnectedness.
The seeming desultoriness of my method.
Boyle.
Des`ul*to"ri*ous (?), a. Desultory. [R.]
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.
De*sume" (?), v. t. [L. desumere; de + sumere to take.] To select; to borrow. [Obs.] Sir. M. Hale.
De`syn*on`y*mi*za"tion (?), n. The act of desynonymizing.
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.
De*tach" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detached (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Detaching.] [F. détacher (cf. It. distaccare, staccare); pref. dé (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.
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.
De*tach"a*ble (?), a. That can be detached.
De*tached" (?), a. Separate; unconnected, or imperfectly connected; as, detached parcels. "Extensive and detached empire." Burke.
Detached escapement. See Escapement.
De*tach"ment (?), n. [Cf. F. détachement.] 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.
De"tail (d"tl or d*tl"; 277), n. [F. détail, fr. détailler to cut in pieces, tell in detail; pref. dé- (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.
De"tail (d*tl"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detailed (-tld"); p. pr. & vb. n. Detailing.] [Cf. F. détailler 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.
De*tail"er (?), n. One who details.
De*tain" (d*tn"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detained (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Detaining.] [F. détenir, 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.
De*tain", n. Detention. [Obs.] Spenser.
De*tain"der (-dr), n. (Law) A writ. See Detinue.
De*tain"er (-r), 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.
De*tain"ment (?), n. [Cf. OF. detenement.] Detention. [R.] Blackstone.
De*tect" (d*tkt"), a. [L. detectus, p. p. of detegere to uncover, detect; de + tegere to cover. See Tegument.] Detected. [Obs.] Fabyan.
De*tect" (d*tkt"), 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.
{ De*tect"a*ble (-*b'l), De*tect"i*ble (?), } a. Capable of being detected or found out; as, parties not detectable. "Errors detectible at a glance." Latham.
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.
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.
De*tect"ive (?), a. Fitted for, or skilled in, detecting; employed in detecting crime or criminals; as, a detective officer.
De*tect"ive, n. One who business it is so detect criminals or discover matters of secrecy.
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 lock. See under Lock.
De*ten"e*brate (?), v. t. [L. de + tenebrare to make dark, fr. tenebrae darkness.] To remove darkness from. [Obs.] Ash.
De*tent" (?), n. [F. détente, fr. détendre to unbend, relax; pref. dé- (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.
De*ten"tion (?), n. [L. detentio: cf. F. détention. 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.
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.
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. déterger.] To cleanse; to purge away, as foul or offending matter from the body, or from an ulcer.
De*ter"gen*cy (?), n. A cleansing quality or power. De Foe.
De*ter"gent (?), a. [L. detergens, -entis, p. pr. of detergere: cf. F. détergent.] Cleansing; purging. -- n. A substance which cleanses the skin, as water or soap; a medicine to cleanse wounds, ulcers, etc.
De*te"ri*o*rate (d*t"r**rt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deteriorated (- r`td); p. pr. & vb. n. Deteriorating (-r`tng).] [L. deterioratus, p. p. of deteriorare 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.
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De*te"ri*o*rate (d*t"r**rt), v. i. To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.
Under such conditions, the mind rapidly deteriorates.
Goldsmith.
De*te`ri*o*ra"tion (?), n. [LL. deterioratio: cf. F. détérioration.] The process of growing worse, or the state of having grown worse.
De*te`ri*or"i*ty (?), n. [L. deterior worse. See Deteriorate.] Worse state or quality; inferiority. "The deteriority of the diet." [R.] Ray.
De*ter"ment (?), n. [From Deter.] The act of deterring; also, that which deters. Boyle.
De*ter`mi*na*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality of being determinable; determinableness. Coleridge.
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.
De*ter"mi*na*ble*ness, n. Capability of being determined; determinability.
De*ter"mi*na*cy (?), n. Determinateness. [R.]
De*ter"mi*nant (?), a. [L. determinans, p. pr. of determinare: cf. F. déterminant.] Serving to determine or limit; determinative.
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′, b′, c′,a′′, b′′, c′′, is a b′ c′′ - a b′′ c′ + a′ b′′ c] - a′ b c′′ + a′′ b′ 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.
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.
2. Conclusive; decisive; positive.
The determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
Acts ii. 23.
3. Determined or resolved upon. [Obs.]
My determinate voyage.
Shak.
4. Of determined purpose; resolute. [Obs.]
More determinate to do than skillful how to do.
Sir P. Sidney.
Determinate inflorescence (Bot.), that in which the flowering commences with the terminal bud of a stem, which puts a limit to its growth; -- also called centrifugal inflorescence. -- Determinate problem (Math.), a problem which admits of a limited number of solutions. -- Determinate quantities, Determinate equations (Math.), those that are finite in the number of values or solutions, that is, in which the conditions of the problem or equation determine the number.
De*ter"mi*nate (?), v. t. To bring to an end; to determine. See Determine. [Obs.]
The sly, slow hours shall not determinate The dateless limit of thy dear exile.
Shak.
De*ter"mi*nate*ly (?), adv. 1. In a determinate manner; definitely; ascertainably.
The principles of religion are already either determinately true or false, before you think of them.
Tillotson.
2. Resolutely; unchangeably.
Being determinately . . . bent to marry.
Sir P. Sidney.
De*ter"mi*nate*ness, n. State of being determinate.
De*ter`mi*na"tion (?), n. [L. determinatio boundary, end: cf. F. détermination.] 1. The act of determining, or the state of being determined.
2. Bringing to an end; termination; limit.
A speedy determination of that war.
Ludlow.
3. Direction or tendency to a certain end; impulsion.
Remissness can by no means consist with a constant determination of the will . . . to the greatest apparent good.
Locke.
4. The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decision of character; resoluteness.
He only is a well-made man who has a good determination.
Emerson.
5. The state of decision; a judicial decision, or ending of controversy.
6. That which is determined upon; result of deliberation; purpose; conclusion formed; fixed resolution.
So bloodthirsty a determination to obtain convictions.
Hallam.
7. (Med.) A flow, rush, or tendency to a particular part; as, a determination of blood to the head.
8. (Physical Sciences) The act, process, or result of any accurate measurement, as of length, volume, weight, intensity, etc.; as, the determination of the ohm or of the wave length of light; the determination of the salt in sea water, or the oxygen in the air.
9. (Logic) (a) The act of defining a concept or notion by giving its essential constituents. (b) The addition of a differentia to a concept or notion, thus limiting its extent; -- the opposite of generalization.
10. (Nat. Hist.) The act of determining the relations of an object, as regards genus and species; the referring of minerals, plants, or animals, to the species to which they belong; classification; as, I am indebted to a friend for the determination of most of these shells.
Syn. -- Decision; conclusion; judgment; purpose; resolution; resolve; firmness. See Decision.
De*ter"mi*na*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. déterminatif.] Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing; conclusive.
Incidents . . . determinative of their course.
I. Taylor.
Determinative tables (Nat. Hist.), tables presenting the specific character of minerals, plants, etc., to assist in determining the species to which a specimen belongs.
De*ter"mi*na*tive (?), n. That which serves to determine.
Explanatory determinatives . . . were placed after words phonetically expressed, in order to serve as an aid to the reader in determining the meaning.
I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
De*ter"mi*na`tor (?), n. [L.] One who determines. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
De*ter"mine (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Determined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Determining.] [F. déterminer, L. determinare, determinatum; de + terminare limit, terminus limit. See Term.] 1. To fix the boundaries of; to mark off and separate.
[God] hath determined the times before appointed.
Acts xvii. 26.
2. To set bounds to; to fix the determination of; to limit; to bound; to bring to an end; to finish.
The knowledge of men hitherto hath been determined by the view or sight.
Bacon.
Now, where is he that will not stay so long Till his friend sickness hath determined me?
Shak.
3. To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.
The character of the soul is determined by the character of its God.
J. Edwards.
Something divinely beautiful . . . that at some time or other might influence or even determine her course of life.
W. Black.
4. To fix the course of; to impel and direct; -- with a remoter object preceded by to; as, another's will determined me to this course.
5. To ascertain definitely; to find out the specific character or name of; to assign to its true place in a system; as, to determine an unknown or a newly discovered plant or its name.
6. To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide; as, the court has determined the cause.
7. To resolve on; to have a fixed intention of; also, to cause to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead; as, this determined him to go immediately.
8. (Logic) To define or limit by adding a differentia.
9. (Physical Sciences) To ascertain the presence, quantity, or amount of; as, to determine the parallax; to determine the salt in sea water.
De*ter"mine, v. i. 1. To come to an end; to end; to terminate. [Obs.]
He who has vented a pernicious doctrine or published an ill book must know that his life determine not together.
South.
Estates may determine on future contingencies.
Blackstone.
2. To come to a decision; to decide; to resolve; -- often with on. "Determine on some course." Shak.
He shall pay as the judges determine.
Ex. xxi. 22.
De*ter"mined (?), a. Decided; resolute. "Adetermined foe." Sparks.
De*ter"min*ed*ly (?), adv. In a determined manner; with determination.
De*ter"min*er (?), n. One who, or that which, determines or decides.
De*ter"min*ism (?), n. (Metaph.) The doctrine that the will is not free, but is inevitably and invincibly determined by motives.
Its superior suitability to produce courage, as contrasted with scientific physical determinism, is obvious.
F. P. Cobbe.
De*ter"min*ist, n. (Metaph.) One who believes in determinism. Also adj.; as, determinist theories.
De`ter*ra"tion (?), n. [L. de + terra earth: cf. F. déterrer to unearth.] The uncovering of anything buried or covered with earth; a taking out of the earth or ground. Woodward.
De*ter"rence (?), n. That which deters; a deterrent; a hindrance. [R.]
De*ter"rent (?), a. [L. deterrens, p. pr. of deterrere. See Deter.] Serving to deter. "The deterrent principle." E. Davis.
De*ter"rent, n. That which deters or prevents.
De*ter"sion (?), n. [Cf. F. détersion. See Deterge.] The act of deterging or cleansing, as a sore.
De*ter"sive (?), a. [Cf. détersif.] Cleansing; detergent. -- n. A cleansing agent; a detergent.
De*ter"sive*ly, adv. In a way to cleanse.
De*ter"sive*ness, n. The quality of cleansing.
De*test" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detested; p. pr. & vb. n. Detesting.] [L. detestare, detestatum, and detestari, to curse while calling a deity to witness, to execrate, detest; de + testari to be a witness, testify, testis a witness: cf. F. détester. See Testify.] 1. To witness against; to denounce; to condemn. [Obs.]
The heresy of Nestorius . . . was detested in the Eastern churches.
Fuller.
God hath detested them with his own mouth.
Bale.
2. To hate intensely; to abhor; to abominate; to loathe; as, we detest what is contemptible or evil.
Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My heart detests him as the gates of hell.
Pope.
Syn. -- To abhor; abominate; execrate. See Hate.
De*test`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. Capacity of being odious. [R.] Carlyle.
De*test"a*ble (?), a. [L. detestabilis: cf. F. détestable.] Worthy of being detested; abominable; extremely hateful; very odious; deserving abhorrence; as, detestable vices.
Thou hast defiled my sanctuary will all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations.
Ezek. v. 11.
Syn. -- Abominable; odious; execrable; abhorred.
De*test"a*ble*ness, n. The quality or state of being detestable.
De*test"a*bly, adv. In a detestable manner.
De*tes"tate (?), v. t. To detest. [Obs.] Udall.
Det`es*ta"tion (?; 277), n. [L. detestatio: cf. F. détestation.] The act of detesting; extreme hatred or dislike; abhorrence; loathing.
We are heartily agreed in our detestation of civil war.
Burke.
De*test"er (?), n. One who detests.
De*throne" (d*thrn"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dethroned (-thrnd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Dethroning.] [Pref. de- + throne: cf. F. détrôner; pref. dé- (L. dis-) + trône throne. See Throne.] To remove or drive from a throne; to depose; to divest of supreme authority and dignity. "The Protector was dethroned." Hume.