Chapter 6

Mrs. Lambert's little daydream was over.

Thackeray.

Day"dream`er (?), n. One given to daydreams.

Day"flow`er (-flou`r), n. (Bot.) A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs (Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.

Day"fly` (d"fl`), n. (Zoöl.) A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; -- so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

Day"-la`bor (?), n. Labor hired or performed by the day. Milton.

Day"-la`bor*er (?), n. One who works by the day; -- usually applied to a farm laborer, or to a workman who does not work at any particular trade. Goldsmith.

Day"light` (-lt), n. 1. The light of day as opposed to the darkness of night; the light of the sun, as opposed to that of the moon or to artificial light.

2. pl. The eyes. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

Day" lil`y (ll`). (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants (Hemerocallis) closely resembling true lilies, but having tuberous rootstocks instead of bulbs. The common species have long narrow leaves and either yellow or tawny-orange flowers. (b) A genus of plants (Funkia) differing from the last in having ovate veiny leaves, and large white or blue flowers.

Day"maid` (-md`), n. A dairymaid. [Obs.]

Day"mare` (d"mâr`), n. [Day + mare incubus.] (Med.) A kind of incubus which occurs during wakefulness, attended by the peculiar pressure on the chest which characterizes nightmare. Dunglison.

Day"-net` (-nt`), n. A net for catching small birds.

Day"-peep` (-pp`), n. The dawn. [Poetic] Milton.

Days"man (dz"mn), n. [From day in the sense of day fixed for trial.] An umpire or arbiter; a mediator.

Neither is there any daysman betwixt us.

Job ix. 33.

Day"spring` (d"sprng`), n. The beginning of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton.

The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.

Luke i. 78.

Day"-star` (-stär`), n. 1. The morning star; the star which ushers in the day.

A dark place, until the day dawn, and the day- star arise in your hearts.

2 Peter i. 19.

2. The sun, as the orb of day. [Poetic]

So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head, And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore Flames in the forehead of the morning sky.

Milton.

Day"time` (-tm`), n. The time during which there is daylight, as distinguished from the night.

Day"wom`an (-wm`an), n. A dairymaid. [Obs.]

Daze (dz), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazed (dzd); p. pr. & vb. n. Dazing.] [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foolish, insane, AS. dws, dysig, stupid. √71. Cf. Dizzy, Doze.] To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb.

While flashing beams do daze his feeble eyen.

Spenser.

Such souls, Whose sudden visitations daze the world.

Sir H. Taylor.

He comes out of the room in a dazed state, that is an odd though a sufficient substitute for interest.

Dickens.

Daze, n. 1. The state of being dazed; as, he was in a daze. [Colloq.]

2. (Mining) A glittering stone.

Daz"zle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dazzled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dazzling (?).] [Freq. of daze.] 1. To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance of light.

Those heavenly shapes Will dazzle now the earthly, with their blaze Insufferably bright.

Milton.

An unreflected light did never yet Dazzle the vision feminine.

Sir H. Taylor.

2. To bewilder or surprise with brilliancy or display of any kind. "Dazzled and drove back his enemies." Shak.

Daz"zle, v. i. 1. To be overpoweringly or intensely bright; to excite admiration by brilliancy.

Ah, friend! to dazzle, let the vain design.

Pope.

2. To be overpowered by light; to be confused by excess of brightness.

An overlight maketh the eyes dazzle.

Bacon.

I dare not trust these eyes; They dance in mists, and dazzle with surprise.

Dryden.

Daz"zle, n. A light of dazzling brilliancy.

Daz"zle*ment (?), n. Dazzling flash, glare, or burst of light. Donne.

Daz"zling*ly (?), adv. In a dazzling manner.

De- (?). A prefix from Latin de down, from, away; as in debark, decline, decease, deduct, decamp. In words from the French it is equivalent to Latin dis- apart, away; or sometimes to de. Cf. Dis-. It is negative and opposite in derange, deform, destroy, etc. It is intensive in deprave, despoil, declare, desolate, etc.

Dea"con (d"k'n), n. [OE. diakne, deakne, deken, AS. diacon, deacon, L. diaconus, fr. Gr. &?; a servant or minister, a minister of the church; of uncertain origin. In sense 2 prob. confused with dean.] 1. (Eccl.) An officer in Christian churches appointed to perform certain subordinate duties varying in different communions. In the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, a person admitted to the lowest order in the ministry, subordinate to the bishops and priests. In Presbyterian churches, he is subordinate to the minister and elders, and has charge of certain duties connected with the communion service and the care of the poor. In Congregational churches, he is subordinate to the pastor, and has duties as in the Presbyterian church.

2. The chairman of an incorporated company. [Scot.]

Dea"con (?), v. t. To read aloud each line of (a psalm or hymn) before singing it, -- usually with off. [Colloq. New. Eng.] See Line, v. t.

The expression is derived from a former custom in the Congregational churches of New England. It was part of the office of a deacon to read aloud the psalm given out, one line at a time, the congregation singing each line as soon as read; -- called, also, lining out the psalm.

Dea"con*ess (?), n. (Eccl.) A female deacon; as: (a) (Primitive Ch.) One of an order of women whose duties resembled those of deacons. (b) (Ch. of Eng. and Prot. Epis. Ch.) A woman set apart for church work by a bishop. (c) A woman chosen as a helper in church work, as among the Congregationalists.

Dea"con*hood (?), n. The state of being a deacon; office of a deacon; deaconship.

Dea"con*ry (?), n. See Deaconship.

Dea"con*ship, n. The office or ministry of a deacon or deaconess.

Dead (dd), a. [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. deád; akin to OS. dd, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dauðr, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See Die, and cf. Death.] 1. Deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. "The queen, my lord, is dead." Shak.

The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger.

Arbuthnot.

Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living.

Shak.

2. Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter.

3. Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep.

4. Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight.

5. So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor.

6. Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade.

7. Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc.

8. Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall. "The ground is a dead flat." C. Reade.

9. Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty.

I had them a dead bargain.

Goldsmith. 10. Bringing death; deadly. Shak. 11. Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works. "Dead in trespasses." Eph. ii. 1. 12. (Paint.) (a) Flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect. (b) Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson. 13. (Law) Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead. 14. (Mach.) Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle.

Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; - - said of a ship or any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point toward which a vessel would go. -- Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. -- Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. -- Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. -- Dead center, or Dead point (Mach.), either of two points in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and connecting rod lie a straight line. It corresponds to the end of a stroke; as, A and B are dead centers of the crank mechanism in which the crank C drives, or is driven by, the lever L. -- Dead color (Paint.), a color which has no gloss upon it. -- Dead coloring (Oil paint.), the layer of colors, the preparation for what is to follow. In modern painting this is usually in monochrome. -- Dead door (Shipbuilding), a storm shutter fitted to the outside of the quarter-gallery door. -- Dead flat (Naut.), the widest or midship frame. -- Dead freight (Mar. Law), a sum of money paid by a person who charters a whole vessel but fails to make out a full cargo. The payment is made for the unoccupied capacity. Abbott. -- Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there is no ore. -- Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person civilly dead. "Serfs held in dead hand." Morley. See Mortmain. -- Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor buoy. -- Dead heat, a heat or course between two or more race horses, boats, etc., in which they come out exactly equal, so that neither wins. -- Dead horse, an expression applied to a debt for wages paid in advance. [Law] -- Dead language, a language which is no longer spoken or in common use by a people, and is known only in writings, as the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. -- Dead letter. (a) A letter which, after lying for a certain fixed time uncalled for at the post office to which it was directed, is then sent to the general post office to be opened. (b) That which has lost its force or authority; as, the law has become a dead letter. -- Dead-letter office, a department of the general post office where dead letters are examined and disposed of. -- Dead level, a term applied to a flat country. -- Dead lift, a direct lift, without assistance from mechanical advantage, as from levers, pulleys, etc.; hence, an extreme emergency. "(As we say) at a dead lift." Robynson (More's Utopia). -- Dead line (Mil.), a line drawn within or around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being instantly shot. -- Dead load (Civil Engin.), a constant, motionless load, as the weight of a structure, in distinction from a moving load, as a train of cars, or a variable pressure, as of wind. -- Dead march (Mus.), a piece of solemn music intended to be played as an accompaniment to a funeral procession. -- Dead nettle (Bot.), a harmless plant with leaves like a nettle (Lamium album). -- Dead oil (Chem.), the heavy oil obtained in the distillation of coal tar, and containing phenol, naphthalus, etc. -- Dead plate (Mach.), a solid covering over a part of a fire grate, to prevent the entrance of air through that part. -- Dead pledge, a mortgage. See Mortgage. -- Dead point. (Mach.) See Dead center. -- Dead reckoning (Naut.), the method of determining the place of a ship from a record kept of the courses sailed as given by compass, and the distance made on each course as found by log, with allowance for leeway, etc., without the aid of celestial observations. -- Dead rise, the transverse upward curvature of a vessel's floor. -- Dead rising, an elliptical line drawn on the sheer plan to determine the sweep of the floorheads throughout the ship's length. -- Dead-Sea apple. See under Apple. -- Dead set. See under Set. -- Dead shot. (a) An unerring marksman. (b) A shot certain to be made. -- Dead smooth, the finest cut made; -- said of files. -- Dead wall (Arch.), a blank wall unbroken by windows or other openings. -- Dead water (Naut.), the eddy water closing in under a ship's stern when sailing. -- Dead weight. (a) A heavy or oppressive burden. Dryden. (b) (Shipping) A ship's lading, when it consists of heavy goods; or, the heaviest part of a ship's cargo. (c) (Railroad) The weight of rolling stock, the live weight being the load. Knight. -- Dead wind (Naut.), a wind directly ahead, or opposed to the ship's course. -- To be dead, to die. [Obs.]

I deme thee, thou must algate be dead.

Chaucer.

Syn. -- Inanimate; deceased; extinct. See Lifeless.

Dead (?), adv. To a degree resembling death; to the last degree; completely; wholly. [Colloq.]

I was tired of reading, and dead sleepy.

Dickens.

Dead drunk, so drunk as to be unconscious.

Dead (dd), n. 1. The most quiet or deathlike time; the period of profoundest repose, inertness, or gloom; as, the dead of winter.

When the drum beat at dead of night.

Campbell.

2. One who is dead; -- commonly used collectively.

And Abraham stood up from before his dead.

Gen. xxiii. 3.

Dead, v. t. To make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigor. [Obs.]

Heaven's stern decree, With many an ill, hath numbed and deaded me.

Chapman.

Dead, v. i. To die; to lose life or force. [Obs.]

So iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straightway.

Bacon.

Dead` beat" (?). See Beat, n., 7. [Low, U.S.]

Dead"beat` (?), a. (Physics) Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation.

Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.

Dead"born` (?), a. Stillborn. Pope.

Dead"en (dd"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deadened (-'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Deadening.] [From Dead; cf. AS. d&?;dan to kill, put to death. See Dead, a.] 1. To make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt; as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a sound.

<! p. 372 !>

As harper lays his open palm Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.

Longfellow.

2. To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to deaden a ship's headway.

3. To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine.

4. To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to deaden gilding by a coat of size.

Dead"en*er (dd"'n*r), n. One who, or that which, deadens or checks.

Dead"-eye` (dd"`), n. (Naut.) A round, flattish, wooden block, encircled by a rope, or an iron band, and pierced with three holes to receive the lanyard; -- used to extend the shrouds and stays, and for other purposes. Called also deadman's eye. Totten.

Dead"head` (?), n. 1. One who receives free tickets for theaters, public conveyances, etc. [Colloq. U. S.]

2. (Naut.) A buoy. See under Dead, a.

Dead"-heart`ed (?), a. Having a dull, faint heart; spiritless; listless. -- Dead"- heart`ed*ness, n. Bp. Hall.

Dead"house` (?), n. A morgue; a place for the temporary reception and exposure of dead bodies.

Dead"ish, a. Somewhat dead, dull, or lifeless; deathlike.

The lips put on a deadish paleness.

A. Stafford.

Dead"latch` (?), n. A kind of latch whose bolt may be so locked by a detent that it can not be opened from the inside by the handle, or from the outside by the latch key. Knight.

Dead"light` (?), n. (Naut.) A strong shutter, made to fit open ports and keep out water in a storm.

Dead"li*hood (?), n. State of the dead. [Obs.]

Dead"li*ness, n. The quality of being deadly.

Dead"lock` (?), n. 1. A lock which is not self-latching, but requires a key to throw the bolt forward.

2. A counteraction of things, which produces an entire stoppage; a complete obstruction of action.

Things are at a deadlock.

London Times.

The Board is much more likely to be at a deadlock of two to two.

The Century.

Dead"ly (?), a. 1. Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death; as, a deadly blow or wound.

2. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious; as, deadly enemies.

Thy assailant is quick, skillful, and deadly.

Shak.

3. Subject to death; mortal. [Obs.]

The image of a deadly man.

Wyclif (Rom. i. 23).

Deadly nightshade (Bot.), a poisonous plant; belladonna. See under Nightshade.

Dead"ly, adv. 1. In a manner resembling, or as if produced by, death. "Deadly pale." Shak.

2. In a manner to occasion death; mortally.

The groanings of a deadly wounded man.

Ezek. xxx. 24.

3. In an implacable manner; destructively.

4. Extremely. [Obs.] "Deadly weary." Orrery. "So deadly cunning a man." Arbuthnot.

Dead"ness, n. The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness; inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a limb, a body, or a tree; the deadness of an eye; deadness of the affections; the deadness of beer or cider; deadness to the world, and the like.

Dead"-pay` (?), n. Pay drawn for soldiers, or others, really dead, whose names are kept on the rolls.

O you commanders, That, like me, have no dead-pays.

Massinger.

Dead"-reck`on*ing (?), n. (Naut.) See under Dead, a.

Deads (?), n. pl. (Mining) The substances which inclose the ore on every side.

Dead"-stroke` (?), a. (Mech.) Making a stroke without recoil; deadbeat.

Dead-stroke hammer (Mach.), a power hammer having a spring interposed between the driving mechanism and the hammer head, or helve, to lessen the recoil of the hammer and reduce the shock upon the mechanism.

Dead"wood` (?), n. 1. (Naut.) A mass of timbers built into the bow and stern of a vessel to give solidity.

2. Dead trees or branches; useless material.

Dead"works` (?), n. pl. (Naut.) The parts of a ship above the water when she is laden.

Deaf (?; 277), a. [OE. def, deaf, deef, AS. deáf; akin to D. doof, G. taub, Icel. daufr, Dan. döv, Sw. döf, Goth. daubs, and prob. to E. dumb (the original sense being, dull as applied to one of the senses), and perh. to Gr. &?; (for &?;) blind, &?; smoke, vapor, folly, and to G. toben to rage. Cf. Dumb.] 1. Wanting the sense of hearing, either wholly or in part; unable to perceive sounds; hard of hearing; as, a deaf man.

Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf.

Shak.

2. Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; -- with to; as, deaf to reason.

O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

Shak.

3. Deprived of the power of hearing; deafened.

Deaf with the noise, I took my hasty flight.

Dryden.

4. Obscurely heard; stifled; deadened. [R.]

A deaf murmur through the squadron went.

Dryden.

5. Decayed; tasteless; dead; as, a deaf nut; deaf corn. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

If the season be unkindly and intemperate, they [peppers] will catch a blast; and then the seeds will be deaf, void, light, and naught.

Holland.

Deaf and dumb, without the sense of hearing or the faculty of speech. See Deaf-mute.

Deaf (?; 277), v. t. To deafen. [Obs.] Dryden.

Deaf"en (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deafened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deafening.] [From Deaf.] 1. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly.

Deafened and stunned with their promiscuous cries.

Addison.

2. (Arch.) To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc.

Deaf"en*ing, n. The act or process of rendering impervious to sound, as a floor or wall; also, the material with which the spaces are filled in this process; pugging.

Deaf"ly, adv. Without sense of sounds; obscurely.

Deaf"ly, a. Lonely; solitary. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Deaf"-mute` (?), n. A person who is deaf and dumb; one who, through deprivation or defect of hearing, has either failed the acquire the power of speech, or has lost it. [See Illust. of Dactylology.]

Deaf-mutes are still so called, even when, by artificial methods, they have been taught to speak imperfectly.

Deaf"-mut`ism (?), n. The condition of being a deaf-mute.

Deaf"ness (?), n. 1. Incapacity of perceiving sounds; the state of the organs which prevents the impression which constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing.

2. Unwillingness to hear; voluntary rejection of what is addressed to the understanding.

Nervous deafness, a variety of deafness dependent upon morbid change in some portion of the nervous system, especially the auditory nerve.

Deal (dl), n. [OE. del, deel, part, AS. dl; akin to OS. dl, D. & Dan. deel, G. theil, teil, Icel. deild, Sw. del, Goth. dails. &radic;65. Cf. 3d Dole.] 1. A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold.

Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour.

Num. xv. 9.

As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power.

M. Arnold.

She was resolved to be a good deal more circumspect.

W. Black.

It was formerly limited by some, every, never a, a thousand, etc.; as, some deal; but these are now obsolete or vulgar. In general, we now qualify the word with great or good, and often use it adverbially, by being understood; as, a great deal of time and pains; a great (or good) deal better or worse; that is, better by a great deal, or by a great part or difference.

2. The process of dealing cards to the players; also, the portion disturbed.

The deal, the shuffle, and the cut.

Swift.

3. Distribution; apportionment. [Colloq.]

4. An arrangement to attain a desired result by a combination of interested parties; -- applied to stock speculations and political bargains. [Slang]

5. [Prob. from D. deel a plank, threshing floor. See Thill.] The division of a piece of timber made by sawing; a board or plank; particularly, a board or plank of fir or pine above seven inches in width, and exceeding six feet in length. If narrower than this, it is called a batten; if shorter, a deal end.

Whole deal is a general term for planking one and one half inches thick.

6. Wood of the pine or fir; as, a floor of deal.

Deal tree, a fir tree. Dr. Prior.

Deal, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dealt (dlt); p. pr. & vb. n. Dealing.] [OE. delen, AS. dlan, fr. dl share; akin to OS. dlian, D. deelen, G. theilen, teilen, Icel. deila, Sw. dela, Dan. dele, Goth. dailjan. See Deal, n.] 1. To divide; to separate in portions; hence, to give in portions; to distribute; to bestow successively; -- sometimes with out.

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry?

Is. lviii. 7.

And Rome deals out her blessings and her gold.

Tickell.

The nightly mallet deals resounding blows.

Gay.

Hissing through the skies, the feathery deaths were dealt.

Dryden.

2. Specifically: To distribute, as cards, to the players at the commencement of a game; as, to deal the cards; to deal one a jack.

Deal, v. i. 1. To make distribution; to share out in portions, as cards to the players.

2. To do a distributing or retailing business, as distinguished from that of a manufacturer or producer; to traffic; to trade; to do business; as, he deals in flour.

They buy and sell, they deal and traffic.

South.

This is to drive to wholesale trade, when all other petty merchants deal but for parcels.

Dr. H. More.

3. To act as an intermediary in business or any affairs; to manage; to make arrangements; -- followed by between or with.

Sometimes he that deals between man and man, raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either.

Bacon.

4. To conduct one's self; to behave or act in any affair or towards any one; to treat.

If he will deal clearly and impartially, . . . he will acknowledge all this to be true.

Tillotson.