Deal | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Dēal, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. DEALT (dĕlt); p. pr. & vb. n. DEALING.] [A-S. dealan, O. Sax. delian, D. deelen, Icel. deila, Sw. dela, Dan. dele, Goth. dailjan, O. H. Ger. teilian, N. H. Ger. theilen. See DEAL, n.]

Sense 1. To divide; to separate in portions; hence, to give in portions; to distribute.

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? Isa. lviii. 7.

And Rome deals out her blessings and her gold. Tickell.

Sense 2. To share out; to throw out or bestow successively or indiscriminately; as, to deal cards.

The nightly mallet deals resounding blows. Gay.

Hissing through the skies, the feathery deaths were dealt. Dryden.

Dēal, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. 1. To make distribution; to share out in portions, as cards. 2. To do a distributing or retailing business, as distinguished from that of a manufacturer or producer; to traffic; to trade; to carry on business. They buy and sell, they deal and traffic. South. 3. To act, as between man and man; to have transactions of any kind with; to manage; to intervene or mediate. 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 well or ill; to act. If he will deal clearly and impartially, ... he will acknowledge all this to be true. Tillotson. 5. To contend; to treat, by way of opposition, check, or correction; as, he has turbulent passions to deal with. To deal by, to treat, either well or ill; as, to deal well by domestics. “Such one deals not fairly by his own mind.” Locke.—To deal in, to have to do with; to be engaged in; to practice; as, they deal in political matters; they deal in low humor.—To deal with, to treat in any manner; to use, whether well or ill. Return, and I will deal well with thee. Gen. xxxii. 9.

Dēal, n.

noun

n. [A-S. dēl, O. Sax. del, D. & Dan. deel, Sw. del, Goth. dails, O. H. Ger. tail, teil, N. H. Ger. theil. See the verb.]

Sense 1. A part or portion; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold; a deal of space.

☞ It was formerly limited by some; as, some deal; but this is now obsolete or vulgar. In general, we now qualify the word with great, and often use it adverbially, by being understood; as, a great deal of labor; a great deal of time and pains; a great deal of land; a great deal better or worse; that is, better by a great deal, or by a great part or difference.

Sense 2. The division or distribution of cards; the art or practice of dealing cards; also, the portion distributed.

The deal, the shuffle, and the cut. Swift.

Sense 3. The division of a piece of timber made by sawing; a pine 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.

Sense 4. Wood of the pine or fir; deal-wood; as, a floor of deal.