Chapter 4

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.

Dank"ish, a. Somewhat dank. -- Dank"ish*ness, n.

In a dark and dankish vault at home.

Shak.

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.

||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.]

Dansk"er (?), n. A Dane. [Obs.]

Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris.

Shak.

Dan*te"an (?), a. Relating to, emanating from or resembling, the poet Dante or his writings.

Dan*tesque" (?), a. [Cf. It. Dantesco.] Dantelike; Dantean. Earle.

Da*nu"bi*an (?), a. Pertaining to, or bordering on, the river Danube.

Dap (dp), 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.

Da*pat"ic*al (?), a. [L. dapaticus, fr. daps feast.] Sumptuous in cheer. [Obs.] Bailey.

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.

Daph"ne*tin (?), n. (Chem.) A colorless crystalline substance, C9H6O4, extracted from daphnin.

||Daph"ni*a (?), n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A genus of the genus Daphnia.

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.

Daph"no*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. da`fnh the laurel + -mancy.] Divination by means of the laurel.

||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.

Dap"per (?), a. [OE. daper; prob. fr. D. dapper brave, valiant; akin to G. tapfer brave, OHG. taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobr 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.

Dap"per*ling (?), n. A dwarf; a dandiprat. [r.]

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.

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.

Dar"bies (?), n. pl. Manacles; handcuffs. [Cant]

Jem Clink will fetch you the darbies.

Sir W. Scott.

In "The Steel Glass" by Gascoigne, printed in 1576, occurs the line "To binde such babes in father Derbies bands."

Dar"by (?), n. A plasterer's float, having two handles; -- used in smoothing ceilings, etc.

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.

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. √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 (Thu&?;yd.).

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 Cæsar.

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"-dev`il (?), n. A reckless fellow. Also used adjectively; as, dare-devil excitement.

A humorous dare-devil -- the very man To suit my prpose.

Ld. Lytton.

Dare"-dev`il*try (?), n; pl. Dare-deviltries (&?;). Reckless mischief; the action of a dare-devil.

Dare"ful (?), a. Full of daring or of defiance; adventurous. [R.] Shak.

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.]

Dar"ic (dr"k), 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.

Dar"ing (?), n. Boldness; fearlessness; adventurousness; also, a daring act.

Dar"ing, a. Bold; fearless; adventurous; as, daring spirits. -- Dar"ing*ly, adv. -- Dar"ing*ness, n.

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 mediæval 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.

Dark"en (därk"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darkened (-'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Darkening (-n*ng).] [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.

Dark"en, v. i. To grow or darker.

Dark"en*er (?), n. One who, or that which, darkens.

Dark"en*ing, n. Twilight; gloaming. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.

Dark"ful (?), a. Full of darkness. [Obs.]

Dark"ish (?), a. Somewhat dark; dusky.

Dar"kle (?), v. i. [Freq. of dark.] To grow dark; to show indistinctly. Thackeray.

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.

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.

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.

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.

<! p. 369 !>

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.

Dark"some (?), a. Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless. [Poetic]

He brought him through a darksome narrow pass To a broad gate, all built of beaten gold.

Spenser.

Dark"y (?), n. A negro. [Sleng]

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.

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

||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.

Dar"nel (?), n. [OE. darnel, dernel, of uncertain origin; cf. dial. F. darnelle, Sw. dår-repe; perh. named from a supposed intoxicating quality of the plant, and akin to Sw. dåra to infatuate, OD. door foolish, G. thor fool, and Ee. dizzy.] (Bot.) Any grass of the genus Lolium, esp. the Lolium temulentum (bearded darnel), the grains of which have been reputed poisonous. Other species, as Lolium perenne (rye grass or ray grass), and its variety L. Italicum (Italian rye grass), are highly esteemed for pasture and for making hay.

Under darnel our early herbalists comprehended all kinds of cornfield weeds. Dr. Prior.

Darn"er (?), n. One who mends by darning.

{ Dar"nex (?), Dar"nic (?), } n. Same as Dornick.

||Da*roo" (d*r"), n. (Bot.) The Egyptian sycamore (Ficus Sycamorus). See Sycamore.

Darr (dr), n. (Zoöl.) The European black tern.

{ Dar"raign, Dar"rain, } (?), v. t. [OF. deraisnier to explain, defend, to maintain in legal action by proof and reasonings, LL. derationare; de- + rationare to discourse, contend in law, fr. L. ratio reason, in LL., legal cause. Cf. Arraign, and see Reason.] 1. To make ready to fight; to array. [Obs.]

Darrain your battle, for they are at hand.

Shak.

2. To fight out; to contest; to decide by combat. [Obs.] "To darrain the battle." Chaucer .

Dar"rein, a. [OF. darrein, darrain, fr. an assumed LL. deretranus; L. de + retro back, backward.] (Law) Last; as, darrein continuance, the last continuance.

Dart (?), n. [OF. dart, of German origin; cf. OHG. tart javelin, dart, AS. dara&?;, daro&?;, Sw. dart dagger, Icel. darra&?;r 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.

Dar"tars (?), n. [F. dartre eruption, dandruff. &radic;240.] A kind of scab or ulceration on the skin of lambs.

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.

Dart"ing*ly (?), adv. Like a dart; rapidly.

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.

Dar*to"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the dartos.

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

||Dar"tos (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; flayed.] (Anat.) A thin layer of peculiar contractile tissue directly beneath the skin of the scrotum.

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.

Dar*win"i*an (?), a. [From the name of Charles Darwin, an English scientist.] Pertaining to Darwin; as, the Darwinian theory, a theory of the manner and cause of the supposed development of living things from certain original forms or elements.

This theory was put forth by Darwin in 1859 in a work entitled "The Origin of species by Means of Natural Selection." The author argues that, in the struggle for existence, those plants and creatures best fitted to the requirements of the situation in which they are placed are the ones that will live; in other words, that Nature selects those which are to survive. This is the theory of natural selection or the survival of the fittest. He also argues that natural selection is capable of modifying and producing organisms fit for their circumstances. See Development theory, under Development.

Dar*win"i*an, n. An advocate of Darwinism.

Dar*win"i*an*ism (?), n. Darwinism.

Dar"win*ism (?), n. (Biol.) The theory or doctrines put forth by Darwin. See above. Huxley.

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

Dase"we (?), v. i. [OE. dasewen, daswen; cf. AS. dysegian to be foolish.] To become dim-sighted; to become dazed or dazzled. [Obs.] Chauscer.

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]