Dictionary

An American Dictionary of the English Language

Name: An American Dictionary of the English Language
Author: Noah Webster

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries: 95,912
Pages: 1,538
Illustrations: 2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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D
De-tāin'der, n.p. 364(Law.) A writ. See DETINUE.
De-tāin'er, n.p. 364One 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. (b.) (Eng. Law.) A writ…
De-tāin'ment, n.p. 364The act of detaining; detention.
De-tāste’, v. t.p. 364To dislike; to detest. [Obs.] Ah, this blind guide made numbers walk astray, By dreams and fables forcing them to fall. Who now in darkness do detaste the day. Stirling.
De-tēct', v. t.p. 364To uncover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect a crime, a criminal, or his hiding-place. Plain good intention . . . is as easily discovered at the first view as fraud is surely detected at…
De-tēct'a-ble, a.p. 364Capable of being detected. “Parties not detectable.” Fuller.
De-tĕct'er, n.p. 364One who detects or brings to light; one who finds out what another attempts to conceal.
De-tĕc'tion, n.p. 364The act of detecting; the laying open what was concealed or hidden; discovery; as, the detection of a thief or burglar; the detection of fraud or forgery; the detection of artifice, device, or a…
De-tĕc'tive, a.p. 364Fitted for, or skilled in, detecting; employed in detecting; as, detective police.
De-tēct'ive, n.p. 364A policeman whose business is to detect rogues by adroitly investigating their haunts and habits.
De-tēct'or, n.p. 364One who, or that which, detects; a detector. Bank-note detector, a periodical publication containing a description of worthless bank-notes, and intended to facilitate their detection.
De-tĕn'e-brāte, v. t.p. 364To remove darkness from. [Obs.] Ash.
De-tĕnt′, n.p. 364(Mech.) That which locks or unlocks a movement; especially in clock-work, the stop which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.
De-tĕn’tion, n.p. 364The act of detaining or keeping back; a withholding. 2. The state of being detained; confinement; restraint; delay. The archduke Philip . . . found himself in a sort of honorable detention at Henry’s…
De-tĕr', v. t.p. 364To prevent by fear; hence, to hinder, or prevent by opposing motives from doing that to which one is impelled. Potent enemies tempt and deter us from our duty. Tillotson. My own face deters me from…
De-tẽrġe', v. t.p. 364To cleanse; to purge away, as foul or offending matter from the body, or from an ulcer.
De-tẽr'ġent, a.p. 364Cleansing; purging.
De-tẽr'ġent, n.p. 364(Med.) A medicine that has the power of cleansing the vessels or skin from offending matter.
De-tē'ri-o-rāte, v. t.p. 364To make worse; to make inferior in quality.
De-tē'ri-o-rāte, v. i.p. 364To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate. The art of war ... was greatly deteriorated. Southey.
De-tē'ri-o-rā'tion, n.p. 364The state of growing worse, or of having grown worse.
De-tē'rĭ-ŏr'i-ty, n.p. 364Worse state or quality; as, deteriority of diet. [Rare.] Hay.
De-tĕr'ment, n.p. 364The act of deterring; also, that which deters. Boyle.
De-těr'mi-na-bĭl'i-ty, n.p. 364The quality of being determinable; determinableness.
De-těr'mi-na-ble, a.p. 364Capable of being determined, definitely ascertained, decided upon, or brought to a conclusion. Not wholly determinable from the bare grammatical use of the words. South.
De-tĕr′mi-na-ble-ness, n.p. 364Capability of being determined; determinability.
De-tér'mi-nant, a.p. 364Serving to determine; determinative.
De-tĕr′mi-nant, n.p. 364That 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…
De-tĕr’mi-nate, a.p. 364Having defined limits; not uncertain or arbitrary; fixed; established. “Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet.” Dryden. 2. Conclusive; decisive; positive. The determinate counsel and…
De-tēr'mi-nāte, v. t.p. 364To bring to an end. [Obs.] See DETERMINE. The fly-slow hours shall not determinate / The dateless limit of thy dear exile. Shak.
De-tēr'mi-nate-ly, adv.p. 364In a determinate manner; definitely; ascertainably; distinctly; resolutely; unchangeably. “Being determinately . . . bent to marry.” Sidney. The principles of religion are already either…
De-tēr'mi-nate-ness, n.p. 364The state of being determinate.
De-tĕr′mi-nā′tion, n.p. 364The act of determining, or the state of being determined. 2. Bringing to an end; termination. “A speedy determination of that war.” Ludlow. 3. Direction or tendency to a certain end; guiding…
De-tĕr'mi-na-tive, a.p. 364Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing; conclusive. “Incidents . . . determinative of their course.” J. Taylor. Determinative tables (Nat. Hist.), tables presenting the specific…
De-tĕr′mi-nā′tor, n.p. 364One who determines. [Rare.]
De-têr'mine, v. t.p. 364To fix the boundaries of; to mark off and separate. Who . . . hath determined the times . . . appointed. Acts xvii. 26. 2. To set bounds to; to fix the termination of; to limit; to bound; to bring to…
De-tér'mine, v. i.p. 364To come to an end; to terminate. [Obs.] It becomes a mischief, and determines in a curse. South. Some estates may determine on future contingencies. Blackstone. 2. To come to a decision; to conclude…
De-tér'min-ed-ly, adv.p. 365In a determined manner.
De-tér'min-er, n.p. 365One who determines or decides.
Dē/ter-mis'sion, n.p. 365Determination; distinction. [Obs.]
De-tér'min-ism, n.p. 365(Metaph.) The doctrine that the will is not free, but is inevitably and invincibly determined by motives.
Dē'ter-rā'tion, n.p. 365The uncovering of any thing which is buried or covered with earth; a taking out of the earth. Woodward.
De-tér'rence, n.p. 365That which deters; a deterrent; a hinderance. [Rare.]
De-tĕr'rent, n.p. 365That which deters or prevents by appealing to the principle of fear. [Rare.]
De-tér'rent, a.p. 365Serving to deter. “The deterrent principle.” E. Davis.
De-tēr'sion, n.p. 365The act of deterging or cleansing, as a sore.
De-tēr′sive, a.p. 365Having power to free from offending matter; cleansing; detergent.
De-tēr'sive-ly, adv.p. 365In a detersive manner; in a way to cleanse or purify.
De-tēr'sive-ness, n.p. 365The quality of cleansing.
De-tēst', v. t.p. 365To hate or dislike extremely; to abhor; to abominate; to loathe; as, to detest crimes or meanness. 2. To denounce as hateful; to condemn. [Obs.] The heresy of Nestorius . . . was detested in the…
De-těst'a-ble, a.p. 365Worthy of being detested; abominable; very odious; deserving abhorrence. Thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things. Ezek. v. 11. Syn.—Abominable; odious; execrable; abhorred.
De-tēst'a-ble-ness, n.p. 365Extreme hatefulness.
De-tēst'a-bly, adv.p. 365Very hatefully; abominably; with detestation. “Detestably abhorring this . . . unnaturalness.” North.
De-tĕs′tāte, v. t.p. 365To detest. [Obs.] “Which, as a mortal enemy, the doctrine of the gospel doth detestate and abhor.” Udal.
Dĕt'es-tā'tion or Dē'tes-tā'tion, n.p. 365The act of detesting; extreme hatred or dislike; abhorrence; loathing. We are heartily agreed in our detestation of civil war. Burke.
De-tĕst'er, n.p. 365One who detests or abhors.
De-thrōne', v. t.p. 365To remove or drive from a throne; to depose; to divest of supreme authority and dignity. The Protector was dethroned. Hume.
De-thrōne'ment, n.p. 365Removal from a throne; deposition of a king, emperor, prince, or any supreme ruler.
De-thrōn'er, n.p. 365One who dethrones.
De-thrōn/i-zā'tion, n.p. 365Dethronement. [Obs.]